☕ Coffee ☕: Ingredients, Roasting, Grinding, Brewing, and Tasting

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Yep @Ruint and I recently stayed at an Airbnb who's host is a "foodie" and stocked the shelves with "high quality cooking supplies" but... The coffee is roundys or Kroger or something like that.

The priorities are funny, so they give us nice olive oil and fresh black pepper but it's completely acceptable to drink the cheapest coffee from the grocery store.
 
Yep, a few side by side sniff tests will clear that up real quick. Man some of these pouches in hotels literally smell like strict nine. Have someone take a good whiff of some likely stale char roast and then smell fresh. The real diff is sugar, sweetness, syrup.
 
ba-brewer said:
Getting ready to roast some coffee and seen I was almost out of Mexican coffee so I went to Sweet Marias to find the coffee from above. No luck but seen a couple new dry process Ethiopian beans. Ended up buying these.

Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Sidama Keramo
Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Sidama Bombe
Guatemala Xinabajul Mejor de Peña
Costa Rica Tarrazu Don Mayo La Loma
Nicaragua Jinotega Finca El Lino
Click to expand...

So many new arrivals at the end of the year. Between 1 order in December and 1 in January I picked up 21 different lots and still managed to miss out on a few.
 
It was interesting very much, thanks. I have made shots with coarser grinds but only saw them as weaker, perhaps perception bias and or too much water. I do this when I don't want to empty virtuoso, like when I am making decaf shots or fresh or different roast. I use the blade grinder. Its been a while cant quite remember, nothing negative. I will have to give it a try, save a little coffee!
TallDan said:
This may be interesting to some here:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/01/the-math-of-brewing-a-better-espresso/
It's summarizing this article
https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltex...m/retrieve/pii/S2590238519304102?showall=true

It suggests a coarser grind and faster extraction time. I haven't read the second (source) article yet, and I may not read it all, it gets pretty deep, but the high level suggestion may warrant some experimentation.
Click to expand...
 
Not for nothing...I had got the aforementioned Nicaragua dry process coffee...roasted it, then sampled and thought to myself that it wasn't bad, but did have more blackberry flavor in the cup than blueberry. It was 2 days post roast at the time. Been drinking other coffees for a couple weeks and neglected the Nicaraguan. 23 days post roast this dry process is fantastic with a dried blueberry flavor, slight taste of dried blackberry. Totally enjoying the "aged" version....just thought I'd share with ya all!!!
 
Ruint said:
Not for nothing...I had got the aforementioned Nicaragua dry process coffee...roasted it, then sampled and thought to myself that it wasn't bad, but did have more blackberry flavor in the cup than blueberry. It was 2 days post roast at the time. Been drinking other coffees for a couple weeks and neglected the Nicaraguan. 23 days post roast this dry process is fantastic with a dried blueberry flavor, slight taste of dried blackberry. Totally enjoying the "aged" version....just thought I'd share with ya all!!!
Click to expand...

Really... I haven’t had much berry flavor with it but all of my brewing has been 1-8 days post roast. Maybe I should roast some and set it aside.
 
Sorry guys...been running hard for the last few and crashed....I can look up my graphs for the last couple of roasts on that and either post them or try to summarize Ba-brewer. I'll also be able to give finer details on how long post roast tasting occurred. But, it'll be a little later this morning....
 
This is a snapshot of 2 roasts done (overlayed in analyst mode) with the Nicaragua dry process Buenos Aires coffee beans. 2 different size batches, 1 being 700 grams and the other was a batch at 888 grams. Very similar tendencies as far as ror and phases are concerned if you notice....

upload_2020-1-30_13-13-17.png


These roasts were done on the 7th of January, so you can see that I have had them "aging" for more than 3 weeks....them some old beans right there!!!! Lmao!!!
 
