Mocca Java Blend

Being inquisitive is a natural reaction for me.

Why do I like this coffee?
What is it about this blend that make it so tasty?
I bet I could reverse engineer this blend.
So I did on 27 October 2012.

I recorded these notes while I roasted.
Read these results to find out the experimentation process involved in determining the perfect ratio of Java to Mocca for an optimum blend.

Three Bean Blend

I know the title sounds a bit sketchy and ambiguous,
much like three bean hotdish.
Though this experimental blend turned out delicious.
An example of not judging before trying.
I finally tried my husbands Grandma's hotdish and it has now been added to the recipe line up.

Roast. Record. Blend. Repeat.

The season of weddings is upon us,
RSVPs have been sent out and travel plans have been made.
and with weddings, come anniversaries. 
Cards have been sent to friends and family congratulating them on 8, 32 or even 50 years of marriage.

My husband went to college for aerospace engineering and astrophysics, and I went for design. While he poured over complex equations, I was cutting and pasting hand painted tiles like I was still in kindergarten.

He likes documentaries and watching the news, and I prefer music. 

We define the stereotype of opposites attract.

So what makes our marriage work?
What keeps people together?

Photograph by Birdsong Photography

It has been a year since I began the adventure of roasting coffee.
A year since starting Notable Coffee.

After a year of crafting blends of good combinations and terrible ones, I have determined the answer.

The answer is the same for coffee blends as for marriages.
Balance.

The opposite nature of our personalities and different coffee beans creates a balance.
Conflicts or poor taste occurs when one person or flavor tries to over power another.

Roast.
When crafting a blend, it is best to roast a bean individually first.
Then, brew up a small amount, in order to establish a taste profile.

(Only after the initial individual bean roast and recording can experimentation of roasting different beans together occur through repeating the process.)

Record.
I used Roast Notes to record comprehensive observations of Indian Mysore, Ethiopian Harar and Sulawesi Toraja before, during and after the roast to determine their flavor profiles.

• The Indian Mysore is a bright roast containing spicy and nutty flavor characteristics.
  
• The Ethiopian Harar is also spicy, but with an additional earth quality.
  
• The Sulawesi Toraja is a roast of low acidity and a thick body of spicy flavors with the undertone of chocolatey and slightly nutty notes.

Blend.
Combined in a blend of 1:1:1 (ounces), the brightness, or higher acidity of the Harar was balanced by the low acidity of the Toraja.

The spicy flavor all three beans shared was obviously predominate, but not over powering because of the secondary flavors. The earthiness helped to ground the spicy flavors from running away with the pallet. The chocolatey and nutty flavors naturally blend well together and  help to sweeten the temperament of the spice.

Repeat.
Another example was when I put Bali Kintamani together with Sulawesi Toraja.

The Kintamani held a very fruity flavor. The taste of cherries was so overpowering that my husband and I found it practically undrinkable. However the spicy, chocolatey and nutty flavors of the Toraja created a balance to the Kintamani.

When used at a 2:1 ratio, Kintamani:Toraja, the undrinkable bean was transformed to create a blended cup of coffee with no dominate flavors.

It ended up tasting...like coffee. 
Just a good cup of coffee.
And when you are waking up, it is nice to do it slowly, with no surprises to the taste buds.

Marriage is bringing two individuals together.

Crafting a coffee blend is bringing individual beans together.

Strengths and weakness must be tested/tasted to find out how they work together best.

In my marriage, the one responsible and not forgetful pays the bills.
That person isn't me.
Just one person pays them, so we don't inadvertently pay twice. 

The one who doesn't burn the meal or sends the other into anaphylactic shock gets to cook.
That would be me\...except for meringue and pies.
Mmmm, lemon meringue pie. In this relationship, my husband is the Pie Man.

So, to craft a great blend of coffee it starts with the individual flavors first, then the proper ratio of each is combined to create a blend.

Roast. Record. Blend. Repeat.

Let's learn from our own roasting adventures and each others. Share your blends in the comments box, or with me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

As always, Happy Roasting and Brewing!

Onobrano's Latte Blend

artist unknown

Decaf coffee. 
What else can I say?

That it is a substitute baristas give to rude customers?

Or that, like for many, 'Death Before Decaf' is a lifestyle motto I completely understand?

The lack of caffeine is the obvious problem. Then there's a chemical taste the decaffeination process leaves which makes any cup of decaf undrinkable.

