How to minimize woody notes? (when brewing/pulling)

January 11th, 2017, 6:51 pm

I just got January's coffee from a subscription and pulled a shot this morning and tasted just a hint of the woody note that comes from "past-crop" coffee. It was just a hint, though, so I am not implying anything about the roaster - it is winter, after all.

I am wondering, though: how could I adjust brew parameters and/or use a different brewing method to minimize this woody note? I really don't like that note.

Some info:
Coffee: Guatemala Finca la Soledad (Acetenango)
Roast: looks like City++ to me (meaning the beans are smooth, and, while I prefer to clamp the Pharos to the counter to grind, it isn't necessary)
Dose/yield: 15g in 15g VST basket; 29g out.
Machine: Silvia, PID and OPV adjusted to give 9bar/93.5C when brewing. (I have the Strega apart to fit a Quick Mill Pulsar and replace the Teflon tube with a braided SS line.)

I've got a variety of baskets and too many other brewing methods available. Any suggestions, please?

#2: Post by **TomC** » January 11th, 2017, 9:01 pm

It's likely just the roast, which means to fix it means switching coffee. But you can try slightly coarsening the grind and pulling it slightly more ristretto (in terms of volume, not restricted flow).

January 11th, 2017, 10:07 pm

Thanks, I will try that later this week! (I can only tolerate the amount of caffeine in one shot/cup of coffee per day

...)

#4: Post by **mfogliet** » January 11th, 2017, 10:09 pm

I have the same subscription. So far I've made three 600ml chemex batches and one 300ml french press. The first chemex batch had a hint of woody note but was still pleasant. I slightly tightened the grind for the next day's batch and the woody note was gone.

The bag description lists notes of walnut, caramel and cherry. To me the taste is all chocolate and orange.

January 17th, 2017, 3:35 pm

Just to close this out, I got rid of the woody note by grinding a bit coarser and - and I don't know why these changes would make a difference - using a portafilter with spouts instead of a bottomless, and splitting shots. As I kept the brew time constant, I had a slightly greater volume (33g instead of 29g); I tried cutting the shots early but that (also) brightened up the espresso a bit too much for me.

On the pourover side, I didn't make a lot of cups, and didn't dial in because I was comparing drippers/filters. Only one cup had the "walnut, caramel, and cherry" notes. That cup was a mistake; the brew stalled in the KONO Meimon 2 w/KONO filters. The brew time was four-plus minutes (12.5g; 1:18 brew ratio @ 195F) where other brews that didn't stall were about 2:10. (A V60-01 filter was about 2:35.)

#6: Post by **brianl** » January 17th, 2017, 5:40 pm

Woody notes are usually an over extraction for me. Therefore, when you coarsened the grind, you got rid of them.

#7: Post by **Eiern** » January 18th, 2017, 5:00 pm

The woody notes shouldn't be there, but yes, I get less of the woody notes by extracting less, but that's avoiding extracting the coffee fully to hide a defect. I was kind of disappointed buying freshly roasted Kenyan beans from Five Elephant a week ago, smelled delicious, brewed it and it tasted woody. I have had great coffees from them before. Their bag doesn't state picking month/year other than "current crop" which seems to be a fading crop. Overextraction with fresh beans should not taste woody, but of course woody beans taste woody when extracted.

January 18th, 2017, 5:24 pm

We struggled to find a really good lot out of Kenya this year and we tasted a LOT of Kenyan coffees. Our owner Phil is in Kenya right now and says their processing methods are pretty basic and the coffee could get a ton better with a few improvements. They just won the terroir lottery.

Regarding the woody taste notes, the only hope you have for getting rid of ANY flavor in a coffee is extracting a lot less or with espresso, maybe letting it run longer and dilute the flavor out of it a bit. The roaster should be able to tailor the roast to hide a defect like that, but much easier said than done!