• New week, new beans!
• The aroma is bursting with fruit so in order to get the most out of them I think we go fast slow fast on the pours
• And make the second pour be big to get all that juiciness

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Initially some buttered toast but then a lil peek of apple just promising some fruity goodness.

First Taste: OK lot of juice in here. Apples, evolved into a pomegranate finish for that kind of crunchy, meaty fruit.

Second Taste: As it cools, the fruits explode even further. Um Bungo, but with more of an emphasis on the citrus. Finish is smooth and long.

Rating:

??????

A biting citric acid along with a savoury tone that I can’t yet place (more research needed) but which makes the whole thing just sing and dance in the mouth, which is exactly what you want first thing on a Monday morning.

In terms of approach, I think it worked out as planned. I’d be surprised if I could get more fruit out of this but I want to try. At the risk of sacrificing some body, maybe I’ll push it to a 70:30 flavour:body ratio.

Add some sugar.

Put it in a Bluey sippy cup.

Beans

• Roastery: Scenery
• Beans: Shyira Anoxic Natural
• Roast: Light (2/7)
• primary aroma: sweet

Adjustments

• Grind Type: Slow Feed
• Water to bean Ratio: 15.5:1 (248g)
• Sweet to Acidity Ratio: 1:4

Method: Custom

• 1st Pour: 30.0g in 5s (total: 30.0g)
• 3 Strong Swirls
• Wait 20s
• 2nd Pour: 119.0g in 15s (total: 149.0g)
• Wait 35s
• 3rd Pour: 99.0g in 15s (total: 248.0g)
• Bed Clear: 2m15

Unchanged Settings

• Coffee weight: 16g
• Grind size: 1Zpresso QS @ 70 (777.78μm, Burr Distance: 52.5mm)
• Water temperature: 88°C (190.4°F)
• Filter paper: Hario V60 01 Brown
• Funnel warming water: 400mm @ 88°C (190.4°F)

What the heck is this?

• Let’s see what else these beans have
• Heavier acid pour, increased interval so it can drain
• Going to add a second strength pour too, which I’m hoping will be balanced with the increased acidity and at the same time bring out more of the savoury flavours

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Bread. Good sign.

First Taste: OK WOW what I thought might happen did happen. This thing tastes like a sandwich.

Second Taste: I mean, I killed a lot of brightness with this approach. This is not what these beans were asking for.

Rating:

??????

There are no real flaws here—I think there was enough balance to prevent the emphasis on the savoury resulting in an overly bitter finish—but the interesting part of these beans is the delicate and complex sweetness and how it interacts with the savoury flavour. The savoury tones by themselves aren’t all that exciting.

So in terms of getting the best from these beans then, well, this recipe ain’t it. However, the important thing is that I made this average mug of coffee from exceptional beans ​on purpose​.

Beans

• Roastery: Scenery
• Beans: Wilton Benitez Gesha
• Roast: Medium Light (3/7)
• primary aroma: sweet

Adjustments

• Grind Type: Slow Feed
• Water to bean Ratio: 16.0:1 (256g)
• Sweet to Acidity Ratio: 3:1

Method: Custom

• 1st Pour: 96.0g in 5s (total: 96.0g)
• Wait 25s
• 2nd Pour: 32.0g in 5s (total: 128.0g)
• Wait 30s
• 3rd Pour: 96.0g in 10s (total: 224.0g)
• Wait 20s
• 4th Pour: 32.0g in 5s (total: 256.0g)
• Bed Clear: 02:15

Unchanged Settings

• Coffee weight: 16g
• Grind size: 1Zpresso QS @ 70 (777.78μm, Burr Distance: 52.5mm)
• Water temperature: 88°C (190.4°F)
• Filter paper: Hario V60 01 Brown
• Funnel warming water: 400mm @ 88°C (190.4°F)

What the heck is this?

