Chert wrote:What is the minimum contribution that makes a difference in the cup?

i'm sure you could taste a contribution of flavor at 10/15% but from what i've read, lower amounts like that can run into some problems with consistency due to the statistical risk of getting an uneven distribution in any given cup/shot

Good point. two color m&ms could demonstrate that. And how would yellow peanut M&M's at 10% distribute into green plain m&m's?

Like peaberries mixed with pacamara. Wouldn't coffee seeds sort out if not sized similar in a blend more than similar sized seeds?

I never go below a third as I fear they won't mix together well enough.

I blend by the cup these days so distribution isn't much of an issue. I can sometimes detect as little as 10% of one bean in particular but its got a really unique profile. Usually I'm dumb up to about 20-25%. Of course like most things, its dependent on the beans in question.

One of my pro-roaster buddies uses as little as 10% of one coffee in a 5-bean blend for their house espresso. At one time I thought that may be too many beans in a blend but after subsequent consideration its more like 2 similar beans and 2 other similar beans-an additional of each to mask/mirror variances, then the 5th/3rd outlier at 10%.

Another pro-roaster uses 3 beans in a blend-50-30-20. The base is a Brazil, the 20% is a heavy blueberry African natural, with the 30% a fairly bright Guat.

I wouldn't think that in a business use a blend developer would select beans that wouldn't mix well or consistently, ie the Peaberry Vs. Pacamara thing.

Blending is great.

Pouring beans together post roast gives fab aroma; added perk.

By the way, good call from the several people here I saw mention Daterra Sweet Blue as a good base brazil for blending stuff -- tried a few batches now and it really is an ideal comforting base.

Has anyone tried Brazil Dry Process Cafeicultores de Minas from SM for blending?

Brewzologist wrote:Does anyone ever blend the same coffee using two different roast levels to get a 'super' single-origin blend?

I've been trying the 'super' roast single-origin thing - but worrying about my grind settings. The two different roast levels require significantly different grind settings. If I swap grind settings between the roasts I get a 10-second pull and a 2-minute pull - very non-optimal and taste not-so-good. So, as I fish around for the right grind setting for a mix of roast levels, I wonder if all I'm doing is counterbalancing two otherwise unpleasant tastes. Am I doing it wrong?

Another Wush Wush blend a hit this morning.

50/50
Ethiopian Wush Wush Natural

Columbia Palo Roas Sugarcane Decaf