Zimbabwe Chimanimani AA+

[sprezzatura]

Beautiful Zimbabwe, CS9+, just a pleasure to roast in the Behmor (P3C, 400g RFC fast & RS, cool @ +18 sec just before 2C really started).

Aroma was fantastic: dark honey, currants and other subtle scents I'm not skilled enough to describe.

[brettreaby]

how long did it take to roast the 400g to CS9+?

i have limited my roasts to 375g, and it takes about 19 minutes

[sprezzatura]

21:30 on P3C - this hit its peak at 11 days for espresso.

[sprezzatura]

I have some friends opening a jar that's rested for 8 days - we'll try it tomorrow (I sold my espresso machine).

[sprezzatura]

Um ... plus 18 seconds left on the timer when I hit Cool and opened the door (there will be chaff!).

[brettreaby]

roasted 3 x 375g in the behmor and got a mix of Cs8-Cs10. slightly messy results, not as consistent roast as Kenyans I have tried.
mixed them together and now 8 days later.

The results are as Andy says, like a Kenyan, really excellent, with an extra bite to it at the finish.

So to describe in a latte; chocolate and toffee with a after shot i am finding hard to describe; but YUMMY probably fits the bill.

I will need more shots to improve on my description....

[ArnhemR]

This bean really impresses me, I have been using it in my version of the KJM blend as the African component and put some aside to try as a SO. Its fantastically good, roasted just into 2C as I prefer and its big, complex, great mouthfeel and a nice balance of chocolate/toffee as Brett described above.

[sprezzatura]

I have the best luck doing 250g on Behmor 1600 P5D then double drum and P1 manual until 1C then P3 until the very first 2C pop and hit Cool and open the door.

[gonzo89]

I'm very keen to roast this now! :-) Thanks for the heads up :thumbup:

[sprezzatura]

Just into 2C is fantastic as espresso SO!

[apicius]

First, I'll state that I'm a fan of this bean, although not as much as the Ethiopians.

Now for a crunchy anecdote: I take a bag to my roaster in Singapore (my equipment is back in Sydney) and come back a few days later to pick it up. Mainland Chinese roast master, doesn't really speak English, so he has someone translate for him: "Sir, you bought this coffee? or gift?" "hmm, yeah, I bought it" "OK. It is very normal. Like Brazil. Will taste flat. Because normal coffee."

[Janus]

did he roast it well?

[Andy]

did he roast it well?

...not if he thought it tasted flat like a Brazil.

Bizarre result.

[apicius]

Yes it is quite bizarre.

For comparison's sake in a 6-8 minute winter outdoor roast in Sydney I get the usual African profile which I think of as the smell of the desert, kind of dry with spices although not as ridiculously scented as the Ethiopians vs the fruity acidity of Latam.

In his case, presumably due to a slower roast with a profile reflecting his preference for Central/South American blends and single origins served at quite a low temperature V60, the profile was quite different, almost fooled me into thinking it was a Colombian coffee. Loads of acidity and fruit. But I have a cold that started the day before I got the beans back so my nose is dead at the moment. By the time it's back, even stored in the freezer, the beans will have died a bit.

Since he also big time criticized the Kona beans (not Andy's) I brought him, I suspect it's partly "not my beans" syndrome.