coffee for mags - a coffee roasting trip report (& free mag coffee)

[tgapp]

You may be in a bit of a coffee wasteland so it is all relative. My advice is to befriend tgapp - you are almost neighbors - and post-Covid have him lead you down the rabbit hole.

only if he sends me pictures of his sister's titties

nahhh just kidding, i'm such a nerd that i'll share coffee with just about anyone. it's cool shit. so accessible and so overlooked.

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[carlh]

Lot's of interesting info here, maybe coffee roasting could be fun when my son is old enough that I have some free time.

I tend to like dark roaster central/south american coffees and dislike anything fruity or acidic coming from africa, maybe that means I have unrefined tastes but that wouldn't be surprising. When in Seattle I liked Lighthouse's blends, and I have disliked everything I have tried from stumptown as too light and fruity. Any recommendations for reasonably priced 2-3lb bags that I can get shipped to me or pick up north of boston? I have been drinking crap (coffee and figurative life) too much this year and upping the quality will help me want to get out of bed.

[tgapp]

Lot's of interesting info here, maybe coffee roasting could be fun when my son is old enough that I have some free time.

I tend to like dark roaster central/south american coffees and dislike anything fruity or acidic coming from africa, maybe that means I have unrefined tastes but that wouldn't be surprising. When in Seattle I liked Lighthouse's blends, and I have disliked everything I have tried from stumptown as too light and fruity. Any recommendations for reasonably priced 2-3lb bags that I can get shipped to me or pick up north of boston? I have been drinking crap (coffee and figurative life) too much this year and upping the quality will help me want to get out of bed.

that's not basic, it just sounds like you know what you like. i would also add GOOD sumatrans to your list - wet-hulled coffees have an earthiness that is very brooding; big-bodied, dark, comforting. good guatemalans are also chocolate-bombs, rich with big mouthfeels - and of course, brazillian dry processed coffee tends towards nutty chocolate flavors as well.

for boston - the obvious choice is george howell: https://www.georgehowellcoffee.com/
for anywhere else - seriously, there are a million great roasteries. paradise tends to do stuff that is darker, and they are very good. check out something like this: https://paradiseroasters.com/collect...cialty-robusta - it's a fucking robusta though, so who knows. or maybe this - klatch is phenomenal: https://www.klatchroasting.com/colle...rainha-natural

this is what i'm having this morning (my own roast, but their beans): https://www.klatchroasting.com/colle...natural-catuai. fucking killer good.

[AK47bp]

The drugs have arrived.

Will brew some up in the AM.

Thanks tgapp, real nice.




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[tgapp]

The drugs have arrived.

Will brew some up in the AM.

Thanks tgapp, real nice.




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hahahaha ok so you're the lucky mag!! so i basically just sent you those two coffees because they are WILDLY different sizes and i think it's funny. sorry. pretty dumb shit i know, i just think it's cool to see the big beans and the small beans next to each other.

the ethiopian is a native heirloom landrace (all coffee comes from the african crescent) and it's a very small, very hard little bean: https://www.sweetmarias.com/ethiopia...reen-6315.html - very prune/plum like

the nicaraguan is a cross between "caturra" (a very standard type of coffee) and this big-ass elephant bean (margogype). it's kind of a winey coffee. https://www.sweetmarias.com/nicaragu...urra-6137.html

sorry that's pretty dumb, but after i roasted all the coffee i figured someone should get both the REALLY big beans and the REALLY small beans.

[AK47bp]

I had black lentils for dinner and they definitely look similar. I’ll grind some of those little guys up tomorrow.


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[jackattack]

Nice! Buku is one of my favorites.

[abraham]

Will report back. Thanks man!

[schindlerpiste]

^^^^NICE!!!

For anyone interested, my favored brand is currently on sale. Give it a try. It does not disappoint:
https://www.cafebritt.com/home?aff=l...78235126709515

[tgapp]

yeah! the durato bombe is what i'm drinking today and it's pretty fucking great. both of those coffees are from the sidamo valley, which is one of three trademarked exporting regions in Ethiopia (along with harrar and yirgacheffe). the sidamo valley is characterized by high elevation growing sites and loamy, volcanic soil. over the past few years processors have really upped their game, and they're now producing what are widely considered the best natural process coffee in the world.

bombe is really pretty simple coffee - open the bag and smell it, and it'll smell dead on like pineapple and blueberries. pretty wild stuff. as espresso - it's fantastic. here's the exact coffee: https://www.royalny.com/offering/eth...be-grade-1-gp/

the keramo - it's been a minute since i've had that - but it's mostly like dried fruit with some nice floral notes if i recall correctly. also great coffee.

