Looking for an espresso blend

Discussion of various types and blends of commercially available pre-roasted beans, their best sources, prices, their respective merits, and the Vivaldi settings required to optimism flavor.
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jjread

Looking for an espresso blend

Post by jjread »

On a recent business trip to London I stopped by a coffee roaster named Monmouth Coffee Company in the Borough Market (http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk). ). I was not expecting to find great coffee in London but I really enjoyed everything I got from them (about 6 kilos). Their focus is single estates (lots from Brazil) and they do a lower roast, even on their espresso, so I could still taste the bean rather than what has been done to it.

In the name of freshness and convenience I would very much like to find a similarly minded source for roasted beans in the US. I am already firmly labeled as enough of a food crazed eccentric without flying to London every three weeks for coffee. The people at Monmouth suggested that I look on the Specialty Coffee Association of America website but I couldn't find much there.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. For what it is worth, there is some info on Monmouth's Espresso below.


Thank you!

JR


Here is their skiny on espresso from the wesite:

"We concentrate on buying and retailing the finest single origin, single estate, Arabica coffees. Because of their subtlety and delicacy they are at their best when brewed gently in a filter or cafetiere. But, brewed through an espresso machine these coffees can sometimes taste over acidic and thin. For this reason we create a blend specifically for espresso. Our aim is to highlight the inherent sweetness and developed fruit in our coffees while providing structure with a full-bodied base coffee. As we are continually sampling and buying new single estate coffees, our espresso changes according to the crop season and flavour profile..."

The particular Blend that I got was the following:

Monmouth Espresso Blend
Smooth and nutty with balanced fruit and acidity

We are currently using Fazenda Rodomunho (Brasil) as the base of the espresso, adding Cooperativa Quebradon (Colombia) for high notes and complexity, Finca El Bosque (Guatemala) for milk-chocolate notes, and Bibi Plantation (India) for sweetness and spice.
JohnB

Post by JohnB »

Check out the single origin Espressos at Terrior Coffee.
http://www.terroircoffee.com/
boldstep

Post by boldstep »

I am confused by your question: the coffee you liked was a blend but the coffee you seek is single origin?
jjread

Post by jjread »

-John B, thanks for the recommendation! I had heard of Terrior but had not been on their website before your response. Have you, or anyone else on the board for that matter, worked with them before? If so, please let me know your impressions.

-Boldstep, sorry for the confusion... I am somewhat new to all of this. The espresso that I had enjoyed from Monmouth was in fact a blend of four complimenting estates. The other coffees that I got from them were all pure single estates with very individual flavor profiles. I am in the wine business and the single origin coffee has an obvious parallel appeal for me.

As far as the coffees that I am looking for, that they all be from a single origin is not a necessity (many of the worlds greatest wines are blends), but I think strong relationships with specific growers in prime locations and small batches is key. Just as significant to me was the lighter roasting which allowed the flavor of the bean's origin to come through, rather than just what has been done to it.

It sounds like Terrior is doing exactly what I am looking for. If there are any others I would love to know... thanks!


JR
boldstep

Post by boldstep »

No problem, just needed to understand what you were after. I made a brief foray into SO beans and found them, as one might guess, very one-dimensional in taste. Each SO bean that I tried seemed to be too forward in one direction or too lacking in another directionand it tasted that way each and every shot. I missed the complexity and balance that blends can offer and hence retreated back to the world of blend coffees. :D

I have a growing notebook filled with my notes on different blends I've tried (unfortunately I mean this literally :P ). My favorites right now are Super Tuscan and Gotham for straight espresso and the Vita blend from Vivace is the best I've tasted as a milk drink.
JohnB

Post by JohnB »

I have 2 s/o Espressos from Terrior in house at the moment. The Jury is still out on their Northern Italian but I can definitely recommend the Daterra, Calabria Style.

As far as good Espresso blends & single origins from roasters that meet your criteria; Pt's Coffee, Intelligentsia, Counter Culture Coffee, Paradise Roasters, Metropolis Coffee are just a few that come to mind. Google any of them & check out their websites.
Terrior specializes in a lighter roast whereas most of the others mentioned above will offer a variety of roasts depending on the coffee.
Niko

Post by Niko »

boldstep wrote: I have a growing notebook filled with my notes on different blends I've tried (unfortunately I mean this literally :P ).
Nice!
My notebooks freak people out :lol:
I keep notes on everything including how many shots, backflushes and cleanings are performed on a daily basis :shock:

Speaking of SO espresso, I think the WBC was won using SO beans in '07.
Richard

Post by Richard »

jjread wrote:I had heard of Terrior but had not been on their website before your response. Have you, or anyone else on the board for that matter, worked with them before? If so, please let me know your impressions.
I drink a lot of Terroir's coffees and drank a lot of coffees from George Howell's earlier company, The Coffee Connection. From my perspective, these coffees are the apex of what is presently available in the United States.
Richard

Post by Richard »

JohnB wrote:The Jury is still out on their Northern Italian but I can definitely recommend the Daterra, Calabria Style.
I'm always fascinated by how people's tastes differ. I enormously enjoy all the Northern Italian coffees from Terroir and drink some amount of their southern Italian Daterra.

