2 Huge Truths About Coffee Flavor – And 1 Giant Lie (Part 3 of 3)

2 Huge Truths About Coffee Flavor – And 1 Giant Lie (Part 1 of 3)

2 Huge Truths About Coffee Flavor – And 1 Giant Lie (Part 2 of 3)

If you have been reading all of the posts in this series (see links above) then you know already that coffee shouldn’t taste the same when it’s grown in different areas – it is just not likely.  Coffee from different locations will necessarily taste different because there are too many variables (such as soil, water, mulching, climate, and sun) for two crops from two different locations to ever taste the same.  If you can taste any coffee and tell which of the national chain roasters has roasted and distributed it, then you taste a branded flavor that they have added – and not the pure coffee itself.  Sorry, that’s just how it goes.  People who drink their coffee black should be able to easily recognize the coffee that they are drinking as coming from this chain or that one.  If you travel across the country and get a black coffee from your favorite brewer and it tastes like it did a thousand miles back home then you have to wonder – How is this possible?  Well, the reality is that it is not likely – unless some sort of signature flavor has been added to the beans.

This then is the Giant Lie of Coffee:  what you think is simply plain black coffee is often just the cheapest bean at the market flavored with the coffee roaster’s branded signature flavor.  For a purist like me, this matters.  Does this make me mad?  No.  Do I still get my coffee from my favorite chain while I am on the road?  Yes.  So why then do I bring it up?  Because I want you to love your coffee for just the coffee itself, and this can be hard to do unless you get fresh-roasted, single-origin coffee with nothing added – not even raosting oils that accidently flavor the beans.

So the next time you have coffee (maybe even now as you read this), I invite you consider how pure and natural the coffee is that you are drinking.  If it matters to you, then I invite you to join me, and together we can seek to experience the most perfect natural-tasting coffees from around the world.

2 Huge Truths about Coffee Flavor - And One Giant Lie (Part 2 of 3)

(Click here for Part 1 of 3)

Roasting...

There is a whole range of possible coffee roasts, from green to charcoal.  The possibilities are just about endless.  Every kind of coffee bean responds best to a particular variety of roasts in order for the best natural flavor to be released, and like with wine tasting, the fun is in tasting them all to determine what we like best.  For now though, I want to tell you how roasting affects the flavor and caffeine content of your coffee.

When coffee beans are green they possess all the flavor qualities that God has grown into them(see part 1 of this blog series).  As the green beans are roasted, the natural flavor is cooked out and traded for the flavor of the roast.  This trade-off is good, because a weakly roasted bean is often a bit bitter and sour, and the roasting process corrects this and brings about a very good brew.  This is where the Roast Master needs to become well-versed in his coffee types, because there is a point where a single-origin coffee bean is roasted so much that all anyone can taste is the roast and not any natural flavor of the bean– so any old bean would have worked.  The Roast Master becomes worth his salt when he learns which bean needs to be roasted to which level in order to bring about the best flavor.

There is another important facet to the level of roasting, and that is the caffeine content.  As a coffee bean is roasted, its caffeine content begins to diminish.  So, the darker the roast, the less the caffeine.  This means that people who get espresso coffee for the caffeine kick are actually getting less caffeine than what is in a regular cup of lightly-roasted coffee.

I don’t know why, but most of us assume that when a coffee is roasted darker, it has more flavor and more caffeine, but this is not the case.  I guess it is like a Filet Mignon steak.  If you really want the steak to melt in your mouth and have the best flavor, you need to have it cooked rare to medium-rare.

In the next part of this blog post, I want to bring out the lie of all lies for those of us who love coffee, so check back in a day or two.

2 Huge Truths About Coffee Flavor – And 1 Giant Lie (Part 1 of 3)

There are 2 huge realities concerning the natural flavor of coffee and here they are…

Location, location, location…

The first reality about coffee flavor is the bean itself, because each coffee bean is from a specific crop, and each crop comes from...you guessed it...a specific location.  Just as fine wine connoisseurs know wines by the specific grapes that were used to produce it, so also fine coffees are known by the beans that were used to brew the coffee.   For instance, Yemen’s coffees are known for their dominant mocha notes, the Jamaican Blue Mountain is known because of its perfectly balanced flavor and smoothness, and the Bali Blue Moon is known because of its a dominant fruitiness.  The Bali Blue Moon has developed its dominant flavor trait because it is grown between tangerine trees, and the fruit that falls from those trees is what mulches the soil in which this coffee grows.  

