hasbean yirgacheffe - not very yirg-y taste...

[Monsooned_Bean]

Slainte

... drinking a dram of a beautifully sherry-cask matured young Laphroaig while reading this

[jon]

btw, eventually got round to trying the yirg in an espresso machine. Even though the beans are probably a bit old now, and my grinder's not ideal, it's actually really good - lots of nice acidity...

[lastcoyote]

another 'friend of laphroaig' here also
..my old man got me on it. He's actually been to the distillery on Islay. very cool.

[bruceb]

I have been drinking another Yirgacheffe for over a year (bought 20kg of it). I roast it medium dark (full city) and only use it for espresso. It is my favourite SO.

I brought some of HBs Yirg back with me and finally got around to roasting it a few weeks ago. I could not tell a difference between it and the Yirg I've been drinking. It was delicious and for my palette everything I have come to expect from a Yirg.

[Walter]

I haven't been very partial of the young (10Y) Laphroaigs, I prefer the "Quarter Cask" by far. But last week I opened a bottle of a 10Y Laphroaig, which must have been sitting in the back of my bar for some 5 years, I think. This time the medicinal and phenolic undertaste was gone and what was left was that wonderfully smooth peatiness that I love from the Islay malts.

----

I have been drinking another Yirgacheffe for over a year (bought 20kg of it). I roast it medium dark (full city) and only use it for espresso. It is my favourite SO.

I brought some of HBs Yirg back with me and finally got around to roasting it a few weeks ago. I could not tell a difference between it and the Yirg I've been drinking. It was delicious and for my palette everything I have come to expect from a Yirg.

I recently did some cupping with HB's Yirga compared to the Yirga imported by IAC. To my taste the IAC Yirga was a tad more "typical", but HB's Yirga had a somewhat more accentuated brightness while still being perfectly balanced, the IAC tasted a little more "green" and less balanced. Roasted darker they were more similar, though I found HB's still a little more balanced...

[ubo]

Always found Laphroaig to be a little less refined than some of the other peaty Islay's (although paradoxically it typically has a lower phenol content than say that of Lagavuillin). Bit suspicious of significant (i.e. perceptable) on-going maturation of whiskey in-bottle as opposed to in-cask though (outside of photolytic induction).

Back to coffee, IAC/Neumann source pretty much like a hoover in Ethiopia as they do in many other origins, so sourcing lot to lot variance with their coffee will be a factor over and above lot to lot variance from the one source that makes Ethiopian coffee so interesting.

[Steve]

I think Ethiopia does suffer very much from variance. I've found that cupping 10 or so samples and choseing the best is the only way to go. Its a shame but relationships are difficult in this country (in Africa on the whole). Lots of coffee get so confused with different coops its a tough job. I am trying to work something out for next year where we work with a coop and its work under construction to get some stability.

I think you need to remember that IAC are commodity buyers with commodity coffees, true there are gems in there offers but on the whole you pays your money you take your choice.

[CakeBoy]

I feel lucky being based in the UK because that choice is for us a no-brainer living so near to a source where nothing is left to chance and the choice is huge . The only bad bit is that he serves anyone .... even Dom

[bruceb]

That's part of the deal, living in the UK. There are laws that say you have to even serve Doms. It's bitter, but that's the way it is.

[Gouezeri]

I refuse to get my sticks and stones from anywhere else

[CakeBoy]

You really should try blending them with some coffee beans for flavour ......