Home Roasted Coffee Swap
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HarborTownBrewing
Well-Known Member
Yep, @TallDan should be receiving mine sometime today.
I'll be brewing up @pshankstar 's coffee a few different ways and will post some reviews later this weekend.
I'll be brewing up @pshankstar 's coffee a few different ways and will post some reviews later this weekend.
I'm probably the slacker of the group. Dropped off the package today. I'll PM you tracking info.
In comparison, I sent ziplock bags with masking tape labels. I asked my wife to write the labels for me, so at least they're legible.
^yeah thats pretty nice packaging!
did you notice any difference between the bags or find one more preferable?
did you notice any difference between the bags or find one more preferable?
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I agree! I especially like that he put (para phrasing here) "Brew this damn good coffee within 3 weeks!!!"
I get so pissed when people tell me they have coffee I gave them 4 months ago because they're "Saving it for a special occasion"
Drink it damn it I'll roast more!!
@TallDan with my bags I kept the words small so I could spell them correctly.
I'll do the A/B comparison this weekend. I'm going to get down the pourover kit for that.
HarborTownBrewing
Well-Known Member
Well, it doesn't always work considering this past weekend I found a bag of my "Christmas Blend 2016" in their pantry...
Drinking some of the HTR bourbon aged this morning. My usual weekday brewing method of the chemex (bleached chemex filter). It's amazing how much bourbon flavor comes through. Not that it actually tastes or even smells like booze, it's really the barrel flavors. I'd even say that it reminds me more of barreled rum than it does bourbon. What was the coffee used for this, @HarborTownBrewing ? I'm guessing something not very exciting by itself, any nuance to the coffee would probably be covered up by the bourbon.
Going to have to brew some for my wife to taste, I think she'll like it a lot. It's not something I'd drink everyday, but I'm going to have to play with this myself.
Going to have to brew some for my wife to taste, I think she'll like it a lot. It's not something I'd drink everyday, but I'm going to have to play with this myself.
HarborTownBrewing
Well-Known Member
I was interested to hear how you would like that. I like it using the Able Kone filter in the Chemex, which allows a little more body/oils to kind of go with the punchy flavors.
The base coffee was Colombia La Plata, as I recall. I can't remember the exact tasting notes, but when it's not aged in bourbon it has baking spice flavors and a little bit of sweetness. I think it was around an 89-point coffee - nothing exceptional, but has good body with subtle flavors. But you are correct, the flavors all get washed out with the bourbon though.
I've had a couple barrel aged coffees in the past. One from Dark Matter, and... another one. I liked yours better, honestly. The dark matter one I liked in same way I like a double barrel aged cinnamon-roll coffee bacon pepper fried-egg maple-syrup vanilla cherry coconut stout. It was intense and tasty, but in an over-the-top way that makes one serving enough. Yours was like a good rum cake. Not subtle, but not overbearing either.
...and because I drank that pot quickly trying to dissect the flavors, I just brewed some of the Ethiopian too. I've had floral coffees before, but this is much more intense. With that hint of citrus, this drinks like earl grey to me. Very tasty. I'm anxious to see what it tastes like when I roast the same coffee on the behmor. It's hard to imagine getting more flavor out of the bean than this though.
Two very different coffees and both outstanding in their own right!
HarborTownBrewing
Well-Known Member
Well I have to say, I got quite the package today from @pshankstar. Not only did he spoil me with 4 different coffees but also threw in a homebrew, another beer, and three teas. What is funny is, I love tea and like to brew it in a Teaze, so I'm really looking forward to trying those loose leaf teas too.
You guys might have to give me a couple days to get through these for a review. Either that or I'm going to have one heck of a caffiene buzz tomorrow. Thanks again @pshankstar!
You guys might have to give me a couple days to get through these for a review. Either that or I'm going to have one heck of a caffiene buzz tomorrow. Thanks again @pshankstar!
I’m glad everything arrived intact @HarborTownBrewing! I wish I had plenty of green beans left to send but I’m glad you enjoy teas. My fingers were crossed you and/or your wife do like tea.
Enjoy!!
Enjoy!!
OP
OP
He’s usually pretty good at writing love letters in his packages too.
HarborTownBrewing
Well-Known Member
I got quite the letter, but I don't kiss and tell
OP
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I got quite the letter, but I don't kiss and tell
Haha. [emoji23]
Both coffees are similar. I get pretty strong blueberries from both, but the B coffee has is stronger.
What’s your water to grounds ratio? I still need to figure out the sweet spot.
I used a pourover. The ratio was about 15:1 water:coffee. I actually measured the coffee used, and the resulting coffee that I ended up with. That was about 14:1 ratio, but with some of the water left in the grounds I think 15:1 is about right. That's a little stronger than I usually make it. 18:1 is considered ideal.
I go 16:1 with the chemex. 50g coffee 800g water.
OP
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Received a nice package from @TallDan today! Very excited to try his homebrew. I’ve been spoiled this week with getting some from 3 different members.