• I haven’t had a lot to say about my coffee recently
• Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself compressing the intervals between pours, rushing through the process to taste the results of my efforts only to find myself frustrated at the outcome
• I stopped making tasting notes because I started to believe that all mugs from a given bag were tasting the same
• My process has become less about the exciting discovery of new flavours, and more about the grind (ho ho) which led to irritation and not feeling like I’m getting better at this
• So let’s reset, try something new
• Today, I’m back to the more savoury Scenery Mario Hervas beans
• Savoury beans, I find, are best balanced by pulling out as much sweetness as possible
• In my (still somewhat limited) experience, savoury aromas and flavours tend to have a multiplying effect on the undesirable bitter flavours
• Pulling out the sweetness helps to keep ‘em separated, allowing the savoury flavours to shine while mollifying the Darkness at the end, like the raisins and apples in a Turkish curry
• In order to maximise this effect, and to shake things up a bit, I’m going to have extended intervals between pours
• The idea is to let as much of the sweet water drain out as possible, so that I’m not piling water on top of water and keeping the grounds at maximum saturation, strangling the sweetness

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Roast dinner with a hint of apple sauce. Promising.

First Taste: Those apples are up front, although a bit subdued. A little dark on the finish, so perhaps the extended intervals separated things too much.

Second Taste: As it cools, the brightness is becoming more prominent and mingling longer with the body, creating a more balanced mug and a pleasant finish.

This is a decent mug and I feel like I’m onto something here.

Rating:

??????

On reflection, perhaps I put my intervals the wrong way around, and should have left a shorter gap between the first and second and a longer between the second and third.

This would allow a larger portion of the sweetened water to fall through before the body pour.

This is good! I have new things to try! I feel like I’m broken out of my rut and, for the first time in a while, I’m excited to be making coffee again.

Beans

• Roastery: Scenery
• Beans: Mario Hervas
• Roast: Light (2/7)
• primary aroma: sweet

Adjustments

• Coffee weight: 16g
• Grind Type: Slow Feed
• Water to bean Ratio: 16.0:1 (256g)
• Sweet to Acidity Ratio: 3:5

Method: Custom

• 1st Pour: 38.0g in 5s (total: 38.0g)
• 3 Strong Swirls
• Wait 40s
• 2nd Pour: 64.0g in 5s (total: 102.0g)
• Wait 30s
• 3rd Pour: 154.0g in 20s (total: 256.0g)
• Bed Clear: 02:45

Unchanged Settings

• Grind size: 1Zpresso QS @ 70 (777.78μm, Burr Distance: 52.5mm)
• Water temperature: 88°C (190.4°F)
• Filter paper: Hario V60 01 Brown
• Funnel warming water: 400mm @ 88°C (190.4°F)

What the heck is this?

• Think I’m almost there with these beans
• Going for a 1:3 ratio on flavour pours
• Squeeze out all the sweetness
• Then reduce the time between pours two and three to try to blend that sweetness with the body (hopefully without making it too thin)

Tasting Notes:

Nose: A li’l bit spicy today, some pepper with my savoury broth.

First Taste: A light apple that dissolves into a balanced, savoury finish. Already very mellow, even at this higher temperature. This is just gonna get better as it cools.

Second Taste: I think this might be the recipe for these beans. Took a minute to dial it in, but this is an excellent mug of coffee that highlights the savoury vibes without an astringent aftertaste.

Rating:

??????

A lot of my time is spent being humbled by the bean. Just when I think I’ve reached a new level of understanding, I apply it to a new batch and realise I still have a long way to go.

But then we get moments like this. I came in knowing the problems I had with yesterday’s and a strong hunch on how to fix them and, lo and behold, it worked.

Also, it has only taken me half a bag to find a recipe that really works for these beans, which is the fastest yet.

Beans

• Roastery: Round Hill
• Beans: Estrella Divina
• Roast: Medium (4/7)
• primary aroma: savoury

Adjustments

• Grind Type: Pre-ground
• Water to bean Ratio: 15.0:1 (240g)
• Sweet to Acidity Ratio: 1:3

Method: Custom

• 1st Pour: 30.0g in 10s (total: 30.0g)
• 3 Strong Swirls
• Wait 25s
• 2nd Pour: 90.0g in 10s (total: 120.0g)
• Wait 25s
• 3rd Pour: 120.0g in 20s (total: 240.0g)
• Lifted off:

Unchanged Settings

• Coffee weight: 16g
• Grind size: 1Zpresso QS @ 70 (777.78μm, Burr Distance: 52.5mm)
• Water temperature: 88°C (190.4°F)
• Filter paper: Hario V60 01 Brown
• Funnel warming water: 400mm @ 88°C (190.4°F)

What the heck is this?

