Aug 16 2008
wet vs. dry the final word
Thinking that it might of been the short roasting time that left me feeling unsatisfied with the taste of the wet processed Ethopian Koratie, I decided to extend the time on the next batch by a couple of minutes. This time, I roasted it for 22 minutes in the Nesco, getting a slightly darker bean color the last bunch. This improved the overall taste by a few degrees, but the change was nowhere near dramatic. The wet tasted nice, clean and bright, like a South American, but was still lacking any sort of complexity that I personally look for in my morning cup of the old go go juice. This bean would probably be a good as part of breakfast blend, especially if paired with something a little bit hardier.
As for the dry processed koratie, I roasted the next batch exactly likely the first one, knowing that I had already found its sweet spot and intending to stick to it. I roasted it for just over 24 minutes, pushing the cooling cycle on just as I heard the second crack. This batch turned out even better then the last one. The tangy blueberry aftertaste was even more reminiscent of the Anohki, and the rst of the cup just oozed character. I made a mental note to stock up on a few more pounds of the stuff so that I might be able to send some to a few friends to see what they think.
In conclusion, while I prefer the Ethopian koratie dry process to a much greater degree, I can see why maybe some coffee nuts might prefer the wet. I know there are coffee people out there in which the perfect cup is clean, bright and conventional like the wet. However, I am certainly not a conventionalist. I prefer a cup with a little bit of character, perhaps even a smidgen of craziness. Give me the dry anytime.
