Small Batch Craft-Roasted Coffee from Sweet Maria's!

Roastmaster's Choice
Sweet Maria's Small Batch, Craft-Roasted Coffees-of-the-Week

Each week we offer a very limited choice of freshly roasted coffee. Tom and Josh roast samples late in the week and discuss the approch to each coffee, then Monday evening we fire up the Probat and start roasting.

This very simple menu of 3 unique coffees are all roasted the day before we ship the order. To guarantee freshness, we hold orders with roasted coffee to ship on the roast date. All coffees are chosen from our carefully-screened list of green coffees; all have been through many rounds of comparative cupping to make it to our offering sheet.

Yes, the choices are few. But the price is very fair and the quality of the coffee and roast is exceptional. No, we are not trying to be a big-time roasted coffee seller, and you will never see our offerings expand beyond these limited choices. But if you roast your own, you might want to cup your roasts versus those done on the German gas-fired Probat roaster, and compare the "degree of roast" we have chosen for the specific coffees to your own. If you don't roast at home, well ... here's the next best thing! We have a new Sweet Maria's Roasted Coffee Weblog where we discuss the why and how of each week's selection ... and you can make comments too!

* Order by 5 pm on Monday (the roasting date) to have the coffee roasted and shipped Tuesday (the next morning!) If you are just getting roasted coffee, consider Priority Mail for shipping. Also check out the Roaster's Log below for comments about specific batches. New - Roasted Coffee Subscription Service - details below.

Roastmaster's Choice, Brewed Coffee	Roastmaster's Choice, Espresso	Roastmaster's Choice, Decaf
Next Roast Date: Monday, May 12th Coffee: El Salvador Matalapa Estate	Next Roast Date: Monday, May 12th Coffee: Sweet Maria's Puro Scuro Blend	Next Roast Date: Monday, May 12th Coffee: Nicaragua Dipilto WP Decaf
One pound of our special coffee of the week for brewed coffee methods (drip, French press, vacuum brewing, etc), roasted the same day the order is shipped. This is roasted by Tom to the exact "peak of flavor" for the specific coffee on our German Probat drum roaster. For our special brewed coffee this will be between a City and Full City roast. The coffee comes in our Gold Foil valve bag, whole bean.	One pound of our special coffee of the week for espresso extraction in a pump or pull espresso machine (or for stovetop espresso-mokapot), roasted the same day the order is shipped. This is roasted to a Northern Italian roast standard, which corresponds to a Vienna roast (medium dark). It is roasted by Tom on the German Probat drum roaster. The coffee comes in our Gold Foil valve bag, whole bean.	One pound of our special decaf coffee of the week for brewed coffee methods (drip, French press, vacuum brewing, etc), roasted the same day the order is shipped. This is roasted by Tom to the exact "peak of flavor" for the specific coffee on our German Probat drum roaster. For our special brewed coffee this will be between City and Full City (medium) roast. The coffee comes in our Gold Foil valve bag, whole bean.
$10.00 (+ 1 Lb shipping)	$10.00 (+ 1 Lb shipping)	$10.00 (+ 1 Lb shipping)

Roasted Coffee Subscription
Bi-weekly (every two weeks) or Monthly (every four weeks)

We have had a lot of requests for this, so we have added a roasted coffee subscription; participants can get our roasted coffee shipped automatically every two weeks or every four weeks.

For $155(no tax, even within California) you receive 2 pounds of coffee every two weeks for 3 months if you select the Bi-Monthly Option - or 2 pounds of coffee every four weeks for 6 months if you select the Monthly option. We added this latter option for folks who do not drink as much as one pound a week. Priority Mail shipping to US addresses is included. (For this reason - no subscriptions to international addresses - the postage and time in transit is too much.) You can select regular, decaf or espresso for one or both of the pounds. The selection will vary based on what Tom is roasting, so it is a great way to try different coffees from our stocks. If you like the same coffee day in and day out - this is not for you. But if you like variety and want to sample lots of coffees from around the world but are not interested in home roasting - this might be a good option.

Coffee is roasted Monday night and shipped out on Tuesday each week. If there are any problems or requests (going on vacation, change the type of coffee received, cancellation, etc.) email us and we can refund you or make changes. This also makes a great hassle-free gift! We base our price on a discounted price of $12.90/Lb. for the coffee including shipping, so it works out to be a good price for a lot of truly top-notch coffee. Subscription orders will ship separately; they cannot be combined with an order for other merchandise (since shipping is included).

Click "Add to Basket" Button to purchase the subscription:
Note: Shipping is included in the subscription price, so during checkout, select "Customer Pickup ($0.00)" as your shipping option. We will know to change it to USPS.

