Espresso Enthusiasts

[Shrink]

As does mine for what will blend best with Ethiopian beans.

I am sorely tempted to try some Kenyan and Rwandan beans and experiment with Ethiopian coffees.

Perhaps we have a new Master Blender among us. We look forward eagerly to reports your on your blends.

And I must say that I am in complete agreement with @SandboxGeneral's search for the perfect blend producing a "blend of donkey hoof, nougat, caramel, guano and graham cracker".

Who could ask for more!

 

[S.B.G]

Oh yeah, something else I keep forgetting to mention about the Expobar is the heat from the steam wand and hot water dispenser. Todd from Whole Latte Love says in the video below, and in a couple of other ones, that the wands are "no burn wands" and clarifies that it means you can hold onto it and not get burned when using it. Well, either he has no nerve endings in his hands anymore or he's full of ****! I touched the steam wand on my machine, just testing it, and its so hot that you'll easily get a first degree burn from it.

I've seen videos of Gail over at Seattle Coffee Gear review similar machines and talk about the 'no burn wands' and she clarifies, properly in my opinion, that it means the milk won't burn onto the wand after steaming and that it doesn't mean you can just grab hold of it with your hand.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I've seen that done before in a video. For Cuban coffee, if memory serves me correctly. I'm not sure what it does, but it supposedly gives the coffee a thick head of foam. Vigerously beating Turkish coffee brewing in an ibrik will give a light thick, creme like foam that you can scoop into demitasse cups and then slowly pour the coffee onto, with the foam/creme being trapped at the top.

Now that you mention it, I am fairly sure that this crema (the drops of espresso and the sugar beaten together and briskly stirred) was spooned in on top of the espresso when it has been briskly folded together; hence, two preheated cups were used in the preparation of this coffee.

And, yes, it was delicious.

 

[JamesMike]

As does mine for what will blend best with Ethiopian beans.

I am sorely tempted to try some Kenyan and Rwandan beans and experiment with Ethiopian coffees.

I wonder how all three beans would go together?

 

[0388631]

Now that you mention it, I am fairly sure that this crema (the drops of espresso and the sugar beaten together and briskly stirred) was spooned in on top of the espresso when it has been briskly folded together; hence, two preheated cups were used in the preparation of this coffee.

And, yes, it was delicious.

I believe this is the video I recall watching.

[doublepost=1469227141][/doublepost]

I wonder how all three beans would go together?

A three bean soup, I'd imagine.

 

[Shrink]

I believe this is the video I recall watching.

[doublepost=1469227141][/doublepost]
A three bean soup, I'd imagine.

Interesting video...thanks for putting it up.

At the very end the narrator makes some comments with which I am not in total agreement, but a very enjoyable video nonetheless.

 

[0388631]

Yeah, I didn't watch the entire video myself, even back then. I simply recalled the whipping of the sugar and this was the result I recall watching, but it could have been another one. I'm more inclined to use a small whisk to whip the sugar, thus introducing air into the mixture and making it achieve peaks.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I wonder how all three beans would go together?

I have this idea that African beans would match best - or blend best - with Ethiopian beans, a line of thought occasioned by the fact that the best wines to accompany a given cheese in France tend to be wines from the region the cheese has come from.

Any commercial blends (by which I mean the commercial, experimental blends some of the roasters have put together) which have included Ethiopian beans have the ratio wrong, to my mind.

(A conclusion arrived at after much tasting of what they had to offer. Now, I applaud the idea of what they are trying to do, but don't always think that the execution is entirely successful).

Ethiopian beans tend to be lightly roasted: Therefore, blends where the Ethiopian beans comprise 20-50% of the total don't really work all that well, because the subtlety - and lightness - of the Ethiopian, not to mention what I like about it (those clean, clear, bright and smooth notes) gets overpowered when matched with say, Brazilian, or other fairly robust coffees.

The trick may be to find some way of giving the depth of flavour, and heft, and strength of some of the other coffees - which is what they bring to this blend - to show, while also allowing the specific flavours of the Ethiopian coffee to come through, and that may mean tweaking the percentages and ratios.

I have come to suspect that it is not just the region (say, South America, or Central America, versus Africa), or the varietal, but the ratios used, as well, that may count.

My own experiments that worked best had a large percentage of Ethiopian, coffee, or played with two types of Ethiopian coffee.

What are your thoughts on Kenyan coffee, and Rwandan coffee, and how they might match with Ethiopian coffee?

My own thoughts are on the lines of 50% Ethiopian coffee, and perhaps 25% each of the others: I will most certainly try something closer to 60% Ethiopian, and perhaps 20% of each of the others.

Then, again, there were three different coffees form Kenya, and I was assured that they are quite different from each other. I suspect that I shall be heading back there tomorrow for further investigations...

