I am surprised no one has experimented with this more, or if they have, what the conclusions were. That being the case, I have and here there are. These are going to basically preparation variations, not really tasting notes per se. Very few flavors - more a like vs dislike. First and foremost, Tom mentioned in his review it is traditional to roast it. I'm shocked to find no one has or if they did, again no reports. Well here we go. I wanted to compare head to head roasted vs unroasted and go from there. I roasted 3 ounces in my drum roaster (no problem at all with the mesh, and it would do great in a Behmor - won't even think about doing it in a fluid bed) ambient temp about 350 F for 5 minutes. I just started to get a little aroma and smoke, and the greenish hue had gone away replaced by basically a City roast color. The Qishr went from pliable to slightly brittle after cooling. The aroma went from raw and green to, well, not raw and green. First impression - I liked the roasted better. Next, roasted vs green with different preps. Green - Whole steeping gave me a thinnish, greenish, sweetish flavor. Ok but not notable. I tasted up to 10 minutes. Roasted - whole steeping brewed darker. Flavor was fuller and not green (big surprise). Roaster was better to my liking, but over still a little weak. Whirly blade Green - It brewed (colored) faster but there was a hint of astringency in the cup. Stronger. Not sure if that was better. Roasted - Colored dark brown as soon as the water hit it. I started tasting it very quickly and noted much more astringency right from the start. Maybe a little too strong. But also an even rounder flavor. Note - a cup combination of the two was pretty good. Thinking "fines" in regard to the astringency, I pulled out my Trosser (hand burr grinder). The green failed and would not feed. No result there. Wanting to compare something, I went ahead and tried the Trosser set on my drip setting. I also "crumbled" a dose in my fingers and also lightly crushed some in my mortar and pestle (alchemist after all). I should mention none of this was blind and I really expected the Trosser ground to be astringent and too bitter. I tasted the M&P on first and found it good - best so far. Moved on to the hand crushed - equivalent. Can't say I would have been able to tell the difference. Bad me having a pre-conceived notion going in. I was wrong. The Trosser ground was the best one. The removal of the fines did the trick. Quite a full (not coffee like mind you, but not green tea either) flavor. Rather pleasant and making we want to go back for more. As I sit here tasting it as it cool, it reminds me of a fresh coffee cherry - there is this silky thickness lingering that is not there at all in the unroasted green tea. Oh, and one final little perk - after 6 8 oz cups - I am not jittery at all :) So, it looks like IMO it follows the basic 'rules' of coffee. Roasted over green. Burr over whirly blade. Short(er) steep over longer steep (i.e. get the grind right). At 16:23 4/26/2008, you wrote: <Snip> John Nanci AlChemist at large Zen Roasting , Blending & Espresso pulling by Gestalthttp://www.chocolatealchemy.com/Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20">http://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee.comHomeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20 |
On Apr 28, 2008, at 4:38 PM, Alchemist John wrote: <Snip> Okay, not in fluid bed, check. Do you think it'd do okay roasting it in the oven (or a toaster oven) at 350, stirring occasionally? What was the smell like while roasting it? <Snip> I thought we eschew the perk brew method ;) - allon Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20">http://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee.comHomeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20 |
I'm no expert on the roasting. Frankly, at around 4:45 it start smoking and I smelled "something" (odorless before that - nutty maybe after) - I gave it 15 seconds more and pulled it. I think it would do fine in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes (wild guess here) or so. On the stove top ala wok or cast iron skillet I bet would also do very well - roast until dry and brown. More toasting than roasting, but heh, it's the homeroasting list. Oh, and about the perk - cute. At 13:46 4/28/2008, you wrote: <Snip> John Nanci AlChemist at large Zen Roasting , Blending & Espresso pulling by Gestalthttp://www.chocolatealchemy.com/Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20">http://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee.comHomeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20 |
Great ideas...i was thinking of roasting it...now I'm gonna do it. Dean De Crisce Sent from a Treo. |
Hope this isn't an obvious question. I thought it already WAS roasted? Dried certainly. I guess I assumed it had a light roast to it. Am I incorrect? I would laugh at myself!!! Alchemist, I definitely appreciate your experiments!!! I will give this one another go-round. I enjoyed it, but I'm not a tea guy... but perhaps I'll roast a bit and see what there is to see.... thanks! bill Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20">http://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee.comHomeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20 |
I somehow missed Tom's comment about roasting qishr, but it sounds like it'= s worth a try. = As I was dinking a cup of qishr at work this afternoon, though, it occur= red to me to try brewing a cup of yemen coffee together with qishr, to kick= up the fruitiness. I probably won't have time to try it until the weekend. ----- Original Message ---- From: Alchemist John To: homeroast Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 1:38:46 PM Subject: Re: [Homeroast] Yemen Qishr - variations I am surprised no one has experimented with this more, or if they = have, what the conclusions were. That being the case, I have and = here there are. These are going to basically preparation variations, = not really tasting notes per se. Very few flavors - more a like vs disli= ke. First and foremost, Tom mentioned in his review it is traditional to = roast it. I'm shocked to find no one has or if they did, again no = reports. Well here we go. I wanted to compare head to head roasted vs unroasted and go from = there. I roasted 3 ounces in my drum roaster (no problem at all with = the mesh, and it would do great in a Behmor - won't even think about = doing it in a