One of our many experiments....

Rising prices of coffee preserving materials welcomed a trial and error experiment at the Mahalia Coffee House – to evaluate the efficiency of a potential replacement option for our 3 kg sealable foil storage bags! Excitement. With many variables to be analyzed and considered, we set to work with a control batch of Blend # 4 in our ridiculously pricey present method of storage and a trial batch of the same blend in a 7Kg, food grade, air-tight container. Assessing the influence of these differing environments on the coffee beans, their aroma and flavor profiles and consistency in the cup, as a result of their corresponding methods of storage, over a 10 day period was our motivation.

Upon opening of each, the control foil bag hit us with a dominating jand fervent wave of beautiful vanilla, chocolate with the Blend # 4 signature kick of pungent spice. That’s what it’s all about!! Crossed fingers and wishful thinking spurred our confidence on for the aroma results for the experimental tub. A musty trickle of smoky spice and cocoa crept from the pores of the abnormally oily beans; surprising us with a profile for our senses not yet experienced before. Disappointment followed however, as awareness of Blend # 4 needing the sweet to balance its big punch dawned. It just wasn’t there damn it! The turpeny aspect to the bucketed beans became truly apparent as the beans were ground for double shot blacks and ¾ latte pours. Keeping the doses 16 gm each for extraction of 56 ml, the oil licked bucketed beans required a grind far courser than its bagged component. Crema of both cups held well, but our oily beans lacked the sweet complexity that is the true appeal of this roast!

The girls, Mahalia, and I concluded that the integral buttery mouth feel of the coffee was substituted for assimilation to liquefied cling wrap with a splash of chemical, submerged in an undesirable muddy water. Ewww.

The initial concern of the exhaling CO2 from the beans being trapped in the food grade bucket, without means of escape became trampled by the problematic nature of the beans to adopt the plastic taste from the container material…

Oh dear! Another experiment shall be necessary to test the valve theory again? Or can the superman strong containers be lined to prevent the tainting of the bean flavor? (If the absence of a valve proves to have no detrimental effect on the coffee.)

Clear results and lessons learned today – how it TASTES is absolutely paramount.

Lauren.  

Summer by the Sea

Our roasting house is in this little sea side village called Robe. Normally the static population is about 1,300, but as the sun rises over our big blue sea on December 27th, us locals rub open our eyes to about 12,000 happy campers. They stay in holiday houses, caravan parks, cabins, motels, bay view Mc mansions.


Our retail store & espresso bar turns from a relaxed easy going place into a well rehurst opera. People everywhere, all the latest summer fashion flashing by & that unmistakable sweet aroma of a perfectly made espresso wofting out the door. Life is great.

My beginning into the complex world of coffee roasting

I started roasting coffee in 1999 in our shed at home. I had this burning need to get into the coffee bean, more that just been a barista. A barista can feel the oils within the palm of a hand, crush the bean between fingers but not be apart of it's evolution from that green hard raw coffee bean to a fine liquid amberf found in a perfectly pulled espresso shot. For me its was getting into the bean's DNA.

After working on the small 600g air roaster in my shed, I started to develop more of a basic understanding of raw beans, and how they played out their time within the glass roasting chamber. I asked my raw coffee supplier to make a few changes to the blends I was purchasing, a bit more of this Colombian a little less of that Indian etc. I got to this point with my palate from these small changes, and was craving for more complexly, body, creaminess than what was been delivered.

I took up what felt like an impossible challenge ahead of myself, and jumped into the pool of coffee blending.

I was like a hungry cub, all bright eyed and willing to explore my domain with innocence and at the same time, stalking the unknown without conxcernquence.

I spent a whole year working on my first blend, sending out samples to my unsuspecting customers at our busy little cafe in Robe. I'd watch tentatively over my La San Marco for any hint of expression from there faces. People do give away some of their true thoughts, intentions when oblivious to the coming and goings of the outside world.

I must say at that time at our little cafe, it was the most magical, mystical time spent so far within of my journey of coffee roasting.