I have now tried a lighter roast and a darker roast. I have also noticed the difference after leaving a couple of days.

I prefered the darker roast. a bit past second crack. I even noticed a bit of a blueberry note after around four days. But the Harrar is still quite a strong coffee with a sharp bite.

Thanks for all the input. I am now on the right track. The harrar is no longer Harrarible.

Hi....my experience with harar (loved the lot 30) from SM's...is that a medium roast...stopped before 1st crack yields the most fruit (lot 30 was intense blueberry)
a roast slightly into 2nd crack..full city, no oil, reduced the berry, and added bitter sweet tastes...I prefer the 1st example...YMMV
My tastebuds find SO Harar way to bright...but awesome in my espresso blends I homeroast...and hara is a componenmt in many of our facorite pro roaster's blends...I believe Chris Coffee's black Pearl contains a goodly amount. I balance my espresso blends with darker roasts of Sumatra....
also, as several posters have already correctly suggested, give harar at least 2 days to rest/degas...i usually rest 3 days....lighter roasts tend to need a longer rest, I've found.
Good luck!

k7qz wrote:Maybe try a small batch SO roast of your Harrar? If you experience that "zing" you'll have your answer-

FWIW, my recent batch of Harrar has a real "blueberry" taste to it. Great as a SO shot but my taste buds don't like it as much in my espresso blends. What was it Malachi used to say about taste?...

i believe you were looking for the sentence used by Timo: de gustibus non disputandum est...theres no argument over taste

Good lord, I just drank a Harrar SO shot for the first time and it really does smell like blueberries!

How bizarre!

It is a very light roast Ethiopian "Mocha" Harrar (is there also a Harrar from Yemen?) bought from Arabica Roasters in Beijing.

Wow, what fun!

Henry