How I Rate Coffees - From 1 to 10

I suppose that I should explain the rating system that I have developed for the coffees that I sample.

What I do is very simple. From 1 to 10 I break the numbers down into three parts: 1-4, 5, & 6-10. 1-4 is a rating that I have no interest to purchase again 1 being something that makes me gag and 4 at the tolerable/decent level. 5 is the breaking point that shows that I thought the coffee was good enough to purchase again but necessarily right now. 6-10 are the levels of true love. If I rate something a 6 that would indicate the infatuation of a budding relationship and if I ever rate something a 10 it would indicate an all out love affair.

Well, there you have it. My rating system might not be very sophisticated but it is certainly functional.

Washed Bourbon

Rwanda

I highly anticipated this third coffee roast as the green beans smelled very pleasant (vs. the Flora Bajawa & Finca San Jose). The brewed cup had an earthy, almost sweet saw-dusty scent which was pleasing and beckoning.

The flavor's first initial nuance is a fruity note that suggests a bitterness that never actually materializes while the buttery attribute stands out as it finishes. Although it boasts a nutty tone I did not notice it as much as in the other two coffees and it seemed the more enjoyable for it.

This brew has a hearty body which allows the flavor to finish long and it is packed in a bright amber-brown color that hints emerald green at the edge.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 5.

The Necessity of Filtered Water

I spent a weekend at my in-laws and I finally bought a coffee maker for their home. For 10 years I have been going to the local McDonalds for my morning coffee whenever I spend the weekend. So me and my brother-in-law have been enjoying brewing our own pots of Maxwell House. Since I have been roasting my own coffee beans, Maxwell House has been anathema to me but since I was at the in-laws it would have to do.

I made the first pot and it was pretty blah and when I made the second I used more grounds and it was stronger but still not very tasty. However, my brother-in-law made a third pot and he used the filtered water from the Brita pitcher. I have to admit that it was actually quite flavorful. I have never used filtered water to make coffee before and now I am convinced that it is a necessity. I have read that distilled water is not good for making coffee but rather that filtered water was the suggested method. Of course, I am too lazy to wait for water to drip though the filter and so I have never used the suggested method. But from now on I will wait.

So, if you enjoy good tasting coffee it is a necessity to use filtered water, for filtered water makes even Maxwell House taste good.

Coffee Roasting Spectrum

As I talk about "roasting styles" I thought it might be helpful if I explained them a bit.
The image to the right shows all coffee beans begin as raw green beans. Coffee in this state can be shelved in a dark closet for up to two years before it begins to stale. In this raw state the coffee bean is the most stable.
Although the spectrum that a coffee bean will roast through is much more extensive than the chart to the right shows I feel this chart is simple enough for me as I roast by hand. If I had a computer controlled roasting apparatus I would be able to be more exacting but then where would the fun be? Once roasting has taken place the coffee bean destabilizes and the intrinsic flavor begin to degrade.
So the first stage of roasting produces a roast called City. This is a very light roast that will taste more like the raw bean portraying the intrinsic qualities given it by the environment in which it was grown. Although I prefer darker roasts I do like to experience each new bean at this stage in order to taste it as God made it.
The second stage of roasting produces what is called a Full-City roast. Sometime at this point begins what is called the "First Crack" where the moisture in the beans begin to expand the bean and escape. This is a very good roasting point for most beans as the sugars in the bean have just began to caramelize and the intrinsic flavor of the beans is still present but with a less than raw or grassy taste.
Once the "First Crack" has been accomplished a "Second Crack" occurs as the sugars in the beans begin to carbonize. This level of roasting produces the aroma and flavors of the most popular coffee roasts from Starbucks, Caribou, and now even McDonalds. At this level these mass producers do not need to worry about which type of bean they use because all intrinsic flavors have been roasted out of the beans and replaced with the burned taste. During this "Second Crack" the coffee beans pass through what is called the French and Espresso roasts respectively.
After the completion of the "Second Crack" their is nothing left to roast but the ashes. I have roasted beans (by accident) to this point and my wife said that it tasted like "camp fire in a cup". I had to agree.
Well these are the major categories that I use when I roast coffee. My standard roast is a Full-City roast, it takes all of 7-9 minutes on the fire and then another 4 hours to cool and cure.
Coffee tasting has as much to offer the enthusiast as does wine tasting so if you like to experience God's creation, and the world in which we live, get a bit of fresh roasted coffee and enjoy it for all of its wonderful glory.

Finca San Jose

Nicaragua / Coasta Rica

The San Jose is now the second coffee bean that I have been roasting. This bean seems to me to be less finicky about roasting (or perhaps I am getting a little better at it?) and I think that it tastes the best when it is roasted to a little less than Full-City but a little more than pure Cinnamon.

This coffee has a red-wine attribute that comes to the forefront of your taste buds as it has cooled a bit in the cup and is at that perfect drinking temperature of "less than hot" but cannot yet be considered "cold". It is noted for its flowery, winey, and earthy attributes but also has a touch of chocolaty and nutty qualities as well.

I like this coffee enough to have given it to friends as a gift. I would buy this bean again but I did not "love" it enough to make that purchase now. From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 5.

Flores - Bajawa

Indonesia

The Flores Bajawa bean is the first coffee that I used to learn how to roast coffee with. So far I have roasted 7 batches with this bean and have discovered that I have enjoyed it roasted to a City/American roast the best. The Cinnamon roast was too grassy and mild for my taste while a Full-City/Vienna roast seemed too well done to taste anything but the flavor of the roast itself.

The aroma from the City roasted cup was earthy and simple and the flavor had a great body. It was well balanced and it portrayed a complex but non-complicated taste. I experienced a chocolaty attribute from this bean during the aftertaste but I really noticed it when I poured the coffee over ice.

All this having been said I really do not have a desire to purchase more of this bean. From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 3.

The 8th Day

I often joke and tell people that "a little known fact is that on the 8th. day God roasted coffee - and it was very very good."

Coffee roasting is, for me, an art form rather than a science as each coffee bean crop possesses its very own unique flavor due to weather conditions as well as elements of the environment. Each type of bean has its own unique attributes for flavoring and these attributes are cultured with each type of roasting style (Cinnamon, City, Full-City, Espresso, and French). Roasting coffee by machine replaces art with science and thus replaces a good experience with a mundane methodology.

I admit that I am a coffee snob and for that I will not apologize. I learned to love coffee in the ARMY even though it was always bad and never meaningful and even to this day I would rather drink a cup of 6 hr. old Speedway coffee than a plastic bottle of flavored water-soda but my heart's desire is to experience coffee rather than just consume it day after dreary day.

This blog is dedicated to sharing those experiences with any other coffee snobs out there who actually care.