Then I roasted my own. 

A naturally decaffeinated blend of green beans called Lagniappe Expresso Decaf Blend.
 
The term used to name this blend, Lagniappe, is a Louisianan term meaning "a little something extra" which is exactly what you get with this roast. 

The lack of caffeine isn't even noticeable as you get lost in the espresso it creates when you brew it.

Recently my four year old decided he doesn't need to take naps anymore.
Which means I don't get my R&R during the day.
Refueling & Recuperating.
Suddenly, the half pot my husbands leaves me in the morning isn't good enough.

If I were to make another pot or press of coffee I would most likely drink it all and then I would be awake all night. I had to find another solution. 

Onobeano's Latte Blend is the extra boost I need.
Created with the intention of the espresso being mixed with milk to make a latte (Latte Making Guide), this blend has a delicious bittersweet chocolate taste. It has a brighter taste than the Lagniapple. 

To make a latte, I combined the espresso with almond milk.  It was amazing!  The brightness of the espresso was tamed. The almond milk naturally provided a nutty flavor that complimented and enhanced the bitter sweet chocolate flavor already present.

Onobeano's Latte Blend
Roasting Notes:

I roasted 4 ounces with 2/3 fan and low heat for 2 minutes. Then 7 minutes with 1/2 fan and medium heat. Finishing with 2 minutes on high heat with 1/4 fan. The total roasting time was 11 minutes. The first crack came after 5.7 minutes and the second after 9.3 minutes elapsed. 

As with all espresso roasts the goal is to be between a Vienna roast and an Italian. It should be medium brown with a matte finish. If the roast is too light, it will be very acidic.

This is a blend definitely worth trying. I recommend giving almond milk a try instead of regular moo. It heightens the drink to Seattle coffee shop levels. Enjoy and as always... 
Happy Roasting and Brewing!

Visible & Invisible

Spring?

When there is snow outside, ice to slip on and a wind chill below freezing it is hard to believe the first day of spring has come and gone. Flowers and rain, not ice and snow, is what I expect.
It's time to start...

artist unknown

In spring there are two types of cleaning that must be done.
The kind of cleaning done with a bucket, mop and broom which will require many pots of coffee; and the kind with a cup or two and some thinking.

Visible:
I promised my husband a freshly roasted pot of his favorite, Mocca Java, to help him tackle the garage which seemed to have exploded with dust, cobwebs and clutter over the winter.

Since I have not been able to roast for much of the winter, I haven't purchased any new green coffee beans. Going to my stash of remnants from last year's stock, I discovered I only had an ounce or less of the Java Ciwidey, Yemen Mocca Matari, Indian Mysore and Papua New Guinea Purosa.

It seems like a dire situation to a dedicated amateur.

Yes, I roasted in the snow to get a clean garage!
I would not advise.
Electricity and water (even if it is frozen) do not get along.

What to do?
The answer is simple. 

Do not throw them out, make a blend.
Take four ounces of whatever is remaining and roast them together.

This is the best way to gain experience. 
Experiment, taste and enjoy.

Cleaning out the remaining green coffee beans to make room for new ones in order to provide the fuel and motivation needed to spring clean away the visible dirt, but what about the other spring clean that needs to be done?


Invisible:
The first thing I thought, as I sipped with a two handed technique, was sadly far from deep.
It was what came first...

The chicken or the egg?
Stay with me!
The egg or the bunny?
There is a point, I promise.
A bunny who lays eggs...for children to eat?
Okay, so that thought is both disgusting and disturbing!

How has another holiday of candy taken priority over the real meaning?

Halloween I can accept as a candy holiday.
Trick-or-treating is a tradition in my house.
Christmas has Santa Clause; whose real name was Saint Nicholas; who was trying to share christian charity around Christmas; whose real message is the birth of Christ.
Logical.
But an Easter Bunny on the day celebrated for someone being killed
and rising from the dead?!
Whether a Christian or not, that logic is flawed.

Take the Easter season as a time to Spring Clean what cannot be seen.

Personally, I saw how I needed to spend more time on others than myself.
I don't own make up or a hair dryer, so I don't mean in a primping in front of a mirror way.
For me it is the time I spend doing what I want, like writing, drawing, designing and roasting that needs to be replaced with things my son, my husband or even my dog wants to do with me.

Reallocating my time, giving away what I want to others, has given me a happier heart.

