Modan Review's Coffee

Alchohol-Free Limoncello

2009-10-01T22:31:00.001+01:00

Episode 46

Coffee: Nicaraguan El Limoncillo Pacamara Peaberry
Special Notes: Matagalpa, Dr Erwin Mierich
Cup Profile: Zesty, big body, controlled sweetness, herby, parsley, funky, overripe fruit

OK, so it’s limoncillo, but close enough.
As much as everyone wants summer to last, I think there is no denying that autumn has arrived, and so this week’s coffee is well timed indeed. The front palate is rich overripe fruits, with dates definitely springing to mind (disclaimer: I very rarely eat dates and had some two days ago, so that may be why I thought of them). There is some acidity there as well, but just a hint.

In the mid palate there is a real meatiness like a rich beef stew and yet at the same time it remains light with quite a strong floral note. It is a very pleasing combination.

The finish is smooth and unassuming, neither making the experience or interrupting it. In some ways I think this is what the ideal finish should be, a gentle fading of the earlier components rather than something new and distinct. And yet I think I am a sucker for the big finish. I will need to bare this in mind in the future.

The other component of this coffee which lasted throughout was a really strong buttery almost greasy mouthfeel. At first it was so strong that I wondered if it was contamination from my earlier slice of toast, but it lasted through the whole cup, so I guess it really was the coffee. Perhaps a bit too overpowering, but mouthfeel is a really big part of what I look for in a coffee, so to get something so distinctive is a very pleasurable experience. I just hope it wasn’t the toast all along!

Wey hey it’s tango!

2009-09-23T21:14:00.001+01:00

Episode 45

Coffee: Guatemalan Finca Vista Hermosa
Special Notes: SHB Huehuetenango Michicoy Micro Lot
Cup Profile:

For an interesting story about how this coffee was bought, check out this weeks InMyMug.

This is an incredibly orangey coffee. I am used to citrus in coffee, but I don’t think I have had such a strong impression of oranges before this. I first tasted this coffee in espresso, and although it is a touch on the acidic side for me, the intensity of the sweet orange flavour in the front palate really won me over.

As with last week, this coffee is on the sweeter side of the spectrum, which isn’t my favourite. For my first attempt at a filter coffee, I tried a higher grinder setting than normal, and ended up with quite a light insipid cup. I’ll have to try with my normal settings before I post this. What was interesting though was how strong the oranges were still. I think the perfectly brewed cup of this coffee could be quite special, even though it will probably never be quite to my taste

Having now tried this again, I think I might have gone too far the other way. I have the feeling I will spend the whole week searching for the perfect balance. Perhaps I will do the same as last week and stick to espresso. Either way, I will be enjoying it very much.

Comfortable Slippers and Loveliness

2009-09-15T13:26:00.001+01:00

Episode 44

Coffee:El Salvador Finca La Fany Bourbon
Special Notes: Santa Ana Region 100% bourbon
Cup Profile: Sweet, caramel, creamy, great mouthfeel, great espresso

For an explanation of the title you will need to watch this weeks InMyMug. This is another coffee that I like rather than love. It is incredibly sweet, making it the perfect coffee for someone trying to wean themselves off of sugar. For me however, I actually found it too sweet and had I not made it myself would have wondered whether it had somehow been contaminated, perhaps by a dirty spoon. I think the fact I couldn’t bring myself to drink a cup of coffee with sugar in actually inhibited my enjoyment.

Other than the sweetness, this coffee is very nicely balanced, light and big bodied. As Steve mentioned, this is not a showy coffee, but it is a very drinkable everyday coffee.

I think I will be drinking mostly espresso this week, as I am hoping that the sweetness will be much more welcome there than in the French Press. I have been ignoring espresso for these write-ups for a while now as I find too much of what I end up tasting is down to my barista skills or lack thereof, but if I find myself having any strong feelings one way or the other with this coffee as espresso, I might come back and add to this post.

