India Elephant Hills Monsoon and Colombia La Esperanza Red Heirloom Bourbon,

Dry_bean

Recently purchased a few kilo's each of India Elephant Hills Monsoon and Colombia La Esperanza Red Heirloom Bourbon, I really like the EH and the Colombian sounds like it should combine with it nicely.

Two days ago I roasted a batch of 725 grams 50% of each, will trial it around the end of the week and report back.

Couldn't wait, tried it yesterday afternoon.

What can I say! my expectations were well and truly exceeded, to say this was a god shot would be an understatement.

18 grams in, approx 40ml out, monstrous crema, viscous syrupy pour, big chocolaty winey flavour, unbelievably complex and an after taste I'm still enjoying 10 minutes later, without doubt the best espresso I've had in years.

I'm not normally a person given to superlatives, however, this was spectacular.

And only 36 hours after roasting, it can only improve over the next week or so.

Cuir_Beluga

You've convinced me, I ordered some of the EH this morning :coffee2:.

Dry_bean

Not really trying to convince anyone Sue! just relating my personal experience. Others have commented that EH does not suit their palate, taste is a funny thing, ain't it? :-|

Cuir_Beluga

Eh, I'm always up for trying something new 😛. I grabbed some Honduras Montana de Comayagua as well. I haven't ordered from him before so hopefully all goes ok.

Dry_bean

Cuir Beluga wrote:

Eh, I'm always up for trying something new 😛. I grabbed some Honduras Montana de Comayagua as well. I haven't ordered from him before so hopefully all goes ok.

The Honduras sounds interesting Sue, think you will find the online ordering experience spot on, I know they cop a lot of criticism, however they do supply quality beans, well packaged and I have found dispatch once payment is received to be prompt, have tried all of the others and keep returning. 😉

Cuir_Beluga

I hope so DB. I paid via Paypal so they should have got the $$ straight away. Oh well, no real hurry I have more than enough here to keep me going for a while.

Cuir_Beluga

Sheesh, I only ordered a couple of hours ago and it has shipped already.

Kevohere

Cuir Beluga wrote:

Sheesh, I only ordered a couple of hours ago and it has shipped already.

Okay DB &CB, maybe I'm missing something here. Maybe there's been some Pee-eMming going on behind the scene? Because for the life of me I cannot find who the "they" is you have both mentioned in this thread! Is it because that "they" are a non-sponsor? I'm in the market for some of that Colombian myself.

Dry_bean

Kevohere wrote:

Okay DB &CB, maybe I'm missing something here. Maybe there's been some Pee-eMming going on behind the scene? Because for the life of me I cannot find who the "they" is you have both mentioned in this thread! Is it because that "they" are a non-sponsor? I'm in the market for some of that Colombian myself.

PM sent Kevo. 🙂

Dry_bean

Cuir Beluga wrote:

Sheesh, I only ordered a couple of hours ago and it has shipped already.

Told ya they were pretty switched on. 🙂

Cuir_Beluga

Dry bean. wrote:

Told ya they were pretty switched on. 🙂

Indeed you did 🙂. Can I ask what shipping option you usually go with?

Dry_bean

Cuir Beluga wrote:

Indeed you did 🙂. Can I ask what shipping option you usually go with?

Regular Australia Post Sue, I order sufficient to drop it below $2 per kg, hence the 16 kg order. 🙂

Cuir_Beluga

I went with Fastways, I know from past experience they are not overly fast at times but I am in no hurry. I have plenty roasted for the foreseeable and bags of unopened green too so waiting isn't really an issue.

Dry_bean

Cuir Beluga wrote:

I went with Fastways, I know from past experience they are not overly fast at times but I am in no hurry. I have plenty roasted for the foreseeable and bags of unopened green too so waiting isn't really an issue.

Do they deliver to country SA, what was the cost per kg?

Cuir_Beluga

Dry bean. wrote:

Do they deliver to country SA, what was the cost per kg?

Not sure DB, I didn't see it say they didn't. I just opted for the cheapest, it was $11.75 for 4.5 kgs, $2.60ish per kilo.

deegee

Dry bean. wrote:

Couldn't wait, tried it yesterday afternoon. What can I say! my expectations were well and truly exceeded, to say this was a god shot would be an understatement. 18 grams in, approx 40ml out, monstrous crema, viscous syrupy pour, big chocolaty winey flavour, unbelievably complex and an after taste I'm still enjoying 10 minutes later, without doubt the best espresso I've had in years. I'm not normally a person given to superlatives, however, this was spectacular. And only 36 hours after roasting, it can only improve over the next week or so.

I expect you're right about the improvement. I have not (yet) tried the monsooned Elephant Hills, but I do like that Colombian. I find that it improves noticeably for at least a week, or even more, after roasting. I'm a bit dissapointed with the latest batch, but it's my own fault. I slowed the roast in the browning stage, reducing the rate of rise, then returned to a normal pattern. It seemed to work OK, though it added about three minutes to the overall roast time. However, the end result is not up to what I have come to expect of this bean. It's now well over a week, and they are still very ordinary. On the same day, I did a batch of Peruvians the same way. They too are below par, and not getting any better. So I'm going have to go downstairs soon, and do another batch of each using my normal profile.

shewey

I would be interested to hear other peoples thoughts on EH Monsoon. As a SO I found it a bit bland, almost cardboardy. I think it might be a good addition to a blend so I am starting to experiment with it. It certainly gives a nice creama. Cheers, Shewey

Lwowiak

Hi Shewey, While there is a lot of good information on the site that sells these beans, you have to remember that it is a commercial business, and it is geared to promote only the products sold by the site and its sponsors. Bearing that in mind, there will be a lot of glorification. Personally, when I read some of these reviews, I make my up my own opinion as to their validity, very quickly. Have not tried the Elephant Hills Monsoon, but have roasted many kilos of Monsoon Malabar, and tried it from different roasters. While it increases the viscosity and crema, I don't think it adds the wow factor some try to force upon us. The beans differ from year to year, crop to crop. In general, Indian beans will give you body, sweetness and chocolate. So will many other bean types. As to complexity, this will be missing in a lot of Indian beans, unless you source some microlots. Indian beans are very nice in blends, and are popular because they are cheaper than Brazils. Colombian beans from La Esperanza are good quality and vary from crop to crop, and lot to lot. Some are exceptional, and so are their prices. Home roasting is a wonderful hobby that is highly addictive. It also enables you to try many types of beans that can sometimes only be sourced from a select few roasters, at high prices. This is where you enjoy the true savings in home roasting. PS, Welcome to the forum.

mycuppa

I'd agree with most of what you are saying Lw, however, quality Indians are more expensive than Brazil's and currently by a decent differential. For the last 2 years, some importers have deliberately run a short strategy or even bypassed Indians due to excessive prices being asked. It depends on the segment of course, at commercial grades there is volume and price benefits. At specialty, it's expensive and difficult to source in decent quantities with other origins offering better cup value. We must remember that some really big European roasters lock up vast quantities of pretty good Indians years ahead, so what we (Australia) pick over is often the leftovers and cast offs. For some roasters, a quality Indian is the essential grunt in their blend. Monsoonal coffees by virtue of the processing method will lack complexity (namely many acids)......unless of course someone mistakes a bunch of traditional taints as complexity.........wouldn't be the first time something like that happened ....quite a few urban coffee legends were born and grew legs ! 😒

Brett_H

Brilliant posts Chaps and very... er.... nicely articulated LW especially in regards to the wank-lyrical that happens with cupping notes. MyCuppa had a wonderful article about this recently in his newsletter.