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This is a single chart for the batch that was at 888 grams. I preheat my drum to 437 degrees F. Upon charging, I let the batch just absorb heat from the drum for a little over a minute before changing my heat setting to be the most powerful I can get on the bullet, but I drop my drum speed, for the majority of the roast, and I keep my air flow low. Looking at the bars underneath the graph, first bar is "P" the number associated with it is the setting, so P6 is an intermediate setting whereas P9 is the highest setting. The bar right below that is "F" and is for the fan. Bottom one is "D" for drum speed. Both of those are the same for settings, 1 being lowest, and 9 being strongest. At the bottom of the chart, you will notice time increments in 1 minute intervals. So, looking at this you can see I charged, let the beans absorb heat for just a little over a minute then hit with power and slowed my drum, while never messing with the airflow.
Lines in graph:
Dark purple is ET
Light Purple is BT
Red is power
This is relevant btw....bullet owners are aware of the differences but this gets it close enough to what most are comfortable with or familiar with for everyone....

upload_2020-1-30_13-15-20.png


At about 10 1/2 minutes I do change the airflow, as I want to slow the speed at which my temperatures are about to hit with 1st crack, and as you see at 10:59, first crack does occur. I change airflow (the "F" numbers)again to keep it, to what I call my sweet spot, and just adjust accordingly. Past 11 minutes I also change the drum speed, as I want to increase the effect of the airflow thru the beans, so I make them tumble faster to simulate that. Very close to the end of the roast, when I am sure that the caramelization I want to occur, has in fact occurred, I reduce the power setting...
 
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So, the whole roast was a little shy of 13 minutes, for both batch sizes. I would consider this to be a "gentle" aggressive profile. Drop the beans in, let them bask in some heat before ramping the power up, but keeping it fairly even and gentle on the climb. Increase the airflow before first crack, to damper the rise in temperature in the beans from exothermic reaction, so I can ride a little longer in first crack. You have to pay attention to how aggressive the beans are cracking, and that is why I adjust my airflow and drum speed at this point, to help me maintain that moderate aggressive crack. When the beans are slowing, or not quite finished with first crack, I drop them for cooling. Not sure that the information I presented helps anyone, but hopefully it shines a light where needed to assist with how you might need to approach or inspires someone to try something out of normal for them....
 
That is the relevant difference I referred to in the above post TD. The 2 purple lines on the graph both represent bean temps. One is taken from a thermocouple and the other is from the IBTS sensor, (infrared). One is actually called bean temp and the other drum temp. It isn't really though, it is more or less, still bean temp. The upper line thru most of the chart is "drum" temp and the underlying is the bean temp taken via the IBTS. For me, those lines usually get very close together towards the end of the session, and often cross.
 
I will live vicariously through your pics for now @jammin! Not getting the Titan yet...lol. still very content with the settle 270, I also have converted quite a few folks to cold brewed coffee, as when I ask them where or how, they mostly tell me their chain store does it by icing hot coffee and it just doesnt do anything for them, so I convince them to try some I made and there is no comparison. I get back from them that this is so good and smooth....lol! I use the g3 with 80mm flats to chew thru those loads though....love helping folks learn their passions!!!
 
https://www.fragrantica.com/news/Tuberose-Flower-Scent-History-and-Perfume-5041.html
The smell of tuberose absolute is like an explosive bouquet of white flowers. Its extreme complexity gives the olfactive illusion of different flowers and their extracts. With green and narcotic notes, she approaches the scent of Narcissus species. With its milky notes, from its profile emerge exotic flowers like gardenia, frangipani and tiare, whose petals are mixed with coconut oil for the traditional Monoi, the scent of skin under the sunlight.

Not sure I want those smell or jasmine in my coffee, but the flower seems like it would smell nice.
 
Almost through my 4 yemen pounds, its ok. Somewhat hard to roast because it cracks slowly and not that many cracks. But 1min after 1c I pulled last batch and I taste some char which is interesting. I am eyeing the bodhi aricha. At 35 for 5 pounds, 7.50 1 pound, plus 7 shipping it seems a good deal. I hope its the same as the burmans aricha.
 
