The Finca Betel Pink Bourbon, Colombia, washed anaerobic was my first choice, getting up today on my first day off to dive into them. So, now I've tried all three that I bought; I probably should have bought the geisha too. The Betel PB is very, very pronounced and clear Earl Grey tea like they found. It smacks you in the face, it's so obvious. The secondary notes I'm finding are far more plum-like than the strawberry or peach they describe. Acidity is very delicate, mostly citric and not noisy. It looses interest a bit as it cools, since it's a mild profile overall. But still a good cup that I enjoyed.

So far, all three coffees have had very silky and plush body, a nice treat.

Yesterday at work I did one batch of the La Argentina, and I think I slightly over extracted it ( I normally don't stir the bloom but I decided to this time and that plus the fine grind over-did it), but it was still quite good, and incredibly sweet. It was darker roasted than the other two, but it is intended for espresso, so that makes sense. I was pulled away from my office several times, but in the Moccamaster insulated carafe, it still was holding up well, 2 hours after I brewed it. The finish clung onto my palate quite well. The overall impression of it was a clean, Tootsie-Roll flavored sweet cup. Acidity wasn't as pronounced, but malic in nature.

* my error, it was the filter targeted roast not espresso targeted roast.

I'll pull a few shots of the La Argentina today as well.

luca wrote:My point is that if you guys don't want to buy Scott's coffee....

GC7 wrote:Is cost part of a discussion of Scott's coffee's?

GC7 wrote: I also look forward to hearing what folks think of Scott's roasted coffees.

Don't take this as a criticism, but just an observation I have, but I think it's a disservice to their partnership to refer to their product as "Scott's coffees". I'm sure it's not intentional but the error of omission somewhat devalues Mark's contributions. He's doing just as much of the cupping, selection, sample roasting etc. Scott's the famous one, but I choose to refer to them as Prodigal if I'm talking about their product. Just my 0.02

The La Argentina is developed such that it's not sharp, brassy or sour as espresso, or roasty. I think they really nailed this one exceptionally well. I pulled two shots, first in a latte as the dial-in and a second for a straight shot. I'm giving the Decent a rest and using the Speedster for a bit.

First shot in the latte, 19g in, 37g out in 36 seconds at 201. It jumps out extremely clearly in milk, it's entirely primrose raspberry hard candies in the cup. It's very sweet, very pronounced and focused and it was almost like the milk didn't even dilute it

Follow up straight shot with the same grind and dose but allowed to go to 43g out in about 42 seconds, it's probably the best light roasted shot of espresso I've had in a very, very long time. Well integrated, but intense crisp phosphoric (think Dr Pepper) acidity that blends well because it's supported by so much sweetness and clarity of flavor. I'm noting mainly a 50/50 blend of ripe raspberry and very floral orange. Great body and slippery mouthfeel too.

Luca, the Finca Betel coffees are 20 cents a gram in US prices.

I think there has been relatively little discussion of taste, and I do expect that there is batch inconsistency given Scott's remarks. I made some espresso of the La Argentina this morning and found it harsh and undesirable, but didn't want to make a judgement off a single pull since this is a little more developed than my normal consumption. I do have several friends that I trust that have tried the La Argentina and enjoyed it, so really wanted to check what I have. I cupped all four Prodigal coffees next to April's Meti, a solid if unspectacular washed Ethiopian. It costs about 10 cents a gram to have delivered with some other nice coffees.

This wasn't blind, so take it for what it's worth, but the Prodigal coffees that I have didn't belong on the same table with Meti. I have some specific notes, but since I don't participate much in this space as compared to others I don't want to go too far. The long and short of it for me was that the Prodigal roasts were harsh, vague, and unpleasant, with the Finca Betel Pink Bourbon being exceptionally roast forward and flat in acidity. The other coffees fared better, but from my perspective the batches I have are not up to the standard of the roasters Scott mentioned in his writing. Meti was explosive, floral, and free of the other concerns; it was a huge difference.

I don't think that means that Prodigal won't get where they're going; in fact I expect that they will. If they meet the expectations I have for the roasters mentioned and do it with consistency I think the pricing is fair on the consumer's side of the equation and I'll be happy to buy again. I'm looking forward to better Prodigal roasts in the future, and despite my negative opinion of this batch I'll continue to be supportive as they figure it out.

Edited to add: I read a bit more of the thread; if they manage to roast as well as Facsimile did for the majority of it's existence I'd be quite happy with their product.

TomC wrote:Don't take this as a criticism, but just an observation I have, but I think it's a disservice to their partnership to refer to their product as "Scott's coffees". I'm sure it's not intentional but the error of omission somewhat devalues Mark's contributions. He's doing just as much of the cupping, selection, sample roasting etc. Scott's the famous one, but I choose to refer to them as Prodigal if I'm talking about their product. Just my 0.02

My sincere apologies to Mark for my ignorance. Not the first time and surely not the last.

I've had at least a few Pink Bourbon's and they can be among my favorite coffees. Enjoy.

One other thought that comes to mind as I percolate on this; the cheap coffee that exists in the market is fundamentally exploiting the poorest people in the value chain the most. I'm willing to pay more for coffee from people that work to do a slightly better job about handling that, and I'd be willing to pay even more than this for people to cut out the colonial middle men and pay farmers better.

Thank you to one of our HB members for reaching out to me with an important question, made me realize that I misstated the style on the La Argentina. Mine is not the espresso roast, but the filter roast. That might also explain some differences in impressions so far.

Simple mistake, when I'd finished brewing a small batch of the Betel Pink Bourbon, I went to the couch, started sipping and just pulled up Prodigal's website to check names and spelling. I should have pulled up my email receipt.

I'll make a note in my original post to avoid confusion.

GC7 wrote:My sincere apologies to Mark for my ignorance. Not the first time and surely not the last.

I've had at least a few Pink Bourbon's and they can be among my favorite coffees. Enjoy.

No apologies needed! I just thought we'd be able to shift the nomenclature to something more inclusive/accurate moving forward.

As far as I'm aware, this was updated yesterday. My coffee was from the original order, so not something described as 'espresso' on purchase. Unless someone picked a bag up in person I can't imagine anyone is describing this coffee yet.