Ponte Vecchio Lusso - advice please?

Moon

The Merlo smackdown begins.. The Candidates 1. Private Blend 2. Riveria 3. Forza First cab off the rank - piccolo latte *Merlo - Private blend Pour - 18ml in 20 secs This bean blend certainly looked the part with all its colour .. very nice, only couldn't quite back up all the sizzle with enough steak. Lacking the WOW factor to score a 9.2 Rating - 9.08/10 *Just ordered my new digital pocket scales. Does this baby look yummy or what? 8) Microfoam is a little thicker than usual .. only it means a more concentrated tasty brew .. no complaints there.

Moon

The Merlo smackdown continues .. *Merlo - Reveria blend Pour - 21ml in 20 secs This blend had more colour and tasted similar to the Private blend. Like the Pb .. the flavour was superficial and lacked any lingering aftertaste .. or sense that you'd just had a nice coffee. A little extra in the sizzle dep't - then all over red rover. Still a damn nice cup of coffee though. Rating - 9.1/10 Next - the blend with that extra punch --> Forza Riveria blend

Moon

Merlo - the conclusion. *Merlo - Forza Pour - 20ml in 20 secs Rating - 8/10 This bean blend had less colour in the cup, although it did have a bit more depth to it than its 2 siblings.. and at least left me feeling like I'd had a coffee .. although I could have easily put that fullness down to the huge serving of lamb and potato curry & rice that I had made myself earlier. I was waiting for it to settle a bit more, only I thought .. stuff it .. so that's exactly what I did. Obviously the ugly duckling of the family, as I wasn't so impressed with the flavour this time. Being their stronger blend - and most likely a darker roast, it doesn't appeal to my personal preference of medium roasts. As this bean was chosen by my sister - who usually likes the espresso, it was always on the cards that I wouldn't be all that impressed with it. I guess that's why they have different roasts for different folks. I brought some back from the Gold Coast to try anyway .. so that I could include the Forza in my Merlo reviews. As for my favorite .. it is splitting hairs between the Private blend and the Riveria .. as they were so similar .. I can't say I prefer one over the other. They were both very nice coffees. That about wraps it up for the Merlo contest. 2 outa 3 ain't bad :thumb: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next - is revisiting Zentveld's Byron Bay blend - the shootout that puts this bean blend up against itself. Will there be a winner .. or will this bean end up shooting itself?

Moon

*Zentvelds - 'Byron blend' Pour - 20ml in 25 secs Crema was ok and poured well. Rating - 7.8/10 Better than expected after the first one I tried. Come think of it .. I'd put it above the Merlo 'Forza' .. which scored an 8/10. I must've been in a generous mood at the time .. and should've given the Forza a 7.6/10 .. which puts in in the 'take it or sink it' category. Zentveld's Byron blend is like a bean you keep around for a while in case you happen to run out of the good stuff .. when *shock horror* .. all that is available in the pantry is the 5 year old jar of Nescafe you keep for visitors you are keen to scare off - permanently. If they are *cough* instant coffee drinkers .. you need to employ Plan B. That's when these 2 lots of beans come to the rescue.. rather than opting for that cup of tea.. which is what I usually do. It makes that new batch of coffee beans on order much more welcome when they finally arrive. These Byron blend beans were dark roasted .. and left roasting a little too long, as there was oil on quite a few of the beans. To be fair .. I did notice smaller spots of oil on the Major Tom beans .. but not many. A new batch of Major Tom will be arriving soon .. so it will be interesting to see if there are any oil spots this time. It didn't appear to affect the taste .. as far as I could tell .. although I'm sure it does.

Moon

1. Started the day off with a double shot full 6oz latte of Yirg to get me going. I'm not rating my first from now on. Reason - too dopey to score accurately. 2. Major Tom - Piccolo latte Pour - 20ml in 20 secs Rating - 9.1/10 3. Major Tom The last of these beans .. and falling a tad short on the dose. Thought I'd see how this affects the pour, rather than topping up with another bean. Tamped harder and had to go a double fellini to get the air out. Pour - 25ml in 15 secs Hmm? The pour appeared a little quick .. but more crema than usual. The larger volume of the shot seemed to add more depth of flavour .. although the body lacked .. meaning it just fell short of a 9.2 Rating - 9.18/10 Almost .. and a ripping coffee. Really enjoyed this one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Looking for my next beans to rate? Thinking about C-mans suggestion of mycuppa's Columbian? *Feel free to offer up suggestions if you've really bean impressed with a bean or blend - especially if it is from a site sponsor.

