I imagine most people here have had a lot more beans than me this year, given I bought in 1kg batches, but I thought it might be interesting to see what people have drunk. Jan - Pumphreys (Don't know, Christmas present) Feb - Extract Cast Iron - Guatemala, Caturra/ Catuai/ Bourbon - Washed * I didn't get the best out this at all. Will re-visit once I have a proper machine Mar - BlackCatCoffee - Ethiopia, Koke - Natural * Very Nice! Apr - Roastery Hope Coffee - Brazil, Fazenda Boqueirao - Natural Pulped * Really interesting, very fruity, lovely acidity May - Rave - Rwanda Kilimbi - Honey * Sweet and fruity, fuller than Apr Jun/ Jul - Compass - Cherry Cherry 500g and Bourbon 500g * Didn't get the best out of these, need to go back when I have a proper machine Aug - Django - China, Banka - Natural * Delicious, really interesting Sept - Django - Guatemala - El Durazno - White Honey * Another great coffee, sweeter Oct - Smith Street - Brazil, DBARBOSA - Natural Fermented * Lovely and fruity, smooth Nov - Foundry - Rocko Mountain - Natural * A simple, really decent pleasing coffee. Don't think I got a great deal of acidity and didn't seem overly 'complex' - but very fruity. Dec - Coffee by the Casuals - Mikari AA - Kenya - Washed / Bombe - Ethiopia - Dry Fermentation * TBC - Due to illness I've not been drinking as much. Will get opened next week, which one I start with TBC. Next year I am going to go for more 500g batches and a wider range of roasters. I want to try more different processes too, so if there is anything I should look out for let me know. I am not spending a huge amount on beans, probably £20 max for 500g.

@"PortafilterProcrastinator"#p2700 I’ve certainly been guilty of that. Stepping back a bit is really nice advice 👌

A Year In Beans

PortafilterProcrastinator

I imagine most people here have had a lot more beans than me this year, given I bought in 1kg batches, but I thought it might be interesting to see what people have drunk.

Jan - Pumphreys (Don’t know, Christmas present)

Feb - Extract Cast Iron - Guatemala, Caturra/ Catuai/ Bourbon - Washed

I didn’t get the best out this at all. Will re-visit once I have a proper machine

Mar - BlackCatCoffee - Ethiopia, Koke - Natural

Very Nice!

Apr - Roastery Hope Coffee - Brazil, Fazenda Boqueirao - Natural Pulped

Really interesting, very fruity, lovely acidity

May - Rave - Rwanda Kilimbi - Honey

Sweet and fruity, fuller than Apr

Jun/ Jul - Compass - Cherry Cherry 500g and Bourbon 500g

Didn’t get the best out of these, need to go back when I have a proper machine

Aug - Django - China, Banka - Natural

Delicious, really interesting

Sept - Django - Guatemala - El Durazno - White Honey

Another great coffee, sweeter

Oct - Smith Street - Brazil, DBARBOSA - Natural Fermented

Lovely and fruity, smooth

Nov - Foundry - Rocko Mountain - Natural

A simple, really decent pleasing coffee. Don’t think I got a great deal of acidity and didn’t seem overly ‘complex’ - but very fruity.

Dec - Coffee by the Casuals - Mikari AA - Kenya - Washed / Bombe - Ethiopia - Dry Fermentation

TBC - Due to illness I’ve not been drinking as much. Will get opened next week, which one I start with TBC.

Next year I am going to go for more 500g batches and a wider range of roasters.

I want to try more different processes too, so if there is anything I should look out for let me know. I am not spending a huge amount on beans, probably £20 max for 500g.

Dumnorix

Great summary! Have a look at Colonna-quite pricey but I have a subscription (250g bag every 3 weeks in their Discovery range) and I have never had a bad bag.

Hotmetal

I haven’t kept notes like I used to, I had a spreadsheet for a while with bean, roaster, grind settings, ratio and taste. Since pandemic all I seem to do is work so it’s gone out of the window. Of those you mention, Black Cat’s Koke was excellent, and Foundry Rocko (though nothing like the boozy strawberry milkshake it was a few years back). Also enjoyed Bosques de San Francisco (natural process) from Rave.

I’ve got into Django recently, their Kilo prices are excellent and I have enjoyed everything I’ve had thus far.

Beverast

Hotmetal Yeah, I got 4 250g bags from Django recently and have enjoyed all of them as well - particularly the Ugandan brewed in the Aeropress. Struggled a bit with the Foundry Rocko - enjoyed it in the Aeropress using the Svart grinder but for espresso I found the beans way too “hard” - even hand grinding 18grams of beans proved difficult…maybe an issue with the batch?

Also been impressed with Cartwheel Coffee’s Carlos Estevez (Honduran). Got 1kg of the beans on a whim and enjoyed with the Aeropress and shots of espresso. Bella Barista’s Brazil Camocim Espírito Santo Organic surprised me this morning - delivered a really tasty shot.

