Coffee Diary #3

I’m getting used to this. I kinda like it.

For today’s homemade coffee, I still used the same beans - Starbucks Blonde Roast. I find to be liking light flavors, which annoys me a bit. I thought I would be more of a coffee snob and would like darker roasts. *smirk*

I appreciate the 25:75 foam to coffee ratio. I usually can not get enough foam when I make espresso. Has the lack of water in the machine helped? I hope so. The scent doesn’t smell any different. I almost feel like this is just the smell of my espresso machine.

Today I used a pressurized dual-wall, double basket. The coffee was a bit sour, and also dark. I wish I can give more description than that. It definitely has some more body than usual - I’m sure it’s the lack of moisture when I made it.

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Today is an important day in my coffee learning escapade. I booked for “Level Up Your Coffee Knowledge” in Bellflower. It is hosted by Dr. Sarah G. Grant who has dedicated her career to researching and educating about coffee. I feel incredibly honored to meet and learn from someone who’s been doing this her entire life and knows her sh**.

She’s talked about the different origins of coffee, different bean processing techniques, and tools you can use at home to explore specialty coffee. We ended it with tasting some beans from this roasting company called Huckleberry Roasters based in Colorado.

I’ve tried three different beans namely, Phantom Limb Blend, Ecuador Bosque de Marfil, and Chelbesa Natural. From my short-term memory, I remember Phantom Limb being light and fruity, it tasted almost tea-like; very easy to drink. I can totally enjoy it iced on a nice Los Angeles summer day, or hot after a light dinner. Bosque de Marfil was much fuller and darker, in my opinion. It was also washed compared to the first one which was a mix of washed and natural beans. As Dr. Grant mentioned, different processing types have different effects on the flavor profile, just grapes and raisins have a completely different taste. The last one was the Blue Orchid which definitely had a far more different taste than the two. It was naturally processed so as expected, it had more character in it.

The crowd favorite was the Chelbesa Natural, in fact, we enjoyed another round of pour-over as a group. Personally, I liked the Bosque de Marfil.

It seemed like the darkest flavor out of three, less fruity, or more caramel-like, almost has that burnt tasted, and this truly sits right with my usual preference. From Huckleberry’s website, they describe it as:

“…a sweet, delicious ride. Cherry cola sweetness, chocolate-molasses sweet-spice, creamy nut notes, and a touch of green apple brightness, with a syrupy body.”

I love coffee tastings because by drinking different blends one after the other, you can definitely taste and feel the difference between them. It’s a lot harder to replicate on a regular day, or even after a few days pass. I can barely decipher the notes of each blend.

I asked Dr. Grant how to decipher flavor profiles more distinctly and naturally without having to taste 5 different coffee each time. She said through practice. She shared how she would usually go to a coffee shop, and ask where the beans are from and how they are processed. Going off with those two factors, she can create an expectation ahead on what the taste might be like. After trying each, she makes a mental note of how those flavors are.

And that’s what intend to do. From now on, I will try to be more intentional with my coffee. Maybe try more unaltered versions of coffee and get a real taste of it before all the flavored creamers and sweeteners are added in.