Ok, so color me hard headed. I put Chromatic Holy Mountain (March 2016 production) up against my newly acquired La Marzocco Linea Mini. It's been taking me a while to get used to the LMLM, but I'm getting the hang of it now.

Been playing with the Holy Mountain for a while. It's well, full of magical goodness. The roast is noticeably lighter than most espressos. It's taken me a while to dial this one in. But I've hit on formula of 19g in, 34g out in 27s at 203f that seems to round out the brightness and still retain the fruity notes, yet bring out some sweetness and toasty notes. It is real touchy to grind. Small changes in grind made big changes in the drink. It took a lot of back and forth to get it right. Very easy to pull super-sour to the point that the sink didn't even want to drink it. This one also seems far better after a long rest from the roasting date. It was just too overwhelming early on, but the sweetness comes out with time.

Flavors - as espresso, a fair bit of brightness bordering on acidity, sweetness with toasty, rather than roasty notes. Some hint of floral notes, but more of a tangerine. Bitterness is slight but crisp and clean and lingers long after the cup is gone. As I pulled it, it is moderately syrupy in body. Milk at cappuccino levels brought out a buttery note and softened the citrus. Better as espresso but it didn't turn into a bowl of fruity kid's cereal in milk. It has as I understand it, a bit (10-15% rumored) of robusto in it, thus it has something different you notice right away.


Blue Bottle Hayes Valley espresso:

This is a long time staple, that I bring up as a reference. Pure chocolaty sweetness. If you taste sour, you're pulling it wrong. You can play with the dose/grind/temp on this one to the point of so much body it feels like motor oil in your mouth, yet still retain chocolaty sweetness. Forgiving and easy to pull. It is a bit roasty, to the point of oil sheen on the beans. Works better with a coarser grind due to the presence of oil. It's a pretty good espresso if you don't like brightness/acid. But I like something with more character in straight shots. It is great in milk, yielding super sweet and chocolaty cappuccino.

nuketopia wrote:It has as I understand it, a bit (10-15% rumored) of robusto in it, thus it has something different you notice right away.

We had a bag of Holy Mountain that we pulled as espresso last month, and I really liked the balance of juicy pink tropical fruit and what came through to me as a molasses finish (maybe what you were getting with the toasty and syrupy notes?)

I actually asked Chromatic about the Robusta content, and this year's version does not have it. It's a blend of Ethiopia Hambela Natural, PNG Kunjin Washed, and rare cultivar called Parainema from producer Rosalio Ventura in Honduras. It's a (as I understand from reading) a descendant of Sarchimore that was bred for rust resistance with quality in the cup. It's kind of like Pacamara - particularly in its shape and tropical fruit notes. Last year Chromatic had it as a single origin offering, but this year the crop was a little different so the decided to use it in the Holy Mountain Blend.

PS congrats on the Linea Mini!

That's good info! Wasn't sure, based on even Chromatic's website mentioning it.

I'm not a professional cupper, for sure. Just some dude who drinks coffee. So, take my notes FWIW with a grain of salt, or tangerines.

My sample was roasted 3/24 and my tasting notes are based on the last couple of days. It seems to have mellowed a great deal, or just figured out how to pull it on the new LMLM. Maybe both.

It is very different than say, BB Bella Donovan.

nuketopia wrote: I'm not a professional cupper, for sure. Just some dude who drinks coffee. So, take my notes FWIW with a grain of salt, or tangerines.

Your tasting notes were great! I always love hearing and sharing about coffee flavor experiences. Everyone has a different palate and it's cool to compare and contrast the perception of flavors in coffees.

TomC wrote:Great notes! And something we actively encourage. It balances out all the gear chatter.

Wait you mean the coffee matters too? Haha