(First, an example; then, a discussion/rationale.)
What? Sulawesi Wet-Process Tana Toraja Peaberry. Sweet Maria's. http://www.sweetmarias.com/coffee.indonesia.sulawesi.php 10 oz, 11 minute Heatgun roast stopped at point of 2nd c.
Why? I'm partial to Indonesians and have used them up to 50% in blends. Got intrigued by Tom's description of "piney resinous hints," like- - -is that a good thing?
Result? Sweet and sour. Worth taking time to sip slowly. Big changes as palate adjusts and shot cools. Cherry-flavored sour gummi bear, but nice body and roast. Acid emphasis is especially sensitive to +/- a degree or two in brew temp. Tasted my wife's cappa, and the combination of milk + tartness set my teeth on edge. I'll re-order this coffee.
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From time to time I look at the "How was your morning coffee today?" thread for SO selection ideas. Recommendations and information are good, but spotty, and it doesn't scan well for my interests. Just came off the nice thread, "How do you select an espresso single origin?" Several good points in that thread, but the most useful is probably recommendations from a reviewer you trust.

That reviewer trustworthiness is key and rests on several factors including reputation and a correspondence between the reviewers' tastes and your own. Or, in the case of Tom at SM, reviews are consistent enough so I can almost extrapolate from his comments whether I want to take a chance with a purchase.

I'd welcome any thread that includes the basics of What, Why, and Result, but I'm sure that this format can be improved. However, I'm interested in "keeping up" and an efficient, consistent format would help

Hi Martin,

The biggest problem with the idea that one can figure out SOs to buy based upon forum members' reviews is going to be availability. In my experience, the better SO-espresso suitable coffees are readily available for only a short while. Taking myself as an example, when I place an order for coffees to try out, I usually wait until there are at least a couple of them that I want to try, to save on shipping costs. By the time the sample beans are delivered, they will already have been for sale for a week or two (possibly more). Then I roast them at the earliest opportunity, which is seldom the day they arrive. Then the coffee needs to degas at least a couple days before I try it the first time. I find that my first impressions are the most important, but I won't place a large repeat order until I'm sure, which will require me to retaste the coffee on (at least) days 3 and 4.

If by day 5 I still like the coffee, then (maybe) I place a large order. We are already, at this point, at least 2 and often 4 weeks post the first date the coffee was offered for sale. If I'm lucky, I get my large order in before the coffee is no longer available. If I'm not, then I'm screwed.

Getting back to the idea of posting our own lists of "winners," this becomes somewhat self-defeating for those who actually go to the trouble of blindly ordering and roasting samples at our own time & expense, because the coffee that turns out to be a winner ends up selling out before we can place our "real" larger order, due to someone else posting their glowing tasting result here or elsewhere online. In the end, the people who gain the most from such posts are the people who don't go to the trouble and expense themselves to order samples that they will personally roast and evaluate for their own use.

So, just being 100% honest, I don't see a lot of benefit to those who would do the work on this, to do the work and then post their "results" here. At best, they may get a few "thank you" posts, but more likely they will end up not laying in the supply they want of the few really good beans that present themselves each year in the consumer green bean marketplace. Plus this leaves out entirely the fact that a coffee that I roast on my equipment and that turns out fantastic (to my taste) might not be anywhere as satisfying to someone else using their equipment and their own tastebuds.

Just my (selfish) thoughts on this.

ken

Ken Fox wrote: . . . So, just being 100% honest, I don't see a lot of benefit to those who would do the work on this, to do the work and then post their "results" here. At best, they may get a few "thank you" posts, but more likely they will end up not laying in the supply they want of the few really good beans that present themselves each year in the consumer green bean marketplace. . .
Just my (selfish) thoughts on this. ken

hi Ken,
I'm trying to wrap my head around the scarcity of "better SO-espresso suitable" and "few really good beans." Seems to me that there are many more good SO prospects than I can allow into my stash, and I'm looking for a way to streamline my decision making. Do I want some gain with less work? Duh! That's the whole point.

I see how you might not want to prematurely signal an incredible crop until you've made your assessment, stocked up, and have all you wish in the freezer. But then, in a matter of weeks, a heads up post to the rest of us (those who frequent this site, read your posts, care about a robust fine-quality market) might even help assure future (if pricier) availability. IMO, not a bad trade-off.

Possibly, it's the "recent acquisitions" qualifier that creates the problem. Sure, I might jump at your recommendation (if you've got the cred, use it!) Still, I think you can figure a strategy to share your experience and not jeopardize your self interest.

I'm a fan of CoffeeCuppers.com, but Jim and Bob's review offerings are, well, limited. What I have in mind is the next best thing--a messier, riskier, community effort. Still, setting aside differences in roasting and tastes, over time I/we develop a fair idea of how to interpret "reviews" and whose posts to trust.

Martin wrote:hi Ken,
I'm trying to wrap my head around the scarcity of "better SO-espresso suitable" and "few really good beans." Seems to me that there are many more good SO prospects than I can allow into my stash, and I'm looking for a way to streamline my decision making. Do I want some gain with less work? Duh! That's the whole point.