El Salvador Matalapa Estate
Country:	El Salvador	Grade:	SHB/EP	Region:	Matalapa, La Libertad	Mark:	100% Bourbon Matalapa Estate SHG/EP
Processing:	Wet-process	Crop:	March 2008 Arrival	Appearance:	.2 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	100% Bourbon
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.6	Notes: Here's the scoop on Bourbon coffees (pronounced Burr-Bone). Bourbon coffee is a classic cultivar, named for the island of Bourbon (now called Reunion) where it was originally cultivated. When we call it classic, we mean not just the fact that it is a lower-yeild, heirloom plant, and that it has a very dense seed that roasts well, but also the cup character. Bourbon coffees, especially those from El Salvador, are neotypical Central American coffees. They are bright, aromatic, balanced, semisweet or bittersweet, chocolate and have a creamy mouthfeel. In a competition like Cup of Excellence, these characteristics might seem mundane next to the exotic flavors of the Pacamara cultivar, but Bourbon should be appreciate for more than it's sturdiness, versatility (they make great espresso blend components), and the way they take a wide range of roasts. Each has unique accent notes too. I was surprised to come back from a week of cupping in Guatemala and find that the Matalapa Estate had arrived on the 1st of March. It's earlier than other farms in El Salvador, and perhaps it is because of the micro-climate in the area and the 1200 meter elevation of Matalapa. It's a 4th generation coffee estate owned by Vickie Ann Dalton de Diaz. It totals 120 hectrares and was founded in the late 1800's by Fidelia Lima, great grandmother of the Vickie. She maintains 14 acres of virgin tropical forest and keeps her coffee plants shaded with over forty varieties of larger trees. The cup has the character I aspire to find in El Salvador Bourbon coffees, great balance and sweet accent notes. The dry fragrance has sweet nuts, almost like praline and some soft floral notes. The cup is very approachable, and you can seek out some sweet, mild citrus in the wet aroma, with malt sweetness (C+ roast). The cup has a buttery body, laced with floral and citrus accents. As it cools my lighter roasts (City+) became more and more bright and dynamic. I preferred this roast level, the finish is flawless, high-toned and sweet. But this coffee works with a huge range of roasts and FC+ or darker produce a great bittersweet, full-bodied cup (ideal as part of an espresso blend or as French Press type coffee).
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.6
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.7
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.7
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		4
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.6
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium intensity / Balanced, dense mouthfeel
add 50		50	Roast: City+ to FC+ to Vienna - see notes above
Score (Max. 100)		87.2	Compare to: Classic Bourbon coffee with orange and cinnamon highlights.

Sweet Maria's Puro Scuro Blend (Italian; Pure Dark)
Country:	All Indonesians and Africans	Grade:	Tops …	Region: Mark:	… Asst
Processing:	Wet-, Semi- and Dry-Processed	Crop:	new /current crop(s)	Appearance: Varietal:	.4 d/300gr, 16-19 Screen Asst
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.6	Notes: We have been working on this blend for a very long time. It started with a lucky accident about a year ago. I was working with some premium Sumatras and a combination of Yemen and Ethiopian coffees toward a Mohka-Java blend. But I didn't want it to be all bass note, all deep end. It is the problem with some blends intended for darker roast levels - there is a big "hole" in the cup profile, and that hole is located in the medium/bright range of the cup. I stumbled across a combination of coffees (no, I am keeping this one a secret!) that could do all this, and offer some nice aromatics to a darker roasted blend. Another key factor: I also wanted a blend that had a darkly sweet finish, not ashy, not carbony. With this blend I wanted to prove that I am not anti-darkroast. The problem is, too many dark roasts are simply burned. Roast this as intended and I think you will find the cup decription and the name to be fitting! Oh, the name? I wanted to call it Barnabas Blend (from my favorite '60s TV show Dark Shadows) but Puro Scuro has a better ring to it, and says a lot about the cup: Pure Dark, in Italian. So the sole remnant of the Dark Shadows theme is our motif for the coffee, a bat. Overall, this blend boasts exceptional depth - yes it is one deep cup ... what we call "good coffee to brood by." The blend leaves a lingering, graceful finish on the pallate. The target roast range is from Full City+ with a few snaps of 2nd crack, to a Light French roast. In between those two, is a Vienna roast where this blend excels. My favorite is a roast stopped about 20-30 seconds after the first sound of 2nd crack. (Don't think that roasting it to darker French stage makes it more intense; it is most intense at a Full City+, but don't go lighter becase it has odd baked flavors at the City+ stage). There is some variability in the cup results based on how long it is rested, how it is brewed and (mostly) because this blend involves a healthy proportion of dry-processed coffees. If you want every batch to be exactly the same, don't buy this coffee. If you like to taste a range of flavors, and enjoy complex shifts in character, then you will enjoy the Puro Scuro. The cup has intense sage and anise herbiness, with lingering dried apricot notes. Alternately, I get intense spiciness in the cup; clove with jasmine hints, over a darker tobaccoy flavor. There is a sweet mollasses note in the aromatics that reemerges in the finish. I think it makes excellent espresso too; a rare but accurately-named "dual-use blend."
Wet Aroma (1-5)		4.2
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.4
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		9.3
Body - Movement (1-5)		4
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.7
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium to Bold intensity / Darkly sweet
add 50		50	Roast: Full City+ to Light French, with Vienna being ideal. That will be about 10-30 seconds after the first sign of 2nd crack, depending on the roaster. Here's what that looks like. The ideal final roast temperature is in the 450-465 farenhiet range. Now some of the "darkly sweet, non-ashy" cup results depends on the person doing the roasting: you can't burn this to a crisp and expect it to be sweet because it will simply taste like charcoal-soaked hot water. Here's what that looks like. But if you keep the roast within the target "window" between Full City+ and Light French, I think you'll find the cupping description to be quite accurate. Rest it a day and enjoy. Brewed coffee tip: best in a French Press! Espresso tip: allow 2 days rest.
Score (Max. 100)		88.2	Compare to: Overall, a deep flavor profile found in Indonesians, with the complexity of Yemen and Harar, and a sweet aromatic brighter note punctuating the cup.

