Perceptive Perceptions! or Ponderous Ponderings?

December 2nd, 2008

Id often wondered what a blend of espresso roasted coffee what be like if roasted and blended in the following style….

Farm X Brasil natural 10%

Farm Y Brasil natural 10%

Farm Z Brasil natural 10%

Farm Q Brasil natural 10%

Farm A Brasil washed 10%

Farm B Brasil washed 10%

Farm c Brasil washed 10%

Farm AA Ethiopia Sidamo 10%

Farm AB Ethiopia Sidamo 10%

Farm BB Ethiopia Sidamo 10%

I hope that adds to 100% LAWL

Obviously this environment is extreme, but it displays my point, coffees from the same area, but not the same farm, i had often wondered what this blend would taste like and recently i saw some things that made me stray from the idea of trying it again…

When i saw a similarity to the environment that i have mentioned, i saw a mix of ethiopian sidamo and ethiopian harrar, both were 25%, the rest of the blend was pretty much “of the norm”.

To work with and extract this blend was a nightmare, constant change of extraction speed was seen because there were too many bean densities at play, well that’s how i saw it.

I shall also mention that i had the opportunity to prepare espresso shots on this coffee environment in a normal espresso bar atmosphere for about three weeks, so i feel that my thoughts on this were constant if not accurate.

The change in extraction speed was so incredible, i saw distinct changes every four shots pulled.

Ethiopian sorting of green coffee is always a concern for coffee roasters and in bad crop years many roasters are left to use “what they can”. The lack of sorting when too many different ripe and under-ripe coffees are roasted together is unworkable for the modern Barista who strives for perfection, cup after cup.

Hence i imagine that a blend of ten different origins/farms/varietals would be extremely difficult to use in a commercial espresso bar.

At some stage id roast this blend up and try it again, but i wont be rushing to do it in any hurry, thats for sure.