UPDATE: I did indeed drink the remainder of this coffee as espresso, and towards the end of the week not only had I drunk some stonking espresso, but I had also started to get a taste for the sweetness in it. I suspect it would still be too sweet for me brewed, but the fact that my tastes are evolving as I expose myself to these coffees is just great

It’s like early in a spring morning in an orchard after a stormy night

2009-09-09T20:34:00.003+01:00

Episode 43

Coffee: Brazil Inglaterra Acaia 2008-2009
Special Notes: Pulped Natural
Cup Profile: Chocolate, creamy with hints of parma violets and a little tea like

There are two big things of note with this weeks coffee. Firstly my description of this coffee is nothing like the cup profile. I’m not sure what happened, but it is almost like I got the wrong coffee. I’ll have to wait and see what Steve says when I watch this weeks InMyMug to see if that helps explain.

And secondly, I have come up with the most pompous sounding description of this coffee ever (this posts title), something that in general I really hate because I think it serves no purpose other than to inflate the ego of the describer, but somehow in this case it feels right.

In my defence, the problem with a description such as the above is that it condenses a lot of information into a small number of words, and has no real meaning unless you can uncompress it back into the original meaning. Since I am about to do that now, I hope I can get away with it.

The first thing that hit me when I tasted this coffee as a big hit of apples (crunchy juicy green apples, not those horrible red ones). So, plenty of nice bright acidity on the front palate. This was followed by a hint of twig, and wet grass. I am trying to avoid adding “but in a good way”, but somehow it was, and I can’t think of a better way to describe it. And finally, a fresh clean finish. When I have used tea like as a descriptor in the past, I have meant this sort of clean finish, but with a hint of tannin bitterness left in the mouth. This has the clean finish, but without the bitterness which is why I avoided using the term, but at least it matches up with the cup profile. I tend to use tea like as a backhanded compliment I guess, whereas I liked the crispness found here.

So to recap, we have apples and twigs, orchard – check! bright and crisp, early spring morning – check! Wet grass, well perhaps stormy night was a bit of a stretch, but with lots of dew isn’t as succinct! In retrospect I’m not sure if I can justify the title after all, but at least my ego is feeling suitably inflated.

Wow, what a mouthful

2009-09-09T20:34:00.001+01:00

Episode 42

Coffee: Costa Rica La Candelilla Tarrazu El Quemado Lot.
Special Notes: 100% Geisha
Cup Profile: Very crisp, citrus acidity, notes of lime very juicy, hint of molasses and lemon. Very aromatic and elegant and wickedly clean.

I was quite worried when I heard about this coffee that I would be lead into loving it by how much Has Bean Steve likes this coffee, and also that I would acquire a taste for coffees with higher price tags. Sadly(?), that wasn’t the case with this coffee at all. In fact even completely ignoring the price tag, this was the least enjoyable coffee I have had form InMyMug in quite a while. I would have liked to spend more time playing with this coffee to see if I could find in it what everyone else seems to love, but it ran out before I found a magic formula.

I’m going to be forced to dive into wine metaphors again, so apologies for that. I suspect this coffee was the equivalent of touring a new world wine region such as California (the only wine region I have been to other than Sussex), and being served bigger and bolder reds, each one trying it’s best to overpower the previous one. And then at the end of the evening, your host proudly pulling out an exquisite old style Bordeaux. So to try and save the honour of my host, I will try and put a brave face on it.

This coffee is very floral and aromatic, with lots of brightness, with a clean crisp finish. Actually perhaps my metaphor above is not quite right, and it is more the equivalent of switching midway through an evening from red to white. I am actually surprised at how well that fits now that it has occurred to me. I have often talked about identifying two broad categories of coffee, one that tastes like you would expect coffee too, with lots of chocolate, caramel, vanilla etc, which I am now going to have to avoid calling my “red wine” coffees, and bright acidic coffees, with citrus, berries, flowers etc, which are my “white wine” coffees. Hopefully I can avoid bringing that up again as I don’t want to start pigeon holing coffees, but it is an interesting fleeting thought. I just hope I never get sent a sparkling coffee!

I am not going to touch on the price here, as I would rather discuss that in a separate post, although whether I ever get around to doing that is debatable.

Buy this It’s Yummy!

