For my first try, I did a middle-of-the-road city roast to get a sense of what this coffee's strengths are. I plan to follow up with some additional posts describing my subsequent experiments.

Roasting Info:

Bean: Kenya Kirinyaga Kiangoi AA
Roaster: HG/BM
Charge Mass:250g
Charge Temp: 325F
Dry/Ramp/Development: 5/3/2:15
Finish Temp: 402F
Overall Roast Time: 10:19
Moisture Loss: 14%

Profile Plot:



Cupping Notes:

Rest:1 day
Brewer: v60
Grinder:Lido2, 1 full turn
Water: 200F

Dry Fragrance: Rich cedar and sandalwood, with hints of raspberry and subtle florals.
Wet Aroma: Vanilla, ripe strawberries, subtle floral accents.
Warm taste: Juicy citric acidity, most reminiscent of tangerines, plus smooth vanilla caramel and lilac. Mouthfeel is moderate and slightly tongue coating, like whole milk. Finish is pleasant but somewhat fleeting.
Cool cup: Remains juicy and vibrant, with emerging berries in addition to the citrus. A slight tannic quality emerges in the finish.

Overall Impression: I love roasting good Kenyans, and this one is no exception. The most remarkable quality in my first roast was its excellent citric acidity; I suspect that this might show up to even better effect in a fast-and-light roast, stretching out the drying phase so that I can stop before the end of first crack, similar to my best roasts of the DP Aricha. The biggest weaknesses in this roast were structural; the body could have been fuller and the finish longer and richer. My main goal in future experiments will be to see if I can find a way to develop more bass notes in this coffee without sacrificing its lovely tangerine taste.

The coffee has enough sweetness that I may also experiment with a darker roast to see if I can get a good SO espresso out of it; I often struggle to get successful espresso roasts out of Kenyan coffees. Even if it doesn't succeed, I'm sure my wife, who prefers brewing with roasts taken into C+ territory, will enjoy the results.

Nice job. I always enjoy your cupping notes Mark. Helps me pay attention as I cup.

B|Java

Thanks Dave!

For a quick contrast, here is a run-down of my first C+ roast.

Roasting Info:

Bean: Kenya Kirinyaga Kiangoi AA
Roaster: HG/BM
Charge Mass:200g
Charge Temp: 325F
Dry/Ramp/Development: 4/2:30/3
Finish Temp: 419F
Overall Roast Time: 9:30
Moisture Loss: 15%

Profile Plot:



Cupping Notes:

Rest:1 day
Brewer: v60
Grinder:Lido2, 1 full turn
Water: 200F

Dry Fragrance: Toasted oak, pipe tobacco, raspberry liquer.
Wet Aroma: Vanilla and caramel.
Warm taste: Smooth caramel and chocolates dominate. Fainter but still tasty citrus in the background. Much smoother body, creamy and tongue coating. Florals are gone. Aftertaste is still fleeting, now a bit more tannic than in the city roast.
Cool cup: Consistent with the warm cup. Darkening chocolate and brighter tangerine. Sweet up front, but drying in the finish.

Overall Impression: I succeeded in my goal of developing deeper body and mouthfeel in this roast, at the expense of some of the florals, but at least I preserved that nice tangerine note. I'm still vexed in my desire to get more out of the aftertaste, and I'm not sure what parameters I should play with to develop that aspect of the cup to better effect. This is a good comfort food cup, and although I enjoyed this coffee more at a city roast, others (including my wife) may disagree.

My next effort will be a Mountain Air style, fast-and-light city roast.

Edited to add:

Espresso: I pulled 14.5 grams of this in my Caravel, at 203F in the kettle (approx. 198F at the puck), yielding an 18 gram ristretto shot. Today (1 day of rest) was a bit too soon for this roast, as there was still some gassiness, but I was curious, so what the hell. I know that "Third Wave OJ" is a common term of abuse around here, but this had a wonderful sweet orange flavor, with some supporting chocolates and a creamy body, making me think of creamsicles above all else. But these were grown-up creamsicles, in which the bitter balanced the sweet, along with floral overtones and a rich, lingering aftertaste. I can't wait to see how it will taste with a little bit more rest. If you like shots that are both bright and sweet, consider roasting this bean for espresso.

