Compass Coffee Handlebar and Delirium Espresso I'm a bit of a sucker for high-acid coffees, particularly in the last few years. As such, I'm used to using fairly light roasts for all my coffee preparation. One upshot of this preference is that my coffees tend to be old enough to shine after 3-5 days of rest, and I generally

Handlebar and Delirium by Compass Coffee Roasting roast date: Nov 18 (frozen over Thanksgiving week, tested after 7 days total out of the freezer) coffee dose: 15.0g (53mm basket, equivalent to 18g on a 58mm basket) espresso weight: 22-23g (shot volume ~40ml) brew ratio: ~67% shot time: 25-30 sec after appearance of espresso droplets on bottom of basket temperature

Compass Coffee - Delirium Original Roast date: 11/18/11 Freeze date:11/26/11 Thaw date: 11/28/11 Effective roast date: 11/20/11 Test window: 11/28/11 Initial Preferences Out of the box, this offering piqued my interest. The whole bean smell offered a promising ripe stone fruit with a hint of anise that intensified out of the grinder. The label recommends a higher (18g) dose

Compass Coffee - Handlebar Original Roast date: 11/18/11 Freeze date:11/26/11 Thaw date: 11/28/11 Effective roast date: 11/20/11 Test window: 11/28/11 Initial Preferences Temperature: Low Dose: 17g Output: 25.9g Ratio: 65% Time: 30s Upon opening the bag, a funky aroma came out. I was immediately reminded of a dark-roasted Sumatra from the Aringata cooperative. Surprising to me that it

Handlebar and Delirium by Compass Coffee Roasting Although Compass Coffee Roasting wasn't in the "Favorites" nomination list, I asked Compass Coffee if he'd sponsor a review of his two espresso blends. He's a long-time member and made the transition from amateur to commercial roaster with three cafes; I thought it would be an interesting intermission between the previously announced

Worked my way thru a pound of Espresso Nuevo by Paradise. I was not able to get it into a form I enjoyed. While it definitely did improve at lower temps (196-197), for me it still had a bitter ashy finish I did not like. However, in milk it was another story - like a mocha - the nasty parts

Ritual Coffee Roasters Sweet Tooth Ritual's latest iteration of their signature espresso blend, Sweet Tooth, reminds me fondly of an old discussion thread, "Left coast coffee". It's an amusing piece of HB forum history, but also a good reminder that Sweet Tooth's flavor profile isn't a recent thing for Ritual. "Fruit-juice," indeed. On the cupping table, this

Ritual Coffee Sweet Tooth Sweet tooth is a bit of a change for me. Historically I have a preference for dry processed African coffees so switching to a wet processed Guatemalan is a big change in direction. I usually reserve wet processed coffee for press pot, not espresso. Sweet Tooth is a medium roast coffee, I would

Ritual Sweet Tooth SO Espresso (roasted Oct 4, tested Oct 10) coffee dose: 15.0g in a 53mm basket (equivalent to 18g on a 58mm basket) espresso weight: 18-22g (shot volume 30-35ml) brew ratio: 70-85% shot time: 30-35 sec after appearance of espresso droplets on bottom of basket temperature range: 88C-94C (190F-201F) in increments of 1C Protocol Grinder: Robur with

INTRODUCTION: Sweet Tooth is Ritual's line of single-origin espressos, relationship coffees similar in concept to Intelligentsia's Black Cat Project, and Counter Culture's and PT's SO offerings. The one we are trying is from the Chimeltenago region in Guatemala, a Bourbon from the Finca Conception Buena Vista of Bernardo Solano. Ritual is hard core third wave, offering few, unapologetically light and