After considering the location where the bean was grown, we take a look at the weather in that location.  That’s right, the weather impacts the flavor of coffee beans.  Each crop of coffee has grown with a very specific amount of moisture in the air, rain fall, sunlight, and ambient temperature.  All of these “acts of God” will shape the development of the flavor from each crop of coffee that is grown.

Then, after God has had His way with growing our coffee, mankind gets our crack at influencing the flavor of our coffee through processing, roasting, and flavor additives.  Processing is a topic of another post, and please don’t get me started on flavor additives.  However, in the second part of this blog post I do want to talk about a couple of basic realities concerning the roasting of coffee.  So please stay tuned…

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ADDENDUM:  The flavor of your coffee is determined by a variety of factors (the water, freshness of the bean, and the ratio are big – see past post - but today I was speaking of the innate flavor of the bean itself.  

The Art of Coffee Roasting...

Dancing

As coffee roasts there are two things that happen.

1.  The moisture cooks off

2.  The sugars in the beans caramelize

The art is to cook the beans raw enough to leave the natural God given flavor but cooked well enough that those caramelized sugars do a tango on your tongue.

Did you know that I can make green coffee beans dance?

7 Pounds of Pure Joy...

Yes, a baby would meet the description but no - it's not a baby of which I write.  I am talking about the 7 pounds of coffee orders that I roasted and filled today.  It took all day as I am working on efficiency practices and such but the whole time I could not help but be thankful for the orders that are coming in.  There are a lot of people who want FRESH coffee for this Thanksgiving's festivities.


Speaking of my efficiency efforts, I have created an online form that I can send to people when they request coffee.  Take a look and make suggestions for improvements if you like or just order some coffee.

Coffee, Tea, & FREE...

Harvest Moon

So I have had to expand into some teas as I am learning that there are haters among us.  Can you believe that there actually are people who hate coffee?  My land, next thing you know people will be marching on Wall Street. :-o

Click to Enlarge

I discovered these things called Flowering Teas.  They are hand woven flowers with tea that are wrapped up into a ball.  When hot water is poured over the ball it slowly steeps while is blossoms before your eyes.  I must admit, I'm not a tea lover but when I watch this tea open before my eyes I am compelled to at least try it.  I now have this on hand for those rare times when I have people in my demonstrations who don't like coffee.


Have you seen the press release?  In this release the spokes person (me) announces the very big news that Anchor Bay Roasts is open for business.  During the PR you are likely to feel the tears well up in your eyes, but don't worry - I wasn't fired for it. ;-)


Finally...  There is still time for you to find the easter-egg on the Anchor Bay Roasts website and get entered into the drawing for FREE coffee.  So far only 4 people have done it so your odds of winning are pretty good.


Good Luck!

Honestly...

The coffee that I roast is not for everyone - It is expensive and it is not at all convenient.  I know it, you know, and even my 7 year old knows it.


But then again, a Lexus or BMW is expensive and those companies are bold enough to expect their owners to go through the inconvenience of firing uncle Wilbur's Backyard Auto Care service so that they might have their cars properly maintained in their further expensive Service Centers.


As I think about it, I do individually roast single-origin coffee fresh per customer, I do package each order in proper ratio to each customer's specific brewing style, and I do spend a bunch of time roasting each small batch order because I will not make or sell in bulk.  So I guess that while my coffee is more expensive than the stale stuff in the grocery store and more inconvenient than simply tossing a bag into your cart, at the end of the day there are still quite a few people who prefer to drive a Lexus or BMW.


So no, the coffee that I roast is not for everyone.

anchorbayroasts.com

October Easter Egg

There is an easter egg on anchorbayroasts.com.  


If you locate it you will be eligible for a FREE 2.5oz package of coffee (That's one 12-cup pot).  There has been just one person who has located it so far so your odds are good if you find it.


