[Garbandz]

I am closing in on a very nice espresso recipe using the coffee I have roasted this month. A good friend in the coffee business suggested these varieties as good starters for a rookie roaster like me,and he hooked me up with some beans. Individually they are all very distinctive as far as flavor and aroma,together they make a very passable espresso.

The blend consists of three varietals with different roast levels. I will continue to tweak this a bit,but so far this is the recipe:

2 parts Brazil Mogiana espresso roast
2 parts Brazil Mogiana Full City roast
2 parts Guatemala Antigua City + roast
1 part Guatemala Antigua City - roast
2 parts Monsooned Malabar Full City roast

I freely admit that my impression of each roast could be a bit off,being a rookie. Let me just say that the roasts are relative to each other,and visibly lighter or darker as stated. Maybe after I have done 25 or so more batches I will have a better handle on it.

I stopped in at my friend's shop today to ask him for advice about a better grinder. He handed me something in a big box and said to take it home and play with it. When I got home,here is what I found...pic

I had never even seen one of these,Macap 4......


I ran a couple of test batches to dial it in, and then tried my new blend. I have to agree with the members here,the grinder is the key to better espresso.

I have four new varieties of beans to roast and try,and maybe I can develop another blend. I am sure that I am sliding down that... slippery slope !