Does the Roasting Profile Really Matter?

Once upon a time (October 2006) I roasted and brewed some of the Sweet Maria's Ethiopia Organic Idido Misty Valley Dry Process coffee; it was astounding and woke me up to the fact that coffee really could and should be full of flavor. Given the various coffees from around the world, I enjoy trying to unlock the secrets the beans hold within; each, when roasted to its epitome, will indulge your senses with what it deems its own.

I had come close on several occasions, but I had never quite achieved the marvelous Meyer Lemon flavor that had resulted from the original roasting and brewing. Frustrated, I tried an experiment with the latest 5 pound bag of the Ethiopia Organic Idido Misty Valley Dry Process that I received from Sweet Maria's. I roasted 4 batches keeping all of the variables the same except for the roasting profile. While all were good cups of coffee, one particular brewing inspired me to write the following review:

"You gasp and your heart rate quickens as a flood of aroma and flavor references rush to the forefront of your mind and your olfactory senses are pushed to their limit of excitement. The floral bouquet presents profusely; perhaps a hint of a Leonard Messel Japanese Magnolia, Confederate Jasmine, clove way in the back, all swirling around the epicenter of bold cherry candy. As the cup cools there is pure, sweet peach with tropical fruit juice, the cherry is transformed to strawberry and their is an almost imperceptible layer of dark chocolate."

Can one enjoy fine, freshly roasted coffee without the bother of profiles? Sure. Does the roasting profile really make a difference?

YES IT DOES!

The details of my experiment are contained withing the log below:

Ethiopia Organic Idido Misty Valley DP - Roasted 2007-02-09 - Profiled - Test

4 New Roasts to Taste - Finally!

Updated: 02/09/2007

I roasted 4 new coffees (to me) today and adapted the profile to whatever I thought would do well for the coffee. Two of the coffees were decaf and I am hoping they turned out well; chomping on a few of the beans suggest that they would.

The coffees I roasted are below and I will update them as I brew and taste them.

Brazil Cachoeira de Grama Yellow Bourbon (sweet with cedar snap)
Guatemala FTO Quiche - Maya Ixil (an excellent SO espresso)
Guatemala San Marcos WP Decaf (a nice cup of coffee)
Panama WP Decaf - Panamaria (light, lively and snappy)

Sweet Maria's - Green Coffee Beans

Sweet Maria's has the best coffee beans and they make it so easy to get what I want when I want it. This is a picture of 12 lbs of coffee nestled in my mailbox ambitiously waiting to be roasted.