I build crop nutrition for a living with that mindset comes the understanding how nutrition, along with altitude, amount of sunlight, relationships in micronutrients set the stage for flavors. When my sons asked what I wanted for Father's Day 20 years ago, I thought and answered, raw coffee beans. Since then I have acquired many different brand from around the world and studied their backgrounds in the roasting that would bring out uniqueness in flavonoids and oils.
I usually roast in cast-iron pans or cast-iron woks. My preference is around a steady 400 degrees and stirring occasionally to maintain evenness in roasting. I will watch for the oils to reach the surface and the cracking. Wooden spoons or gently shaking the pans maintains consistency. I had to brother in laws up one weekend with each of us having a set of beans to roast as we visited and caught up on families. Typical guys, this turned into a contest of who facilitated the least acid/bitter cup of coffee for the morning breakfast.
Typically I will roast each batch individually and then formulate my own blends like tinkering with nutrition to check out how each input affects the final product.
I have been impressed with the quality of information on the growers, climate, altitude, amount of shade, method of preparation in the beans I buy. Quick shipping, fair pricing and knowing I have a connection to the growers and rewarding them for their care in raising my favorite drink.
I'm just starting out as a home roaster, so my roasting method was simple and primitive. I used a cast iron skillet to roast the beans and to my delight they came out great. I tasted notes of roasted pecans and stone fruit. The acidity was very mild and bright. I will be buying these beans again.
I found this coffee easy to roast and even easier to drink, especially as a "pour over". It is sweet and light enough to be an all-day coffee. Does not overwhelm the palate and is crisp and clean tasting cup after cup. Has good mouthfeel and leaves a positive aftertaste that works great with breakfast or lunch, not interfering with the taste of the meal.
What a great coffee. Sapa Sunlight is very high quality, Specialty grade 1 quality. I roast these beans on a precision engineering 500G sample roaster and a 2003 Joper CR3 3kg drum roaster as well. Roasted to a light roast we taste notes of Gala Apple, Cashew and Apricot.
Peruvian beans are my favorite. I like these for the mid-tongue flavors. I roast on a Behmor and aim for just into second crack. Very clean cup. I drink it the day after roasting and it’s delicious, but gets better after a couple of days. So happy to have a great source for Peruvian coffee.
Delicious. So much chocolate. But also a nice acidity and sweetness. Very drinkable but also interesting and dynamic. Haven't roasted it at too many levels yet, just taken it to end of 1C.
Another exceptional offering from Sunrise Trading, Warmi Embrace delivers on every level. With its remarkable flavor profile and outstanding green coffee uniformity, it is a joy to roast and even more delightful in the cup.
Fantastic coffee, fantastic people!