Coffee

Cool beans! Your new toy makes your espresso look tasty.
I agree you might need a new grinder.

I got some new vacuum bags so I can store and ship in batches now.

I still have some beans left. Any BF's members want to try something new?


I've got grinders now. ;)
I didn't grind that first batch fine enough but got it right with the cup I just had. It's all about experimenting a little, as long as the raw materials are good it's tough messing up a cup of coffee.
Speaking of raw materials, I'm looking at some home roasting options. Stay tuned....
 
I told you this thread was a bad idea... ;)

Couldn't stand the fact I couldn't make a decent espresso at home so I went and bought a machine. Nothing big just one of those sub-$200 Italian jobs.
It does a decent job using the double filter for a single cup.
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These were the beans. I threw in a bunch of odds and ends ergo the great oily colors.
I think I'll break out the straight up espresso blend and see if the crema gets a bit thicker.
Maybe I can stand another cup tonight. :eek:
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My random odds and ends blends are my favorite. The flavors end up rounding out each other which I love since I usually start the base of the blend with Starbucks medium roast beans which would be an espressoey roast by other Companies's standards.
 
i have a fun experiment for you coffee lovers.

Find a high quality single source bean that isn't oily and lightly roasted. Compare the flavors and nuances of that lighter roasted bean that lacks an oily surface to the darker roasted oily beans that have been Italian/espress roasted which Starbucks has made so common. And tell me which you think have nuanced flavors pop out. It's why I like to mix beans of different kinds as they each round out one another's flavors. It tastes some getting used to ever since Starbucks made really good beans and darker roasts more common.

Some fun reading about coffee beans and roasts.
http://rougeroastery.blogspot.com/2008/02/science-of-oily-beans.html
 
The Stumptown Hairbender that PrimitiveEnergy sent me smelled great, tasted good, but seemed to brew on the lite side--even out of my press. The bloom was different and I had to use a lot more coffee to get it perfect. Someone explained to me that the water processed beans are like that... is that true? Those beans looked dry- not oily that I'm use to. Again, the same person said it was water processed beans. I don't have a clue.


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The only water processing I'm familiat with means its been decaffeinated! Lighter roasts will be drier though as it didn't have its oils pulled to the surface the way dark roasted beans are. But that said they will have less of that morning wakeup one note punch the way darker roasted beans have. The good ones will give off different taste notes though! I like it all mostly and blends even more!
 
i have a fun experiment for you coffee lovers.

Find a high quality single source bean that isn't oily and lightly roasted. Compare the flavors and nuances of that lighter roasted bean that lacks an oily surface to the darker roasted oily beans that have been Italian/espress roasted which Starbucks has made so common. And tell me which you think have nuanced flavors pop out. It's why I like to mix beans of different kinds as they each round out one another's flavors. It tastes some getting used to ever since Starbucks made really good beans and darker roasts more common.

Some fun reading about coffee beans and roasts.
http://rougeroastery.blogspot.com/2008/02/science-of-oily-beans.html

I like a light to medium roast. The flavors of the coffee come through more IMO than some of the dark roasts that sometimes just taste burnt. Because, well, that's what they are, burnt to a degree. Not that I don't like a dark roast but I find I'm enjoying a blend of light, medium and dark in my espresso more than straight up dark roast.
 
i have a fun experiment for you coffee lovers.

Find a high quality single source bean that isn't oily and lightly roasted. Compare the flavors and nuances of that lighter roasted bean that lacks an oily surface to the darker roasted oily beans that have been Italian/espress roasted which Starbucks has made so common. And tell me which you think have nuanced flavors pop out. It's why I like to mix beans of different kinds as they each round out one another's flavors. It tastes some getting used to ever since Starbucks made really good beans and darker roasts more common.

Some fun reading about coffee beans and roasts.
http://rougeroastery.blogspot.com/2008/02/science-of-oily-beans.html

Thanks for the information.
Here are a couple of opinions on oily beans, "I have had beans that were oily and were good, but in my experience oily beans are one indication of over-roasting, poor storage, or age.

Beans stored in a hot roastery, shipped in the back of a hot truck, and stored n a hot storage room at a coffee shop will also become oily far faster than beans stored in a cool place.

Low quality beans are often over-roasted to a dark, oily state because it is the only way to burn off their natural flavor so that they become drinkable (Vietnamese Robusta comes to mind- there you get your choice of a rubber taste, or a burnt rubber taste).

So, generally, both of your sources are generally correct, but you cannot take "oily is bad" as a rule— much like the "Golden Rule," it is a guideline." "Beans get oily when they have been roasted beyond the point where the cell walls rupture and the oils stored inside the cell wall vacuoles are released. This stage, while roasting, is roughly marked by a crackling noise called the 2nd crack (the first crack happens at a lower temperature when the water turns to steam).

If the roast is very dark, so the beans are a dark chocolate color or darker, the oil will be on the bean from the day of the roast and stay there until it is about 3 to 4 weeks old, at which point it will all have evaporated. The sight of beans this color without oil is a warning that the coffee is stale. If the roast is a bit lighter, milk chocolate color, the oil will take about 3 days to a week to appear on the bean surface. In some parts of Europe, which like this level of roast, the saying is that a bean without oil is either too old or too young. Beans lighter than milk chocolate have intact cell walls and will never get oily, and that will not be a clue about freshness or otherwise.

So much for the facts, what about the taste?

Advocates of lighter, oil-free roasts claim oily beans taste rancid. Advocates of oiled roasts say that without them appearing through roasting, the oils cannot get into the cup, since grinding alone leaves most cell walls intact. There is a bit of truth to both these statements, and in terms of the flavors in the coffee oils, a medium, milk chocolate roast, fairly new, and just showing a few spots of oil, will taste the best.

