Espresso roasts smell/taste generic to me - Page 2

Discuss flavors, brew temperatures, blending, and cupping notes.
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Balthazar_B
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#11: Post by Balthazar_B »

mazur wrote: I bought some, and while I got gobs of crema, I have to say I feel a bit dissappointed. It just smells and tastes rather generic. It really doesn't seem much different than what you'd get from a generic place selling cappuccinos, though it is still better than that and doesn't have that horrible peppery aftertaste like Starbucks.

Besides the smell and taste, I also notice it is much darker than what I am used to drinking (though not very dark and oily as I have seen some beans before).
Richard, as a counterpoint to your experience as described above, I would suggest getting 3 or 4 of the blends from Verve:

https://www.vervecoffee.com/collections/blends

Sermon is one of my favorite blends of all time. It's not in my current rotation (I'm exploring darker blends, presently), but you won't find it "much darker than what I am used to drinking". Their other blends are very interesting for espresso as well. Please post back on your experience if you go ahead with trying Verve.
- John

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BillBurrGrinder
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#12: Post by BillBurrGrinder »

Balthazar_B wrote:(I'm exploring darker blends, presently), but you won't find it "much darker than what I am used to drinking". Their other blends are very interesting for espresso as well.
I'm not sure what you've tried so far in the dark realm but here are some of my favorites...

Vivace Dolce- nice body, dark chocolatey shot.
Vivace Vita- my current favorite. It's like Dolce, but thicker, more alive, more delicious, almost perfect.
Caffe Lusso Lionshare- Good all around dark roast shot. Not as sweet as Vivace.
Caffe Lusso GMC- This stuff is incredible on first impression. Haven't sat and enjoyed a full straight shot yet, tasted a couple before adding steamed milk, but it was like someone melted a Milky Way into my espresso cup. Disclaimer: This is my first time with these beans and I'm going from the built in grinder on my Breville machine to a Monolith grinder without ever tasting them on my Breville.

mazur (original poster)
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#13: Post by mazur (original poster) »

Balthazar_B wrote:Richard, as a counterpoint to your experience as described above, I would suggest getting 3 or 4 of the blends from Verve:

https://www.vervecoffee.com/collections/blends

Sermon is one of my favorite blends of all time. It's not in my current rotation (I'm exploring darker blends, presently), but you won't find it "much darker than what I am used to drinking". Their other blends are very interesting for espresso as well. Please post back on your experience if you go ahead with trying Verve.
So I got a free trial of the Sermon. I have only made two drinks with it, but it has so far left a good impression with my wife and I.

You're right that it's not too much darker than what I'm used to, but it did require a significantly coarser grind than my usual medium-light roasted SO variants I buy locally. I went two notches coarser on my Mazzer Major and it still choked the Pavoni. As expected I got some crema with this blend, which has been paper thin on shots I have been pulling with the SO stuff.

I did notice a hint of that generic espresso taste that started this discussion, but in this case it was a pleasant undertone. It makes me wonder if flavor is coming from a particular been that is used in blends or if it develops in darker roasts.

I plan on continuing with the subscription with Verve (I'm surprised I got a whole bag of the Sermon as a trial) and trying out their various offerings.

I don't think we have anything like the Sermon being roasted locally, which is unfortunate as I like the idea of supporting locals. But Verve's subscription service is very convenient as I won't have to make special trips just to pick up some coffee.

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Almico
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#14: Post by Almico »

It took me a year to really learn how to use my La Pavoni properly. The slightest differences in timing, temperature and pressure make a huge difference in the espresso. To this day my best ever espresso came from that La Pavoni. 1000s of my worst did as well.

My advice is to stick with one coffee you like for a while and learn to make the same espresso, on demand, and over and over again. Once you achieve that, you can start experimenting with other coffees; but they will take a while to dial in as well.

Have fun...

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Balthazar_B
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#15: Post by Balthazar_B »

mazur wrote: I did notice a hint of that generic espresso taste that started this discussion, but in this case it was a pleasant undertone. It makes me wonder if flavor is coming from a particular been that is used in blends or if it develops in darker roasts.

I don't think we have anything like the Sermon being roasted locally, which is unfortunate as I like the idea of supporting locals. But Verve's subscription service is very convenient as I won't have to make special trips just to pick up some coffee.
If "generic espresso taste" = dark chocolate, you're getting that from the Brazilian beans Verve blends into the Sermon (at least the last time I had it). Brazil may be the most common blending coffee for espresso (just a guess).

When I lived in the Valley, I often got beans from Press and Cartel. While both focus on SO beans, IIRC Press often has a blend or two. Would suggest asking both whether they ever do an Ethiopian/South American blend, if you like what you're tasting with the Sermon. Or blend your own! 8)

Press in particular often has excellent Ethiopian SO beans.
- John

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mazur (original poster)
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#16: Post by mazur (original poster) »

When you say Brazilian, what specific type of bean is that referring to? If it's Catuai then that can't be it because the SO beans I have bought from Peixoto is that bean.

I was never too impressed with Press as a cafe, so I've never tried their beans. I may have to give them a shot at some point.

I almost forgot about Royal coffee. They have a couple coffees I really enjoyed back when I was just using my Moka pot and I remember one of them being Ethiopian.

My local go to's have been Cartel and Peixoto. Peixoto owns their own farms in Brazil and always have fresh roasted beans available in their cafe. This has not been the case with Cartel. Although I see them roasting all the time, they'll sometimes have beans on the shelf two weeks old, which I consider unacceptable. I think they just batch their retail production too much.

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Balthazar_B
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#17: Post by Balthazar_B replying to mazur »

IIRC, Verve uses Catuai in their Sermon blend. That's supplying the sweeter, darker end of the chocolate flavor if that's an element of the generic espresso taste you mentioned earlier. OTOH, if it's just characterless flavor caused in part by bad bean selection and overroasting, then seems like you'll have a number of interesting options available...even in the Valley. :P
- John

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*sigh*
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#18: Post by *sigh* »

mazur wrote:My local go to's have been Cartel and Peixoto. Peixoto owns their own farms in Brazil and always have fresh roasted beans available in their cafe. This has not been the case with Cartel. Although I see them roasting all the time, they'll sometimes have beans on the shelf two weeks old, which I consider unacceptable. I think they just batch their retail production too much.
Cartel's Tempe location always seems to have fresher beans available, some of their other locations seem to be hit and miss. I've picked up a few bags in the past couple of weeks and they've always been within a week of roast. Cartel's coffee's can be a bit difficult to dial in though.

It's not in the valley but another semi-local option would be to check out Presta from Tucson. Their Guji is one of my favorite coffees so far this year.

mazur (original poster)
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#19: Post by mazur (original poster) replying to *sigh* »

The Tempe location is where I go :)

I guess I just get frustrated knowing that they roast almost everyday, yet there will be days where there will be beans on the shelf no fresher than 10-14 days old.

*sigh*
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#20: Post by *sigh* replying to mazur »

Yeah, that's understandable! I guess I've just been lucky the last few times. I don't frequently by beans from them but have had good luck lately.

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