Too Much Coffee

Some people here like to make (mix/roast) their own blends.
Since I would like to tune my palates, is anyone willing to sell me some from their creations occassionally?

I'll send you something if you like. Send me your snail mail address offline and I'll get round to it in the next week or so. It would be best if you were to indicate the sorts of things you like, maybe by saying what you do and don't like that I might have heard of.

How do I say "me too Phil" without worrying everone will jump on board and Phil will be roasting and posting for the next month, spending even more of his own money......

Alan, I think you just did!

In case it's any help (and because Phil asked me to write a little about it!), I'm using a modified version of the Jim Schulman 4321 single-roast blend for espresso :

40% Brazil Cachoeira (HasBean/Monmouth)

30% Bolivian (JS recommends Aged Sulawesi from SweetMarias - Bolivian gives a much more even roast but a little less complexity; Bolivian sourced from HasBean)

20% Ethiopian Harrar Horse (I'm using Ethiopian Djimmah as I stumbled on some cheap Djimmah, no more available from that supplier)

10% Kenya AA (presently I'm using Burundi AA as I am still working through a TwoLoons Mega Sampler, 17 1lb packs of green) (I only use the very nice HasBean Kenya Kariru for French Press.)

It seems to work well for me and as there are no longer any aged beans in the blend it all roasts very nicely together in one roast. I make up 150 grams of this blend every 3 to 4 days, roast in two loads in my HWP (until I see spots of oil on the beans), rest for 48 hours or a little more. It is great as a cappuccino, maybe a little intense for straight espresso.

I don't mind sending 75 grams of the blend roasted to someone for free but due to the small roast size fo the HWP, first to send me an email off-list gets it. I could send one sample green to another, first email for greens gets them.

NB : I do NOT pretend that Jim Schulman would approve of my substitutions - they make sense to me but I have far less blending knowledge; if I lived in the USA I would use the identical beans JS recommends (mostly from SweetMarias) but SM minimum order sizes for Europe are a problem unless you can predict your green bean needs perfectly some months in advance OR you don't mind tying up a lot of cash in your green stash.

Cheers,

Hugh

This seems like a good place to suggest some kind of bean exchange forum wherein members can strike deals or offer green/roasted/blends to each other, which might help with the problem Hugh mentions above ? It'd be a great way to sample new origins & compare roasts too.

I currently have a big bag of Indian Pearl Mountain peaberry I'm not sure I'm getting the most out of and would be happy to give away a couple of free samples in exchange for feedback or tips !

Since I am not yet into roasting (buying a better machine and developing my tastebuds is more important at the moment):
if someone is buying beans I am more than willing to contribute to the price and pay for having some beans roasted and send to me.
Because it would be very helpful for me if I could compare my experience of tasting a particular roast with others. Like with wine and food its all about trying and talking about it.

Moccafaux has asked for the roasted 75 gram sample (I forgot to say that 75g is pre-roast weight) so I'll send that in 3-4 days when I roast for espresso next (don't bother replying to my PM of this morning, I just noticed here that you wanted roasted not green). One 75 grams green sample still available if wanted.

Cheers,

Hugh

12/01/04 Update :
Both samples posted as promised.