HomeRoast Digest


Topic: horrid coffee (33 msgs / 706 lines)
1) From:
I flew to Portland last week so roasted no coffee. Came home with maybe a double shot worth of already ground Horse.
No time to roast yesterday. NO coffee this am.
Well I had tossed on of those free hotel packs in my suitcase for some unknown and used it for an espresso this am, what horid stuff...
going out to roast asap.
ginny

2) From: J.W.Bullfrog
Are you still living in Scottsdale, or did you move back to Calif?
pchforever wrote:
<Snip>
-- 
There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers 
exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will 
instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more 
bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

3) From:
I am in Scottsdale, with guest room if anyone needs a place to stay here...
California house on market I am staying in Scottsdale for now.
The only reason I went to oregon was to help my friend drive back to California after her stint in the big house.
I did drive through some of the north San Diego county desert that had some great rock formations so ya never know!
ginny
<Snip>

4) From: J.W.Bullfrog
pchforever wrote:
<Snip>
Next time I'm due in the 'zone' is Sept. with family. Going up to flag 
for a nieces wedding. Normally stop and see Peter Z in LHC, but not 
going that direction next time.
<Snip>
-- 
There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers 
exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will 
instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more 
bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

5) From: Jerry Procopio
Mickie & I will be in Phoenix 21-25 April.  Maybe we can meet up for a 
cup of Joe.
*Kissies*
Jerry
pchforever wrote:
<Snip>

6) From:
without question Jerry. Come along.
ginny
I will send info off list; unless we turn it into a Scottsdale Summer, High Heat, Coffee Roundup...
<Snip>

7) From: M. McCandless
I'm in Chandler, AZ.
You will often find me at the Coffee Rush (Ray & Dobson).
Look for an '85 Harley Softail.
I'd like to meet if anyone is out this way.
McSparky
At 03:24 PM 3/30/2006 -0500, you wrote:
<Snip>

8) From:
Mr. Sparky:
Your not that far away; I will have to zip down and park my 1968 BSA 441 Victor Special between those Softails...
used to get laughed at on Main Street in Venice, CA in the 70's; some guy would always laugh and say who parked that toy out there??
Wanna race dude?
If I can kick start the damn thing I'll meet you for a cup.
ginny
or I will ride my Vespa down...
<Snip>

9) From: Jerry Procopio
Best day for me is probably Monday, Apr. 24.  We're arriving late on the 
21st, all day family reunion on Saturday, some kind of picnic sometime 
Sunday (no details yet so Sunday might be good for me too) and leaving 
PHX at 11am on Tuesday Apr 25, leaving Monday completely free.
Would be great to meet with anyone that wants to meet.
Jerry
M. McCandless wrote:
<Snip>

10) From: M. McCandless
I stop @~3:15 for a cup daily.
Maybe see you there.
McSparky - Who used to ride a '72 Norton Commando
The latest:http://www.getnet.com/~mikemc/At 04:53 PM 3/30/2006 -0800, you wrote:
<Snip>

11) From: M. McCandless
Small world.
Went to High School in Manhattan Beach, CA.
College at El Camino Torrance, CA.
McSparky
At 07:56 PM 3/30/2006 -0500, you wrote:
<Snip>

12) From: Jim Anderson
On 3/30/06, M. McCandless  wrote:
<Snip>
While I don't live in AZ, a Norton Comando was my first bike back in
'70 and I did go to El Camino. HS in Playa del Rey, but surfed in MB.
Current bikes are a '02 BMW GS and a '04 Ural Tourist.
Jim

