So Far, in my Behmor roaster, I have not really enjoyed any espresso workshop blend (or any Sweet Maria's 'permanent' espresso blends) with the roast stopped "just before second crack". Tom, of S.M. seems to prefer his espresso lighter roasted than I do. I have not tried Espresso workshop #7 yet, but all the others I have gone at least 10+ seconds into second crack - before hitting cool - for an enjoyable roast.

Howard

Gobstopper wrote:I was wondering how you ended up roasting this blend. I cut it before any snaps of 2nd crack, and it hasn't been coming out too palatable(using 15 grams, ~96deg).

I agree that my Behmor roaster tends to yield a more uneven roast than Tom's industrial Diedrich, for which I find it necessary to compensate by roasting a bit darker. Otherwise there are too many under-roasted beans. I roasted this in small batches of about 250 grams and roasted until there were several snaps into second crack. The roast was still quite light overall, but the flavor is wonderful, best I think not waiting for it to rest any more than the minimum.

The roast is sensitive, with FC being different from FC+, and as I said, I wish I could get 95.5 degrees on my machine.

Interested to see what other people think.

Just finished my first few shots of this blend and the descriptor drdna gives is pretty accurate. The first thing that jumped out was the rich caramel and chocolate, then a very nice candy-like sweetness. Pulled at 202F,17g, 30s, 1.5oz. Seems like lower temps accentuate the caramel, and higher temps results in more chocolate and spices.

Wow! I just roasted another pound La Tessitura and hot on its heels a pound of The Ophiolite Blend, to celebrate the holidays. I am blown away by the side by side comparison, which is reflected in my previous comments. I sure would bet that if the Ophiolite Blend was available again, it would sell like hotcakes -- but for some reason La Tessitura is still available?

Well, more for me!

Hi folks
I roasted a pound of this stuff in my pair of iRoast 2 stretched to about 13-14 minutes (that's a lot for air roasters) and just a bit into 2nd crack. There is no ''burnt'' edge to this, not in the least, so it's not pushed that far into 2nd. Roasted it on 12/22/09 and pulled my first shots yesterday 12/27/09 <I edited the date>. This morning's shots were tremendous...even the first one.

This is great stuff in this roaster pair, and it is rich, sweet, and did a dyno-mite pair of triples this morning which I'd have drunk as espresso had it not been for the fact I wanted to use them in a 10 oz Americano.

I'm removing the crema off my pulls these days, and pulling an empty pre-shot till the water quits dancing, and it is doing the trick for having great shots at our high altitude...the combination really suits this blend.

I'm anxious to see how it works in the Behmor, but based on what I've experienced so far, I'll be inclined to push it slightly into 2nd and not stop short.

Well I did go ahead and buy some of this blend when I had other beans to purchase from SM and it is quite good though I must admit very different from anything I've tried previously.

I roast this blend in my HotTop to the very edge of 2C and cool VERY quickly. The chocolate and caramel are accentuated along with another major taste component that I have not yet been able to pin down even after going through three roasts. It is not a fruit or spice and certainly not "oatmeal Haggis" which to my tastes is perhaps the worst stuff passing for gourmet food I have ever experienced (This at the Turnberry 5* Hotel accompanied by fine single malt scotch wasted as it was poured over the meal - sorry apologies to all my fine Scottish friends). I will certainly continue to enjoy this blend as its unique taste experience is indeed what the workshop blends are about.

Also on that note I too roasted up a couple of batches of Ophiolite Blend for the holidays (only 1# left! ) and it continues to be better then anything I have made at home professional roasts included!. In my quest to reproduce it I have had some success and the key ingredient adding the bright cherries is the Guatemala La Maravilla offered by SM that also makes a great SO. Add my Brazilian Moreninha Formosa and an accent Idido Misty Valley and its heavenly - somewhat close but not percisely Ophiolite.

New Years I have some fine Kona all roasted and resting.

ljguitar wrote:Hi folks,

Roasted it on 12/22/09 and pulled my first shots yesterday 12/21/09. This morning's shots were tremendous...even the first one.

I never knew that the IRoast2 was related to the Mr.Fusion. I got to get me one of those time traveling roasters.

-C

Well, you know we time travellers - and I actually had one of the grinders which was mounted on the back of those Delorians in Back To the Future - they were the coolest looking coffee grinders on the planet!

I corrected the date in my previous post and noted doing so...

Just playing Larry.

-c

cecil wrote:Just playing Larry

Thanks for playing, Cecil!