Everytime I think I am a great blending-artist (this happens only when I'm roasting and day-dreaming...) the result is less attractive than I thought it would be. Best results are still made with a single origin roast, or a 80-20% combination... (although 60-25-15 sometimes work to).
But yesterday my luck changed and the Gods were good to me and I fixed the following blend (mainly made from left-overs):
20% Sumatra mandheling (full 2th crack)
15% Zimbabwe la lucie royale estate (very big bean) (full 2th crack)
15% Panama La Torcaza Estate (end 1st crack)
10% India, Mysore (full 2th crack)
15% Brasil Cerrado (end 1st crack)
25% Cuban Turquino lavado (end 1st crack)
And as the Cuban beans are new, I think they are responsible for this heavenly, chocolate, spicey, misterious, soft espresso I was drinking this afternoon and gave that smile on the face of my wife when I handed her a cappuccino.
My learning moment for today was: do not roast to dark or to light... the secret is in the exact roasting time... This may sound obvious, but when roasting beans you roast for months already, you get some sort of lazy and less inventive.
On the other hand, the Cuban beans are surely responsible for the chocolat taste that I appreciate so much.
The seller of the Cuban beans only roast it light, and as I mentioned to him that I wanted to use it for espresso, he replied: impossible. Well, it took me 3 roasts and I think I made the 'impossible' possible.
The second lessen I got from this: roast about 25 % very light, and hope these beans won't be sour or to grassy...
Is anybody else familiar with Cuban beans? Are they all so chocolaty, not winy, not rinse, with medium sweet nuts and almond?
Michel