2009-09-06T11:34:00.001+01:00

Episode 41

Coffee: Brazil Rancho Sao Benedito 2008
Cup of Excellence Award Winner 2008
Special Notes: Mariana de Carcalho Junqueira Cup of Excellence
Cup Profile: Caramel and chocolate with slight acidity

I haven’t done this in the past, but from now on I will be including links to the coffees each week. I was just going to do it for this week, as I genuinely would recommend buying this, but figured that it makes sense to include it every week.

Recently there have been quite a few coffees featuring chocolate and caramel flavours. Of those coffees, this one is definitely the pick of the bunch. This is rich, creamy and smooth all at the same time. The acidity counterbalances the richness and makes for a very balanced flavour.

As I have commented in the past, this style of coffee is what I would serve guests, as there are no funky flavours that will shock, just great coffee flavours but brighter richer and smoother.

This is a terrible write up of such a lovely coffee, but as I have fallen behind in the drinking as well as the writing up of these coffees, I have been drinking next weeks coffee as well as this one, and so my head is full of what I think about next weeks. The bottom line is if you are considering buying this one then do. If you think it is a little pricey then for the love of god don’t look at next weeks!!!

Thank Brazil Fazenda Sao Judas Tadeu it’s Friday!

2009-08-24T20:46:00.001+01:00

Episode 40

Coffee: Brazil Fazenda Sao Judas Tadeu
Special Notes: Pulped Natural UK Exclusive coffee
Cup Profile: Chocolate and cocao sweetness with a crunchie chocolate type honeycomb aftertaste

OK, I'll come clean, it isn’t Friday and I didn’t taste honeycomb in this coffee, but cut me some slack :-)

I’m not sure if the lack of honeycomb is a difference in the cup or in the mouth. One thing to note is that I first tasted this coffee over a week after it was roasted, so even though the coffee was sealed for that period I am sure there was at least a small amount of ageing. I tend to find it harder to detect those signature flavours as I get to the end of the bag, so perhaps something similar is going on here.

As for what I do taste, this coffee is all about aftertaste and mouthfeel. The initial taste is bright and fresh, without being overly lively. There is also a hint of tea in there, which I think might be a result of the natural process? I will need to come up with a way of tracking such things at some point, but for now I’ll just put it out there and wait to get shot down.

Anyway, just as this coffee seems to be showing itself as a fairly run of the mill albeit pleasant coffee, it dissolves into one of the sweetest chocolaty aftertastes I have come across. Think Galaxy melted in the mouth by a swig of coffee. The way it coats the mouth is straight out of a Galaxy commercial too. Smooth, silky, velvety, etc. The difference between this and the bitter aftertaste that I used to associate with coffee is simply stunning.

I’m not sure what goes into the judging of what makes a great coffee in official circles, but I am starting to think that finish should be considered one of the most important factors. I am sitting on a train right now, but if I was at home I would definitely be thinking about brewing some more, as I have this lovely memory sitting in my mouth. Of course in order form me to consider this to be a great coffee I would be looking for a better initial taste, but pair this finish with the best initial flavours, and I would be talking about something truly spectacular.

Memoirs of a Panama Esmeralda Geisha

2009-08-24T20:45:00.001+01:00

Episode 39

Coffee: Panama Esmeralda Geisha Lot 5
Special Notes: Truly Rare Coffee
Cup Profile: Red Fruit, Super Clean, Vibrant Acidity and Cherry

There are certain coffees that are really easy to write about. They are big, bold shocking coffees, packed full of weird and wonderful flavours, the sorts of coffees you could imagine Jilly Goulden would get excited talking about. And then there are coffees like this one. They taste of, well coffee.

I do get a hint of cherry as mentioned in the cup profile, like the cherries in blackforest gateau in particular. But this isn’t it’s main component, and I had to search for it rather than it jumping out. This was much more like going to a friends house and them brewing coffee, except brighter, fresher, cleaner etc. Thankfully I have friends who make good coffee, considering they are typically buying pre-ground coffee from supermarkets.

So now I have a problem. Is it better for a coffee to taste exciting and unique, or should it taste the way people expect coffee to taste, just without the nasty bitterness, and with a bit of acidity? I certainly think that this style of coffee has the ability to appeal to a wider audience. Since my friends know I am a bit of a coffee obsessive, they definitely take more interest in the coffee I serve them. I had a hard time explaining the banana coffee I served a few weeks ago, whereas this one would go down a treat I am sure. Or at least it would have done had I not just finished the last of it.

