Continuing on my pilgramage of heat gun roasting we decided to give the Ethiopian a try. Robin and I enjoy a lot of coffees but we’ve found a love for the fruitier blends and Ethiopian’s generally do not disappoint.
My real concern is that if I am going to continue this I need to start a log book like any good roaster should. The processing and varietal influence a lot in your expectations. The Ghimbi had a ton of chaff, while a Moka we did a few days ago had nearly none. The Ghimbi’s first crack was nearly unnoticeable while the Colombia Narino sounded like black cat fireworks going off. Some roasts I find roast very even without effort, others seem to take a bit more care to get everyone at the same speed. If it weren’t for things like smell and color I’d have missed the marks of when to stop.
We let the new roast sit about an hour before we did a french press and boy it was tasty. Lots of cherries came to the surface of my mind and subtle oaks. Today I’m watching the flavor profile blend further into a normal curve and I find it very very palatable. Even when the cup is room temperature I am amazed at how candy like it is.
I need to find a new technique for holding the HG since the weight begins to really perturb my wrist & forearm after a while. Maybe a newer HG model would be lighter weight. Something I’ll have to look in to as I progress. The whole process is a bit taxing (but very rewarding).
-a