Brett_H

Wow... Some good reading here. I never got great results with the Fortza but you've inspired me to give it another go. I'm going to vary the temp of my machine until it hit liquid gold or mud glorious mud.

Moon

Brett H wrote:

Wow... Some good reading here. I never got great results with the Fortza but you've inspired me to give it another go.

Either did I .. and bagged it. In short - don't bother. I'm not sure how referring to it as the Ugly Duckling of the Merlos I was reviewing .. turned out to be so inspirational .. unless you're expecting it to come out as a beautiful white Swan .. as the story goes.. next time around :question: Before investing in that turkey .. I'd first go back and read my review of the Merlo Forza again..and perhaps the one below it on the Zentveld's Byron blend - it might save you .. trust me 😉 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brett_H

No mate... You've misunderstood. I am going to have a red-hot go at making a lovely coffee with these beans and then reporting back that you've got it all wrong 😛 😉

Moon

Brett H wrote:

No mate... You've misunderstood. I am going to have a red-hot go at making a lovely coffee with these beans and then reporting back that you've got it all wrong 😛😉

Ok .. it's good to get *[other peoples opinions on beans] I rate in this thread. I know you're a Merlo fan .. so by all means .. knock yourself out. Lol. Oh .. and include a rating of your experience. The more detail .. the better. :thumb: I still have some more of the Merlo Forza .. so, if you give it a good rating, I may feel all inspired to give 'em another go I've no doubt .. you'll be giving the Forza your best shot 😃 *I know I said I'm not rating my 1st coffee for the day .. only this mornings Yirgacheffe made in a 6oz cup was the most enjoyable I have ever had.. 1st off the rank - and therefore felt an obligation to share the love. 20ml in 25 secs .. and on the enjoyment scale .. it rated a whopping 9.3/10. Unfortunately, it didn't last as long as I had hoped .. funny that. 😢 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Order is in with mycuppa for 500g Columbian Exelso.. on recommendation from C-man. This should coincide with the arrival of 500g of Major Tom for the next head to head smackdown. Have to wait the degas resting period .. so it will all be happening next week. Columbian Warlords versus Tweed Master Roasters - should be interesting. All guns ablazin .. I imagine :-X ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Just had one of :lamp: moments As the thread title is 'Ponte Vecchio Lusso' .. and not a coffee bean appreciation thread .. I guess that means .. to keep it on-topic .. you really need to be using this machine when joining in to rate beans.. and not how they may taste say .. when using a Bezeera .. which, who knows .. might produce a completely different result :question: Admittedly, it would be fairer on the beans, the growers & suppliers to do this .. only it would belong in another thread. *Having said this - to cover all and sundry - I'm looking forward to Brettmate's findings. :thumb: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Had another std 6oz Ethiopian Yirgacheffe latte to see if that earlier one rating a 9.3/10 was fair dinkum .. or not? Hd to go back and check the roasting date to see how 'mature' these babies were. Day 29 (4 weeks) .. and according to my taste buds .. these beauties are in their sweet spot. 1st extraction produced 15ml in 25 secs .. so I went the 2nd to top up to 20ml (+ 7 secs ) = 32 secs total. Rating - 9.2/10 Wow .. confirmed. That 1st cup was no illusion. Strange .. not much crema - which dissipated quickly .. but had nice colour in the cup once adding the milk. This ripper was rich, flavorsome, full-bodied and smooth as. Delicious. Just what the Doctor ordered .. being a Carlton supporter n all. :head:

