Rate My Roast: Lucky 13

[another_jim]

Introduction from the roaster:

I hope you find this a worthwhile blend. It was roasted on 7/23, bagged, and frozen; out of the freezer and off to the post office on 7/25. I've had some pretty good shots when dosing a double basket with 14.5 grams and running at 201F. I also had some good ones when I brought the temperature WAY down, dosed the baskets full, and Stockfleth'd them level. But please tinker to find the best shot! In designing this plend I was aiming for lots of chocolate and sweetness. Here's the blend:

Brazil Poco Fundo peaberry 30%
Brazil Cachoeira "Canario Bourbon" 30%
Kona Kowali 20%
Aged Sumatra ('04 crop) 10%
Kenya AA Giakanja 10%

Note: My sample was lost/misdirected, so I'll sit this review out.

[Abe Carmeli]

Day 1

I started by following the roaster's suggestion for brew parameters: 14.5 grams at 201f. Turned out ashy and bitter. I lowered the temperature to 198f 14.5 gram and pulled 1.6 oz in 23 seconds. A sweet shot overall, nicely balanced with pronounced milk chocolate. Silky acidity almonds/marzipan. Some toast/smoky flavors but no ash. Medium+ body with oily texture. Long chocolaty finish. It is a classic comfort food blend. As with Nutty Buddy, I am missing a bit of fruit in the acidity. I think the high growth coffees are influencing the acidity but are not pronounced enough in the front end.

Day 2

With the hope of getting more fruit from this blend I went in two directions. The obvious one is to increase flow rate, and updose a bit. That shot at 16g 1.5 oz 20 seconds was more acidic, though still sweet. Despite the increased acidity I could not identify any fruit flavor in it. Going contrarian at a ristretto flow rate pull decreased acidity and vividness and increased body. Overall, yesterday's shot of 14.5g 1.6 oz 198f in 23 seconds was my favorite.

A greater role for a fruity Kenya would have added a little more complexity to the blend. Or perhaps replacing the Kona with a cherry bomb PNG may be a nice riff on this blend. I was hoping for a whiff of a brandy note from the aged Sumatra, but could not find it.

Overall this is a very nice blend. Comparing the result in the cup to the roaster's "mission statement", I believe he delivered nicely on it. I gave it a total score of 3.5 - between good & very good, and it has the potential to score higher with some modification in bean selection/roast profile. What it has in abundance is comfort, what it lacks is complexity. It is a play on the same theme we had with Nutty Buddy, but overall more to my taste.

[HB]

Day 1:

On a whim, I guessed this blend would pull slightly tighter than the last blend, Nutty Buddy, and was right: Dusty milk chocolate, dark rich mahogany crema, and a gentle finish. My first thoughts echo Abe's comment about this being a "comfort food" blend. Brew parameters were 16 grams, 1.5 ounces, temperature on the cool side (estimated 198F). I bet this blend would work well in a macchiato.

[HB]

Day 2:

Nowadays I drink only a few cappuccinos a month, usually when friends or relatives stop by. But Rate My Roast includes a cappuccino component, so this morning I prepared one using a small ACF cup (total volume around 5 ounces). As I suspected, this blend hits its stride in milk, emphasizing sweetness and chocolates. Microfoam with the Elektra Semiautomatica was a breeze, producing a delightfully balanced cappuccino, a strong 4.0. It could have scored a bit higher were it not for the lilting finish, but that could be blamed on my technique as much as the blend itself (hey, like I said, I'm only making a few a month!).

This blend would make an excellent "introduction to espresso" blend via cappuccinos. That is, serve it to diehard cappuccino/latte fans one time, switch to macchiatos, then finally to straight espresso as the drinker's appreciation develops. The acidity is nearly non-existent, which will please those seeking an easy going chocolate fix; later if they develop a palate for more variety, this blend would serve as a good foundation for accent coffees.

Those new to espresso will also appreciate this blend; pulling a tasty espresso with even extractions was easy. I toyed a bit with lower temperatures, thinking it might prompt some greater acidity. It didn't, which should benefit the consistency of the espressos for those owning less brew temperature stable equipment.

[RMR]

Thanks for the feedback, Abe & Dan. I hope that the next blend will make to to you too, Jim!

I realized that I offered no information on the roast profile. This is, in part, because I keep such so little quantitative temperature data on my roasts since I switched to using an RK drum and got rid of the heat diffusers in the grill. Every time I check the ET, I get readings in the 500F-575F range; this is, I suspect, due to too much direct heat hitting the probe. When I tried cutting the heat down, the roasts would take forever (I usually roast 2-1/2# per batch, and the roasts were running 21 minutes or longer). I also had trouble with scorching when I was dropping into a hot drum.

The grill is a three-burner Char-Broil running on propane. I now drop when the drum is merely warm and give the most heat up to the start of 1st crack--11 min. or so. I back off the heat a bit through first to stretch it to 2-3 minutes, then ramp up ever so slightly so that second crack starts around 15 minutes. That's when I cut the heat and let it coast for 20-30 seconds before dropping it into the cooling tray.

I know that's not much for those who like to monitor the temp profiles of their roasts closely, but I've been tweaking it for years and it now works pretty well...and very consistently, which is important, too.

[Abe Carmeli]

Your roast profile may explain the absence of fruit. 11 minutes to 1st crack maybe a tad too long, I would speed that up. To get the fruit you need to move fast to 1st crack, albeit not too fast. It is hard to give you cues when you do not have temperature feedback, but you need to do it as fast as you can within the condition that you will have uniform bean color when you enter 1st crack.

Stretching the first crack may also have something to do with it, for what purpose are you stretching it? I would race through first crack and half way through it cut back the heat and let it coast. Temperature will still rise, but when you find the sweet spot it won't rise too fast to bring you to 2nd crack too soon.