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?
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!
