What's in the Hottop this week?

[simonp]

This weeks espresso blend:

All roasted in teh Hottop.

Roast 1: 175g Brazilian Cachoera (Hasbean), 75g Etheopian Harar Horse (Sweet Marias).
Roasted just a little in to 2nd crack (15-20 seconds).

Roast 2: 125g Columbian Quebradon (Hasbean), 125g Sumatran Mandheling (Sweet Marias).
Roasted just to the start of rolling 2nd crack, no oil showing.

I have had little success using Columbians in blends, but am determined to get them to work. I have previously used the La Manuela, but always got a strange grassy acidic flavour, so tried some of the Quebradon Relationship stuff I have that needs using as I have had it a year. This stuff, although not reckoned to be as good as the La Manuela seemed to work better here. Maybe the La Manuela doean't roast so well in the Hottop.
The Mandheling is a new one to me, and I thought I'd try some as a change from Lintong. I was very bad, as I haven't tried any on its own yet to get the flavour.

I've been mixing 12g of roast 1 with 8 g of roast 2 per double shot.

I'm liking this one quite a bit, the proportion of Harar is highre than I have been using (20% in stead of 10%), and I quite like this, there is quite a spicy, fruity edge to the cup. There is an underlying sweet taste which I'm guessing is the Cach and Quebradon. The Mandheling seems to have a more subtle earthiness than the Lintong used in the same proportion, and perhaps balances the other flavours better. I have been getting a lovely dense crema, with the first sip being only thick velvety crema. This is not my favourite in a cappuccino though, it is OK, but a little too fruity, I prefer a more chocolate falvored blend for caps. Very nice straight though.

[phil]

I don't know about this year's La Manuela, but I did find that the one a year or two back needed a slightly slower roast than you get on the default Hottop profile. I achieved this with my variac, but you could just add maybe an extra 20g of beans to the roast so that you have a 270g roast. This approach works quite well, as long as you don't use really slow beans.

Everyone else: both Simon and I have submitted notes on La Manuela at various times. Look here if you're interested.

[simonp]

I'd forgotten those . The La Manuela is from last year.

I forgot to mention, also in the Hottop this week has been some Oaxaca Pluma -Tres Oros (Sweet Marias), which I roasted to take away with us for use in the Caffetiere whilst we are away for a few days, plus Tom syas it makes a really nice mild, sweet SO espresso. It roasted like a dream, REALLY loud cracks, and a nice long gapo between 1st and 2nd crack. It is recommended just at 2nd for brewed coffee, and aboit 20 seconds in for espresso, so I compromised and went 10 seconds. After 2 days it smelss wonderfull in the 1-way valve bag, toffee and nuts.