Phase Two: A Sampler from Sweet Maria's...

Coffee, cigars and rum go togther like priests and choirboys. Indeed the brothers are known to have a tipple now and then. Oh and some rum, cigars and Belgian beer as well, lol...
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Capn Jimbo
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Phase Two: A Sampler from Sweet Maria's...

Post by Capn Jimbo »

It's been fun...


It's hard to retire for a number of reasons. It's common to confuse what we do with who we are, eg "I'm an engineer", so when we do retire we suffer a loss of identity: "Who am I now?". True. Part two is watching a top income shrink to Social Security, wherein purchases you barely think about now count up quickly to decimate a stipend that one must live within.

That's the bad part.

The good part is having time to explore new things: baking French Bread, making Greek yogurt, growing pineapples, tomatoes et al. And roasting your own coffee. Phase One was buying five pounds of Columbia Supremo and learning how to roast and do simple blends. I cannot recommend this more for any who are reading this. There is simply nothing like rolling, er roasting yer own. The aromas and tastes are not to be believed. Better yet, it's actually pretty easy.

The second step is to explore the World of Coffee, just as we have explored the world of rums and spirits.


Sweet Maria's Eight-Pack Sampler...

When it comes to beginning to roast there are two schools of thought: first, do what I learned to do by buying a quantity of a single bean, then learning how to roast it to different levels, and for different results (which allows blending of say a light roast with a heavy roast). Sweet Maria's thinks differently.

They believe more is gained by buying a sampler so as to experience different coffees is the best way to start. As they put it...
"Trying a sampler is the best way, in my opinion, to get started home roasting, especially if you are not sure what coffee to choose. We can not promise a particular origin in the sampler.

In the 4 Pound and 8 Pound Samplers we try to include a coffee from every coffee growing continent and a range of processes. Some folks have suggested that having a larger quantity of a single bean that takes a range of roasts is a better way to learn roasting -- I think getting a range of flavors so you can start to see the difference origin makes is better. The choice is up to you really."
Since their selections are changing frequently they cannot promise a particular coffee, but they do try to include coffees from every growing continent, and multiple processes. Here's what I received for $48 (just $6 a pound):

1. Ethiopia Illubabor Camp: moderate brightness, peach notes, floral hints, chocolate roast notes, dense body, nectar-like mouthfeel, bitter chocolate at Full City+ roast.

Wow! Does that sound like tasting a good whisky or rum? You bet your sweet Maria, it does.

2. Ethiopia Goma Duromina Cooperative: restrained, fruit juice sweetness, clean berry notes, peach, lightly carmelized sugars, sweet grain, light body, fruit jam, intensifies as it cools.

You can see the significant differences just in these first two coffees.

3. Brazil Fazenda Sao Benedito: malted milk chocolate, caramel nougat, low acidity, honey-nut character, peach and pineabpple hints, good base for espresso.

4. Brazil Serao Carmo de Minas: transparent honey sweetness, hazelnut-almond roast tones, green tea fininsh, graham cracker and bittersweet chocolate.

5. Burundi Kirimiro Teka: apple like brightness, Asian pear sweetness, ripe black cherry, toasted almond, caramel and cream notes with hibiscus and rose notes.

6. Java Sunda Pitaloka: great blend of sweet and bittering notes, cherries with dusting of cocoa, nutty roast tones, spiced flavors, hefty body, high intensity, glittering acidity.

7. Nicaragua Maracaturra Finca Los Granadillos: light roasts are syrupy with pomello acidity, darker roasts have raw sugar coffee cherry fruit, grape-like acidity and citrus pith finish.

8. El Salvador Mejahual Tablon La Montana: a balanced and basic cup, cocoa roast tones, rich tapioca, creamy mouthfeel, bittersweet finish of cacao and caramel.


Bottom Line:


These coffees represent the continents of (Central and South) America, Southeast Asia (Java - Indonesia), and Africa (Burundi, Ethiopia). Maria's included a lovely postcard and a 1-sheet newsletter discussing why Ethiopia is one of the great growing areas.

Next: we await Sleepy's guidance...
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Thu Apr 11, 2013 6:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sleepy
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Post by sleepy »

Great selection - I think that I have had 5 of those: I know that I have not had the Brazilians or the Barundi. In general, I have little use for Brazil coffees, which are generally used as blending bases. Those might be good ones on which to start your experimenting. Barundi, just don't know.

You will be stunned at how different the two Ethiopian coffees are. It seems scarcely possible that they are from the same, not very huge, country.

