Why not peaberrys in Espresso?

[fiend]

I am forever reading comments where people say you shouldn't make espresso from peaberrys, and it makes me feel as though I have a guilty secret. Well I can't hide it any more.

I really enjoy espresso made from peaberrys. And I'm going to keep on drinking them even if it means my TMC membership is revoked.

There is this elusive point somewhere right near the second crack where a good one will take on a distinctive sweet aromatic flavour. Etched in my memory is one mythical roast of Gethumbwini peaberrys that was just bursting with a sweet caramel-blackcurrent flavour (that doesn't quite describe it - I'm more of a drinker than a cupper). They were so delicious I actually ended up eating a lot of them while they were cooling.

[bruceb]

They were so delicious I actually ended up eating a lot of them while they were cooling.

Wow, you really are serious coffee drinker...ummm, eater! I pop a freshly roasted bean in my mouth every once in awhile, but I don't think I'd enjoy eating more than one at a time. Maybe it's an acquired taste.

I've made espresso with peaberries, too, but I didn't know better. I always thought they were pretty good.

[Paul L]

Kick me out as well. Drinking SO India Peaberry or combining it with one or two other beans in my Capps & Aeropress coffees has been a revelation for me. My 2kg is going down fast.

[kingseven]

Traditionally peaberries have been prized for their strong natural acidity, a trait that is enhanced (sometimes negatively) in an espresso extraction. Roast can counteract a lot, but you have to roast darker than many other naturally sweeter coffees and if you are preblending then this is hard.

There are now some very interesting peaberries around - the Bibi Indian peaberries may well have changed Steve's mind on Indian coffee and I think they are really unusualy but excellent as part of an espresso blend. Apparently a joy to roast as well..

[Joris]

I use them in espresso too but hey it's all about taste, and that is personal so....

I love to stick a bean in my mouth with a little gula jawa... delicious

[CakeBoy]

Likewise, they end up in my espresso and I eat them

[Paul L]

Thanks Jim, I think you have hit the nail on the head. This is a bean I have taken a bit further with each of about 3 subsequent roasts and it hits the spot I clearly enjoy. I would not have realised Peaberries were otherwise to be treated with, perhaps, caution.

I have simply approached it like any other bean I have bought, tried a roast, formed a view over a few days and tried to change the roast to suit what I think I can focus on next time around.

Actually, the point it brings out for me is in trying to understand exactly what acidity is. Rightly or wrongly, I assume this is the citrus-type favlours and perhaps chemicals occurring which makes for sharper and often lighter results. I don't enjoy this very much. I like a fuller, nuttier smoother taste in general. My assumption is that this means lower acidity but I don't know enough in this area.

[MKSwing]

It is maybe due to the origin but one of my favorites in espresso (and I only drink espresso) is the cubean peaberry.
So as for all origins/quality, there is a general taste/compatibility but sometimes you get the exception that change your mind

[mattmills]

Ok 1 point.... the peaberry concept is not fully correct.
It is possible for a peaberry to be more acidic and the theory is logical. In reality it is not the case. It is completly normal to have a peaberry cup with less acidity than a normal grade, therefore makinf an espresso out of peaberries is perfectly plausable... as it has nothing to do with the cup but just the shape of the bean.

Having said that, it does not stop a peaberry being as good or better than a normal grade, this is always possible.

[zapty]

I love peaberry as either a single origin or blended. Have some really nice Kona peaberry that I'm down to the last pound and also the Rukira peaberry blend is delicious... They seem to be more concentrated as a regular bean, more flavor and body.

[Steve]

I've really found it hard in the past to blend in peaberry. Great SO beans but rarely pulled this one off. I may have a play over the weekend, as someone else not connected with tMC was telling me about there great experiance with Tanzanian peaberry and yirg as an interesting substitute to Harar. Will let you know how it goes.

[Paul L]

This is all first steps for me of course Steve. I've not yet got my head around whether Peaberry has a dominance that does not let anything else in or whether it's because (in Mayamoto Musashi style if I may go off at a left-field zen-like tangent) it has no apparent weakness.

I was drinking Capps with the India Peaberry Bold yesterday as SO and definitely prefer it to the Fazenda (Marzipan comes across strongly to me) and Celebes Toraja mix I was drinking this morning. Perhaps in the Peaberry I've simply found my personal desert-Island bean.

[Steve]

I think that the Indian perberry is quite different to your average pea, I know a few people who hold it in high regard for blending, just takes some work.

[Paul L]

Aha, so you're spoiling me then Steve. I'd best stock up if I'm going to find other peaberries a sharp crash back down to earth

[espressomattic]

JUst going through a bag of Indian Bold and as an SO I really like it. It is barely acidic, in fact I cannot detect any acidity at all. It reminds me of a calmed down OB Java, very drinkable, very nice. From my owm limited and flawed experience, I have found this to sit in a blend nicely. In small amounts it gives a nice rounded spiceyness to other more acidic/fruity beans. It would be great to see Steve crack this in a blend and taste what the master has to offer