jammin Senior Member Joined: 25 Nov 2009 Posts: 658 Location: Boise Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Speedster, Cremina Grinder: K10, Vario-W with Ditting... Vac Pot: Hario Drip: manual Roaster: quest m3, hottop b
Posted Mon Jan 25, 2010, 4:33pm Subject: Stumptown Hairbender
Just got it in today (roasted 1/22/10). Pulled myself a couple shots and wanted to jot down my initial thoughts.
For starters, I would like to say that I like how they include a card with the beans particular origin's and tasting notes. It comes tucked into a neat little "pouch" on the front of the bag. Roast date is stamped onto the bottom of the bag(lined paper). As soon as I opened the box the smell that came out was great.
So I cleared the Vario and proceeded to grind away. The first shot (14.4g/1.25oz) pulled a little quick and as I pondered the taste all I could think was - this stuff tastes like liquid flowers and very citrusy. I tried to get specific and the only thing I could think of was Jasmine. You should know, I am very used to my local blend which is VERY chocolatey so the Hairbender was a completely different experience. I picked up the little card to see what it is supposed to taste like to see if I was able to detect any of the described flavors and here is what is reads:
Flavors Caramel, toffee, chocolate, citrus and soft floral notes.
I checked the website for a more thorough description and found Jasmine as well.
So I was happy I was on the right track. After tightening the grind a little it balanced nicely. I wouldn't say this stuff has the most body in the world but I'm a junky for syrupy/chocolatey spro' so i might be biased;). I hope to fill in any of the blanks later as I get closer to the bottom of the 2 bags.
espressoaddict Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 346 Location: Seattle Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia V3 (Primary)... Grinder: Baratza Vario 2009 and... Vac Pot: None Drip: Melitta Single Cup, Bodum...
Posted Mon Jan 25, 2010, 6:20pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
Hi Jackson,
I wanted to add, Hairbender when prepared right, can deliver some excellent Espresso. Personally, like to savor it either as a Ristretto or paired with steamed milk. You are definitely right that it tastes like chocolate. You may consider their other blend called Holler Mountain Blend if you want the option of making press, as well. It's very flavorful when made as press and very rich tasting. I found this blend ideal for both Espresso and press. As a matter of fact, that's what I have in my Vario today.
Regarding their bags, I would personally transfer the beans into a tight jar or bag with a one-way valve. The bag they provide is not as nearly ideal when sealing the bag tightly. Its ok to leave in the bag for up to 5 days to allow the beans to degass, but after that I would transfer. Again this is my preference.
Seems you are on day 3. Usually on day 1 - 4, there is a lot of degassing going-on. Day 5 and beyond as far as day 10. I typically finish my 12 oz or 1 lb way before the 15th day. My preferred dose usually involves using between ~16 - 18 grams of coffee to yield anywhere between .75 - 1 oz of a Ristretto style extraction. Typically, start brewing immediately after pulling about a 1 oz cooling flush immediately after the thermostat light turns-off. The brew temp is anywhere between 200 - 203 F.
I'm interested to know and see what kind of results you are able to generate on your prosumer Espresso machine, plus Vario.
Keep in mind, the Ristretto shots I've seen pulled at one of Stumptown's location in Seattle will appear a dark brown a tad between dark and milk chocolate. However, I was only able to produce a shot not as dark at home, but still pretty good for my palate.
jammin Senior Member Joined: 25 Nov 2009 Posts: 658 Location: Boise Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Speedster, Cremina Grinder: K10, Vario-W with Ditting... Vac Pot: Hario Drip: manual Roaster: quest m3, hottop b
Posted Mon Jan 25, 2010, 6:43pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the tips and personel review. I'm glad you reminded me of the "sweet spot" on the Hairbender. I'll post another mini-review sometimme after day five and see how it changes. I'm glad I wrote down my initial impression so I have something to compare it to. TBH, I have been hard time dialing this blend in for some reason. It seems that the shot time varies big-time with a slight change in grind.
Jmanespresso Senior Member Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 2,108 Location: Westchester NY Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Alex Duetto II Grinder: Compak K10 - Vario Vac Pot: Yama-SY5/SY8/TCA5 Drip: V60, Beehouse, CCD Roaster: Hottop B
Posted Tue Jan 26, 2010, 2:10am Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
Hey man,
Firstly, I have a suggestion for you. Go out and spend $0.50 or so on a Notebook. Keep notes on every coffee you try, whether you have had it before or not. Keep track of the flush(es), the Dose(s), the flavors, the pull, everything. Then, when you come back to that same blend, you have a starting point. Plus, it's alot of fun to watch your palate grow. 6months from now, you'll look back at your notes and think, "man! Ive really changed how I make espresso!"
