Technivorm Moccamaster CD coffee maker

As I have stated before, the french press or press pot is the easiest, cheapest, and simplest way to brew incredible coffee. However, a month ago, I purchased my first Technivorm coffee maker. I have no faith in the majority of drip brewers because they are notorious for low temperatures that cause an under-extraction of the coffee and a loss of the many flavors that specialty coffee offers. Technivorm brews the coffee at temperatures of 195-200 and even soaks the grinds like a french press. If you regularly drink great fresh roasted coffee, this is one of only a few machines made for perfect coffee.

New Single Origin Coffee Offering

The description below can not describe the depth of flavors that come from a full city roast of this Peru La Florida. I have cupped this coffee several times and have found sometimes nutty and chocolate flavor profile. This is my favorite coffee available. There is something very shocking when I taste this coffee. I explain to everyone who will listen that great coffee does not need milk, sugar, or flavoring. It would truly be a shame to add anything to this coffee.


Below from www.freshcoffeebeans.com

PERU LA FLORIDA ORGANIC FAIR TRADE
La Florida was founded in 1966. Initially the cooperative consisted of 100 farmers who hoped to combine and market their coffee at better prices and thereby attain a greater level of development. Today the cooperative has over 1500 producer associates, all small coffee farmers, representing 36 communal groups, including Peruvian Sierra colonies and indigenous communities. The coffee comes from the slopes of the Andes Mountains in the region of Central Peru. There are 183 certified organic producers participating in La Florida’s organic program. These members are now training their neighbors to improve their harvest using sustainable agriculture practices. The coffee boast USDA and TransFair USA certifications. A European Preparation grade coffee, grown at 4800 - 6000 feet. Spicy floral aroma with hints of citrus. Full flavored with light creamy body and a clean finish.


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Tosta Caffe Roaster

I have been roasting all of my coffee with the 8lb.-capacity Tosta Caffe Roaster from http://www.cafecoffees.com/ for several months. I have always worried that this line of electric drum roasters could not compete with the gas burning large roasters. There is nothing to worry about. The coffee roasted by any of Don Hudson's machines (cafecoffees) is always delicious and consistent. Someday soon I may even purchase the new 20lb roaster from CafeCoffees.

Stay tuned. I am working on finding new warehouse space to roast Chazzano Coffee.

Check out the Costa Rica Tarrazu, Rwanda 100% Bourbon, and the Decaf Extravaganza. If you are looking to cut down on your caffeine consumption, buy some Decaf Extravaganza and blend it with some of my Costa Rican or Guatemalan coffees.

About Chazzano Coffee

About 5 years ago, my mother-in-law asked me what I wanted to for my birthday. I had been searching about coffee on the web and I spotted a Fresh Roast home coffee roaster and a few pounds of beans for $65. I was used to ordering through Starbucks Encore program several pounds of coffee every month. After the first roast using the Fresh Roast roaster, I was hooked. Up to that point, that was the best cup of coffee that I had ever tasted. Throughout the years, I used the Fresh Roast Plus, Fresh Roast Plus 8, Cafe Rosta, Nesco (formerly Zach & Dani's) and then the I-Roast and I-Roast 2 with great success. After several years of roasting for myself, I needed a larger roaster so that I could share my passion for specialty coffee with my friends.

I began to use the AeroRost which roasts about 2 lbs of beans. When I was working in Chicago for two years, about 30 people came over to my house to drink my coffee. It became an incredible time to spend quality time with friends, an easy cupping party and a way to experiment with different blends. During my first year in Chicago, a great friend, Eric Diamond, designed the Chazzano logo for me as a present. The logo and graphics were so clever and connected to my personality. That was when Chazzano Coffee LLC was born. (The "ch" in Chazzano is pronounced like the "ch" in "Bach" or "Loch.") The logo provided the impetus for me to found Chazzano Coffee (tm). I invested in a 4lb roaster from cafecoffees.com called the MicroTosta Cafe and then the 8lb Tosta Caffe. I have over 300 lbs of green coffee from different countries throughout the world. I am enjoying the adventure in the world of coffee roasting and specialty coffee.