[AK47bp]

Wow. The Ethiopian is delicious.

Thanks again.


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[jono]

I think tgapps's beans spent a couple extra days in my mailbox thanks to the long weekend, but I'm finally tasting the goods. Very nice!

Started with the Sidamo Keramo. My descriptions of coffees are mediocre at best, but it's lit up the brain, anyway. Definitely a lot of "light" flavors going on. I thought I may have brewed it slightly strong but there's still nothing overpowering about it. Really balanced. A tenth of a gram of sweetener and about 6 drops of half-and-half in a big cup filled it out noticeably.

For some reason now I'm wondering what tgapp's Christmas shopping looks like? Is it super easy, just send out coffee? Or does he go full KQ and obsessively roast up a dozen different sets of beans to match the tastes of everyone on his list? I'm kinda betting it's the latter.

Thanks again tgapp! Awesome thread. Will re-read it tomorrow over some more of this Ethiopian goodness.

[couloirman]

What roaster is that? I used to have a Hottop programmable roaster but sold it when they announced their 1lb version, but they never came out with it and I stopped following the industry. Is there a well agreed upon nice 1lb+ roaster to buy these days that isnt quite as expensive as the Aillio Bullet?

[tgapp]

I think tgapps's beans spent a couple extra days in my mailbox thanks to the long weekend, but I'm finally tasting the goods. Very nice!

Started with the Sidamo Keramo. My descriptions of coffees are mediocre at best, but it's lit up the brain, anyway. Definitely a lot of "light" flavors going on. I thought I may have brewed it slightly strong but there's still nothing overpowering about it. Really balanced. A tenth of a gram of sweetener and about 6 drops of half-and-half in a big cup filled it out noticeably.

For some reason now I'm wondering what tgapp's Christmas shopping looks like? Is it super easy, just send out coffee? Or does he go full KQ and obsessively roast up a dozen different sets of beans to match the tastes of everyone on his list? I'm kinda betting it's the latter.

Thanks again tgapp! Awesome thread. Will re-read it tomorrow over some more of this Ethiopian goodness.

my whole family is mormon so i really don't get to share coffee with many people. i roast coffee for a few friends locally, but it's a small group - good for getting prodeals though .

keramo is great coffee; again, ethiopian dry processed coffees are my "home base". pretty magical tasting coffees.

What roaster is that? I used to have a Hottop programmable roaster but sold it when they announced their 1lb version, but they never came out with it and I stopped following the industry. Is there a well agreed upon nice 1lb+ roaster to buy these days that isnt quite as expensive as the Aillio Bullet?

i'm on a quest m3s. i wish i could do 1lb batches! i run 200g which is pushing it - i should run 150-180g but i'm a lazy fuck.

there are a couple really interesting roasters in the ~1lb range right now, but they're mostly gas and they're also pretty expensive - cormorants (i think $2.5k), buckeyes (around $4k), and finally, the huky (also around $2.5k). the quest m6 can handle a pound and costs $1,900, but if i were to buy a new roaster, i'd just get a bullet... by the time you have AmpProbe/thermocouples all hooked up, you're close enough to a bullet in price anyway. bullet's are so fucking cool.

[riser4]

fuck yeah! good, high-grown ethiopian/burundi coffees can be really tea-like in their characteristic. delicate is a good word for them. i just lack the palate i think...

new set of coffees are out to 6 more mags, lmk if i forgot you - you should see 'em by friday unless you're in canuckistan. some cool shit went out today.

Ya, my palate runs more toward burnt hydraulic fluid. Reheated day old Cafe Bustelo is the bomb. But I have always had a greatly reduced sense of smell, which severely affects how things taste.

[flyman683]

Boo yah. Roasted Wednesday... So now I have to wait as suggested. Fridge, freezer, or cold dark place? Presumably not direct sunlight?

To clarify, I'm asking about where the beans should wait...not me. as they offgas or whatever fancy stuff tgap says they do. I'mma do it right.

