Sweet Maria's Espresso Blends Recommended Brew Temperature?

[EricC]

Hi,

Can anyone please advise me of the best Brew Temp to try with the following two home roasted blends.
I have just received my Brewtus II and now have the ability to fine tune the brew temp.
They are roasted in my Hottop Roaster.

Sweet Maria's ........... Liquid Amber Espresso Blend
and
Sweet Maria's ........... Espresso Monkey Blend

I usually roast the beans to the level recommended on Sweet Maria's web page.

Cheers
Eric

[KarlSchneider]

Hi Eric,

I cannot recommend temps because I do not have comparable data. However, I can say that I find Tom's roast levels consistently too light. This is no criticism of Tom. It is rather the suggestion that you will need to calibrate your preferred taste to Tom's. Once you see the relative positions you can proceed.

I never got an espresso I liked out of the Amber. I loved the Monkey and have done many batches. I suggest keeping the temp on the low side. With that blend you get more flavor complexity at lower temps.

KS

[EricC]

Hi Eric,

I cannot recommend temps because I do not have comparable data. However, I can say that I find Tom's roast levels consistently too light. This is no criticism of Tom. It is rather the suggestion that you will need to calibrate your preferred taste to Tom's. Once you see the relative positions you can proceed.

I never got an espresso I liked out of the Amber. I loved the Monkey and have done many batches. I suggest keeping the temp on the low side. With that blend you get more flavor complexity at lower temps.

KS

Hi Karl,

Thank's for responding.

I understand what you are saying, as the actual roast level will vary then so will the best temp for that particular roast, and preferred taste is very personal.
I had read somewhere that the Liquid Amber was Tom's version of Malabar Gold, which apparently likes quite high brew temps.
I do have some Malabar Gold on its way to me so that i can re try that again now that i can alter the brew temp much more easily.

Thanks again
Eric

[The_Mighty_Bean]

Hi Eric,

I went through a pound of Amber factory roasted by Tom, and was initially unimpressed. I accidentally acquired a second batch, and finally stumbled on pull parameters that I absolutely love. This is now one of my favorite blends.

Sorry, no PID, so temps are very approximate. I'm one of those reverse-surfing types.

At Vienna, dose 16g into an LM double basket. Tighten the grind to a .75oz ristretto in about 40-50 seconds. It should be thick enough to coat your tongue almost like honey. Really the time is not of that much concern. You want it very short and very thick, and stop the pour when the light spot appears on top. The crema has larger bubbles than most blends and recedes quickly- this is a blend characteristic, not a flaw.

Pulled at about 197-198 (for me it's a a three-minute surf from max boiler temp) this is syrupy and sweet with hardly any bitters or pungency. You might occasionally taste wood or light smoke and very frequently a surprising and pronounced note of button mushroom. But aside from these intriguing flavors, it's the finish that is truly spectacular. Straight-up milk caramel. It'll stay with you for 15-20 minutes and the aftertaste will revisit you over the next few hours if you don't eat anything particularly strong afterwards. Lovely burps. Sorry, but so true!

Take the temp closer to 200 (for me, a 2:40 surf) and you will get a pungent sort of bite on the tongue. It's not bright, it's definitely bite- like the sensation of tasting a radish, but gentler. It's a little less sweet upfront, but the finish still lingers like candy-apple caramels (more the milkiness of them than the sweetness).


~tMb

[EricC]

Hi Ari,
Many thanks for your detailed response to my question, i will have to order some more beans from SweetMaria's and give your settings a go.

I had completely forgotten this post of mine.
Best Regards
Eric

[ronsil]

- Hi Eric

I love SM Liquid Amber its my favorite espresso blend - I usually buy twice a year from Sweet Marias.

On the La Spaz I use 15.5 grams for a double & brew at 92'C for approx 25 seconds ending up a little under the line (long ristretto). Great beans

[EricC]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the tip on SM Liquid Amber, the last time I tried it I think that I may have been running a little too cool for it.