Just went by a local coffee shop (in Vienna, VA) that does its own roasting on a tip from another poster at CoffeeGeek. I tried their No. 7 blend ($13.00/lbs) making it a much better deal than shipping from my old favorites back in Chicago. Ground enough for a double, not really sure what to expect -- but I was enthralled by the results.
Since purchasing my Breville DB, I have been looking for a shot that seemed commensurate with my cost of investment. I had gotten many, MANY lackluster shots, a few so-so's that still didn't justify the machine... and then THIS. The two streams trickled gently down the spouts giving rise to mounds of copper-colored crema. The consistency of the shot overall was much more viscous than what I had been getting and a darker opacity overall. I have been enjoying such shots consistently since I bought this roast, and I am so thankful I'm starting to make something that lives up my machine's capabilities. Still miles to go for this beginner, but I am not as frustrated with the quality of my shots anymore. 19 g's in 25 seconds. 9 barr extraction at 200 degrees.
What I tasted:
A roundhouse kick of dark chocolate and sour cherries (see the great stuff from Michigan -- the sour adj. is not meant to be pejorative) to start. That rides long before giving way to a sweeter, almost brown sugar finish. This was just an amazing blend and I'm excited to go back for more. They apparently have another espresso blend that's much lighter (good for milk drinks?) that I had in the shop. I found the No. 7 to be the better of the two but I haven't tried the other blend on my own machine, so it is not much of a comparison.
They apparently have another espresso blend that's much lighter (good for milk drinks?) that I had in the shop. I found the No. 7 to be the better of the two but I haven't tried the other blend on my own machine, so it is not much of a comparison.
Alexander, Nice description of the #7. BTW, usually a lighter blend is pulled as straight shots, or macchiato (not the Starbucks kind, the 1oz steam milk + double shot kind) and the darker blends are used for the cappas and latte drinks. As far as I'm concerned, unless another moderator suggests otherwise, I see no reason why you can't post a link to this roaster so others here can enjoy this coffee.
As far as I'm concerned, unless another moderator suggests otherwise, I see no reason why you can't post a link to this roaster so others here can enjoy this coffee.
I'm curious what you were using that was lakcluster and where you got it from? In other words was it old and the biggest difference is this is fresh. Just curious.
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