Moon

Indulged in another Yirgacheffe last night Pour - 25 sec (1st )+ 7 sec (2nd) = 32 secs - for 20ml. Rating - 9.3/10 This bean is peaking @ Day 30 Definitely in its sweet spot .. only instead of chocolate .. this bean is serving up honey. This morning 20 sec + 7 sec = 27 secs for 23ml Delicious first cup .. up around the 9.2/10 - fabulous 1st coffee for the day. :coffee2: This coffee is consistently excellent. Like the first batch of mycuppa Guatemala that also peaked late .. and scored a 9.3/10 .. I only have a couple of cups worth of beans left 😢 Bummer - Going off with a bang - complete with a fireworks display. *Better to have loved and lost .. than to have never loved at all. The upside - the cup is still half full atm. ps. eggbert - Your idea of filling up the basket with the beans for the dose has worked well.. :thumb: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coming 500g Major Tom 500g Columbia (mycuppa) A kilo lasts me 3 1/2 weeks.. so I avoid getting a kilo of one bean, as it limits the option of having a different flavour for the duration. Thinking about getting 250g of an old favorite while over in Brunswick. Georges Coffee/Negrita in Victoria st. His 'Premium blend' is worth revisiting to try out in my PV Lusso. It would also be a formidable opponent in a 3 way shootout .. I'd reckon. It was my favorite when I had the ol' Gaggia Baby machine .. only the last lot I purchased back then poured too quickly .. and due to only having the $150 De Longhi grinder - and already being on it's finest setting .. I couldn't go finer to slow it down. I suspected at the time that the blend had changed.. with a more dense bean being replaced with a drier lighter bean .. meaning that the water had less resistance .. and therefore flowed more quickly through the puck. That's my guess anyway?? Diffent story these days 8)

Koffee_Kosmo

Thank you Moony for the high praise That is very rewarding to hear as the review also praises my KKTO roaster as much as the beans themselves Will see what I can do with a special bean I have and send you a sample KK

Moon

Hmm .. no mucking around at mycuppa. Ordered beans yesterday and they arrived today. They send you updates on your order status. Service is faultless with this mob .. which is good. :thumb: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok .. down to business. Although these beans are only 4 days post roast .. and need to wait say, 8 days to be fair on these babies - the temptation is too great to ward off having a sneak preview of good times ahead. Back shortly with some early results from a bean that is still a bit wet between the ears. Oh .. that's right .. beans don't have ears. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks heaps KK .. excellent bean choice that one .. and perfectly roasted for my taste. And yeah .. it does speak volumes about your KKTO roaster. I guess the Major Tom was lucky it didn't hang around long enough to be up against your Yirgacheffe, as it's a killer at the moment .. and I doubt many would be able to match it .. unless they happen to be peaking as well. Smooth .. rich and full-bodied .. and with that honey sweetness in last night's brew was sensational. I hadn't tasted that flavour before in a coffee .. unless I had actually used honey to sweeten it .. which I haven't done for many years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

mycuppa

A single origin is typically more 1-dimensional than a blend - Potatoes and Apples I'm afraid. Ordered yesterday afternoon, delivered today. The Colombian is not ready yet. My advice is to leave it sealed (unopened) for another 6 days at least.

Moon

mycuppa wrote:

A single origin is typically more 1-dimensional than a blend - Potatoes and Apples I'm afraid.

It is .. only if I prefer a mass of flavour in my coffee .. I'd be rating the Merlo as the best .. cause that is what it does as a blend. It's a bit like preferring a pizza with the lot versus having just a few of your favorite ingredients on it. Too many flavours get lost in the mix. I like the simplicity of a single origin bean and enjoy it for what it is. Others will prefer complexity. I like a fruit salad, for its burst of different flavors .. only I can enjoy and appreciate eating a single apple - for it's unique flavor .. just as much.

mycuppa wrote:

The Colombian is not ready yet. My advice is to leave it sealed (unopened) for another 6 days at least.

Ok .. dammit .. hello willpower --- I hate you :pan Yeah .. we need the Columbian in cracking form .. but as the Yirg has shown .. the single origins can match it with the blends - well, in my opinion they can anyway. Next round .. this Columbian will be up against a couple of pretty good blends .. so we'll see how they go. I guess I'll just have to make do with another Yirg 😛 *I can only say this ^ one more time. 😢 Still have some Merlo Private, Riveria, Forza left, plus 180g of Zentvelds Byron and of course - that 5 year old jar of Nescafe. <--- Crikey - things would have to be real bad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Ordered yesterday afternoon, delivered today. Oops - yep .. apologies J. Previous post has been corrected Thanks mycuppa 🙂 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't see the single origin beans being at a disadvantage to the blends in my person reviews, although the SO has to be a very good one .. and not those described as best suited in a blend. This is why I am seeking recommendations from members here for a bean that they are particularly impressed by, or a new bean that gets a good rap in mycuppas newsletter for instance. I'd much rather go by recommendation than simply choosing one off a Coffee website. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moon

