Add Excitement to Your Roasting!

For many roasters out there, roasting is a routine. There are different philosophies when it comes to sourcing, blending, and roasting espresso. The problem is: the same roaster producing the same espresso every day is monumentally boring.

What I wonder is: Why don't more roaster/retailers adopt the multiple espresso model? I know there are some that have gone the Experimental espresso route for a time, and some are actually doing it quietly without making a stir... ala the ever changing "Black Cat Project". So I'm not talking about whole bean you put on the shelves for your customers, or what craziness you dare to do for the online coffee consumer. I'm talking about what you're serving in your coffee shops on a daily basis.

Now there are several new shops that have opened in the past few years who promote the multiple roaster model. They realized that they wanted to offer their customers the best that various roasters had to offer, so they could experience a variety of interpretations of espresso. But there is a commonality - All the espresso is pretty damn good!

I understand there's a marketing component that's in here. "We found a profile that is great, our customers love it, we sell a boat load..." And to that I say, get your game face on and take the ball to the rack! Yea, I know you can do an awesome windmill dunk every time, but how about through the legs and behind the back? Or how about behind the back and blindfolded? We know you have the skills. So bring it!

Do roasters need to abandon their long standing espresso in their own shops? No, of course not. But if your vision of espresso never changes, are you growing as a roaster, and if not, that's kind of sad. Of course a roaster might bust out something new a few times... and then a few more, and maybe there will be new espresso on a regular basis. Maybe bi-weekly. Maybe even weekly.

I've done both. I've stayed with a general flavor profile, and rocked that for a while. It was good. It was very good. And it was also very boring. The notion that it's more difficult is simply not so. Manipulating an El Salvador and a Nicaragua to taste like a Brazil and a Guatemala to taste like a Sumatra isn't a display of amazing roasting skill. Note that the chocolate/berry/hint of nut sweetness espresso, whatever variation, is not that difficult to duplicate. And is it exactly the same every time? Well.... not really. And since we know there are variations, both slight and obvious due to crop availability, seasonality, and a whole host of other reasons. Why not source the best ingredients (coffee) that you can, relative to the season, and present your customers with the best espresso you can make from those ingredients. A great chef doesn't try to make steak taste like lamb, or make every tart, even the lemon tarts, taste like chocolate.

From my personal experience, I contend that roasters will learn more about coffees that do work together as espresso by trying all those coffees that you shouldn't -- washed Centrals, bright Africans etc. And you will surprise yourself. "What the hell... I never thought THAT would work!" So fellow roasters, especially those of you who know you can, don't just think about doing it, try roasting something new today. You might find that what was once routine has now become exciting.

Heart of the Forest Espresso - A Great Start!

On our caffe blog, I tell about our exclusive espresso blend for Tony Caputo's Market and Deli.

I stopped in to see Matt and Tony this afternoon, and as a brand new offering, the coffee and espresso is selling well. I'm roasting new coffee early this week, and it looks like it will be a great relationship.

Thoughts on Roast Profiling

I've been working with some new roast profiles this past week. There are three camps on this issue:

The first is that the progression of roast via the roast curve makes a difference with respect to each bean. The second is that there is an optimum roast curve based on the chemical processes happening within the bean, and it is the knowledge of when to drop your beans that matters. The third camp would say that there is a generally acceptable "Point A" and a generally acceptable "Point B", and if you go from A to B quickly, and then it's a matter of leveling off and progressing the roast from there... it really didn't matter HOW you got from A to B, as long as you didn't stall the roast... in the cup, wouldn't matter. And you can be sure there are countless variations of all three.

The simple question is: Does profiling matter?

I would place myself somewhere amongst the first and second camps. I think that as a practical solution, there may be an optimum profile for various types of beans, and while there may be a perfect profile for every bean, I have neither the time nor the beans to waste to find out. I think that there is a profile for most SHB (strictly hard beans), and as Willem Boot proposed, a profile for the larger beans, such as the Margogype, and/or the more delicate beans such as the Gesha. Because of their size and density, I believe there is a profile that is best suited for peaberry, although I haven't found one I am 100% satisfied with. And it may be there needs to be a more
gentle progression the latter stages of the roast because any endothermic heat built up has a greater influence inside such a small bean. ... I'm still working on that.

I've spent a fair amount of time profiling in previous years, and my roaster has the ability to take profiling to an insane level, and from my hands-on experience, I will say that the degree to which profiling matters is directly correlated to the complexity, or quality, of the beans. If I get a generic Brazil Cerrado and tweak the profiles, there isn't much noticeable change in the cup. However, if I roast a Brazil Cachoeira Estate, a Brazil Daterra Santa Columba, or especially the Brazil Fazenda Esperanca, the more flavor nuances there are, the more critical the roast progression is into highlighting the "middle" complexities of these coffees.

