Posted Mon Jul 28, 2003, 5:22pm Subject: Jim Shulman's 'Black Cat' imitation blend is a fav in our home
Hi Jim...
My husband asked me to thank you...your blend is his absolute favorite (he refers to it as, "Jim's Black Magic"). Roasting 2 batches per week has become a requirement. :)
Deborah
p.s...for those not familiar with Jim's "Magic," here you go:
"The blend is now a flat out imitation of Black Cat; not of its flavors, but of the concept of doing a "full-range" espresso with flavors that go from high acidic notes to big bass roast flavors. I got this by adding Yrgacheffe to add a flowery high note to accent the fruit and chocolate flavors of the Mocha and Budadiri.
The important thing about a full range espresso blend is the use of a very sweet base. Black Cat uses Sulawesi and a sweet Brazil, I use the same as well as a very sweet Robusta. If there's not enough sweetness, the high notes just taste sour, like they frequently do in an unsugared Illy shot.
For those who want to try it, here's the recipe:
1/4 Mocha (anyone will do), 1/4 Uganda Budadiri 1/8 Sulawesi, 1/8 Coxupe Prima Qualita Brazil 1/8 Yrgacheffe, 1/8 Uganda Nanga Farms Robusta
Roast in at least two batches: the Budadiri, Brazil, and Robusta to a dark full city with oil gloss; the Sulawesi, Mocha, and Yrg so that the darkest beans are at a dry bean full city.
If it's too uneven and bright tasting, especially in an airroaster, switch the roaster off 1 minute at the first pops of the first crack, then another 45 seconds as the first crack winds down (latest one minute after it starts), this will even out the colors, and lengthen the roast to the right profile. If you have a temperature controlled roaster, do the roast so there's 5 minutes from the start of the first to the end of the roast.
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Mon Jul 28, 2003, 9:38pm Subject: Re: Jim Shulman's 'Black Cat' imitation blend is a fav in our home
Thanks for the plug.
Also thanks for the quote; now I know why people think it's a black cat imitation. Actually, it isn't. I tried to mix up a black cat imitation, and it was terrible. It's my regular "fruit and chocolate" houseblend, with tweaks I added after tasting Black Cat and realizing one could add interest with a touch of a high note.
One minor correction: I switch the brazil and sumatra in the roast batches; since the brazil is fast, the sumatra slow.
Here's a similar tasting blend that is simpler (I've been trying to simplify in the last few months):
Single roast: 40% Brazil, 30% aged Indo or Monsooned Malabar (I use aged Sulawesi), 20% Yemen or Harar, 10% Kenya. SMs aged Sulawesi is very chocolatey, others in this class are smokey.
HughF Senior Member Joined: 1 May 2003 Posts: 46 Location: NE Hampshire, UK Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale S1, formerly a... Grinder: Rocky DL and Macap MC6 DL Vac Pot: Bodum mini e-Santos Drip: N/A - French Press Roaster: HotTop & back-up HWP
Posted Tue Jul 29, 2003, 8:40am Subject: Re: Jim Shulman's 'Black Cat' imitation blend is a fav in our home
Thank you for that last post (and for loads of others on other threads); that sounds a very interesting single-roast blend. I have a 17-coffee 17lb. Mega-Sampler from Two Loons Coffee that I am working my way through at the moment and I think I have all those beans.
Could you possibly suggest a degree of roast for that blend? I looked at your first post also but couldn't work it out from that.
My taste in roasts is around City, I think, but I tried a very dark but no oil roast (230 Volt HWP setting "5" using Sumatra DP, slight oil showing the next day) last weekend and liked it but was still thinking of backing it off to "4.9" next time.
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Tue Jul 29, 2003, 10:00am Subject: Re: Jim Shulman's 'Black Cat' imitation blend is a fav in our home
HughF Said:
Could you possibly suggest a degree of roast for that blend? I looked at your first post also but couldn't work it out from that.
I usually roast a little beyond the start of the second crack, but not to a rolling second. On the HWP, where the second is hard to hear, stop the roast when you see the beans starting to spot with oil. You can also go a bit darker, into a rolling second, on the HWP as far as the point where the beans are uniformly oily in the roaster. The degree of roast depends more on how hot your espresso machine brews than the beans used. Cooler running machines profit from darker roasts.
