Peru FTO San Ignacio Cajamarca

Beans: Peru FTO San Ignacio Cajamarca

Roast Time: 1:10 pm

Roast: City+

Total Time: 4:30

Roasting Notes: First crack begins at around 3:30. Still not sure where to make the distinction between city and city+. Should one stop while there is still first crack going on for City? Or after the last audible pops? How much further along is second crack?

Sweet Maria's Notes: City + to FC+ Balanced cup with great sweetness, milk chocolate, soft pear-like fruit, dry finish

Mexico Organic Chiapas Proish Coop

Beans: Mexico Organic Chiapas Proish Coop

Roast Time: 9:38 am

Roast: trying for FC+, probably got more of a City+

Start Setting: 7

Final Setting: 5:15
Roasting Notes: Another try since the last batch was probably too dark. I'm starting at 7 again because it's colder this morning than when I roasted last time in the afternoon, but will have to monitor more closely once I start to hear the first crack just to make sure it doesn't jump into 2nd crack so rapidly. First audible pops of first crack at about 3:40, continued on for about a minute or more to over 4:40. I decided to stop around 5:15 because I thought I could start to hear some 2nd crack pops, but also because last time going to 5:30 produced such a dark roast. Could have been an anomaly, so now I'm not sure if I roasted dark enough. Finding that is proving to be a little bit elusive. 

Sweet Maria's Notes: City+ to FC+. A bright yet mild cup. Caramel, vanilla, roasted hazelnuts, peach apricot, cane sugar at lighter roasts. More tangy chocolate at FC+.

Mexico Organic Chiapas Proish Coop - FC+

Beans: Mexico Organic Chiapas Proish Coop

Roast Time: 1:18 pm

Roast: FC+

Start Setting: 7

Final Setting: 5.5
Roasting Notes: First Crack starts just before 3:30. Ends around 4:30 or just before. Second crack starts at around 5:15 or so. more rapid and less obvious pops. Turned to cool cycle at 5:30. Warmer ambient temperature probably cause a quicker roast time. 

Sweet Maria's Notes: City+ to FC+. A bright yet mild cup. Caramel, vanilla, roasted hazelnuts, peach apricot, cane sugar at lighter roasts. More tangy chocolate at FC+.

12.10.09 Update: I'm thinking now that it might be more of a Vienna/Light French Roast rather than a FC+. 2nd crack seemed to be well under way when I started the cooling cycle, and there is definitely some oil coming to the surface of the beans. Definitely has more of a carbony taste to it as well. I'll try another batch for FC later this afternoon.

Mexico Organic Chiapas Proish Coop - Tasting Notes

I am really starting to notice the difference between beans now. This one is definitely less tangy and sweet than the Burundi, more of a chocolaty flavor, and I had a few sips with a very clear hazelnut flavor which I haven't been able to notice before. You can really smell it before you can taste it and with such subtleties, it can be a little bit elusive. I went ahead and brewed this one with only about 24 hours of rest, we'll see how it tastes tomorrow given a full 48 hours.

Mexico Organic Chiapas Proish Coop

Beans: Mexico Organic Chiapas Proish Coop

Roast Time: 8:52 am

Roast: City+. 

Start Setting: 6

Final Setting: 5
Roasting Notes: First Crack starts just before 4. Ends around 5 or just before. 

Sweet Maria's Notes: City+ to FC+. A bright yet mild cup. Caramel, vanilla, roasted hazelnuts, peach apricot, cane sugar at lighter roasts. More tangy chocolate at FC+.

Burundi Kayanza Bwayi No. 7 – Tasting

Nearly 50 hours given to the roast to rest. This brew has a nice sweetness to it, but not that same earthy kind of almost sour taste that you get when it is roasted under the recommendation. Perhaps it's the same thing, but the particular bean just does better with that taste than some others. It's fascinating to begin to notice these differences.

Burundi Kayanza Bwayi No. 7

Beans: Burundi Kayanza Bwayi No. 7

Roast Time: 7:31 am

Setting: 6 minus 1 at the end for a 5.
Roasting Notes: First audible cracks right at 4, seemed to slow down or end just before 5, so I turned it to cool just then for a total roast time of 5.0 which according to Sweet Maria's tip sheet is a City+.  I'm thinking it's probably more of a City because of the nearness to the end of first crack. I'll have to get a proper thermometer though in order I think to get any more clarity on the subject. 

Sweet Maria's Notes: City to City +. A mild balanced cup with creamy body. Lemon blossom, aromatics, and mild citrus cup flavors, honey, refined sweetness, delicate flavor profile. 

Colombia Cauca - Oro de Suarez - tasting

I definitely like this bean roasted a little bit darker, at 6 or around FC. A little more flavor comes out, this last batch might even be under-roasted. I am still not totally confident on whether or not I'm hitting the proper roast times for the different types of roasts. I do know that this one at a setting of 5.5 is a little bit too earthy, it feels as though some of the flavor I had in the previous 6 batch isn't there.

Colombia Cauca - Oro de Suarez

Beans: Colombia Cauca - Oro de Suarez

Roast Time: 7:48 am

Setting: 5.5 – City +
Roasting Notes: First audible cracks a little later at about 3.75. Tried it a little lighter this time, at around 5.5 just 1 minute after what seemed like the last of the audible first cracks. Sometimes it seems that there are a lot more pops than other times. I'm not sure if this is normal or if I am not letting things go long enough. We'll see how the flavor differs with this slightly shorter time. 

Colombia Cauca - Oro de Suarez

Beans: Colombia Cauca - Oro de Suarez

Roast Time: 3:28 pm
Setting: 6 – FC
Roasting Notes: First audible cracks a little after 3.5. Over at around 5. Audible 2nd crack at the end just at 6. Maybe a little bit overroasted for this bean, we shall see. 