I see how you might not want to prematurely signal an incredible crop until you've made your assessment, stocked up, and have all you wish in the freezer. But then, in a matter of weeks, a heads up post to the rest of us (those who frequent this site, read your posts, care about a robust fine-quality market) might even help assure future (if pricier) availability. IMO, not a bad trade-off.

Possibly, it's the "recent acquisitions" qualifier that creates the problem. Sure, I might jump at your recommendation (if you've got the cred, use it!) Still, I think you can figure a strategy to share your experience and not jeopardize your self interest.

I'm a fan of CoffeeCuppers.com, but Jim and Bob's review offerings are, well, limited. What I have in mind is the next best thing--a messier, riskier, community effort. Still, setting aside differences in roasting and tastes, over time I/we develop a fair idea of how to interpret "reviews" and whose posts to trust.

Hi Martin,

It is certainly possible that my standards for what constitutes a really good SO are too high, however in 3 years or so since I've actively looked for them, I've found only a handful. Off the top of my head, the only ones I can remember that were really great were, in no particular order:

(1) Ethiopian Wondo Bonko Dry Process from 2009, from both SMs and Klatch
(2) Ethiopian Wondo Bonko Wet Process from late 2009
(3) Ethiopian Worka from either late 2008 or early 2009, from both SMs and Klatch
(4) Ethiopian Adado from 2000 (on the margin; not great but very good)
(5) Ethiopian Sidamo Bonko Wet Process recently sold by SM's -- not as good as the prior year but decent
(6) Ethiopian Nekisse DP from 2010, bought from the GB Coop, quite expensive.
(7) Ethiopian Limu DP from 2010 from the GB Coop
(8 & 9) Two different Brazil Yellow Bourbons, one bought in 2008 or 2009 from Paradise, and the other last year (2010) from SMs. The latter had an order limit of 5lbs.
(10) Ethiopian DP Biloya from both the Coop and from Paradise. This was very expensive and actually not as good as most of the others for SO espresso use, in my experience.
(11) Some releases of Harrar Horse when Mohammed Whats-is-Name was still in charge, several years ago. These were not in the same league as the above coffees however were "acceptable" for SO use.
(12) The odd Yemen if you can stand the funk.

I have tried at least 3 or 4X as many other coffees that I found mediocre or unusable for SOs, that I 'm not listing.

If this is all I can come up with in 3 years, it shows that at least to my taste there are not that many good candidates available to home roasters from the usual sources. This is one reason why I started a thread not long ago having to do with large volume home users buying larger quantities of green coffee then selling the excess to other forum members. This might expand availability by bringing in some other coffees from other suppliers we home users don't usually work with. This has been talked about at length but to date I'm unaware of anyone actually doing it.

The last year was especially awful as regards SO espresso-suitable coffees being sold on the consumer marketplace. The only good ones I personally bought during the last 12 months were the Nekisse, the Limu, a few pounds of the latter Brazil YB, and the WP Sidamo Bonko given in the list above. It is no wonder that if my experience reflects the recent marketplace, why people might want to protect their supply from the ravaging hordes

ken

Well, Ken, if you can find some of the Finca La Concordia from El Salvador that Verve recently roasted, I think you'd be very pleased. They did a roast for SO espresso use that reminds me of nothing so much as a very sweet sherry cask. And I understand you like such things.

Best,
David

DavidMLewis wrote:Well, Ken, if you can find some of the Finca La Concordia that Verve recently roasted, I think you'd be very pleased. They did a roast for SO espresso use that reminds me of nothing so much as a very sweet sherry cask. And I understand you like such things.

Best,
David

Actually, I'm not much on Sherry. I do like the odd Madeira, every 6 to 12 months

Fortified wine is hard to serve, since by the time you would get around to drinking it, most everyone has already drunk their limit of alcohol.

ken

Ken Fox wrote: It is certainly possible that my standards for what constitutes a really good SO are too high,
ken

Yep, too high.

The dilemma with standards of the highest order is that the field can become rarefied nearly out of existence, and the players limited to a hard-working, elect, deserving, cognoscenti. I'm a dedicated, slacker, coffee fan who has been at it for too long to hide under cover of being a "newbie." I'm not suggesting that folks hand over their diamonds. But if you find a deposit of nuggets you can't consume yourself, give a heads-up.

My (lower) standards go something like this: I like to try every coffee I roast as an SO--even if it's not recommended as such. If it has potential I might tweak the next roast and my shot variables to maximize the SO qualities. If the sipping experience is satisfying, powerfully suggestive of the variety, and instructive, it might become a contender for re-order as an SO. If none of the above, I might try it as a blend, as a cappa, use it for my wife's cappa, tough it out until it's gone, or toss it. As with my start-up post above, the Sulawesi met a valid threshold: Drinkable, distinctive, gave me a big smile. Described my thinking and tasting experience. I'd like to hear from others. Standard, schmandard.

Ken Fox wrote:The biggest problem with the idea that one can figure out SOs to buy based upon forum members' reviews is going to be availability. In my experience, the better SO-espresso suitable coffees are readily available for only a short while.

That's my experience too.
The roasterie online shop that I make shopping most often offers option to remember the coffees that were bought or that one wants to and most coffees from my remember-list are absent.