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

[jammin]

Busted out the Hario 3c Vac-pot this morning while the strike water was heating. Always a treat if you have the time

 

[Inkleg]

Man you have all the cool kids gadgets!

 

[jammin]

Sweet Maria's just put up some new Colombians, Kenyans, Ethiopians, and Burundis.

I grabbed 3 of these. Happy to roast 1 of them first if anyone is on the fence. Here is my order; while the Brazil is for espresso only I can do the other 2 either way

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I looked at both those Kenyan and Burundi. Interested to hear your review

 

[pshankstar]

I’m with HTB I’m curious to know your thoughts too.

 

[TallDan]

I'm going to stay tuned as well. Last time I looked, i couldn't find chemex filters locally and they're way overpriced on amazon. I'm running low and will need to restock in the next few weeks. As long as I'm ordering some filters online, i might as well get some beans too, right?

 

[applescrap]

Need coffee maker still, is bonavita and oxo my only choices under the moccamaster. My Krups Pro aroma and Gevalia coffee pot I bought yesterday at the Goodwill I don't think put out Brewing water at 200. Granted the boiling point of water is lower here. My wife thought I was crazy with the thermometer and the coffee pots. They had a brand new Hamilton Beach BrewStation and I like using those a time share on vacation we use one. I couldn't find any information on the Gevalia and I fear it's one of the pots they send for free. It's the cm650. Both measured about 178 as the water pooled up in basket. And the Krups keeps the coffee at 155 which I like and the Gevalia at 170.

Yep, that's 10 pounds of konga. I have now bought 20 lb because I was afraid they were going to run out. This is the best kept secret ever. I know I've said it before but in my opinion if you want a blueberry tasting Ethiopian and or an amazing quality of cup this stuff doesn't disappoint. I know there were some better buys before but I didn't get in on them. This last roast went a little darker and muted the blueberry flavors but enhanced the chocolate flavors. I have to admit I'm kind of Happy to have people not buy it, because it has been awesome to have last. I hope when this 10 lb runs out, there's more. I have to buy cheap bodhi sale coffee to though. That way I don't get spoiled and get to used to it. But as I'm thinking that maybe I should also buy some better quality from other countries so it's not such a downgrade as much as a lateral shift in quality. That being said it seems some of the highest quality coffees from other countries I've had are just a wannabe konga. And man they're . Okay I'm in the Weeds now sorry.

Need to get back to doing some cold brew as it makes great coffee and requires no maker.

This high quality Ethiopian is so easy to roast but I'm finding that many of these other coffees do require more thought ir the tip, show dark mottle, and can have some green taste to them. Dark outside and super light inside, hmm. Full power till the end has proven to create a wonderful blueberry konga not so much with other coffees.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Looking for some input. I have a bean from Rwanda I just roasted (first time doing this origin). I roasted it slowly, giving it time to fully develop. I dropped it about 20 seconds after 1C ended, which was about 12:20 total roast time.

Tasting it after 3 or 4 days of rest, it has a sour flavor. There are nice flavors there, like plum and dark cherries, but the sourness sort of takes away the happiness of the cup. Considering I took the roast slowly, it shouldn't be green in the middle - maybe I just need to extend the roast another 20 seconds so I drop it about 40 seconds after 1C ends?

Any thoughts or advice?

 

[jammin]

@HarborTownBrewing - how long was your development(1C to finish) What were 1C & finish temps? Are you brewing it with ample water temp/time?

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

My 1c was about 55 seconds, then I dropped the roast 20 sec after 1c ended. No idea what the temps were, but I went from 100 percent power to 0 percent once 1c began and coasted on 0 percent until the end.

Brew temp was 202 with the able Kone. I'm going to try it again with the paper filters tomorrow.

 

[applescrap]

Curious?! my friend had a rwanda he bought from bodhileaf roasted by them. It smelled peculiar, sour smelling if not oddly unpleasant

 

[ba-brewer]

Rwanda can have a particular defect called potato defect, which a few bean cause a bad cup. Not sure if it would effect the smell of the roasted coffee.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Apple that sounds similar to mine. I haven't noticed any defects but haven't looked too closely.

I roasted another batch last night. I cut the heat at 1c but picked it back up halfway through to pull the beans out of first crack. Then I dropped the roast 45 sec after 1c ended. My first crack was well defined at the start and end, and had a good duration of about 70 seconds. I think this method worked better than simply coasting through 1c with no heat. I'll try it Sunday and let you all know.

 

[applescrap]

Harbortown, I like the experimenting. Curious how it turns out. Gasp! I ran out of coffee last week. Had lots to do and last weekend was soo cold. Roasted by senses in the dark the other night and blueberry in the cup today. Jammin said it best that good beans can make up for a lot. Still like that spot right near the end of 1c but should try pulling it a few pops in with the Konga to see what happens.