• New beans!
• A notch darker than the São Pedro, so got to bear that in mind
• However, I am discovering that with savoury and to some extent boozy beans, it’s more about balancing the bitterness than eliminating it
• Today I’m going for 50% of the water in to two flavour pours, with a 2:3 ratio on those
• If anything, that ratio should probably be more like 1:2 or even 1:3 because I suspect I’ll need to maximise the sweetness to balance the cup

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Still getting savoury soup vibes, a hearty mug of minestrone.

First Taste: Nice tart apple vibes to open with.

Haven’t gotten the finish quite right, but not bad. Leaning too hard towards dark chocolate and I think I can get something a bit more savoury than that on the finish.

If I could make more of those apple notes, then that should help mellow the end and maybe we can reach something like a tart from a French patisserie, one of those little ones with a single slice of glazed apple. Refined. Dignified.

Second Taste: As it cools, so does the astringency and I get a glimpse of what I’m looking for. It is a bright future that awaits me if I have both the determination and the humility to learn all that this bean can teach me.

Help me Obean-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.

Rating:

??????

As always, the rating is a reflection of my ability to get the most from the beans. These are trickier beans but I have been shown The Way and the secrets they hold are intriguing.

Do I have the skill to unlock them? Tune in next time to find out!

Beans

• Roastery: Round Hill
• Beans: Estrella Divina
• Roast: Medium (4/7)
• primary aroma: savoury

Adjustments

• Coffee weight: 20g
• Grind Type: Slow Feed
• Water to bean Ratio: 15.0:1 (300g)
• Flavour Pour Ratio: 2:3

Method: Custom

• 1st Pour: 60.0g in 10s (total: 60.0g)
• 3 Strong Swirls
• Wait 25s
• 2nd Pour: 90.0g in 10s (total: 150.0g)
• Wait 25s
• 3rd Pour: 150.0g in 20s (total: 300.0g)
• Bed Clear: 03:00

Unchanged Settings

• Grind size: 1Zpresso QS @ 70 (777.78μm, Burr Distance: 52.5mm)
• Water temperature: 88°C (190.4°F)
• Filter paper: Hario V60 01 Brown
• Funnel warming water: 400mm @ 88°C (190.4°F)

What the heck is this?

• ​Roastery​: Round Hill
• ​Beans​: San Pedro #1
• ​Roast​: Medium Light (3/7)
• ​primary aroma​: fermented

Adjustments

• Grind Type: Slow Feed
• Water to bean Ratio: 16.0:1 (256g)
• Sweet to Acidity Ratio: 3:2

Comments:

• So after the realisation that putting too much in the first pour is likely to lead to over-extraction, I’ve gone strong in the other direction now leaving everything to the last pour
• Going to carry on with the excavation after the second pour because I think that helps maintain a Darkness-free body.
• Going 3:2 on the first two pours to pull out the acid and hopefully get that strong booziness as well as some additional sweetness.

Method: Custom

• 1st Pour: 54.0g in 10s (total: 54.0g)
• 1 Light Swirl
• Wait 25s
• 2nd Pour: 36.0g in 10s (total: 90.0g)
• 1 Medium Excavation
• Wait 20s
• 3rd Pour: 166.0g in 20s (total: 256.0g)
• ​Bed Clear​: 02:30

Tasting Notes:

​Nose:​ Boozy nuts.

​First Taste: C​hocolate orange with lingering whiskey finish. Nice!

​Second Taste: DS​weetness really exploding up front now, pleasing. Finish has a touch of darkness in it that the whiskey is fighting with.

Rating:

??????
We’re back to a slight lack of body, though, perhaps because I pulled the pours too close together but overall this is an great cup of coffee and these beans continue to deliver.

Unchanged Settings

• Coffee weight: 16g
• Grind size: 1Zpresso QS @ 80 (888.89μm, Burr Distance: 52.5mm)
• Water temperature: 88°C (190.4°F)
• Filter paper: Hario V60 01 Brown
• Funnel warming water: 400mm @ 88°C (190.4°F)

What the heck is this?

