Kudos to the Coffee Community

The coffee community typically gets a bad rap. Most consider coffee lovers, “coffee snobs.” But since beginning this blog in October 2008, I have received comments, especially from home roasters, that are extremely supportive. I’m just in an appreciative mood right now. So thanks to Rich at Aldo Coffee, Phil and John at La Prima, Derek at Bongo Java, Stephen Leighton, and many others.  While I’m at it, thanks to my brother-in-law for letting me smoke up his house, and to John and Chris at work for helping me brainstorm while on our coffee breaks at work. My point is this: I really like having this blog.

Are all supermarket coffees rancid?

After drinking freshly roasted coffee for about a month, I tried two store-bought coffees: 1) Dunkin’ Donuts and 2) Marketplace Coffee from Giant Eagle.

The Dunkin’ Donuts coffee was on sale for about $5.50 for a 12 oz. bag. After making a mugful in my French press, I took it on the bus on my way to work. I found my stomach was upset. Since it was on sale, I chocked it up to old beans, hence the sale.

This past weekend I got the La Prima’s Coffee Roaster too late on Sunday afternoon to replenish my green bean supply. So I went to Giant Eagle to get some coffee, especially since my father-in-law was coming to work on my basement. I decided that for the price at approximately $6.50 a 1b. I filled up a bag with whole Sumatra beans. It looked dark roasted, with the oils shining on the surface of the beans. I made a pot with my Cuisinart Grind ‘n Brew. It wasn’t bad. The next morning I made a mugful with my French press with the same beans. I took that on the bus on my way to work. Just like the Dunkin Donuts, my stomach was upset.

Hmm. What’s up with these store-bought coffees? In the past I’ve always attributed the upset stomach to the caffeine content. But during the month I drank my fresh roasted coffee, I never had this problem. Actually, I really looked forward to my bus rides with my mug in hand. I found the best cup of coffee was made with beans half from Kenya and the other half from Brazil. The Brazilian beans give the coffee a very sweet taste that becomes more and more chocolaty and nutty as the cup cools. The Kenyan beans makes the cup bright in flavor – tantalizes the taste buds – when first sipping the brew. As the coffee worked its way down to the gut, there was a warm comfortable feeling, especially on cold mornings in the teens and twenties.

So what do I think? I think the upset stomach is from the oils in the roasted coffee beans going rancid. I’m a chemist working in a lab analyzing proteins being studied by biologists and medical doctors. Just by being exposed to air proteins readily oxidize and hydrolyze – both being chemical processes that take place when things decompose.

I’ve heard that the rule of thumb for roasted coffee beans is that they are good for two weeks. Anything longer than that – they are going bad. So how long do beans sit on the shelves or coffee bins at Giant Eagle? It’s hard to believe it would be less than two weeks.

Are all coffees sold at supermarkets rancid or at least starting to go rancid?

Roasting and Tasting with Guy

I got my green coffee beans from La Prima, a local Pittsburgh coffee roaster. I bought 2lbs of Sumatra, 1lb of Kenya, and 1lb of Brazil. I first roasted the beans on their own and tasted them.

I roasted the Sumatran coffee dark and it tasted great. It was thick and syrupy. As the coffee cooled, the taste of chocolate was left in my mouth.

I roasted the Kenyan medium. The flavor was brighter than the Sumatran and did not have the syrupy body of the Sumatran. But I liked the brightness.

I roasted the Brazilian both medium and dark. It had more body than the Kenyan and the flavor was even sweet, but it was kind of boring – not exotic like the Sumatra, not bright like the Kenya.

GUY’S BLEND – so I found that my favorite was actually roasting the Kenyan with the Brazilian. This is  what I liked drinking on the bus on my way to work. The brightness of the Kenyan made the coffee flavorful, but the sweetness and body of the Brazilian made it perfect. I did the same with Kenyan and Sumatran – even better – more exotic.

MADE A CONVERT – My friend, John, from work – you know the one who gave me his Maxwell House – he mentioned that he had an old popcorn popper and wouldn’t mind trying roasting himself. I said, I bought 2lbs of Sumatran, just take 1lb. Well he paid me for the coffee. Guess what – I told him roast it for about 12 minutes. It worked like a charm!

Coffee Roasting with Guy @ home

Burned Darker than Starbucks

Sorry for the blurry picture – maybe it’s for the best.

At La Prima (see previous post) I met someone who roasted his own coffee beans at home. His sister-in-law was there during the tour and said the coffee tasted great. He told me he just put it in the oven on a cookie sheet at 500F and let them roast. But he warned me that the smoke filled the house with the smell of dry hay.

So I decided to give it a try myself. I used my wife’s Pampered Chef stoneware cookie sheet, thinking it may give a more even heat and not run the risk of burning the beans.

I poured about 1/2 pound of unroasted (green) coffee beans on the cookie sheet. Turned on my gas oven to 500F – waited for it to preheat. Once the oven was hot, I put the cookie sheet in the oven, turned on a kitchen timer, and waited in anticipation for the “first crack”.

At 16 minutes:  I heard my first pops.

At 18 minutes: “first crack” in full swing – popping like popcorn.

At 20 minutes: end of “first crack”

Now I thought, let’s just wait until I hear the beginning of the second crack. My oven light doesn’t go on and I didn’t want to open the oven and run the risk of cooling the oven down. So I waited.

At 22 minutes: no sounds of a “second crack” but smoke began to pour out of the oven. I quickly opened the door. There it was! My black charred coffee beans!

