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Recent Happy Mug Beans
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HoldTheOnions |
Posted on 12/16/2014 7:18 PM
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![]() 1/2 Pounder ![]() Posts: 205 Joined: October 26, 2014 |
Newbie's take on initial roast of my latest purchase, in order of preference. Consider I'm no expert, but may be helpful to anyone currently in the market. For comparison purposes, took them all to 2c. Papua New Guinea Arokara - I musta went past the the fruit in the description, but got lots of honey and overall very rich flavor that was excellent in my latte. Two words, YUM MY! I'm guessing this one will be good no matter what level I hit. My favorite of the bunch and pretty much my favorite roast so far. Kenya Kianjege - Discription says red wine and blackberry, and I will assume that I went past the fruit again on this one, and would describe it as more of a very rich but subtle chocolate. Will try lighter next time to try to hit those fruits. Ethiopia Harrar Natural - as the description say, BLUEBERRY! I got tons of it even at 2c. Almost as good as the Kenya, and probably third only because I like chocolate a little more than blueberry. Guatemala Acatenango - nice sweet caramels, but a little more muted than I remember of the Guatemalan I got from a local roaster, but still very good, and cheaper so there's that. Again, this may be due to the time of the year thing since the other Guatemalan I purchased a few months back? Regardless, I would buy this again. Summatra Mandeheling - Description says Dirt, but I am working my around the world and wanted to try it anyway. For me, the initial flavor was not dirty at all and my first thought was mmmmm, tasty, but then after it went down I was most definitely left with a dirty texture in my mouth that just kept going as if I had just drank some dirt and had no water to wash it down. So glad I tried, but probably not getting this again, unless it grows on me or something. I'm going to try blending with the Honduran and possibly overcome some of the deficiencies of each. That said, if they could get rid of the dirt or...if you like dirt, then it's a real winner. Honduras La Gloria - Tastes almost exactly the same as the two Brazilians I've had, which is good, but not great. Brazilians are typically cheaper, so it doesn't make any sense to buy this again. Supposedly it is "late in the year for South Americans", of course I didn't know this, but I don't think any time of year would make a difference for these, IMO they're overpriced, plain and simple. ![]() |
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Ringo |
Posted on 12/18/2014 7:06 AM
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![]() Pounder ![]() Posts: 472 Joined: January 14, 2010 |
Thanks for the heads up on the Harrar. I have not had a good blueberry ethopian in years will be great Christmas morning in a Vac pot.
All you need in life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure. Mark Twain
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HoldTheOnions |
Posted on 12/18/2014 9:52 PM
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![]() 1/2 Pounder ![]() Posts: 205 Joined: October 26, 2014 |
If you read the whole description, the guy says he heard the Saudi royal familiy has been buying it all. |
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HoldTheOnions |
Posted on 12/28/2014 4:55 PM
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![]() 1/2 Pounder ![]() Posts: 205 Joined: October 26, 2014 |
A couple things, I tasted the Ethiopian on day 3 or 4, I forget which at the moment, and then again 4-5 days later, and the blueberry seemed significantly muted on the later day. Also, I did 3 more roasts with different profiles on the Ethiopian, all to 10f lighter than my initial roast and the blueberry was lost in all of them. I'd be curious to hear your results, or anyone else, but so far it's looking pretty finicky to me. I'm not use to roasting fruity coffees, so not really sure if this is normal behavior or not. I'm gonna try my original profile and then go out from there and pull a shot each day to see how it progresses to try to learn some stuff. |
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Lawnmowerman |
Posted on 12/28/2014 5:39 PM
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![]() Pounder ![]() Posts: 546 Joined: March 14, 2012 |
I got some of that Harrar for thanksgiving. I roasted it right up to second crack. I didn't give it a rest. I noticed the blueberry. It wasn't overpowering, but it was pronounced enough for someone else,not a fresh coffee drinker, to pick out the flavor,when prompted that it had blueberry overtones. It did fade over time.Fast forward one month. I just got another pound of harrar in my four- pound order. A sample of the Harrar was included. It was roasted about as light as I could sensibly go without having grassy flavors. It had blueberry, but it was rather muted in comparison to my own more developed roast the month prior. Now out of four pounds I still have the Harrar left. I will roast it right up to second, and won't give it a rest. ![]() Bad coffee prevails when good coffee roasters stand by and do nothing.