Any thoughts on the pot? I know oxo and bonavita, but nothing else.

 

[TallDan]

A couple of interesting coffees over on GCBC:

Organic Ethiopia Natural Yirgacheffe HALO BARITI - FAIR TRADE(GP)

This coffee has very prominent Blueberry flavors to it along with Blackberry and other 'Darkberry' flavors. Even while still green the berry aroma is very intense. You want to spoil yourself, add some cream to this coffee and drink.
http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/index.php?topic=20905.0

Organic Honduras COMSA - Royal Reserva Natural Fair Trade(GP)

This coffee has a nice Cherry flavor to it with other Berry and Strawberry Flavors and Aroma! This one makes the house smell yum especially when roasting!
http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/index.php/topic,20904.0.html

Don't think I've had a coffee with what I'd describe as cherry flavors. Tempted to order both (they're the same seller), but a little afraid to add to the embarrassment of riches in the green coffee stash.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I've found a lot of Burundi coffee with cherry flavors. I tend to like these quite a bit.

I was dragging this morning so I made a shot of my Christmas Blend which is 50 50 Colombia and Burundi. Amazing sweetness and balance.

 

[ba-brewer]

A couple of interesting coffees over on GCBC:

Organic Ethiopia Natural Yirgacheffe HALO BARITI - FAIR TRADE(GP)

This coffee has very prominent Blueberry flavors to it along with Blackberry and other 'Darkberry' flavors. Even while still green the berry aroma is very intense. You want to spoil yourself, add some cream to this coffee and drink.
http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/index.php?topic=20905.0

Organic Honduras COMSA - Royal Reserva Natural Fair Trade(GP)

This coffee has a nice Cherry flavor to it with other Berry and Strawberry Flavors and Aroma! This one makes the house smell yum especially when roasting!
http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/index.php/topic,20904.0.html

Don't think I've had a coffee with what I'd describe as cherry flavors. Tempted to order both (they're the same seller), but a little afraid to add to the embarrassment of riches in the green coffee stash.

those both seem interesting, but my bean cooler is stuffed. I try to buy only a couple pounds of any coffee so there is room for something new. That way you I can cherry pick the good stuff, but somehow the cooler seems to always stay full.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Update on my finicky Rwanda experience:

ROAST METHOD:
1st Attempt: The first time I roasted it, I did a slow roast and as soon as 1C started I cut off the heat and then stopped the roast about 20 seconds after 1C ended. In a Behmor the heat tends to hang around for a little while, so I get away with this method frequently when I roast other African beans. This produced a very sour cup though.

2nd Attempt: This time I also did a slow roast, and at 1C I dropped power completely. 30 seconds into 1C I went to full heating to pull it out of 1C (which it did very nicely), then I dropped the roast about 45 sec after 1C had ended.

TASTING:
I tried the 2nd attempt yesterday after 68 hrs rest and it was really quite disappointing. Maybe some plum flavor, but nothing all that good (actually tasted pretty bad). I tried it again this morning, so about 84 hrs rest at this point, and it is actually pretty delicious. The flavors are much more developed and clear. I brewed both batches the exact same - same water temp, grind size, filter method, brew time.

It's truly amazing how and extra few hours (16 in this case) can have such a dramatic effect on coffee. I usually try to give coffees two days before I try them, but this just shows that some beans can require 4 days before they actually taste like they should.

 

[pshankstar]

@jammin any updates on your latest order from Sweet Maria’s? I’m curious to know your thoughts since I’ll probably be placing an order later this week or weekend.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jammin]

@jammin any updates on your latest order from Sweet Maria’s? I’m curious to know your thoughts since I’ll probably be placing an order later this week or weekend.

Thanks in advance!

Which one are you interested in? Firing up the roaster now.

 

[corkybstewart]

This is a great page for explaining the roasting process. I'm going to re-purpose a hot-air popcorn maker for this. I always wondered what the difference was between Vienna Roast, French Roast, etc.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/instructions.php

I went through several popcorn poppers before I bought my Behmor. Newer ones didn't last more than one or 2 uses, older ones that worked well were very hard to find. I think the newer ones also are designed to be "safe", and roasting coffee beans is not even remotely what those poppers were designed for.

 

[corkybstewart]

Anyone other home roasters here?

I've been roasting beans almost as long as I've been brewing. I started out with what became the Nestle roaster but it was so long ago I can't remember the names(Zach and Dani maybe). Went through a couple of IRoast 2's, numerous popcorn poppers and am currently on my second Behmor. The Behmor is perfect for the medium-slightly dark roast we prefer, it takes more effort to do a French roast but that's fine, we never liked burnt coffee. My wife is French, she never understood why it's called that, she grew up drinking coffee but never had the "French roast" taste until she came over here.

