Ken Davids reviews espressos again

[Marshall]

For those who don't subscribe to his Coffee Review, I note that one of the two blends Supreme Bean introduced at the Homecoming weekend event some of us attended tied for top score: Organic Dolce Terra. It is a favorite of mine now.

It is also apparent that word is getting around about Ethiopians as S.O. espressos. Both Terroir and Coffee Klatch submitted them as their espressos, scoring nearly as high with a Yirgacheffe and a Sidamo.

Interestingly, Ken discusses upfront the limitations of espresso reviews, in that they depend on technique, equipment and temperature (he chose 200F).

http://www.coffeereview.com/article.cfm?ID=124

Marshall

[luca]

Wow! That was VERY impressive. I always thought that Kenneth was much more of a brewed coffee than an espresso guy, so the detail with which he acknowledged the difficuluties inherent in the espresso process was very encouraging. He also did a great job of providing all of the relevant information without alienating or confusing non-espresso drinkers.

As for setting the brew temp at 200F ... well, I haven't read the reviews yet, but I suspect that this is the only way that you can really review a large number of coffees. And it's a fair way of doing it, seeing as 99.999% of people are not going to tweak the temperature for every coffee. That said, it might be that tweaking the brew temp a little could help in some cases, but I think that that was implicitly acknowledged in the intro.

Edit: Just read his review of the reading roasters dark roast. We use a dark roast and the astringency that Kenneth mentions might well be muted by lowering the brew temp a notch. That said, that might well correspond to a reduction in the apricot ... aah, the intricacies of reviewing!

Cheers,

Luca

[another_jim]

I'm glad Ken Davids has specified how he pulls shots for his reviews. One can disagree with him on the details; but one can no longer doubt knows what he's doing. This may be in response to exactly such doubts being expressed in some of the pro blogs and forums.

FWIW, the Dolce Terra is one of the best blends I tasted this year. My personal assessment on the Addis Ketema Yrg (the Terroir offering) and the Heche Sidamo (Coffee Klatsch's offering) is the reverse of Ken's, but the two coffees are very close. This time around, there were no scores that seemed way out of line, like the very low score he gave to Zoka's Paladino in the last round up.

It is interesting that he pulls singles, not doubles. These tend to be a bit milder on the acids and bitters, so it'll favor more aggressive coffees like Yrgs, and penalize very soft blends like the Paladino.

[malachi]

As for the demanding expectations of roasters, baristas and super-aficionados: Our brewing specifications put us in about the middle of the generally accepted range of espresso brewing parameters. Some, for example, argue that a brewing temperature of 198F produces a more complex, lively, aromatic shot than a brewing temperature of 200F, but since others argue for 203F, we compromised at 200F. Similarly, some pack the portafilter with 10 grams of coffee per shot and extend the shot to 30 seconds after the first drop (35 or so after initiating brewing), practices that, in my experience, produce a shot that may be impressively heavy in body, but often at the cost of the smoother mouthfeel and more fully expressive flavor obtained by the more conventional 8 grams and somewhat shorter shot time.

This would imply a generalization possible across all coffees that is pure fantasy.

Davids needs to understand that brew temp, dose, extraction - they're ALL variables and there is a sweet spot per coffee.

[malachi]

Blind Assessment: Smoke, toast and a hint of flowers in the aroma. In the small cup medium-bodied and smooth in mouthfeel, balanced, rich, simple, with hints of cedar, dark chocolate and toast. Sweet finish. In milk lean-bodied but lush, dominated by a smoky semi-sweet chocolate.

Who should drink it: A smoky/toasty Northwest-style espresso without bitter overstatement.

If you drop the temp and up the dose you remove the smoke, increase the body and complexity and eliminate the cedar note while bringing out the floral aromatics.

[luca]

Blind Assessment: Smoke, toast and a hint of flowers in the aroma. In the small cup medium-bodied and smooth in mouthfeel, balanced, rich, simple, with hints of cedar, dark chocolate and toast. Sweet finish. In milk lean-bodied but lush, dominated by a smoky semi-sweet chocolate.

Who should drink it: A smoky/toasty Northwest-style espresso without bitter overstatement.

If you drop the temp and up the dose you remove the smoke, increase the body and complexity and eliminate the cedar note while bringing out the floral aromatics.

I agree, Chris, but it would make his task exceptionally difficult. Additionally, perhaps his audience is not likely to go to that trouble. Still, I guess that last concern casts doubt on the usefulness of any espresso review for said audience.

[malachi]

Difficult?
Ask the supplier for brew parameters, duplicate.

Of course... given that he's not working with a truly skilled barista I guess this is the least of our worries.

[miKe mcKoffee]

Difficult?
Ask the supplier for brew parameters, duplicate.

Of course... given that he's not working with a truly skilled barista I guess this is the least of our worries.

Wouldn't even have to be a truly skilled baristan, just some lame home barista like me competent with a prosumer HX machine capable of hitting their desired target temp < + or - 1f, or gee use an S1. But it would of course require asking for suggested rather than just using an industry average temp. IIRC some blends like Dr Johns Malabar Gold would be absolutely terrible way down 200f yet can sing with the temp bumped up substantially.

Which leaves my opinion intact that Ken is a good coffee writer, not necessarily coffee professional.