Posted Fri Jan 25, 2013, 11:10am Subject: Re: sweet maria blends?
Coffeenoobie Said:
I think it is still mellowing but I am sadly almost out of beans. Tell Lee I am 13 rows into my scarf. And your fire pit outside is a great spot to set up the roaster even in the rain being under shelter and all.
We tried the roaster sitting on the kitchen stove, using the stove vent hood/fan, and it worked just fine. Outside under the BBQ hood might be a great spot for the FZ-RR-700.
Jmanespresso Senior Member Joined: 18 Jan 2009 Posts: 2,108 Location: Westchester NY Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Alex Duetto II Grinder: Compak K10 - Vario Vac Pot: Yama-SY5/SY8/TCA5 Drip: V60, Beehouse, CCD Roaster: Hottop B
Posted Tue Jan 29, 2013, 5:02pm Subject: Re: sweet maria blends?
Sweet Marias has some great espresso blends, no doubt.
Espresso Monkey- For a while, when I roasted for espresso regularly, this was a staple. I almost always had some Monkey, either ready to go, or resting, or at least greens.
Moka Kadir- I really love this blend. If you like Yemen SO espresso, you'll like this. Heavy, rich, funky, delicious. Also, pulls some seriously beautiful bottomless shots, pure espressoporn production.
New Classic- Been a while since Ive had it, so it might have changed, but I remember this as being boring if the roast wasnt just right, but when nailed on the profile, exhibited a depth of chocolate caramel and dried fruit unlike any other home roasted blend I had made myself, or bought elsewhere. Tricky though, I definitely missed the mark plenty of times. Worth the effort, though.
Espresso Workshop -While the blend might not always sound like something you like, I must give credit to Tom. He is always spot on in describing the blend. IF it sounds like you'll like it, you probably will. On that note, don't be afraid to try some of his wacky ones, you might be really surprised. I just started roasting again for espresso, the last workshop blend I remember buying was Dextral Strike Slip, which was.. idk, one of the very early ones. Suffice to say, each blend always has its own way about it, and its a wonderful way to have lots of different coffees if you are getting a little bored with your rotation of online roasters. Right now, #24 sounds scrumptious.
Also, you may not have thought of this yet, but try using the Espresso Monkey as your base, and adding something to it. In the past, I enjoyed adding something like a DP Ethiopian. But while its so good on its own, adding some fruit to it, either winey ethiopians or clean centrals really shows its versatility as a blend on its own, as or as a base to tame something brighter.
Follow Your Bliss
Coffee makes your constantly overcome your prejudices and re-evaluate your own "received wisdoms" when it comes to judging cup flavors. -Tom Owen, SweetMarias
Posted Wed Jan 30, 2013, 5:53pm Subject: Re: sweet maria blends?
I've been roasting Monkey and Donkey for a few years now and like them both, until I tried Liquid Amber. Wow! I still like the others but Liquid Amber is my new standard. It is good on its own and makes the best milk drinks I've had. I have #23 too but haven't roasted it yet...
Posted Wed Jan 30, 2013, 6:00pm Subject: Re: sweet maria blends?
Jmanespresso Said:
Also, you may not have thought of this yet, but try using the Espresso Monkey as your base, and adding something to it. In the past, I enjoyed adding something like a DP Ethiopian. But while its so good on its own, adding some fruit to it, either winey ethiopians or clean centrals really shows its versatility as a blend on its own, as or as a base to tame something brighter.
CoffeeLoversMag Senior Member Joined: 10 Jan 2013 Posts: 50 Location: Seattle Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Feb 11, 2013, 5:00am Subject: Re: sweet maria blends?
The best coffee so far is the unblended coffee. The taste of unblended is intriguing because if someone drinks a coffee, it feels you’re the one making it..
Dunbar42 Senior Member Joined: 2 Sep 2007 Posts: 59 Location: SoCal Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Thu Feb 28, 2013, 3:38pm Subject: Re: sweet maria blends?
I just got some Liquid Amber and Espresso Monkey for the first time in about 18 months. The Monkey I got definitely tastes different than what I remember. I ordered a pound of Ethiopian DP Sarias Abaya and I'm almost positive they're using that in the Monkey Blend (it has a "unique" smell.) I had trouble with Liquid Amber in the past but have cleaned my espresso brewing technique. I'm getting good results when I pull a ristretto on my Gaggia Classic to use in my cappuccinos.
Posted Thu Feb 28, 2013, 4:49pm Subject: Re: sweet maria blends?
I find their workshop blend Ethiopiques to be really good in a Hario Drip. It's also of course really good under some milk in a cappa or as a shot.
My favorite is the New Classic because I'm really a cappuccino kinda guy. It works SO well with milk. I'm indifferent to the Monkey blend. It's good but to me there's nothing too exciting about it. It's just a standard I use against other coffees to develop a sort of scale for myself.
Dunbar42 Senior Member Joined: 2 Sep 2007 Posts: 59 Location: SoCal Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Thu Feb 28, 2013, 9:50pm Subject: Re: sweet maria blends?
I tried the New Classic in the past but found it far too subtle to cut through milk. My sense is that New Classic is SM's take on west coast style espresso blends which I'm generally not fond of.
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