Most of the coffees ordered recently are in, so I've been working on determining the best way to roast what I have.
The first thing I tried today was Peru Norte Fair Trade Certified. I was fairly confident that this would taste good. Yesterday's cupping involved picking the best sample from eight good ones. Drip preparation, unfortunately reveals an unpleasant astringency. As the coffee cools, that note goes away, but I must consider that roast a failure as I like to drink hot coffee. I'll try today's attempt at getting it right tomorrow.
Next up was decaffeinated Brazil. I had selected two samples of this one to mark as Brazil and another as French Roast. This coffee us used in both of our decaffeinated blends. The medium roast version tastes a little darker than the previous lot, but it comes through with a bold flavor and smooth body. The French Roast version did not taste dark enough to carry the French Roast label.
I decided to do a little cupping before starting the roaster. First was Sulawesi Toraja. Nice spice notes come out when this is taken to a very dark roast. Renae wants me to remember to include on the sign the fact that the coffee is a dark roast. Provided this continues to be delicious with drip preparation, it will be quite a bit darker than any of our other Indonesian coffees.
My next set of samples was Ethiopian Harrar Horse Special (we don't put the horse part on the label). I have always been a fan of Ethiopian coffees. It is often my favorite or second favorite coffee, particularly when I find a Harrar with a really potent blueberry note (the 2000 crop was fantastic in this regard) or a Yirgacheffe with rich chocolate notes. Last time around, that blueberry note was rather elusive, vanishing completely past 418°F, well before the start of the second crack. It was easier this time as, while I could decide on a profile with an end temperature of 417°F, another profile with an end temperature of 438°F also had this character. The time taken for the current lot is also a little longer than then last one.
Moving on to a completely unrelated topic, our next batch of Fair Trade stickers will be a little different. The ™ will be replaced with a ®.