charlesaf3 wrote:He doesn't reply to confirm availability etc?

No. It's an open offering and he will shut down the offering when it's gone.

So far, this has been my staple for espresso base for about 2 years.
Last years' crop was good but I think this year was a tad better IMO

charlesaf3 wrote:hows the acid in the panama?

Acid/brightness is quite low on this one. Generally more flavor and finish intense than the Brazil MF IMO. Tom said "Overall, the acidity is very mild, which makes this coffee 180 degrees opposite the wet-process Carmen estate 1900 meter lot we have. It would be very, very hard to guess this was even a Central America coffee in a blind cupping, without some prior knowledge!"

JonR10 wrote:No. It's an open offering and he will shut down the offering when it's gone.

So far, this has been my staple for espresso base for about 2 years.
Last years' crop was good but I think this year was a tad better IMO

So one pays, and then he sends it? How does he know the address?

Still confused I fear,

Thanks

Charles

Charles

Your paypal confirmed address is used at GCBC for mailing. Add a note with with your screen name and that this payment is for 10# of his BMF beans and he will connect your order with the payment received. I've never had a problem.

I'm drinking a blend of 45% BMF, 35 % Ethiopia IMV and 20% Java Curah Tatal as I type. Good comfort espresso on a Sat morning when you don't feel like playing golf in the rain.

I did look at that Panama last night and it is an interesting bean.

Thanks all, I'll try it.

GC7 - that's more or less what I was going to mix up - comfort espresso seems damning with faint praise though? Or do you mean that its not challenging like some of the SOs can be?

And what do you think of throwing a bit of good robusta in the mix? I know Tom at SM is very anti-crema "clean" these days, but I still like crema and body in my espresso...

Charles

Blends with robusta and their higher caffeine content give me the shakes and that is simply unsatisfactory for my putting stroke and my golf game Also, I am not one who has noticed that it adds a positive flavor to any blend I've tried. The body and crema do not make up for the taste IMHO. Your tastes here are what matters so go for it and let us know.

Comfort espresso is a big positive for me. It is predictable and leaves a lasting satisfactory taste in my mouth that reminds me I want more later on. As example, I tried a Yemen Mokha Sharasi as a SO earlier this week and I was not happy at all. I think I wet bit too far with the roast and it didn't get enough time between 1C and 2C. Having this comfort blend around saved my week. I am currently playing around with beans and ratios in my blends as well as tasting them as SO's to get a feel for what I will ultimatley like as a go to home blend. The Moreninha Formosa has been my base in all of these for reasons given above.

Per Tom, the Rwanda Robusta actually tastes good enough to drink by itself, so I am cautiously optimistic - we'll see what I think when I actually drink it

I do think the olfactory bit the crema provides is useful to me. And I NEED the caffeine I'm one of those people who got into espresso secondarily to my addiction - I'm so not a morning person it hurts.

I get what you mean by comfort. Was the yemen both burnt and grassy/sour?

Ashy/burnt with only hints of those apricot and dried fruit notes that I was hoping for. I'll be more careful with the next roast.

My 15#s of moreninha came today. I look forward to playing with them. I'll do one this morning 250g on the hottop, drop to p8 after 1C, dump just after 2C starts - does that make sense to people?

I always roast from a cold machine to keep it consistent btw.

Charles

I use a bit less starting mass (225-230 gm). I start the beans at 25' (167* on HotTop temperture probe) at full power. At 3' or so I put the fan on 3 for 30" and then lower to 2. About 2' before estimated start of 1C I lower heat to 7 and fan to 1. Generally with this profile I get the start of 1C at 10.5-11 minutes. As 1C gets rapid I lower the heat to 5 or 6 and let it go like that until about 1' or so before estimated 2C (I ry for about 4' between start of 1C and 2C) when I raise the heat again to 8 and wait for 2C. Generally with this bean I don't let it get more then about 10" into second.

Enjoy!