IIR, I prefer a full city roast on the Illubabor, maybe toward the dark edge - it's been several months. The Goma is probably happiest a city or light city+, but try a range and find your sweet spot.

Your Java is one that likes a bit darker roast than the one I described recently - should also blend well with the Eth. Goma - classic mocha-java!

I find that most Central American coffees, with the exception of bourbons, tend to be best at mid-mid roasts, i.e. city+-FC. They are often also very good for blending lighter and darker roasts, especially those with good chocolate tones.

The great thing with your setup is that you can get at least 4 batches from each pound using the air popper, comparing your tastings to Tom's notes - he is a very consistent professional coffee taster - but what you like and what you want to call the diverse flavors are your business alone.

From tasting other psychotropic beverages, you are accustomed to keeping notes - very handy, especially starting out, more so with 8 coffees in stock.

Enjoy Cap'n!
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Post by sleepy »

So how's this working for you?
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Capn Jimbo
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Thanks for the folllow up...


I'm not sure where we left off, but the first SM coffee we tried was the Ethiopia Illubabor Camp, fruity and just wonderful. Another family member - a veggie family - orders roasted beans, organic, from Coffee Direct, I believe.

I brought over my popper and roasted the Ethiopian for a pot, and the whole family was quite taken with it - comments like "the best coffee I've ever had" and the like. They were also taken with the process and lovely aromas of the roast.

I explained it would have been better had it rested, but still, a great experience for them, now they want to try it. In the meanwhile, we've been using up some Columbia Supremo, and soon will get back into the Maria's selection.

Believe me, we're in! More to follow...
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

So far, so good...


We've now tried four of Maria's coffees in this shipment:

1. Ethiopia Illubabor Camp: moderate brightness, peach notes, floral hints, chocolate roast notes, dense body, nectar-like mouthfeel, bitter chocolate at Full City+ roast.

2. Ethiopia Goma Duromina Cooperative: restrained, fruit juice sweetness, clean berry notes, peach, lightly carmelized sugars, sweet grain, light body, fruit jam, intensifies as it cools.

3. Nicaragua Maracaturra Finca Los Granadillos: light roasts are syrupy with pomello acidity, darker roasts have raw sugar coffee cherry fruit, grape-like acidity and citrus pith finish.

4. Brazil Fazenda Sao Benedito: malted milk chocolate, caramel nougat, low acidity, honey-nut character, peach and pineabpple hints,
good base for espresso.

5. Burundi Kirimiro Teka: apple like brightness, Asian pear sweetness, ripe black cherry, toasted almond, caramel and cream notes with hibiscus and rose notes.

Three stood out:

Burundi Kirimiro Teka: our favorite so far, followed by
Ethiopia Goma Duromina Cooperative: a close second, and
Brazil Fazenda Sao Benedito: one that we don't like.

The others of course fall into the middle ground, the beginnings of a bell curve lol....
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Next up...

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Next...


El Salvador Mejahual Tablon La Montana: a balanced and basic cup, cocoa roast tones, rich tapioca, creamy mouthfeel, bittersweet finish of cacao and caramel (per Sweet Maria's).

The news here is twofold. Up until now the Burundi was probably our favorite so far, but to be honest - neither of us could quite capture Sweet Maria's review. This one was different. Not only did we like what Maria's called a "balanced and basic" cup, but we "got" the descriptors. The El Salvador is entirely enjoyable. We "got" the mouthfeel, the cacao and caramel which was indeed beautifully balanced with the bittersweet finish (again, think cacao).

It also left a nice coating "aftertaste", if that's appropriate (Sleepy?). Lovely...
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Post by sleepy »

I believe I remember this coffee from last year, but not sure.

I think that you'll find central American coffees a bit easier tasting. I generally find them to have a clarity that makes it easier to pick out the grace notes in the flavor. Earthy coffees, like the Barundi and Pacific Island coffees have such rich depth that isolating flavors can be a challenge - think Pussers!

Aftertaste is very important in coffee - the best continue to reveal flavors after you put the cup down - just make you smile and go "mmmm!". If the aftertaste carries bitterness or funk, it's time to clean your equipment, adjust the roast level or write the coffee off. A great coffee can carry flavor for a delightfully long while.

I also think that the middle roasts - City+ - FC - tend to offer better balance and sustained flavor. Very light roasts accentuate the natural acidity of a coffee but reduce depth and complexity, whereas darker roasts tend to bring out the heavy elements of flavor and cover the lighter elements with the heavier and with "roast character" (caramelizing and carbonizing).
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