Posted Wed May 21, 2008, 10:24am Subject: Chocolaty, Fruity Goodness?
OK…I’ve got a confession to make. I read some of these notes about some of the espresso beans available online. “This espresso is a powerhouse of juicy sweet flavor. Pulled as a short double, your palate is greeted with explosive tropical fruit like kiwis and mangos, which gives way to a buttery body and a lingering, sweet finish. Pull it a little longer and then you’ll taste tons of cane sugar while the acidity subsides ever so slightly.” Now I haven’t tried this latest Black Cat offering yet…but I’ve had other beans with similar descriptions. I’m, not tasting anything like fruit or chocolate or mangos or peppermint sticks and candy canes. I am however, tasting some of the best espresso I’ve ever had. Some, amazing smooth with a velvety texture. But nothing even close to resembling fruit(s). Is it just me? I mean, I think that the quality of my set-up should be enough to extract these nuances from a roasted bean if it exists. Is this a matter of improving my technique further? Is everybody else on our board pulling these amazingly complex shots? I don’t mind spending money on beans…I just would like to know if this is technique or perhaps a more discerning pallet that I need to develop?
it is probably a bit of both...most descriptions are inspired by shots pulled on top of the line machines, made by incredible baristas in controlled environments. if you're getting what you consider to be very sweet shots, then chances are there are subtle fruit flavors there that maybe you're not picking up on, espresso (and any coffee) tasting happens so fast its difficult to isolate flavor notes. it is also hard because the body, viscosity and general aggressive (intense) profile of a well made espresso can easily be overwhelming. i notice the fruit flavors on the very tip and sides of my tongue. are you noticing any fruity notes in drip (non-espresso) coffee?
I agree, french press is what I use to taste the differences in a coffee; espresso is a little more difficult because 1) it's a bit like getting hit with a flavor sledge hammer and 2) every little timing, volume, temperature difference will stand out more in espresso than with a french press.
I'm by no means an expert and my coffee taste buds are still pretty young. I'm just now starting to be able to pick out some of the finer nuances in coffee, but what I've found (as well as in tasting wine, beer, bourbon, scotch, etc) is I couldn't start out disecting all the flavors. Try starting out by finding more broader flavors like opposites of the spectrum; focus on the difference between the deeper notes like chocolate and some of the higher brighter notes like citrus. Another way IMO is to taste two completely different coffees side by side; you'll be amazed by how different the two coffees are and will help you actually determine what the flavors are that seperate them.
fancy_pilot Senior Member Joined: 10 Oct 2007 Posts: 66 Location: Iowa Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Saeco Classico Grinder: Gaggia MDF
Posted Sat May 24, 2008, 4:03am Subject: Re: Chocolaty, Fruity Goodness?
I had trouble with those descriptions until I got more temperature control out of my machine. Temperature repeatability and stability seemed to be a critical factor missing in my espresso machine (Saeco Aroma). One of the first shots after my modification I tasted, and I remember thinking to myself - what was that? It took me 10-15 seconds to realize it tasted of marachino cherry (usually referred to as sweet stone fruit flavor in descriptions).
If you want to find out what "fruity" really is, I would recommend you get some good quality SO Yirgacheffe (watch out for the acidity, as well). Most people don't pull it as an SO, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone except for experimentation. It does make an EXCELLENT americano. I have been experiementing with each of my espresso orders (I get all of my coffee from the internet) by adding 1/2 lb of a different SO. It has really helped me to expand my knowledge of the different coffees, and only costs an extra $5-7/order.
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