I might get flamed for this, but any recommendation for one of their decaf's? Medium roast for espresso? I just want to give Lem the business.

I thought their decaf was, honestly, pretty disappointing. It wasn't bad, just nothing special and I had a hell of a time dialing it in.
The Natural is a very solid option for a medium roast espresso. Check through this thread as it's long and has lots of info for their year round options in terms of espresso. Personally, I get more excited for the SO and one offs that they constantly rotate. The Future is so underrated though; I love that coffee.

dreadnatty08 wrote:I The Future is so underrated though; I love that coffee.

The future is killer. Wonderful in any way you brew it. Not the best in milk drinks, imo, but absolutely shines in espresso, especially when dialed in around 2.75:1 or 3:1. So much fruit and juicyness. Makes a stellar americano. I always keep some in my freezer

For financial reasons I usually only buy the year arounds but any time I stray from that it is strictly to buy The Future. The best blend I've ever had, and consistently. It checks all the boxes when I'm wanting something different.

After a few flat whites and some straight shots of The Traditional I wanted to share a couple thoughts. I had just finished 2lbs of The Classic prior to switching to The Traditional so it was quite interesting to taste the difference between the two back to back.

The Traditional is exactly what it says it is, traditional. It's very much B&W's take on a darker roasted very Italian-esque style. I get pretty much pure dark chocolate and if pulled just a bit long or hot it really brings out a roastiness. I find when pulled as a ristretto in the 25-28 second range it really removes that characteristic and just tastes like dark chocolate. Definitely a "comfort" blend true to its name. I'm still dialing in temperature to see if I can get some of that sweetness and so far just keep dropping the temp to try as I feel dosage wise this likes to be pulled short. In milk it just extends that out and brings you very much a chocolate milk vibe that I've really enjoyed.

You can definitely taste the additional time spent in the roaster compared to the classic. Where the classic still retains a bit of the acidity to balance the chocolate notes, the traditional forgoes all of that and brings you pure coffee flavors where it smells almost exactly as it tastes.

I have my first 5lbs of Red Bird coming later this week so it will be interesting to compare the traditional blend with one of the all time favorites of comfort blends and see how they compare.

Between this and the classic, I prefer the classic so far. I enjoy the touch of acidity and the tiny bit more complexity versus the very balanced and straight line of the traditional. This blend definitely has its place among the others and I will totally come back to it eventually throughout the year.

I received 2 pounds of Black and White Aponte Honey today. it is my first time trying this roaster and if the smell of these beans are any indication of what may taste like brewed then I am excited.

Has anyone tried this roast before and have any suggested starting points; temperature, grind or brew method? I typically brew espresso, Chemex and Aeropress.

Went to Say So in Winston-Salem, NC last week (great shop btw, very happy there's finally a solid shop to hit in Winston when I visit family) and had a shot of the El Paraiso Lychee. What an amazing coffee. It's not super intense like a lot of anaerobics I've had from B&W, but there's a very distinct grape/lychee flavor. I actually bought a bag a couple weeks ago and have been letting it rest, but am gonna rip into it tomorrow morning and will report back on how it pulls at home.

Finca Nuguo mixed process

I don't usually splurge for beans like this but after getting a bag of this coffee I ended up buying 2 more! The flowers and pineapple come through really well.

Has anyone tried the Don Lito or know when it might be offered again? I really like this coffee!!

dak wrote:Finca Nuguo mixed process

I don't usually splurge for beans like this but after getting a bag of this coffee I ended up buying 2 more! The flowers and pineapple come through really well.

image

I just have to tease you. Owns a Monolith Max, doesn't like to splurge on beans

A valid point! But seriously $20 for 100g is a good bit more than I need to spend to get amazing coffee. Most of the coffee I drink is b/w $15-25 / 340g.