My First Espresso Blend - Page 2

January 29th, 2008, 10:44 am

Today I made sure the grind was a bit finer on the Macap M4. The blend is flexing its strength more than ever today. WOW! This is a very pungent, potent blend. This cuts through milk like it's going out of style! Despite the potency of the blend it is still smooth and rich without excessive bitter tones.

Tomorrow, this first batch will be gone. I will probably try a straight double of this just to give my final review. I'm looking forward to trying the next batch.

January 31st, 2008, 4:55 pm

Today we tried the second batch. Wow! What a difference roasting made. The blend has smoothed out tremendously and is very balanced. It's very chocolaty and has a very nice balanced acidity. Any "dirt" hint is far gone. There is no bitter taste at all. It's quite sweet actually.

I'm looking forward to having some more time tomorrow morning to pull a double of the original batch and then a double of the second batch for comparison.

As far as my judgment based on one drink made with the second batch, the first batch cut through milk more. It was much more pungent. Even though it had a few flavors that were undesirable I liked it a bit better.

I think I will be able to make a better determination after we've gone through this pound of blend.

I'm going to be switching the robusta for a good central. Which one? I'm not sure yet. I've got quite a few varieties that would work. Hopefully, if I get more time, I will get a list of them together to bounce off everyone for suggestions.

#13: Post by **pauljolly65** » February 2nd, 2008, 1:39 am

Tristan wrote:Today we tried the second batch. Wow! What a difference roasting made. The blend has smoothed out tremendously and is very balanced. It's very chocolaty and has a very nice balanced acidity.

That's great to hear, Tristan. I'm a bit surprised that it's come around so quickly after roasting, but there you have it. Keep us informed on how it develops over the next week or so.

I've found often enough that a tweak in my roasting (a result of getting distracted by something during the roast) can result in off-flavors or, particularly, bitterness...and this from a blend which is usually stellar. One should never be too broke to pay attention!

I hope that the second, third, and fourth etc. batches lead you more directly on the path of success.

Paul

February 4th, 2008, 2:35 pm

Alrighty! The blend is holding up and getting a bit more complex with rest. Today was probably the best. I'm starting to taste a bit more brightness come through. This makes a great cappuccino and I've pulled a double ristretto and it was very sweet and balanced.

To be honest, this blend is not as interesting when it is roasted this dark. It's very good, but more straight forward.

I'm going to roast this a bit lighter next time with Costa Rican Tarrazu instead of Robusta. I'm hoping this will make it a bit more interesting and improve the high end.

#15: Post by **jamhat** » February 4th, 2008, 3:19 pm

It will be interesting to read how Costa Rican affects the blend. I'm still keeping up with your posts, BTW, just not chiming in as much. Keep 'em comin'!

February 5th, 2008, 2:26 pm

jamhat wrote:It will be interesting to read how Costa Rican affects the blend.

I was thinking the same thing this morning. I pulled a straight double of this and I could really taste the Indonesian coffees and some of the brightness from the Yirg.

Although I do like the earthy hints the Indonesian coffees provide, I think in the straight double it is more evident than I prefer. I'm thinking of maybe taking the Bali out and putting the Costa Rican in it's place while leaving the robusta. Or do you think I should stick with my plan to swap the robusta for the Costa Rican?

I will probably not be posting too much on this blend after Wednesday. We'll be leaving for vacation and coming back on Monday night.

February 13th, 2008, 7:15 pm

I just put the following together and plan to go out and roast immediately:

Bean                Amount in oz    Percentage  Processed?        Roast Level
            
Batch #1 - ~450 degrees
Brazil Formosa              2.00        12.50%  Dry Processed     Full City
Aged Sumtra Lintong         2.00        12.50%  Semi Wet          Full City
Ethiopia Yirg Kochere       2.00        12.50%  Wet Processed     Full City
Guatemalan Antigua          2.00        12.50%                    Full City

Batch#2 - ~455-460 degrees
Brazil Formosa              6.00        37.50%  Dry Processed     Full City+/Vienna
India Robusta               2.00        12.50%  Wet Processed     Full City+/Vienna

            
Totals                     16 oz       100.00%

I had to change the percentages around a bit. I felt the last batch was roasted too dark for my taste so I'm going to roast a tad lighter this time. I took out the Bali and put in a Guatemalan Antigua - Pastoral. I'm hoping this will give the blend a bit more complexity and a bit of spice as well.

I will probably run out of the last batch tomorrow, maybe only get one shot out of it by the looks of things. I will probably jump the gun on this blend and post my preliminary results.

February 19th, 2008, 4:36 pm

Wow! The substitution of Guatemalan for the Bali really made things in the blend "pop out." The blend is a lot more complex. Gone are the slightly bitter overly earthy tones. The only thing I'd like in the blend is just a tad more bassy chocolate to round it out. Next modification, I may take the Robusta out and increase the percentage of Brazil. Heck, I may even put something else in for bass. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.

My wife and I both agree this newest batch is better than the last!

February 21st, 2008, 7:48 pm

I just put the following together and plan to go out and roast immediately:

Bean                Amount in oz    Percentage  Processed?        Roast Level
            
Brazil Formosa              10.00        62.50%  Dry Processed     Full City +
Aged Sumatra Lintong         2.00        12.50%  Semi Wet          Full City +
Ethiopia Yirg Kochere       2.00        12.50%  Wet Processed     Full City +
Guatemalan Antigua          2.00        12.50%                    Full City +

            
Totals                     16 oz       100.00%

I'm going to roast all in one batch to right before the start of rapid second crack. I want to see how taking the Robusta out will effect the blend. If this is a good change, my next modification will be to replace the Aged Sumatra with Indian Monsooned Malabar. I'm a big fan of blends with this coffee!

February 22nd, 2008, 6:04 pm

Just as a side note, and off the beaten path (yes, I'm hijacking my own thread!) I had some Yemen Moka sitting around that I don't totally care for as SO french press brew. I just roasted a batch of Brazil for french press. I mixed Yemen/Brazil 60/40 and it was wonderful! I can't speak highly enough of this Brazil for blending in several applications. My tentative name for this blend is "Punchen Du S.A.C Blend." This refers to the viscous body, mouthfeel and pungeant flavor. S.A.C is an acronym for "strong @$$ coffee." If I ever start my own roasting business, I think I'll need a slogan like, "Bad names, good blends."