Nicaragua Dipilto WP Decaf
Country:	Nicaragua	Grade:	SHG	Region:	Dipilto	Mark:	Proodecoop. Dipilto
Processing:	Wet Process, then WP Decaf	Crop:	Nov 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 17 screen	Varietal:	Typica, Caturra
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.4	Notes: This lot of coffee is from the Dipilto region in Nueva Segovia, northern Nicaragua. Dipilto is the region where some of the best, brightest and sweetest Nicaraguas have been coming from, and many top 10 Cup of Excellence lots are Dipilto-region coffees. This was a lot sourced from Proodecoop cooperative in Esteli, then decaffeinated using the water process method, and since I cupped it as non-decaf I know this originated with a good, verified specialty coffee here. Then it is sent off to the decaffeinator in Mexico for the water filtration decaf method. (See links in the header to explain the differences and similarities in processes). You can send great coffee for decaffeination, and it comes back terrible, and the reverse rarely happens (to my knowledge). What you hope for is a coffee with 80% of the original character ... and we have definitely acheived it here. This cups like a good, solid specialty coffee from Nicaragua with light body and clearly defined brightness. The fragrance and aroma are nutty at C+ roast level, with fruit hints, and lightly malted notes. I get a wisp of a pleasant woody note in the cup flavors, and the finish has a kinda oaky quality. It finishes with a sweetness typical of Dipilto coffees, and the light body compliments the overall mildness of this lot.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.4
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.5
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		2.8
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.4
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Sweetness, brightness
add 50		50	Roast: City+ has the best cup here.
Score (Max. 100)		85.0	Compare to: Good Nicaragua Dipilto character for a decaf, with nice body.

		Search:
Green Coffee Beans 70+ Selections	Hearthware I-Roast 2	Fresh Roast Home Coffee Roaster	Gene Caffe Drum Roaster
Behmor 1600 1 Lb. Roaster	HotTop Drum Roaster	Stovetop Popper Roasting	Espresso Equipment & Accessories
Nesco Home Coffee Roaster	Technivorm Electric Brewers	Chemex Coffee Brewers	Coffee Bags: for green and roasted
Zassenhaus Hand-Crank Mills	Nissan & Zojirushi Travel Cups/ Bottles	Vacuum Brewers: Cona, Bodum, Yama	Coffee Cleaning Supplies-Urnex
Espresso Machines: Rancilio Silvia Andreja Premium , Gaggia,	Coffee Books & Posters, Miscellany and our T-Shirts	Electric Coffee Mills: Mazzer Mini, Solis Maestro, Rancilio Rocky, Bodum	Manual Drip Brewing, SwissGold Filters
Our Weekly Roasted Coffee	French Press Coffee Brewing	Ibrik: Turkish Coffee Brewing	Mokapot: Stovetop Espresso
Sweet Maria's Coffee Library (Tip Sheets, FAQs)		Sweet Maria's Coffee Cupping Reviews
Sweet Maria's Shopping Cart System		Search our Site