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Army Coffee |
Posted on 12/29/2014 9:15 AM
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![]() 1/4 Pounder ![]() Posts: 128 Joined: February 01, 2012 |
Huge Happy Mug Fan here! Not very impressed with the Harrar. Roasted it to right after the first crack trying to get the Blueberry. Was very faint. Still love the coffee, but I get much more quality Ethiopian flavor from the Ethiopia Sidamo Natural and the Natural Yirgacheffe. On a side note, has anyone else received their package from Happy Mug with cut bags of green beans? I would take it as a fluke, but it has happened twice. NEC ASPERA TERRENT
North TJ-072 2kg Roaster, Hottop 8828B, Gene Cafe Roaster, Baratza Vario Grinder, Breville SmartGrinder, Behmor Brazen, Cona "D", Bialetti Moka Express, Aero-Press, Quick Mill QM67 |
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Lawnmowerman |
Posted on 12/29/2014 9:52 AM
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![]() Pounder ![]() Posts: 546 Joined: March 14, 2012 |
I haven't received any cut bags. But I had to be very careful when cutting the box open to avoid cutting them myself![]() Bad coffee prevails when good coffee roasters stand by and do nothing.
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Army Coffee |
Posted on 12/29/2014 11:29 AM
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![]() 1/4 Pounder ![]() Posts: 128 Joined: February 01, 2012 |
Yeah, I never cut, I tear. :-) They are my favorite supplier after that spot was held for almost a year by Burman's. NEC ASPERA TERRENT
North TJ-072 2kg Roaster, Hottop 8828B, Gene Cafe Roaster, Baratza Vario Grinder, Breville SmartGrinder, Behmor Brazen, Cona "D", Bialetti Moka Express, Aero-Press, Quick Mill QM67 |
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snwcmpr |
Posted on 12/29/2014 2:50 PM
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![]() 1 1/2 Pounder ![]() Posts: 912 Joined: March 03, 2011 |
Does this discussion of Harrar (lacking flavor) have anything to do with the discussions of the Queen City Harrar patriarch passing away, and the son taking over a few years ago? Ken in NC --------------
Backwoods Roaster "I wish I could taste as well as I wish I could roast." As Abraham Lincoln said "Do not trust everything you read on the internet". |
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Omega |
Posted on 12/29/2014 6:21 PM
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![]() 1/4 Pounder ![]() Posts: 132 Joined: June 13, 2014 |
Quote Army Coffee wrote: Huge Happy Mug Fan here! Not very impressed with the Harrar. Roasted it to right after the first crack trying to get the Blueberry. Was very faint. Still love the coffee, but I get much more quality Ethiopian flavor from the Ethiopia Sidamo Natural and the Natural Yirgacheffe. On a side note, has anyone else received their package from Happy Mug with cut bags of green beans? I would take it as a fluke, but it has happened twice. I've gotten about 5 shipments from Happy Mug, but haven't encountered any cut/open bags. Barry |
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HoldTheOnions |
Posted on 12/29/2014 8:40 PM
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![]() 1/2 Pounder ![]() Posts: 205 Joined: October 26, 2014 |
Thanks for the feedback. These are the only Ethiopians I've had, so I have no basis for comparison, but to me the first cupping really popped in my mouth. Will probably roast next week and try to replicate that roast. Will post profile if it works out ok. No cut bags here. |
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HoldTheOnions |
Posted on 01/15/2015 3:41 PM
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![]() 1/2 Pounder ![]() Posts: 205 Joined: October 26, 2014 |
Quote snwcmpr wrote: Does this discussion of Harrar (lacking flavor) have anything to do with the discussions of the Queen City Harrar patriarch passing away, and the son taking over a few years ago? Ken in NC To clarify, I did a couple more roasts last week with different profiles, and for me they weren't lacking in flavor, just blueberry. I really like the roasts, and to me it is still exceptional coffee, but I am just not getting the same pop of fruit that I got in my first cup. If everyone is saying there use to be strong blueberry and now there isn't, I would also like to know why, cuz I do like me some blueberry. I still haven't tried to replicate my original roast profile though, but something still seems haywire to me. In my mind I shouldn't be so far off. I am almost wondering if I didn't mislabel my roasts or something and I was tasting fruity flavors from one of my other coffees, and because I am not experienced I didn't realize it? Unfortunately, I got nearly 12lbs of pre-roasted coffee during the holidays and I was overroasted as it was. I gotta stop for a while. Just too broke to waste coffee. I know I said that before, but now I have my new machine to keep me busy ;-) |
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Lawnmowerman |
Posted on 01/15/2015 6:04 PM
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![]() Pounder ![]() Posts: 546 Joined: March 14, 2012 |
I was able to get blueberry in my last roast. Just to second crack. As the blueberry faded,other flavors came out, to make for a well balanced cup,IMHO. Definitely a very nice coffee.
