Inconsistencies

dfk41

One of my pet hates when drinking espresso based americanos using a blend, was inconsistency of taste. One shot to the next and made exactly the same way could and did produce great taste variation. I used to blame the blend. Just say it was a 60%, 20%, 20% mix. How could you guaranteed that % in every shot? Would a 50, 30, 20 pull the same as 60, 30, 10?

So, I am slightly surprised by switching over to a highly customisable machine like the Fellow Aiden where if you believe the process, then the next shot is pulled in exactly the same way as the previous that I still get taste variation. Same bean, same dose, same grind setting…..nothing alters.

So what can explain this? The only thing I can think of is down to variances in the roasting process. I know most of the roasters roast by profiles automatically that they have developed. What if the greens they are buying have differences though that cannot be controlled. Presumably a coffee cherry that has spent 3 days longer (or shorter) on the branch then been picked, then laid out in the sun to dry. Is the heat the same. Can the time spent in the sun vary? We all know (well those who bake) that the more time spent in the oven has an effect.

So the roaster gets a bag of coffee X and spends a long time trying to find the optimum profile. He orders another bag some time later and just assumes it has been treated exactly the same way so does not bother tweaking the recipe. He also just uses the same tasting notes even though they might not be right.

I have just bought some coffee that will be rested a month that promises oodles of pineapple. There is no middle ground on this. I knw what pineapple tastes like so I am looking forward to trying it!

MWJB

dfk41 So, I am slightly surprised by switching over to a highly customisable machine like the Fellow Aiden where if you believe the process, then the next shot is pulled in exactly the same way as the previous that I still get taste variation. Same bean, same dose, same grind setting…..nothing alters.

Separate to variation between roast batches and the moving target of bean aging….

Even if everything is visibly & measurably the same (with the tools we have to hand) there is still variation because we are making tiny batches of drink. No one brews beer by the pint, or wine/whisky by the bottle, or produces baked beans by the tin.

That said, the variation in overall enjoyment shouldn’t be huge, E.g. I score all my brews out of 9. I don’t expect every brew from a really good coffee to all be 9’s, largely 8’s with the odd 9.

A coffee that scores an average of 7 might hit the odd 6, or 8, but something would have to be very off (or a first brew with a previously unknown grinder/setting) to be a 4 or 5.

Lots of foods I buy vary from purchase to purchase: Yogurt, hummous, pickled salads, cuts of meat/fish. As with coffee, these aren’t ‘go/no go’ differences.