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[tgapp]

Boo yah. Roasted Wednesday... So now I have to wait as suggested. Fridge, freezer, or cold dark place? Presumably not direct sunlight?

To clarify, I'm asking about where the beans should wait...not me. as they offgas or whatever fancy stuff tgap says they do. I'mma do it right.

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freeze them asap

break them out into whatever quantity you can consume in a 2 week window and freeze them

I should have asked jbc for some sorta referral deal...

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[jm2e]

But, if he does that, won’t they still need to off gas for a week after he warms them up?


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[John_B]

My wife is the polar opposite of a coffee snob and after trying the Ethiopian Sidamo she is a convert. "If he sold this I would buy it, rather than the crap from the local roaster." Nice work TGapp! Time to start exploring some options on getting some nicer coffee around here I think.

[tgapp]

My wife is the polar opposite of a coffee snob and after trying the Ethiopian Sidamo she is a convert. "If he sold this I would buy it, rather than the crap from the local roaster." Nice work TGapp! Time to start exploring some options on getting some nicer coffee around here I think.

thanks!! but honestly i'm not that talented of a roaster, it's just fucking great coffee. what it comes down to is always sourcing, and it sounds like you discovered that your wife likes Ethiopian naturally processed coffees - any good roaster will have one or two, and they're consistently very similar... blueberry, strawberry, plum, wine. a lot of roasters call them fruit bombs, and for good reason - nothing subtle about them at all.

jm2e - the deal with degassing is that it's a natural process that starts as soon as the coffee goes through first crack (when it pops like popcorn in the roaster). different coffees degas at different rates, but when you freeze coffee, the goal is to interrupt that process as quickly as possible so that you can resume it when you take it out of the freezer. you also want to be able to control the quantity of coffee you allow to degas at any particular time; however much you can drink in ~14-16 days or so. throw it into ziplocks/vacseal in 15 day increments (usually 12-16oz) and then take it out when you're ready to drink. frozen coffee will degas a little bit quicker than fresh coffee, but that's nitpicky. it's good enough that my palate sure as fuck can't tell a difference.

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[TurxSki]

But, if he does that, won’t they still need to off gas for a week after he warms them up?


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No

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[TurxSki]

Thought you might appreciate this. Peet's waxing lyrical about some Ethiopian beans:

*Ethiopia, and the Jimma region in particular, is likely the original source of all coffee. So when we roast beans from this area, we approach them with a sense of reverence. We want to respect the coffee, and all that it has given us.
The Arabica beans of this region are curiously small, so a lighter hand is needed in the roast, else you scorch them. It’s important to coax out the unique aromatics of a washed Ethiopia, which develop at each stage of the roast. Early on, the coffee exhibits gorgeous sweet floral notes, reminiscent of jasmine and citrus blossom. After first crack, those citrus notes evolve into zest, bright and fruity.
We had to keep our ears peeled for the first crack. It was subtle, hushed. Only once the beans reached consensus did it sound like a large number of them crackling gently together, like tiny popcorn. As we pushed on to second crack, that signature citrus zest aroma bloomed, specifically the bright, almost camphorous aroma of bergamot.
In the cup, that bergamot note makes this a truly elegant and sophisticated brew, like a happy marriage of Earl Grey tea and a rich dark roast. Pour over or drip works best to highlight the floral aromatics, but a press pot will also give you a lovely cup with a little more weight. It’s great straight up, but a cloud of milk might accentuate that tea-like experience*
I thought Ethiopia was all about natural process, vs washed? Always more to know...

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[tgapp]

Thought you might appreciate this. Peet's waxing lyrical about some Ethiopian beans:


I thought Ethiopia was all about natural process, vs washed? Always more to know...

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Nope. Ethiopian coffee processors have access to tons of water, which is usually the limiting factor for washed coffees. Natural processing was developed in the Arabian peninsula when Arabic traders brought coffee back from Ethiopia, making Yemen the first site of cultivated coffee. Then, traders brought natural processing back from Yemen to Ethiopia.

Tldr, ethiopian coffees are commonly found either washed or naturally processed.

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[jackattack]

The only thing subtle about Peet’s coffee is the volume of first crack as they roar on by to full char.

[tgapp]

The only thing subtle about Peet’s coffee is the volume of first crack as they roar on by to full char.

I wasn't gonna say it but yeah... it's cute that Peet's is aware of first crack, at least

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