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Re:Coffee school - lesson one - 2006/12/05 13:06The rule of thumb is:
There is no rule of thumb. I have been playing with coffee since the mid-seventies and I have yet to explore all the possible combinations. Your very best bet (in my opinion) is to start by exploring the single origins and see what each one has to offer and why. From there (obviously several monthes or a year later!) ask yourself how one particular origin could enhance the flavor of a different origin bean.
Example: Sumatra is known for its amazing deep body. Ethiopian Yirghacheffe and Sidamo are know for their wild berry tastes (but not for gigantic body...) So what you do is blend the two together is various ratios to see what happens. Another twist would be a dark-roasted Mexican with its signature rich and complex sugars (sweetness). Throw that in and you have an entirely new cup again.
There is a world of taste exploration awaiting you.
But start with the Single origins and see how they taste before you start mixing it up.
Great question! Thanks,Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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DonzasH
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Re:Coffee school - lesson one - 2006/12/06 06:02Thanks for the advice Colin.
I will be sticking with single origins till I get a good idea of the taste.
Right now I am trying out Papua New Guinea and Nicaraguan coffee. My uncle lives in New Guinea, so thats why I am trying that out
I just thought of one more question.. I occasionally see blue mountain coffee from Papua New Guinea!! Is this the same as the Jamaican stuff???
Cheers
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colin
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Re:Coffee school - lesson one - 2006/12/06 10:56DonzasH wrote: I occasionally see blue mountain coffee from Papua New Guinea!! Is this the same as the Jamaican stuff???
Cheers
Actually... The Coffee that is grown in some of the Papua New Guinean highlands is the same stock that comes from the few estates that grow Jamaica Blue Mountain. But that is where it ends. PNG coffee is fabulous, wonderful stuff that is always improving... Alas, it is not Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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DonzasH
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Re:Coffee school - lesson one - 2006/12/12 14:17Hello there Colin,
I have been trying out the PNG and Nicaraguan coffee and it's been pretty educational. I found the PNG coffee to bit more fruitier in flavor and the Nicaraguan more robust I guess.
Now, both of these are med roasted and naturally they will taste very acidic, Nicaraguan a lot more than the PNG. I have tasted them through espresso extractions!! My question, are these accurate assumptions or am I totally off?
Also, to have espresso, is it only best to have darker roasts?
Cheers, Aashish
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colin
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Re:Coffee school - lesson one - 2006/12/12 22:22Golden rule - you taste what you taste.
You are not wrong.
Espresso blends come in all roast profiles. Some light. Some dark.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Dave
Visitor
Re: Espresso roasts - 2006/12/13 10:07Personally, I'm a bigger fan of light espresso blends. For an example of what a light-roast espresso can be, try the verona blend from Classico Coffee. This is a very light roast blend, which manages to retain a flavour profile that is not overbearing, but very pleasant with subtle complexity. When ground, the colour of the coffee is lighter than cinnamon.
I'm waiting for some right now!
Darker roasts tend toward chocolates and sweetness, but this is of course also bean-dependent. What you do not want is a roast that has been taken too far, resulting in overly smokey or even ashy/charcoal overtones that can become rather unpleasant when magnified by the espresso extraction process. You want to taste the beans and not the 'roast character' added by a darker roast. Eventually, there might be nothing left but 'roast character,' and the life has been completely sucked out of your expensive coffee beans.
Let us not forget, however, that you adjust the profile of your espresso by changing the dose and grind used. This can highlight some flavours over others. Temperature also plays a role. When I had a batch recently that was over-roasted, while I could not save it I was able to make it more palatable by grinding fairly coarse and updosing, while brewing at a lower temperature. This helped to control the 'roastiness.' Much was lost from the potential of the coffee, however (a whole heck of a lot).
Dave
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DonzasH
User Junior Barista
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Re: Espresso roasts - 2006/12/13 13:47Hello there again,
Thanks for sharing the information Dave. I’ll definitely have to try the Verona blend by Classico Coffee, if I can find a fresh roaster that supplies that in Wisconsin, Madison!! (Does anyone have any recommendations of roasters in Madison??)
Collin, am I right to say that espresso blends really depend on the person, on whatever one likes??
If that’s the case, I was hoping we could get a thread going about the various blends people have tried to put together and what specific tastes they have developed, just like what Dave has displayed above. I think this will give a good reason for me to try different blends and even some custom blends. Also very educational!!
One thing for sure is that, I do need to accustom myself to a better tasting technique and better way to describing these tastes, so that I can be on the same page as everyone else.
Cheers, Aashish
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SurfRoasterSC
User Coffee Lover
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Re: Espresso roasts - 2007/05/21 16:09One thing you can keep in mind when purchasing coffee is that location and processing are really big factors regarding the flavor that you will get. There are always exceptions but for the most part African coffees will be very fruity and floral, Indonesians have big body, and Central American coffees get very bright, floral, and nutty. South America is all over the map as far as flavors go. Also if the processing style is listed keep in mind that Washed green beans are going to be light, clean, and fruity. Natural or dry processed coffees will usually have big body and really rich fruit, chocolate, and wine characteristics.
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colin
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Re: Espresso roasts - 2007/05/21 16:10Thanks SurfRoaster - these are all good facts.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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