Letting the side down…

2009-08-21T21:14:00.001+01:00

Please bear with me as I have just started a new job this week, and have let thing slip here while I back get into the swing of things. Hopefully I will manage to do a big catch-up on Sunday morning. If I do really well on Sunday I might even manage to report on the results of my espresso machine mod!

Once things have settled down, I should actually find it easier to get updates done more regularly, as I spend over 2 hours on a train every day. For now being away from home from 6:30am to 8pm is taking a bit of getting used to.

Bourbon vs Pacamara – FIGHT!!!

2009-08-05T21:23:00.001+01:00

Episode 38

Coffee: El Salvador Las Delicias Bourbon
Special Notes: Santa Anna Region 100% Bourbon
Cup Profile: Sweet, caramel, creamy and great mouthfeel.

Coffee: El Salvador Las Delicias Pacamara
Special Notes: Santa Ana Region 0% Bourbon (says 100% Bourbon on the packet)
Cup Profile: Sweet, caramel, creamy and great mouthfeel.

Another double header this week, and again proof that varietals have a huge impact on flavour and aroma. Given that the Special notes of the Pacamara said 100% Bourbon, I’m not sure that too much should be read into the fact that the cup profiles for the 2 coffees is the same, although this is also true of the listings on HasBean, so perhaps it is correct. I certainly didn’t find them at all similar, and after attempting to drink them side by side last night, I decided that I needed to review them separately, as I just couldn’t get into the Bourbon after the Pacamara. In particular it smelt very odd, and for a while I wondered if it was tainted, although I did get used to it. I’m going to do the Bourbon first so that I don’t get the same effect today.

Bourbon

After last nights disappointing cup, I decided to up-dose the Bourbon in the hope that might improve it, but to be honest this just isn’t a great coffee when made in a french press in my opinion. It does have a good mouthfeel, and it is nice enough, but there is nothing about it that excites me. I prefer the french press when reviewing coffee since it is a lot easier to get right than espresso, I don’t want to be reviewing my barista skills after all, but for this coffee I think I will come back to it after trying it as an espresso.

Pacamara

This is much more my cup of tea (coffee?). It is bright and acidic, without the acidity being overpowering. There is plenty of creaminess and caramel going on. After the last few weeks of wild and challenging coffees this is a much more conventional coffee, but it is definitely not a boring one. Perhaps not as clean and crisp as the yellow bourbon of a couple of weeks ago, but a very nice smooth coffee.

Bourbon Revisited (as espresso)

Having tasted the espresso, I am still not loving this coffee. It is definitely more suited to espresso, but it is just not pushing my buttons. I guess this coffee vindicates my decision not to give scores each week. I am not keen on it, but I don’t feel that makes it a bad coffee. I guess it is possible to judge a coffee dispassionately, but I am not there yet.

What on earth does this taste of???

2009-07-29T12:29:00.001+01:00

Episode 37

Coffee: Indonesian Sidkaland
Special Notes: Cupping Notes to be decided by InMyMug Subscribers
Cup Profile:

This is the first one of these I have written up while drinking the coffee for the first time in a while, something I have been meaning to get back into the habit of doing. I am also watching the InMyMug episode live too, and it is a good one to have chosen to do this. Steve has set a challenge to viewers to taste this coffee and then send him our feedback to create the tasting notes. So here goes

The first thing you notice on opening the bag is a great waft of sickly sweet fruit. Being nice I would describe it as strawberry yoghurt or banana chips. Rancid fruit also springs to mind though. Interestingly this aroma is much stronger at a distance with a close-up sniff producing a more normal smell.

Drinking the coffee produces more unusual sensations. An almost tea-like texture, very thin and lacking in creaminess (sorry, I don’t know a word for lack of creaminess. perhaps low viscosity?). In terms of taste the words are not easy to find. I did some slurping and actually said out loud “what was that?”, and I have no idea.