 

[JamesMike]

I have this idea that African beans would match best - or blend best - with Ethiopian beans, a line of thought occasioned by the fact that the best wines to accompany a given cheese in France tend to be wines from the region the cheese has come from.

Any commercial blends (by which I mean the commercial, experimental blends some of the roasters have put together) which have included Ethiopian beans have the ratio wrong, to my mind.

Ethiopian beans tend to be lightly roasted: Therefore, blends where the Ethiopian beans comprise 20-50% of the total don't really work all that well, because the subtlety - and lightness - of the Ethiopian, not to mention what I like about it (those clean, clear, bright and smooth notes) gets overpowered when matched with say, Brazilian, or other fairly robust coffees.

The trick may be to find some way of giving the depth, and heft, and strength of some of the other coffees, while allowing the specific flavours of the Ethiopian coffee to come through, and that may mean tweaking the percentages and ratios.

I have come to suspect that it is not just the region (say, South America, or Central America, versus Africa), or the varietal, but the ratios used, as well, that may count.

My own experiments that worked best had a large percentage of Ethiopian, coffee, or played with two types of Ethiopian coffee.

What are your thoughts on Kenyan coffee, and Rwandan coffee, and how they might match with Ethiopian coffee?

My own thoughts are on the lines of 50% Ethiopian coffee, and perhaps 25% each of the others: I will most certainly try something closer to 60% Ethiopian, and perhaps 20% of each of the others.

Then, again, there were three different coffees form Kenya, and I was assured that they are quite different from each other. I suspect that I shall be heading back there tomorrow for further investigations...

I like the idea of 60% and 20%.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I believe this is the video I recall watching.

I have a Bilaetti moka pot; must try to make that sort of coffee. Thanks for posting the video, very interesting.

A three bean soup, I'd imagine.

Well, I have made coffee by blending three different types of beans several months ago, - initially as a try out, really to use up some old beans because I wished to open some brand new Ethiopian beans, and didn't wish to have to wait until I had finished up what I had.

Granted, while not every blend worked equally well, (although most were very nice). Nevertheless, a few worked out exceptionally well, - and one was superb - and this happened, usually, when I had adjusted the percentage of Ethiopian beans in the mix to around 60% of the total.

I like the idea of 60% and 20%.

Yes, that is what I have been thinking, as well.

As you drink both Kenyan and Rwandan beans, what are the similarities & differences between them? Which of the two might be considered more robust? What are their specific tasting notes?

 

[JamesMike]

I have a Bilaetti moka pot; must try to make that sort of coffee. Thanks for posting the video, very interesting.



Well, I have made coffee by blending three different types of beans several months ago, - initially to use up some old beans because I wished to open some brand new Ethiopian beans, and didn't wish to wait until I had finished up what I had - and while not every blend worked equally well, (most were very nice) but, a few worked out exceptionally well, - and one was superb - usually when I had adjusted the percentage of Ethiopian beans in the mix to around 60% of the total.




Yes, that is what I have been thinking, as well.

As you drink both Kenyan and Rwandan beans, what are the similarities & differences between them? Which of the two might be considered more robust? What are their specific tasting notes?

Stacey puts the best I believe about Rwandan coffee.


" We like the way Rwandan coffee was described by Washington, D.C. barista Stacey Manley a few years ago in a Washington Post interview: "It mixes a lot of regular characteristics that you usually only find in one area. Latin American coffees tend to be lighter-bodied and kind of nutty with cocoa. But you almost never find an earthy, really heavy-bodied Latin American coffee. Those are typically Indonesian characteristics. And in Indonesia, coffee is very rarely bright. So the weird thing about Rwandan coffee is it'll have all these different characteristics in one coffee."

Kenyan coffee is well balanced in taste, acidity, and body. It is close to Ethiopian Harrar but more full-bodied.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Stacey puts the best I believe about Rwandan coffee.


" We like the way Rwandan coffee was described by Washington, D.C. barista Stacey Manley a few years ago in a Washington Post interview: "It mixes a lot of regular characteristics that you usually only find in one area. Latin American coffees tend to be lighter-bodied and kind of nutty with cocoa. But you almost never find an earthy, really heavy-bodied Latin American coffee. Those are typically Indonesian characteristics. And in Indonesia, coffee is very rarely bright. So the weird thing about Rwandan coffee is it'll have all these different characteristics in one coffee."

Kenyan coffee is well balanced in taste, acidity, and body. It is close to Ethiopian Harrar but more full-bodied.

And the Harrar is more full bodied than is my favourite Yirgacheffe.

For their espresso blend, The Ethiopian Coffee Company in London uses Harrar, (and one or two other coffees, usually from the Sidamo region).

Thank you very much.

Very interesting and quite instructive, and much food for thought.

 

[Shrink]

Very interesting and enjoyable discussion of bean blending.