Ruint said:
This is a single chart for the batch that was at 888 grams. I preheat my drum to 437 degrees F. Upon charging, I let the batch just absorb heat from the drum for a little over a minute before changing my heat setting to be the most powerful I can get on the bullet, but I drop my drum speed, for the majority of the roast, and I keep my air flow low. Looking at the bars underneath the graph, first bar is "P" the number associated with it is the setting, so P6 is an intermediate setting whereas P9 is the highest setting. The bar right below that is "F" and is for the fan. Bottom one is "D" for drum speed. Both of those are the same for settings, 1 being lowest, and 9 being strongest. At the bottom of the chart, you will notice time increments in 1 minute intervals. So, looking at this you can see I charged, let the beans absorb heat for just a little over a minute then hit with power and slowed my drum, while never messing with the airflow.
Lines in graph:
Dark purple is ET
Light Purple is BT
Red is power
This is relevant btw....bullet owners are aware of the differences but this gets it close enough to what most are comfortable with or familiar with for everyone....

View attachment 664375

At about 10 1/2 minutes I do change the airflow, as I want to slow the speed at which my temperatures are about to hit with 1st crack, and as you see at 10:59, first crack does occur. I change airflow (the "F" numbers)again to keep it, to what I call my sweet spot, and just adjust accordingly. Past 11 minutes I also change the drum speed, as I want to increase the effect of the airflow thru the beans, so I make them tumble faster to simulate that. Very close to the end of the roast, when I am sure that the caramelization I want to occur, has in fact occurred, I reduce the power setting...
Click to expand...

I tried to mimic your roast profile with the Dry Process Buenos Aires Caturra Nicaragua today. I really don't have too good fan control, but my roaster is fairly responsive so I could control the start of first crack OK. I was able to get a FC at 11min and dropped at 12:30 while still a few cracks active. Will try to let some coffee sit 3weeks to see how how the flavor changes.
 
I was hoping that you'd be able to look at that chart and be able to apply the concepts to your particular roaster or roasting techniques. If you sample now, from my experience, the BlackBerry is the most noticeable. It is still enjoyable, but I really notice blueberry with that longer rest period, which I feel elevated the coffee to quite a bit more enjoyable. For those of us that had the Ethiopian Banko Yirgacheffe that @jammin recommended a few years ago, it is not that intense of a blueberry. It is subtle but noticeable, and very pleasant. I am hoping that you will get to experience that ba-brewer, or anyone else for that matter!


Would still like another blueberry bomb!!!!!
 
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I know it is early, (10 hour rest)maybe too early! I have a cup of the JBM I roasted yesterday evening, sitting in front of me, brewed this very morning. Color me impressed! Very nice nuttiness mixed with chocolate and caramel. Because I roasted these beans to complete 1C completion, and then held them in another minute, they are a bit darker than where I normally drop. There is a very pleasant roast characteristic that is intermingling in the cup also. Definitely an "island" coffee.
 
In the past week, I have ordered 92 pounds of beans. Mostly all "fresh" arrivals. Some, after conferring with others, we decided to go in on some more of the Jamaican Blue Mountain, because it really is a prime specimen, and then we are taking a gamble with the Kona, I believe from Greenwell farms. We will see....if it is everything it's cracked up to be! I hope it is, as $35 a pound is a tad bit steep! With coffees at that price I generally ask family, friends, or others that intimately know my roasts if they are interested. Not a bad deal, everyone gets to try, that wants to, a coffee that would be phenomenally priced if it was roasted by a "professional" shop.
 
JMB & Kona are 100% hype/marketing. You just can’t grow amazing coffee at lower elevations. Low acidity chocolate bombs, sure. Brazil has this market on lockdown with substantially more advanced processing technology though.
I hate to be a wet blanket but their BS prices really piss me off.
 
I respect that @jammin! I have bought roasted versions of those coffees before me getting the coffee bean and roasting them myself. They are most definitely better with the later choice, although that may be biased!! It won't be an all the time kinda deal, but really wanted to try my hand at them. The JBM came out superb. Am I happy it was almost $30 a pound....not really, but it was good enough for a fool to part with his money again, because I have yet to have a Brazilian coffee that came close to the flavors an island coffee deliver.
 