OK, I have cracked out the espresso now, and it is bright and acidic, and the banana is back again although less severe. There is also something unusual in the background which I also picked up in the aroma. If I hadn’t got it in the aroma I would have assumed it was a problem with the extraction, and perhaps it still was, but there is a burnt note there, perhaps like the burnt crust on toast, or even a bit like burnt crackling. That is definitely the dominant aftertaste for me now too, almost as though by putting a name to it I am noticing it more.

Definitely an interesting combination of flavours going on there, although probably more for the experience than for he actual taste. I didn’t think it was going to work at all in espresso when I tasted the brewed, so I really surprised myself. I can’t imagine it working in a milk based drink though, although I am sure I will give it a go at some point.

A Rudolph Steiner inspired coffee?

2009-07-29T11:16:00.001+01:00

Episode 36

Coffee: Brazil Cafe Ita Bahia
Special Notes: Bio Dymanic Certification UK6
Cup Profile: Sweet Chocolate, with a smooth body and a smooth aftertaste. A little hint of walnut with a lovely long finish

So this weeks coffee is biodynamic. While I am definitely not a fan of Anthroposophy from the brief reading I have done, I like the idea of treating a farm holistically and so caring for the soil, the crop and the workers in a way that is sustainable and ethical. The fact I like this from a capitalist rather than mystical standpoint would probably not go down well with advocates though.

This is a nice sweet coffee, with a lovely mouth feel. I made one of my nicest cappuccinos ever with this coffee, as it really brought out a sweetness and creaminess that I would challenge anyone who doesn’t like coffee because it is too bitter to make this claim here. While I think the farm has wasted their time planting according to lunar cycles, I do think that they have made a very pleasant although not world beating coffee.

Red or Yellow? They both look brown to me!

2009-07-29T10:45:00.001+01:00

Episode 35

Something a bit special this week. Two coffees from the same farm, giving a chance to taste the difference between two varietals.

Type 1

Coffee: Guatemala El Bosque Red Bourbon
Special Notes: Oops, what happened to the bag?
Cup Profile: Oops, what happened to the bag?

Type 2

Coffee: Guatemala El Bosque Yellow Bourbon
Special Notes: Oops, what happened to the bag?
Cup Profile: Oops, what happened to the bag?

This was my first ever attempt at comparing two coffees directly, and while it was a very interesting experience I found it posed some interesting challenges in terms of coming up with good descriptors. The reason I started doing this blog was to challenge my taste buds, and to maximise my coffee drinking experience, so on that front job done.

What I don’t have at the end of this week is a good description of either coffee. I found once I started comparing them that it was very difficult to think of one except in terms of the other. However what I did find is that there is a significant difference in the coffees produced from these beans even though they have been grown on the same farm and processed using the same process. I think this in itself is a bit of a breakthrough for me. I will now be looking for red and yellow bourbons and looking to see whether the differences between these two coffees can be found across different farms and different countries.

Perhaps one day in the future I will find myself in a coffee shop asking “have you got any yellow bourbon” rather than “have you got any ethiopian” which has always seemed like a bit of a stab in the dark and is perhaps as inappropriate as asking for wine by asking for anything French.

Anyway, to get back to the coffee again, there is only one conclusion to be drawn, the yellow bourbon is in my opinion streaks ahead of the red. It was cleaner, more balanced, smoother, had better mouth feel. Basically in any way I could think of to compare, I preferred the yellow. Of course the yellow is the one that is impossible to get, so obviously that is the one I prefer.

It will be interesting to learn whether I think that yellow is “better” than red, or whether this is just a result produced by the specific circumstances on the farm. I don’t know if I would be rushing out and planting masses of yellow bourbon just yet (even if my opinion is the norm, which it may of course not be), and I have no idea whether this is even feasible in terms of how many years of crop would be lost to the change, but definitely something I would be tempted to do if I owned a farm, as I can’t help tinkering. It’s probably lucky I don’t really.

Weighing things up

2009-07-15T11:43:00.001+01:00

The two areas of my espresso making where I haven’t been happy thus far, are dosing and temperature control. At some point in the future I will be installing a PID to my machine, but for now I am contenting myself with playing with dosing.

Given that my kitchen scales had a precision of 2g, I definitely needed to buy some new equipment. After a bit of research, I found that the best option for my needs was a cheap as chips pocket balance off of EBay. For a mere £8 I got a balance that measures down to 0.1g, and although for the price I am suspicious of how accurate it is, it certainly seems consistent which is what really matters.