Last month's easter egg was a bit tricky but this one is right out in the open for everyone to see.  If you cannot find it it is simply because you are not reading the pages.  (oopsies, was that a hint I just let slip?)


Happy hunting!

Coffee Like ?- Improve your Coffee Part 2

I wanted to come up with a snappy metaphor for coffee grind that worked but I just couldn't think of one this morning.  I'm sure that I will think of one later in the afternoon but for now - I have nothing...


Another key to improving your coffee at home is to understand the grind that you use.  If you use a process of brewing that steeps or washes your grounds with hot water then you may use a grind that is more course.  However, if the hot water that you use is simply running through the grounds once then you want a grind that is finer.  And further still, if you use a brewing process that mostly blasts steam through your grounds you want to go with a grind that is more akin to dust.


Most people who grind their own coffee at home use a hand-held blade grinder.  The problem with this type of grinder is that the final grind is not very consistent and the blades tend to heat the beans and further cook them. However, if you would have further control over the grind that results then you will want to look into a burr-mill grinder.  These are a few dollars more but certainly worth it if you are seeking a better cup of coffee.

Sumatra - Iskandar Premium

When the farmers (all women) pick the Iskandar berries they immediately remove the beans from the pulp and hand wash them in order to remove any excess pulp.  Then it is sent to the processor where it is sun dried and cured being raked and turned many times.  After the beans have dried they are hand inspected for quality and then only the best beans are allowed entrance into the Premium bag.  


It would take an economist to figure out how many man hours goes into each bean and then how many beans goes into each cup!


First off I noticed that the aroma shouts the character of this cup.  It rolls along with a rich earthy scent that begs you to come back for more.  My wife wondered if I was drinking her cup as I brought it to her but I merely had my nose buried in and smelling the wonderful promise.


I sat with my cup and blew and smelled for a while.  Then when I took a sip it was a perfect temperature.  I was delighted with a deep-earthy flavor that was pregnant with botanicals - but not flowery.  The body was creamy and rich setting heavy on the tongue and not at all watered down.  It was one of those coffee that illicited an audible "YUM" from me.


When I start my monthly coffee klatch roasting club (something that is begging to be begun) I think I will certainly be presenting this Sumatran.

New Service for Birthdays...

A friend asked me to make 5lbs. of coffee for her husband's birthday gift.  I declined.  Do I need the business - yes.  So why did I give up the opportunity?  Because 5lbs. will sit in someone's cupboard, fridge or freezer for quite a while.  Since coffee goes stale in just 2 weeks I don't want people making my coffee and thinking to themselves that it tastes just like the rest of the stale coffee that they drink.  So, I created The Coffee Gift and made it one of the services that I provide at Anchor Bay Roasts.  Check it out and get your co-worker, friend, or loved one one of the best gifts that you could ever get them.

Which is True?

When I was a kid I always used to see my grandma with her coffee cup.  As I grew I learned that she did indeed drink coffee in the mornings but in the evenings it was actually Pabst Blue Ribbon in her cup.


I once went to a hoity-toity wine tasting in Lansing, MI and as I was standing behind a lady to get some wine I watched her get a glass of Merlot and ask the server for "a couple of packets of sugar" to put in her glass.  I was not actually appalled but I did find it amusing that she had not even tasted the wine and she was asking for an additive.  You know, good wine does not need sugar and if wine does it is not actually good wine.


The same is to be said about coffee - it actually has a good-tasting God-designed flavor that can be experienced in each cup.  If it does not then you either have bad coffee or you do not really like coffee to begin with.


What's in your cup?


anchorbayroasts.com

Do You Have a Poem in Your Soul?

Besides being a great warrior, King David was a man of great passion.  His Psalms are the music of the souls of men - and have been for thousands of years.  Like King David, many of us have deep emotions that spill from us like rains from the Michigan sky in the forms of the words that we write.  Do you have a passion for coffee?  Would you share it with the class?  We would be much obliged.

http://www.anchorbayroasts.com/poetry.html

Indian Monsooned Malabar

Like the fallen leaves on an autumn day, I loved this cup as much as I love the fall smells and colors.

This was the first time that I tried the Monsooned Malabar. I roasted it just until the second-crack began in order to keep more of the original flavor of the bean than infusing the flavor of roast.

