boar_d_laze wrote:It seems to me that that the three of us -- Tom, Rob and I -- are in substantial agreement. The difference is that we're talking different levels of nuance.

BDL

You nailed it. It all sounds like agreement to me just at different levels. The broad generalizations help to get me, as a beginner, started, and like others at times I will be proven wrong and learn. The rest appears to me like levels of refinement to really nail a variety of beans. The learning curve is wonderful, may it keep on curving...

+1

You can shorten the learning curve thru applying some of these guidelines, but the refinement comes down to your palate, your coffee, your roaster environment etc. And most likely more important than anything else, your brewing methods, water, etc.

Modified WB Poppery. (Split-wired, router speed control)

Eth. Yirga Cheffe Gedeo #1. The temps recorded for roast #1 are anomalous for my roaster. I experimented with a new position for the TC and it did not work out. Subsequent roasts are "correct".
Time/ °F
00:00 47
00:09 100
02:11 200
05:04 300
08:01 390 1c
08:15 400
10:23 405 Drop (2:22 after 1c)

Cupping notes, 5 day rest:
Floral, sweet fragrance and sweet brown sugar aroma. Thin and ashy on the palate, little else.
72 points. (This roast was much better after another week. Add 15 points!)

Eth Yirga Cheffe Gedeo #2
Time/°F
00:00 71
00:09 100
01:12 200
04:27 300
09:29 398 1c
09:30 400
12:10 438 Drop (2:41 after 1c)

Cupping notes, 5 day rest: Brown sugar, graham cracker fragrance; slight chocolate, cinnamon aroma. Cherry/red-fruit flavor; medium body.
86 pts

Eth Yirga Cheffe Gedeo #3
Time/°F
00:00 68
00:05 100
00:56 200
04:52 300
08:37 400
08:52 405 1c
10:54 430 Drop (2:02 after 1c)


Cupping notes, 5 day rest: Cherry candy fragrance; muted chocolate, cinnamon aroma. slight red-fruit flavor; medium body. 90 pts

Eth Yirga Cheffe Gedeo #4
Time /°F
00:00 58
00:12 100
01:10 200
04:42 300
09:39 400
10:21 410 1c
12:17 440 Drop (1:56 after 1c)

Cupping notes, 5 day rest: Cherry candy fragrance; chocolate, cinnamon aroma. Sweet brown sugar flavor; medium body. 88pts.

Cheers!
Andy

Andy, I'm impressed. You must like this coffee a lot. You certainly got a lot out if it. I've a pound left so I'm gonna see how close I can come to your roast 3.

bean2friends wrote:Andy,[...] I'm gonna see how close I can come to your roast 3.

If you do, please post your comments. Yes, I like this coffee, but I admit to being partial to washed Yirga Cheffe.

I have Dec's roasted and will go after it tomorrow.

[Dec/holidays slowed us down some. Quite a decline in participation/feedback].

Roasting Bio: December bean: Ethiopian ECX Gedeo Yirge, charge was 228g, on a pre-heated Gene Cafe. Initial setting: 462*F. I let the machine run 1:00 post onset of 1st crack and then reduced to 456.* I pulled at 2:30 post onset of 1st crack. No second crack, call it a city plus. 1st crack: 10:15. Turn down heater to 456* at 11:15. Pulled at 12:45, no second crack, cooling externally.

Cup Evaluation: Prepped on KONE/Hario, 60 grams coffee/1L finished coffee
4 Days rest
----
▪ Fragrance - chocolate covered cherries
▪ Aroma - sweet beef stew
▪ Acidity - bright bugger
▪ Flavor/nuances - first note is banana, but a strong prune/tea characteristic enters as it cools. Florals emerge with cooling as well. Savory, hints of tomatoes. Sweet cup that doesn't quite sit well with the savory.
▪ Body/mouthfeel - Medium heavy cup.
▪ Finish/aftertaste - Prune/tea finish.

Score: 86.75. (SM scores it an 93.3, 3.0 of it for cupper's correction. Sorry Thompson, can't agree. You're awarding too many points for complexity, nuance, and what you like. Good coffee but not my 'cup of tea').

Thoughts? Very nuanced cup with a ton going on. The savory notes/honey sweetness and the prune/tea flavors are just too dominant to hold my interest for long. I have had a couple of wonderful WP Yirges this year; this isn't one of them.
----Grading system
88 and above: Superb coffee
87: Outstanding coffee
86.5: Buy range, distribution worthy
86.0: If I needed the origin, I would buy it
85.0: Missing an element
84.0: Specialty coffee but not recommended
80-83: Coffee
79 and below: Thrown off the table

Next steps: Find someone to give this coffee to.

Boldjava wrote:Next steps: Find someone to give this coffee to.

No questioning your roast or cupping, as it sounds like one of my several roasts of this bean. Just wanted to ask you, as an experienced cupper, do you always give the bean one roast, and move on, or do you (if time permits) give it a couple more tries to see if it shines under a different profile?

Wa'il. As an evaluator, I get one shot at a bean. I don't have unlimited amounts at my disposal for cupping purposes.

Once I purchase a bean, I move around, both up and down on temps to find my best roast profile for a bean. Usually three roasts do it.