new to roasting

[zama80]

I know I am going to regret asking this for it always leads me a down the path of explaining another package showing up. But, what kind of roaster is that?

IRoast2. Not made anymore, but you can still find them pretty easily if you look hard enough. It's been a good little roaster for me. I use it for smaller batches for greater control.

Thanks Kevin. I'll begin the hunt when the time is right.

 

[Diamondbacks47]

Mdwest, I will send you a PM if its not too late...I haven't been able to check botl for a while, thanks brother.

 

[mdwest]

Not too late... I get on a plane in a couple of hours.. But I can get yours boxed up and slid into the mailbox before I leave... Should get picked up tomorrow...

Enjoy!

 

[thejavaman]

OK, here we go:

Country/Region: Kenya
Farm/Estate Name: Unknown
Grade: Unknown
Year: Unknown (2012?)
Processing: Wet Processed
Varietal: Unknown
Screen Size: 17-18
Cupper: Kevin Flack, thejavaman
Roasted On: 03/30/13

2.9 Dry Aroma - citrus, nuts, wood
3.1 Wet Aroma - tangerine, spice, oak
8.3 Acidity - medium/high, refined & not too acidic
7.7 Body - medium, coating mouthfeel
7.5 Flavor - almond, stone fruits, cinnamon, raisin, milky
7.0 Aftertaste - fresh cream, short, a tad astringent, herbal note

Subtotal +50 =
86.5 TOTAL

Notes: I don't normally seek out Kenyan coffees in general. Most of them have a really bright, lip puckering acidity that really turns me off. This one had a really refined, approachable brightness and a decent body that complemented each other. The flavors were nuanced and I can see this being a "crowd pleasing" type of cup. A slight off note (herbal/astringent) in the finish, but a good coffee overall, IMO. I'd buy more of this. Great job finding this one, Dave. :tiphat:

 

[Teej]

Just read this thread from beginning to end.. such a great idea. Nice find Dave!

Will be subscribing to read others thoughts on the beans you've found.

 

[ThroughHisStomach]

MD,

I got the package safe and sound but have been fighting off a sinus thing since the day before I got it.

My girlfriend wanting to make me "a special treat" made up a pot in the drip this last weekend, but it didn't give it justice because of the shape I was in.

Once I knock this thing out will do something by French Press.

Thanks again!

 

[Red Raider]

I for sure am no JavaMan... hell, I'm not even a java boy, but I have sure enjoyed this coffee... three cups down and still enjoying it.

MDWest- great job and I am still alive

I will put my notes in order and post up a review tomorrow hopefully. Thank you again for putting this together!!!!

Sent from my SCH-I915 using Tapatalk 2

 

[vivalanation734]

This thread has gone places since I last read it a few months ago. I'd love to get in on some of the bean-slinging action lol

 

[thejavaman]

Brewed up a pourover cup of this bean this morning. I prepared it how I normally do with a splash of half & half and I was impressed again. The fruit notes have matured with a little more rest & the citrus has developed into a distinct tangerine note. I like this coffee - very surprising to me because I'm not normally a fan of Kenyan coffees at all.

 

[dscl]

Have a damn cold that seems like finally might be going away. As soon as it does I will get my review in. Can't wait to try this!

 

[mdwest]

glad everyone seems to be enjoying it so far... hopefully the rest of you survive the experience once you recover from illness...

When I go back in June I think Ill grab 5 or 10 kilos of the Kenyan beans... theyre dirt cheap and have been good for me to experiment with so far..

thanks for all the feedback so far..

 

[James]

I don't know a lot about coffee reviewing but here's my .02. The coffee was absolutely delicious, med body with great flavor and very smooth drinking. The wife loved it as well, thanks for the beans brother!

 

[mdwest]

Awesome! Glad you and the missus enjoyed James!

Here's a question for you Kev....

Chaff... when Im going for lighter roasts, a lot of the chaff stays "stuck" for lack of a better description in the crease of the bean..

Does that effect the cup in any way?

Ive been trying to remove as much of it as I can.. shaking the shit out of them in the colander, etc.. but shy of scrubbing each bean with a toothbrush or something, Im not sure Ill ever get all of it out...

