speffex

Purchased Sumatran Manheling

Try grinding to 28A. This is Vienna roast (green was not available from Green Beanery due to officious communist-style service). About $15 for 1/2 lb. Turned out pretty well- I think I prefer the Full City Roast over the Vienna, but the Vienna didn’t taste too burned.

speffex

Second batch of Kenyan Peaberry

Roasted (filled between nominal fill and dark fill) for 28 minutes. More chocolatey tones from the bean itself. Will allow the beans to rest for a few days before grinding.

DSCN0333

Update 4/13/2015.. ground to 25A setting on Preciso. Recommendations run from 25 to 35. Quite good, though not in the same class as the Sumatran. Very nice after dinner coffee. Used 4-1/2 rounded teaspoons for 2 cups and 2-1/3 cups of water. Could be a touch stronger, but not much. Quite good.

speffex

Roasting Kenyan Peaberry

Roasted one batch of Kenyan Peaberry ($12/lb for green beans) for 25 min (medium roast). Looks pretty good- tastes nice as beans. Will let it rest before grinding and making coffee in the French Press.

DSCN0329

With usual preparation in the Bodum (one rounded teaspoon per 4oz = about 5 total for two cups) and the usual 4 minutes of brew time, it turned out pretty well. Might try a finer grind next time to attempt more full extraction.

speffex

Bodum press test

Using the best coffee I have- Sumatra Mandheling Full City Roast- mistakedly ground to 13B for Aeropress.

Put 5 rounded teaspoons in, add about 1-1/3 cups of boiling water transferred from a mug (~8oz)

Brew for 4 minutes. Turned out about the right strength (quite strong but not overrpowering) and did not use excess coffee like the aeropress. 13B is a fine grind in the espresso range, but it did not appear to clog the filter- however some mud in the bottom of the cups. Try a coarser blend such as 36 next time.

Note: The Kenyan Peaberry was not all that much better in terms of fines. I’m not sure it’s better to use a coarse grind.

Update: tried the remainder of the batch of Kenyan Peaberry with 13B grind- disaster- it was too strong (probably used too much for the three cups- about 1.3 rounded teaspoons per cup for 3 cups) and almost impossible to force through the Bodum filter, with too many fines in the coffee.

speffex

Cappuccino beans .. does it matter much?

It seems like the quality of the beans is not as important when roasted to a Full City roast or beyond. I wonder if it really matters that much when you’re diluting the flavor with steamed milk, doctoring it with sugar and smothering it with cinnamon. I’ve been making pretty good-tasting cappuccino with Aza beans that are only $12 CAD for 2 lbs. Is it worth paying twice that and roasting my own to get a bit better taste?