My machine is arriving in a few days and I'm dying to try it out. And to convince wife that our $2k dollar setup was an outstanding idea

Would appreciate your recommendation for an "easy win" beginner-friendly roast together with a preparation recipe for it (temp, dose, dose/brew ratio, target extraction time).

We are looking for:
- a cappuccino-friendly blend (we sometimes deviate: wife to lattes, I to macchiatos)
- very sweet and with notable chocolate notes
- minimum sourness / acidity
- ideally not very bitter
- rich body and fruity flavors are most welcome

The plan is to go through at least two pounds of that roast (freezing portions of it) to get used to the new setup and to form a reference point. After which we'll feel more ready to explore the sea of option out there.

We live in he SF bay area (if shipping time is something I should be worried about).

Your best bet is likely Red Bird's espresso blend, which is a solid, reliable, and easy-to-dial-in comfort coffee. It does very well in milk. Or you could get their Brazil Sweet Blue, which is less dimensional than the blend, but basically chocolate notes on top of chocolate undertones.

For a few dollars more, Caffe Lusso's Gran Miscela Carmo blend is excellent, though my experience is that it's a bit more challenging to dial in. Definitely worth a try -- as is their Lionshare blend -- when you've had a little time to learn your grinder and machine.

In another thread, Tom Chips spoke favorably of Mr. Espresso's Neapolitan Espresso, which would seem to check your boxes. Since they're in Oakland, probably easy to acquire, and you'll be helping a local merchant. If Tom sees this thread, he can comment on how much of a "beginner's" blend it would be.

Hope this helps! Enjoy your new coffee obsession!

Hudiny wrote:My machine is arriving in a few days and I'm dying to try it out. And to convince wife that our $2k dollar setup was an outstanding idea

Would appreciate your recommendation for an "easy win" beginner-friendly roast together with a preparation recipe for it (temp, dose, dose/brew ratio, target extraction time).

We are looking for:
- a cappuccino-friendly blend (we sometimes deviate: wife to lattes, I to macchiatos)
- very sweet and with notable chocolate notes
- minimum sourness / acidity
- ideally not very bitter
- rich body and fruity flavors are most welcome

The plan is to go through at least two pounds of that roast (freezing portions of it) to get used to the new setup and to form a reference point. After which we'll feel more ready to explore the sea of option out there.

We live in he SF bay area (if shipping time is something I should be worried about).

If you live in SF stop by a blue bottle and try their Hayes Valley espresso. It's their standard blend and in my opinion is aligned with what you are looking for. If you like it start there. I don't care for it because my tastes are leaned a bit away from chocolate and comfort blends. Also, I drink zero milk based drinks.

If you want minimum sourness and acidity your are going to trend a bit away from fruit.

Or swing by ritual, verve or four barrel and try some espresso that trends toward fruity.

What you're describing leans toward Italian blends. Blends such as Lavazza Top Class, Kimbo Superior and Lavazza Super Crema. In my experience the Italian blends are usually very chocolaty, easy to work with and quite frankly much cheaper, which is a good thing when you have a new grinder and machine and you're still learning how to dial in your grinder and coffee (you will waste a lot of coffee experimenting and learning, cheaper coffees are easier on the bank).

"Your best bet is likely Red Bird's espresso blend, which is a solid, reliable, and easy-to-dial-in comfort coffee.

I bought 5 pounds of Red Bird when I received my new machine and used half of it, the other half is in the freezer. Great coffee.

+1 all suggestions. Plus nossa family full cycle.
Kimbo superior might be the easiest to pull for me but I think the nossa family is xcellent and like a peanut butter milk shake

Listening to what you want, it sounds like your tastes and requirements are similar to mine. I just got a BDB a month ago so, on that front, we have similar machinery too.

My dilemma is this. I like Redbird Espresso (RBE) in milk but I like their Blue Jaguar (BJ) as an espresso.

With RBE there is a bitterness that I just cant shake no matter how I pull it. This bitterness is actually really nice in milk, it balances out and helps the coffee come through. I like it in lattes and americanos as does the wife. I get used to it as espresso. It is a face changer for my wife. I have settled on 18/36 @ 195 in 28-35 seconds. Lower heat cuts down on the bitter. That is my story anyway. I have tried a lot of things to get away from that bitter but I can't shake it.

With BJ I get nothing but semi-sweet to bitter chocolate with a tiny bit of acid balance. I love it as espresso it makes a pretty good americano, but it gets a bit lost in milk. I pull it the same but I can get away with 200 deg. If you are looking for a sure win in a comfort blend, I think this is it. I love it as a straight shot and my wife can drink it without wincing.

You would do well to let either of these rest a 5-7 days after the roast date. Especially the RBE. The fresher it is, the more the bitter comes out. Either of these can be had in 5lbs size with free priority shipping for under $60. If I ordered tonight, it would probably roast tomorrow and ship either later tomorrow or early the next day. That is my experience anyway.

I didn't like the Kimbo Sup. just my $.02 If you do get it Dominico has 2 recommendations for how to pull it that saved me a lot of time.

If you want minimum sourness and acidity your are going to trend a bit away from fruit.

Ryan is right-on about this.

Have fun out there....

Hiding, similar to you, I seem to dote on the Italian as opposed to the fruity or third wave
Brazil Sweet Blue from RedBird seems to pull consistently, a smooth clearly chocolate aroma, not bitter.
For me, much smoother than the company's espresso blend Blue Jaguar which i use in French Press or our Jura for pour over type coffee
blends

Of all I've tried my wife likes the Red Bird best and I like it pretty well too. Hard to make it wrong. And the 5# bag is pretty cheap. I have liked the others listed above too.

+1 for the Brazil Sweet Blue.

Also, I have recently tried the Malabar Gold from Josuma: It may well become my go to favorite. Ships in a either a single 5# bag, or five 1# bags (my preference -- the bags are sealed, not just rolled shut, and it freezes well). Very consistent results, very good flavor.

http://josumacoffee.bigcartel.com/produ ... d-espresso

https://www.facebook.com/MalabarGoldEspresso/

You can order a single bag retail from http://greatinfusions.com/malabar-gold- ... an-coffee/ to try, which is what I did. It was further from roast date than when I subsequently ordered direct from Josuma. Josuma roasts on Monday for the orders received thru the previous Friday, ships them Tuesday. Shipping is included in their listed price. I received mine 3 days after roast. They include a brewing recipe that they are currently using.