Black Dog Guatemalan Huehuetenango

[pdonlin]

I just received my two bags of coffee today from Brian; Guatemalan Huehuetenango and Ethiopian Harrar. I was told the Guatemalan in a bolder roast so I decided to try that first. Usually when I make coffee I use two slightly rounded scoops for 12 cups, but according to the directions I should be using significantly more (over twice that). I measured three scoops of beans and ground them up (so probably ended up being 2 1/2 scoops of ground coffee).

All I can say is WOW, Brian really knows his stuff! The coffee has amazing flavour and is for certain better than the different bags of starbucks I have tried. I am tempted to actually follow the directions on the amount of beans to use and see what comes out.

A huge :thumbsup: from me, its really going to suck when I run out and have to switch back to my can of folgers.

 

[Wasch_24]

I too recently received a bag of this.


We use one sccop of beans for every two "cups" of water for ours.

 

[Black Dog]

its really going to suck when I run out and have to switch back to my can of folgers.

Nah. There's plenty more where that came from! :wink:
Glad you like it!

 

[Ratbert]

Yep, just received mine today...1 lb. of each! I cannot wait to grind some of this! :yes:

When I opened the box, the smell of those beans just poured out, and the aroma...ahhhhhh!

BTW Brian, nice packaging! You've got a top-notch looking product there.

 

[Black Dog]

Yep, just received mine today...1 lb. of each! I cannot wait to grind some of this! :yes:

When I opened the box, the smell of those beans just poured out, and the aroma...ahhhhhh!

BTW Brian, nice packaging! You've got a top-notch looking product there.

Thank you! I hope you'll enjoy the taste as well.
The new bags don't release quite as much aroma as the old ones since the only thing escaping now is CO2 throught the one-way valve. But they do still smell pretty good though.

 

[Headbanger]

nice fellas.

Terrible rat, just terrible. :frownno:

 

[Black Dog]

As far as how much coffee to use, that is of course according to personal taste. People look at me like I'm nuts sometimes when I suggest how much coffee to use but the traditional coffee/water ratio was 2 rounded tbs (1 coffee scoop) to 6oz of water. This is what was written on coffee cans for years and you still find in some cookbooks. People tend to use a lot less nowadays. Coffee snobs feel that you over-extract using a lower coffee to water ratio, resulting in a bitter brew.
I've heard many people say that Starbucks coffee beans are very strong. They are both right and wrong. Starbucks dark roasts all of their coffee which lessens the amount of caffiene in the bean. They do however use the tradiional coffee recipe which is much stronger than most folks use at home leading people to think their coffee is more potent.

Some references on coffee measure and brewing:

From coffeeresearch.org:
General rules: The following general rules apply to each brewing method discussed. Coffee should be brewed for 4.5-5 minutes using a ratio of 55 grams of ground coffee per liter of filtered water (195-205°F). It is convenient to use 2 tablespoons of coffee per 6 ounces of filtered water. Filtered water and spring water are recommended. Tap water imparts off flavors to the coffee and since some minerals are essential to coffee flavor, distilled water is not recommended.

From the Food Network:
Regardless of method, brew using 2 heaping tablespoons of coffee for each 6 ounces of clean (filtered or bottled), cool water. If you prefer a milder cup, brew to full strength, and then dilute with hot water. Brewing with too little coffee will result in over-extraction, and that means bitterness.

From the National Coffee Assoc.:
Use the proper amount of coffee for every six ounces of water that is actually brewed, remembering that some water is lost to evaporation in certain brewing methods. A general guideline is 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water. This can be adjusted to suit individual taste preferences. Be sure to check the 'cup' lines on your brewer to see how they actually measure.

 

[CWS]

As far as how much coffee to use, that is of course according to personal taste. People look at me like I'm nuts sometimes when I suggest how much coffee to use but the traditional coffee/water ratio was 2 rounded tbs (1 coffee scoop) to 6oz of water. This is what was written on coffee cans for years and you still find in some cookbooks. People tend to use a lot less nowadays. Coffee snobs feel that you over-extract using a lower coffee to water ratio, resulting in a bitter brew.
I've heard many people say that Starbucks coffee beans are very strong. They are both right and wrong. Starbucks dark roasts all of their coffee which lessens the amount of caffiene in the bean. They do however use the tradiional coffee recipe which is much stronger than most folks use at home leading people to think their coffee is more potent.

