Nice chocolatey blend

[kwantfm]

Howdy kwantfm
Just a query - I've never really nailed down the concept of a 'base' bean. I hear you loud and strong on the Sumatra/Ethiopian mix (I love different combo of this formula!) but what do you reckon the 'base' brazil brings to the mix? Is it kinda like choko in the apple pie? Something a bit flavourless that just packs out the weight? Or is there an inherent 'coffee-ness' that might be missing in a mocha/java on its own?

Just intrigued!
Matt

Great question and I don't really know the answer. I tasted two Brazilian coffees this morning as SO, Pulped Natural and Yellow Bourbon, and by themselves they are really not special at all!

[DesigningByCoffee]

…it creates a backdrop of generic / smooth coffee-ness.

You reckon Andy should put this into the Beanbay descriptions?!?

I must admit, I haven't done much in the way of 'southerns' lately as I always found them a bit generic - so then wondered why I bothered! But I should have another go with a straight M/J over brazil or simialr (I've just got some peru currently - not quite southern though). Another interesting experiment coming on me feels!

[Steve82]

Works just as good with the Peru de selvas, has a but more depth.

Yes coffee - ness is a now legit descriptor!

[chokkidog]

Howdy kwantfm
Just a query - I've never really nailed down the concept of a 'base' bean. I hear you loud and strong on the Sumatra/Ethiopian mix (I love different combo of this formula!) but what do you reckon the 'base' brazil brings to the mix? Is it kinda like choko in the apple pie? Something a bit flavourless that just packs out the weight? Or is there an inherent 'coffee-ness' that might be missing in a mocha/java on its own?

Just intrigued!
Matt

I use a base bean to 'drive' the direction of a blend.
If I want a sweet coffee the base bean will have this character (India Elephant Hills), for an espresso blend; low to mid acidity and big body ( Sulawesi,
Brazil Rainha).
For a milk coffee blend, medium or medium high acidity is a good start (PNG Wahgi AA, Peru Ceja De Selva).
I prefer coffee with plenty of body so the base bean must have it in spades.
Centrals can be a little thin on body but have great flavour and/or sweetness and will nearly always add an acid component.
For a chocolatey coffee, there's no point having a fruity base bean, fruit can be added via a fruity SO to create layers of flavour and so on.

Blending then becomes a construction on an appropriate, sympathetic foundation.

The beans which are added to the base build fundamental flavour, such as chocolate/ cocoa/ caramel/ brown sugar and add flavour nuances, fruit/ berry/ wine;
they should also either balance or emphasise desired qualities such as higher/lower acidity, sweetness, mouth feel/body, crema.

[kwantfm]

I use a base bean to 'drive' the direction of a blend.
If I want a sweet coffee the base bean will have this character (India Elephant Hills), for an espresso blend; low to mid acidity and big body ( Sulawesi,
Brazil Rainha).
For a milk coffee blend, medium or medium high acidity is a good start (PNG Wahgi AA, Peru Ceja De Selva).
I prefer coffee with plenty of body so the base bean must have it in spades.
Centrals can be a little thin on body but have great flavour and/or sweetness and will nearly always add an acid component.
For a chocolatey coffee, there's no point having a fruity base bean, fruit can be added via a fruity SO to create layers of flavour and so on.

Blending then becomes a construction on an appropriate, sympathetic foundation.

The beans which are added to the base build fundamental flavour, such as chocolate/ cocoa/ caramel/ brown sugar and add flavour nuances, fruit/ berry/ wine;
they should also either balance or emphasise desired qualities such as higher/lower acidity, sweetness, mouth feel/body, crema.

Great post... thanks!

[okitoki]

quick questions when you guys blend here, but do you blend them when green and roast together or blend post roasting?

[DesigningByCoffee]

I normally blend green, but mainly due to the number of 20min roasts I'm willing to do! But if I was doing larger amounts, I'd probably split the roasts so you could tweak the profile ie one batch slightly lighter with the africans & indos, slightly longer and darker for the peru/centrals. Would probably make a slight difference - but I've never had enough beans required to try it
Green blending still gives you 95% of the goodness IMHO…

[chokkidog]

Matt's right. I do both pre and post blending.
I match up beans for pre blending according to how they roast on their own. I put like with like.
Beans I want lighter/darker get done by themselves and so do most peaberries.

Beans of similar altitude (read hardness), size grading and age are what generally go together.
Dry process beans I mostly do on their own and lower altitude coffee ( Indo's) also end up by themselves.
I can also snaffle a bag to have as an SO. ;-)

When blending (esp commercial), the sum should be greater than the parts; 1+1+1=4 sort of thing, so if
a bean doesn't reach its' potential in a pre-blend I would consider roasting it on its' own.

I recently received a commercial espresso blend to comment on. It was a pre blend of Brazil, Peru and a Nicaraguan.
The Nicaraguan bean was mostly very dark or even black, which of course gave the coffee a bitter, unpalatable taste. It was in
the blend to add acid but wasn't doing that either, at that level of roast. I suggested that it be pulled from the pre blend
and done on its' own. Now, it's not a bad coffee.

[okitoki]

My last roast on Sunday was a hard Ethiopian mixed with New Guinea while green.

50:50 mix though.

Had it today and the main taste felt like burnt toasts hopefully its because its only been 3 days so may improve.

[DesigningByCoffee]

Just enjoying an amazing 'chocolately' blend from the current crop at beanbay - 350g Uganda Kisoro, 250g PNG Waghi, 100g MMG. Pre-roast blend in the corretto. Amazing grinder aroma, big cocoa from the Uganda offset by sweetness & body from the other too. Very milk-choc like as a FW - earthy and sweet as doppio.

Pretty slow roast - bu oh so sold!

Matt

[okitoki]

Well, happy to report back using the Ethiopian Gambella and Java Banyuwangi at 60:40 blend came out great after 8 days... started off at a nutty flavour on day 7, and I had it yesterday at day 9 it became a very chocolaty flavour to it... great taste as a single shot of espresso, but was kind of lacking in ombh as a single shot milk drink... it worked out better when I either use a double shot in my 16g VST basket, or the 20g basket for my larger travel mug to the office..

thanks for the blend suggestion guys