pallen wrote:Unfortunately, I believe a forum on the internet is a terrible way to transfer any knowledge or experienced gained in this area.

Paul - I don't really agree with that conclusion. I do believe that the lack of direct interaction makes it much harder and makes for more work on our part to improve our skills using the descriptions given here by others. It can also lead to some unfortunate misunderstandings that would likely never happen face to face. If I could just put all of the good information and data from this site and at the same time filter out the nonsence and use it as a "control panel" for my experiences then I really think I can get a lot better at this hobby. As I said above, I believe a group tasting, group roasting lessons, brewing lessons, milk pouring lessons (you get the idea ) with experts in person make for an easier journey.

Certainly, I wouldn't suggest that we not try - this is the only means we have of getting together and communicating for most of us. I have learned a tremendous amount and saved countless hours of needless experimentation by reading about what others have done on here, coffee geek, sweet marias, and other websites. But, as you say, if we could all get together in the same room and roast and taste and brew, we would get so much farther down the road than talking about it on the internet. Unfortunately, that's not a realistic option for most of us, so we do the next best thing.

Ken,
You've referenced several times the importance of using the best quality beans possible and I agree.
Where do you get your beans? I'm new at this but firmly believe that while you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. In other words, you can't make something better than it is capable of being. Hence, quality Counts!
I'd love some advice on where to source the highest quality greens available. Is there a level above what you can get at Sweet Marias, Green Coffee Buying Club, Roastmasters, etc. that I can buy?
Please share any knowledge in this department that you're willing to.

Thanks,
Glenn K.

It's funny that you ask this, Glenn, at this particular moment, since I think we are in a period right now where the sorts of beans I like to buy are pretty hard to source. It's important to consider that I'm looking almost exclusively for beans to be used for single origin espresso, which aren't necessarily what other people are looking for. The most interesting single origins I've found for this use, for the most part, were coming out of small producers in Ethiopia, however the new government export scheme has basically ruined that market for the moment and nothing has come in to replace it. So, I'm going to have to broaden my horizons and look elsewhere.

Still, and even for single origin espresso, there are a lot of high end beans that will work if you are looking for a "very good" result rather than for something truly exceptional.

Regarding sources, I've bought some really nice beans from Klatch, from Sweet Marias, from the Green Coffee Coop, and much less recently, from Paradise. I don't have any personal experience with the others that you mentioned.

For a while, there was a buying consortium which included Klatch and Novo (and back then, Paradise) and some others, that brought in some stellar Ethiopians, such as the Biloya, the Adado, the Wondo Bonko, and the Worka. I think these importers have been hamstrung by what is going on in Ethiopia right now, and I don't know when we'll get those great coffees on the marketplace again.

If you look around, other SO-capable beans will present themselves periodically, including some Yemens, and even the odd Latin American bean. Unfortunately, at the moment, there isn't anything out there on the market that I can personally recommend. It helps to have a freezer and be able to freeze quantities of green beans when something comes out that you like. I have enough greens in my freezer to last until at least late summer, which historically has been when some of the best stuff has come out on the market.

ken

Split follow-on discussion to How to Roast Single Origin Espresso.

I happened on this old thread and am prompted to ask "what ever happened to Ken Fox?" I learned an awful lot from his posts and the give and take between he and Jim Shulman. But, I haven't seen anything from him in quite a while. This thread is especially good for a new roaster and, while I've been at it now for a couple of years, it's a good refresher.

I don't know but I'm glad you posted this because I am enjoying the "How to roast single origin espresso" linked above.

I heard Ken left HB for some reason...