The first thing that stood out was how nice the handwriting was on everything. [emoji23]
The package contained a Hefe, BA Flanders, roasted Ethiopia Halo Bariti, green Ethiopia Halo Bariti, and green Jamaica Blue Mountain.
I should have a review posted tomorrow. We’ll see if I can pull off a review of tasting the bean with a few different brewing methods to see which stands out as best.
Thanks for the delivery!
The first thing that stood out was how nice the handwriting was on everything. [emoji23]
The package contained a Hefe, BA Flanders, roasted Ethiopia Halo Bariti, green Ethiopia Halo Bariti, and green Jamaica Blue Mountain.
I should have a review posted tomorrow. We’ll see if I can pull off a review of tasting the bean with a few different brewing methods to see which stands out as best.
Thanks for the delivery!
I can’t take all the credit for the Flanders, I only brewed 5 of the 30 gallons that went in the barrel, but I do like how it turned out!
I’ll be interested to hear what you think of my roast compared to yours with the same beans. I haven’t been all that excited about any of my roasts lately, but I might just be overly critical.
I’ll be interested to hear what you think of my roast compared to yours with the same beans. I haven’t been all that excited about any of my roasts lately, but I might just be overly critical.
OP
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I bet you are overly critical.
I decided that I needed an afternoon cup.
The aroma almost reminds me of a mix of dark chocolate covered strawberries and fresh blueberries. Nothing over the top and fairly subtle. This is likely because it’s roasted darker. There is a slight carbon smell too. Full City + to Vienna roast.
I decided to start with a 17:1 pour over using the V60 and 197F water.
The cup came out very subtle as well. Nothing stood out. Again, I got some berry and dark chocolate aroma. There was little to no acidity. It had a full body with some light carbon aftertaste. It was a good cup of coffee. Easy to drink. I bet a lighter roast on this would bring out some of those berry flavors a bit more. It will give it a slight bit of acidity which I look for with an Ethiopia.
So far, I think I’m going to roast this to a City + or maybe into Full City to get some of those chocolate notes.
I’ll be pulling some shots of this over the next few days and may even hit the Aeropress.
Good job @TallDan
OP
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I pulled a shot this morning of @TallDan coffee. I’m still an espresso novice so I may not produce the best shot. However, it was really good. Slightly too acidic so I’ll get a finer grind for the next one. I’m also thinking that I need to decrease from 15g to 14 or maybe 13 on my machine.
The aroma had a lot of blueberries. The flavor was berries and chocolate. Maybe a little flat. No carbon flavor. I think as I adjust a few things, it will get even better.
The aroma had a lot of blueberries. The flavor was berries and chocolate. Maybe a little flat. No carbon flavor. I think as I adjust a few things, it will get even better.
OP
OP
Decreased down to 14g and a finer grind. Acidity gone and slightly bitter. No berries and more bakers chocolate flavors. I think there is a sweet spot in the middle somewhere.
@jimyson Thanks for some great feedback, You make my coffee look good!
If you're easily noticing blueberry, I think i might be desensitized to it or something. I really haven't been noticing it in any of my coffees lately despite the fact that many of them have blueberries in their tasting notes.
If you're easily noticing blueberry, I think i might be desensitized to it or something. I really haven't been noticing it in any of my coffees lately despite the fact that many of them have blueberries in their tasting notes.
HarborTownBrewing
Well-Known Member
After a couple days and four batches, I've got some notes on the coffee @pshankstar sent me. He roasted these on a Fresh Roast, which I'm not familiar with but was very excited to see how they tasted. There is something really fun (to me) about brewing coffee you didn't roast but know will be good.
1) Peru Dry Process El Palto: I brewed this in the Chemex via the Able Kone to try to keep some of the oils. First sip - chocolate city! It reminded me of a chocolate tootsie pop actually. It was interesting because I usually notice chocolate flavors once the coffee cools, but this one gave me the chocolate as it was hot. As it cooled it had some fruit flavors that came through. I noticed a little bit of a "green" flavor as it cooled and the more nuanced flavors came out, so I wonder if it didn't roast just a little too fast. It's tough to be critical of, because the roast was really quite good, but if I were to offer a little constructive criticism, it would be to try to slow down the roast just a tad so the inside of the bean develops a tad more. That would take this roast from great to exceptional.
2) Colombia La Galunga Don Jose: Brewed via Chemex/Able Kone as well. This one tasted to me like a typical Colombian, with some nice cocoa flavors. Maybe a little thin, I see he noted about 16% development - could probably be stretched to 20% to give it a tad more body. Very good coffee though, and it disappeared before I knew it ;(
3) Ethiopia Guji Gigesa: This was without a doubt my favorite of the bunch because it was soooooo smooth and fruity. Maybe the fluid bed roaster helped really bring out the fruit flavors - I'm not sure. But the soft fruits were so luscious, and the coffee had a really nice amount of body to it. Really well done - I liked this one a lot.