I can't believe it's not Caffeinated!

I am ashamed to admit that my new Decaf Blend is delicious and full of chocolate and berry notes. I have finally found decaffeinated green beans from my favorite broker, http://www.freshcoffeebeans.com/, that rival many caffeinated specialty beans. I have been drinking this coffee for the last two weeks because I still don't believe that it is really decaffeinated.

I quote freshcoffeebeans.com, "We find the Royal Select (Mountain Water) Process to retain significantly more flavor than other water processed coffees. There may be a number of reasons for this - most likely the freshness and qualilty of the beans that are being decaffed, and the fact that RS decaf is not polished after decaffing."

This is the first time that decaffing has not also removed the flavor.

French Press/ Press Pot Continued

I must remind you if you use a coffee press pot/ french press that it is important to use the proper amount of coffee. For a 32 oz. press pot use 5 somewhat heaping coffee scoops. For a 48oz press pot, use 8 somewhat heaping coffee scoops. Please don't brew specialty coffee that is roasted with care in a drip coffee maker and G-d forbid in a coffee urn. I have the same reaction to coffee urn coffee as Harry Potter's friends have to Lord Voldemort. My main fear is that I will die and go to the world-to-come and find out that they only serve over cooked coffee.

The Art and Science of Roasting Coffee

For the past two years, I have been roasting with the Micro TostaCaffe from cafecoffees.com. I can roast up to 4lbs. with excellent results. It comes with a puffer module that blows the smoke away from the beans and away from the house. A thermometer is easily used to determine the temperature of the beans. I purchased a Data Acquisition Module that Don Hudson of Cafecoffees developed that allows me to collect data about the roast on my laptop computer with either spreadsheet or graph capabilities. This last piece of equipment has allowed me to repeat favorite roasts more accurately. I prefer this roaster to other excellent roasters on the market because of the large capacity of the drum. It is easy to see the development of the roast both by hearing the cracks (1st and 2nd crack), by the color, and by the smell. Before I attempt to duplicate a favorite roast, I examine my meticulous notes.

Coffee roasting combines both science and art. Each roasting batch has different flavor potentials depending on the temperature- the speed at which it reaches that temperature and the duration of roast at that temperature. If the beans are roasted light, I am sometimes surprised at the complexity of the cup. If the beans are roasted towards full city, the beans now have a different flavor profile. The length of time that the beans degas (release CO2) changes the bouquet (smell of freshly roasted beans) and the aroma (the smell of the brewed coffee). Sometimes coffee beans are best if consumed within 3 days. Sometimes, I forget about a roast and let it sit in vacuum sealed bags for 1 week and I am surprised at how mature the coffee smells. By mature, I mean that the coffee has begun to develop new interesting flavor characteristics. Like wine, coffee can remind you of flavors as diverse as tobacco, flowers, fruit, leather, chocolate, caramel, medicinal (bad), or herbs. In fact, coffee has double the amount of flavor characteristics as wine: 1500 to 750.

There are a plethora of steps to an outstanding cup of coffee. 1. The science of planting the coffee trees with the optimal levels of nutrients in the soil. 2. The care by which the pickers choose the best batch of beans and separate the defects(moldy, insects, debris, unripe, etc.) from the rest of the batch. 3. Shipping the green beans quickly to the coffee roaster. 4. The art of the coffee roaster that brings the freshest and most interesting flavor profile to the coffee. 5. The science of brewing the coffee at 190-195 degrees Fahrenheit with the proper amount of coffee to make sure that the coffee is neither over or under- extracted. 6. Serving the coffee quickly after brewing. There are over 100 steps from the coffee plant to the coffee cup.

Blending different coffees is also an art form. Coffee roasters (people) need to cup their single origin coffees at different degree of roasts to determine what are the characteristics of the particular bean. Beans from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Brazil, Panama, India, Rwanda, Hawaii, Kenya, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Sumatra, Indonesia, etc. all have different potential. From one year to the next the quality of the beans from a particular region can increase or decrease. Roasters (people) know what to expect from each of their different beans but there is still a great deal of guesswork and experimentation involved to create an interesting and delicious blend.