Coffee

What’s Roasting #3 – El Salvador Finca El Capulin

/ Pete Denison / 1 Comment
Ubicación del subcontinente centroamericano en...

Central American subcontinent. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What’s in the roaster this week has been inspired by a tweet from @ministrygrounds, who supply the green beans used in all of my roasts:

“Beautiful new Central American coffees now available as green coffee”

So, on this advice we head to Central America for an origin from the Los Bellotos farm in El Salvador – Finca El Capulin

Fast fact on the farm (courtesy Ministry Grounds):

The farm management practice the ‘agobio’ or ‘parras’ system of coffee farming whereby the branches of the trees are bent in order to provoke new growth. This prevents the root system of the trees to be damaged (as opposed to other stumping methods) and promotes more efficient nutrient capturing. The ‘agobio’ or ‘parras’ method of coffee farming requires more space between the coffee trees and therefore this allows for less competition for nutrients amongst the trees and a less intense and more sustainable farming practice.

A second batch in the roaster today is a South American, this time of Colombian origin, Santa Rita La Chaparral Special Reserve. This varietal has been purchased with a view to doing a little blending over the coming weeks, a continuation of my exploration into this area which will be further expanded in a follow-up post to the recent Up Around the Blend earlier this month.

On the eight farms that make up this specialty Colombian coffee (courtesy Ministry Grounds):

These are “old Fashion Farms” where the coffee is handpicked, wet processed and sun dried in a “patio Quindiano” or concrete patio located in the roof of their houses.

Both batches roasted well, with the heat a little higher than usual given the cooler outdoor roasting conditions (compared to the usual ambient roasting temperature for this part of the world anyway). Both were taken half way to second crack, which produced nice, even batches, and once settled for a few days, should be great in the cup.

Something off the Vine on today’s roasting.

Tasting review to follow soon!

Related articles

Up Around the Blend…My journey into the unknown

/ Pete Denison / 2 Comments
Cerrado vegetation of Brazil Español: Cerrado ...

Cerrado vegetation of Brazil  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A witty title, or just a typo? Actually an attempt at the former, as I begin my education and experimentation into the world of coffee bean blending. The emphasis here is squarely on ‘begin’.

So far we have looked at roasting set ups, roasting, tasting and a few other bits and pieces set around the humble bean. All things I have been doing for a while now, some longer than others. One area I am yet to tackle is something I know considerably less about – the art of blending. Sure, I know when I taste a good one, though creating one is quite a different story.

Why do I consider this as something worthwhile to spend time on? The answer is a simple why not? It’s all part of learning and developing after all, and is something I hope will provide a better overall taste in the cup. I see two main approaches we could take down this road, and I hope over a series of posts on this topic you will learn something along with me.

Where should we begin?
1. Plan, consider, research, plan some more, roast, read a little and scientifically add a number of different bean varieties together; or
2. Throw together the remaining beans from a couple of roast batches – because it can’t be that hard right?

Where did I begin?
With option 2 above, which, all things considered is very out of character, but something I have been working hard to change (that is, over planning to the point of paralysis). I must admit writing on these pages is largely responsible for that, which is very pleasing given it is one of the main reasons for setting up this blog.

Method

The two bean varieties involved were the Brazil Toffee Cerrado, and Ethiopian Sidamo, both of which I have previously written about as far as roasting and taste testing posts. In combining these blends, my goal was to hopefully get the best of both worlds from their individual strong points. Namely, the body and chocolate / caramel flavours of the Brazilian, and the fruity blueberry profile and acidity of the Ethiopian.

Result – The Whack

What – Blend of Ethiopian Sidamo and Brazil Toffee Cerrado. Proportions used were 60% Ethiopian Sidamo an 40% Brazilian Cerrado

How – Aeropress, Latte

Assessment – Overall, a reasonable combination. In the Aeropress, the chocolate, sugar and caramel undertones were present, and with the addition of the blueberry, the overall flavour was somewhat reminiscent of a smoothie, this being particularly evident as you can imagine in the latte. There was a greater depth of flavour overall, however the blend did not reach any great heights. Perhaps this will be more difficult than I thought? In all honesty this is exactly what I expected given there are people who make careers out of roasting and blending.

Conclusion; Know This – Probably the point to make here is that the blend created above was certainly drinkable. Was it better than either of the varieties on their own? In the case of the Cerrado, I would say yes, as the addition of a little acidity and fruit flavours broadened the overall flavour profile nicely, whereas in the Sidamo, probably not, though in initially reviewing this varietal, I did rate it more highly than the Cerrado to begin with. Therefore in ‘knowing this’ I will say yes, a little more research is needed, however invaluable to this process is what we have now. A starting point, the very thing which will now move us forward.

