Hello everyone, I am new to the list and relatively new to the coffee-roasting scene. I started a few months ago and I have loved every minute of it. At this point, I am slowly working my way through the entire offering of beans to find my personal ideal cup. I won't presume to say I know much at all about coffee, but I am learning and I know what I like! I am also the proud new owner of a Solis SL-90, which is great and brings me to my point: I have tried some of the basic blends for espressos, which I found online, and I consider many of them to be "decent", but I am looking for something a little more specific. Every time I think I know what I'm doing...I try to blend on my own and it usually turns out AWFUL! Can anyone recommend a well-balanced espresso blend that does well when cut by milk and/or cocoa syrup (Sharffen-berger). Likewise, is there specific type that really compliments the taste of fine, dark chocolate? I very rarely drink espresso on its own, and if I do it has a teaspoon of sugar and a few drops of good cognac. :) Obviously, I have offended mostly everyone here, but I just could never drink coffee black!! Before you pass judgment, I DO have standards...only good HEAVY whipping cream and unbleached organic evaporated cane juice (from Trader Joe's) make it into my normal cup. And yes, I DO savor the aroma, texture, and flavor of each coffee before I "taint" it with the other stuff. Can someone give me some direction?! Thanks! Harry homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
Harry, how you like your coffee will not offend me or most others here. It will however taint our opinion of you . You are looking for a ready made blend that will suit your tastes, and go well with the additives you frequently put in your espresso. It is very difficult to create a static blend to taste the same batch after batch, hence, no one recipe for a blend will work all the time. Reputable roasters and blenders will modify their blend to achieve consistent taste and aroma characteristics batch after batch. They do this by cupping many coffees and blending them based on particular batch characteristics. Each time a new batch comes in, a new blending profile is created to achieve a consistent blend. Now...My way of doing it works for me, and it is not the way a reputable coffee blender would do it. I experiment with two or three coffees, roasting and blending them differently until I find a mix that 'works'. I usually use coffees that have taste characteristics I like. I shy away from those with similar characteristics, and instead, choose those where one flavor is prominent. I'll take a Tanzania Peaberry and try it with a Guatemalan bean. I might add a Sumatra or a Kenya to give it additional 'ZING'. Sometimes I roast several different beans and throw them all, very unscientifically together and create a 'one time' blend that usually comes out very good. Other times, I roast and store small batches separately and blend them as my whim dictates, tweaking the outcome over several tests. I usually end up with a really great blend just as the coffee is running out . Some on this list keep meticulous notes and roast profiles, and that's OK, but it's not for me. Regards, Ed Needham |
<Snip> I thought Kenya's too acidic for espresso, no? john homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
<Snip> Straight, perhaps. But as maybe 20-30%, blended with maybe 50-60% Sumatran, topped off with some Harrar... not too bad. Works well with Zambian too. John C. Drinking lots of Espresso Monkey this week.homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |