Sweet Maria's Small Batch, Craft-Roasted Coffee Selections
A new direction for our roasted coffee offerings! In the time we have offered roasted coffee, our weekly selection became quite popular. The only problem was that it became too popular! Our primary focus is to offer green coffee and home roasters. With our subscription service in particular, we were becoming a regular roasted coffee source. We love roasting, but we want to do this in our own way, for each roast session to highlight unique differences in our greater green coffee offerings.
We are now offering "coffee pairings": one pound each of two coffees chosen to highlight differences in origin, processing, or roast; to provide our customers the ability to study the flavor profiles of two coffees. This sort of comparison is what we do all the time. Tom does this formally
when he cups a number of different coffee lots at the cupping table. In the warehouse we make a different coffee each time we brew a pot. Such a practice helps us focus on the flavor of the cup, to appreciate each coffee's uniqueness.
We are roasting less frequently now, roughly every two weeks, and picking two "regular"coffees each time. No decaf. No espresso blends. (We might offer single origin darker roasts for dual use as brewed coffee and espresso in the future). But in general, it's regular coffee to brew up however you choose. You may want to brew them and taste them side by side, or alternate making one coffee and then the next. Taste the coffees hot, warm and cold. Taste them the same time everyday or different times, and try to notice if they seem the same. (I tend to taste coffee better in the morning, when I am less distracted).
If
you roast your own, you might want to cup your roasts versus those done
on the gas-fired German 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. It serves as an archive for previous roast sessions, so you can go back to review our comments, versus your findings.
Next Roast Date?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Pairing?
Same Coffee: Two Roasts
Why?
With this pairing, we are roasting the same coffee, Burundi Kayanza Bwayi No. 7, in two different ways to highlight the difference the roast can make. This coffee can take a range of roasts, and you will experience very different things in the cup from one treatment to the next. In this experiment - the degree of roast is the same, we will roast to the same finish temperature, but take two very different paths to get there, and different roast times.
This coffee pairing is $30, and includes one pound each of the two coffees listed above (2 Lbs. total) and the price of Priority Mail shipping is included as well! (Please be sure that the USPS can deliver to the address you give us.)
$30.00 Order by 5 pm on Tuesday (the roasting date) to have
the coffee roasted and shipped Wednesday (the next morning!) Prices include 2#s of coffee and shipping. Choose "Free Shipping $0.00" when you check out.
If you want other items, PLEASE place a separate order for just the roasted coffee.
If you can pick the order up at our warehouse - we do now offer the roasted coffee pairings at a discounted rate $24.00
Our Menu of Upcoming Roast Sessions:
July 22, 2009: Costa Rica: Pulped Natural vs. Washed
August 5, 2009: Kenya vs. Kenya
August 19, 2009: DIY Mohka Java
September 2, 2009: Confluence of the Preferred
Burundi Kayanza Bwayi No. 7
Burundi coffees were typically sold in large lots, using the fanciful trade term Ngoma mild to describe their arabica coffee. (An Ngoma is a traditional drum). The coffee areas are divided in a Sogestal, an acronym too long to write out here, with each Sogestal managing about 30 washing stations (wet mill processing centers for coffee cherry). Typically, they mixed the lots from all the washing stations and sold it in bulk. But here we offer a lot from one washing station, Bwayi, and one Micro Lot from Bwayi, Number 7. The dry fragrance has a pleasant mix of vanilla and hints of caramelized sugar, traces of lemon and sweet floral elements. It's subdued, but attractive. The wet aroma is all about sweet lemon blossom, and golden honey (a refined honey sweetness). The cup is restrained, not outlandish. Balanced body, brightness, and sweet/bittersweet flavors are the main attraction here ... and in that way it has very "Bourbon" character, true to the varietal. This is by far the best Burundi we have had (not saying much, since so few quality Burundi coffees have been available). There is a sweet citrus flavor, Meyer lemon, not tart, very delicate and sweet. Speaking of sweet, it has a refined sugar sweetness, exceptionally clean and articulate. Subtle cinnamon spice accents the cup. The body is exceptionally creamy, particularly with a full 2 day rest after roasting. The cup is by far at its peak in the lighter roast range. I recommend City to City+ with a good 2 day rest.
Burundi coffees were typically sold in large lots, using the fanciful trade term Ngoma mild to describe their arabica coffee. (An Ngoma is a traditional drum). The coffee areas are divided in a Sogestal, an acronym too long to write out here, with each Sogestal managing about 30 washing stations (wet mill processing centers for coffee cherry). Typically, they mixed the lots from all the washing stations and sold it in bulk. But here we offer a lot from one washing station, Bwayi, and one Micro Lot from Bwayi, Number 7. The dry fragrance has a pleasant mix of vanilla and hints of caramelized sugar, traces of lemon and sweet floral elements. It's subdued, but attractive. The wet aroma is all about sweet lemon blossom, and golden honey (a refined honey sweetness). The cup is restrained, not outlandish. Balanced body, brightness, and sweet/bittersweet flavors are the main attraction here ... and in that way it has very "Bourbon" character, true to the varietal. This is by far the best Burundi we have had (not saying much, since so few quality Burundi coffees have been available). There is a sweet citrus flavor, Meyer lemon, not tart, very delicate and sweet. Speaking of sweet, it has a refined sugar sweetness, exceptionally clean and articulate. Subtle cinnamon spice accents the cup. The body is exceptionally creamy, particularly with a full 2 day rest after roasting. The cup is by far at its peak in the lighter roast range. I recommend City to City+ with a good 2 day rest.
A new direction for our roasted coffee offerings! In the time we have offered roasted coffee, our weekly selection became quite popular. The only problem was that it became too popular! Our primary focus is to offer green coffee and home roasters. With our subscription service in particular, we were becoming a regular roasted coffee source. We love roasting, but we want to do this in our own way, for each roast session to highlight unique differences in our greater green coffee offerings.
