LMSC It is not just notes on the bag though. I could name endless roasters who quite frankly should not be roasting. We as consumers seem to be more impressed with the packaging, the fancy tins and bags than we are with the contents. How can you open a roastery, with little or no experience then start a marketing campaign to sell your goods when you have absolutely no idea what you are really doing? Equally as much though I think if you find that bean which is bang on, then we should share it. I appreciate that I am right at the very beginning of my brewed journey, but I am sure part of my issues are the beans.

With the help of others, I have named a bean and we have coarsened, tightened, played with volume to the point that the extraction is right……….anyway, thanks to those who have contributed. To those who have not, then I presume the addition of milk is covering tracks. Interestingly, this last bean I could not get any noticeable tasting notes (they suggested Papya and Raspberry tart, pretty distinctive) from, when pulled as an espresso with milk added was quite acceptable……it is a strange world at times

https://www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org/2024/02/thank-goodness-for-madeira-cake/

      MediumRoastSteam

      Django coffee - Extrawelt

      I had it as a filter and it was superb. They only recently started stocking it again. I have a kilo on order, hopefully it’s a consistent taster.

      It was my most memorable cup of coffee that I have made: a complex cup that was fun to drink because of the complexity.

      For reference, I liked it more than Darkwoods beans (haven’t splurged on their special reserve though)

      Also: Django has a forum discount

          Jcheney Django coffee - Extrawelt

          I had many coffees from Django - but never this one. I shall order some! Thank you!

              dfk41

              I’ll let you know. Free delivery too :-)

              I didn’t bother with the forum discount - couldn’t find it.

                  dfk41 I am sure part of my issues are the beans.

                  Absolutely! IMO, I would put grinder and beans above espresso machine in the order of importance.

                    I totally agree. It is so so challenging to find beans that: a) meet my taste preferences and b) are properly roasted. I drink decaf, which most roasters do not know how to roast and stock one as an afterthought. I like a full city+ to Vienna roast. Most roast “medium” and get mislead by the exterior roast colour of decaf, which roasts to a darker colour than the actual roast level. This means that their supposed “‘medium” is actually a medium light. Or they are catering to consumer trends, who expect “notes of mango with a hint of strawberry”. It doesn’t matter if the coffee tastes good as long as the notes sound intriguing and the original seems cool. Many burn their coffee beans. Many do not ship freshly roasted beans with a specified roast date. The few I like don’t always roast consistently.

                    It’s tough enough to get the shot right. It’s a frustrating pain when you have to work through ½ an over priced 375g bag to get passed the flaws and get the coffee tasting decent.

                    I have a roaster setup and ready to go in the basement but have not had time to roast. And I am a tad nervous about it as my first try smoked out the house and peeved my wife. Will try again.

                    The decaf from Django at the start of the year was the best decaf I’ve had by a mile (Colombia Argelia Decaf) A lightly roasted fruity bean that was exceptionally good, I even had to double check the bag to make sure it was a decaf.

                      I gave up home roasting years ago. I used a 2 stage modded gene Cafe. I quickly realised that professional roasters could make a better job……of course that was then! I had been drinking Extract Sugar cane decaf and for me, it was superb. Then I ordered some and it had changed 360! They kept the same distinctive packaging but changed the country or origin and roast levels.

                      I do not want this to be a bash them thread but I see no harm in folks telling us of good or bad experiences in relation to tasting notes

                      https://www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org/2024/02/thank-goodness-for-madeira-cake/

                        The last few coffees I’ve had from Dog and Hat (Three Marks Coffee Ethiopia - Shakiso & FRUKT coffee Yoiner Mosquera) have been underwhelming compared to the tasting notes. It’s not that they’re badly roasted but I couldn’t taste what was on the bag.

                        It wouldn’t surprise me if roasters are using stale greens but I have no way of proving it.

                          Platypus The decaf from Django at the start of the year was the best decaf I’ve had by a mile (Colombia Argelia Decaf)

                          Indeed! I still have some of that coffee in the freezer! It’s a good decaf, but in my opinion it doesn’t match the non-decaf stuff.

                              dfk41 I had been drinking Extract Sugar cane decaf and for me, it was superb. Then I ordered some and it had changed 360!

                              You put me onto the Sugarcane decaf a few years ago and it was incredible. Since they’ve changed it its nowhere near as good

                                dfk41

                                Some roasters sell blends that change throughout the year, I appreciate that you can’t always source exactly the same beans all the time but selling it as the same product all year round can be a bit misleading too.

                                  It’s the process that’s chaned too. From sugarcane to washed. A real shame as it’s lost its magic

                                    dutchy101

                                    The process for the extract decaf is still sugarcane process, they have just labelled it as water and ethyl acetate but they are the same process by different names. The process isn’t labelled as sugarcane because the ethyl acetate isn’t derived from 100% sugar cane but from fruit as well

                                    whinmoor85 It wouldn’t surprise me if roasters are using stale greens but I have no way of proving it.

                                    You can sometimes check on the website, for instance the frukt coffee was harvested december 2022 so it is older than I would have expected (not that age of greens is always an indicator of taste).

                                    I do find these multi roaster subscriptions can sometimes be an excuse for roasters to offload coffee that isn’t selling well, it is not always the case and you can get great exclusive lots for a great price but I have seen some coffees appear that have been for sale for a few months already

                                    Coffee Roaster. Home: Sage Dual Boiler, Niche Zero, Ode v2 (SSP), 1zpresso ZP6 Work: Eagle One Prima EXP, mahlkonig e80s, Mazzer Philos and lots more

                                          InfamousTuba I do find these multi roaster subscriptions can sometimes be an excuse for roasters to offload coffee that isn’t selling well, it is not always the case and you can get great exclusive lots for a great price but I have seen some coffees appear that have been for sale for a few months already

                                          This is very true….and logical.

                                          Companies who aggregate deals from different roasters on a monthly basis can be directly compared to those companies who send you a box of wine for a supposedly cheap price and then you get a wine selection each month, or in the old days, book clubs, music clubs etc.. etc..

                                          Coffee is a commodity, it has a traded standardised price (unless direct from farm, which has it’s own issues). So a roaster needs to add on an amount of margin to make it worth their while. They can’t easily reduce that margin and are generally unwilling to do so. Remembering that speciality high quality roasters who are good, generally are not into bulk roasting and can sell everything they roast without problems. It’s like getting a good builder, you normally have to wait, they will not be available immediately!

                                          There are some situations where roasters will discount and sell to the coffee amalgamators (who need to make margin on the beans as well):

                                          • They have some old coffee that needs finishing
                                          • Business is very slow and they need to shift stuff (there may be lots of reasons)
                                          • They are not that good
                                          • They are a bulk roaster, simply churning out omni roasts.
                                          • They are new roasters/startups who see it as free advertising
                                          • The coffee is only available as a special by this route, so they are making normal margin and you are paying more than it’s worth after the aggregators margin is added on. The old RRP false discount thing.
                                          • You are getting a great deal, on excellent quality expensive coffee and a top quality roast. The roaster is taking massive hit and even with the aggregators margin added on, it’s a bargain.

                                          How realistic does the last one sound?

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