A little selection besides the Kona and JBM...comes up to 82 pounds. The 2 pounds of the Panama Gesha I was reserved as I haven't ever had it. All the rest are 10 pound sample bags, except for 1 which comes in at 20 pounds....lol
Screenshot_20200210-225450.jpeg
Screenshot_20200210-225418.jpeg
 
Might be in for more of a challenge than I thought, with finding a coffee bean I could blend in with the Indian Cherry. I tried adding it to a fairly fruit forward coffee this morning and successfully kicked most of the fruit right out of the cup!! Made it very muted at the least. For a normal pot of coffee, I normally run 100 to 110 grams of coffee (60 ounce carafe) depending on how I'm feeling. I used 102 grams of the fruit forward (Ethiopian Banko Gotiti) and 8 grams of the Indian Cherry. Very surprised by how powerful of an earthy like flavor the Indian Cherry bean has, and the impact it has on the cup. Going to try one that is more chocolatey on next attempt. I would also note that there is a significant boost on alertness level!!!
 
Had a nice roast tonight. Smoothly declining RoR curve & a tidy overall roast time. Got it loaded in the grinder to brew up for tomorrow morning's pot

Ethi Shantawene F 2:13:20.jpg
 
My choice for this morning's coffee was a parabolic dried Colombian Tortoro, noted for dark chocolate, fudge brownie flavor. I also picked a coffee from Flores, Manu Lalu as it is cacao nibs and a back end sweetness as my candidates to mix with the Indian Cherry. 90, 10, and 10 grams in order respectively. The Indian Cherry pretty much did the same thing in the cup as yesterday's cup. Really subdued the prominent flavors that would have shown brightly otherwise! Still very drinkable, but think that would change in a hurry if the relative small amount added changed. There is no doubt a higher caffeine ratio with the Indian Cherry added. The search will continue, as I am ultimately looking for the best beans to use for a cold brewed version, and use the hot brewed coffee to help narrow that path quicker.
 
Did a pour over of the Kona this morning that was roasted yesterday afternoon. I would say it was a liquid dark bakers chocolate, with a nice tint of roasty smoke. Easily tops any other Kona I have had before, but again, that is probably biased! If I decide to ever get some again, I will not roast it as far as this was done, but I tried to keep it to what I believed is traditional level of roasting which was into second crack, and when I say that, it was at the very front edge of second crack pops that I dropped them for cooling.
 
Ruint said:
I was hoping that you'd be able to look at that chart and be able to apply the concepts to your particular roaster or roasting techniques. If you sample now, from my experience, the BlackBerry is the most noticeable. It is still enjoyable, but I really notice blueberry with that longer rest period, which I feel elevated the coffee to quite a bit more enjoyable. For those of us that had the Ethiopian Banko Yirgacheffe that @jammin recommended a few years ago, it is not that intense of a blueberry. It is subtle but noticeable, and very pleasant. I am hoping that you will get to experience that ba-brewer, or anyone else for that matter!


Would still like another blueberry bomb!!!!!
Click to expand...
It has been a couple weeks now and still get nothing. Taste like a typical wet processed Nicaraguan coffee, maybe a bit less body. I am starting to think they bagged the wrong coffee. Just curious if you recall the green coffee having the typical "dry process" fruity funk?

When I smell the green coffee it smells like normal wet processed coffee. There is usually a funky smell to roasting dry process coffee and I don't recall smelling that either.

I still have some aging so will see if something happens between now and then.
 
Cool, thanks for sharing the tasting notes. So you would get again? Yeah, thats as far as I like to take a nice coffee. Anything past that and I will only see it as ruined. Might as well be any coffee.
Ruint said:
Did a pour over of the Kona this morning that was roasted yesterday afternoon. I would say it was a liquid dark bakers chocolate, with a nice tint of roasty smoke. Easily tops any other Kona I have had before, but again, that is probably biased! If I decide to ever get some again, I will not roast it as far as this was done, but I tried to keep it to what I believed is traditional level of roasting which was into second crack, and when I say that, it was at the very front edge of second crack pops that I dropped them for cooling.
Click to expand...
 
Greetings from Panama guys....land of many great coffees. I lived in Guatemala prior to Panama so Im REALLY spoiled in terms of great coffee.

We live in the Chiriqui highlands where most of the really good offee is grown in Panama. Now on the boat here in Bocas del Toro. The marina here ships green coffee beans in from Chiriqui (Boquete) and roasts them on site. So, we can get great fresh roasted highlands coffee here on the Caribbean coast...nice touch.

https://images.app.goo.gl/wcKgTeGe5KPJ7VzQ9
 

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