Adjustments

• Grind Type: Slow Feed
• Water to bean Ratio: 16.0:1 (256g)
• Bloom Stage Weighting: 50%
• Bloom Pours: 3

Comments:

• Today I’m doing some body building
• First, I’ll increase the total amount of water so each ground will have more water passing through it which will increase extraction
• Second, adding a mega excavation after the second Flavour pour to make sure grounds at the bottom aren’t getting over saturated
• Finally, Body pour delayed by an additional 10s on yesterday’s brew, so each ground will be wetter for longer, also increasing extraction
• Going for a 3-2-1 on the Flavour pours to try to maximise the whiskey tones
• Third small flavour pour is to reset the bed after the excavation, and to just pull out any sweetness from the grounds that maybe haven’t been as saturated
• Also hoping that because of the turnover of the grounds, the Body pour will also be able to pull out sweetness as well as adding body

Method: Custom

• 1st Pour: 64.0g in 10s (total: 64.0g)
• 1 Light Swirl
• Wait 20s
• 2nd Pour: 43.0g in 10s (total: 107.0g)
• 1 Medium Excavation
• Wait 20s
• 3rd Pour: 21.0g in 5s (total: 128.0g)
• Wait 20s
• 4th Pour: 128.0g in 20s (total: 256.0g)
• Bed Clear: 02:35

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Hazelnuts, caramel, mulled wine.

First Taste: Subtle to start, lacking that big bright sweetness of yesterday, but then explodes into a delightful orangey middle before giving that boozy finish. Finish not as big as yesterday, though.

Second Taste: As it cools, some of that sweetness comes back up front but it’s the middle that’s strong today.

Rating:

??????

If I could combine the sweetness and finish of yesterday with the body of today, I would have a hell of a cup of coffee. As it is, this is a well-balanced mug and these are great beans.

Unchanged Settings

• Coffee weight: 16g
• Grind size: 1Zpresso QS @ 80 (888.89μm, Burr Distance: 52.5mm)
• Water temperature: 88°C (190.4°F)
• Filter paper: Hario V60 01 Brown
• Funnel warming water: 400mm @ 88°C (190.4°F)

What the heck is this?

Adjustments

• Grind size: 1Zpresso QS @ 80 (888.89μm, Burr Distance: 60.0mm)
• Grind Type: Slow Feed
• Water to bean Ratio: 15.0:1 (240g)
• Flavour Pour %: 45
• Flavour Pours Ratio: 1:1

Comments:

• This week I have been humbled by the bean. Thought I was getting a handle on it, then had disaster after disaster.
• Yesterday, though, I got some new beans
• These are delicious beans
• I think the moral of the story is ‘When things are going wrong, buy stuff’
• At the risk of under-extraction, I went with a super light touch in order to see what flavours exist without them being overpowered by bitterness.
• The grind size is at the upper limit of what should be considered for a pour over, and well over that of a V60.
• The pours are spaced close together.

Method: Experiment 16-03-04

• 1st Pour (Flavour): 54.0g in 10s (total: 54.0g)
• 3 Medium Swirls
• Wait 25s
• 2nd Pour (Flavour): 54.0g in 10s (total: 108.0g)
• Wait 25s
• 3rd Pour (Body): 132.0g in 10s (total: 240.0g)
• 1 Light Swirl
• Bed Clear: 02:15

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s that delicious boozy wine smell. Also some cloves, so mulled wine, which is great because I love Christmas.

First Taste: A nice big bright opening. The whiskey is in there, and some milk chocolate notes on the way out. Just a really pleasant evening reading a good book in my favourite armchair by the fire.

As suspected, though, it is somewhat underdeveloped (the coffee, not the fire).

Second Taste: Getting even bigger. Raspberries, pineapple, and a long lingering boozy finish just leaving the most amazing aftertaste. There are other notes that are triggering sense memories but that I can’t yet place on the Coffee Flavour Wheel. The only solution, of course, is to drink more of this stuff until my brain figures it out.

Rating:

??????

This is an exceptionally good cup of coffee with all of the unique flavours are going a long way to make up for the lack of body. The whiskey finish especially is an absolute delight and just sticks around for ages.

