Favorite Espresso Blends 2014 - Page 5

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another_jim
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#41: Post by another_jim »

This was Gaslight Coffee Roaster's contributuion. They do several things very differently from any other cafe in Chicago. The first is that they have really seriously good food. The second is that they do not roast an espresso blend. They have 4 to 5 coffees on tap for the pourover bar, one of which one will be served for espresso. The coffees are entirely of one offs, auction and microlots sourced through Cafe Imports or 90-plus. So the coffee being reviewed here you will never see again. On the one hand this is frustrating. On the other, since they opened three years a go, I make a point of stopping by if I'm close, since there will always be a coffee on sale that is unique.

The coffee we reviewed was from Potrero Grande El Salvador. The roast, as all Gaslight roasts, is primarily designed for pourover. The baristas then play with the available coffees and serve up as espresso whichever one is pulling best that day. When I bought the coffee, they weren't pulling it, but said it had been outstanding when they did.

I bought a bag for myself, since I couldn't sample it in the store, and my review agrees with the other reviewers. I had the advantage of knowing what it was, including the interesting tidbit that the coffee had some SL28 in it, which made for a more than usual sparkling acidity.

I was grinding fine and pulling in high volume baskets just like the others. My shots were all tasty, but not too consistent. Most came out very simply fruited and sweet; and only a few showed the complexity promised by the altitude and bean quality. The best shots flirted delicately with the spiced grapefruit peel notes, which made them interesting but hard to duplicate.
Jim Schulman

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TomC
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#42: Post by TomC »

Unfortunately, that Salvadorian sold out in a flash. Folks who are curious but willing to try it in the hands of another roaster can find it here.
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drgary
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#43: Post by drgary »

I was just notified the Salvadoran is available at Gaslight. Now you see it, now you don't!
Gary
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What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

Catherwood
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#44: Post by Catherwood »

There were over a dozen bags of the Salvadran on the shelf this morning, roasted on 10.21.

Gaslight comps a shot when you purchase a bag. After drinking the shot the barista told me it was an Ethiopian blend today and it was amazingly good. Probably the best Ethiopian I have had as espresso. Haven't had good luck pulling an Ethiopian at home but this was perfectly balanced, bright but not overly acidic. Ordered a second shot to rule out chance and it was every bit as good. True test for me is how long I ruminate on the taste of the espresso. Still thinking about it!

brianl
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#45: Post by brianl »

I also bought a bag that was roasted 10\23 so I have a few days before opening it up. Seems like there are plenty to go around.

They also still had the Ethiopia on order. It tasted very savory like a ripe tomato. Which I found amusing as earlier in the morning I pulled a kenya on my own machine that tasted like tomato soup. My significant other dislikes most espressos but did enjoy the Ethiopian.

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HB (original poster)
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#46: Post by HB (original poster) »

Tom sprung an end of year review on us. Excellent! Below are the reviews and Tom will reveal the mystery coffee soon...

UPDATED 12/19/2014: Revealed Favorite Espresso Blend identity:

Square-Peg Signature Espresso by Venia Coffee Roasters
Venia Coffee Roasters wrote:Our signature espresso blend. The coffees that go into Square Peg change throughout the year, but our goal is always the same: to bring you a sweet, clean and balanced espresso that not only blends well with milk, but is also outstanding as a straight espresso shot.
Currently comprised of two different Ethiopian wet process coffees, one from Sidama and one from Yirgacheffe, and a nice chocolatey Guatemala washed process coffee.
http://www.veniacoffee.com/shop/catalog ... iew/id/179
Dan Kehn

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TomC
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#47: Post by TomC »

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12/9

Today I'm noticing a pleasing maple syrup aroma from the dry grounds mixed in with some savory notes. The 4 shots I've pulled so far, half of which I've made cappuccino with, are all good, but my last shot ended a tad bitter. There's a definite graham cracker sweetness that emerges. A slippery mouthfeel and good balance seems to help elevate this blend a bit over other typical darker roast attempts I've had recently. In milk, they are all quite sweet, chocolatey and play quite well with milk like a well developed roast should, although perhaps not very dynamic or exceptional in one particular note.

12/10

I'm noticing a very warm and pleasant dry fragrance coming out of the grinder. It struck a scent memory that I haven't experienced since I was a kid, but still clearly recall. I had a very hard time remembering the exact name, but thanks to Google, I remembered the intense smelling liqueur my grandmother had on her bar, Irish Mist. At first I wanted to say rum, but it lacked the spiciness of rum, but certainly the warm, rum like aroma and hint of oak wood and stewed fruits maybe. It was quite pronounced and enticing.

Brewed up in similar ratios and methods (if it ain't broke :wink: ) gave some great shots. I had this while I was watching the Gwilym Davies video, and remarked about his topic of espresso being really bad WBC presentation, but folks suffer thru it for the sake of the experience. I got a bit of a chuckle out of his points, and thought to myself, this is a very enjoyable, well composed espresso. It's rich, it's sweet, it's balanced, filled with caramels and buttery, slippery goodness. Not a lot of individualistic highlights, but just well blended flavors that I quite enjoy.