4) Malawi Sable Farms Peaberry: This is a bean I would never buy because I have quit on peaberries, but I have to say I might be missing out. This was really quite good. I love beans from neighboring areas, so I don't know why I never thought about Malawi, but to be fair the description is a little funky (seaweed salad is mentioned by SM's). I brewed this with the Able Kone and it brewed a bold cup with some really nice dark fruit flavors. I didn't get the seaweed flavors, which doesn't bother me, but mostly chocolate. I'm going to try this as an espresso in the next few days because I'm pretty curious how this turns out as a shot.
That's all I've got for now. I'm going to keep playing with these a little bit over the next few days so I'll update if I get any other things to say. @pshankstar you did a great job with these - really really nice work. I enjoyed each of these, and this was a nice selection with very different flavors from bean to bean. Keep up the good work sir!!!
1) Peru Dry Process El Palto: I brewed this in the Chemex via the Able Kone to try to keep some of the oils. First sip - chocolate city! It reminded me of a chocolate tootsie pop actually. It was interesting because I usually notice chocolate flavors once the coffee cools, but this one gave me the chocolate as it was hot. As it cooled it had some fruit flavors that came through. I noticed a little bit of a "green" flavor as it cooled and the more nuanced flavors came out, so I wonder if it didn't roast just a little too fast. It's tough to be critical of, because the roast was really quite good, but if I were to offer a little constructive criticism, it would be to try to slow down the roast just a tad so the inside of the bean develops a tad more. That would take this roast from great to exceptional.
2) Colombia La Galunga Don Jose: Brewed via Chemex/Able Kone as well. This one tasted to me like a typical Colombian, with some nice cocoa flavors. Maybe a little thin, I see he noted about 16% development - could probably be stretched to 20% to give it a tad more body. Very good coffee though, and it disappeared before I knew it ;(
3) Ethiopia Guji Gigesa: This was without a doubt my favorite of the bunch because it was soooooo smooth and fruity. Maybe the fluid bed roaster helped really bring out the fruit flavors - I'm not sure. But the soft fruits were so luscious, and the coffee had a really nice amount of body to it. Really well done - I liked this one a lot.
4) Malawi Sable Farms Peaberry: This is a bean I would never buy because I have quit on peaberries, but I have to say I might be missing out. This was really quite good. I love beans from neighboring areas, so I don't know why I never thought about Malawi, but to be fair the description is a little funky (seaweed salad is mentioned by SM's). I brewed this with the Able Kone and it brewed a bold cup with some really nice dark fruit flavors. I didn't get the seaweed flavors, which doesn't bother me, but mostly chocolate. I'm going to try this as an espresso in the next few days because I'm pretty curious how this turns out as a shot.
That's all I've got for now. I'm going to keep playing with these a little bit over the next few days so I'll update if I get any other things to say. @pshankstar you did a great job with these - really really nice work. I enjoyed each of these, and this was a nice selection with very different flavors from bean to bean. Keep up the good work sir!!!
Thanks @HarborTownBrewing for all of the feedback! It is nice to hear all of this from someone who is very familiar with coffee and the roasting process! One thing I have read about the Fresh Roast SR500 and other air roasters like it, is they can roast very quickly and sometimes leave a bit of "green-ness" to the beans. Really need to roast a couple of batches a couple of different ways and make them with my Hario instead of my Bonavita Connoisseur coffee maker to pull out more characters from the beans and their roasts.
It's funny you mention the Malawi Peaberry, b/c when the beans arrived I saw the seaweed salad description and thought to myself "What the heck was I thinking"? I feel like early on I did get some of that seaweed character in one of the first roasts, but never got it since. I know I made some changes to the roast but without pulling out my log book, I couldn't tell you what exactly. The Colombian beans were the biggest hit in our house and with extended family. I would say the Ethiopian was my favorite, followed very closely by the Peru beans. Some days those opinions flipped on which one I preferred over the other one.
I think moving forward I will play around with running at a lower temp to roast the beans and stretch out the roasting time. I have about a 1/4lbs of some of those beans to play with to see if I can see a difference. The Banko beans I received from @Inkleg I will probably do this method for sure, for I think the Banko beans are very fruit forward, right? Anyhow, thanks again for the information and I'm glad you are enjoying the beans!
It's funny you mention the Malawi Peaberry, b/c when the beans arrived I saw the seaweed salad description and thought to myself "What the heck was I thinking"? I feel like early on I did get some of that seaweed character in one of the first roasts, but never got it since. I know I made some changes to the roast but without pulling out my log book, I couldn't tell you what exactly. The Colombian beans were the biggest hit in our house and with extended family. I would say the Ethiopian was my favorite, followed very closely by the Peru beans. Some days those opinions flipped on which one I preferred over the other one.
I think moving forward I will play around with running at a lower temp to roast the beans and stretch out the roasting time. I have about a 1/4lbs of some of those beans to play with to see if I can see a difference. The Banko beans I received from @Inkleg I will probably do this method for sure, for I think the Banko beans are very fruit forward, right? Anyhow, thanks again for the information and I'm glad you are enjoying the beans!
