Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Hooton on January 29, 2009 at 1:26pm

That is an interesting question. What flavor profiles do you associate with other regions of the US? I have heard the NW has its distinct profile that is brighter than most of what I really get into. I usually imagine the flavor profiles of espresso like an equalizer on my stereo. The bass tones of the deep body and the bright treble of the acidity create a picture with curves like the equalizer knobs.

For instance, the espresso I currently use in my shop is CBI's Panache Espresso Marrakesh. It looks like this:

When traveling in the mid west I discovered a flavor profile that was new to me. I had intense midtones that offered sweetness to the milk drinks, but were a bit to sweet for my ideal straight shot. This is what that looked like:

Some times that profile has a brightness playing on the high end (the blue line). I don't know if that profile is indicative of the midwest (I had it in two shops in Nebraska) or if it is a style borrowed from somewhere else.
As I thought about a flavor profile that would capture the terroir of Michigan, I thought that it would have to have the brightness of a cold winter morning, the growl of industrial machinery and the sweetness of Motown. As I visualized the shape that would make it seemed ironically appropriate:

Permalink Reply by Kurt Stauffer on January 29, 2009 at 2:04pm

Beautiful, elegant, simple, complex reply. Love the mitten. Here are the coffees that come to mind offhand:
Harsh/Pungent--Dark roasted high acid bean like Tanzanian PB. (20%)
Nutty/Carmelly--Brazil (40%)
Spicy/Resinous--Malabar (20%)
Winey/Tart--Kenya (20%)

Chris Hooton said:

That is an interesting question. What flavor profiles do you associate with other regions of the US? I have heard the NW has its distinct profile that is brighter than most of what I really get into. I usually imagine the flavor profiles of espresso like an equalizer on my stereo. The bass tones of the deep body and the bright treble of the acidity create a picture with curves like the equalizer knobs.

For instance, the espresso I currently use in my shop is CBI's Panache Espresso Marrakesh. It looks like this:

When traveling in the mid west I discovered a flavor profile that was new to me. I had intense midtones that offered sweetness to the milk drinks, but were a bit to sweet for my ideal straight shot. This is what that looked like:

Some times that profile has a brightness playing on the high end (the blue line). I don't know if that profile is indicative of the midwest (I had it in two shops in Nebraska) or if it is a style borrowed from somewhere else.
As I thought about a flavor profile that would capture the terroir of Michigan, I thought that it would have to have the brightness of a cold winter morning, the growl of industrial machinery and the sweetness of Motown. As I visualized the shape that would make it seemed ironically appropriate:

Permalink Reply by rob on January 30, 2009 at 7:52am

you guys have some well developed palettes it looks like.

here's the bigger question to me, WHERE is the Michigan great espresso? We have a handful of people who can prepare it well, but I just haven't been all that satisfied with a lot of the roasters I've run into locally. Especially ole paramount coffee who has flooded the market with stale, quantity not quality beans. I run into a lot of shops that 'roast their own' but do so poorly, and prepare it poorly.

I disregard and refuse the notion that Michigan cannot make a name for itself with coffee. Take two great examples. Michigan wine and michigan micro-brews. In the not so distant past, Michigan was a virtual unknown in these two regards. These two items have very similar undercurrents to coffee in regard to the people who enjoy them and the meticulousness necessary to make something truly exceptional. So I boldly theorize that yes, we totally can make Michigan ripe with great espresso. Why? Because there is still a huge gap. The market is saturated with Big-B bullsh^& and starfu#(s coffee, but they don't do it right. If we begin to roast at the levels of these huge artisan dogs (is that a contradiction) like intelly and counter-culture, then we too can be looked up to and celebrated. With global logistics, we can get the green beans nearly as fast, and we can probably also develop relationships with farmers almost just as easily.

So what occurs to me is education, education, education. Learning how to do it seems key. Yes, it takes equipment, but a palette is infinitely more important. Ultimately, a roaster guild in Michigan would be most beneficial if we want to carve a nitch. Michigan has been successful in marketing their wines and beers cooperatively, so why can't we do it with coffee. Unfortunately a lot of these guys just want to make a quick buck by selling all the information in their brains as consulting and lift their own roasters up at any cost, leaving the other guys to fend for themselves.
So the question is how do we foster this sense of community and cooperation in this free market?