12/11

Late evening rainy weather cappuccinos. Dosing 18g at my previous grind setting that I had originally tried 17 and 17.5g gave me a slower flow that pushed the oakiness and went astringent, so I agree with Dave's comment about coarsening the grind. Second shot was right back in the sweet spot, buckets of caramel sweetness and more of that resonant balance that tells me someone got this blend down quite well. I don't know if it's because of all the precipitation here these past 18 hours, but I didn't get the heady rum aroma when grinding, but not a deal breaker. First shot tonight was pulled to a beverage weight of 26g, with a restricted flow, the later shot being much better was at a coarser grind and faster flow, I think was done around 24 seconds instead of pushing 30 seconds like the first.
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RapidCoffee
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#48: Post by RapidCoffee »

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My coffee sample was roasted on Dec 3, and arrived Dec 7. Testing was done Dec 9-11 (6-8 days post-roast).


This coffee is a medium roasted espresso blend. It was easy to dial in, and reasonably forgiving. After a bit of experimentation, I determined that "standard" grind, dose, extraction time and temperature settings worked quite well. On my Spaz S1V1, a double basket dose of 15.0-15.5g, 30 second extraction time, brew ratio of 60-70%, and brew temperature of 91-92C seems optimal.

Straight shots demonstrate good mouthfeel, with a nice balance between sours and bitters. There is a slight broth aroma to the dry grinds, and the taste profile is fruity (tamarind and strawberry) with floral notes. There is little evidence of nuts or chocolate. This blend makes a good cappuccino, with caramel flavors emerging in milk, but is not suitable for big gulp lattes. The shots had hints of baking soda tang for the first couple of days, an indication that more rest might be desirable.

This blend could be a poster child for Jim's balance in espresso idea. Too low a brew temperature and the sour flavors become annoying; too high a brew temperature and the bitters become unpleasantly ashy. Fortunately, a decent range of brew temperatures work well as a happy medium.

I am not a big fan of the uber-fruity 3WOJ trend in espresso, but I enjoyed this blend. Recommended for anyone who might appreciate a classic espresso blend with a slightly fruity twist.
John

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shadowfax
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#49: Post by shadowfax »

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This coffee looks and smells like my idea of a classic espresso blend: a nice medium roast, with deep, heavy, sweet aroma with a lot of dried fruit standing out.

Pulled as espresso, it is exceptionally forgiving. As the aroma suggests, it is a rich, coating espresso with lots of fruit and caramel sweetness, heavy balancing bass notes, and an acidity that is a nice blend of sparkling citrus and dried berries. This review proved challenging, in that I struggled to find a recipe that I felt was "just right," in part because I found it difficult to get a shot that tasted particularly "wrong."

For my dial-in process, I adhered within the roaster's suggested recipe of 17-18 g in, 30 g out, for a ~60% brew ratio. I primarily used a medium brew temperature of 200°F. Instead of altering those parameters, I chose to manipulate the grind within those parameters by changing baskets and altering the length of the Slayer's pre-brew phase. Shots with a fine grind, VST 18g basket, and long 20-25 second pre-brew were the sweetest, and surprisingly also the brightest, with a particularly nice delineation of the citrus and berry notes. On the other hand, using a coarser grind, Synesso 18g basket, and a shorter pre-brew yielded a punchier, yet still well-balanced shot. In that format, grinding for slower flow rate (total shot time of 30-35 seconds) gave the nicest balance.

Overall, again, I thought this coffee was difficult to mess up; It responded nicely to brew parameter adjustments without ever giving very negative feedback. I do wish I could have found more interesting or better-defined flavors at the low end, but all in all, I would highly recommend this as an ideal coffee for novice baristas, and a good selection for any home-barista looking for a balanced, "full spectrum" espresso.
Nicholas Lundgaard

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another_jim
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#50: Post by another_jim »

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INTRODUCTION: Keeping with our current practice, this is a mystery blend to us reviewers. It was supplied by Tom Chips from an unknown roaster. The roast is more medium than light, and shows a mix of different beans, indicating that it is a blend.

OVERALL TASTE: The dry aroma is of toasted nuts, the wet aroma adds cherry and caramel. Brewed the coffee shows bitter-sweet caramels with a cherry edge when hot, opening up to added sweetness, nuts, cocoa, mandarins and tamarind on cooling. The body is medium to heavy. The sweetness and body make this very suitable for espresso; the flavors are reminiscent of Central American or Southern Colombian coffees. In the best shots, the flavors from the brewed coffee are present, combined with a syrupy mouthfeel, with the whole thing reminiscent of a liquid version of a Florentine cookie.

DIALING IN: This coffee is best at fine grinds, medium temperatures, gloppy, but not too slow flow rates, and medium to high brew ratios. If you can manage it, high doses using VST and Strada baskets will work best, as will longer preinfusions and gentler pressures.

WHO SHOULD BUY: If you are experiencing some fatigue with very light third wave coffees, but don't want to go back to the dark side; this coffee is an excellent choice, with the fruit and cookies profile of a well done medium/light roast.
Jim Schulman