13) From: Sandy Andina
Horrid coffee? You wanna hear horrid coffee? Well, Sun. night before  
leaving on vacation (Vegas now, S. FL Sun thru 1st Seder night) I  
decided to roast some various beans not only to drink in the hotel  
but also to give to my sis for her birthday. She loves decaf Guat.,  
so I roasted some of that; and she lamented that the tourist-trap- 
gift-shop  JBM she brought back last fall was already stale despite  
the date on the bag. (well, DUH).  So I thought I'd surprise her by  
roasting her some. I had bought 3 lbs of greens on eBay from Country  
Traders of Jamaica when SM's was out of stock--had previously bought  
a lb of green from them but they sent freshly roasted stuff which was  
quite good. I opened one of the foil bags and noticed the beans were  
quite odd looking--kind of a seafoam rather than pea green and full  
of a waxy substance. Measured 2 scoops into the i-2 and hit Preset  
2.  Well, the beans barely moved, they were so heavy with that weird  
waxy stuff--as a result, the beans in the center burned and tripped  
the auto-shutoff!  I discarded them (as well as the rest of the  
greens from that bag) and opened another--same appearance, with a  
faint fermented smell. This time I rinsed the gunk off, dried the  
beans in the microwave till I heard first crack, transferred them to  
a wok till I got most of them past cinnamon, and finished them in the  
by-now-cooled i-2.  I decided not to rest it but see what it tasted  
like--the roasting brought out a distinct dark-beer/Guinness Stout  
aroma, reflected in the flavor (with overtones of creme brulee).  
"Buzz Beer," anyone? Decided not to inflict this on my sis, but  
instead roasted her some Horse and PR Yauco Selecto.
One more reason to stay away from other bean sources, I guess.  
Although the PR was from Marlton, back when SM's was out of it, and  
it turned our just fine (rather yummy).
On Mar 30, 2006, at 8:03 AM, pchforever wrote:
<Snip>
Sandy Andina
www.sandyandina.com

14) From: Steve Hay
On 4/1/06, Sandy Andina  wrote:
<Snip>
Sandy, I know what you mean. Quality is important.  However, I've never had
such a bad experience as this.  The places I go have all delievered good
beans, though SM has been uncompromisingly high quality.
--
Steven Hay
hay.steve -AT- gmail.com
A Little Fable
by Franz Kafka
"Alas," said the mouse, "the whole world is growing smaller every day. At
the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running,
and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these
long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already,
and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into." "You only
need to change your direction," said the cat, and ate it up.

15) From:
Sandy:
Great story! I bought some greens in Paris from very small roaster in one of the villages. Roaster them right up and I must saty the "Buzz Beer" would be a super word to describe th sill with!
You have now created a new green/roasted bean word, Buzz Beer!
Thanks ginny
<Snip>

16) From: Sandy Andina
--Apple-Mail-4-251210415
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset-ASCII;
	delsp=yes;
	format=flowed
Well, Country Traders shipped their greens in valveless foil bags-- 
perhaps that's why the fermentation set in. But it doesn't explain  
the waxiness and heaviness of the beans. It's as if they were  
incompletely processed; they roast in giant drums, so they can easily  
dispose of the extra chaff; they don't consider the needs of home  
roasters the way SM's does.
On Apr 1, 2006, at 3:59 AM, Steve Hay wrote:
<Snip>
Sandy Andina
www.sandyandina.com
--Apple-Mail-4-251210415
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/html;
	charsetO-8859-1
Well, Country Traders shipped =
their greens in valveless foil bags--perhaps that's why the fermentation =
set in. But it doesn't explain the waxiness and heaviness of the beans. =
It's as if they were incompletely processed; they roast in giant drums, =
so they can easily dispose of the extra chaff; they don't consider the =
needs of home roasters the way SM's does.
On Apr 1, 2006, =
at 3:59 AM, Steve Hay wrote:
On 4/1/06, = Sandy Andina <sandraandina> = wrote: One more reason to = stay away from other bean sources, I guess. Although the PR was from = Marlton, back when SM's was out of it, and it turned our just fine = (rather yummy). Sandy, I know what you mean. = Quality is important.  However, I've never had such a bad experience = as this.  The places I go have all delievered good beans, though SM = has been uncompromisingly high quality.
-- = Steven Hay hay.steve -AT- gmail.com A Little Fable by = Franz Kafka "Alas," said the mouse, "the whole world is growing = smaller every day. At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I = kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to = the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I = am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap = that I must run into." "You only need to change your direction," said = the cat, and ate it up. Sandy = Andinawww.sandyandina.com = --Apple-Mail-4-251210415--

17) From: Kit Anderson
Rancidity, not fermentation. The oils oxidize. Unfortunately, there is 
no EtOH production.
Kit
Sandy Andina wrote:
<Snip>

18) From: Sandy Andina
--Apple-Mail-10-282931607
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset-ASCII;
	delsp=yes;
	format=flowed
No, it definitely smelled fermented--like beer. Once it was roasted  
it smelled like dark beer. And the extra gunk might have been rotting  
parchment--the batch I rinsed before roasting had stuff that looked  
like chaff separating from the beans.
On Apr 1, 2006, at 4:45 PM, Kit Anderson wrote:
<Snip>
Sandy Andina
www.sandyandina.com
--Apple-Mail-10-282931607
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset-ASCII
No, it definitely smelled fermented--like beer. Once it was roasted it smelled like dark beer. And the extra gunk might have been rotting parchment--the batch I rinsed before roasting had stuff that looked like chaff separating from the beans.
On Apr 1, 2006, at 4:45 PM, Kit Anderson wrote:
Rancidity, not fermentation. The oils oxidize. Unfortunately, there is no EtOH production. Sandy Andinawww.sandyandina.com --Apple-Mail-10-282931607--