I am just making this all up, but that's my two cents.

Permalink Reply by Kurt Stauffer on January 30, 2009 at 8:46am

Hey Rob, Your reply is exactly the kind of discussion I hoped for when starting this. I think the interest and knowledge reflected in your reply and in Chris' shows that we have the right basic ingredients for creating our own great coffee. But we have to work together.

Education and sharing are the foundations but there have to be support from baristas and cafes of super-premium coffee. I would love to put something together that is distinctly Michigan. Not a BG or RG or SCAA or any other sanctioned event. There's nothing wrong with those guys but there needs to be a grass roots concensus and groundswell of what we are looking for rather than copying and drooling over Intelly or Stumptown or Counter Culture. We need to find our voice.

I've tried the best of the best from around the country and we do have great coffee here in Michigan, you just gotta know where to look. Let's get something started.

rob said:

you guys have some well developed palettes it looks like.

here's the bigger question to me, WHERE is the Michigan great espresso? We have a handful of people who can prepare it well, but I just haven't been all that satisfied with a lot of the roasters I've run into locally. Especially ole paramount coffee who has flooded the market with stale, quantity not quality beans. I run into a lot of shops that 'roast their own' but do so poorly, and prepare it poorly.

I disregard and refuse the notion that Michigan cannot make a name for itself with coffee. Take two great examples. Michigan wine and michigan micro-brews. In the not so distant past, Michigan was a virtual unknown in these two regards. These two items have very similar undercurrents to coffee in regard to the people who enjoy them and the meticulousness necessary to make something truly exceptional. So I boldly theorize that yes, we totally can make Michigan ripe with great espresso. Why? Because there is still a huge gap. The market is saturated with Big-B bullsh^& and starfu#(s coffee, but they don't do it right. If we begin to roast at the levels of these huge artisan dogs (is that a contradiction) like intelly and counter-culture, then we too can be looked up to and celebrated. With global logistics, we can get the green beans nearly as fast, and we can probably also develop relationships with farmers almost just as easily.

So what occurs to me is education, education, education. Learning how to do it seems key. Yes, it takes equipment, but a palette is infinitely more important. Ultimately, a roaster guild in Michigan would be most beneficial if we want to carve a nitch. Michigan has been successful in marketing their wines and beers cooperatively, so why can't we do it with coffee. Unfortunately a lot of these guys just want to make a quick buck by selling all the information in their brains as consulting and lift their own roasters up at any cost, leaving the other guys to fend for themselves.
So the question is how do we foster this sense of community and cooperation in this free market?

I am just making this all up, but that's my two cents.

Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on March 5, 2009 at 9:29pm

My kind of thread! I'll stay tuned in to this one, but I'm too tired right now to contribute greatly to the thread. When I have more time to devote to a reply I will post a better one.

-bry

Permalink Reply by Sheree Jamrog on May 6, 2009 at 5:07am

There is good coffee in Michigan! Tucked away in Traverse City is a roastery by the name of Higher Grounds Trading Co. and we are looking at that Michigan espresso blend and thinking it looks fun to experiment with!

Permalink Reply by Kurt Stauffer on May 19, 2009 at 10:38am

Welcom Sheree and thanks for your post and interest in Michigan Espresso. Stay tuned and keep up the great work up there at HG.

Sheree Jamrog said:

There is good coffee in Michigan! Tucked away in Traverse City is a roastery by the name of Higher Grounds Trading Co. and we are looking at that Michigan espresso blend and thinking it looks fun to experiment with!

