A Nice Cuppa

There are some weeks that everything just seems to go your way. You hit all the green lights on your way home. The sun is shining and your favorite song comes on the radio. You mysteriously lose 5 lbs. Your new coffee beans arrive, they roast up gorgeously, you hit the perfect grind on the first try and you pull a kick-ass doppio.

This was not one of those weeks.

I suppose it’s not fair to blame my new Zach and Dani’s Guatemalan Huehuetenang beans. They are new and mysterious and have yet to hand over to me the secret to unlocking their deep and exotic flavors. But, I will say, that on my now 4th attempt at roasting, grinding and pulling, I am getting a little tired of the hard-to-get game they are playing with me. Perhaps it’s because I keep mispronouncing their name. Heu is pronounced “way” so it’s not the hummahumma that I keep calling it. Maybe I’ve offended them.

These beans are in fact known for their legendary flavor which is rumored to be lively and fruity. They handle heat well, and are supposed to be ideal for home roasters. And, in fact, the roasting did seem to go well enough… no smoke, a moderate amount of chaff, and a gorgeous aroma whilst popping around in the roaster. I let it go the full time which turns out to be just at the second crack for a full city roast. The grind, my typical setting for all my home roast also looked pretty good… not too clumpy and not too course.

Then, trouble happens. My first pull gives no resistance at all, and just looks like thin black water. I throw it out, and start again, this time going with a finer grind and a good, firm tamp. I pop it in the machine and wait. And wait. And wait. Nothing. Finally, a thick crude oil drop emerges. This isn’t the caramelly-creamy goodness I’m expecting. I toss it out, and try again… the last of my first roasted batch. Grinding a hair courser this time, and I get not a great pull, but it is getting better. But, I’m out of beans now, so to get the perfect cup, I’m going to have to roast again and wait the appropriate number of days. Fast forward a couple of days, and shampoo, rinse and repeat. Almost to a tee, I am reliving my first experience with these beans… go through all the beans, never get a great cup, re-roast and wait.

The good news is that today, the sun is partly out, I didn’t mysteriously gain 5 lbs, and I’ve put my favorite song on my iPod. And, I’m finally sipping a decent cup of my Guatemalan Huehuetenango. It does have a nice fruit, but I think there is more there, lurking beneath the surface just awaiting the perfect combination of roast and grind.