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by Todd Mac on October 7, 2022
This bean had piqued my interest a while back, but was not in stock. The "notify me when this bean is back in stock" option was selected. The notification arrived a couple weeks ago and a few pounds was ordered.
Let me admit to a small human weakness; I love blueberry. This strong attraction is not limited to coffee. For me, the Ethiopia Misty Valley Yirgacheffe was the go-to bean to get the "blueberry experience". Now there is now a new king of the hill, and it is the Ethiopia Durato Bombe bean. Both beans are excellent, but the Durato Bombe provides a fuller, more rounded expression of the blueberry flavor. But, enough of my blueberry facination... the review.
Cupping flavors: Clearly defined Blueberry with very faint floral in the finish. Solid body with a full mouth-feel for a bean only rated a 4. Statistics: Roast level City+, Moisture loss 13.66 percent, Development 17.1% Green Been description: 227g, Consistent in size and color. This is a higher altitude bean, so an agressive roast cycle was tolerated well by the beans. Roasting challenges: None, this is a high altitude Ethiopian bean, which is an easy roast. Roaster Gene Cafe CBR101 2016 model. Roast description: (uniquely for Gene Cafe CBR 101 models). *Preheat the empty drum to 402 F (206 C) for 5 minutes. *Rapidly stop and remove the drum. Quickly fill with the green beans. Re-insert the drum, start the roast at 402 F, start kitchen timer. *At 5 minutes on the timer, raise the temperature to 473 F (245 C). *Continue at this temperature until the first pops of First crack PLUS 70 seconds. *On this roast, first crack began at 10 minutes 30 seconds, temperature was lowered at 11 minutes and 40 seconds to 437 F (225 C). *Continue to roast at 437 until roast is complete. *The goal on this roast was City+, this was reached 12 minutes 40 seconds into the roast. About 25% of the beans had light cracks at the tips. *The beans were dumped and force cooled. The drop was well before Second crack. Post Roast Notation: This bean takes a bit long rest to fully reveal it's flavor. The bean is best after a 5 day post-roast rest.
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by Asa on April 23, 2022
Took this to City+/Full City and can agree with with several other reviewers that the blueberry was wonderfully present. Even the aroma while roasting was particularly striking a bit before it hit first crack. Now, the brewing methods and preparation did have quite a variation for me. The pour over (I use a Chemex) emphasized the blueberry (and I would argue a general, sweet berry-ness), but there was an odd sensation that accompanied it. On the front of my tongue, it was that feeling you get when eating pineapple, like a citric "bite." As it travelled to the back of my tongue, it was a pleasant bitterness. The Americano was similar, but muted that sensation a bit and it tasted a bit more like a super fresh bowl of fruit, and I think I detected a hint of watermelon (could be power of suggestion though? lol). That lingering bitterness on the back end was still there, but it wasn't off-putting. However, my favorite drink with this coffee was a flat white (latte/cappuccino hybrid with a ristretto [half] shot of espresso) using oat milk. It had that fresh fruit sweetness, but the milk all but removed the front-end sensation and back-end bitterness. Instead, it was like a homemade whipped cream on the cup of fresh fruit. WONDERFUL! (Typically, milk-based drinks are not my favorite, but it worked so well in this case!)
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by Johnboy Jr. on December 4, 2021
This is amongst my top 5 favorites of all time. My current #1 is a blend of this: 2 parts Durato Bombe, 1 part Misty Valley, and 1 part the organic Yirgacheffe. I roast it as fast and violently as I can to the last 10 seconds of first crack. I'm gonna guess the bean temp to be about 415-420° ...and I get there in about 4 minutes. After 3-4 days aging in a "zip" bag... boom! The whole neiborhood knows when, I pull a shot. The aroma is just so beautiful, loud, and satisfying. Oh also, I wish to inform y'all, that anything above 5lbs. Gets packaged in fresh untumbled burlap, which leaves the contents inside and anything outside, resembling a "crazy cat lady's" couch. This is a mild exaggeration, but sometimes an exaggeration is the only way for people to understand the truth. It's such an unnecessary mess, and will remain a constant scar on CBC'S business model, IMO. There is no way that I, am the first to be disgruntled about it. But I haven't seen any negative comments about it. Am I the only person who doesn't want to pick hairs out of my beans before roasting, or having to vacuum whatever room I handle that bag in. For some reason, no one has mentioned it. Woe is me, my beans, and my poor sweater... Continuing to use those bags is congruent with poor quality control and negligent marketing. Please please please stop using those! Maybe for 50lb. bags it might be okay, because the bean to hairy contaminate ratio are minimal, but the 10lb. bag! ... sigh. I love everything else about CBC, but those bags are the closest I've ever come to using the smiling poop emoji. I do appreciate the avoidance of using plastics and non-biodegradable packaging, truly!! Maybe my opinion doesn't matter. I know my profile only has 3 orders on it, but I forgot my password and was checking out as a guest for many moons. You are my preferred "friends" in the green coffee industry. Thus ends my honest review.
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