Now, from what Ive read about hairbender.. Its all washed coffee. IMO, washed coffee's peak earlier then natural, or pulped coffees... In general.. DEFINITELY not always.
From what I can tell, Hairbender likes a slightly warmer brew temp, and a bit of a coarser grind/harder tamp(not crazy hard, just a bit more).
However.. these are things you should always be experimenting with, regardless of the blend or SO. The way I do it is, unless I KNOW the coffee, like really know it... I usually buy 2 bags the first time I order it. That way, whether it's 12oz or 1lb, I have plenty of coffee to play around with.
First thing I do, is decide on a dose starting point. Depending on the supposed flavors of the coffee, I'll go with a higher or lower dose. If the coffee has a lot of bass notes, chocolates, caramels, nuts.. Ill go with a higher dose. If it's brighter, fruitier, lower body, Ill go with a lower dose. If I really am not sure, Ill start at 16gram, and go from there.
For another sweeping broad generalization, Brighter, Fruitier stuff, acidity, lower body, lighter roasts.. I tend towards a lower dose. Stuff like Black Cat, or Rustico.. I go with a higher dose.
Now, when it comes to deciding how to change the dose, Im looking at a couple things. One is the flavor of the shot. Was it balanced? If it wasn't, WHY wasn't it balanced?(over/under extracted? Sour, Bitter, Thin?). Then, the extraction ratio. Now, I dont always pull out the scale and find the exact extraction ratio.. Sometimes Ill simply watch the shot from the bottomless. Am I pulling the shot to the blonding point? Slightly past? Before it even blondes at all?
Not every coffee is going to pull it's best shot, stopping at the same part of the extraction. And, "under" and "over" extraction aren't always bad things. Ive had some coffees that were best stopped before there was any sign of blonding.. Others, a couple seconds into the blonde. For Example, Klatch's Belle, for me, has its clearest flavor with a high dose, slightly ristretto pull, and stopped before it blondes at all. But, the Daterra Reserve I just finished from Barrington Coffee, really benefitted by being pulled a couple seconds into the blonding point.
OK, I definitely went on an offtopic ramble there.. Sorry. Hope I helped you at least somewhat :)
Follow Your Bliss
Coffee makes your constantly overcome your prejudices and re-evaluate your own "received wisdoms" when it comes to judging cup flavors. -Tom Owen, SweetMarias
It's actually reputed for being finicky, so you're not alone. It used to be one of my favorites, but I think that was from it being so dominate here. TBH, it's been a LONG time since I've spent much time with it. As Jeff mentioned it does peak early; around 4-7days being optimum. It's pretty heavy on the Sumatra so pulling it ristretto is nice to give you some really deep earthy notes. On any given "espresso" blend I like to updose to get some of the brighter notes to come through as so many tend to be all chocolate, YMMV. Not sure about a hotter temp, but definately don't go too cool on the brew temp.
Jeff is probably going to be a bit geekier than most with his approach. He make some good suggestions with taking notes and how to make adjustments to dial it in, but as your experience and palate grows, those things become intuitive.
jammin Senior Member Joined: 25 Nov 2009 Posts: 658 Location: Boise Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Speedster, Cremina Grinder: K10, Vario-W with Ditting... Vac Pot: Hario Drip: manual Roaster: quest m3, hottop b
Posted Tue Jan 26, 2010, 7:41am Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
Joel,
Thanks for the comments - Im glad Im not alone on it being finicky. Thought I might have been losing it there for a sec. It seems like particular blend is very versatile in the right hands. You can really make the cup change by playing w/dose and temp. I'm still looking forward to playing with it more to figure it out better. I'm really surprised how SWEET of latte Hairbender makes - almost like a sugar cookie.
Jeff,
First, eternal thanks for always pointing me in the right direction. I always look forward to your tips/advice. I did pick up 2 - 12oz bags so I'm on board w/hopefully enough to figure this stuff out properly. I have been waiting a bit to gain experience before ordering something like this to play with but I thought now was as good as time as any to try and up my learning curve.
