jonny wrote:The more sensitive a sense is, the narrower the range of enjoyment.

That makes sense for intensity of sensation. It might not so much if it's about the type of sensation rather than how loud it is.

H-B in general is quite convincing that 'good' can be agreed on by experts who still retain different ideas of 'nice'. That trained ability must be part of what makes an expert.

Yirgacheffe beans and dry grounds have smelled to my family variously like pizza topping, cheap korma sauce, boiled beef with lemon, and cheese. It's very interesting to see parallels with other responses here that come from outside the coffee flavour wheel.

jonny wrote:"good coffee" is extremely subjective, not ultimately defined by the sensitivity or expertise of one's palate, or even by the score of a coffee.

I agree, in a sense, so I've added scare quotes to the thread's title.

That said, I just brewed up another cup of Klatch's Gedeo Worka, and I do think it's good. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced "durian" is on the money.

Panning out a little, last year I got my hands on some of Klatch's Don Pachi Geisha and shared it with my mother-in-law; she thought it tasted like apple cider vinegar. This was at two weeks post-roast--the last little bit--and it's true the acidity wasn't as well-balanced anymore by that point.

I have to say that I'm jealous of the feedback your getting from your friends and family members, even if it is negative feedback. About all that I can get out of my family is "it's good" or "I like this one." For a while, after continued prompting, my Wife started describing the coffee as "Earthy" but since she continued to use that term with every cup from a Sumatra to a nice, clean washed Central, I soon realized what she was doing... just getting me to stop with all the questions.

I'm not saying that my friends and family don't enjoy my coffee, they just don't seem to enjoy talking about it or describing it.

bostonbuzz wrote:I opened a bag of Haribender, and I swear it smelled just like day-old pizza... delicious!

Totally agree with that one!

Personally I am not a big fan of naturals especially ones that are not super clean, like this one sounds to be.

Speaking of good coffee not impressing I find I get much more compliments when I serve a chocolate or dolce style espresso as oppose to something in the third wave style. I firmly echo that people have to know what to expect when serving them if they are going to be open to it.

jbviau wrote:I agree, in a sense, so I've added scare quotes to the thread's title.

That said, I just brewed up another cup of Klatch's Gedeo Worka, and I do think it's good. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced "durian" is on the money.

Panning out a little, last year I got my hands on some of Klatch's Don Pachi Geisha and shared it with my mother-in-law; she thought it tasted like apple cider vinegar. This was at two weeks post-roast--the last little bit--and it's true the acidity wasn't as well-balanced anymore by that point.

Not sure I could drink anything that even slightly resembled Durian lol

^^^ Ha! Well, it's not over the top IMO.

yakster wrote:I have to say that I'm jealous of the feedback your getting from your friends and family members, even if it is negative feedback...

Oh, don't be too impressed! I'm only reporting my successful fishing expeditions. Usually I don't catch much. Might even have to duck from time to time...

I served some of my Panama Esmeralda Boquete Geisha with five days rest brewed in the Clever to my Wife last night. She said it was good. Oh well, at least she liked it. I'm getting ready to brew up a cup right now in the Kalita Wave for my own enjoyment.

Update: the wet aroma of this coffee is fantastic and I can't help but smile as I drink this very floral cup. I'm finding it hard to describe but jasmine or honeysuckle seem to come to mind. It looks like I've got about 50 grams of this left from my first 227 gram (1/2 pound) roast. I'll have to try this as espresso soon.

"Good" is good! I think she's on the right track since she avoided the term "earthy."

'it's good' is just about the best you can get really, unless someone actually knows something about coffee. Seriously, generic positive feedback is the most genuine feedback you can receive from someone who doesn't care as much as you do. If you'd rather not 'waste' GREAT coffee on someone who doesn't care, that's a different story...

Intrepid510 wrote:.....Speaking of good coffee not impressing I find I get much more compliments when I serve a chocolate or dolce style espresso as oppose to something in the third wave style.

Same, my wife loves the chocolates in the coffee. I personally understand loving the chocolates in the coffee because the fruits aren't necessarily any flavours I care to taste unless they go well with chocolate like blueberry. Similar in wines for me...

I managed to get some descriptive feedback from the Wife this morning on a recent coffee I roasted and brewed. This morning she told me that the coffee I brewed yesterday, an old Indonesian Sulawesi Toraja (Celebes Kalossi) roasted to FC on Friday, tasted like dirt and a$$. I was happy to get the feedback, and I do agree that the dark roast was a bit challenging as a S.O. brewed coffee, being a pretty dirty cup. It did have some interesting anise notes, and I'd been enjoying taking a break from bright, fruity coffees to try something different.

I'm waiting to see what she thinks of the same coffee roasted lighter that I brewed up this morning. It's a lot more approachable with some rustic stone fruit sweetness but still plenty of earthy dirt; hopefully no a$$ and sadly no anise notes that I could detect.