This Gesha was my first super-premium roasting attempt.
It's now had one week of rest and I'm still unimpressed.
I'm not very good at the description thing; it tastes fine, but nothing really special. A bit flat. Maybe a teeny bit sour.
Nothing particularly impressive in the aroma.

I charged 8 oz at 400 F (ET). No scorching on the beans.
It looks like City+ though it lost 15.3% of it's weight which seems high for a City+.
I generally like my coffee in the City+ to FC range and recently have been doing more of the City+ to taste the varietal character more.



Any thoughts or suggestions?
Did I bake them a little at the end?

Thanks!

BarryR wrote:This Gesha was my first super-premium roasting attempt. . .

Barry, I wouldn't lose sleep over this one. I have bought this bean for 3-4 years running and this crop was the least impressive/distinctive. I felt that rating was high. I might give it an 88 or so. It was not bad Gesha, it just didn't live up to past years.

Profile looks fine.

Agreed entirely. Enjoyed last year's crop, but the latest has only a glimmer of the floral and honey complexity. I've come to enjoy the roll of the dice with Geshas. The strikes and gutters are all part of the fun. Cheers,

Thanks.
Guess I picked the wrong Gesha. Glad I stuck to 2 lbs.

Any particular recommendations for the roasting?

I bought 25lbs of it to pass around as gifts. I kept on the menu for a few sales, but felt I had to pull it since it just wasn't living up to the price point.

One thing I noticed was a very difficult balance between roasting fast enough to get pop but delicate enough to not scorch. Despite this, the florals are
there, layered and very nice. I don't like numbers, but I think the 88 mentioned is fair.
In short, it's a difficult coffee to roast well and doesn't quite reward as the price would suggest.
I'll definitely try again next year though.

endlesscycles wrote:l..
In short, it's a difficult coffee to roast well and doesn't quite reward as the price would suggest.
I'll definitely try again next year though.

Line forms behind me. I will go back after it next year. One off year, now and then, is more than to be expected. An ag product that is so dependent on terroir as well as the farmer...or so my own garden informs me.

endlesscycles wrote:One thing I noticed was a very difficult balance between roasting fast enough to get pop but delicate enough to not scorch.

1C was very exuberant.

If I try to change something would you suggest slowing down a little during the drying phase or as I enter 1C or who the hell knows or none of the above?

Flat, but with a sour note - sounds underdeveloped. Try a higher-heat charge, and/or a longer drying time to 300, and/or a harder charge through ramp. Keep your development time around 20% of total roast time to keep those florals and the high notes I think you're looking for, especially if you have an exuberant 1C.