Mogiana - 2

Brazil

I roasted 2oz of this bean (yielding 1.5oz of ground coffee) Full-City+ to make a 12 cup pot of coffee. And what a great pot it was!

This cup was nutty and earthy as before (Search "Mogiana") but much fuller this time. The darker roast works well with this bean as it makes a very rich cup that begs you to have more. I have not been rating coffees on the second time around but with the Mogiana I make an exception and give this roast an 8 when it was once a 5.

Harar Horse - 2

Ethiopia

I roasted the Horse to Full-City+ this time and although I enjoyed it I did not pick up on some of the nuanced attributes. I noted a spiciness last time that I did not seem to notice this time around. The only reason for this is the darker roast.

However, when I poured this coffee over ice it was again very enjoyable as the chocolate shined. Because of this I think the best of both worlds is gained with a lighter roast.

Mocca Matari - 2

Yemen

I roasted 2 oz of this bean (yielding 1.75 oz of grounds) to a Full-City+. This is the first bean that I noticed a BIG difference between the lighter City roast and the darker Full-City roast.

Although the aroma was still a pleasing chocolate pudding smell the flavor lost a lot with the darker roast. This bean has lots and lots of character (especially chocolate) but it was not readily apparent with this roast. The coffee was good (as far as plain black coffee goes) but any attempt to quantify the attributes was frustrating because they were not present.

This bean demands the lighter City roast in order to be fully experienced.

Kimel Peaberry - 2

Papua New Guinea

I prepared a 12 cup pot of this Papau New Guinea at a Full City roast (2 oz. of grounds) and took it to a meeting for people to try. Some people drank it black (as coffee is intended to be enjoyed) while others put all kinds of creamers and sugars in theirs (really, why bother with coffee in the first place?) but everyone enjoyed this coffee. One guy in particular knew that this was freshly roasted but forgot as it was 5 minutes before hitting his drink. He literally interrupted the meeting with a surprised exclaimation of how good the coffee was.

As I was brewing this pot my wife came out of the other room and asked me what I was cooking. She said that from the other room it smelled like I was cooking some sort of breakfast meat. It must have been the spiciness in the aroma.

I am sorry now that I did not buy more than 1 pound of this bean, it has been one of my favorites.

Espresso Coffee - Mysore Nugget (Extra Bold)

Mysore Nugget

Well I used some of the Mysore Nugget to make espresso with; I think I am finished with the Espresso for awhile. I am having a very difficult time tasting any real difference in the flavors of espressos - maybe that is by design but it all pretty much tastes the same to me. So, unless I am not particularly fond of a bean I think I will refrain from wasting it.

With that said. The Mysore Nugget was not bad but not exceptionally appealing either. I will rate this espresso as a 5 just to be neutral but that is about all I can do.

Espresso Coffee - Washed Bourbon A

Washed Bourbon

The other night I roasted some of the Rwandan Washed Bourbon to use for Espresso. I did not enjoy this cup as much as I enjoyed the Finca San Jose because the Finca San Jose seemed a touch sweeter and inviting but it was much much less bitter than the Flores Bajawa.

So for these reason I give this bean a 5 rating.

Espresso Coffee - Finca San Jose

Finca San Jose

I used the Nicaraguan Finca San Jose tonight for Espresso. A couple of things that is noticeably different from last nights Flores Bajawa is that 1) it tastes better, less bitter and difficult to get used to, in a very-strongly-roasted sort of way, it was actually quite good and 2) I feel the kick of caffeine where I did not last night. Either this specific bean has more caffeine content or I am more open to the effects of caffeine tonight.

However, Compared to last night's rating of 5 out of 10 I rate this espresso a 7.5 out of 10. I am actually thinking that I would like another cup of this brew.

Espresso Coffee - Flores Bajawa

Flores Bajawa

This is the Primula Aluminum Espresso Coffee Maker

I often tell people that coffee is an "acquired taste" and people agree - especially those people who do not like coffee. But now I think the most honest statement is that "coffee is an acquired taste and espresso is at best tolerated."

Wow! Espresso coffee is coffee times 10. I've been using 2 oz. of grounds for a 12 cup pot but with the espresso maker I use 1 oz. of grounds for just one cup of coffee. It is not so much the caffeine jolt but the flavor is potent. I wish I could say that it tastes good but all I can taste is dark-roast. There seems to be no flavor from the bean at all. I am sure this is by design but I am still going to try the various coffee beans as espresso just to see if there is any difference between them.

I made my first cup of espresso with the Flores Bajawa. As I said I could taste nothing but very strong espresso roasted coffee. Since I do not know what "good" versus "bad" espresso tastes like I am going to rate this first brew a 5 out of 10 just to give me a base line to start from.

NOTE - I have since rescinded this rating of 5 to a rating of 3 because as I learned what to expect, I learned that this espresso was just too bitter to be considered good.

Tres Rios La Magnolia

Costa Rica

I roasted this bean to a City to Full-City and the smell of the beans was sweet and syrupy - like caramel corn. The ground beans were a bit less caramelish but it was still possessed a sweet smell that promised a very rich cup - it did not renege.

The aroma of the brew was very aromatic and pleasurable. It smelled sweetly fragrant, almost like milk-weed, and deep like a coffee shop smells.

This Costa Rican was very rich with a fine balance as the sweetness was evident and the complexity kept me guessing at what sort of flavors I was experiencing. Although this cup was not as distinct as the Peaberry it had a distinction that commands an audience of its own. I am looking forward to someday brewing this cup next to some of the other beans and making a side-by-side comparison

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 8.

Sumatra - Mandehling Gr. 1

Indonesia

The aroma of this Sumatran Mandehling stands out to me as a firm coffee that is classic but far from basic. As I took in its fragrance I could detect the rich earthiness that is imbibed in the flavor.

I roasted this as a City roast (removing the beans from the fire just seconds after the First Crack) as I desired to experience the raw flavor of this bean (I do that sometimes). The flavor is long and earthy which is free from any hint of bitter. Although it is not listed as one of the attributes I sensed a hint of butter, though that could just be the creamy feel of the body upon my tongue.

This is certainly a pleasurable cup.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 5.