I've drank probably a half-dozen packages of the Calabria-style but haven't yet been able to achieve on the Vivaldi what I think the coffee is capable of and what, according to Peter at Terroir, it is designed for. They have optimized the coffee for a triple ristretto, i.e., about 21 grams dosage, 1-1.5 oz in the cup (as pulled in, presumably, their La Marzocco machines), at temperatures up around 197-199 F (higher than the northern Italians). That dosage is clearly not possible with a double basket in a Spaziale. :)

So I'm very interested in how you are dosing and pulling the Calabria. It's an intoxicatingly fragrant coffee and I would love to learn how to better enjoy it. Share!!

EDITED to add: I should revisit the Calabria. My experience with it was when I was still using a Mazzer Mini, and meanwhile I've made a significant grinder upgrade that has improved every other coffee I've put through it (Mahlkoenig).
JohnB

Post by JohnB »

Richard wrote: I'm always fascinated by how people's tastes differ. I enormously enjoy all the Northern Italian coffees from Terroir and drink some amount of their southern Italian Daterra.

I've drank probably a half-dozen packages of the Calabria-style but haven't yet been able to achieve on the Vivaldi what I think the coffee is capable of and what, according to Peter at Terroir, it is designed for. They have optimized the coffee for a triple ristretto, i.e., about 21 grams dosage, 1-1.5 oz in the cup (as pulled in, presumably, their La Marzocco machines), at temperatures up around 197-199 F (higher than the northern Italians). That dosage is clearly not possible with a double basket in a Spaziale. :)

So I'm very interested in how you are dosing and pulling the Calabria. It's an intoxicatingly fragrant coffee and I would love to learn how to better enjoy it. Share!!
Thats one reason that when someone suggests a brew temp for a certain coffee it should be taken as just one temp to try out of several others. I may like a flavor that comes out at 92C & someone else might prefer the flavors at 95C. Someone might be crazy about a certain blend & I might not like it at all. I'll try different temps that people post but I'm also going to try 2 or 3 others to see which one I like best.

I'll pull a packet of the Calabria out of the freezer tomorrow & post some fresh thoughts. I tried it & the No. Italian briefly last week when I got it in. As I recall I pulled an 18+g double with the Calabria aiming for a ristretto but needed to grind finer. I did find it much tastier then the N.I. which reminded me more of (forgive me!) strong tea then coffee. A may not be a single origin Espresso guy but we'll see how it goes with the rest of the bag.
Richard

Post by Richard »

JohnB wrote:Someone might be crazy about a certain blend & I might not like it at all. I'll try different temps that people post but I'm also going to try 2 or 3 others to see which one I like best.
Oh yes, and calibration of machines is often not the same. A setting of 92 on your machine might not actually produce quite the same temperature in the portafilter as mine set at 92, pressures may vary, etc.
I'll pull a packet of the Calabria out of the freezer tomorrow & post some fresh thoughts. I tried it & the No. Italian briefly last week when I got it in. As I recall I pulled an 18+g double with the Calabria aiming for a ristretto but needed to grind finer.
18 grams is what I was dosing the Calabria at. I found it delicious in milk-based drinks but just generally in-your-face intense as a straight shot. But I may well go back to it with the Mahlkoenig; I'm finding all coffees to be significantly clearer, subtle, and easier to control with that grinder.
I did find it much tastier then the N.I. which reminded me more of (forgive me!) strong tea then coffee. A may not be a single origin Espresso guy but we'll see how it goes with the rest of the bag.
I enjoy all the northerns dosed at 14 grams, pulling ca 1-1.5 oz in about 25 seconds, temperature of 91 (known to be accurate). Sometimes I find the Yirgacheffe more to my liking at 92. They need to be be ground *significantly* finer than many other coffees to achieve that pull without blonding.

What northern Italian are you drinking? I alternate between the Daterra and the Yirgacheffe. As for tea . . . ? That's an interesting observation. There are, to my tastes, fascinating floral overtones of Darjeeling in the Yirgacheffe.
JohnB

Post by JohnB »

Richard wrote: I
18 grams is what I was dosing the Calabria at. I found it delicious in milk-based drinks but just generally in-your-face intense as a straight shot. But I may well go back to it with the Mahlkoenig; I'm finding all coffees to be significantly clearer, subtle, and easier to control with that grinder.


I enjoy all the northerns dosed at 14 grams, pulling ca 1-1.5 oz in about 25 seconds, temperature of 91 (known to be accurate). Sometimes I find the Yirgacheffe more to my liking at 92. They need to be be ground *significantly* finer than many other coffees to achieve that pull without blonding.