fluid bed) ambient temp about 350 F for 5 minutes. I = just started to get a little aroma and smoke, and the greenish hue = had gone away replaced by basically a City roast color. The Qishr = went from pliable to slightly brittle after cooling. The aroma went = from raw and green to, well, not raw and green. First impression - I liked the roasted better. Next, roasted vs green with different preps. Green - Whole steeping gave me a thinnish, greenish, sweetish = flavor. Ok but not notable. I tasted up to 10 minutes. Roasted - whole steeping brewed darker. Flavor was fuller and not = green (big surprise). Roaster was better to my liking, but over still a little weak. Whirly blade Green - It brewed (colored) faster but there was a hint of = astringency in the cup. Stronger. Not sure if that was better. Roasted - Colored dark brown as soon as the water hit it. I started = tasting it very quickly and noted much more astringency right from = the start. Maybe a little too strong. But also an even rounder flavor. Note - a cup combination of the two was pretty good. Thinking "fines" in regard to the astringency, I pulled out my = Trosser (hand burr grinder). The green failed and would not = feed. No result there. Wanting to compare something, I went ahead = and tried the Trosser set on my drip setting. I also "crumbled" a = dose in my fingers and also lightly crushed some in my mortar and = pestle (alchemist after all). I should mention none of this was blind and I really expected the = Trosser ground to be astringent and too bitter. I tasted the M&P = on first and found it good - best so far. Moved on to the hand = crushed - equivalent. Can't say I would have been able to tell the = difference. Bad me having a pre-conceived notion going in. I was = wrong. The Trosser ground was the best one. The removal of the = fines did the trick. Quite a full (not coffee like mind you, but not = green tea either) flavor. Rather pleasant and making we want to go = back for more. As I sit here tasting it as it cool, it reminds me of = a fresh coffee cherry - there is this silky thickness lingering that = is not there at all in the unroasted green tea. Oh, and one final little perk - after 6 8 oz cups - I am not jittery at all= :) So, it looks like IMO it follows the basic 'rules' of = coffee. Roasted over green. Burr over whirly blade. Short(er) = steep over longer steep (i.e. get the grind right). At 16:23 4/26/2008, you wrote: <Snip> <Snip> ee.com <Snip> <Snip> e.com <Snip> <Snip> John Nanci AlChemist at large Zen Roasting , Blending & Espresso pulling by Gestalthttp://www.chocolatealchemy.com/Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee=.com Homeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/=gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=7820= Be a better friend, newshound, and = know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt==Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee=.com Homeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/=gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=7820 |
In the review - the last line "In Ethiopia I am told they roast the Qishr first, but I am not familiar with this technique. ". And every in the review it says 'dried' not roasted coffee husks. At 22:35 4/28/2008, you wrote: <Snip> John Nanci AlChemist at large Zen Roasting , Blending & Espresso pulling by Gestalthttp://www.chocolatealchemy.com/Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20">http://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee.comHomeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20 |
Uh-oh!!! Roasting requires some moisture in the thing to be roasted. This stuff is very dry - subjecting it to roasting temps will almost certainly set it aflame. I await the report of your efforts ... On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 7:03 PM, Dean De Crisce wrote: <Snip> Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20">http://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee.comHomeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20 |
No Uh-oh. There is plenty of moisture there. It's no drier than coffee. And 'roasting temps' most certainly did not set it aflame. It's just a matter of not roasting it too long or too hot. 'roasting temp' is not a static point. I roasted the hulls where I roast cocoa and nuts - mid 300's. At 20:57 4/29/2008, you wrote: <Snip> John Nanci AlChemist at large Zen Roasting , Blending & Espresso pulling by Gestalthttp://www.chocolatealchemy.com/Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20">http://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee.comHomeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20 |
Alchemist, Thanks for the tip. I hadn't noticed that. Good eye, and again, thanks for sharing your experiments with us! bill On Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 5:49 AM, Alchemist John wrote: <Snip> Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20">http://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee.comHomeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20 |
Umm maybe I should reconsider that. I guess its toasting, not roasting. Dean De Crisce Sent from a Treo. |
Good advice - mid-300's - and pay attention - got it! On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 5:31 AM, Alchemist John wrote: <Snip> Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20">http://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee.comHomeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemIdx20 |
I'm going to try it both ways Alchemist suggests tomorrow! I'm very excited! Pending timely UPS delivery, of course. John Larry English wrote: <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> ee.com <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> ee.com <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> ee.com <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> ee.com <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> ee.com <Snip> <Snip> <Snip> ee.com <Snip> <Snip> e.com <Snip> /gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=7820 <Snip> <Snip> -- = John A C Despres Hug your kids 616.437.9182 Scene It All Productions JD’s Coffee Provoked Ramblings = Homeroast mailing list Homeroasthttp://lists.sweetmariascoffee.com/listinfo.cgi/homeroast-sweetmariascoffee=.com Homeroast community pictures 9upload yours!) :http://www.homeroasting.com/=gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=7820 |