I thought I'd try something different to a Brazilian base, and I know some people (mostly US) use a Columbian as a base. So, this is what I tried:
50% Columbian (La Manuela)
25% Yirgacheffe
25% Aged Lintong
I was going for something with quite a heavy body, a bit of smokey, earthy bite, and some bright aromiatics, hence my bean choice.
I roasted all together, as they need similar roast time. I kept the roast quite light, just a few snaps of second crack. I got a good even roast.
The taste is certainly good for a kick up the a**e
. My first shot (3 days rest) was ristretto length, and the brightness was quite intense, but noet unpleasant. I upped the brew temperature a tad, tweaked the grind a touch coarser, and ran a full length double. Better, still quite 
but nice with a piece of fudge on the side. The crema is a little lacking, being all wet processed beans, but not too bad. This works quite well in a cappuccino, as the heavy body, and aromatics come through the milk well, although I think a Brazilian base (despite some saying it gets lost in milk, but that may be in lattes 
) gives nice sweetness that was missing.
An interesting experiment, but I still prefer a Brazilian as a base component.
