What greens to try?

Brett H

on 1323398277:

Keeping them for later coffee-related blackmail purposes.

You'll need more than coffee to wash away those visuals!

Kelsey

How do you think I expunged the memories from your uni days?  :-*

sidoney

May I join in this thread? My roaster is different from Kelsey's in that it's the little drum roaster "FS FZ-RR Baby Roaster". I typically like to have a little bit of milk with my coffee, although I'd be open to learning about ones to drink without milk and how to enjoy it that way. I'm using a R. Silvia with PID kit. I probably don't want to go too acidic (not my favourite taste if there is a lot of it) but other than that I'm pretty open to suggestions.

Kelsey

Of course! Join away!

hiphipharar

on 1323408494:

"FS FZ-RR Baby Roaster".  I'd be open to learning about ones to drink without milk and how to enjoy it that way. I'm using a R. Silvia with PID kit. I probably don't want to go too acidic (not my favourite taste if there is a lot of it) but other than that I'm pretty open to suggestions.

The CoffeTech Baby roaster opens up all kinds of possibilities if you keen on a milkless existence. I've had beans that I've been rather indifferent about come to life when roasted in the Baby like a Chinese Yunnan. I've had better results from Australian and other low grown coffees in the Baby as well. Unless 'body' is crucial to your coffee enjoyment I would also consider investing in a manual brewer for true flavour experience. An Aeropress (with the Coava disk) is a good starting point or a Hario V60 pourover dripper for less than $30 or the Clever Coffee Dripper for about  $30. Otherwise play around with temp settings on your Silvia to get the best tasting espresso shots. If you are keen on milk-based, then the central and south American beans roast very well in the Baby. Centrals tend to be a bit acidic so may work better for you in milk. Otherwise let them rest a bit longer.

sidoney

Thanks for that input! While I had no espresso machine I was making just plunger coffee but with my own beans and was enjoying that black, but the plunger process and the gunge I wasn't that thrilled with. I'll check out your suggestions of non espresso brewing alternatives. When you say "let them rest a bit longer", what does that mean, please? I don't know all the terminology yet.

Kelsey

After roasting it can take a little while for beans to reach optimal flavour. How long you leave them is 'resting'.

sidoney

Ah yep, I am familiar with leaving them for a bit, but hadn't keyed in on the term. Thanks!

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1323414391:

Thanks for that input! While I had no espresso machine I was making just plunger coffee but with my own beans and was enjoying that black, but the plunger process and the gunge I wasn't that thrilled with. I'll check out your suggestions of non espresso brewing alternatives. When you say "let them rest a bit longer", what does that mean, please? I don't know all the terminology yet.

on 1323415173:

After roasting it can take a little while for beans to reach optimal flavour. How long you leave them is 'resting'.

on 1323415244:

Ah yep, I am familiar with leaving them for a bit, but hadn't keyed in on the term. Thanks!

Its also known as degassing & the term post roast is also used To put it in a sentence - Sid you should let those beans rest/degas for 5 days post roast  for best flavour characteristics of XYZ bean to develop KK

sidoney

Thanks KK ... I've probably read the term "degas" more often than "rest" although maybe I've read that one too but as it's not coffee specific, didn't really pick it up.

hiphipharar

Well if you want a cleaner cup from your plunger, try scooping the floating grinds from the top before plunging. KK and Kelsey have explained about  letting them rests. The Baby has the reputation of allowing you to drink just about straight away after roasting. I will seal my roasts in a ziplock bag coffee bag and not open them until after at least 2 days post-roast but better after 4 days. But that's to my tastes. When I do a roast in the KKTO roaster, I usually wait at least 10 days and never less than 7 days. I usually find the desirable flavours don't start emerging until then. But that's to my tastes. One other thing. if you want to enjoy manual brewing methods, roast lighter than for espresso, usually between first crack and second crack. Also use hot but never boiling water. Turn the kettle off before it starts to boil; a good time is when you hear the kettle go quiet just before it starts to boil. Using water that is too hot kills flavour in my opinion.

mycuppa

In my mind, Brazil's are an essential component in many blends. The decision to use them is a personal choice, but I would encourage people to search for a special Brazil and then you have the makings of something spectacular. This is not just an "old school" Italian style method, but a trusted and assured pathway to great coffee. A super Brazil can deliver a "classic" coffee flavor with body, sweetness, chocolate, fruit, etc. Being the largest producer, you can imagine there are Brazils and there are BRAZILs. The art is in selection. During 2010 we accessed a brilliant Brazil from Zephyr in the US. Nothing came close to it in Oz from the 2 major brokers - no Ipanema's, Daterra's or Monte Alegre's. As we started to discover some issues with the later Zephyr crops in early 2011, we then switched to split our Brazils across both Monte Alegre and the Ipanema family - taking only the special and high-end preps. Whilst excellent coffees, they are no match for the Zephyr we used last year. Currently, I have 8 different Brazils on deck undergoing evaluation - that's how important it is to select a quality bean. We will most likely end up whittling down this shortlist of 2 and it's such a bummer we will need to run the same system of evaluations in another 6 months for new crops arriving. The takeaway is.........Have faith in Brazils, use them in proportions that suit you and benefit from some classic flavors and neutral acidity.