Very first shot of Redbird...

Discuss flavors, brew temperatures, blending, and cupping notes.
Bossman
Posts: 237
Joined: 10 years ago

#1: Post by Bossman »

Well I finished my Redline and just pulled my first shot of Redbird. I am a little concerned. I decided to try the same setting as the Redline to start with. I did clean the grinder with full circle and so the setting was changed but then put back to the same spot on the dial. It was a very pretty shot! Despite a little bit of doughnut extraction it had very pretty tiger striping and was nice and syrupy. It ran a little long at 36 seconds, I probably should have cut it at 34. It tasted good, just a little sour/bright so I bumped the temp to 95. A very drinkable shot but I made a little iced drink out of it. Very nutty tasting.

I am just worried that I am doing something wrong? I am surprised that both coffees are using pretty much the same setting. (I am assuming that since I cleaned and moved the burrs it might not be the exact same setting)

Are they similar enough that this might just be luck, or maybe I didn't have one or the other dialed in perfect? The Redline was getting just slightly stale, the last 8 ounces had been in the freezer about 45 days or so.

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drgary
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#2: Post by drgary »

Shane,

It takes some time to learn a new coffee. I had Red Bird a couple of months ago and found I needed to let it rest for at least seven days before the flavors opened up. (Or was it eight days? It was two months ago.) Also settings won't tell you what your tastebuds will. You've probably read this but if not, it will help.

Espresso 101: How to Adjust Dose and Grind Setting by Taste
Gary
LMWDP#308

What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

Bossman (original poster)
Posts: 237
Joined: 10 years ago

#3: Post by Bossman (original poster) »

Thanks,

95 was too hot, it made it too bitter. I put it back to 94, dropped the dose to 16.5g and coarsened the grind just a bit. Got 35.5g in 31 seconds and it tasted very good, nice balance of caramel/nuts and acidity.

Thanks!

Edit: also this Redbird has been in the freezer about 10 days.

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drgary
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#4: Post by drgary »

It won't age much in the freezer. To let flavors open up I leave it unrefrigerated loosely sealed so it can degas. I then freeze it at peak and find that it is fine for many weeks. A blind taste test done here showed no discernible difference between fresh coffee and that stored airtight 4 to 8 weeks in a cold freezer.
Gary
LMWDP#308

What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

Bossman (original poster)
Posts: 237
Joined: 10 years ago

#5: Post by Bossman (original poster) »

I froze it at day 5 I think, next time I will wait another day or two before freezing. Pretty darn tasty already though.

SpaceTime
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#6: Post by SpaceTime »

I am one of Jeff's (the owner of Redbird) regular customers and will share what I know from talking to Jeff about his roasts. I just finished bagging up / sealing 5lbs of SO's from him a couple of minutes ago! I have also have had a couple of in depth conversations with Jeff - great guy, and he makes great coffee!

- First, Gary is right, and per Jeff - 7-10 days is the peak for his roasts. Closer to 10 according to Jeff.

- Per Jeff, he recommends freezing around day 5 - everyone you talk to has a different strategy for this, but a common theme from most is degas for 3-4 days at a minimum. Some like to freeze in the first couple of days, though I prefer to freeze after the degas step, and closer to peak - and usually follow the day 5 recommendation.

- Any beans I don't freeze are vacuum sealed in a mason jar, and I don't keep more than a weeks supply out at one time. I seal multiple small jars so that I am opening a little at a time.

- A chest freezer is better than a side by side freezer that is part of your refrigerator. Why? Mostly because the chest freezers have dedicated compressors, and the humidity is lower in a chest freezer, they are a "drier" freeze. This is most important if you are freezing your beans and NOT vacuum sealing, as the moisture invades the bean more readily if there is air in the bag. (physics). There are some high dollar fridges that have separate compressors for the fridge and freezer, but most share the same one and hence why the freezer compartment is higher humidity in sides by sides. (btw, I am not an expert on this topic, just parroting the conventional wisdom I have been told - welcome more inputs here).

- In addition to using the chest freezer, I vacuum seal the beans before freezing. This guarantees maximum life, and no moisture mixing with the air in the bag to invade the bean. Then, when removing from the freezer, allow the sealed bag to come up to room temperature before opening - this assures all the moisture / condensation will form on the outside of the bag, and not on the bean when you open it and it is shocked by the room temperature (again, physics). THis vacuum seal step is critical, because I buy five pounds at a time to save on shipping, and cut back on needing to rebuy every week or two. Thus, I need to assure the best freezing step possible... putting a bag or jar of beans in the freezer WITHOUT vacuum sealing (chest or side by side) will mean that some moisture will invade the bean - there is no way around it if there is air in the bag. For short durations, this is not that big of a deal, but we all know about freezer burn - and that is how it happens - air mixed with moisture from the freezing process... the longer its in there, the more it degrades the taste.

By the way, try mixing the Sweet Blue 50 / 50 with either the Ariche or Wote Yirg. Or 75 / 25 if the Yirg gives you too much fruitiness. Interchange the Gayo with the same mix. Interesting results. I am constantly experimenting with Jeff's roasts on my press and Cremina. One of my favorites with the press is 50 /50 Rwandan and Sweet Blue. Tasty!
If I could just like crappy coffee again, it would sure save a lot of time and money!