I think the reviews of espresso blends was a great idea last year, but I don't recall any reports within those blends of what dose / brew ratios worked well in a lever machine. Of course each lever is different so as always in these forums: YMMV. Anyway, I think HBers might appreciate having threads devoted to the coffees of a given roaster brewed successfully by any devoted barista. I will start for a recent coffee I had from Stumptown. The idea is that anyone can describe to the best of their ability (this is where I distinguish myself below the reviewers from last years' blends review) the flavors they enjoyed and how they achieved it.

See next post for the example entry.

Ecuador Loja CMA lever group - boiler pressure 1.25 bar - 16 grams - 25 seconds. This 1.5 oz shot carried the apple and cherry as described by Stumptown and the lingering toasted nuts in the finish.

Yirgacheffe Adado La Pavoni EP-8 - Penneys temp strip read 203 during the extraction - 7 grams single with fine grind / light tamp - 20 seconds - That makes a tasty shot: cherry/strawberry/chocolate.

Yirgacheffe Adado: La Pav 13 grams tight grind, lightish tamp, 203F per the temp strip 1.75-2 oz. Slurped, I got lavender in front, the bitterness of the longer extraction lingered but up front, lavender. This was 13 days post roast date and still mighty tasty.

Columbia El Jordan: In the french press this is a very tasty cup with tastes of mild citrus and spice. At 16 grams dose with the Astoria lever it delivers a 30-35 gram dopio which concentrates those flavors and adds a mild astringency.

Ethiopia Duromina: This is the first SO I've had from Stumptown roasted for espresso. I've had shots from the La Pavoni pulled after 4-6 sec preinfusion using 12-13 grams with shot volumes less than 2 oz generally 28 sec total extraction time. Many had a very enjoyable hint of tangerine. Today I used the CMA group with 13 grams double extracting 2 oz over 22 sec. TANGERINE. I really enjoy a shot that has a flavor I can name.

October 1: I wonder how much of this coffee Stumptown brought to market. They are still selling it after 4 months. The bag I bought, roasted around Sept. 16, still gave up the tangerine flavors once it had rested for 6-10 days. I notice their flavor notes do not mention tangerine, to my surprise: "Red fruit and intensely floral aromatics open the floodgates for a dynamic coffee filled with raspberry and asian pear flavors with a smooth, buttery finish like a macadamia."

I was pulling the Duromina differently than their suggested parameters, slower and cooler than recommended, and have had some very good shots. The flavors were dominated with black tea and spice (nutmeg, cinnamon and a pronounced pepperyness) with some sweetness, but not much acidity. I also tried different shots that brought out the fruitiness, which was nice, but preferred the tea and spice shots since I've rarely gotten those flavors to come through so strongly, and would definitely recommend trying out that end of the spectrum.

Suke Quto - has anyone had any luck with this coffee? I've pulled a few shots, and they've been ok, but not well balanced. Shots at higher temps (closer to recommended) are dominated by leather and tobacco, while shots are lower temps are nice and clean, with a light fruit finish, but taste a little flat and boring initially. I think this might be a case of the sweetness in the coffee masking other flavors though because adding just a touch of sugar to a macchiato makes it almost overwhelmingly sweet.

It also seems to be a tricky bean, the pours have been a little inconsistent, and it's very dense as well, I can easily put 22g in a ridgeless double and still have enough headspace to keep from hitting the screen. It may be a case where the best extractions are out on the edges of where I usually start pulling, ie. I may need to cut the pours very short or something.

I have not had the Suke Quto since last year, when I enjoyed it as drip quite well. Very fruity as I recall. Could it be that the bean needs to rest a bit? My favorite shots of the Duromina were at day 10-12 post roast, but I had also switched from the pavoni to the CMA group, so I'm not sure. 12 ounces turns out to not be very much coffee.

Definitely improves with age, the shots from today (day 9) were noticeably better, both straight and in milk.