Prodigal Coffee Roasters - Page 6

Discuss flavors, brew temperatures, blending, and cupping notes.
Auctor
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#51: Post by Auctor »

Scott puts out a newsletter. Not sure if I got added to the list as a result of my book purchase, or Prodigal.

Milligan
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#52: Post by Milligan »

I saw the newsletter and appreciate the information they put out on their ups and downs. There seems to always be a sense of loftiness to their posts. I'm not sure why they felt they needed to include this in there other than to reassure us of their place upon high?
We sent samples to industry friends who told us we were "nuts" or similar for wanting to not charge for some batches. We also blindly cupped our coffees against samples from a few well-regarded roasters and our worst batches out-scored those of all of the other roasters.
Their worst are better than other roaster's batches. Perhaps internally they did feel that way, but attacking other roasters to build oneself up doesn't sit well. I very much enjoyed my coffee from them and don't feel like they need to say things like that. Let the product speak for itself.

Lastly, I'm curious to see if their stated level of quality is sustainable as a profitable business. The agricultural product of coffee itself may not be consistent enough to nail the exact same high score batch after batch let alone taking into account small roast variations. Curious to see where this project goes.

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Almico
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#53: Post by Almico »

I finally got a chance to measure the roast level on the 3 coffees I bought. Two were 77 and the other was 75 on the Agtron Gourmet scale. That is very light. One of the 77s and the 75 were refunded for not making the grade.

I usually drop my lighter roasts at 387* at 1:25 post 1C and 15* above. They typically measure 72. I just tried a bourbon from Costa Rica and dropped at 385* @ 1:15 and got 74. To get to 77 I would have to drop at 382ish at around a minute post 1C.

I have done roasts like this. They jam my grinder and do not mix well with milk. Depending on the coffee, milk might even curdle.

So while they are great for drip and straight espresso, personally I wouldn't make a cappuccino with coffee this light.

Milligan
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#54: Post by Milligan »

It has been about 2-3 weeks since I got the La Cruz so I decided to try a shot. I went turbo style. 18in and 47 out in 19s at 200F. Very nice shot. I can get the banana a bit more with espresso. I'm going to do 1:3 ratio next time since it was still a touch in the sour side.

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Almico
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#55: Post by Almico »

Back online...just ordered a bag of the Finca La Indonesia Bourbon Sidra - Colombia.

Iceman2913
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#56: Post by Iceman2913 replying to Almico »

That one is higher priced than it should be but I am sure it's good. Waiting for Subtext to release the francy gesha instead. Good greens though, just up to the person if they want to try them here or at a more stable roaster.

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CarefreeBuzzBuzz
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#57: Post by CarefreeBuzzBuzz »

And one can only imagine what Loring is saying now (he touts IMF over Loring in his email). I am sure Rao won't tell people of his "deal" with IMF which was likely better than what Loring offered. He now sets a high bar for whatever he puts out. Will be interested to see what all you fine tasters think of it.
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Jake_G
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#58: Post by Jake_G »

CarefreeBuzzBuzz wrote:And one can only imagine what Loring is saying now. I am sure Rao won't tell people of his "deal" with IMF which was likely better than what Loring offered. He now sets a high bar for whatever he puts out. Will be interested to see what all you fine tasters think of it.
Michael,

Are you confusing Scott Rao with Rob Hoos?

I'm not aware of any commercial ties between Scott and any roaster manufacturers.

Am I missing something?
LMWDP #704

Milligan
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#59: Post by Milligan replying to Jake_G »

Rao put out an email discussing why he went with IMF over Loring in a rather detailed breakdown of both roasters. Read like he published his pros/cons list that he used to make his decision. It is interesting but there is no direct mention of a financial relationship.

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CarefreeBuzzBuzz
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#60: Post by CarefreeBuzzBuzz replying to Milligan »

My point exactly Tim. He doesn't disclose his back deals. He didn't need to dish Loring. He has set a high bar for his coffee too. I am sure there's a backstory we will never know.
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