I'm working my way through some George Howell Chorongi from Kenya. It's a beautifully roasted coffee and grinding it fills the room with the smell of blackberries! But the resulting espresso has the strangest underlying funk about it. Is this typical of Kenyan coffees or am I doing something wrong?

I'm pulling 18g into 36g in about 27-30 seconds and have tried 199 - 202F.

Thanks,

JB

Strangest underlying funk isn't a description I can use to help you improve it .

Kenyans can be a little savory/beefy/umami.

Moxiechef wrote: I'm pulling 18g into 36g in about 27-30 seconds and have tried 199 - 202F.

The Kenyan beans I typically pull shots from are delicious, and all around less sharp/overpowering than the various Ethiopian beans I use. Your parameters sound fairly typical for achieving a tasty shot. While it's not as quantifiable with a number as the other parameters, have you tried adjusting the grind size more fine / coarse at each temperature setting?

The temperature setting should depend on the roast level & your own personal tastes. Once you've honed in on what temperature you believe is best for that roast, then you could play with grind size or dose. For example, I also pull 18g into a 30-35g shot typically, but my newest bag of Kenya was darker than any of bags before. I had to down-dose, adjust my grind and pull my shots a bit cooler than usual - now doing 16g into 30-33g shots (under 30g is too rich/dark for me).

Finally, have you brewed these beans as coffee to get a feel for the aromas and flavors you can look for in the shots?

Ok. So my wife describes it as an overripe/going bad strawberry flavor. I might akin it to eating durian while you have a cold, it taste good but you just get a hint of something weird. But her nose is amazing, so I'd stick with her assessment.

We are drinking it but it's just a bit out of our wheelhouse.

We haven't brewed it as coffee yet but that's a great way to check for flavors. Thanks.

Is the Kenyan process one that allows for more fermentation? Because it may be a fermented flavor, which would correlate with my wife's "overripe" strawberry description.

Beautifully roasted Kenian sounds like it is (or should be) on the lighter side...?

So, what you can try is to underdose (something like 15-16g or even less) and adjust the grind so that you can pull your shot in 35-40 seconds.
Is that any better?

I usually like to do something like that with Kenyans and Ethiopians.

Moxiechef wrote: Is the Kenyan process one that allows for more fermentation? Because it may be a fermented flavor, which would correlate with my wife's "overripe" strawberry description.

If they are indeed natural processed, and you don't typically consume beans that are naturally processed, this may indeed be what's going on. About 2/3 of the time, I'm buying natural processed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Ethiopian Sidamo, and Kenya - only occasionally buying washed.

Nick Name wrote:Beautifully roasted Kenian sounds like it is (or should be) on the lighter side...?

I'd sure hope so. The Kenya beans I get from my local supplier (and the ones I had from La Colombe) were a light filter roast. Delicous shots and brews. Recently I had trouble overcoming my recent bag of Kenya Kichwa Tembo, which was roasted full city or possibly city plus (darker than I am used to). Dosing 15-16g and pulling longer slower (and smaller) shots was the advice given to me, and what helped me make enjoyable shots of it all.

CrabRangoon wrote:If they are indeed natural processed, and you don't typically consume beans that are naturally processed, this may indeed be what's going on. About 2/3 of the time, I'm buying natural processed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Ethiopian Sidamo, and Kenya - only occasionally buying washed.

It's my impression that Kenyans are very rarely naturally processed. All the ones I've ever had (and that's a lot) are washed.

Moxiechef wrote:I'm working my way through some George Howell Chorongi from Kenya. It's a beautifully roasted coffee and grinding it fills the room with the smell of blackberries! But the resulting espresso has the strangest underlying funk about it. Is this typical of Kenyan coffees or am I doing something wrong?

Yes, Kenyans are known for having a funk sometimes. Not sure whether it is the bean, the way it's processed, or roasted. But you can read more about it on this thread:

Tuna or Fish Odor in Roast?

brianl wrote:It's my impression that Kenyans are very rarely naturally processed. All the ones I've ever had (and that's a lot) are washed.

Ah, I only get Kenyan perhaps every 4-6 weeks while I buy Ethiopian every 2 weeks, and I often pick both up together I'm probably just mixing my facts if Kenya sticks to washed processing - but my staple Yirg is definitely a natural, and my Sidamo often is as well.

Its wet processed https://store.georgehowellcoffee.com/co ... kenya.html.

George Howell much prefers very clean coffees, and rarely sell natural or dry process. The flavors you describe do not sound like something he would tolerate, so either they had an off roast (it happens even to the best) or you should change up your extraction. I'm pretty sure my shots with that coffee tended more toward ristretto, but then again that was on a lever.