Coffee!!

[Eggman]

My taste, however, are not nearly as refined as Eggman's. More of a pass-fail grade than picking 'notes' out of the brew.

Sorry if I misled you or anyone here as my tastes are not that refined. Like you, I don't go picking out notes & hints, more of a pass/fail.

To this point I've noticed some characteristics in some of my roasts or at least I've tried to. Where the beans are from, how they're grown, what varietal, how they're handled & processed, affects what we taste in the cup.

But my roasting is not consistent. I'll usually roast to the same approximate roast level every time but I'm not very precise. I'm more for fresh roasted coffee than particular, specific roast levels. Variety is the spice of life, right? I guess you could say I prefer City+ to Full City (see below.)

Even though I roast each batch approximately the same with a little variation - either intended or not - I've been disappointed with some beans. One year beans from a particular estate taste great - bright flavors, very enjoyable. Next year not so much. Maybe the weather was different, maybe the second year's batch was a lower grade that wasn't specified - who knows. As a result I don't put too much stock in where a coffee bean is from or what estate.

Happy Mug offers a couple of blends that I have been buying and I like the results. Some beans give a full-bodied almost muddy taste, some bright. The blends bring that all together in a cup.

Most all coffee houses blend. Think the big roasters and Starbucks. I think Starbucks burns their beans just a little bit giving that smoky taste. But that smoky taste can hide differences in beans from one harvest to another. Is that by design? Maybe - but that smoky taste has become their signature flavor that can be consistent no matter what store you go to.

Among the replies I am watching are how the degree of roast affects the flavor from light to dark.

I can tell ya all that my taste is not as refined as many. I can pick out the big notes but not the nuance. Chocolate yes, almond not so much. I'm the same way with bourbon or tea. I have no trouble picking out Earl Gray from Orange Pekoe but not so much what region it was harvested. That make sense?

Sure does - me too.

The beans have to get hot. That's why it's called roasting. Baking the beans won't get the same results.

Something about the reactions during roasting that bring out the flavors we enjoy in the cup. I always likened the process to carmelization but I've read where it's similar to browning meat as it's cooked either in a stovetop pan, a grill or inside an oven - the Maillard reaction. I don't fully understand it.

All that to say that roasting is one way to control the flavors in the cup. Lighter roasts usually taste brighter but too light and the flavors aren't very developed and can taste grassy. Roasting too much removes the flavors of the bean. Some areas of the coffee drinking world prefer this dark roasting.

On the recommendation of a coworker, I bought some beans from a roaster in Miami Florida some years ago during a visit. Those beans were very dark and I didn't care for them. I should have known just by the smell of their roasting process and the smoke billowing out the back of the building... Another example is a local Ethiopian restaurant that will roast a small batch of beans in a skillet/wok looking pan and they burn the crap out of their stuff. But that's their thing and it's not something I would aspire to. If the coffee beverage is added to milk, cream, sugar, and whatever else then there's that.

My roaster has temperature sensors that display what's happening inside the roasting chamber. But they haven't been accurate for a couple of years now so I just go by sound and the beans still get roasted.

Different beans will roast differently, right? Sounds simple but there's a few key differences to know beyond what varietal & where & how they're grown. There's also processing. Processing refers to how the coffee bean is harvested and separated from the rest of the fruit. It's a lot like a cherry - though we're after the stone inside, not the pulp. Coffee cherries can be dried to remove the skin & pulp, some are washed in water. It depends on the processing plant and if they have a lot of water available and/or their local customs. I usually prefer washed beans.

But the blend brings a lot of different flavors and I find that very enjoyable too.

When it comes to heat, too much burns the bean and too little doesn't get the job done. It is possible to use too much heat - the bean gets roasted on the outside but the inside hasn't fully been developed. Slow roasting should take care of this. But too little heat and the beans won't get fully roasted either.

Wikipedia has a much better explanation of the roasting process and roast levels: Coffee Roasting: Roasts

[Grumpy Bear]

Wow! I appreciate you taking the time to fret this out for me. Thank you.

[Grumpy Bear]

When I'm stumbling around half asleep in the morning a fresh ground French Press isn't on the radar.

Tasters Choice French Roast Freeze-Dried Instant is.

[Eggman]

When I'm stumbling around half asleep in the morning a fresh ground French Press isn't on the radar.

Tasters Choice French Roast Freeze-Dried Instant is.

I haven't had much instant coffee over the years but it's hard to deny its convenience.

Have you tried Postum?

[foama]

At breakfast I will either make a mug of coffee (camp coffee) using Ethiopian powder-fine ground beans, or make a mug of proper British style tea. Usually that will be Typhoo or a similar product. It is a blend of mainly Assam with fragrant other sorts added. General type is "English Breakfast Tea".
In Germany tap water has the highest grade possible. In fact, it is mostly better than what is sold in expensive bottles in other countries. It has zero chlorine added, and good water makes a huge difference to the taste of tea. Only soft, clean, and of course only unpolluted, unchlorinated water makes a decent cup of tea. In lack of, distilled or demineralized water may be used.

Coffee is practically unsensitive to water quality, unless really bad tap water is used, and water must be terrible before it hurts the quality of coffee. Maybe a reason for the popularity of tea in certain countries with hardly potable low quality tap water?

[Grumpy Bear]

Our well is about 38 grains hard. It makes terrible coffee and worse tea. Reason we had an RO unit installed last fall. Huge difference in both beverages.