Hello fellow home baristas!

Today I got a shipment in from Paradise Roasters of a 5lb bag of their Thailand Doi Pangkhon SO espresso. It's only one day off the roast, but I am an impatient fool and decided to pull a shot with it anyway... Man, it is delicious! The flavors are a little blown out given the proximity to the roast date, but otherwise it's amazing! It tastes pretty much how they describe it on their website: almond liqueur, raisins, and spices.

My shot parameters were 18g of coffee in an 18g VST basket (ground on the Mazzer Robur E), 36g out in 27 seconds at 199.7-200.1 degrees or so (on the La Marzocco GS3. The Slayer is still awaiting a visit from the plumber to get it up and running ). It was amazing as a single shot, so I decided to make myself a cappuccino with it as well to see how it paired with milk... What resulted was probably the single best cappuccino I've ever had in my whole life. It was syrupy and sweet, with intense raisin and almond notes that the espresso had on its own.

I would HIGHLY recommend trying this coffee. It's a great winter espresso to start off the season right!

Here are some photos of the espresso and the resultant cappuccino:





Disclosure: I am not affiliated with Paradise at all, nor are they compensating me in any way for this mini-review.

Sweet Jambalaya that looks like a rich cup. Congratulations on the find.
Reads like a similar northern Thai coffee that I tried from Doi Chaang called Single-Estate Piko's Peaberry.

It is super rich. Richer than any single origin I've ever had before. The acidity isn't over played and is very nicely balanced by the roast. I'm going to be experimenting with different extraction parameters today to try and get closer to perfection. In the mean time, the morning cappuccino was pretty fantastic .

I have to second the tastiness of this in a milk drink. (I haven't tried it straight yet.) I was a little leery with the bamboo descriptor, but gave it a try anyway and glad I did. It's a very nice cup leaning in the direction of Häagen-Dazs Rum Raisin.

Londinium 1, 15.5 grams from motorized Pharos, 8 seconds pre-infusion, 30 seconds for 27 grams out. Eight ounce latte.

Thanks for the tip. I've been meaning to try an SO and wanting to try something from Paradise again. I'll see if someone with lesser skill can still get a tasty drink!

MB wrote:I have to second the tastiness of this in a milk drink. (I haven't tried it straight yet.) I was a little leery with the bamboo descriptor, but gave it a try anyway and glad I did. It's a very nice cup leaning in the direction of Häagen-Dazs Rum Raisin.

Londinium 1, 15.5 grams from motorized Pharos, 8 seconds pre-infusion, 30 seconds for 27 grams out. Eight ounce latte.

I'll have to try a lower dose tomorrow. I've been doing 18-20 grams. I'd be very curious to taste this blend on a lever!

Today, I tried this with my Anfim instead of the Robur. I've really been starting to gravitate back to the Anfim, if I'm honest. The shots just seem to pull so much more evenly and have a much cleaner flavor and more sweetness. It definitely seems to depend on the coffee, though. My regular blend of Conquistador from UP Roastery in Minneapolis is fantastic in the Robur, but the Anfim seems almost too "clarifying" for that, if you will...

I digress. It's funny, I found (like you did too, it seems) that pulling it just slightly ristretto for a higher time (30-32 seconds) made a truly phenomenal cup, especially in the Anfim. The Robur's shots seem to like a little more water, as they don't seem to blonde as early. I also pulled the temp down to 199.4-199.7 and didn't look back. Good to know that someone else thinks these extraction parameters are also great!

MNate wrote:Thanks for the tip. I've been meaning to try an SO and wanting to try something from Paradise again. I'll see if someone with lesser skill can still get a tasty drink!

It seems fairly tolerant of different extraction styles, so I don't doubt you'll be able to pull a great shot with whatever equipment you have.

DonSWG wrote:
It seems fairly tolerant of different extraction styles, so I don't doubt you'll be able to pull a great shot with whatever equipment you have.

Got it in my mailbox the day after I ordered! Rested one more day and tried today and despite needing to grind much finer next time it was really good.

Any hints as to ideal rest time for this one before I freeze most of it?

Does anyone know if they offer shipping to Canada?

MNate wrote:Any hints as to ideal rest time for this one before I freeze most of it?

If I recall correctly I started tasting on day five which was already good and froze on day seven or eight.

I have about 1 dose left out my 12 oz bag of this coffee. I very much enjoyed my bag. Even more than two weeks post roast it is delicious. Very easy to work with. 18g at 200F and 25-27 seconds. I look forward to my next bag!