 

[pshankstar]

Which one are you interested in? Firing up the roaster now.

The last Burundi I had was delicious but the Kenya one sounds more interesting to me. I would say the Kenya one I’m more interested in right now. Assuming I’m not too late replying. [emoji106]

 

[passedpawn]

I went through several popcorn poppers before I bought my Behmor. Newer ones didn't last more than one or 2 uses, older ones that worked well were very hard to find. I think the newer ones also are designed to be "safe", and roasting coffee beans is not even remotely what those poppers were designed for.

I never tried an air popper. I went straight to a whirly popper, which is the pan with the stirring gizmo in it. That worked very well. In fact, after a lot of batches, those might have been my best (once I got it dialed in). Unfortunately, I had to move my roasting operation outdoors, and that meant the whirly popper was done.

 

[passedpawn]

I've been roasting beans almost as long as I've been brewing. I started out with what became the Nestle roaster but it was so long ago I can't remember the names(Zach and Dani maybe). Went through a couple of IRoast 2's, numerous popcorn poppers and am currently on my second Behmor. The Behmor is perfect for the medium-slightly dark roast we prefer, it takes more effort to do a French roast but that's fine, we never liked burnt coffee. My wife is French, she never understood why it's called that, she grew up drinking coffee but never had the "French roast" taste until she came over here.

I vaguely recall french coffee being darker. Might have been espresso, it was certainly a smaller cup. In paris I was always served a chocolate with my coffee. They do have class in that city. I miss that.

 

[TallDan]

Flashback day in the coffee thread?

 

[jammin]

The last Burundi I had was delicious but the Kenya one sounds more interesting to me. I would say the Kenya one I’m more interested in right now. Assuming I’m not too late replying. [emoji106]

perfect timing. was hoping you picked the kenyan bc ive been really wanting to roast that one.

speaking of kenyan coffee... stopped by my fav shop today and had a shot of Kenyan (roast by Verve) that was AMAZING! Kenyan is traditionally the least likely coffee for espresso but damn does it ever make a nice shot if roasted & pulled correctly! If i can ever crack that code at home it will surely lead to a caffeine induced coma

 

[Minky]

I've been roasting beans almost as long as I've been brewing. I started out with what became the Nestle roaster but it was so long ago I can't remember the names(Zach and Dani maybe). Went through a couple of IRoast 2's, numerous popcorn poppers and am currently on my second Behmor. The Behmor is perfect for the medium-slightly dark roast we prefer, it takes more effort to do a French roast but that's fine, we never liked burnt coffee. My wife is French, she never understood why it's called that, she grew up drinking coffee but never had the "French roast" taste until she came over here.

HAHA! I read that Starbucks is having a hard time adapting to French tastes while trying to break into the French market for that very reason. Their "coffee" is essentially burnt beyond recognition. My nephews wife works at a Starbucks and said that the roaster claimed that their roasts would burst into flame if they took it any further!

I started out roasting about 12 years ago with a Home Innovations Precision Coffee Roaster that lasted just long enough for the warranty to expire. They wouldn't even talk to me about repairing it. I then found a 1400 watt Wearever Popcorn Pumper at Goodwill that worked VERY well. My first one lasted for over 7 years!! Of course, I only roast for myself which amounts to about 1 lb./week. I've been on my second one now for about 3 years.

The Pumper will do dark roasts, but doesn't roast too fast like the Poppery that I tried. Probably not the thing to use for someone who is experimenting with different roast profiles, but suits my humble tastes just fine.

 

[corkybstewart]

I vaguely recall french coffee being darker. Might have been espresso, it was certainly a smaller cup. In paris I was always served a chocolate with my coffee. They do have class in that city. I miss that.

Everyday house brewed coffee is dark, but with no burnt taste. Coffee in cafes is different.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I had coffee in France and was incredibly disappointed (as I was with coffee in Italy). It was bland, dark roast. Like taking Costa Rica coffee, roasting it 45-60 seconds into 2nd Crack, and making an espresso with it. The best part was they would give you a small chocolate or nougat with the coffee. AND, if you were lucky, a free glass of water alongside your espresso! Free water in Europe...always appreciated.

I'm going to be travelling around San Fran/Sonoma soon. The last time I was there I was just starting to drink coffee, and I remember most places serving Illy or similar, mostly dark roast. Seemed to be a heavy Italian influence in their coffees. This time I'm going to do more research ahead of time and try to find some quality third-wave coffee shops.