However, not all things are equal. The darker one roasts, the more one roasts out the fruit and floral flavors in the coffee. On the other hand, very dark roasts have spice and smoke flavors that many people enjoy. These flavors have nothing to do with the oils.

Finally, among people who make a hobby of espresso, you will probably find nobody who will willingly drink a coffee whose beans are so oily that they foul the grinder. I hesitate to say that roasts this dark are the Thunderbird or peppermint schnaps of coffee, but it wouldn't be an entirely unfair statement."

These are the driest beans I have had, La Columbe Italian roma espresso beans. Tasted like your classic Italian espresso.
 
I like a light to medium roast. The flavors of the coffee come through more IMO than some of the dark roasts that sometimes just taste burnt. Because, well, that's what they are, burnt to a degree. Not that I don't like a dark roast but I find I'm enjoying a blend of light, medium and dark in my espresso more than straight up dark roast.
With my limited experience and knowledge I have found the same so far.
 
The only water processing I'm familiat with means its been decaffeinated! Lighter roasts will be drier though as it didn't have its oils pulled to the surface the way dark roasted beans are. But that said they will have less of that morning wakeup one note punch the way darker roasted beans have. The good ones will give off different taste notes though! I like it all mostly and blends even more!

Several years ago, when I was really interested, I read about how coffee beans are processed. There is a wet process and a dry or natural process. It is just a method of removing
the pulp from the bean by letting the pulp ferment in water. It has nothing to do with decaffeinating.

As usual, I could be wrong. ;)
 
Thanks guys! I wasn't suggesting that oily beans meant bad coffee! I was suggesting that with darker roasts you will find a singular flavor or coffee note vs the lighter roasted beans whose flavors are left intact through the roasting process.

Ever since the Starbucks phenomenon I've become accustomed to dark roasted beans and even Starbucks' medium beans are really closer to an espresso roast. That said I really enjoy adding that dark roasted flavor component to lighter roasted beans. As a whole the blends end up having both that dark roasted punch and different flavor characters of a lighter roasted beans. It's why I enjoy the coffee from my local roastery Gregory's so much. They sell coffee that magically changes flavor in your mouth as you cup air with each sip or the coffee cools down in temps.
 
Thanks guys! I wasn't suggesting that oily beans meant bad coffee! I was suggesting that with darker roasts you will find a singular flavor or coffee note vs the lighter roasted beans whose flavors are left intact through the roasting process.

Ever since the Starbucks phenomenon I've become accustomed to dark roasted beans and even Starbucks' medium beans are really closer to an espresso roast. That said I really enjoy adding that dark roasted flavor component to lighter roasted beans. As a whole the blends end up having both that dark roasted punch and different flavor characters of a lighter roasted beans. It's why I enjoy the coffee from my local roastery Gregory's so much. They sell coffee that magically changes flavor in your mouth as you cup air with each sip or the coffee cools down in temps.

I have notice that there is quite a difference between coffee companies. As you said, Starbucks seems to be roasted darker than most. Their medium roast is dark and oily, where as Caribou
medium roast is lighter and dry. I recently bought some Trader Joe's Kauai. It says medium on the bag, but it looks fairly light to me. I bought a bag of Tully breakfast blend. It says light roast
on the bag, but looks and tastes medium. :confused:

I know a guy who runs a B&B. We went shopping at Costco and he bought several bags of Starbucks French roast. I commented that the stuff tasted burnt. He said that people have become
accustomed to burnt coffee and that's what they expect.
 
I like a medium roast too. Caribou blend..Pike's Place blend... or a med Sumatra does it for me. The Stumptown Hairbender was full of the "fruity" type flavors and that is why it seemed weak to me. I am use to the "burnt" taste I guess. 90% of the beans I get are dark and oily. Not BLACK and oily.
I started this thread too learn. I wanted too see what others were brewing. I have had east coast and west coast and they are total opposites! west is light and fruity-- east is dark and heavy. Us in the mid west...we must like it burnt! LOL!

I have too say. CCHU518 sent me some Vietnamese coffee. It was Nguyen Supreme (I think). It was a pleasant surprise. It was a heavy, full bodied coffee with a strong chocolate flavor. Even my kids liked it. (they sneak a sip or two in the morning).
 
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The Vietnamese stuff was arabica grown in the north mountains over there and its what we use to make Vietnamese coffee. Basically a quadruple espresso with three tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk! It has a very chocolatey-ness to it just like how you described. Cheap as heck too!
 
Thanks BF coffee lovers this thread has taught me a lot.

Mississippi mud espresso beans. Good vacuum packed bag but it didn't have a roasting date.

Website info: Big, and Robust with a Smooth Creamy Balance. Excellent for French Press and Cone Filter methods, and of course Espresso Machines!
Mississippi Mud Coffees are small-batch crafted and roasted to perfection! We use only 100% special select Arabica coffees.

Less oily than the New Guinea. You can see the different kind of beans and a few that don't look so good.


Grinding, the beans smelled different than my single estate beans. I am guessing because of the multi blend beans.


Results from my 1st cup. Wow that is some strong dark roast! It was too intense for my taste buds and overloaded them but when the temperature cooled off I could taste it better. I think I will use this for my aeropress.


Thanks again, Monofletch.
 
CO2 out-gassing. Who knew?
I sort of did until I grabbed my "vacuum" packed Haitian Bleu from the cupboard this morning.
I know now...:eek:

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Another day and there may have been an explosion!
(Probably wouldn't have exploded, these bags are tough. I've got a video where I experimented with an egg...but that's another story)

Anyway, I did some searching and came up with this.
http://coffeetime.wikidot.com/vacuum-packing-coffee-conclusions
My education continues. :thumbup:
 
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