UB's RRA 1st Qtr '08 Honduran CoE Surprise

[EvanS]

let me break it down for y'all

Per novasurf recommendations I tried to catch this before 2nd crack. Of course this would be difficult having never roasted this bean before and only having quantity to take 3 shots at it. So, I preheated the FR8 to 300F and proceeded to roast three 78g batches, allowing the roaster to cool and then rewarm to 300F each time for consistency.

1st roast I caught the very firstest bean 1/4 way thru it's 2nd crack and noted the time and look of the roast. No cool down cycle...dumped beans and ran the fan on them outside @ 50 degrees F. Roasted the next 2 batches @ this roast minus 15 seconds. Looks like a consistent City for the last 2 while the first has hints of City+.

FP'd 2 cups tonight after 24 hour rest. 2 minutes, stir, 1:30 more, plunge, pour.

Whoa baby!! This is by far the lightest I have ever roasted and probably the least rest before brewing, so it was with trepidation that I took my first sip.

Take the light sweet flavor from the crema of your first sip of a good double espresso shot and add about 30% of the dark that lies beneath. There you have the flavor of this wonderful bean when piping hot. Get about 1/3 - 1/2 of the way thru a 10 oz mug, which of course is cooling down a bit, and I start getting flavor of super sweet yogurt-covered raisins along with the light espresso flavor. The mouth feel was dry, but not chalky at all, and got wetter and fuller as I worked down the cup.


Norman - when I order more of this do I simply select the Honduran CoE??
(gawd please tell me there is more)

Thanks so much for including this. I might put this as the most intriguing cup of coffee I have had since I started roasting...although if I would have tasted this 4 months ago I am pretty sure I would have spit it out as my brain registered it as a foreign substance.

[novasurf]

We have about 25 pounds of HonCoE left. Their harvest season is upcoming. We are glad you liked it Ev. You have to search Honduran coffee to find diamonds, but it is worth it when you find one you like.

[EvanS]

2nd pot - 48 hours post roast.
Dryer on the mouth, yet still not chalky. Let this one extract for an additional 20 seconds. It smelled just like yesterday's until the 30 mark when WHAMO - chocolate burst. My wife even smelled it as she walked by.

The taste was more settled than last night with not as much sweetness but instead a deep, yet watery, chocolate flavor along with lider raisins. Much better finish on this pot, as last nights got slightly nauseating about 30 minutes after the last swallow.

Yep - gotta get more of this because as I stated previously, this is by far the lightest roast I have ever done...in addition to being the short rest before brewing. Now I am not sure if it's really the bean giving these wonderful flavors in total, or is it also a function of the light roast.

Gonna be curious what others think when they try theirs.