Others have made good suggestions. I often cup with others. I have found that occasionally, my palate is wa-a-a-a-a-y off. When that occurs, I just accept it and listen. In a couple of days, the allergies or whatever passes, and the palate returns.

I also propose it is the process of hopper feeding. I would just assume there is probably like 5 or 6 grs of just ground beans sitting around waiting to get pushed out, and who knows now many partially ground beans, and the beans not ground but inline to be ground would be what? Sitting 24 hours in the old coffee grounds and dust? Doesnt sound like a recipe for delicious fruity flavors;)

I tried upping the amount of beans grinded, but to no avail. Still tastes the same.

I opened my other air tight bag, still in the original bean packaging and roasted on 4/10, same issue. Most of the desirable notes are not present. I even cleaned out the grinder.

Is it possible something is affecting your taste perception? People have reported dramatic changes due to allergies, medication, dietary changes, and/or lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking. Just throwing out this thought.

Also, I'd be hesitant to blame Jeff at Redbird. By all accounts he's a dedicated, artisan micro-roaster who takes pride in his craft. I contacted him once and he responded quickly. Others have reported the same level of service. Try contacting him again. He's very helpful and cares about his product.

canuckcoffeeguy wrote:Is it possible something is affecting your taste perception? People have reported dramatic changes due to allergies, medication, dietary changes, and/or lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking. Just throwing out this thought.

I don't think so. It's a pretty noticeable difference in the coffee. My wife tastes the difference, too. Don't get me wrong, it's still great coffee as compared to Starbucks, but I've had cheaper coffee that tastes the same.

You're right, I don't want to blame the roaster. Love their products and pricing. I edit my post and your response. I'm going to buy again and get the mason jars, freeze the beans, buy a scale, etc. I'm sure I just got unlucky or the change in the weather has somehow impact the beans, etc.

Just stinks getting a good cup of coffee is so hard. Beer is so much simpler

Also, even in the airtight bags, it's helpful to squeeze out any excess air through the valve. And beans will change by the day. You're now 12 days post roast, but that should still be ok for drip. Redbird espresso blends don't peak until closer to10 days. Jeff said it's best to let his blends rest 5 days minimum for espresso, and closer to 7 or 8 even better. But that's for espresso. I haven't used his beans for drip.

Bbdude wrote:I don't think so. It's a pretty noticeable difference in the coffee. My wife tastes the difference, too. Don't get me wrong, it's still great coffee as compared to Starbucks, but I've had cheaper coffee that tastes the same.

Have you altered your brew technique, or kept it the same? Maybe you need to surf the grind setting and brew ratio to find those berry notes again as the beans age.

I've been consistent with my technique ... although I do drip so there's not much technique. I've been using the same grind settings for months with several different roasters and never had issues.

It depends somewhat on the roasting style, but some beans lose a great deal of certain acidy notes -- berries in particular -- after a fairly short post-roast period. A three day "best" window for a given brew method with an African SO is not uncommon.

The only way to hold on to those notes longer is by freezing; which means dosing the hopper every two or three days. A different brew method might be able to pick up some nuances drip misses. We often go to espresso about the same time brew fades.

For the benefit of those who don't know, the Smart's hopper, with the top on and flap closed, is airtight and one of the best ways to store beans at room temperature; also, retention is a non-issue. It's a good little brew grinder with the same performance in the cup, but more features and convenience than a Virtuoso.

Rich

Check the water temp, and try brewing using a pour-over method. I once contacted Jeff about a "carbon" after-taste with RedBird and he explained that both RedBird and Blue Jaguar could taste burned if the water temp was too high. Worth testing the water temp in the brewer.