PortafilterProcrastinator

Hotmetal Beverast

Good to hear. Do either of you find you have a preferred processing method, or do you go based on flavour description?

I went to try a few more processes to see if I can tell the difference, but I’m not great at remembering or being able to describe what I’m reading all that well.

Beverast

PortafilterProcrastinator Personally I usually make a purchase based on the flavour description, or try a bean that is from a region I have never tried.

Hasbean did an interesting twin pack of Bolivian beans a few months ago - one was washed and one was natural. Tried them side by side and definitely preferred the natural based on taste alone. However, if I did a blind tasting I would never be able to tell you which one natural and which one was washed.

Hotmetal

PortafilterProcrastinator I will basically try anything, but I look firstly for natural, and am also up for trying these new kid on the block processes like carbonic maceration or anaerobic etc. These tend to give some pretty outlandish flavours, anywhere from ‘rumtopf’ (boozy funk) to pineapple cubes or banana. I enjoy the extra dimension to the coffee but its a bit of a departure and can be a bit ‘Marmite’, especially if you start from drinking med / dark washed Brazilian. For the record, I consider coffees that get their odd notes from the process ‘legitimate’ but I stop short of ‘flavoured’ even if it’s “anaerobic process with a load of banana skins or orange peel thrown in”, to me that’s too close to “flavouring”. An arbitrary distinction for sure, but you have to draw the line somewhere between classic washed coffee and some sort of novelty flavoured thing your aunt would buy you for Christmas!

. Not to invoke the Voldeforum’s name, but Zeak had a thread on there about experimental and funky beans which was a great thread. No point in participating in it now but it might be worth reading it and copying down some ideas. I was thinking we should start one here but I tend to buy by the kilo and am not switched on to discovering loads of new things, so it would be a bit hollow if I were to attempt to copy what Zeak started on that cfuked-up forum.

LMSC

I have had quite a few in the last one year

Blackcat - Sign blend, CP, Ethiopia Worka Wuri

Extract Coffee - Org espresso, Original Espresso, Rocket, Betty, Dr Strange Love, Funka 21, Brazil Sitio Pouso, Sugarcane Decaf

Clumpsy Goat - Peru and Ethiopia - I won’t I buy from them again as they hid the roast date with a roast number. They advised the beans were month old when dispatched; but, offered a replacement or a refund - we did not take either.

Compass - Java Jampit, Columbia Finca Sophia, Sumatra Mount Kercini, Ethiopia Rocko Mountain

Rave Decaf - Guatamela Bosques de San Francisco, Brazil Fazenda Campestre, Columbian Sugarcane Decaf and Villa Maria

Crankhouse - Izuba washed

Casuals - Kenya Mikari

ordered : Kenya Mikari, Bom Jesus and Terra Petra. Heard Terra Petra us also very good.

Edit :

The beans in Italics are good and nice -

The beans in bold are very good to excellent

The rest were ok

PortafilterProcrastinator

Hotmetal Agreed on the tasting notes. I’ve also found that can get in the way of enjoying a very nice coffee of you’re getting too focused on “well I can’t taste x/y/z so my method must be flawed” rather than using it as a guide.

I’ve only had one bean that tasted so different to the notes I emailed the roaster and they confirmed they’d sent me the wrong one.

The experimental bean thread was very interesting, need to keep an eye out when ordering and maybe start a new thread here.

Baldrick

PortafilterProcrastinator I’ve certainly been guilty of that. Stepping back a bit is really nice advice 👌

Hotmetal

I agree about getting too focused on tasting notes. Probably my palate is simply not discerning enough (weird thing to admit to on a coffee forum) but I have been through kilos of beans thinking “I can’t taste the chocolate orange” (or whatever) and if you are not careful you can miss the fact that most of what you drank was lovely anyway, even if it just tastes “of coffee”. I do aim for a bit of fruit and the boozy taste you get from natural or certain experimental processes, but I want some sweetness and balanced acidity, especially if I’m drinking neat shots, which I do if I really nail the grind. But 90% of the time I am adding steamed milk, so I am a bit more accepting of whatever it tastes like so long as its neither bitter nor sour. ‘A step back’ is a good way of putting it, just enjoy whatever it gives you, and if it’s not enjoyable, keep dialing.

I actually suspect my Mrs has better taste buds. She always spots when I change beans, and has an opinion. She’s not in any way educated or knowledgeable on the subject, other than what I’ve given her to drink and maybe commented on. Fortunately most of the time both of us are happy with what I make.

DavecUK

Hotmetal “I can’t taste the chocolate orange” (or whatever) and if you are not careful you can miss the fact that most of what you drank was lovely anyway, even if it just tastes “of coffee”. I do aim for a bit of fruit and the boozy taste you get from natural or certain experimental processes, but I want some sweetness and balanced acidity, especially if I’m drinking neat shots, which I do if I really nail the grind.

I think in the search for elusive flavours, this is often forgotten and people forget to just enjoy the coffee.