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What coffee are you drinking just now?

I’ve just been sent a late birthday present of a Whittards variety pack for various coffee blends. That’s got me stocked up for a while :thumbs:
 
So many variables in the growing, processing and making of coffee ...
Maybe one day I will try an honest side-by side comparison, but I have no problem knowing when I like a coffee - and also, sadly when I don't and it has to end up in the "emergency" category ...

 
Frankly I'm a bit obsessed with James Hoffman. I'm sitting on my hands trying not to buy an espresso grade grinder and a so-so espresso machine so I can pull my own.
 
Mogden said:
Frankly I'm a bit obsessed with James Hoffman. I'm sitting on my hands trying not to buy an espresso grade grinder and a so-so espresso machine so I can pull my own.
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I watched him for a while but he's far too much for me ... did he use actual tobacco in the coffee or associated biscuits to win a major prize ?
 
gentlegreen said:
I watched him for a while but he's far too much for me ... did he use actual tobacco in the coffee or associated biscuits to win a major prize ?
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I've not got that in depth yet, I'm stuck on the nuances of grind, how to find the characteristics of coffee that I seek and what a decent set up for a particular price looks like. I have a bit of a passion for food and drink magicians, see the Marlboro infused dessert Thomas Keller made for Anthony Bourdain, but not that idiot Heston, he's a gastronomic chemist, not an artist.
 
gentlegreen said:
www.hasbean.co.uk

Costa Rica ARBAR El Oasis

A White Honey processed mix of Caturra + Catuai grown by Carlos Arietta at El Oasis in the Western Valley of Costa Rica. This coffee has tasting notes of milk chocolate, orange, hazelnut, raisin and nougat. Hasbean - freshly roasted coffee from our roastery in Staffordshire.
www.hasbean.co.uk www.hasbean.co.uk

"When you sip this coffee it's a little bit like someone melted the whole chocolate bar section at the shop and you're tasting your way through a range of delicious treats! Right away you'll immediately get milk chocolate and orange with just a little hazelnut and raisin too, this is a very creamy coffee that finishes with nougat."
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My first impressions - albeit too soon after roasting are very different from theirs ... a teeny bit lacking in chocolate, plenty of mid-range, a hint of acidity and top notes more in the "bong water" territory than fruit - perfectly drinkable though and doubtless will blend well and that will help decide which more chocolatey beans I order next ...

One thing I notice is that the beans are significantly smaller than usual.

So in effect quite close to the anaerobic Bolivian beans I have rather a lot of :hmm:
 
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50/50 El Salvador El Borbollon washed Red Bourbon and the Costa Rica.
It would probably be perfection for some people - very refreshing - but I prefer more chocolate - so will try it with less of the Costa Rica ...
 
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50/50 Guatemala San Patricio El Limon Washed Pache and the Costa Rica
This one tasted "thin" initially, but once I'd started on the toast / PNB / YE, I was left with an impression of "rounded sweetness" ...
 
After a "reference day" of my current "ideal" blend of the El Salvador and Guatemalan to celebrate a new loaf of bread, today I went for the wildcard 50/50 Costa Rica and the anaerobic Bolivian and it isn't actually spoiling my breakfast - but then my breakfast toast is pure umami so it fills in the gaps ...

The combo emphasises the rounded-ness of Friday's blend ... I initially thought I could identify "fruit" in it ... the slightly gritty after-taste is probably the best part ...
 
In my quest for winning blends I've ended up with my reference El Borbollon washed red bourbon and three others with less "bass" and more "midrange" and a bit of "treble" - with only the Bolivian hinting at the "treble-y" beans I usually use at only 33 percent so I'm rotating the blends with the hope of educating my palate as well as not adding to my "emergency" bean stash.
So far none of the blends are unwelcome ...

1+2 ***** favourite recent blend
1+3
1+4
2+3 **
2+4
3+4 **

1. El Salvador El Borbollon - current reference chocolatey washed red bourbon bean.

2. Guatemala San Patricio El Limon Washed Pache - "lacking chocolate - hint of bong water"
3. Costa Rica ARBAR El Oasis - hint of bong water

4. Bolivia Finca Floripondio Anaerobic Washed Typica "Moderate acidity and a well-rounded unidentifiable fruityness"
 
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I had a trial batch of a bunch of things last order, all from the same farm but different beans.
I'm quite liking the Guatemala San Patricio El Limon Washed San Ramon. It says sponge cake, hazelnut, and sultana. I get none of that, but it is very nice and smooth and... coffee-y. I'm putting it on my list to try again.

