2019-06-04 — Sweet Maria's Ethiopiques Blend

Roast Date: 4 Jun 2019
Roast Level: C+
Duration: 14m32s
First Crack @ 11m28s
1.2lb → 1.011lb; 16% Weight Loss

Sweet Maria’s

By standard cupping methods for brewed coffees, the profile is much “bigger” than previous years, and extracting this blend in an espresso machine produces something very intense, sweet, and complex. The dry fragrance of City roasts have citrus and tropical fruit suggestions, which are still prevalent in darker roasts but with an overlay of chocolate notes. The wet aroma is downright mouthwatering. Fruited notes are like peaches and apricots baked with brown sugar, spiced cake, and floral hints - our FC smelled like jasmine-infused dark chocolate bar. As a brewed coffee, this is a really amazing blend. So versatile, showing great from City to Full City, lightest roasts being very fruit-forward and clean - nectarine, mango, fragrant berry. It shows surprising level of body at these light roast levels too, carrying with it a syrupy-thick sweetness. Full City roasts develop rich chocolate flavors, with a nice slab of blackberry syrup. Ethiopiques makes for an intense ride through the espresso machine. The chocolate roast taste is pungent, aggressive, bittersweet, and long-lasting on the palate. But it is also very clean, succinct, not earthy or rustic. On top of this are intense florals - jasmine and sweet pea - lemon oil and rind, raisiny ripe fruit and red berries. The body seems bolstered by the intense cup flavors, and has the effect of satiny chocolate. It’s fantastic! My preference is about 2 oz in 24 seconds, brew head temp right around 205 degrees. We are finding this also makes amazing Americano (espresso + water), which is no surprise. This can also be used as the “bright” component in a blend that tones it down a bit. For example ²⁄₃ Brazil or El Salvador with ¹⁄₃ Ethiopiques.