I decided to try the Bright roast from Blue Bottle.
They claim blueberry, golden raisin, and lemon zest. I definitely taste the intense acidity of the lemon zest (which I don’t like), but it is otherwise a pretty boring cup.
I have a roast that has very clear blueberry notes, but this Blue Bottle just isn’t coming close. It does have a slight fruitiness to it, which would be nice, if it didn’t get drowned to an almost whisper by the acidity.
I grew up on golden raisins. In fact, today’s black raisins weren’t even available. Blue Bottle claiming this roast has notes of this treat, leads me to believe that they haven’t had golden raisins before and don’t know the flavor enough to describe.
I know a lot of people like this roster and roast, and I’m not banging on either. This particular roast is simply not for me. I am planning on trying their other roasts. Maybe it’s just this particular roast that I don’t like. Only one way to find out, and I’m exited for the journey!
What were your shot parameters (coffee in/out) if you recall? I wonder if some of the lemon acidity could be reduced by increasing extraction with higher temp or finer grind? That said, I’m with you on Blue Bottle. I’m in NYC and their coffee seems underwhelming and overpriced even by local standards.
I’m not sure the out. I have a BBE, so the shots are on a timer. The in is ~11.3g (ranges from about 11.27-11.34g). I’ll weigh the out tomorrow morning with the same roast, and add an edit to this comment.
I stopped it at 31.45g. It did taste better! Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll keep trying different ratios for this one and see which one tastes the best.
Can always pull longer to reduce acidity. But think it makes sense to focus on more independent roasters anyway
That’s a good idea! I could start to pull a double, and stop it short when it reaches weight.
Edit: I’ll try to pull 30g, to make it a 1:2.7, which would make it longer than standard, but not quite lungo.