Having received the balance, the first thing I wanted to do was get used to the consistency. I started with 17g as my dose, and started pulling some pretty decent shots. The one thing that became very apparent at this point was that I was getting the occasional sour shot caused by not having the machine up to temperature. I have since been more careful to leave the machine on for longer before brewing to ensure that it is properly heated up. In order to increase the consistency, I have now switched to having espresso days, and French press days. This means that I can leave the machine on all day to get the temperature stability, and also means that I don’t have to worry about changing over grind settings (which leads to changes in dose due to left over grinds)

Now that I had the basics under control, I wanted to start playing, as my consistent 17g shot was not anything more than acceptable. My first attempt was down to 14g, and one click finer on the grinder. This definitely produced something more interesting, but I struggled with consistency, which seemed to be down to poor distribution of the grinds. Next attempt was 15g, which was much more satisfactory. Consistency was much improved, and suddenly the coffee for the week became a different animal.

Of course then the next batch of coffee turns up, and suddenly the equilibrium has been upset again. This weeks batch is actually two coffees, a red and a yellow bourbon. The yellow is working out OK at 15g, but the red is massively acidic, and is definitely not right. The machine is warming up as I write this, so time for further experiments. I’m thinking 16g is next, although having had a quick look around the www.home-barista.com forums today, I probably will try at least one 12g shot.

Close but no cigar

2009-07-15T10:55:00.001+01:00

Episode 34

Coffee: Cuba Serrano Superior
Special Notes: Cuban rare coffee
Cup Profile: Great body, smoothness with a hint of roasted nuts and a spicy kick

I want to keep these posts about the coffee, so there will be one short post about this coffee, and then a small tome about my parameter tweaking.

I thought this coffee was OK, but it didn’t blow my world. I wasn’t sure about it from the cup profile, as I don’t tend to associate body and smoothness, and I hate nuts! As it turns out I pretty much agree with the profile, as it wasn’t that overpowering full bodied taste that I couldn’t associate with smooth, yet was still bold and rounded.

Where I was less keen was that for me the nuttiness tended a bit close to muddiness, or woodiness perhaps, although that was something that did vary from cup to cup. I was also hoping for a bit more punch in the spicy note. It was certainly there, but I just wanted more of it.

All in all, I certainly did enjoy it, even if it wasn’t my favourite, and I did get better results with it towards the end of the week in espresso, as I started to play with dosing (more about that in the next post).

Coffee and sweat don’t mix

2009-07-06T21:31:00.001+01:00

This title probably not true for those who roast their own coffee, but I think the main thing I learnt this week was that I don’t love espresso when it is too hot. One of the reasons I started doing this blog was to better understand my taste in coffee, and in doing so increase my enjoyment of it. This week has been the first that I have found myself drinking the coffee because I knew I had to get through it, rather than trying to drink less because I was running out.

This has lead to me playing around with my “recipes” or perhaps “rituals” is a better word. I think that one of the great things about coffee is that I get to take part in the creative process whereas when drinking wine for instance the experience is much more passive.

I think it is a real shame that so few people in the UK currently realise just how good coffee can be. I have some ideas on how I would like to evangelise on the subject that I may develop over the next few months if I don’t run out of steam. But given that I have been struggling to keep up with a schedule of one blog post a week, I don’t want to promise too much too soon.

Oops I’m Late, Time for a Double Update – Part 2

2009-07-06T21:13:00.003+01:00

Episode 33

Coffee: Brazil Fazenda Lagoa Mundo Novo Natural 2008-2009
Special Notes: Sul De Minas, Minas Gerais
Cup Profile: Low toned acidity with a tasty hint of spice and cocoa. Date or fig dipped in sugar with a chewy texture

Back to a much more sensible coffee this week, and a very nice one at that. It’s been a few weeks since I tasted chocolate in my coffee, and it was a welcome return. I would get bored of this sort of coffee if drinking every week I think, but I instantly found myself drawn to eating chocolate while drinking this as espresso, and luckily I had some around.

