One of the criteria competition baristas are scored on by sensory judges is their familiarity and knowledge of the espresso their using. As the Black Cat espresso we've been using has changed recently (new crops, new farms), Belle decided it was time to "deconstruct" the blend and take a look at what each component brings to the final product.
Last Saturday we tasted the three component coffees (all from Brazil) four days off roast. Today we'll cup the same coffees eight days off roast to learn if any of our earlier impressions have changed. We've had our best success with the blend in competition when it's 7-10 days old.
What's been interesting about the process is finding how the different flavor notes in a well-made shot of Black Cat present themselves in the individual coffees. It's not as straightforward as one might think.
Each of our three competitors (Belle, John, Sonja) will use this information in relating
how the blend's components will reveal themselves with each drink,
especially how they relate to the individual signature drinks.
So what did we find? Those of you who are regular Black Cat drinkers have probably already noticed there is much more "grapey-ness" in the current Black Cat blend. We found powerful grape notes in both the dry fragrance and upon "breaking the crust" in only one of the coffees.
For the most part the four of us at the cupping table were in close agreement on two or more elements in each of the criteria for each of the coffees. The exceptions were notably in the aftertaste where none of us found a common denominator in any of the coffees.
It attests to the skills of a master roaster that we found only one of the three coffees would appear to be capable of making a great cup on its own. We're not saying which, although you can draw your own conclusions from our notes below. It's apparent to us that the other two were selected for balance and how they either mitigate or enhance the attributes of the more flavorful of the three component coffees.
Here is a compilation of the tastes and smells with which we were more or less in agreement:
COFFEE A:
Fragrance - Milk chocolate, florals (cherry blossom), smoke
Aroma - stewed fruit, dates
Break - brown sugar, vanilla
Brightness - subdued
Flavor - tobacco, toast
Body - thin
Aftertaste - four entirely different answers ranging from clear to dirty with stops in-between
COFFEE B:
Fragrance - Grape, elderberry, balsamic
Aroma - boysenberry/black cherry
Break - vanilla, berries
Brightness - medium to high
Flavor - buttery, umami/brothy
Body - medium
Aftertaste - no agreement
COFFEE C:
Fragrance - nutty, caramel
Aroma - sweet (raisins), cedary
Break - caramel, almond
Brightness - low, lemony
Flavor - bakers chocolate, toast
Body - medium
Aftertaste - dry
The next time you're in for a single or double espresso, see if you can identify any of the abovelisted attributes. Also take note of when you experience them. Some will be right as you lift the cup to your lips, some will be in the crema, some just underneath, and some will linger at the bottom, becoming even more evident as the liquid cools a bit as you're savoring your espresso. These notes are also present in a traditional 5.5oz cuppuccino, but more muted as the milk tends to sweeten everything.
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