Posted Wed Feb 18, 2004, 10:47am Subject: Home Blend experiments...
Since my return from France, I've been experimenting a lot more recently.
I roasted a bunch of Brazil (can't remember the exact bean right now) to see what it was like straight.
Roasted a similar amount of Ethiopian Ghimbi.
Custom blended it in different proportions and finally ended up with a 50/50 mix that was ok, but not exciting.
Then I roasted several pounds of Costa Rican Tres Rios - La Magnolia for my brother in law. Partly by accident and partly by design I did a roasting blend (most roasted into active 2nd, but perhaps less than 1/4 roasted into late second). I exacted a small toll and kept some...
Added it to my remaining Brazil/Ghimbi blend that was aging and all glossy with oil (wasn't when fresh roasted) and WOW.. VERY good... chocolately, smooth as HELL.
Now I'll probably never reproduce it, but I'll try. I'm didn't weigh at the end, but I'm guessing it's about 2 parts brazil, 2 parts ghimbi, 1 part tres rios.. it may be as much as 1 part each, but I don't think so.
Anyone else play with blending brazil with central american and african coffees? I still have kenyan to add to this mix.
flydhest Senior Member Joined: 28 Jul 2003 Posts: 274 Location: Washington, DC Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Giotto Grinder: Mazzer Mini Roaster: Hottop
Posted Wed Feb 18, 2004, 11:32am Subject: Re: Home Blend experiments...
Tarik,
I've done the Brazilian/Ghimbi blend and a Brazilian/Harrar blend. I found a higher proportion of the Brazilian to be to my liking--something like 65/35. I have not added any centrals yet, but they are on their way. I did, however, do a 3 part Sulawesi decaf-2part Brazil-1 part Ghimbi that I'm going to try tonight. This is a variant of the blend the I posted on the roasting sub-forum. I think I like the Africans to play a slightly smaller role.
Did you like the Brazil straight? I like it as a straight shot, but clearly it isn't "complete." I tried both the Ghimbi and the Harrar as straight shots and . . . well, let's just chalk it up to research.
acwhite86 Senior Member Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Posts: 4 Location: Coudersport Expertise: Professional
Posted Fri Feb 20, 2004, 10:14am Subject: Re: Home Blend experiments...
I'm not sure I qualify as a home blender any more, but for what it's worth... I've had pretty good results blending about 60% Brazilian Fazende (Vista Allegre, dry processed) with a mix of 25-30% Ethiopian Ghimbi and/or Harar and about 10-15% Yemeni... but it's still not as good as it could be. I might try adding in some Costa Rican to that and see what happens.
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Fri Feb 20, 2004, 1:31pm Subject: Re: Home Blend experiments...
blkeagl Said:
Then I roasted several pounds of Costa Rican Tres Rios ...
Added it to my remaining Brazil/Ghimbi blend that was aging and all glossy with oil (wasn't when fresh roasted) and WOW.. VERY good... chocolately, smooth as HELL.
FWIW, I like to add about 10% "extra high note" beans, Yrg, Kenya, or CR to espresso blends on top of the regular fruit beans like DP Ethiopians or Yemens. I like the double register acidity effect. Of course the trick is not to overdo it. I usually end up with about 30% total on the acidic varieties; but it depends on the exact bean.
Posted Fri Feb 20, 2004, 2:51pm Subject: Re: Home Blend experiments...
another_jim Said:
FWIW, I like to add about 10% "extra high note" beans, Yrg, Kenya, or CR to espresso blends on top of the regular fruit beans like DP Ethiopians or Yemens. I like the double register acidity effect. Of course the trick is not to overdo it. I usually end up with about 30% total on the acidic varieties; but it depends on the exact bean.
It seems to make the espresso silky smooth.. almost not bitter (as much as espresso can be not-bitter) and frankly sweet.
I was thinking of trying Yrg or Kenya since I'm all out of CR. I still have a fair amount of Brazil and a variety of Yemen and Ethiopian beans to play with.
In a hurry this morning, so I just roasted up some Monkey Blend, but as much as I like it, this playing with blending is getting interesting (now that I'm getting real results). I still haven't tried your Black Cat blend.. maybe I should do that next instead of continuing to experiment on my own.
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Fri Feb 20, 2004, 7:18pm Subject: Re: Home Blend experiments...
blkeagl Said:
In a hurry this morning, so I just roasted up some Monkey Blend, but as much as I like it, this playing with blending is getting interesting (now that I'm getting real results). I still haven't tried your Black Cat blend.. maybe I should do that next instead of continuing to experiment on my own.
There's quite a bit of convergence going on among people blending here. I guess because everyone favors the profile you describe, sweet and fruity enough to overshadow any bitterness.
FWIW: my current houseblend is very close to your blend: 10% Kenya, 20% Harar, 30% aged Sulawesi, and 40% Brazil. My so called "Black Cat blend" consisted of two things -1. the idea of adding a highlight beans, which I got from Black Cat, and which worked well; 2. an attempt to duplicate the taste of Black Cat, which failed miserably.
GreatDane Senior Member Joined: 9 Apr 2003 Posts: 10 Location: Roseburg Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: SAMA, Expobar, Cremina Grinder: Mazzer Major Vac Pot: Too many to list Drip: Technivorm Roaster: RK Drum; Behmor 1600; U.S....
Posted Fri Feb 20, 2004, 8:22pm Subject: Re: Home Blend experiments...
I roasted a 50/50 blend of Panama Mama Cata and Brazil Poco Fundo. This was one of the smoothest, complex blends I have ever hand. A full range of tastebud popping flavor with no bitterness.
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Sat Feb 21, 2004, 1:28pm Subject: Re: Home Blend experiments...
GreatDane Said:
I roasted a 50/50 blend of Panama Mama Cata and Brazil Poco Fundo. This was one of the smoothest, complex blends I have ever hand. A full range of tastebud popping flavor with no bitterness.
Posted Fri Feb 27, 2004, 11:54am Subject: Re: Home Blend experiments...
I missed MC as well. I'm having fun trying to get very smooth blends both because I enjoy them and because my wife loves coffee where the bitterness practically vanishes and won't drink it at all when it's present.
It's interesting to roast because much of my extended family tends towards very bitter black brews and I roast very dark for them, or else like my father, I underroast so much that the beans can only really be ground with a blade grinder due to the heavy moisture content (I mentioned this Yemeni/Saudi approach to super light roasting a year or so ago). I don't care for either of these extremes except that I have seen that they can both be made palatable with care.
Anyway, my next roast will be to try your houseblend. I have all those beans in the house. Actually, my next roast will be for a turkish coffee roast for a party. But for myself... :-)
I did a pre-blend of 10% Kenya, 20% Harar Longberry, 30% Aged Sulawesi, and 40% Brazil and roasted just into an active 2nd. It came out as a full city roast.
There was certainly no bitterness, but it didn't have the high, sweet notes either. Instead it is very spicy, definite cloves and cinnamon aftertaste, a little chocolatey.. kind of like a Mexican Hot Chocolate. VERY neat, very remarkable. Roasts like this really reel in my wife, who's not normally a coffee drinker due to the bitter notes.
Flavor is a little too weak in a latte machiatto, so I'm using it for cappucino's mainly. Maybe if I added 5% Uganda Robusta? I'm almost out of Aged Sulawesi, so I'm thinking about substituting a Sumatra (aged or not).
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