As winter clings on this year give spring cleaning some thoughtful consideration.

Which rooms you might want to bribe your significant other to help clean?
The places too gross or high to reach are always my choices. 

How to spring clean yourself?
Personally, I made my husband shower before sitting down after cleaning the garage! The real answer I gave above.


Which coffee blend you can create with the beans left in last year's stash?
I would love to hear about your blends. What combination of beans were used? How were they roasted? How did it tastes? Use the comment box below or email me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Happy Spring Cleaning, Roasting and Easter!

Coffee Roast Guide

Whether you're a roaster or a consumer of coffee, the options on what to drink are staggering.

At first, walking down the coffee aisle at the grocery store made me giddy with the possibilities.
Then realization of my ignorance made a decision nearly impossible.

After an hour or so, I started to recognize similarities to some of the labels. Going home empty handed, I pulled out a few books and cruised the internet.

Finding a simple, easy to understand guide to roast selection was unobtainable. So instead, I have created a roast selection guide.

Characteristics to note in the roasts:

• The lighter the roast, the higher the acidity with less body or mouth feel. Some people describe the lighter roasts as being almost tea like in their qualities.
• The darker the roast, the lower the acidity. The payoff for less acidity is a full bodied cup of coffee.

Save it, print it and take it with you for reference the next time you need to roast or buy coffee.
 
Feel free to share this roast guide, but please don't sell it for profit.

Let me know what you think of the guide by using the comments box or emailing me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Happy Roasting and Brewing!

Hunter's Blend: Mocca Java & Indian Mysore

What if the Big Bad Wolf and the  Woodsman  were the same person?
What would happen to Little Red Riding Hood?
Over the past couple weeks I found myself becoming Little Red in that very perdicament.
Here is my story.

31 October 2012.
Halloween start out innocent enough.

My son was dressed in his dinosaur costume. Stomping around the house and chasing the dog around with one loud, obnoxious ROAR after another.

After getting some real food and a couple of vegetables into his stomach, my son was jumping from a physiological induced sugar high at the front door.

Long after the sun had set.
Once every doorbell in the neighbor hood had been rung.
Past the time of Tick-or-Treaters at my door.
A wolf lead the dinosaur home.



2 November 2012
A terrifying realization hit me. 
Deer hunting opener was the next day.

The Big Bad Wolf from Halloween was about to become the Woodsman or rather the Huntsman.

I had to find a way to ensure my husband returned to me free of his canine form and red neck ways.
Coffee was the answer.

Roasting Notes for Hunter's Blend:

2 ounces Java Ciwidey and two 2 ounces Indian Mysore were
roasted on medium heat for three minutes with a high fan before increasing the heat to high for ten minutes and decreasing the fan to medium. The first crack was heard after one and a half minutes with the second occurring five minutes into the roast. 

It is important to note because I roasted these beans together the cracks were overlapping with the Mysore cracking before the Ciwidey.

This was a smoky, dark roast that brewed into a smooth cup of coffee.

The exact kind of blend my husband loves.
Surely this would ensure he returns to me the same gentle, caring and kind man I fell in love with.


3-10 November
He hiked.
He sat quite and still in a tree stand for hours.
He hunted.
He encouraged me with a video.
Please note: This video is meant to humorous. However if you are easily offended, skip watching and just keep reading.

11 November
He returned to me.

I learned this day that the cabin he was staying at didn't have a coffee grinder or machine.
He settled for chewing some coffee beans while sitting in his tree stand.

12 November
He was finally able to drink, instead of eat, the roast I had made for him.
It was delicious.

I encourage you to roast this blend if you like dark, smoky coffee.
Let me know what you think by using the comments box below or emailing me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Happy Roasting and Brewing!

Mocca Java Blend: second attempt

At 6 pm, I wanted an espresso. Checking the cupboard I saw a sight that made me gasp stronger than the year every person in a haunted house was calling me out by name as I walked through.   An empty mason jar where the decaf should have been.

Looking out at the setting sun I thought, There is enough light.

No. There wasn't.
Not even with the pumpkins glowing near by, the deck lights on and a nearly full moon on the rise.

I thought, It's not too cold outside

Yes. It was cold.

I thought, I can get a Mocca Java blend roasted and some decaf Lagniappe roasted before my husband and son finish grocery shopping.

I was ambitious.

What I learned that night was that it takes significantly longer for beans to reach a first crack (and second) in Midwest autumn night time chill.