As always, the denizens of this thread are involved in a worthwhile and fascinating discussion.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

This morning, at her request, I prepared a mug of Ethiopian coffee (two different types, freshly ground, and so on) for the substitute carer. She loved it, and enthused about the 'cocoa notes, almost like dark chocolate' she claimed she tasted.

Now, to explore other options in the German roaster later today........

 

[Scepticalscribe]

So.

The German roaster was re-visited this afternoon, and perhaps a spot of blending - inspired, experimental - or otherwise - might be in order sometime tomorrow......

 

[AVBeatMan]

Just had my nicest yet Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, made in my French Press and with full fat milk. Previously I'd said that I thought I'd made it too strong and thought it nicer a little milder. However, my just drank nicest yet was made with a rounded tablespoon full of the coffee, brewed with boiling water (left to cool for 2 minutes) then poured into the French Press, stirred, left to brew for 3 1/2 minutes then poured into my Le Creuset mug on top of the milk. Lovely!

As for the taste? Well, still find it hard to describe, smooth, light, maybe a chocolate kind of flavour? Anyway, nice all the same.

Should you decide to buy some from Whittard's @Scepticalscribe I'd be interested to know how you rate it.

 

[mobilehaathi]

On my third pour-over of Yirgacheffe Aricha this morning---really delightful beans. But I'm running out, so now to figure out what I'll roast next...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Just had my nicest yet Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, made in my French Press and with full fat milk. Previously I'd said that I thought I'd made it too strong and thought it nicer a little milder. However, my just drank nicest yet was made with a rounded tablespoon full of the coffee, brewed with boiling water (left to cool for 2 minutes) then poured into the French Press, stirred, left to brew for 3 1/2 minutes then poured into my Le Creuset mug on top of the milk. Lovely!

As for the taste? Well, still find it hard to describe, smooth, light, maybe a chocolate kind of flavour? Anyway, nice all the same.

Should you decide to buy some from Whittard's @Scepticalscribe I'd be interested to know how you rate it.

Whittard's will have to wait, though I shall certainly try them out in due course.

I splurged a bit today on beans from a local German roaster.

On my third pour-over of Yirgacheffe Aricha this morning---really delightful beans. But I'm running out, so now to figure out what I'll roast next...

Yes, Yirgacheffe Aricha - indeed, anything from Yirgacheffe - meets with my full approval.

 

[AVBeatMan]

My late (early morning (after a boozy night with my lovely girlfriend, (watched Bridge of Spies (excellent, a Cold War negotiation story about the release of US pilot Gary Powers who was shot down flying a U2 (great band (no! Stop!))before bed (I know!). Lost count of brackets! Anyway, coffee tasting damn good. Drank it black and prepared as described in my last post minus the milk...goodnight.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I trust that the coffee was the aforementioned Ethiopian from the Yirgacheffe region - and purchased from Whittard's - prepared, as described above......

Well, I can only express the hope that you enjoyed it.

 

[AVBeatMan]

Ooh, forgot to post picture.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

But no frothing crema?

Fair enough; and you did say (write?) that it was lovely.

Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed it.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Watching them make my coffee at costa I couldn't help but wonder how their equipment and skills are compared to all yours.
Beans are Columbian apparently.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Watching them make my coffee at costa I couldn't help but wonder how their equipment and skills are compared to all yours.
Beans are Columbian apparently.

Well, now:

Colombian beans? Once upon a time, I used to buy Colombian beans quite a lot. Did you have a coffee? And, if so, did you enjoy it?

Today, I started a bit of experimenting; Ethiopian coffee, and a bit of Kenyan (Kaboyo River, West Kirinyaga), and Rwandan (Ramiro, Nyamagabe). The coffee was two thirds Ethiopian and one third the other two, with slightly more Kenyan than Rwandan.

The substitute carer loved it, and, when pressed, admitted that the 'chocolate' notes of yesterday's coffee (which was pure Ethiopian, actually, a blend of two Ethiopians) was absent, but that it was 'lovely' - and she stressed that - and clean and bright.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Well, now:

Colombian beans? Once upon a time, I used to buy Colombian beans quite a lot. Did you have a coffee? And, if so, did you enjoy it?

Today, I started a bit of experimenting; Ethiopian coffee, and a bit of Kenyan (Kaboyo River, West Kirinyaga), and Rwandan (Ramiro, Nyamagabe). The coffee was two thirds Ethiopian and one third the other two, with slightly more Kenyan than Rwandan.

The substitute carer loved it, and, when pressed, admitted that the 'chocolate' notes of yesterday's coffee (which was pure Ethiopian, actually, a blend of two Ethiopians) was absent, but that it was 'lovely' - and she stressed that - and clean and bright.

I did. I generally only drink coffee when I'm out. It does taste better than the instant we have at home. But I'm more of a tea drinker as you know, so I don't drink enough of it to get all the gear you guys do for the few that I would drink at home.