What northern Italian are you drinking? I alternate between the Daterra and the Yirgacheffe. As for tea . . . ? That's an interesting observation. There are, to my tastes, fascinating floral overtones of Darjeeling in the Yirgacheffe.
I've been drinking a lot of Americanos lately & enjoyed both the Calabria & the Daterra No. Ital. that way but found the Calabria much more flavorful. I'll try them both again tomorrow & try the Daterra as you suggest.
JohnB

Post by JohnB »

Richard - I just tried the No. Italian Daterra in 2 straight doubles. 14g, 91c, 1.5-1.75 oz. As a straight shot I still don't care for the taste I'm getting but I haven't given up on it.
I then pulled a 1oz ristretto using 18g of the Calabria brewed at 92C & loved it! Syrupy, sweet & delicious.
Its funny but I would describe the flavor I'm getting from the No. Italian as much more "in your face" then the Calabria. I'll keep playing with the N/I but I don't see myself buying it again. Have you tried the Southern Italian Daterra? The description sounds like it might be more to my taste.
Richard

Post by Richard »

JohnB wrote:Richard - I just tried the No. Italian Daterra in 2 straight doubles. 14g, 91c, 1.5-1.75 oz. As a straight shot I still don't care for the taste I'm getting but I haven't given up on it.
Generally speaking, Terroir's lighter-roasted NI coffees are finicky about temperatures. They really do need to be pulled at around 91, but too cool and I find them acidic, somewhat astringent. A bit too hot, and they get ashy tasting long before anything I would characterize as burned. I also found them sometimes harder to control when running through a Mazzer Mini than with my present grinder.

Another factor is that for walk-up pulls, i.e., if the machine has been idle 15 or 20 minutes or more, it's easy to neglect adequately flushing to warm the group, resulting in a shot that's too cool.
I then pulled a 1oz ristretto using 18g of the Calabria brewed at 92C & loved it! Syrupy, sweet & delicious.
I'll order some more of that. I'm persuaded it has far more to offer than I was able to achieve. About how long is the pull for that 1oz?
Its funny but I would describe the flavor I'm getting from the No. Italian as much more "in your face" then the Calabria. I'll keep playing with the N/I but I don't see myself buying it again.
<grin> De gustibus non est disputandum.
Have you tried the Southern Italian Daterra? The description sounds like it might be more to my taste.
I alternate between it and the northerns. I find this coffee is also more forgiving of temperature variance than the NI.

It could be interesting for you and I to get together either here or there sometime and bounce those coffees off one another. I know I'd be likely to learn something and gain a wider appreciation for different ways of doing things.
JohnB

Post by JohnB »

I always pull at least 1 warming flush, usually two even if the machine has only been idle a couple minutes. For long idle periods 2-3 flushes.

Terrior recommended between 194-197F so I suppose I could throw the V2 in V1 mode & try a cooler temp. I did try one at 92C & didn't notice any improvement. What flavors are you getting from the N.I. Daterra?

My ristrettos run well into the 30 sec range, sometimes longer. The key is to get those nice big, syrupy, dark drops before the pour comes together without choking the machine for too long.

I'd certainly be interested in trying one of your N.I. shots sometime to see how it compares to what I'm getting. Pm me when you have some free time coming up & we'll see if we can get together.
michael

terroir calabria style

Post by michael »

john b

when you make a ristretto with the calabria with 18gs how do you set your grinder; i have a mini mazzer e

and you say the pour lasts 30 seconds

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated 8)
JohnB

Re: terroir calabria style

Post by JohnB »

michael wrote:john b

when you make a ristretto with the calabria with 18gs how do you set your grinder; i have a mini mazzer e

and you say the pour lasts 30 seconds

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated 8)
I just grind a little finer then I would for a regular 16g double. Don't expect to see the 1.5-2 oz volume you get from a typical double, closer to 1oz. unless you play with the tamp/grind but I wouldn't consider that a Ristretto.
michael

calabria ristretto

Post by michael »

any way to translate "a little finer" to the mini mazzer e 8)
JohnB

Re: calabria ristretto

Post by JohnB »

michael wrote:any way to translate "a little finer" to the mini mazzer e 8)
Not really as I'm using a Macap Stepless with a worm adjuster. Its all experimental, just move the adjuster a small amount towards finer & try it.
JohnB

Post by JohnB »

Richard wrote: I'm always fascinated by how people's tastes differ. I enormously enjoy all the Northern Italian coffees from Terroir and drink some amount of their southern Italian Daterra.
Richard - I decided to give the Northern Italian Daterra another try today & after grinding the first two shots too fine the 3rd time was the charm. Using 14.5g of beans & brewing at 91c I finally got the marzipan flavor they mention in their description. Actually it tasted more like cherries to me but I'm not complaining. Getting the grind just right is critical as grinding too fine brought out a saltiness that wasn't appealing.
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