19) From: Ed Needham
Poorly prepped coffee could be partially fermented, and could still have 
bits of parchment left on the outside of the beans.
The fermentation could occur if the pulp was left on the bean too long after 
picking or if it was left in the water bath too long during processing.  If 
the wet parchment beans were not dried properly, the beans could mold or 
ferment more as they lay on drying patios or after they are stored.
Dry processed beans can have a more 'fermented' sweetness.  Sometimes it 
works, sometimes it doesn't.
*********************
Ed Needham®
"to absurdity and beyond!"
ed at homeroaster dot com
(include [FRIEND] in subject line to get through my SPAM filters)
*********************

20) From: Elaine
I had the misfortune of sampling some of this year's
Jamaican Blue Mountain crop. My brother really loves a
café in downtown Portland that offers french press
service of JBM. In an attempt to cover the massive
defects of the cup, the coffee was roasted Vienna plus
and tasted ashy. It still wasn't enough to cover up
the green oniony under taste. A real pity since the
roast they offered from last year was pretty amazing.
I guess next years, I'll go give them another try.
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

21) From: Aaron
elaine, since even a relatively scarce crop like that, can have several 
sources, just like 'kona'  is there a possibility that you just had an 
inferior product and there still is some good stuff out there.
Kind of like when someone gets crap from somewhere but tom ends up with 
a decent lot of the same product basically..
id hate to write off pretty much the entire crop just because someone 
sold you some of the cheap stuff.
Aaron

22) From: Elaine
Since Tom and a few other coffee sellers, with noses
and taste buds I trust, aren't carrying this year's
crop and I all I have heard about this year's crop is
massive hurricane damage; I wasn't about to plunk down
$20 bucks plus a pound for greens. But I did chance
$3.75 for french press service from a place that in
the past has only served excellent JBM. This was the
first time even their JBM was terrible. Plus it was
roasted way, way darker than it has been in past
years. I believe it was to cover up massive defects in
the cup. And it's a shame. I was hoping someone
somewhere had a good sample of this year's crop
because one of my friends really wanted some. But I
haven't heard one good word yet, about this year's
crop. I ended up subbing a couple pounds of a SM Kona,
and she's very happy. This year's Kona's have been
spectacular. Something I don't think she would have
been if I bought any of this year's JBM crop offered
by other vendors.
BTW, does Krystals still have those smiley heart
stickers around Valentines? I miss those things.
--------------------------
elaine, since even a relatively scarce crop like that,
can have several 
sources, just like 'kona'  is there a possibility that
you just had an 
inferior product and there still is some good stuff
out there.
Kind of like when someone gets crap from somewhere but
tom ends up with 
a decent lot of the same product basically..
id hate to write off pretty much the entire crop just
because someone 
sold you some of the cheap stuff.
Aaron
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

23) From: Steve Hay
On 4/3/06, Elaine  wrote:
<Snip>
From Tom's Cupping Log:
Jamaica
Blue Mountain Mavis Bank GR 1
C
81
no aroma or fragrance, flat, DOA
Jamaica
Blue Mountain Mavis Bank GR 1
C++
80
ditto - worse actually. Just no flavors to describe - tastes low grown, fla=
t
Jamaica
Blue Mountain Mavis Bank GR 1
FC
81
some roast taste here but basically a low grown flavor with no aroma or
brightness
--
Steven Hay
hay.steve -AT- gmail.com
A Little Fable
by Franz Kafka
"Alas," said the mouse, "the whole world is growing smaller every day. At
the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running,
and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these
long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already,
and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into." "You only
need to change your direction," said the cat, and ate it up.