This coffee also works well in the French press, giving a nice balanced coffee. I can’t say that I got fig dipped in sugar, but perhaps that is just me. The spiciness was spot on though, and I don’t think I ever made a bad cup of this coffee. This was a definite change from last week where I had as many misses as hits. But then perhaps the highs weren’t quite so high either.

Oops I’m Late, Time for a Double Update – Part 1

2009-07-06T21:13:00.001+01:00

Episode 32

Wow, I’ve really fallen behind. Here are the last 2 weeks updates in one go. Hopefully I am back on track after this.

Coffee: Ethiopia Zege Lake Tana
Special Notes: Lake Tana
Cup Profile: Clean, Transparent, Lemons, funky, boozy, wild

I think the cup profile says a lot about what to expect with this coffee. Basically it is a bit nuts. I wrestled with it all week as an espresso, and couldn’t get any consistency with it at all. It felt like the potential of the beans was quite special, but I could somehow never capture that in the cup. The first shot of it I had was probably the closest although that was so bright and acidic I think it was under-extracted but the intensity of flavours after that initial hit were intense. I got a real cherry brandy hit with a warmth and spiciness that really did make it seem as though there must be some alcohol in there.

In the French Press, I found this to be a very enjoyable coffee, although again more fickle than most. In fact I used that to help me play with the parameters of my method a bit, and managed to improve things slightly I think.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience of making this coffee and trying to get the best out of it more than I enjoyed drinking it. I’m not sure if that is because I failed in getting the best out of it, or because it just wasn’t my bag. It would definitely be one I would like to see again at some time in the future, just not too soon!

Who knew coffee could taste like cherry brandy?

2009-06-24T21:25:00.003+01:00

This weeks InMyMug coffee (Ethiopian Zege) is completely nuts. As a result I am going to leave it until the end of the bag to blog about it, as I just can't decide what I think about it. Actually this is something I had been considering doing anyway, so will probably be the model going forwards.

I might just go and brew myslef a cup now. It is certainly more tame/sane brewed than espresso'd

Kenya Kanjanthi (Ep 31)

2009-06-15T19:32:00.001+01:00

This coffee came with some pre-hype courtesy of www.hasblog.co.uk and it didn't disappoint. Definitely the best coffee of the bunch so far (and even though that is only a bunch of 3 at the moment, it will probably be a while before it has been surpassed).

Unfortunately I don't think I have got the best out of this coffee yet in all the styles I drink, and so I am going to refrain from my usual breakdown. To be honest I wanted to play with the format anyway. I might post again later in the week once I feel like I have played a bit more with the variables, and feel more comfortable saying what this coffee can and can't do. I am reaching my caffeine limits for the day, so further playing will have to wait.

I am starting to doubt my nose, as the aromas I have had from this don't seem to go together at all. There was definite lemon as I brewed the mug I am currently drinking (french press), yet when ground it smelt of a rich almost meaty red sauce. And I think that is what makes this coffee so interesting is that these unusual combinations are present in the cup.

I am quite a fan of zingy acidic espresso, and this has it in spades. It is full on melon and lemon in the first hit, and yet builds into a much richer, fuller bodied finish. The best description I get for it is marzipan, which may sound weird, but that is the same description I get when I get a good shot from Monmouth (I never did work out if there is a particular person who pulls the good shots there, but when they get it right they blow away anything I have been capable of at home).

I think this coffee is too nice to have as a latte, so probably wont be trying it again. Where I am wanting to experiment a bit further is in the americano and french press. With both of these, I don't think that I have managed to get the dose right. With my normal proportions, a lot of the zing is missing, and there is an overbearing tea-like finish. Not something I would complain about normally, but it just doesn't live up to what was present in the espresso.

Of course this coffee is so nice in espresso that I don't want to waste too much of it in tuning larger drinks. I don't think it is going to take much fiddling to get it right though, and that will be very much worth it I think. Hopefully I will get some new results worth posting

Australian Skybury (Ep 30)

2009-06-10T21:07:00.000+01:00

Better late than never...

Aroma of the beans
It took me a while to come up with what I was picking up from these, and then it finally came to me - Rich Tea biscuits. Not something I have ever had from coffee before, but not unpleasant.