The darker the roast, and the more time each bean stays in the roaster, the more chaff gets naturally removed it seems.. or it is at least a lot easier getting it separated from the beans when I give them a couple of quick shakes in the colander..

 

[Red Raider]

So here goes nothing....... Remember I am a complete noob at this.

Number of cups for test: 5 (3 cups black, 2 cups with cream)
Coffee: 4tbs
Water: 12 oz
Brew Method: French Press
Brew Time: 4 minutes
Grind: Very Course
Roast: Light side of medium

Dry Aroma: toasted nuts, coffee
Wet Aroma: some sort of berry fruit, cant quite place it

Molasses taste. Consistent throuought entire cup.
Smooth and Crisp on the tounge (is this what people refer to as "bright"?)
Clean aftertaste with fruits and raisin hint

When cream added: I love this stuff!!! Much creamier and not as sharp (no surprise here)

Final thoughts....
Not an extremely oily bean and grinding evened out the slight color variation from bean to bean. Very tasty coffee and I would never had known this was a first trial run at home roasting. Very impressed and would definitely purchase and drink regularly.

Thank you again for this opportunity. So much fun and I will keep watching this thread for others reviews.

Sent from my SCH-I915 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Robertsndr68]

The coffee is VERY good. Just need to get my review up. I'm very behind on a lot of things here

 

[ZipTie]

Dave is the stuff you sent me some of your Kenyan beans?

What ever it was it was really good. I don't have the nice burr grinders and french presses these guys do so maybe that affected it some, but it brewed up much lighter than I was expecting from such a dark bean. Made for a great mid after noon cup.

Cheers :ccool:

 

[mdwest]

I only sent out kenyan beans this time around.. I wanted to keep everyones beans the same so we could get a feel for things consistently... and didnt have enough ethiopian beans to go around...

really glad everyone is enjoying the beans.. when I go back Ill pick up some more for anyone that is interested.. theyre stupid cheap... less than $3 a pound... hell.. it costs more to ship a pound in a flat rate box than the actual beans costs lol...

 

[zama80]

Gentlemen I apologize, I have really been slacking on this. I had my sample weekend before last, just a whole lot going on and I forgot all about it. So. I had the whole been sample, and did a very coarse grind in my brand new burr grinder and brewed it up in a french press. The roast was a light to medium in color. First cup I had black, and was really impressed at the start. It had bright flavors when hot and was really crisp. As it cooled a little I started to get a bit of an aftertaste that got more unpleasant as the coffee cooled. The next cup I had mixed with my usual Italian sweet cream. The after taste I experience on the first cup was significantly diminished but still there at the end. I don't know if my water was too hot and that affected the flavor or not. Kevin can speak to that better that me. I usually bring the kettle to a whistle and then let it sit off the heat for a minute before adding it to the coffee and that usually works. Overall I like the coffee, but would like to try a darker roast to see how that affects the taste.

 

[jpasser4]

I only sent out kenyan beans this time around.. I wanted to keep everyones beans the same so we could get a feel for things consistently... and didnt have enough ethiopian beans to go around...

really glad everyone is enjoying the beans.. when I go back Ill pick up some more for anyone that is interested.. theyre stupid cheap... less than $3 a pound... hell.. it costs more to ship a pound in a flat rate box than the actual beans costs lol...

If you have room for someone new to get some of these beans the next time around I would love to join!!

 

[thejavaman]

Awesome! Glad you and the missus enjoyed James!

Here's a question for you Kev....

Chaff... when Im going for lighter roasts, a lot of the chaff stays "stuck" for lack of a better description in the crease of the bean..

Does that effect the cup in any way?

Ive been trying to remove as much of it as I can.. shaking the shit out of them in the colander, etc.. but shy of scrubbing each bean with a toothbrush or something, Im not sure Ill ever get all of it out...

The darker the roast, and the more time each bean stays in the roaster, the more chaff gets naturally removed it seems.. or it is at least a lot easier getting it separated from the beans when I give them a couple of quick shakes in the colander..

Chaff won't hurt a thing. No taste whatsoever. Using a colander helps, but it's damn near impossible to remove it all. Don't sweat it.