24) From: Wesley Simon
I was visiting Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday where I dropped into a Java
Dave's shop.  They had roasted JBM listed for $47.99 a pound!  Holy crap,
Batman!
I tried some green Kona for about $17 a pound (I think) a while back.  It
was good coffee, It was clean, nothing wrong with it, but it didn't have
much character in my opinion.
I'd rather pay $4 - $5 a pound for a Sumatra, an African, or a Central
American coffee.  The high cost of the Konas and the JBMs seems to be
related more to available quantity than to quality.
My favorite three coffees of recent have been Kenya Gethumbwini, Sumatra
Blue Batak, and Ethiopia Harrar Horse.  All three of these coffees were
better than the Kona in my opinion and at a fraction of the cost.
On 4/3/06, Steve Hay  wrote:
<Snip>
,
<Snip>
,
<Snip>

25) From:
<Snip>
Wes there is a limit to what is reasonable for most. That is just crazy. I wonder, wonder, wonder how much he actually sells?
ginny
warming up here in Scottsdale, lovely 82...

26) From: Aaron Peterson
On 4/4/06, pchforever  wrote:
<Snip>
 Dave's shop.  They had roasted JBM listed for $47.99 a pound!  Holy crap, =
Batman!
<Snip>
I wonder, wonder, wonder how much he actually sells?
And how long it sits on the shelf before he sells it...
I wonder, wonder, wonder who, who wrote the book of love
Aaron Peterson
Versailles, KY

27) From: Elaine
Yeah, you should price 100% Kona roasts, Kopi Luwak,
Island Saint Helena.... mind blowing prices. Every
once in awhile when I have some jingle in my pocket I
like to splurge. No way could I afford to buy any of
these coffees pre-roasted and also I would have no
control over freshness or degree of the roast. So, I
on rare occasions buy greens from those with a nose
and the taste buds I trust. The only thing worse than
shelling out $20+ @# is shelling out $20+ @# for bad
coffee. Then you have the bonus fun trying roasting it
to varying degrees in 2-6 oz batches. :) But most of
the time, I'm enjoying following the crop and
considering stopping along the way and over indulging
in certain coffees (M.A.O. lot #30 anyone?).
Elaine
----------------
I was visiting Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday where I
dropped into a Java
Dave's shop.  They had roasted JBM listed for $47.99 a
pound!  Holy 
crap,
Batman!
I tried some green Kona for about $17 a pound (I
think) a while back.  
It
was good coffee, It was clean, nothing wrong with it,
but it didn't 
have
much character in my opinion.
I'd rather pay $4 - $5 a pound for a Sumatra, an
African, or a Central
American coffee.  The high cost of the Konas and the
JBMs seems to be
related more to available quantity than to quality.
My favorite three coffees of recent have been Kenya
Gethumbwini, 
Sumatra
Blue Batak, and Ethiopia Harrar Horse.  All three of
these coffees were
better than the Kona in my opinion and at a fraction
of the cost.
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

28) From: Justin Marquez
On 4/4/06, Wesley Simon  wrote:
<Snip>
  You are thinking of that civet droppings coffee, eh?
<Snip>
There isn't much way I could force myself to spend $17 a pound for ANY
coffee.  Most of Tom's coffees are in the range of $5 a pound.  I just
cannot imagine coffee over three times better than Tom's i! "regular"  !i
coffees.
Safe Journeys and Sweet Music
Justin Marquez (Snyder, TX)http://www.justinandlinda.com

29) From: Sandy Andina
Peet's, when they have it, is getting $49.95 per HALF-lb.!
On Apr 4, 2006, at 5:25 PM, Wesley Simon wrote:
<Snip>
Sandy Andina
www.sandyandina.com

30) From: Aaron Peterson
On 4/5/06, Howell Ite  wrote:
<Snip>
s
<Snip>
At that price, I would bet the word "blend" was written somewhere on
the bag in small print...
Aaron Peterson
Versailles, KY

31) From: Sandy Andina
And for preroast, it isn't bad stuff. Friends have served it to me  
(and "Blend" is prominently displayed).
On Apr 5, 2006, at 9:01 AM, Aaron Peterson wrote:
<Snip>
Sandy Andina
www.sandyandina.com

32) From: Howell Ite
I must have missed the "blend" on the label.  I wasn't considering buying it.
Sandy Andina  wrote:  And for preroast, it isn't bad stuff. Friends have served it to me 
(and "Blend" is prominently displayed).
On Apr 5, 2006, at 9:01 AM, Aaron Peterson wrote:
<Snip>
Sandy Andina
www.sandyandina.com

33) From: Jerry Procopio
I'll try to be there Monday, Apr 24 around 3:15 - unless the wife detours m=
e
somewhere else.
Jerry
On 3/30/06, M. McCandless  wrote:
<Snip>
y
<Snip>
a
<Snip>
.
<Snip>
.
<Snip>


HomeRoast Digest