Internally, there is a slight difference in the nature of the bean, because I can see it when I grind. For example, do you increase by 30 degrees a minute, 40 degrees a minute, or something greater? Is it a straight progression to first crack? Is it a graduated progression? Or does it progress faster as time goes on? I am finding that a gradual progression after reaching first crack seems to produces a little more
sweetness and distinctive flavors, while another curve may produce an amalgamation of those flavors, but they may not be as precise. Sort of the difference between what many find in espresso from a Robur vs. a Super Jolly.

Suffice to say, profiling is interesting, and I think that we are just scratching the surface. There are some theories that are complete b.s., and others that I've found out to be true, but what I am certain of is that the more the bean has to offer, the more profiling matters.

At least that's what I think.

New Coffees at the caffe

New Coffees at caffe d'bolla!

*Costa Rica El Puente "Caturra Miel"
* Panama Golden Peaberry
* Guatemala Finca San Jose
* Sumatra "Blue Batak" Tabarita Peaberry
* Ethiopia Koratie DP Organic
*Columbia Antioquia - Jardin Cerulean Warbler

The "Incident" - An Observation

Some of you may be in the dark regarding the "Incident" at Murky Coffee in D.C.

There has been literally thousands of comments across the blogosphere regarding this tiff, and it brings some important issues to light:

This is not your father's coffeeshop.
Coffee has progressed incredibly over the past twenty-years, from the farmer cupping their lots, testing various drying methods, utilizing the science of cultivation--which can create a higher quality bean, to the artisan barista who spends countless hours understanding dosing, leveling, and extraction techniques... and who has to master the nuances of each espresso just as a concert pianist masters various pieces of classical music.

Several coffeeshops across North America have raised their standard of coffee and espresso quality to be greater than the food quality of most high end restaurants. It is the average shop, where over-roasted bitterness is the norm, that continues the thought that coffee is a method of caffeine injection, rather than a culinary experience. For these handful of shops that treat coffee as a culinary experience AND deliver it, a higher standard of respect should be given by their customers, as well as a higher level of decorum should be present in the barista.

This begs the question,

"Can we serve an exceptional product while maintaining a casual atmosphere and expect a high level of respect from the customer?"
There is a casual elegance you can find in many restaurants. Take a look at some of the seafood restaurants in San Fran as an example. Shorts, nice shirt, maybe even sandals... dinner for two, $400+
Is it a product of the atmosphere? Of the pricing? Is it a matter of revamping the entire atmosphere to elicit a different response, a different expectation from the customer?

These are questions I have been thinking about for a few years now and while I have a few solutions in mind... it is the implementation that is hardest. But I do believe you can raise the standard by raising the expectation through better presentation and consumer coffee education.

But the customer wants...
When you get a McFish from the Golden Arches it is entirely different from ordering the Seared Ahi Tuna loin at Charlie Trotter's; the same holds true for coffee.

Quality isn't for the Everyman, and rather than try to appeal to everyone, customers are given the best service by a continual raising of standards along with continued pursuit of excellence in our craft. All of this translates to an exceptional cup, and that is the greatest reward we can give.

Brazil Fazenda Esperanca: a few days later

I've enjoyed several more cups of this coffee in the past two days, and as time has progressed, the flavor nuances have become a little more defined, and the caramel-citrus finish is a bit longer.

I can't quite put my finger on some of the flavors I am getting in the middle of the cup. I'll have to give it a go again, but in a few words, it's good, really good.

Rapid Brewing with the Finca El Injerto

Today I tested a fresh (roasted 10p last night) batch of Guatemala Finca El injerto on the siphon.

Grind 3 notches from 'espresso' on Mazzer Mini.
Brew time 20 seconds.
Rapid stir.

The taste? sweet nut, floral, light caramel and a bit of cocoa.

Wow.

Kenya AA Nyeri Kiamaina *Tasting Notes*

John Says...

Today I tested a batch of the new Kenya AA Nyeri Kiamaina.

This batch was roasted to a City Roast at 9:00 AM this morning.
Testing was done at 6:00 PM.

I brewed several batches in the Siphon brewer, and even on day one, the flavors are coming through. Peach and maybe a hint of floral apricot in the aroma. Peach and lemon up front, with the peach dominating as the cup cools. A sweet and balanced finish of peach and honey.

I found this coffee to be exceptionally clean, even by my radical standards. It's truly a magnificent coffee and creates a cup you will long remember.

Espresso: IN YOUR FACE

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been experimenting with some radical blends.
I have finished the degassing on a blend of eighty percent Kenya Ruiru Peaberry and tw Guatemala Finca El Injerto SHB. I roasted the Kenya at two different roast levels. 25 percent was roasted at a very light city roast, and the rest of the Kenyan and the Guatemala were roasted at a City + roast... just between first and second crack.

Pulled as a ristretto, 16.5 g @ 198 degrees, BRIGHT orange citrus, almond, hint of dark chocolate in the finish.

In cappuccino, lightly sweet orange and almond.