C-man wrote:
...I am really liking straight shots if the coffee is good....
You could be under a misunderstanding there... From what we have read in this topic you are "normally" a milk coffee drinker. Its great that you have, in the context of all that's been written here, taken the advice to try it black. The milk has a smoothing effect on coffee (if done properly) and many that come off milk coffee to go black especially espresso, dont necessarily take to the change in mouth feel and new character on the palate very well. Its usually manifested in comments like "....the coffee's too strong..." (where "Strength" per se, is another quite different issue). In order to ease yourself into black (especially espresso) then, firstly you may try coffee that brews up into a mellow kind of thing and from there over time, as you get used to the quite normal character of black coffee, you would start to go outside that square and try different things. The attributes in coffee that you commented at first you do NOT like such as "earthy, fruity, chocolate, spicy", and many more that you didnt mention, are attributes of some very fine coffees to be appreciated in a well roasted, well rounded, well brewed wet coffee, however at this stage of your journey in coffee, especially in a black coffee, they may confuse a palate that is not used to them. Ergo, you may at first choose origins that some us may think are a little too mellow in terms of (not) having buckets full of character, nevertheless they are nice coffees and will serve the purpose well for you at this time. Add to that, that if you brew an espresso well (including with coffees that are known to be quite "big") it will be well balanced (if strong) and that balance will tend to smooth it out in your mouth, but if you brew it badly, it will definitely seem to be far too strong and unpleasant...and that of course is not the fault of the beans. Your comment then isnt really about enjoying black coffee "if the coffee is good". Its about easing your palate into black through using coffees that are shall we say mellow (& even "underdeveloped" in terms of cupping them virtually straight off the roasting equipment) rather than using other really great coffees that are "big with well developed character"....that simply dont suit your transition at this time! Hope that helps. Attilio very first Crema site sponsor.