I poured the beans off of the Pampered Chef sheet onto a metal cookie sheet and stepped outside into the 20F weather, shaking the beans to cool them off. The beans then went into a tin. Freshly roasted beans are supposed to sit for 24 hours before brewing so let them de-gas. I made myself a cup of coffee with these beans using my French press. They smelled good – but they sure tasted like charcoal.

Fun fact: I read on another coffee blog that the French roast (which is probably what I would have had if I got the beans out at 21 minutes) originated from the culinary tastes of Louis XIV. He was obsessed with his bowels and like the higher carbon content in his French roast coffee to keep him regular.

Coffee Roasting with Phil @ La Prima

Phil at La Prima

Coffee roasting is an art – just like cooking. There seems to be a certain level of science that can be employed – but in the end educated judgment calls must be made – making it, according to my definition, an art.

I got to watch Phil at La Prima roast coffee on the first Saturday of December. Watching him was like watching a master chef. Phil relied on the color and the smell of the beans, the temperature of the roaster, and the sound of the roasting beans. Full sensory awareness was needed.

According to my observation and my reading of various articles on the Net, it seems that the key to coffee roasting is what goes on with the “first crack” and the “second crack”. As the beans heat up it reaches a temperature where it “cracks” – sounds just like popcorn popping – maybe not as loud. Then a few minutes later it gets to the “second crack” which also sounds like popcorn popping but more muted. The art is in getting the beans to the “first crack” then how quickly the beans are taken to the “second crack”. All the magic of producing the various flavors and aromas from the beans are related to these two “cracks.”

unroasted green on left, green-blush on right

Phil roasted an espresso blend of Central and South American beans. He noted the water content an the density of the beans. This determined how quickly he heated to beans to get to the “first crack”. Since the beans seemed to have quite a bit of water he heated them up more slowly to drive off the water until beans were a  “green blush” color. Then the heat was turned up to get to the first crack. The smell at this point was more like wood drying out than the “coffee” smell we expect.

Just before the “first crack” the smell became rather sweet, just like sugar beginning to carmelize. Then the “first crack.” This was exciting. Popping like popcorn. The smell began to be more nutty – closer to what we think coffee should smell like.

Phil did his magic by quickly dropping the temperature of the roaster for just a bit, the raised it back up. The “second crack” came – popped like the first. Then just before the “second crack” was in full swing, Phil poured the beans out of the roaster to be cooled.

Sight of beauty!

Bridging the Gap Between Average Coffee Drinker to Specialty Coffee

This past Saturday was my coffee Saturday. I had a tour of the roastery at La Prima. Then my first cupping session at Aldo Coffee. It was really a great time.

The tour at La Prima consisted of 25 people. I really liked the makeup of the group. They were people that I wouldn’t mind hanging out and having a cup of coffee with. Phil was great to watch and talk to while he roasted the coffee. One comment during the talking session that has stuck with me -  Matt said, “When customers come to the coffee bar and ask for a strong cup of coffee, it is usually hard to know what they are referring to. Strong in acidity, in body, in taste?” (Don’t let this thought go, I’m going to address it.)

At Aldo Coffee, Rich and Melanie as well as the baristas there were very friendly and great to be around. There was only three of us in the class – a newly wed couple and me. It was first experiencing cupping. I would even say that it was my first experience tasting real specialty coffee – coffee roasted to bring out the characteristics of the particular beans. It was a real education to my palate. I liked the challenge to distinguish the nuances with each cup.

One particular coffee was from Kenya. It had a very fruity and floral aroma and taste. Being my first experience of specialty coffee, I would say that it was an attack to my tastebuds. I liked that challenge to my palate. But I also considered, “Would I want that kind of palate attack every morning?” My quick answer was no. It was too novel. Give me something a little more balanced. The novel I will drink once a week or in the evenings to maintain its novelty.

That was Saturday. Today is Sunday. My thoughts never really solidify until at least 24 hours of processing. Here is my thought today: I’m not sure if many of the friends and family that consider themselves coffee drinkers would like the many of the specialty coffees. Many would consider them “weak” even approaching the taste of tea. Rich at Aldo Coffee even said that some people don’t like the Panama Esmeralda because it tastes like Earl Grey Tea!

So what to do? I think my coffee drinking friends and family would like the challenge to their tastebuds, but I don’t think they will ever give up whatever it is they consider to be “strong” or “bold.” So what is that? The body of the coffee? The carbon content in the darker roasts? I’m not sure yet.

Maybe the overly dark roast that Starbucks does to all of their beans was their answer to the question. I think the answer is the bridge to the gap between the average coffee drinker and the specialty coffee drinker.

I am going to see if Cafe Americano – a shot of espresso put into a cup of hot water – is a step in the right direction. Maybe there is something in espresso that will bridge the gap.

La Prima and Aldo Coffee

I’m excited about two places in Pittsburgh. The first is La Prima. I haven’t had their coffee yet, but I’ve read many good reviews. They give a tour of their roasting plant the first Saturday of the month at 10:00AM. I’ve already signed up for December 6th. I heard that we’ll actually see them roast coffee and get samples. The tour is just $10.

Aldo Coffee is in Mt. Lebanon. They give two coffee tasting classes a month. By chance their next beginners’ class is also December 6th at 1:00PM. I’ve made my reservation. By the way it’s free! We should be tasting coffee from different countries.

I’m anxious for December 6 to come.