Roasting Notes:
Mocca Java Blend

2 ounces Java Ciwidey and 2 ounces Yemen Mocca Matari roasted together.

3 minutes on medium heat with medium-high fan. Then high heat for 14 additional minutes.

The first crack occurred 12 minutes into the roast with the second in the last minute. 

For notes on Lagniappe decaf refer to a previous post on this roast.

My nose was cold.My toes were cold.
The gap between my sweatshirt and jeans was frostbit.

The temperature wasn't the biggest challenge to overcome.
I could see the timer clearly, but not the beans as they roasted. This was a handicap I had never experienced while roasting before.

I used my sense of smell and hearing to finish the roasts.

I genuinely don't now whether it was the struggle of sensory deprivation or the longer roasting time needed because of the cold weather, but this Mocca Java blend was far superior to my first attempt.

My husband came out on to the deck when he got home. I was still roasting.

My breath was visible in the moonlight. I was still hunched over the roaster for warmth,  turning my head occasionally for fresh air to prevent asphyxiation.

He laughed when he say me and told me I looked like an addict.

I have standards for what I consume. If the means roasting in the dark, in the cold for a good cup of coffee during the day and at night, then am I not ashamed to declare I am a coffee addict.

I will be found in my back yard next week, and the ones to follow, with my dog on one side and the roaster on the other keeping me company and warm during the fall and winter months.

Happy Halloween and Roasting to All!

Mocca Java Blend

Yeah!

The resting period is over.

The French Press is clean

The tea kettle is whistling.

The Results are In...

Be sure to drink some sparking mineral water in between each cup. 

It will cleanse your taste buds.

Stand Alone Taste Test

Java Ciwidey

There are hints of fruit and nuts buried under the primary flavor which is earthy. Earthy, as in fresh from the garden, unwashed and straight into your mouth.

The taste for this bean is so full you can almost chew the flavors. 

Yemen Mocca Matari

A lighter body is in this bean than in the Java Ciwidey, but that doesn't mean it is lighter in flavor. 

The first sip took my breath away. 

The sweet, chocolatey taste coated my mouth and slid down my throat when I swallowed leaving a delightful cinnamon spice to tickle my tongue.

Mocca Java the blend

I poured three measured ratios of the Mocca and the Java roasts and blended them into cups.

1. two thirds Java & one third Mocca.
   It was okay. The Mocca roast definitely aided in balancing the intense earthy taste of the Java, but it was still too full bodied for my pallet.
2. half Mocca & half Java.
   This one startled me. The predominate flavor was cherries. I didn't really taste fruit in either roast independently, but put them together in equal proportions and...Wow.
3. two thirds Mocca & one third Java.
   The best blend. The chocolate flavors competed nicely with the earthiness. A spicy cinnamon finish to each sip made my pallet hum contentedly

But you don't have to take my word for it. Try the different ratios for yourselves.  

Which ratio do you prefer? I would love to hear from you and learn something new.
Use the comment box below or contact me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Happy Roasting and Brewing!

Yemen Mocca Matari & Java Ciwidey

 The coffee canister is empty.

I don't want store bought. 

Time to Roast Coffee!

So this time there are no stories or random thoughts. 

Lets get to it.

I roasted two different beans in the hopes of being able to perfect a Mocca Java blend. 

Yemen Mocca Matari
Roast Cooling

Yemen Mocca Matari

Roast notes:

Roasted four ounces.

Time of roast was eight minutes.
Two minutes on medium heat and six on high.

Fan speed was set at medium-high.

Observations

The green beans have non-uniform coloring and shape. This is common for beans from Yemen though. It took a long time for the beans to change from the green/yellow color of unroasted bean to brown.

Java Ciwidey Roast Cooling

Java Ciwidey

Roast notes

Roasted four ounces.

Time of roast was nine minutes.
Two minutes on medium heat and seven on high.

Fan speed was set at medium-high.

Observations

The unroasted beans have a rich green color. They had an almost wet look in comparison to Yemen's drier appearance. The size of this bean was larger than Mocca Matari.

  

To Be Continued...

The smell of freshly roasted coffee is inside and outside the house. 

Now comes this hardest part. 

The waiting.

(Coffee needs a resting period to finish the roast and to expel carbon dioxide.)

Check back for the taste testing flavors and the blend results. 

What have you roasted lately? I would love to hear from you and learn something new.
Use the comment box below or contact me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Happy Roasting and Brewing!