I imagine that my wife and I will be fighting over the remnants of this batch (her for brewing, me for shot pulling) once I get back to town from my trip to Oklahoma City.

Awfully quiet on the Roast and learn front. Must be August - holiday time in Europe and Canada. But I'm like Mary Poppins. Every day's a holiday for me.

Anyhow, I did 2 roasts yesterday on my new Huky. On my RK drum, I'm not used to getting 1st crack till 410 F. On this gear, I get it at 373F. Takes some considerable adjustment in my thinking. I finished one at 410 and one at 423. I'll post complete info. in a day or two when I taste.

Roasting this eve as well as an Eth DP Adado that is supposed to have the sacred BB''s.

Keep us posted...Where did you get the Eth? More available?

OT: I have a sample from the broker.

Back to the Kenyan...roasted last eve. I like to let it rest about 4 days.

I'm almost done drinking my first roasts, so I did another batch last night in the "fast and light" style. I'll let you guys know how it comes out. Are there only three of us participating this month? If so, that is a shame, because Dave picked a great coffee.

I did 2 roasts on August 12 on my new Huky 500 running the Roastmaster app on my Ipad with a BT and an ET thermocouple. Lots to learn but still it came out ok I think - with room for improvement. Thanks to Mark (creative nickname) I now know more about the Roastmaster app. I certainly have lots more information than I do on my RK drum.

So, here's my info:
Roast 1
Bean info: Kenya Kirinyaga Kiangoi AA
Roaster: Huky 500
Charge mass: 10 oz.
Charge Temp: 400F
FCS: 7:02 - duration 2:01 at 373F
Drop Temp and time: 405F - 9:04

Tasting Notes;

30 grams coffee to 500 grams water at 200F steep 3 minutes drain 1 minute
grounds smell of vanilla and tobacco
first taste was immediately of molasses - tasting of concord grapes as it cooled
more mouth watering fruitiness as it cooled - I couldn't get a further handle on it.
(I thought I had ruined this coffee when roasting. I'm not used to such a fast fcs. So it was a big surprise to me how pleasant I found this cup. I could drink it all day)

Roast 2 -
Bean info: Kenya Kirinyaga Kiangoi AA
Roaster: Huky 500
Charge mass: 12 oz.
Charge Temp: 450
FCS: 8:00 and 372F duration 2 minutes
Drop temp and time: 424F - 10:30

Tasting notes:

30 grams of coffee in Kalita Wave to 500 grams of 200F degree water - 4 minutes to finish.

This tastes noticeably different than the lighter faster roast. It's a delicious and pleasant coffee but the fruitiness is apparently not present. I could drink this coffee regularly and people who normally require sugar would likely not need it here. There is no bitterness, but I've come to require more from my coffee than to say it's not offensive. I prefer the lighter roast. I've got 10 ounces left of the green and am not sure what to do with it.
Great fun!
DickC

I made an Americano from this second roast - 424F final bean temp today. Opening the bag I was struck immediately at the molasses aroma. That carried over to the espresso - strong molasses, cane syrup, sorghum type flavors - also apple butter. Well you get the idea. I love these flavors in coffee and was surprised to find them in a Kenyan. I'm looking forward to the rest of the bag.

Yesterday I roasted up the last 10 ounces in my Huky - (still experimenting). Here's how it went:

Charge Mass: 10 ounces
Charge Temp: 350
FCS: 376 at 8:30
FC duration : 1:37
Drop temp and time: 405F at 10:50

I'll taste it tomorrow.

Last roast - brewed today, 8/17 so 2 day rest. Brewed 25 grams in Impress with 12 ounces of 200F water for 4 minutes. Taste: a little sweet, a little caramel and molasses - I couldn't taste any fruit - I got a little acidity as the cup cooled. Just so so.

I'd encourage others to participate in this roast and learn. My thinking to start was I'm not good enough. But I find nobody to be critical and I get nothing but help from others. It really is a lot of fun and adds a whole 'nother dimension to the hobby.

Dick

bean2friends wrote:...
(I thought I had ruined this coffee when roasting. I'm not used to such a fast fcs. ...
DickC

My roast ran exceptionally fast as well, though not as fast as yours.