Powerhouse. Talk about ending the year with a bang. I kid you not, when I say this coffee made my roasting area smell the best it has in a very long time, it's no exaggeration. My kitchen is enveloped with the sweetest marshmallow and vanilla scent I think I've ever smelled during a roasting session. It alone compelled me to brew a sample before letting it rest for the night.

I might bring my charge mass back up to 200g, this was a fast profile. But the results in the cup make the needle skip.This might be the most intense, complex and sweet coffee I've roasted this year. It couldn't get any sweeter if it was run thru a honeycomb. As it cools, the sweetness shifts thru all sorts of wonderful complex notes, particularly marshmallow. I'll have to go back to Sweet Maria's and see what their notes said about it and compare more tomorrow after a bit more rest, but I'm floored as it is.



Rock hard density, very fresh, and peaberry shaped usually mean they 're really resistant to the heat on the Quest. This was only my third roast since completely re wiring a thermocouple thru the vertical shaft of the Quest to read the exhaust air temp right as it exits the drum (shown in red above). On my next batch of this coffee I'll up my charge to 200 and drag out the ramp, mine does't need to be set to max heat with all the mods I've done to it. The drying phase will naturally slow down with the larger charge, so it will take care of itself. I'm happy with my development time and weight loss.

Folks really shouldn't miss this coffee. This is in the leagues of some of Ninety Plus Estates super-coffees. I reckon it will be talked about and remembered fondly for a long time.

Two pounds on the way. Very excited to get this into the Hottop.

Great to hear it, Tom!

I'm glad I caught the post in the "greens alert" thread, and ordered some. So often, I miss the good ones at SM.

Too bad this couldn't be the December RnL...Oh well, I'll have both Kenyas to play around with.

Tom, are you hoping to have a longer dry and ramp with your next 200g charge?

mivanitsky wrote:Great to hear it, Tom!

I'm glad I caught the post in the "greens alert" thread, and ordered some. So often, I miss the good ones at SM.

Your best bet would be to set an alert for when Rama posts Because it's usually a heads up about a stellar Kenyan on Greens alert. I swear he finds out before anyone does.

johnny4lsu wrote:...Tom, are you hoping to have a longer dry and ramp with your next 200g charge?

Yeah, I want to drag it out a bit longer and see what I get.

TomC wrote:Your best bet would be to set an alert for when Rama posts Because it's usually a heads up about a stellar Kenyan on Greens alert. I swear he finds out before anyone does.

I'm definitely a Kenya fanatic. Most of my posts probably do revolve around it.

Just roasted some myself, and agree on the roast aromas. Most Kenyans smell like canned tuna to me fresh out of the roaster, not unpleasant (to me), though more meaty. This bean smelled sweeter, maybe more floral- a lot like it would after having a chance to rest.

After seeing Tom's note, I couldn't wait for the beans to rest either and brewed up a small cup. On first impression, this is a great Kenya- fruity, mouth watering but not overly tart, creamy, with a long clean finish even as it cools. Very balanced. Looking forward to this once it has a proper rest.

(standard disclaimer that my probes aren't calibrated, so use the start of 1C to adjust to your temps as needed)

Today's cup, as it cools, the intensity of the creamy sweetness rose to levels that reminded me of cupcake frosting.

Very nice sounding...I just ordered from SM and missed this one, contemplated going back for a reorder. After hesitating for too long it looks like it's now all gone. SMs good lots seem to not track my re-order habits, but great thread on the Greens Alert, will have to keep that one on notify.

Most Kenyans smell like canned tuna to me fresh out of the roaster...

Buttwhiskers (a chemist and superb roaster) years ago (on GCBC) said the tuna smell is from too fast of a heat rise during the caramelization stage. Something about the caffeine ...Tuna will show up in the fragrance.

"...A small amount of your 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine (caffeine) also can, in presence of acids and heat, degrade into amine salts which will give you a 'tuna fish' smell... Some of the proteins can do this as well. It doesn't take much of this to really louse up a batch. I am not sure of the exact mechanisms, but have seen this before in roasts that were done too fast (in poppers and FR+8 roasters). It seems to happen with brighter DP coffees more readily (I had a couple of popper batches of Harrar that did this years back before I figgered it out)..."

http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/in ... #msg270403

Try slowing it a bit and see if it helps.