How to properly compare coffees

Before we begin, this is the best way in my opinion, because it allows you to be completely neutral in cupping, the art of tasting coffee. Some other methods exist, like using the aeropress, ... but i tend to disagree with those. As far as I am concerned, this is the better way.
Let's get started with the basics, rule number 1, you need a friend to help out with this!
Ok, in a more practical way, first off you need all the coffees you wish to compare, then you need a friend to help you make them.
but not just make them, they need to be prepared in a specific way to really be able to grasp the true character of the coffee.

First step!
Let your friend pour a little ground coffee, I'd say around 8 grams, into a plain cup. Repeat that for all the coffees you got on the table. Write down the scores, which smelled the best, what the impressions are, ... His sole mission in this round of tasting is basically prevent you from knowing which coffee is in which cup. If you don't know, you don't automatically start favouring one or the other !

Second step!
pour hot water into the cup, all the way to the top, this will form a crust on top of the cup, this is how it is supposed to be. But the trick is to wait at least half a minute, this allows the hot water to really suck in the flavours of the coffee, resulting in more clear results for your test. The subtle nuances found in some coffees will come out much more easily this way.
if you want the test to be as accurate as possible, measure down the temperature and the amount of water. The amount of water is the more important one here! You should do your best and make sure the same amount is added to each cup, as not to influence a taste.
More water can make coffees less flavourful, sometimes it will improve things, this is under the condition of minimal changes. Water amounts are like bean grinders, they can influence the experience!

Third step!
Take a big spoon. Get your nose ready and break the crust on top of the cup of coffee. Start smelling! After you finish one cup, make sure to clean your spoon, the trick here is to avoid "cross contamination" of flavours.
Remember to write down your new findings, this just makes it easier to compare afterwards.

Fourth step!
After the smelling test, remove the crust and the tasting begins! The first part is easy, just use a clean spoon to remove the crust, the tasting itself is the final part.
Slurping is the keyword here. As loudly as possible even. Sounds crazy, but there is a reason behind this silly behaviour!
When you slurp, you take air into your mouth, this allows for the scent to move around in your mouth, increasing the sensations you will experience!

Once you compare notes on all coffees, your helping friend can tell you which is which! You can be surprised by the outcome or not at all. Last time I tried this way, I ended up labelling the Brazilian Yellow Bourbon as my favourite of 5 coffees, to my surprise, I generally am no big fan of the Brazilian beans myself :)

Mrs Rose

Lately, I have been a little unlucky in my choices, most didnt really please me, either too strong or too bitter. I was hoping this nicely packed coffee would be different. The last one I had, the Galapagos from Blaser Cafe, it was not good, not bad either, but just not so good, I decided not to review it, because I was reluctant to describe the horrible feeling when it turns cold. It made my tongue shrivel :p

But enough about that one, on to Mrs. Rose, this coffee is very special, nicely packed in a very nice tin. It has a green plastic cap, I think a red one would be more befitting, but that is just me :)
The roasters are actually Mokamo, famous italian roasters, been known for a very long time and they are from the Triveneto region. Mrs Rose is their best melange, their big name, their specialty.
The coffee itself is a melange from 6 seperately roasted arabica beans, South-America, Guatamala, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Kenya (AA).
What else is interesting to know, they are pretty unique for the low moisture percentage found in the beans, at 1,12 percent, this is very low and we should conclude this is premium quality. Furthermore, the coffee has a very low caffeine level, a mere 1,35%, aside from decaf, this is the lowest level I have ever seen.

In other words, this is going to be premium coffee!

Or so I thought...

First impression, smelling the beans.
A new sensation came to mind, aside from the obvious coffee smell, I was confused, my nose was picking up both a sweet and a sour sensation... (no, i wasnt eating chinese prior to it, nor did someone cook anything special in the kitchen when i tried)

Second impression, smelling the coffee itself.
Same impression, once more, 2 completely opposite impressions? Really?

Third impression, drinking :)
Ok, so this is where it got tricky, I dislike this coffee very much after trying. When i tried my first cup, I had a preheated cup, great crema and it smelled fascinating. But alas, as soon as i tried it, i got a little disgusted by it. The very low caffeine level clearly showed up on my tongue, as well as both the acidic sourness and a little sweetness. BUT!!! They really don't do it for me.
Sorry Mrs.Rose, I think your coffee was really bad.
I tried covering up the taste, even adding a spoon of syrup didnt help, vanilla sugar didnt help. Nothing helped.
Another effect I hated, the aftertaste really lingered way tooooooo long, but I am sure if you love this brand, this coffee will be awesome for you.
Frankly speaking, while I am happy to try out new melanges and single origins and all, some just don't cut it. The best I got out of this coffee is actually a very nice tin that is now holding sugar sticks at work.


Rating: 2/10
Purchased online

Java Katakan!

A very special coffee to enjoy this sunday evening, my very first 100% Robusta coffee.

Grown on the state-owned plantation PTPN XII, this fine Java robusta is one of few robusta coffees out there, usually they blend Robusta and Arabica together. Robusta tends to be more bitter and strong, so the finer arabica beans are blended in to come to a nice palet of tastes for the enjoyment of coffee drinkers worldwide. I was told this was very powerful and earthy coffee, with wooden influences.

Roasted, I have only found 100% pure robusta on 2 seperate occasions, one time in 2 kilo portions, the other was this Java Katakan. Obviously I would not buy 2 kilos for what might be something i wont enjoy. Robusta is the "cheaper" bean, but this coffee did set me back 7 euro for 250 grams, that is around 20 cents per cup, slightly more expensive than various others, but I didnt really mind, I was curious to try it ever since it arrived!

My expectations... A very strong coffee, slightly bitter and some acidity. This Katakan was roasted at level 4, i think, so my experiences led me to expect a lot of punch in a cup.

First impression, smelling the beans.

This coffee delivered, strong like expected, a little spicy, i would say I am detecting wood too. Not sure if spicy is the right way to describe it, from what I read, i was supposed to be smelling sesame seeds and licorice.

Second impression, smelling the espresso.

A rather pure smell, it was obviously quite strong, pure caffeine, i think. I am a little reluctant to try now. I smelled four or five times, each time taking in the raw power of this coffee.

Time to drink!

Third impression, tasting the espresso.

Ok, this needs to be said, I am not a big fan of black coffee, especially the very strong ones like this. This was no exception, way too strong for me, even with a little milk in it, too strong.

Adding more milk however did do the trick. It's a little earthy still, but I am enjoying the body of this cup, though the excess amount of milk is probably making it too creamy right now.

Down the line, this coffee is way too strong for me, however as a Caffe Latte Macchiato, it is really good.

It makes me wonder if all robusta are this strong, it would be a good test for future purposes if and when I find more of them.

Maybe one day, I will have my own home roaster, robusta is easier to find as green beans and then I can try again.

Rating: 6,5/10

Purchased online

Brand: Blaser Cafe

Traceability: Indonesia Robusta washed Java R/WP PTPN XII

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