My Peruvian expedition continues.

Just like Francisco Pizarro, who was a Spanish explorer, I have embarked on my own expedition of Peru through the home roasting of Penachi green beans. Where I feel slightly defeated by this South American adventure, Pizarro conquered the Incas of Peru. I am not really look for conquering the home roasting process, I just want the small victory of a good cup of coffee in the morning.

In my last note on Peru Penachi the beans I roasted for the purpose of use in my espresso machine were incredible bitter. No other taste could be determined, the bitterness was overpowering. My eyes watered, my nose tingled, and my tongue tried to shrivel in to the back of my mouth to protect the liquid from going down my throat. Having roasted three ounces of this medium roast, I feel obligated to try all the brewing options at my disposal before solidifying my unsavory opinion in this coffee bean.

I ground the beans and put them in the drip machine. My wonderful husband was outside doing yard work. While he normally loves a cup of coffee at any time of the day, he was a little less than enthused when I handed him a cup and asked him to tell me what he tasted. I should note that it was a delightful 72 degrees in the house where I was, but over 90 in the backyard where he was weeding our garden. With a salute of our cups with a soft clink we drank. From the drip machine the bean had been transformed from nothing but bitterness, into a cherry infused beverage. Interestingly, my husband tasted crackers. We each took a second sip and decided that it tasted like we just drank a piece of toast slathered in cherry preserves.

Just this morning after grocery shopping, I used the remaining beans I had roasted with the intent of it being a morning brew (drip machine) in the espresso machine. When I first tried this dark roast I was not a fan. It was in the category of a French roast, or a dark French roast. My husband loves this style of bean for his morning brew, but I do not like such a predominate smoky flavor. As espresso I found it more agreeable, especially when I added a splash of coconut milk.

I still intend to try roasting this green bean at a lower temperature for a longer period of time to see if I will like the flavors of this bean better. I am curious to know if anyone else has roasted this bean, Peru Penachi. What flavors did you taste? If you did the home roasting, what settings did you use?