I didn't much care for the washed Pache from the same farm though. Interesting to note that they added "green apple" to the taste notes after I tried it, and I would have avoided it on that basis. (I know it wouldn't taste of green apples, and I like green apples, but IME it hints at an astringent quality which I did notice)
 
Chz said:
I didn't much care for the washed Pache from the same farm though. Interesting to note that they added "green apple" to the taste notes after I tried it, and I would have avoided it on that basis. (I know it wouldn't taste of green apples, and I like green apples, but IME it hints at an astringent quality which I did notice)
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I got "bong water" - though I haven't tried it by itself for a while ... it unexpectedly blended really well with the El Borbollon I buy locally - it's probably the way I brew the heck out of my coffee so some of the flavour notes get masked ...
 
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El Salvador Finca Argentina Washed Portillo from Hasbean. Milk chocolate, caramel and banana. Definitely the case that as it cools you get different flavour profiles. It's at that not cold but only a bit warm now and the caramel is completely obvious. And a bit of the milk chocolate too. It's like I've eaten a Cadbury's Caramel without any of the sugar and the aftertaste is still playing in my mouth. Bugger me that sounds hipster. Accurate though.

What has really helped is properly weighing out my beans and a correct measurement of water. Sounds obvious but it means a nail a decent coffee every time in my filter machine.
 
Mogden said:
El Salvador Finca Argentina Washed Portillo from Hasbean. Milk chocolate, caramel and banana. Definitely the case that as it cools you get different flavour profiles. It's at that not cold but only a bit warm now and the caramel is completely obvious. And a bit of the milk chocolate too. It's like I've eaten a Cadbury's Caramel without any of the sugar and the aftertaste is still playing in my mouth. Bugger me that sounds hipster. Accurate though.
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:hmm:

Must. Resist.
 
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Had my first taste today ...
Still not the super-gutsy chocolate bean the El Borbollon was for a while last year, but welcome none the less.
Clearly it's early days yet, so soon after roasting, but I think I got something in the fruity direction - but not full-on funk and the acidity was pleasantly muted ...

----------------------

Day two and I got my first taste of the funk - "banana" ? - perhaps ... my palate is still tuned to detect "bong water" - but there is an odd twang at the back of the palate - if anything, fermented bananas, but very elusive..

I'll have no trouble finishing these beans and I now have loads of blends to try - and I often get results I couldn't have predicted.

The one jar of the five I'm struggling to shift is my last lot of Bolivian beans - they seem to blunt any brightness and refreshing acidity in the other bean ...

-----------------

Day 3 and a 50/50 blend with El Borbollon - my base chocolatey bean and it's emphasised the indefinable back of the palate after-taste.
Very refreshing. Annoyingly for some reason, the puck retained a lot of liquid - I may need to reinfuse ...
 
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Does anyone here roast there own beans? Can it be done simply and cheaply?

I'm drinking a lot more then used to as I've got a cafetiere at work. Just the better Aldi or Lidl stuff pre ground with coffee mate. I still enjoy better stuff at home on weekends, which I grind myself and drink black. The problem with this is it means the beans are sat around for quite a while before they get drunk. I suspect that this way lies madness, but it seems a nice idea.
 
UnderAnOpenSky said:
Does anyone here roast there own beans? Can it be done simply and cheaply?

I'm drinking a lot more then used to as I've got a cafetiere at work. Just the better Aldi or Lidl stuff pre ground with coffee mate. I still enjoy better stuff at home on weekends, which I grind myself and drink black. The problem with this is it means the beans are sat around for quite a while before they get drunk. I suspect that this way lies madness, but it seems a nice idea.
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I think I'll leave that till a very long time in the future ..
But I have no reason to doubt it's doable on a small scale ..
I don't know if even mrs quoad ever seriously roasted his own ...

I always took the mickey with my beans even when I was only drinking it on the weekend ... now it's every day and I keep my beans in preserving jars, but I currently have five part 250g jars on the go :oops:
 
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I'm still not getting meaningful "banana" out of these Finca Argentina Washed Portillo beans but it's very well balanced and refreshing.
Perhaps my mojo is even lower than usual ...
Mind you I brew the heck out of it - a relatively fine grind and a long brew ...
But along with 3 other recent purchases I suspect most people would enjoy it.

My big challenge is to learn to love my Bolivian beans .. :hmm:
 
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gentlegreen said:
I'm still not getting meaningful "banana" out of these Finca Argentina Washed Portillo beans but it's very well balanced and refreshing.
Perhaps my mojo is even lower than usual ...
Mind you I brew the heck out of it - a relatively fine grind and a long brew ...
But along with 3 other recent purchases I suspect most people would enjoy it.

My big challenge is to learn to love my Bolivian beans .. :hmm:
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Given that the banana aroma is likely to be quite evanescent, maybe the long brew is losing a lot of it?
 
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