From the Package: City+ to FC. Dark brown sugar with concord grap, fresh black fig and raisin. Low acidity, medium body, black pepper finish with mild tannic aftertaste.

Greenwell Farms Kona Peaberry – Full City

Beans: Greenwell Farms Kona Peaberry
Roast Time: 9:23 am
Setting: 6
Roasting Notes: First crack begins around 3.5 - 4.0. Slow start to get popping. Not a lot of audible pops. Could be the peaberry?

Uganda Organic Bugisu – City +

Beans: Uganda Organic Bugisu
Roast Time: 9:12 am
Setting: 5.5
Roasting Notes: Start of first crack at about 3.0. First Crack actually seems to have finished this time at around 5. I may have slightly underroasted the beans last time. This time I went for a City + on the roast, and so the extra time. Ambient temp was also a bit lower today. 
Description: From Sweet Maria's Package: City to FC+. Lighter roasts have a surprisingly sweet cup, graham cracker, honey. FC/FC+ are pungent and bittersweet. Nice body, mild lemon finish. 

Uganda Organic Bugisu – City

Beans: Uganda Organic Bugisu
Roast Time: 8:55 am
Setting: 4.5
Roasting Notes: Start of first crack at about 3.5. First crack finishing up right at the end at 4.5. 
Description: From Sweet Maria's Package: City to FC+. Lighter roasts have a surprisingly sweet cup, graham cracker, honey. FC/FC+ are pungent and bittersweet. Nice body, mild lemon finish. 

Coffee Tools

Coffee Tools
Originally uploaded by Number Bob

These are some of my coffee making tools. A Fresh Roast +8 for roasting fresh beans which I get from sweetmarias.com and a chemex brewer which is my current daily brew method of choice.

For today's brew I finally tried using some nice Fiji water, though the beans haven't been given enough time to set. So far though, I notice that with the 4.5 setting the taste is in a range that is not as acidic, even sour as when it was at only 4.0 (underroasted) and not as carbony as when it was up to 6 (Full City +). So I'm thinking that the India Mysore Nuggets does well for me at about 4.5 to I'm guessing 5.5, but even at 6 it was not too bad. We'll see how it tastes tomorrow after it's been given more time to rest.

India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold - City

Beans: India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold
Roast Time: 2:17pm
Setting: 4.5
Roasting Notes: Beginning of First Crack at about 3.5 minutes. End of first crack a little over 4. Started cooling at 4.5. Assuming that the ambient temperature affects roast time for the mechanism, the air, and the temperature of the beans as they are stored, which would be a good explanation as to why my roast times are shorter than Michelle's, as it is generally warmer in So. Cal than up in the Bay Area.

Tasting Notes - Nuggets - City "Light" & FC(+)

Well. I think I both roasted too light and too dark with regards to the recommendations on the package from Sweet Maria's which recommended a City+ to FC on this particular bean. However, it's interesting to do a side by side comparison of the two. I prepared them both in my Chemex brewer with unbleached filters, pre-rinsed with a dose of hot water to get rid of some of the paper taste. The first thing I noticed was the smell. The darker roast had a noticeable stronger coffee smell, whereas the lighter roast hardly had any smell at all. The city roast also has a more sour taste to it. I wonder if this is the flavor of under-roasted coffee? The FC+ definitely what I would describe as a more integrated flavor, it seems that the taste of the whole sip is more well rounded and "earthy".

India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold - City

Beans: India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold
Roast Time: 9:53 am
Setting: 4
Roasting Notes: Going for a City roast, though I probably jumped the gun and stopped it a little too early as first crack was probably still progressing. Some of the beans are still a bit light and didn't have time to crack. So now I've got two batches, one which is a Full City + and one which is a City "Light".
Future Notes: Note when First crack begins and when it ends. It's hard to tell when it ends though sometimes as the time between cracks becomes infrequent.

India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold - FC

Beans: India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold
Roast Time: 8:39 am
Setting: 6
Roasting Notes: Trying for a FC roast this time. Sweet Maria's says that FC is about 6 and at the beginning of 2nd crack, so I started with 7 and ended up turning it to cool just after 6 when I began to hear the first audible signs of 2nd crack. This actually seems according to this to be FC+. As I get to know my roaster, I realize I am probably over-roasting a little bit. My last batch was probably FC or even FC+ when I thought it was much less.

Equipment

Roaster: Fresh Roast 8+
Brew Methods: Chemex, French Press, Yama Vacuum Siphon Filter
I also have an old Bialetti with a broken release valve, but I never use it.

Greenwell Kona

Beans: Greenwell Farms Kona (#1?)
Roast Time: 8:14am (Oct 21)
Setting: 6.5
Roast: Full City+
Rest: 24.5 hours in airtight container on counter
Brewing Notes: Semi-course grind brewed in French press 2-3 minutes. Water 172 F.
Tasting Notes: The Kona beans seem to do better at Full City or higher roasts. Flavor is smooth, but full.

India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold

Beans: India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold
Roast Time: 9:44am
Setting: 5 then 1 extra turn near the end. Total 6.
Trying For: City+. (UPDATE: I think actually at a setting of 6, I ended up with more of a FC or even FC+ after reading up on things more. City+ should have less time pass after the end of 1st crack)
Roasting Notes: First Crack ends + 1.5 minutes
Brewing Notes: Chemex. Grind setting 20. Unbleached pre-rinsed filters. Water temp 195-198.
Tasting Notes: Flavor seems to be more full after 48 hours.