Overall Rating: 3.75/5

Related articles

What’s Brewing #2 Ethiopian Sidamo

/ Pete Denison / 1 Comment

“Wake up and smell the blueberries”

Blueberry

Blueberry (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The second of my tasting reviews, where we will assess the outcome of last weekends roast. I’m looking forward to seeing how this African variety fares. The quote above and image to the right provide a hint of what is to come in the review below.

Traditionally I’d expect lovely sweet, fruity flavours from an Ethiopian origin, with a little more acidity than the Brazil Toffee Cerrado that came out of the roaster the week before. So let’s give it The Whack:

What – Ethiopian Sidamo Special Process Unwashed Gr 4.

  • Origin: Africa
  • Region: South central mountains of Addis Abada; Ethiopia
  • Processing: Dry processed

Supplier: Ministry Grounds.

How – Latte, Aeropress

Assessment – Dry aroma: Face first into a blueberry patch. There is no other way to describe this. Begins on opening the cupboard and continues through to grinding the dose. The blueberries just keep on coming.

Milk course: The smooth blueberry tones remain, with addition to the sweetness from the milk; medium body and could probably be described as a milder brew when consumed with milk. A hint of chocolate comes through on the finish.

Aeropress: Medium acidity, smooth body, with a hit of blueberries early on whereas a little short on finish. Definitely an overarching blueberry flavour here, though probably lacks a little of the broadness of flavour and depth of sweetness in say, an Ethiopian Harrar.

Conclusion; Know This –
This bean variety is great value and certainly does not disappoint. As expected, a deliciously fruity variety on a backbone of blueberry, with a hint of chocolate for good measure. Works well in a milk drink however leans towards greater things when brewed in the Aeropress, allowed to cool a little, and consumed on its own. At its best about 4–5 days after roasting.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Related articles

What’s Roasting #2 Ethiopian Sidamo

/ Pete Denison / 2 Comments

You can be sure that when a tasting review is posted, another roast will soon follow. Today’s roast origin moves to Africa and is expected to bring back some “fruit” to what ends up in the cup.

This Ethiopian Sidamo, again from Ministry Grounds, is a great value origin, and I am keen to see how this batch turns out.

Ministry Grounds roasting notes as follows:

Expect a few underripes and in general, an uneven roast. But the end result is worth it! Go a little easy on the heat up front, and don’t try and take this one dark. The result will be a bitter disappointment (literally).

Roasted in the afternoon today on quite a cool day, this 500 gram batch ran a little slower than my usual roasts, taking just on 20 minutes to a light to medium roast level. Though not planned, something like a longer than usual roast time presents a good opportunity to assess the effect on flavour profile and other variables come tasting time.

Looking forward to sampling once it has rested a few days.

What’s Brewing #1

/ Pete Denison / 3 Comments

My first What’s roasting post approximately one week ago promised an upcoming review of a South American origin Brazil Toffee Cerrado, from my green bean supplier Ministry Grounds Coffee. It’s now time to make good on that promise. One further note – since this is my first tasting review, please bear in mind the following is my opinion, and the taste will be influenced by my methods of roasting and brewing, as will your own.

My previous post, curiously titled The Whack, describes an outline of my taste testing and assessing system (if you could call it a system), so we can get down to the details straight away here.

The Whack

What – Brazil Toffee Cerrado

  • Origin: Brazil
  • Region: Macaubas, Monte Carmelo, Pirapitinga in the Cerrado (Expocaccer Co-op)
  • Altitude: 900-1100 metres
  • Crop Year: 2011

My Source/Supplier: Ministry Grounds Coffee.

How – Milk based, 160ml latte; Aeropress.

Assessment – Dry aroma – hints of dark chocolate, caramel, brown sugar.
Milk course – dark chocolate and caramel undertones; flavours cut through the milk well; great for the morning latte and works very well as the base for a milk drink.
Aeropress – a definite improvement when cooler, some of the sweeter, caramelised brown sugar flavours in evidence; dare I say “toffee” flavour. Good body, with low acidity. Overall probably a little ‘flat’ when brewed by this method.

Conclusion; Know this – In my opinion this origin is fantastic value for money, as it performs solidly on its own, however I will use it in a blend soon and will write further on the outcome. Really came into its own 4-5 days after roasting. When used as a single origin, it probably works best in a milk drink, however do try in an Aeropress or similar, as when it cools there is a distinct alteration in the flavour profile.

Overall rating 4/5

Related articles