I finally realized I was over-roasting my beans for over a year

I used to think darker roasts were just better for making strong coffee. But last month I pulled a batch of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe out at 440 degrees and it tasted like burnt ash. A buddy at a shop in Denver told me to try stopping at 410 instead and the fruit notes actually came through. Now I'm wondering if I've been wasting good single-origin beans by chasing that dark color. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized your roast curve was way off and you had to start over with lighter profiles?

2 comments

2 Comments

blake30224d ago

Wow, you mean I've been making charcoal briquettes out of $20 bags of beans for the last year? Great, good talk. I had the exact same rude awakening with a Nicaraguan Geisha last month, pulled it at 435 and it tasted like I was licking the inside of a chimney flue. Dropped it to 405 and suddenly I got actual lemon and honey instead of "burnt regret." Now I'm going through my freezer stash of past batches wondering which ones I can save for cold brew and which ones I need to just dump in the garden as soil acidifier.

miam1125d ago

That's exactly what happened to me with a bag of Colombian beans I grabbed from a local roaster. I was convinced that hitting 425 was the sweet spot, but a few batches in and it was all char and no sweetness. Pulled a batch at 395 instead and the berry notes actually popped through. Your buddy in Denver is spot on about lighter profiles for single origin stuff, the fruit and floral character just disappears past a certain point.