I have been considering the notepad idea and now that you mention it, I believe you are spot on. I feel like its going to be tough to get notes on this guy though b/c right now, I want to call it "Hairpuller", as it is so tough to dial in. I have been weighing every dose and my Vario keeps kicking out wild weights. I adjust manually to keep the dose consistent but I am having a hard time getting consistent pulls. I feel like if I were to write something down, I would want to scratch it out after the very next shot. Another thing I can't seem get out of it is good crema. It wants to dissapate quickly and nevers seems to come out very thick. I think this is leading to an overall lack of body in the cup. I am going to try tamping a little harder as you suggested b/c grinding finer seems to make the shot times go over 30 seconds quickly. Hopefully the combo of a little coarser grind combined with a heavier tamp will yield that balanced shot I am looking for. I know from earlier that the coarser grind makes the high notes pop like crazy but it led to underextraction. Since this bean is SOO sensitive to grind, it has been difficult for me to play with dose and get good results. Hmmmm....maybe I should try adjusting the dose instead of the grind and see what happens.....
Posted Tue Jan 26, 2010, 9:55am Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
It's been a couple years since I had Hairbender. Sounds like much of your extraction problems are because the roast is too fresh. Today you are just 4 days out of the roaster. I suspect things will settle down considerably by day 6-7.
espressoaddict Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 346 Location: Seattle Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia V3 (Primary)... Grinder: Baratza Vario 2009 and... Vac Pot: None Drip: Melitta Single Cup, Bodum...
Posted Thu Jan 28, 2010, 1:04pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
Hi Jackson,
Just curious how your hairbender shots are coming along. I'm sure your blend is now well rested.
Your original dose of 14.5 is in-line with one of the dose variations, I have had success using. Keep in mind, for that particular dose, I was grinding finer for a Ristretto style shot. I also used the tamper to simply level my coffee grounds and didn't apply more than .5 lbs of pressure. For some reason this produced a very nice tasty shot very similar to what they pull at their cafe's.
jammin Senior Member Joined: 25 Nov 2009 Posts: 658 Location: Boise Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Speedster, Cremina Grinder: K10, Vario-W with Ditting... Vac Pot: Hario Drip: manual Roaster: quest m3, hottop b
Posted Thu Jan 28, 2010, 1:39pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
espressoaddict Said:
Hi Jackson,
Just curious how your hairbender shots are coming along. I'm sure your blend is now well rested.
Your original dose of 14.5 is in-line with one of the dose variations, I have had success using. Keep in mind, for that particular dose, I was grinding finer for a Ristretto style shot. I also used the tamper to simply level my coffee grounds and didn't apply more than .5 lbs of pressure. For some reason this produced a very nice tasty shot very similar to what they pull at their cafe's.
I am getting better results now. Dosing is stable at 14 grams. Pours are going to ~ 23 seconds/1.25oz shots. Taste has gotten better but I think this stuff just works better in milk(for me). I can't seem to pull straight shots that i really enjoy. The aftertaste of the straight shots is great though, total chocolate and leaves me wanting another. The initial flavor is quite intense though and very acidic. Would you label this a "bold" espresso? I am also having trouble getting it to hold crema. I know I have room for improvement with it but giving it a couple days def. helped it. If I ordered it again I might not even pull any shots till' day 5. I really appreciate you tips with this blend.
I have some redline coming in from a friend in Chicago who knows the mngr @ Metropolis so that is next along w/Marco's Organic Espresso from Doma(I can get it local).
espressoaddict Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 346 Location: Seattle Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia V3 (Primary)... Grinder: Baratza Vario 2009 and... Vac Pot: None Drip: Melitta Single Cup, Bodum...
Posted Thu Jan 28, 2010, 1:59pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Hairbender
Jackson,
Based on the type of coffees they used for this blend does indicate they are bold.
Good idea to wait 5 days. Yeah, I know it's difficult to wait once you get the beans still fresh from the mail, but sometimes, it's worth the wait.
My previous Hairbender results were done using my previous grinder a Rocky. Now that I have a Vario, I plan to pull some newer shots. I'll plan on reporting back what type of results I get. If I get a chance, I'll try to get a video or picture from an actual shot from Stumptown, the next time I'm there, so we can have some kind of reference to use.
Your setup is very capable of pulling excellent shots with an HX and Vario. Just keep practicing and you will eventually get there. Not implying you haven't, but when working with various blends sometimes it takes plenty of additional practice to get there. It's a learning experiencing even more myself. I'm just making fewer sink shots nowadays.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
![jammin: DSC01822.JPG](javascript:ImagePopup("/images/46887/DSC01822.JPG", 648, 486, "jammin: DSC01822.JPG");)
![espressoaddict: Hairbender.jpg](javascript:ImagePopup("/images/46890/Hairbender.jpg", 1024, 768, "espressoaddict: Hairbender.jpg");)
= No New Posts since last visit 