Blending with same origin different roast level

[triathlon61]

I was thinking of blending different roast levels of the same coffee. Any suggestions for espresso?
md

[HB]

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[another_jim]

I was thinking of blending different roast levels of the same coffee. Any suggestions for espresso?
md

It mostly doesn't work for espresso.

Melange blends (as these are called) usually mix 2/3 to 3/4 of a very light roast (too light for espresso) with a very dark roast (usually ashy as espresso) to get a fairly vivid brewed coffee. For espresso, you'd need to pick two roast levels much closer together, for example, one roast to the first pops of the second, a second roast just beyond the peak of the 2nd crack. Mostly, if you did a roast to the start of a rolling second, it would have more vivid flavors than the mix of these two.

However, there are some coffees that transition rapidly between two flavors; for instance, some really exceptional Sulawesis will go from strong caramel at the start of the 2nd to strong chocolate at the height of the second. I hope the area recovers enough from the tsunami that I'll get see this again in a few years time.