Saturday, April 21, 2007

Saturday Espresso Blogging

I turned out some of the best espresso shots ever this morning. After using Vivace Dolce for the last few months we are trying Black Cat from Intelligentsia. David Schomer's Dolce blend has proven a little difficult to get a handle on, frequently resulting in a "woody" or "grassy" taste in the cup. I've tried temps from 92c to 98c (standard 7c offset) and reduced these flavors a bit but never completely eliminated them.

My first shot with Black Cat was really good but took almost a minute for 2 oz. I adjusted the grinder a little coarser and the next shot was spectacular, rich chocolate aroma and flavor. We tried this blend about a year ago without much success. In truth we were still learning how to use our machine. I am now a big Black Cat fan and encourage anyone looking for a forgiving blend to give it a try.

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