Some references on coffee measure and brewing:

From coffeeresearch.org:
General rules: The following general rules apply to each brewing method discussed. Coffee should be brewed for 4.5-5 minutes using a ratio of 55 grams of ground coffee per liter of filtered water (195-205°F). It is convenient to use 2 tablespoons of coffee per 6 ounces of filtered water. Filtered water and spring water are recommended. Tap water imparts off flavors to the coffee and since some minerals are essential to coffee flavor, distilled water is not recommended.

From the Food Network:
Regardless of method, brew using 2 heaping tablespoons of coffee for each 6 ounces of clean (filtered or bottled), cool water. If you prefer a milder cup, brew to full strength, and then dilute with hot water. Brewing with too little coffee will result in over-extraction, and that means bitterness.

From the National Coffee Assoc.:
Use the proper amount of coffee for every six ounces of water that is actually brewed, remembering that some water is lost to evaporation in certain brewing methods. A general guideline is 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water. This can be adjusted to suit individual taste preferences. Be sure to check the 'cup' lines on your brewer to see how they actually measure.

One scoop per cup and one for the pot. I want to TASTE my coffee. :yes:

 

[crossbow]

I got mine a week ago and they smell fantastic. Thanks Brian and Geoff!!
(Now I cant smell because of my respiratory infection so I need to store them)

Brian

Thank you for the info on measurements. At least I know why my ratio is different from what my mom (who is visiting:angryteet) prefers.

Storage question: Airtight jar in room temp or airtight jar in freezer? For how long is the coffee good -stored
in this condition? What is the optimal condition for storage?

I know the freezer will dry out the oils released during roasting but I am not sure about that fact.

thanks again
C

 

[Wasch_24]

FWIW I keep mine in an air tight jar in the cupboard.

 

[crossbow]

FWIW I keep mine in an air tight jar in the cupboard.

Thats the problem todd
I have about 6-7 airtight jars in the kitchen for the coffee that I have.
It was Geoff's idea to bomb me with beans from Brian.

The display is driving my wife nuts!! Because the 6-7 jars does not include
the jars allotted for the sugar, cream and the flour. I am thinking in the cabinet underneath the kitchen counter. But I want to know what should I consider when storing coffee for future use.

 

[Wasch_24]

Ahhhhhh.

 

[Black Dog]

Gene,
I always recommend that fresh coffee beans be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you're comfortable, your beans are comfortable.
I advise against keeping coffee in the refrigerator. It drys out the beans and they can pick up flavors from other things in the fridge. If you have a lot of beans and you know you won't be able to get to them for months, putting them in an airtight and/or vac sealed container in the freezer would probably be better than leaving them at room temperature. Otherwise, avoid the freezer.
As for longevity, I generally recommend that people order only what they can use in a couple weeks. I, like many other roaster/homeroaster types, believe that coffee is at it's peak during the first two weeks after roasting and after that the flavor begins to go down hill. Not that it goes bad or tastes horrible immediately, it's just the nuances of the coffee begin to fade and the oils begin to stale. Truth is that probably most people can't tell the difference until it gets quite old. I smell and taste a lot of coffee so I can tell if coffee is fresh by the smell alone. Many large coffee companies keep roasted coffee on their shelves from 9-12 months. I was checking out another micro-roaster in VA and they say theirs is best if used in 90 days. Personally, most of my coffee is shipped within days of roasting and I don't sell any coffee over 2 weeks old.

 

[Wasch_24]

Just had a cup of this on the way in this morning...most excellent coffee Brian.

Brewed it with our typical one scoop of beans for every two "cups" of water.


Man, this was good. I can't really figure out any descriptors for it...it was just good.

It was almost silky smooth on the palette with an almost creamy finish and absolutely no bite what so ever.

 

[caudio51]

mmmmmmmmmmm coffee.

I haven't had this one yet. Soon though.

 

[crossbow]

Thank you Brian,
At least I know where to put them as storage.

I know you know this Brian but for those that do not,
Its not that I ordered all the delicious Black Dog coffee beans, They came in the form of two bombs from the great Geoffrie's mind. I was asking Brian how to store them so I can still get maximum flavor.

By the way, This morning I had the Sta Rita Coffee is excellent medium bodied which I think should be paired with an SLR Serie A. I like the way it was roasted.
Darker. My compliments Brian. You do good work.

C