Aroma once ground
The rich teas are still there, although they have moved towards the more normal coffee spectrum. There is a hint of spicyness there too.

Espresso
Pleasant enough start to the cup, although nothing to write home about. As I went through the cup I started to get a lovely spicyness, and a hint of marzipan. I'm not sure to what extent this would be improved by a better barista than myself, or whether I got all that was there.

Americano
Didn't really work as an americano for me, became a bit insipid. I definitely need something a bit bolder.

Latte
Very mellow, with a hint of spice. Probably my favourite way to have this coffee. If only I could be bothered to go to the effort of steaming milk more often. Perhaps this week I will work on my latte art, as I work through this bag.

Summary
A great novelty gift for Australians. I don't expect that Australia is about to take over the world of coffee anytime soon though. Not to say that this is a bad coffee at all, just that it doesn't have any particularly outstanding features.

Till next time...

Colombia La Manuela (Ep29)

2009-06-02T09:02:00.000+01:00

Wow, what a great coffee to get things started, probably not my normal style, but one I really enjoyed thinking a bit about. I guess the 2 main reasons I want to do this are to keep a record of which coffees I enjoy, and also to get me thinking more about the coffees I am drinking which will hopefully enhance the experience. Anyway, I don't want to turn this post into an essay, so onto the coffee.

Aroma of the beans (snozzer time)

As Steve noted, there is a real pea-like aroma. I definitely picked up yellow split peas, or perhaps lentils. It's something I have not picked up on before with other coffees, so hopefully not just something I got through the power of suggestion.

Aroma of the ground

The peas have disappeared and been replaced with a light sweetness, and a promise of acidity. Not something I can come up with a good analogy for (this is my first time, be gentle), but clearly a very different aroma from before.

And finally the coffee itself!

A very mellow aroma, almost bland even. It's certainly not a punch in your face. And the taste is similar. In espresso I was very surprised to get a real dark roast flavour from what is clearly a lightly roasted bean, but for me, it was the good of a dark roast without the bad. Very little bitterness, with a really good balance of sweetness and acidity. In terms of flavour I think this is what I thought great coffee tasted like before I encountered the world of speciality coffee via an office move that meant Monmouth coffee was the nearest decent coffee shop (sorry for walking past you Cafe Nero). The only negative I found was a slight bitterness to the aftertaste

I guess where I am going with this is that the taste of this coffee while pleasing is nothing special. Where this coffee really shines is in it's mouth feel. It doesn't come through massively in an espresso, but turn it into an americano and the sensation is just beautiful. Steve mentioned toffee, I think I would go with caramel, or to lose the plot in over-specificity, the caramel layer of an ice-cream Mars Bar. Anyway back to reality, there is a real sensation of a rich velvety coating being left on the mouth, something which really makes this coffee stand out.

I should probably investigate more brewing methods for the future, but since I am still very much learning the craft of espresso making, I have been choosing to immerse myself fully into that method. I suspect the rich velvetyness that came through in the americano will be even more of a factor in a french press or similar.

Summary

Overall, this is a very nice coffee, although not one that has blown my socks off. I suspect that if I had not being trying ot start this blog, this coffee would have passed me by without making much of an impact. As it is, this is definitely one I would be interested in coming back to in the future, particularly if I ever start to play with different brewing methods. I also wonder whether this coffee might be a good base for a blend, although I know nothing about how/why blends work. I just like this idea of the texture of this coffee combined with the chocolatey vanilla tastes I particularly like.

I'm probably not going to score coffees as a regular thing, but since I haven't fully decided the format yet, and also I think this is a really good baseline coffee, I am going to give it a very solid 7 out of 10.

In My Mug

2009-06-01T19:40:00.000+01:00

One of the things I hope to be blogging about is reviews of the coffees each week on In My Mug.

I have just bought a 12 month subscription to get the coffees so I can taste as I watch.

The first one is the Colombia La Manuela 2009-2010 which I have been enjoying the last couple of days, and I will write up after watching the episode with my morning coffee tomorrow

Is this thing on...

2009-06-01T19:34:00.000+01:00

OK, I've been meaning to start blogging for a few years now, but finally I think now might be the time.