Advice for dark oily coffee beans? - Page 2

#11: Post by **Jeff** » August 10th, 2021, 12:52 am

aleks wrote:do you have favorite beans? In the US I found ...

You might want to read through The hunt for best Italian roasted coffee beans and there is seemingly a lot of interest around Saka Caffè in the States

#12: Post by **drgary** » August 10th, 2021, 1:18 am

The Saka isn't that dark and oily. There's a Caffe Trieste (San Francisco) " espresso roast I like that has a full oily sheen, so I pull it very cool at 178F. My grinder was fine afterwards, but I purged it well.

#13: Post by **GC7** » August 10th, 2021, 7:57 am

drgary wrote:The Saka isn't that dark and oily. .

IMHO Saka Gran Bar is extremely dark/burned and covered in in oil.

#14: Post by **aleks** » August 10th, 2021, 10:47 am

Jeff wrote:You might want to read through The hunt for best Italian roasted coffee beans and there is seemingly a lot of interest around Saka Caffè in the States

Thank you! That's exactly what I wanted, couldn't find this

#15: Post by **drgary** » August 10th, 2021, 2:07 pm

GC7 wrote:IMHO Saka Gran Bar is extremely dark/burned and covered in in oil.

I will take photos of my next batch of Gran Bar Top Selection, coming soon. I don't remember it looking that way. When I pull it, it tastes mellow and very smooth with increasing sweetness when pulled as a ristretto.

#16: Post by **mgwolf** » August 11th, 2021, 5:51 pm

I recently picked up some Kimbo Gold 100% Arabica at a World Market ($25/kilo) which, despite being roasted 6 months previously, was quite good. A medium roast, no sourness, no oil on beans. I don't think it held up as well once opened as some fresh roasted might have done, but I kept it in the freezer and was quite satisfied with it.

#17: Post by **EddyQ** » August 11th, 2021, 8:55 pm

GC7 wrote:IMHO Saka Gran Bar is extremely dark/burned and covered in in oil.

Saka has oil on surface. Definitely evidence of 2nd crack. But I would not say it is extremely dark/burned. I've seen beans so oily that they would stick to the wall, but not Saka.

While Saka Gran Bar espressos can be pulled rather hot, the suggestions of cooler is wise for dark roasts.

#18: Post by **coffeechan** » August 11th, 2021, 9:03 pm

I had an experience like this 2-3 months ago where I ran out of beans and gambled on a local shop/roaster. I ended up making cappuccinos and lattes with them using many of the tips cskorton mentioned. The espresso shots were still roasty and sharp. Milk can mellow out and taper some of the harshness. Got through the bag and never went back to that roaster.

#19: Post by **GC7** » August 11th, 2021, 9:35 pm

EddyQ wrote:Saka has oil on surface. Definitely evidence of 2nd crack. But I would not say it is extremely dark/burned. I've seen beans so oily that they would stick to the wall, but not Saka.

It's not my wish to start any disagreements. Your photo IMO does not represent how dark and oily my bag ofGran Bar was though to my eye it's way too dark and oily for well roasted coffee. It was to me clearly well into second crack. I found no sweetness or pleasant features pulling 14-14.5 gm shots in traditional baskets. Steamed milk as a cortado or flat white did not help. Perhaps I should pull it at 190* or lower or in the great southern Italian tradition dump in sugar but I have no desire. I have 5 150 gram aliquots in my -20* deep freeze. Maybe I'll take a look again.

As reference, I totally enjoyed a bag of Caffe' Cartapani Cinquestelle. In that vein, Florence and Venice had the best espresso I experienced in Italy. In Rome I gave up on espresso and had brewed coffee. I've spent 4 decades shopping on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, NY. It's the best Italian market and neighborhood in NYC and probably the US. I have 5-6 specialty shops I use regularly. The pastry shops and espresso bars have the old Italian men hanging out drinking sugar laden espresso. I used to stop in for a cup but have not done so in at least 20 years. The stuff is IMO vile.

We can all disagree. I found the Saka Gran Bar to be most unpleasant. I enjoy the Northern Italian style. I've learned and to each his own.

#20: Post by **drgary** » August 11th, 2021, 10:18 pm

GC7 wrote:We can all disagree. I found the Saka Gran Bar to be most unpleasant. I enjoy the Northern Italian style. I've learned and to each his own.

I'm told by an Italian coffee aficionado that each different locale in Italy believes their coffee is the best, and of course, the styles differ. No arguments here. BTW my Saka Top Selection looked like the photo posted above, certainly into second crack, but I find it to be one style that I like.