Had to slum it with a Merlo Private blend 🙂 Reverted back to the 6oz cup of latte .. and loving it. Pour - 20 + 5 secs (2nd extraction) for 20ml. Rating - 9.1/10 I'm guessing this is about as good as it gets for a Merlo .. unless there happens to be a sweet spot in there somewhere? There's an obvious difference between this and the recent Yirgs. Seems like a first extraction of 20-25 secs .. plus 5 secs for a total of 25-30 secs to top up to a 20ml shot .. is where it's at for the depth of flavour I'm after. The grind setting on my Compak K3 is also working nicely. It has taken this long .. 3 1/2 months before getting a feel for .. and becoming more confident using the fellini move. Often it is play it by ear as to how many times you have to do it to achieve the right degree of resistance against the spring, otherwise it pours too quickly and you lose flavour. Dose level, the texture of the grinds including the moisture content also seem to play a part.

Moon

Last night Ethiipian Yirgacheffe Pour - 20 secs + 5 = 25 secs for 20ml. Rating - 9.25/10 Didn't do the microfoam as well as I should have .. otherwise this would have scored a 9.3/10. Today 1. Merlo - Private blend Rating - 9.1/10 The 2nd half of the cup was better than the first .. finishing off strongly. If I hadn't been spoilt by the heady heights of the Yirg lately, with their 9.3/10 rating .. this Merlo may have scored a 9.15/10. Lovely coffee. And here comes the jewel in the crown. 2. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe - Day 31 (post roast) Being the last cup of the Yirgacheffe .. I was careful to get this right .. with an excellent microfoam. and *Thought I'd take some photos. Pour - 15 secs + 5 secs = 20 secs for 23ml. Seemed a little quick time wise, but poured nicely. Rating - 9.35/10 This was the nicest standard 6oz cup of coffee I have ever had I reckon. Considered giving this a 9.4/10 .. only didn't want to put it too far above mycuppas Guatamala .. which I rated 9.3/10 .. as the quality of these 2 coffees in the cup are very similar. Both outstanding.. and clearly the best single origin beans I have tried to date. The Guatemala might have been slightly richer due to being a piccolo latte - if i remember correctly? This cup of coffee was the ultimate way to finish off. Wow! *Cheers to KK for that Yirg mind-blowing coffee experience. :thumb: *Here is a photo of my top scoring coffee to date .. and boy .. was it a cracker!

Moon

Crikey .. I have been spoilt .. and think I'm turning into a snob? :-[ I make a coffee .. and go .. yeah ok, that was a nice cup of coffee .. give it a 9.1/10 .. *yawn* lol. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Merlo - Riveria Pour: 15 secs + 3 secs =18 secs for 25ml. Dose was a little less and the pour was a little quick .. even after doing a couple of extra fell inis to get a bit more resistance. Didn't work. Rating - 9.15/10 This turned out a very nice coffee .. surprisingly. This Riveria might even be a tad nicer than the Private blend. Just about out of the Riveria .. then a couple more Forza .. then *gulp* it's Zentveld's Byron blend. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The contenders 1. Columbian SO has arrived. 2. Major Tom blend is on its way. 3. Georges Premium blend - picking up on Wednesday. Then the 3 way smackdown is orn. * Starts Thursday April 17th. Columbian is currently Day 6 (post roast) and need 12 days. Major Tom (Roasted at around the same time)

Brett_H

First Merlo Fortza shot: http://youtu.be/IRk9sOB_j3M Turn the sound down. Rating: 9.05/10 There is a dimension missing from this that I could taste in the plunger coffee. It was quite a stunning flat white nonetheless but my machine was on 92deg and the nice barista at Merlo recommended I try 93. I also can't wait to give this a go on the pavoni!!

Moon

^ Nice one Brett .. much better result than I got then. a 9.05/10 is a very nice coffee. I'm not all that keen on their espresso blend either these days .. so although I am certainly a Merlo fan .. I am just not a fan of all that they produce.. which is fine .. as it allows them to cater for different tastes.. and I'm still happy.. as trying different beans is all about sorting out your favorites from those that don't suit your particular taste requirements. Yeah .. it will be interesting to see how it goes in your Pavoni lever. I was looking at those when deciding on a machine. Is it Fortza? My sister wrote it down as Forza. I still have a cup or 2 of this .. and it's next off the rank.. last chance to avoid relegation to the reject file.

Brett_H

Your sister is correct.... Forza it is!

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