Sweet Maria's Auriferous Espresso Blend

by **drdna** on Sat Feb 21, 2009 12:09 pm

Just tried this new blend from Sweet Maria's. Absolutely fabulous!

Technique: After a lot of experimentation, I settled on the following: I roasted this to about FC++, rested it for three hours in the open air and then let it rest in an oxygen-free container for 6 days with desiccant to absorb excess water. The grind must be tightened quite a bit. A 15 g double shot was extracted at 93 degrees C for 24 seconds to achieve a standard volume double espresso.

Result: One of the best cups of espresso I have had. Sweet vanilla floral flavor with richly vibrant high notes, zesty lemon rind, and a bittersweet chocolate finish.

Just wondered what other people's experience has been with this blend?

by **IMAWriter** on Sun Feb 22, 2009 3:50 am

drdna wrote:Just tried this new blend from Sweet Maria's. Absolutely fabulous!

Technique: After a lot of experimentation, I settled on the following: I roasted this to about FC++, rested it for three hours in the open air and then let it rest in an oxygen-free container for 6 days with desiccant to absorb excess water. The grind must be tightened quite a bit. A 15 g double shot was extracted at 93 degrees C for 24 seconds to achieve a standard volume double espresso.

Result: One of the best cups of espresso I have had. Sweet vanilla floral flavor with richly vibrant high notes, zesty lemon rind, and a bittersweet chocolate finish.

Just wondered what other people's experience has been with this blend?

I ordered and roasted the "#1" Workshop blend (forgot the odd name), but haven't tried this one as yet.
Let us know how it ages.
The #1 is delicious at 4 days.
I'll report on it in a couple of days.

by **drdna** on Sun Feb 22, 2009 4:23 am

You must mean Espresso Workshop #1: Ophiolite Blend. Yes, that is great; too bad they are sold out. It gives a wonderfully mellow cup. It is best after 48 hrs. and keeps a week or so.

The Auriferous Blend is much more vibrant, full of citrus rind. I have been keeping it in a oxygen-free container to retard staling. It really opened up after six days and I think it is actually getting better going into week two. This is rather unusual for me to say, since I hate stale coffee. However, I recently started keeping my coffee in dry oxygen-free containers, and that has really helped to extend their shelf life.

There is a new Basaltic Blend (#3) which I have yet to try. In my opinion, these blends are the greatest single thing to happen to the home coffee roaster. They do not compromise to conform to a particular flavor profile. Instead, they are the best possible blend for the current available beans.

Wow! These blends are amazing. I have made the best espresso yet with them.

Adrian

by **GC7** on Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:07 pm

The Ophiolite Blend is wonderful. I think SM is really doing a great job with this new blending routine. They can go wild with coffees they love but can't get on a consistent basis. Ophiolite to my tastes is much more dynamic then Monkey Blend and more balanced then Moka Kadir which is a favorite of mine.

Dr DNA (Watson or Crick?

). Can you compare this new one (Auriferous) with Moka Kadir? Also, do you see a difference in storage and freshness of the beans with the desiccant?

by **tribe3** on Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:52 pm

drdna wrote:Just tried this new blend from Sweet Maria's. Absolutely fabulous!

Technique: After a lot of experimentation, I settled on the following: I roasted this to about FC++, rested it for three hours in the open air and then let it rest in an oxygen-free container for 6 days with desiccant to absorb excess water. The grind must be tightened quite a bit. A 15 g double shot was extracted at 93 degrees C for 24 seconds to achieve a standard volume double espresso.

Result: One of the best cups of espresso I have had. Sweet vanilla floral flavor with richly vibrant high notes, zesty lemon rind, and a bittersweet chocolate finish.

Just wondered what other people's experience has been with this blend?

You were very convincing; I just ordered 20lbs. of Espresso Workshop #2. I've been doing all sorts of random blends with my first pounds (12) of "Variety Pack" from freshcoffeebeans.com and I got my personal best by combining Central Americans with African. The WS #2 looks like the same but done by people that actually know what they are doing. Can't wait to try it out!

by **drdna** on Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:41 pm

GC7 wrote:The Ophiolite Blend is wonderful. I think SM is really doing a great job with this new blending routine. They can go wild with coffees they love but can't get on a consistent basis. Ophiolite to my tastes is much more dynamic then Monkey Blend and more balanced then Moka Kadir which is a favorite of mine. Can you compare this new one (Auriferous) with Moka Kadir?

The Auriferous Blend is very different from the Ophiolite Blend. It is much brighter and more focused on getting the Single Origin character out of the cup instead of yielding a balanced mellow cup. Compared to Moka Kadir, think trumpet instead of bassoon. More floral than fruity. More citrus than chocolate. What impresses me, however, is that with most blends, you see some defects owing to the constituents not being exactly correct to achieve a certain flavor profile. With these Workshop Blends, they are perfect for what they are. Now, you may not fancy a bright citrus-y espresso, but you have to admire the purity of expression.

GC7 wrote:Also, do you see a difference in storage and freshness of the beans with the desiccant?

Yes, I do. Some people, don't seem to mind the taste of stale coffee at 2+ weeks, but I do. I generally only enjoy most blends in the first week, as they are too stale for my taste after that. However, using the desiccant and keeping the beans in a nitrogen-flushed (oxygen-free) container really makes a difference to me. I wouldn't do it any other way, now. If you tend to find the taste of coffee begins to get stale after a week or so, I would definitely give it a try.

by **drdna** on Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:45 pm

tribe3 wrote:You were very convincing; I just ordered 20lbs. of Espresso Workshop #2. I've been doing all sorts of random blends with my first pounds (12) of "Variety Pack" from freshcoffeebeans.com and I got my personal best by combining Central Americans with African. The WS #2 looks like the same but done by people that actually know what they are doing. Can't wait to try it out!

I think you will like it, although it may not be exactly what you are expecting. If you find the high notes too forward, try increasing the grind size and overdosing to about 18 g. This gave me a more subdued, sweeter cup.

by **Javacat** on Sat Jun 20, 2009 12:47 pm

Anyone have any experience with the Auriferous blend from SM's? I've been struggling to get a decent shot recently. I've tried pulling my shot with 3X and 2X baskets and tried both up and down-dosing without much luck. It's roasted 10 seconds into 2C and rested for 5 days, so I'm pretty sure it should be into its sweet spot as described by Tom. My brew temp is set to about 202F. Thanks for the help.

--Kurt

...merged by moderator with thread on same topic...

by **JmanEspresso** on Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:37 pm

I havent had any of this blend in a WHILE.. But my notes tell me I roasted it maybe a tad lighter then you.. barely into second.

Since it is a bright blend.. I might go up in temp a bit more.. Maybe 203, 203.5. I wasnt as enthusiastic about this blend when I had it, Its possible you just dont like it, you know? I have been meaning to try it again, because my personal tastes have changed drastically since Feb, but here is my suggestion.

Stick to the double basket, and stick to a low(er) dose. I wouldnt go higher then 16.
Try a finer grind and a lighter tamp.. Something on the order of about 5-10lbs.
Don't pull it ristretto, pull it normale, so you get 2ounces in 28-30sec. Maybe even 2.25oz. Maybe.
You could also experiment with the single basket if you feel like.. We have been discussing singles lately, and this sounds like it MIGHT do well as a single. The thread is in "Tips&Techniques" here.

Thats what my notes say. Like I said, I wasnt in love with this blend when I tried it.. I liked it, but not like others did. I would definitely not use the triple basket for this blend. Its more then possible u just dont like it, but, you have it, so play around with it.

Im gonna have to order some more before they run out... They've had it for a while huh?


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