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Brazil Fazenda Cachoeira Bourbon.

PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 1:10 pm
by Richard
Bolivia-Machacamarca ran out so I took a stab at four other beans for my next few months drinking.

First roast was BrazilFazenda Cachoeira da Gama Bourbon Pulped Natural. (How do they think-em-up)

I'm not qualified to go into tasting notes with red wine, white wine or coffee. I like it, it's ok or it's fantastic.

This one is lovely, smooth and no vices. I've been drinking Espresso Perfetio for three years so it's time to move on from jigging it this way and that way.

I was nervous roasting this bean and to be honest, considering how long I've been roasting and getting good results I'm still not identifying first and second crack as distinct times of the roast so once it starts crackling I quit on the basis of colour.

Chocolate brown did it for me with this bean, with the Perfetio I always have a few darker beans to throw into the grinder to adjust the taste mostly for some visitors who prefer a bit of tar.

La Illusion next, I can feel the sap rising. :D

PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 7:07 pm
by GreenBean
These are my three favourite coffees. The La Illusion is great when roasted light certainly not into second crack. You have my respect if you can coax the best from these beans with a hot air gun. 8) :shock:

PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 10:41 pm
by CakeBoy
I am with GB on this, three of my favourites too :)

PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 7:00 am
by Richard
GreenBean wrote:You have my respect if you can coax the best from these beans with a hot air gun. 8) :shock:


Ahhh, this may be the compromise I'm accepting and until I buy some roasted from Steve of the same bean as I'm roasting, and compare, I'll never actually know if I'm not quite getting it right.

Yes, thats what I'll do, I'm sure if I forked out a few hundred for a nice roasting device I would appreciate the help, and the experience, however, back when I joined you-lot for guidance and advice I maintained that the most positive step forward for me had been roasting and grinding my own, the espresso machine wasn't for me a move in the right direction. A respectable grinder was.

I also have Bolivia Bolinda Illmani and Columbia Finca Santuario Helonicas Red Bourbon. Non chosen with any expertise, all on the basis of the guidance notes.

I still make a duff cup of coffee occasionally though I rarely feel it was to do with the roast though I'm still mystified about what happened when I suffered the 'Coffee-Doldrums'.

A recent eye-brow raising nice cup was from some roasted/ground from M&S called Italian roast. Didn't taste Italian at all.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:55 pm
by Richard
GreenBean wrote: You have my respect if you can coax the best from these beans with a hot air gun. 8) :shock:


What i've found is that some beans are more difficult to roast evenly than others, Perfetio being a good example though I don't get fazed about an uneven roast because i'm always fiddling by adding a few darker beans or lighter beans.

The Bolivia Bolinda illmani has been the best all round out of the four bean-types, Bolivia Bolinda Illmani is much easier to roast than any bean i used yet.

Time to buy another batch of 10 kilos and a difficult decision to make, the only no-go area for me is African beans. I had a lovely cup of coffee at a specialist coffee shop that looked special in Totnes, an African pea-berry but I forget it's name. The proprietor warned me about my habit of taking milk with my coffee, only a little but nevertheless a no-go area for most of you purists.

He was right, the African tasted horrible with milk so this possibly explains my route through the maze of lovely coffees. I doubt I ever had a coffee that needed pouring down the sink but I probably do need another ten years of roasting and drinking.

70 on the mid-winter-solstice and still kitesurfing, Motorhome is always kitted out with fresh ground, some half-and-half and an Aeropress. I get lots of wet visitors particularly during the colder months.