Unchanged Settings

• Coffee weight: 16g
• Water temperature: 88°C (190.4°F)
• Filter paper: Hario V60 01 Brown
• Funnel warming water: 400mm @ 88°C (190.4°F)

What the heck is this?

Adjustments

• Grind size: 1Zpresso QS @ 70 (777.78μm, Burr Distance: 52.5mm)
• Grind type: Slow Feed
• Water to bean Ratio: 15.0:1 (240g)
• Sweet to Acidity Ratio: 1:2

Comments:

• No longer worrying about water temperature thanks to this paper in Nature
• New beans!
• Darker roast, so lowering water ratio as likely to reach maximum extraction quicker and more water will mean more bitternes
• Strong boozy smell so doing 1:2 ratio on the bloom pours to bring out the honey sweetness to balance
• Followed quickly by the a single body pour as dark roast means bitterness likely to enter the picture sooner rather than later

Method: Experiment 15-03-24

• 1st Pour: 32.0g in 10s (total: 32.0g)
• 3 Light Swirls
• Wait 30s
• 2nd Pour: 64.0g in 10s (total: 96.0g)
• Wait 30s
• 3rd Pour: 144.0g in 20s (total: 240.0g)
• ​Bed Clear​: 02:30

Tasting Notes:

​Nose: M​alts, caramel

​First Taste:​ Strong acidic/boozy opening. Dark chocolate and a hint of caramel on the way out. Possibly a little over-extracted.

​Second Taste:​ Blueberries appearing along with raisins. Lingering whiskey finish now, very pleasant.

Rating:

??????

These are the first boozy beans I’ve gotten to try and I am liking them so far, such a different flavour tone.

Darker roast means they are extracting quickly. Next time, I’ll try coarsening my already quite coarse grind size, increase the second pour, and bring the second and third pours forward by 10s each to try to pull out more sweetness.

Unchanged Settings

• Coffee weight: 16g
• Water temperature: 88°C (190.4°F)
• Funnel warming water: 400mm @ 88°C (190.4°F)
• Filter paper: Hario V60 01 Brown

What the heck is this?

Adjustments

• Coffee weight: 15g
• Grind Type: Pre-ground
• Water to bean Ratio: 16.0:1 (240g)
• Bloom Stage Weighting: 50%
• Bloom Pours: 3

Comments:

• Attempting to get the best out of the pre-ground beans which I ground 2 weeks ago
• Wanted to put a lot of water in up front to extract as much of the sweetness flavours as possible even at the risk of some sourness
• Then get through the rest of it as quickly as possible so I didn’t bury it in Darkness
• But then I screwed up the pour, didn’t I?
• Ended up putting in a smaller amount up front and waiting too long before the fourth and fifth pour

Method: Experiment 12-03-24

• 1st Pour: 51.0g in 10s (total: 51.0g)
• 1 Light Swirl
• Wait 30s
• 2nd Pour: 34.0g in 10s (total: 85.0g)
• Wait 20s
• 3rd Pour: 34.0g in 10s (total: 119.0g)
• Wait 30s
• 4th Pour: 90.0g in 20s (total: 209.0g)
• Wait 20s
• 5th Pour: 30.0g in 10s (total: 239.0g)
• ​Bed Clear​: 03:15

Tasting Notes:

​Nose:​ Hazelnuts

​First Taste:​ If I’m being generous, there’s some dark chocolate but it’s the overpriced kind you find in health food stores where eating it is more of a punishment than a treat.

​Second Taste:​ There is always a redemption as it cools and it comes in the form of blackberries. This would be more than acceptable if it then didn’t end with the ashes from the funeral pyre where we burned the hope I had of ever getting a handle on this.

Rating:

??????

OK, this was a disaster. I think my instincts to push more of the extraction up front were correct but then I totally screwed things up and did the opposite.

The delay in getting the water through led to over-extraction, combined with the fact that these beans were ground before I discovered the benefits of slow feeding which led to clogging and contributed to the lingering bitterness.

Unchanged Settings

• Water temperature: 88°C (190.4°F)
• Filter paper: Hario V60 01 Brown
• Funnel warming water: 400mm @ 88°C (190.4°F)

What the heck is this?