I bought five pounds each of Guatemala Antigua Finca Cabrejo and Panama Carmen Estate 1900 Meters from Sweet Marias. They arrived today, and this afternoon I roasted a 225g charge of a 50/50 blend, taking my generic, espresso roast profile on my HT-P2 to FC or maybe an RCH beyond.

It might have been better to wait to post since I won't brew the blend before Saturday, but I was really impressed by the smell of the roast. From the start sugar cane aromas were intense, and as the roast proceeded the sugar became even more intense while caramel was added. It was, by far, the sweetest smelling blend I ever roasted.

Really looking forward to trying this.

BDL

We started drinking a 50/50 blend of these two (Guatemala Antigua Finca Cabrejo and Panama Carmen Estate 1900 meters, roasted to FC (as described in the previous post) yesterday, after running out of the 3:2 blend of FC ES San Juan de Bosco and Anitigua Covadonga.

The roasting profiles are -- so far -- identical. My "generic espresso" profile.

I have yet to get the grinder and temps exactly right.

First Impressions:

It wants to be brewed at about the same temperature as the previous blend.

The blend is very light bodied and demands a stiffer brew ratio than the stuff. Brewed to around 70% it is sweet and nutty. Less chocolate than I'd expected, and also less fruity, but the nuttiness also includes a strong floral component. Almond blossoms, almost but not quite. Caramel is there, but also an aroma and taste of cane.

So far, I'm pleased with the sweetness, and balance, but think the flavors are a little muddled and am missing accustomed body. In fact, my wife noticed its lack through the milk of her latte gigante. At the end of they day, this 50/50 blend might need some asymmetry and/or the addition of something like a Sumatran or even a Brazilian to give it some fundament.

I'm going to pull another cup right now at 75%.

BDL

Well, well, well.

I've got this particular blend and roast pretty well dialed in for grind, temp and brew ratio. In contrast to an earlier post the best temp is cooler than I'd thought -- 200ish at a guess.

It might also be important to clarify that the roast level was on the dark side of FC. It was tending to FC+, if it hadn't already got there. I.e., four or five snaps into 2dC.

There's not enough body for a traditional normale brew ratio. 2:3 works much better. This coffee might make a good ristretto, but I haven't got there yet.

You'd expect some roast artifact flavors to make themselves known at this roast stage, and while the blend is not fruity it doesn't have much chocolate either. The nose and taste are clearly nut floral with some caramel. I'd said "almonds" before, but not sure that's right. "Hazelnut" might be better. Decent sweetness, no trace of sour, a touch bitter. The aftertaste is toasted nuts; and at this roast level and concentration, lingers.

I bought five pounds of each green, and will be trying a slightly lighter roast and higher brew ratio -- bordering on ristretto -- are definitely in the near future.

It's certainly good enough to try as it is, and I'd love to hear from you if you do.

BDL

A little update.

I got into this blend because I wanted something sweet, reasonably simple, and more well rounded with less specific character than a typical SO.

My earliest roasts were FC and FC+. Even though SM recommended a lighter roast for both coffees, I usually like my Central Americans at FC or the FC/FC+ border; and honestly, the FC+ roast just got away from me -- lucky it wasn't French roast.

Then, there was a hiatus.

After a couple of weeks of drinking other people's roasts, I adjusted this blend's finish to C+, still using the same approximate profile, but pulling it sooner, right about half way between the end of 1st crack and the beginning of 2d.

The roasting aroma as the beans approach 1st crack is very reminiscent of a cane sugar harvest, or raw cane in the market.

The improvement in the espresso cup was dramatic. What was dull, muddled and bitter is now sweet and complex. Unlike many sweetish coffees, the dominant sweet note is not chocolate or even caramel (well, there's a little caramel) but cane -- which is a new one to me. I wrote about sugar cane earlier, but it's a lot more pronounced in the cup at this roast level than it was at a darker one. There are also some citrus notes, with just a little zip, and nut blossom florals as well.

Aftertaste is tilted towards the nutty, lingers for a few minutes, then cuts off clean.

Not too much body. Mouthfeel is a big thing with me, and there's not as much as I like. At this stage of enthusiasm, it's the coffee's only significant flaw.

A brew temperature of around 198F (I think), seems to get the zip without the sour; but that temp's by guess, by gosh, by 1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi, and by no means Scace. So take it as a guide more than an absolute value.

It's still early days (about 90 hours, post roast) but my grind is a touch tighter than for most Central Americans even those roasted to my more usual FC/FC+.

All in all, a brew ratio range of 65% - 75% gets whatever body there is without a ristretto edge. For the arithmetically challenged, that's an 18g dose (in an 18g Strada) for a 25 - 27g extraction. Pour times are running 25 - 30 sec. The visible formation of light tracing on the surface, in the presence of pronounced mottling is -- so far -- a reliable indication of brew ratio (and full extraction).

Crema is good, all things considered. Color is slightly on the light side.

On a related front, the pours started getting furry very early yesterday, but are a lot better today. So figure on a minimum of three days post roast.

My wife says it's good in her double-double lots o'milk latte. I haven't tried it with milk yet.

Conclusion:
At 50/50 this is a stupid easy blend. It's also stupid easy to roast and brew. At some point I might try adjusting the Pan:Guat ratio; using it over a Brazilian or Sumatran base to get some body and chocolate; or...? But for the next couple of weeks at least I'll be roasting and brewing this only.

Bottom Line:
Highly recommended as is, and undoubtedly improvable with tweakery.

Hoping you give it a shot,
BDL