Sumatra Dry-Hulled Aceh Bukit & a 1st home roasting...

[mrs_mandyp]

Received my first espresso sampler the other day from Sweet Maria's. Needless to say, I was anticipating my first arrival of green beans. Got so excited to see a Sumatra in my box of goodies. = ] So I followed the tutorial for home roasting with a popcorn popper and it was so easy and fun! No gimmicks, just honest, economical home roasting. Even my husband, who isn't a coffee drinker was interested in my first roasting

Stopped my roasting around 15 seconds after second crack and cooled the beans. Couldn't believe how even the popcorn popper roasted the coffee beans. So, I cooled them in a strainer, on top of a fan. Waited for room temp and stored the beans in a mason jar. I was so excited, I snuck a sniff of my fresh roasted sumatra. Ahhh!! That's all I can say about that...

The next morning, I was so ready for my cup o' coffee... Tom was right about not tightening the mason jar too much. The CO2 does make the lid bulge out a bit and when you open the jar it will "pop" open. But the smell...heavenly.... I poured my Sumatra beans into my grinder, and made my first shot of espresso. It was AMAZING!!! I cannot explain how much credit is owed to who ever discovered home roasting with a popcorn popper, seriously.

Now I know the meaning of "fresh-roasted coffee". Nothing compares to it. I think after my inicial home roasting, I've fallen for coffee a little bit more. Now I know how good it can truly be. "Buying coffee from another, I will not", in my Yoda voice.

I'm still developing my skills in describing what I am tasting when it comes to coffee but I'll give it a go though: the aroma - a sweet butter, light hint of hazelnut chocolaty-ness, the taste - medium strength (could be the same as acidity, I think...), rich, very dense and savory.

I would definitely recommend this coffee to someone who's into lightly sweetened, clean, and light/medium bold coffee. I would love any suggestions that anyone might have. Thanks!

[martin]

I've never had a problem with excessive pressure buildup, but I let the beans rest in the open jar for half an hour or so, and the natural size of roast batches in the Nesco leaves a good bit of headspace - may get near ¾ full, or even a touch more, with a rare 5 oz roast batch. Come to think of it, I usually do burp a jar if it's been sitting more than a day or two, though it's been rare to have roasted so far ahead this summer to be able to leave a jar sealed for more than 24 hours. :-) And a nice, solid "pop" as the lid unseals is no bad thing, I think.

I haven't tried this unusual dry-hulled Sumatran, but I've enjoyed everything I've tried from SM's Indonesian offerings, which has included a lot of Sumatra lots. It sounds quite nice, but since I already have 'way too many pounds of greens, I don't expect I'll be tasting any of it, at least not this year.

[SchwanSongs]

Welcome to the dangerously dizzy world of home-roasting, isn't it grand? My wife and I are both heavily leaning toward the indonesians (I've always loved the Sumatras, she the Sulawesi, even back when it was "Celebes".) She's currently biting her nails, as the Sulawesi crop this year looks bleak, and we're down to our last pound of last year's crop, so I am "filling in" with Sumatrans. The Sumatran "Onan Ganjang" sounded really exciting from Tom's write-up, so I've ordered a 5# bag which just arrived... should be roasting again in a couple of days, and am looking forward to this one. If it turns out as I think it might, I will be racing you back to the Sweet Maria's Sumatra aisle for more of it next week

My last-week's Sumatran roast was a teeny bit light (City), but it still makes a rich interesting cup of coffee.

It is so intriguing to learn more about, and fall more in love with, this great drink. I look forward to hearing more of your adventures of putting a popcorn popper to better use than exploding dried corn!

ttfn,
Eduard