Interesting comment. I recently substituted the Harrar for Yemeni and like it better. I never really thought of myself as a fan of fruity coffees, but I like the liveliness the Harrar adds. In my experimentation, I've stayed with DP coffees so I can blend more successfully pre-roast. Next, I'm going to try Djimmah in lieu of Harrar. With regard to the Mexican, do you blend pre- or post-roast? As I use a Whirley-Pop, I have trouble roasting really small batches and would like to stay with coffees I can blend pre-roast. Steve Schurman Whirley-Pop Rocky/Antigua Europiccola/Santos/ChambordReply Separator Subject: Re: Re:+ Malabar Gold Author: Date: 08/14/2000 1:36 PM I used to make a blend very similar to yours, then I modified it by leaving out the Ethiopian and using some Mexican instead. I found that, to my taste, the Ethiopian was a bit too acid (bright) in the espresso. Keep on experimenting, and let us know what you like! Regards, Rafael |
Steve, Most of the time, I post blend (mostly!). The batch size works out for me (either in my WBII or, since late last year, in the HW Precision), because 4 or 5 batches in either of these roasters adds up to the amount of coffee I use in about a week. And, since my blends are usually made of 4 or 5 origins, it comes out to one batch of each. But in any event, I do preblend at least one of the batches (if I am using a small amount of Robusta, for example, I preblend it with a like-processed bean (washed vs. dry)). I have also done several preblends (similar to yours), and I have used Tom's Monkey Espresso blend. To tell you the truth, I did not detect a big difference either way. It may be because I roast to a relatively dark degree (past the 2nd crack). Anyway, I always enjoy experimenting. Regards, Rafael HW Precision Rocky Silvia |
Someone recently suggested (either here or on alt.coffee, I forget where) mixing different roast degrees of the same coffee and using that for esprresso, Well, I took my past-crop La Minita and roasted three batches: one a minute short of second crack, one at second crack, and one a minute into second crack. None of the roasts were much to speak of as french pressed coffee, but as an espresso the mix isn't half bad. Not as good as Monkey Blend, though. The La Minita blend is a little flat, but it has a nice round sweetness and none of the harshness the brewed version has. So all is not lost!homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
I believe La Minita is the most forgiving bean - I learned to roast with some and although I was as green as the beans it produced a drinkable cup each time. My first Espresso was an over-roast of La Minita and it was still great. |
Has anyone had any luck using any mexican beans in their espresso blends? I can't seem to get what I'm after [which is a northern-italian light-roasted blend]. I feel like I'm working a math problem: -I want a blend made up of just three beans -Pre-roast blend -25% Guatemalan for sure (I usually use 50% Columbian or Brazilian depending on what I have) Anyway, the Mexican beans seem to be good, but don't add that much to the blend. Thanks in advance Kenneth homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
On Thu, 02 May 2002 16:45:07 -0700 "Kenneth S." writes: <Snip> blends? Um... maybe? I don't keep extensive records (well, I do albeit only on an intermittant basis). <Snip> light-roasted blend]. Seems as though that should be easy enough. :) <Snip> I'm not sure why you're wanting (demanding?) these particular constraints... <Snip> the <Snip> What do you want them to add? Maybe you could try to describe it a bit? If you're already tinkering with Guats and Cols and such, you might give a look over toward Indonesia (iow, you've got Central America covered already). -Tim In your heart you wonder which of these is true The road that leads to nowhere The road that leads to you GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:http://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast">http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
<Snip> blends? I can't seem to get what I'm after [which is a northern-italian light-roasted blend].> Have you tried the Pluma Olivo that Tom carries? Good balance, nice acidity. There's a company in Arizona that sells high grown capulin (dry processed ) coffee from Nayarit, Mexico that really adds the crema. Tom doesn't carry it , unfortunately, so I won't give their name . Charlie "no te rajes!" Herlihy The perfect bean + the perfect roast + the perfect brew = a perfect moment in a short, tough life Muchisimas Gracias coffee growers of the world ! --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness |
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Charley,
At my age everything on me cracks! |
<Snip> Charlie "no te rajes!" Herlihy The perfect bean + the perfect roast + the perfect brew = a perfect moment in a short, tough life Muchisimas Gracias coffee growers of the world ! --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness |
<Snip> Thanks Tim- I'll (try to) be brief- I like using three beans because I'm still new at this and it's hard enough blending these things. Also, I'll admit- because I got to hang out with some cafe-roasters here in SF and was really impressed with what they were getting out of their blends. I'm basically trying to copy what they do. They were nice enough to teach me a lot, but wouldn't give me their blend recipes. A fair trade off. The other reason I have the restraints is because I give away a lot of my precious little beans to friends (and keep most for my espresso). Some friends from Columbia and Guatemala have been in town so I've been using those. Plus they make great cups of "plain" coffee straight out. <Snip> More gusto. I can taste the underlying blend of Columbian and Guatemala, but the Mexican one seems to not add anything exciting which sparked my original question. Also the crema is a bit weak/thin. I think I'll try some Indonesian as you recommended. Thanks for the info. -Kenneth ps- I guess I should re-read one of those books I have that describe which production methods lend to better crema production- I forgot all about that. <Snip> homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
On Fri, 03 May 2002 00:22:49 -0700 "Kenneth S." writes: <Snip> at <Snip> Maybe use two until you think you get the hang of it? I've had some pretty good shots with 2-bean blends, and, actually, a lot of people around here like certain particular origins straight. <Snip> <Snip> Part of the reason I shy from Guats in espresso blends is that they tend to be fairly acidic (which I frequently find unpleasant in espresso, though I love it in press/vac), and I also like them by themselves. <Snip> which <Snip> that. That would be dry-processed. Brazils, certain Ethiopians, certain Indonesians (Sumatrans, specifically). You might also try playing with monsooned/aged coffees and/or robusta.... (go easy at first) -Tim In your heart you wonder which of these is true The road that leads to nowhere The road that leads to you GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:http://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast">http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
At 12:22 AM -0700 5/3/02, Kenneth S. wrote: <Snip> One espresso blend I happen to like occasionally is just 2/3 Mexican Oaxaca Pluma, 1/3 Yirgacheffe. I happened to blend it post-roast, and would have to look up my data to see if it would work as a pre-roast blend, but neither of those beans likes resting much, so that's at least compatible. Best, David -- "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is." -- John Cage homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |