While I used to dismiss the americano as a watered down drink, I’ve grown to appreciate it much more after talking to fellow coffeegeek KS. It is much easier to discern the taste profile of the coffee if one is not used to the intenseness of an espresso. Of course, this intense taste profile comes only with freshness of the bean and quality of the barista and the machine preparing… Continue reading
After reading James Hoffmann’s 1st video blog (well done, James!), I was prompted to do an espresso tasting session at 1 am, and I’ve done enough to give myself a caffeine high at this point. His last words were a shocker. I won’t give any spoilers. You have to watch the video.
The message is that he was also prompted to do… Continue reading
I apologize for the multiple posts of Brazil Moreninha Formosa, but I just can’t seem to get enough of it. This roast was done at a lower average temperature and for a shorter period.
From Eric’s Thermometer, the pour was started at 200 degrees and ended at 203 degrees. The temperatures are a bit on the hot side as the pour had a slight… Continue reading
The 45 second ristretto makes a comeback with 3rd day Brazil Moreninha Formosa. I’m in seventh heaven. This is my GODSHOT! I can’t remember a finer shot than my previous one a long time ago with eCafe Sidamo. Pronounced DARK Chocolate notes, caramel creamy goodness, long aftertaste I wish could last forever.
While many would balk “45 seconds? Ristretto (restricted espresso)? That’s almost twice 25 seconds – the standard… Continue reading
I’ve had enough of the i-Roast 2 presets. I programmed into PROG 3 the following:
Temp/Time Period
380F/3:00 12:00 – 9:00
450F/4:00 9:00 – 5:00
480F/4:00 5:00 – 1:00
400F/1:00 1:00 – 0:00
I roasted 90 grams of Colombian Cup of Excellence El Descanso and 60 grams of Brazil Moreninha Formosa. 1st crack was at -6:00 and 2nd crack was at -1:30. I was extremely pleased with the… Continue reading
Here are some photos of my routine a friend took while having coffee at my place.
Photos by Jay Sim with a Nikon D-80.
What is an acceptable rate of flow from a bottomless portafilter? 
Brazil Moreninha Formosa Day 5
For me, I try to keep it to a mouse tail. While I know this is applicable
to those stock portafilters with their bottoms intact, I’m not sure
about the bottomless. Something to look in the forums for. My ideal for
a… Continue reading
Another long hiatus for me since the last post. I haven’t been roasting nor pulling either. I did a good roast half an hour before midnight on Feb 23rd. Ethiopian Sidamo roasted to Viennese in 5:28 minutes as recorded on my iPhone. Did a pull this morning as I couldn’t wait any longer. BRING BACK THE 45 SECOND RISTRETTO! I tried to take pictures, but my iPhone resetted itself after… Continue reading
I’ve had a long hiatus since my last post, what with handling a chaotic comic book shop, and trying to move the whole shenanigan to a new place (more on this later), I haven’t even the time to do a roast. But I managed to find some time, what with my poor time management skills, to allocate for Roast Day Sunday last. Today is Day 3 of SM Italian Espresso… Continue reading
I pulled a 45 sec double ristretto of ecafe Shilcho Sidamo just now. It tastes so creamy I’m going for my third today. Together with the crema, it hits just under the 1 oz mark. Heavily speckled with dark chocolate bits, it had a very creamy mouthfeel. I can definitely get used to these ristretto shots. My first shot of the day was Kenya Gethumbwini, which I roasted 2 days… Continue reading