Coffee & Beer Temperatures

There are no small coffee cups in my house!

"You’re getting warmer. You’re hot! Just kidding, you’re ice cold." 

Every kid knows that game. The rules are simple and the concept stays the same whether you are three years old and playing or twenty eight. (No judging. I was bored.)

Hot, cold or warm? The same about temperature applies to coffee and beer. So for all you readers who don’t like coffee, this may still pertain to you. I went in search of the best temperature for coffee after being inspired by beer.

My husband and I were watching the Olympics, swimming to be exact and commercials came on. One for Coors light, the color changing cans with the screw cap that indicate the correct temperature to drink the brew, made my husband scoffed next to me. 

“Ice cold is the only way you can drink that beer. Awful stuff,” he said.

Having never drank Coors before I had to ask, “Why?”

Here’s something you should know to give my husband’s opinion a little credit. He is a home brewer. I support his hobby as he supports mine. After all, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy a decent British beer without his brewing knowledge as I have a gluten free diet. 

Night time consumption: his home brews. Morning after: my coffee roasts.

Being an avid home brewer and an engineer, I knew he would have an answer that would be thorough. Since swimming was over and the announcers were a bit over dramatic about woman’s gymnastics, I didn’t mind listening. I even learned something.

The cold temperature needed to drink Coors was so that your taste buds would be numbed and unable to taste the lack of flavor the beer actually has. So what temperature should beer be served at?

“Best temperature for drinking beer would be at about 50ish degrees,” was my husband’s response, then the raised eyebrows I shot him made him put it in Sarah terms. “Beer should be drunk at fridge temperature or in your case with only a little carbon dioxide and at room temperature.”

I am one of those people who like drink their soda warm and flat. It’s the bubbles that distract from the taste by dancing around the tongue like pop rocks. 

This got me thinking about the overly hot cups of coffee you get from retailers like McDonald’s, Dunken’ Donuts and any gas station. Why brew so hot? 

Follow the beer knowledge share by my expert and apply it to coffee: with a burnt mouth you won’t taste the cheap beans and poor roasting. 

The Experiment:

I brewed in my drip machine a store bought blend; Papa Nicholas Hawaiian Island Blend. 

"Hawaiian Islands Blend combines the medium body of choice beans grown on the garden isle of Kauai with the full body of Colombian Supremo." (Taken from website).

I used the pre-ground option; something I don’t usually do because the longer a roasted bean has been in contact with the air, the more the flavors erode. When it has been ground and packaged, there are more surfaces of the bean that have been exposed to the air and will remain exposed after the vacuum seal is cut.

I poured the finished product into three identical cups. I drank one while it was still steamy, careful to avoid damaging my taste buds. I waited twenty minutes before I drank the second, so it would be at room temperature. The third I drank after an hour. It was cold. The differences in taste were incredible.

Results:

When the coffee was steamy, I couldn’t really determine any flavors. All I tasted was hot coffee. Smooth coffee, but hot. The second cup at room temperature surprised me. I don’t usually like light roasts because of the fruity almost tea like qualities that are enhanced. This blend didn’t have that. It was light, earthy (full bodied) and very smooth. The cup I allowed to get cold on the counter had subdued full body tastes while a natural sweetness I hadn’t picked up before surfaced. What a delightful surprise.

Papa Nicholas is the best store bought coffee I have purchased. The freshness and smoothness this brand is able to consistently achieve in their roasts is second only to home roasting. I have tried the Italian Espresso, French Roast, Hawaiian Island Blend and the Mocha Java Blend. I would buy them all again over buying the beans from the plastic bins like I did from WholeFoods earlier this summer.

I would suggest drink your coffee warm not hot for the best flavors. If it continues to be a hot summer, let your cup of coffee naturally cool down, without ice. Place it in the fridge or freezer if you want faster results. 

A perfect summer drink: cold coffee without ice to thin the flavors. Delicious.

But don’t take my word for it. Try an experiment of your own. Brew some coffee and try it at different temperatures to find out what you like. Let me know what your favorite blends are and what temperature brings out the best flavors. Use the comments box below or email me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Mexican Chiapas, Dominican Republic Barahona & Bolivian Colonial Caranavi Blend

Picture taken by a couple of girls in Tawian. (amazingdata.com)

Need Coffee?