Permalink Reply by Kurt Stauffer on May 19, 2009 at 10:55am

For our latest espresso blend we chose to explore the mid and low notes for a round, sweet all-around espresso that would counter our fruity Cloud 9. The biggest challenge was how to achieve this with light to medium roasts. We selected a 4 bean blend: Indian Monsooned Malabar for the cinnamon and spice and crema; Colombian Tolima for buttery mouthfeel and a clean, dark-chocolate acidity that comes on in waves at medium roast; a Burundi washed coffee a touch of citrus to round out the others, followed by a Yemeni special prep natural process for earthiness and more body. We may still tweak the roast profiles and proportions a bit but we think this is a winner. Named for the river that runs through East Lansing. We give a nod to MSU who we work closely with to source coffees from Burundi and Rwanda through their involvement in project SPREAD. Red Cedar also gives a hint of what this coffee looks like--dark red shots, and tastes like--nutty, chocolatey and spice that made us think of Cedar when we cupped it. Finally, its the Capital and center of our state and we plan to take this coffee on the road soon. Stop by and check it out or give us a shout. We love to share.
Kurt

Permalink Reply by Chris Hooton on May 19, 2009 at 12:26pm

Hey Kurt, I can't wait to sample that - it sounds great!

Kurt Stauffer said:

For our latest espresso blend we chose to explore the mid and low notes for a round, sweet all-around espresso that would counter our fruity Cloud 9. ....
Kurt

Permalink Reply by Chris Hooton on August 11, 2009 at 2:49pm

Well, I had the pleasure to sample the offerings at Higher Grounds Trading Co. I tasted each one separately as a SO espresso mapping their flavor profiles as I did above. I then used an Excel chart to build the flavor profile I was looking for conceptually before trying it with the beans. It worked pretty well and we came up with a signature blend for our new shop that I'm pretty excited about. After that I decided to play around with this MI style espresso. Here is what I came up with:

The cup was more bitter-sweet than I had hoped for, but that seems appropriate for our times. The whole profile could stand to spread out a little further over the flavor spectrum, but all in all it makes a pretty good shot.

Permalink Reply by Kurt Stauffer on August 11, 2009 at 4:56pm

Good start. I find Mexican coffees to be very tricky in espresso. Your Rwanda/Sumatra would be great. Guats and Indonesians are often interchangeable in espresso. Our current "Cloud 9" is Ethiopia Sidamo Natural from Gerbichu Rogicha, Guatemala Huehuetenango Slow Food Presidium, and an estate grown Brazil Yellow Bourbon. We have a new Sumatra Aceh that is going to be a mind blower but I would like to keep it SO. I mostly like SO's myself but that's because I'm always tinkering. The "Cloud 9" is tough to beat as a straight shot or with milk.

Chris Hooton said:

Well, I had the pleasure to sample the offerings at Higher Grounds Trading Co. I tasted each one separately as a SO espresso mapping their flavor profiles as I did above. I then used an Excel chart to build the flavor profile I was looking for conceptually before trying it with the beans. It worked pretty well and we came up with a signature blend for our new shop that I'm pretty excited about. After that I decided to play around with this MI style espresso. Here is what I came up with:

The cup was more bitter-sweet than I had hoped for, but that seems appropriate for our times. The whole profile could stand to spread out a little further over the flavor spectrum, but all in all it makes a pretty good shot.

Permalink Reply by Chris Hooton on August 12, 2009 at 12:18pm

Kurt - that sounds great! The blend I decided on for our shop has an unwashed Ethiopian Sidamo that I fell in love with. I have that at 10% a Peru at 10% and the Mexican Yachil at 10% (the Mexican is actually the ingredient that gives HG's Mayan Magic it's name.) 30% Rwandan and 30% Sumatran. These are all roasted at what HG has determined to be their peak. I am curious what would happen if I got that Sidamo to a darker roast, but the current cup is absolutely delicious.

I really have to find myself down your way soon and sample Cloud 9 and Red Cedar!

Kurt Stauffer said:

Good start. I find Mexican coffees to be very tricky in espresso. Your Rwanda/Sumatra would be great. Guats and Indonesians are often interchangeable in espresso. Our current "Cloud 9" is Ethiopia Sidamo Natural from Gerbichu Rogicha, Guatemala Huehuetenango Slow Food Presidium, and an estate grown Brazil Yellow Bourbon. We have a new Sumatra Aceh that is going to be a mind blower but I would like to keep it SO. I mostly like SO's myself but that's because I'm always tinkering. The "Cloud 9" is tough to beat as a straight shot or with milk.

Attachments:

• Higher Grounds Espresso Extraction Profiles.xls, 111 KB

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