i'm sick and in bed, not even bored, because i'm so troubled with espresso thoughts. existensialism. i wish i had my flower panties to make me feel better...why are we blending for espresso ? this was the focal point in a presentation i did for one of the whole sale accounts this week. before i got sick. i tried to do some internet research, but nothing. i mean, there's a lot about espresso that's sort of "entry level" knowledge, but i really wanted to see some cupping notes where comparative tastings were done meticulously. some kind of methodology for explaining espresso flavor according to aromas, mouthfeel and balance (acidity / sweetness).
espresso is not a coffee, a blend or a roast. espresso is one interpretation of coffee brewing - and one common interpretation of what coffee should be used is to blend different components to make a fuller palate.
it was interesting to plan cuppings in order to make baristas able to decide what kind of style they preferred for espresso by experiencing how flavors changes with different brewing methods. typically, one of kaffa's blends is a pulped natural from brazil, a semi-washed indonesian coffee, a washed kenya and a natural from ethiopia. which clearly is one of the most successful versions of caffe tenore ever presented, like a berry basket. but then again, somewhat weird with milk. for caffe tenore i recommend a decent espresso con panna, nothing less.
i think it is interesting how roasteries view their blends. typically in oslo these days, "state-of-the-art" coffee shops would have at least two grinders with one so option. it was strange browsing through all those web pages, but no one really explained why they were blending in the first place. how amazing it is that blends would change according to what coffees that are available - since more and more roasteries are open about the components of their blends. and last, but not least, the roasting of blends. how are they roasted and why ? what in particular does a darker roast take out compared to a lighter roast ? i swear, i've had customers that i've known for ten years asking me about coffee from france, when they really wanted to ask about french roast (which is not how we talk about roasting, but it's a big thing in oslo). the biggest chain in oslo's special blend is a 3/4 italian and 1/4 french roast. that's all.
all in all, there's a lot of fuzz about how amazing the components are, but not so much focus on how they change when espresso brewed vs filter brewed or cupped. give it to me.
Nyere innlegg Eldre innlegg Startsiden
I'm not sure if this is on topic, but: I would like some more information/justification on why one should make blends at all... I get the point about creating a richer palate, but this tends to conflict with my view of things -
I've been working with the tenore/forte/crescendo as well as a wide range of KAFFA-coffees for some time now, and I've never really been able to explain why, but I never really liked the blends as much as the single estates. When I come across a coffee that is new to me, I typically like to test it by cupping, by filter brewing, aeropress and espresso. (plain as well as milk-based, of course) Some of the joy in all of this I think, is the variety of taste-profiles between the coffees of different origin, as well as the large differences between the brewing-methods. Some coffees are better suited for this brewing method than that, et cetera. (in my opinion)- A perfect palate becomes kind of unimportant to me, when one can optimalize the experience of each different coffee by experimenting to find the best suited amount, grind and brewing method. I hope you get my drift.
The problem with the blends then (and misunderstand me correctly, the blends ARE delicious - I'm just not sure they are necessary) is a form of uncleanliness. And I don't mean the type of cleanliness as in "clean cup" in the cupping-form, but more of a... loss of distinctness, a loss of regionality. The blends tend to stick to my tounge as a smear of many things... thereby becoming a bit less interesting.
This is a messy and unorganized comment, I know - but if I were to summarize:
Why mix different sorts of coffee together? Imagine if we did the same with wine (although the wine-model does not apply to coffee in my opinion, but still.
Thanks in advance.
-s
Strangebelieve sa...
5. februar 2009 kl. 16:49
i also wrote something not personal, but more of a KAFFA summary on kaffa.no under "smakerom" - here i only give my personal opinions and they can not be taken for KAFFAs general opinions or views.
i agree that any coffee is interesting brewed any way - however, the espresso brewing method is special because more fat and oils get washed off the coffee and is in the cup when you drink it - so the viscosity to begin with is very different in espresso than any other brewing method. further, the balance between sweetness and acidity is clearly different in espresso.
all in all, my personal opinion is the same as yours. you don't have to blend. but when you use blends, it's interesting to know what each coffee is doing for the blend to be able to choose what blend you want to use. then, you need to be aware of how the coffees developes brewed as espresso.
and hey, you DO blend in wines. a lot.
mie sa...
7. februar 2009 kl. 18:11