Have you ever been so tired you feel as though you’ll fall flat on your face? Coffee is the remedy, if you could just get the moment to drink it.

The pot is hot. A cup is almost in hand. Then a three year old wakes up with the energy of six espressos and intercepts you before you make it to the kitchen.  What happens next?

I know, because it happened to me.

I helped my son get dressed, made him breakfast, and gave my dog his thyroid medicine. The psychological effects hit his 120 lb. furry body instantly. The three year old makes a game of instigating the dog into a game of crash-bash off the walls. Shoes are put on and the dog is leashed. I wanted to walk. They ran, pulling me along behind. With every step my mind is on the cup of coffee left untouched on the counter. Sleepiness had not been vanquished. The inevitable came to pass. I slid across three squares of concrete as I fell flat on my face.

While my son played on the elementary school’s playground, I watched my swollen wrist change colors like the horse in the Emerald City. Thoughts, boundless without the caffeine restrictions of order, began to wonder what kind of roast and brew contains the most caffeine? Can I make a blend that would utilize this knowledge? 

What I Know

Espresso has one third the amount of coffee a regular cup of coffee possesses.  

The extended time of the coffee being in contact with hot water is what allows more of the caffeine to make its way into your cup. 

This tells me my French Press is the best way to maximize the amount of caffeine out of the grounds and into my system.

Dark roasts have stronger, smoky flavors and lose the fruitiness light roasts maintain. I used to think this meant stronger flavor. It doesn’t.

The longer coffee beans are roasted the more caffeine is burned out of the bean. 

It is the numerous chemical changes coffee beans undergo during the roasting process which determines the amount of caffeine in coffee and flavors. So, the lighter the roast the more caffeine you have conserved.

This is a problem for me. I do not care for the fruitier flavors which typically accompany the lighter roasts. My husband like the intense dark roasts and I prefer the full city or medium roasts. How to make a blend that gives us a caffeine boost with flavors we both like? 

A Three Bean Blend

Mexican Chiapas: Two ounces were first roasted with low heat and a medium fan for two minutes. Then four minutes on medium heat. The first crack occurred with two and a half minutes remaining. A light or breakfast roast.

Dominican Republic Barahona: Four ounces began on low heat with high fan for two minutes. The heat was increased to high and the fan decreased to low for another six minutes of roasting. The first crack occurred with four and a half minutes remaining. The second began with one minute remaining in the roast. A medium or full city roast.

Bolivian Colonial Caranavi: Three ounces were dried out for roasting on low heat and high fan for two minutes, and then high heat with a medium fan for ten minutes. The first crack began with six and a half left in the roast. The second with three and a half minutes to go. A very dark French roast.

I mixed all the beans into one bag. We just made sure to shake it before grinding the beans to ensure near equal proportions of the roasts in each brew. My husband and I had drunk a pot of coffee and were onto our second by the time we were able to determine the flavors. There are no notable flavors. It is a well-balanced blend. Smooth, subtle flavors that are addictive. 

Has this blend has managed to utilized the knowledge of caffeine extraction? I doubt it, but that doesn’t matter. The sheer amount of this blend my husband and I managed to drink in one day was more than enough caffeine for a week. 

I nursed scrapes and a severely bruised wrist with multiple cups of this blend. The day I was able to drink my coffee in the morning before taking my boys for their morning stroll, I was the one running.

What kinds of blends, roasts and brews to you use to prevent falling on your face? Let me know by writing it in the comments box or emailing me at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Mexican Chiapas & Bolivian Colonial Caranavi Blend

I like to think we’ve all had a Frankenstein (it's pronounced "Fronkensteen") moment. It makes me feel more socially acceptable with my mad scientist thoughts. 

Chilean volcano erupting, photographer unknown

On the front porch, I held the roaster cord in my right hand and the extension cord in my left. The scorching sun was extinguished by billowing dark clouds. Lightning crick crackled across the sky. Wind blew my hair into a violent frenzy. As the pieces were joined a barbaric yelp was expelled from my lungs. 

 “It’s alive!”

Reality is less interesting. A neighbor was across the street watering his dormant lawn in a valiant effort to raise it back to life as though it was Lazarus. My husband and son were watching Dinosaur Train in the living room. I could see them through the floor to ceiling windows from the porch. 

When I flicked the switch and the roaster fan commanded the beans to dance, I swallowed my tongue and promptly sat on my hands. Making a fool of myself, while irresistible at times, is an act I save for the privacy of my house. Curtains closed. Doors and window locked. Cameras confiscated. 

