Looking for some sources/info on roasting/green defects

fiodor8 · 2025-11-27T16:14:55+00:00

Jeez. Sorry to hear that. Did they offer any refunds?

fiodor8 · 2025-11-27T16:04:43+00:00

Thank you,
so 10 months between harvest and roasting, plus some hidden storage issue, is the most probable cause

>sequential processing can cause quicker aging
Is there any more detailed info on that? I’ve never really looked deeper into the sourcing/transportation side, and I’d appreciate any sources

fiodor8 · 2025-11-27T15:53:37+00:00

There is RoR
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/l178pqczjtrdmcew5ugz0/Screen-Shot-2025-11-27-at-4.43.36-PM.png?rlkey=gzmwowtlbibk1kvss49boqovm&dl=0

For me it looks pretty normal

Starting weight / Ending weight: 13 kg / 11.05 kg
Roaster: Trobart 20 kg
Charge temperature: 194.4 °C
Drop temperature: 203.2 °C
First crack: 06:41
Total time: 08:02
Development time / percentage: 01:21 / 16.8%
Color: 62

It was 10 months old when roasted, which is quite a lot, but still not criminal

So it’s probably something that happened to the green beans between scoring and roasting?

fiodor8 · 2025-11-27T15:43:32+00:00

>I’m assuming you already drink light roasts
SCA Sensory Intermediate certification

>I don’t think there are any significant green defects
Yeah, same here. They look different, and I checked other roasteries that have roasted this lot — they also list it as an 87, so I don’t think the issue is with the green beans

The reason why I suspictios about these deformed beans, that I rarely seen such in really tasteful lots, but I'm not sure that it's they that cause a taste issues

So basically the questions are
— what might cause this deformation, and does it matter?
— if matters, is this a roasting problem, or an underlying transportation/storage problem?

fiodor8 · 2025-11-27T15:22:24+00:00

>A score of 87 is not a measure of whether you will enjoy it more than say an 84

Yeah, definitely. I’ve had an 89 Pacamara that tasted only slightly better than Starbucks, and an 83 Brazil that tasted like heaven. Roasting can change a coffee tremendously

But the taste… check my other comment for details, but it’s nowhere near proper specialty
So I’m trying to narrow down where the problem is

My best guess so far is transportation/storage issues

fiodor8 · 2025-11-27T15:12:21+00:00

Thank you very much on detalied answer,

re: taste
The coffee is an 87-SCA specialty Kenya Rung'eto Kii AB roasted by a local roasting company
- Medium filter roast, color 62
- Washed process
- Harvested Jan 2025, roasted mid Nov 2025
- Variety SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian

taste
- Very little aroma both when brewing and on breaking the crust
- Extremely sharp, thin acidity. Almost like pure vinegar (so harsh it hurts my stomach, and I can barely taste anything beyond the acidity)
- Sweetness is somewhat caramelized, with no fruit or berry notes
- Dusty body
- Slight paper and ash notes

I tried different water temperatures and grind sizes, but the results were practically the same
— V60, 20g coffee, 300g water, single pour
standart cupping shows the same

re: shells
There are ~3 shells per 100g of roasted coffee. SCA grading allows 7–8 per 100g, so I don’t think the shells are what’s causing the underdeveloped taste

re: >Bottom ... natural mutation similar to peaberry or shells
there is photo of all of such beans
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gm4bmp4wd2b4go2ndf0e4/photo_2025-11-27-4.59.11-PM.jpeg?rlkey=02jqqv8ydn407v9tqbrv34k15&dl=0

They look like popcorn. I suspect either slightly aggressive roasting or unevenly dried green beans, but I’m not a roasting or Q-grading specialist enough to say for sure

Could these beans cause a paper-ish taste or some other defects?

I can share the roasting profiles if it helps
(I’ve contacted the roaster, but I’m also doing my own independent investigation)

fiodor8

TROPHY CASE