Posted Wed Jul 30, 2003, 4:14pm Subject: Re: Jim Shulman's 'Black Cat' imitation blend is a fav in our home
another_jim Said:
Thanks for the plug.
Here's a similar tasting blend that is simpler (I've been trying to simplify in the last few months):
Single roast: 40% Brazil, 30% aged Indo or Monsooned Malabar (I use aged Sulawesi), 20% Yemen or Harar, 10% Kenya. SMs aged Sulawesi is very chocolatey, others in this class are smokey.
I did purchase Aged Sumatra and Aged Sulawesi from SM's a few weeks ago. I WILL give your latest creation a whirl in the HT. It may be difficult to convince my husband to expand his horizons (as he's HOOKED on your earlier version). :)
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Wed Jul 30, 2003, 5:45pm Subject: Re: Jim Shulman's 'Black Cat' imitation blend is a fav in our home
deborahb Said:
Hi Jim...
I did purchase Aged Sumatra and Aged Sulawesi from SM's a few weeks ago. I WILL give your latest creation a whirl in the HT. It may be difficult to convince my husband to expand his horizons (as he's HOOKED on your earlier version). :)
I'd be interested to hear if he can tell the difference; to me they are very close except for the slight Robusta nose on the old blend.
HughF Senior Member Joined: 1 May 2003 Posts: 46 Location: NE Hampshire, UK Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale S1, formerly a... Grinder: Rocky DL and Macap MC6 DL Vac Pot: Bodum mini e-Santos Drip: N/A - French Press Roaster: HotTop & back-up HWP
Posted Sat Aug 16, 2003, 12:51am Subject: Re: Jim Shulman's 'Black Cat' imitation blend is a fav in our home
I tried this blend, roasted to your roasting instructions, the last two weekends and it's been great.
I'll stick with it until I run out of the Two Loons green to make it then I'll switch to learning the remaining varietals until I can get a slow delivery with (relatively) cheap shipping from the USA again - including the beans for your blend plus others to learn about (also, we drink FP during the week).
It tastes a little dark for me as a straight double but it punches through a cappuccino (aka "accidental latte"! - I'm only getting a bit better at frothing milk since I straightened the Carezza's steam wand....) really nicely so I won't go lighter on the roast.
My HWP sounded as though it needed lubricating a few days ago (speed varying during cool-down) so I bought some Mobil 1 synthetic oil. I then found I didn't have a long enough screwdriver to open it up.
So I just vacuumed it as best I could from outside and it did 2 roasts of your blend last night without missing a beat. (I let it cool a long time between roasts in case.) Maybe the (ambient) temperature was really the problem before, it could have been over 100 F in the kitchen (it was nearly that outside).
I just want to keep it going at least until the new HWP is out, it's given 2 years + of very good service. The latest date I remember for the new HWP was October (anyone know better, please?).
Due to this delay, I only roasted on Friday night for the weekend espressos - I think I'm going to need bigger shot glasses today!
Thanks very much again for the blend and roasting instructions,
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Sat Aug 16, 2003, 12:42pm Subject: Re: Jim Shulman's 'Black Cat' imitation blend is a fav in our home
HughF Said:
... It tastes a little dark for me as a straight double but it punches through a cappuccino (aka "accidental latte"! - I'm only getting a bit better at frothing milk since I straightened the Carezza's steam wand....) really nicely so I won't go lighter on the roast.
You can try roasting it a tad lighter. In my old HWP, by the time one heard the second crack, the beans were already a touch oily. Try stopping when you see just a slight shineyness.
Everyone in England, no matter what their machine or skill level, complains about frothing. My guess is there's some unfriendly additive the dairies use, or that they pasteurize to a higher temperature than anyone else.
Thanks very much again for the blend and roasting instructions,
Posted Sat Aug 16, 2003, 8:48pm Subject: Re: Jim Shulman's 'Black Cat' imitation blend is a fav in our home
another_jim Said:
Thanks for the plug.
Here's a similar tasting blend that is simpler (I've been trying to simplify in the last few months):
Single roast: 40% Brazil, 30% aged Indo or Monsooned Malabar (I use aged Sulawesi), 20% Yemen or Harar, 10% Kenya. SMs aged Sulawesi is very chocolatey, others in this class are smokey.
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