The summer of 2012 has been hotter than and almost as dry as the Dust Bowl. Thankfully, we have something they didn’t have, air conditioning. The temperatures finally dropped to upper 80s this week. I never thought I would think of that as “cooling off”. With the heat index out of the hundreds, I seized the opportunity to roast coffee. This time I roasted with the intent to make a blend. I wanted to use a light roast and a dark roast in harmony.

Mexican Chiapas

Four ounces were roasted with a high fan on low heat for 2 minutes. Then the heat was set to medium for another six minutes. Until the first crack, which started three minutes into medium heat roasting, had stopped. A light roast was created.

Bolivian Colonial Caranavi

Four ounces were roasted with a high fan over low heat for two minutes. Then the heat was turned up to high and the fan down to medium for ten minutes. The first crack occurred with eight and a half minutes remaining. The second began with four minutes remaining. A dark French roast was achieved.

Both roasts were mixed into the same bag and brewed this morning from the drip machine. The first description of the blend came from my husband, “it’s a complex cup”. He went to work, my son got up and after an hour, I was finally able to make my assessment. It was the same. After texting about the flavors as he sipped from his travel mug and I from my cup we determined the best representation of flavors, dark chocolate covered roasted spiced nuts. 

Then we both craved a thick slice of pumpkin bread. Try a slice and a cup. Let me know what you think.

Click for  FREE Sample!

Lagniappe Expresso Decaf Blend

The devil's blend is an affectionate name many use to refer to decaf coffee. Guilty. I never saw the point of drinking coffee if the chemical properties that make you pee didn't also give the energy to get to the bathroom expeditiously. 

Pregnancy changed my mind.

Every twenty minutes, I wore a path to the bathroom. Fatigue settled over me like a burned out light bulb. Desperate to wake up one morning, I tried to trick my mind. I drank decaf. It worked. Maybe my husband is right, I truly am gullible. What mattered was the improvement to my disposition. Decaf helped both of us survive the pregnancy and breast feeding phases.

A layered latte.

I find I still drink decaf. Suffering from insomnia has banned caffeine intake after one in the afternoon. I didn't want to stop drinking coffee, so I still drink decaf. A latte in the evening after my son goes to bed is how I relax. My one complaint was the chemical taste that causes a scratchy throat once it is swallowed. One of my main priorities with home roasting was create a better decaf bean. 

My search is over.

The mountain water natural decaffeinated Lagniappe blend ground until it resembles flour makes amazing espresso. It has a full body, fresh earthy taste with a creamy finish. I recommend this roast for any other home roaster looking for a good decaf bean.

Roasting Notes:

Four ounces of Lagniappe beans were dried for two minutes at a low temperature with a medium fan. Leaving the fan on medium, the beans were roasted on medium heat for ten minutes. After eight minutes elapsed the first crack was heard. The second crack had just started as the timer ran out and the cooling cycle began.

It was a beautiful brown bean with a sheen. Eating a bean gave off a fresh taste with a chocolaty finish. I prefer to grind the beans for espresso to a powder for a natural froth to form while it brews. Delicious.

Morning Coffee Rituals

The morning coffee ritual begins the night before in our house. The drip machine is the most common method of brewing for the first consumption of the day. My husband is the first to get up. The machine must be prepared in advance for once the alarm goes off at 5:15 in the morning; he just wants to be able to push a button before taking a shower. Or at least pushing a button was all he used to have to do.

For the past ten years (since college) we have been beginning our day by using the low quality beans of mass roasting production by companies like Folgers. All morning cups of coffee were stale, flavorless. Now, the morning cup of coffee is a fresh delight. The beans are ground right before brewing. It is an extra step to his morning process, but one well worth it.

This morning's blend was two scoops (a scoop is about a tablespoon) of medium roasted Mexican Chiapas beans and one scoop of dark roasted Sumatra Takengo. This combination produced a wonderfully smooth cup of coffee. The flavors are like fine spun linen that feels like satin on your skin. It coats your tongue and slips down your throat with inconspicuous hints of smoky roasted goodness and caramelized sugars from the dark Sumatra beans, and unobtrusively rich taste that brings the mellow slightly fruit notes from the medium Mexico beans. Together, these flavors create a full body harmonious cup of coffee that is light on the pallet, perfect for a spring morning.