What I noticed as I roasted was that the beans smoked pretty good but then the smoke seem to diminish and the chaff was very limited. This Monsooned worked its way through the expected roasting stages without complaint. After about 8 minutes it was finished and I started it to cooling.

I roasted 3oz of the green bean for a 2.5oz yield of roast (16.7% shrinkage). I placed 1oz of whole beans in 750ml glass container, topped off with water, corked the bottle and sat it in the sun for the day. I am attempting to make sun-coffee. I will let the beans soak in the sun day-after-day until all of the beans have sunk to the bottom of the bottle. I'll post again after I have sampled the brew.

Then I brewed a cup of the coffee in a French Press. I ground the beans medium and added a 1/2 ounce (by wieght) to 12 ounces of boiling filtered water. When I added the water to the grounds the grounds frothed with freshness and there I left it to steep for 4 minutes. I then poured 2 - 6oz cups and me and the wife sampled the brew.

As I smelled the aroma I noticed a very cocoa note where my wife said it smelled like a casserole but she could not name the casserole. In any respect, the aroma was different - but in a good way smelling very distinctly of a rich character. As we tasted the coffee my first thought was that it was very smooth to the pallet and she mentioned that it was very mild to the taste. It was both of those with a very homey-type flavor that made me wish that I were in the woods enjoying the songs of birds, the sight of the fallen leaves from trees, and the smells of a damp-autumn and sun-shiny day. All in all this was a very good roast with a great character worthy of being one of God's great creations.

Oh, I almost forgot, I ordered a syphon brewer today - I'm as excited as a young maiden lying in wait for the ball with the prince. I'll post about this in a few days.

Coffeeeeeeeeee!

I just received 18 pounds of coffee - green beans today. Can you say "Excited"! I had a long talk with the UPS guy about coffee and how to become an official coffee snob. He did not want to put the time into roasting his own and I forgot to tell him that he could simply buy it from me. Oh well, I'll catch him on the next trip. ;-)

Seattle's Best Coffee

I've not been able to roast coffee as quickly as I drink it so I have a stash of store bought coffee that I use when I am empty. I picked up a bag of something called Seattle's Best Coffee and I must say that this stuff is horrible!!! It is considered a "dark roast" which simply means that it is burned, they could be using any bean from anywhere because there is no flavor to this cup except the taste of burn. They call this sludge Seattle's Best Coffee and I cannot help but feel sorry for the folks in Seattle if this is the best that they have. The name reminds me of that beer Milwaukee's Best which is also pretty sad for the people of Milwaukee.

NEW Coffee Arrived!

I just received 35 lbs. of green beans! It took over 3 weeks to get my order because the sale at the supplier was such a success that they ran out of some of the beans that I ordered. So, as a way of mollifying me they gave me 4 cork coasters which are pictured at the bottom corners of the photo.

I tried to expand my horizons with this order. I got a pound of Panama Boquette SHB which I am looking forward to trying, as well as a Mexican Altura Pluma. I also got more of some of the beans that I really liked the last time - such as a 5# bag of the Papua New Guinea - Kimel Peaberry. (One thing that is really meaningless but makes me happy is that the 5# bags are burlap sacks which adds a bit of ambiance to the whole process.)

With this new batch of beans I plan to be roasting on a regular basis again and will post new content with each new experience.

Colorado Coffee

I have heard people tell me that the best coffee that they have ever had was coffee that they had on hiking trips in Colorado along the Colorado River. I was thinking about that and decided to give my cousin a call who was the Trail Cook for one such excursion company. I asked her what she did to make the coffee along the trail. Here's what she told me.

"Get ICE-COLD water from the river and filter/purify it. Fill a big coffee pot with the water, through some grounds in it, and boil for 5 minutes. After boiling and just before serving, pour a cup of ice cold water on top (this causes the grounds to fall to the bottom of the pot). At this point serve Colorado Coffee."

I live on the St. Clair River and have been considering getting some water from it and making some "St. Clair Coffee" but my wife is aghast at the notion. She doesn't think I could filter or purify it enough to make it safe. I am leaning on her side of the discussion. I am thinking that I will just wait for a good snow fall and make some "Snow Coffee" instead. ;-)

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.