Bad coffee prevails when good coffee roasters stand by and do nothing.
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Ringo |
Posted on 01/16/2015 10:39 AM
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![]() Pounder ![]() Posts: 472 Joined: January 14, 2010 |
I also love this bean. I have stopped buying Ethiopian coffee because of the nasty fermentation flavors. This is a clean dry processed bean. I get some blueberry if make a regular pot of coffee or a vac pot but if I do a french press it if full of blueberry. I need to order some more before it runs out.
All you need in life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure. Mark Twain
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HoldTheOnions |
Posted on 02/22/2015 6:46 PM
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![]() 1/2 Pounder ![]() Posts: 205 Joined: October 26, 2014 |
Blueberry is back baby! I did another one and sorta went back to my original profile. I have been experimenting with a longer drying phase on certain beans, so I did a 6 minute drying phase this time. Also, over the holidays I replaced the dimmer on my fan with a speed controller as I will indicate at some point in my roaster thread, so I can't perfectly replicate previous roasts. But I generally followed the basic principal of it and ended at around the same temp. Things blueberry roasts had in common were I took it them both to just 2c, and both had longer ramps with 1c coming at 8:55 and 9:20. Also, the development times were 2:35 and 2:10 respectively. The non-blueberry roasts hit 1c in less than 8 minutes and except for one they had development times of 2:55 or longer, with the one roast being really short at 1:35. Generally it looks like I cooked the non-blueberries too fast and then too long and it killed the fruit. Does that sound right? Have to do more and with other beans to really get handle on the fruit thing though. |
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HoldTheOnions |
Posted on 02/22/2015 8:13 PM
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![]() 1/2 Pounder ![]() Posts: 205 Joined: October 26, 2014 |
I meant to also add the non-blueberries were lighter roasts. So I heated non-blueberries faster to 1c, but then slower through development and to a lower final temp. I think that better describes it. |
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Lawnmowerman |
Posted on 02/23/2015 1:17 AM
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![]() Pounder ![]() Posts: 546 Joined: March 14, 2012 |
In my two roasts of this bean , drying phase ended around 4:15. 1st crack for one batch was at 9:15, the other batch was at 10:15. I believe there was more blueberry in the 9:15 minute 1st crack batch. So for me, the drying phase was not significantly drawn out, and I still had blueberry. Glad you got your blueberry back. Have you tried the dry process yirgacheffe? Ben.
Bad coffee prevails when good coffee roasters stand by and do nothing.
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HoldTheOnions |
Posted on 02/23/2015 11:09 AM
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![]() 1/2 Pounder ![]() Posts: 205 Joined: October 26, 2014 |
I agree, the longer drying phase didn't seem to have a huge impact on these beans. These are the first Ethiopians I have tried, but they won't be the last. I will put those on the list for next time. In general, I'm liking with the non-South Americans that you can change the flavors with different profiles and still have good roasts. So you can go from bright fruits to dark fruits to rich chocolate flavors. Whereas with South American beans it seems my options generally come down to bland, good, or burnt. I'm think because the flavor spectrum from one end of good to the other end of good is relatively small, which is to say caramel and toffee taste pretty similar. To clarify, when I taste something I taste "blueberry" or "caramel" or "chocolate". I don't taste a floral bouquet of Eurasian dandelions, blue pansies, and albino sunflowers with hints of Morrocan cinnamon followed by a short intense burst of acidic cardamom and notes of seafoam candy with a strong lingering finish of brown sugar baked on a cast iron skillet with a spritz of 100 year old Jamaican rum in a apple wood fired stove. My palette is not yet that sophisticated ;-) |
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RobertL |
Posted on 11/01/2015 6:02 PM
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![]() Newbie ![]() Posts: 22 Joined: February 16, 2012 |
Has anyone tried the Guatemala Acatenango or Colombia Reserva del Patron from Happy Mug? |
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ginny |
Posted on 11/02/2015 12:17 PM
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![]() Founder ![]() Posts: 3476 Joined: October 24, 2005 |
Robert: while I have not had those particular beans I will say tat every batch I have had from Happy Mug has been great... clearly you will taste and roast differently from another roaster so I would let the cupping notes and description rule for ordering. ginny ![]() |
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