Day 37 - Barista Day 35 - Guat 1. Guat - 8.2/10 Appears the change after 5 weeks from roasting date may not have been for the better? 2. Guat - 7.5/10 (12 hrs later) This was difficult to drink .. and felt a little queasy after drinking. After a stella performance from this wonderful Guat bean .. it's tasting like it is finally due for retirement. Due to services rendered .. and to allow it to retain a little dignity .. I'll probably be sending it off to a first class 5 star retirement Village. In fairness .. I'm tempted to give both Barista and this amazing Guat one last try .. only the last cup from both is not inspiring me to do so. Both these beans have been fabulous drinking .. and it's sad to send them off to pasture .. only all good things must eventually come to an end.. as they say. It has been an amazing run .. and these beans have withstood the effects of the extreme heat we've been having in Melbourne .. so no complaints whatsoever for lasting as long as they have .. providing many wonderful coffees. *And of course - many thanks to mycuppa for presenting these top quality beans :thumb: I have been using Sims cheap 'Dairy Choice' milk for the above. It does not appear to have any discernible odour or taste that may have contributed negatively to the taste in the cup. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok .. Sirius Classsic (Guatamala) has arrived .. so these are my initial results using the same grind as for the above. 1. Classic - 9/10 Backed the grind off a fair degree 2. Classic - 8.8/10 Excellent crema .. only shot volume was also small, as were the previous shots in recent days using the other beans - requiring a 2nd pull. The other beans were old, would have been heat effected and would have therefore dried out. This blend .. from my last try a short time ago, appears to be less dense, which, from other similar bean types I've tried in the past - pours more quickly and requires a heavier tamp to compensate. As expected, the 2nd lever pull was wanting to pour too quickly .. so I held the lever back and let it drip to required volume, rather than letting it go. After removing my cup, I then let go of the lever - and the remainder of the 2nd extraction gushed out. Tamp was of medium pressure both at half and full basket.. dose being at maximum. I will be doing a heavy tamp for my next cup. This was a very nice coffee although .. like the old Guat above, detected a slight bitterness which wasn't enough to be unpleasant. As I am still experimenting with the grind setting for this new bean blend .. I am yet to find the sweet spot. I will be adjusting the grind to a little finer for the next cup.
