Thursday, March 15, 2007

New CAFFèNATION HOUSE BLEND

It's a never ending story : blend building.

No matter what the outcome is, you never stop hesitating and worrying about the result. Shall they like em? How does it keep its aroma over longer periods? Is it too strong or too commercial or too expensive or ...?

A lot of things to consider, but we took a decision.

4 unequal parts :
1. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, medium roast, 30%. Fruit, Citrus, low caf and flexibility towards cold or sweetened coffees.
2. El Salvador Picacho SHG, medium dark roast, 30%. Weight/Body, a bit nutty and with it's low acidity as a contrapart for the Yirg.
3. Brazil Santos Fancy 17/18, medium roast, 20%. Binder, soft finish for longer coffees, sharp price and air supplier.
4. Italian Roast Espresso Mixture, 20%. Some Latin beans, Java Boungie and a bit of Indian Robusta. For strenght, a tad of bitterness, color, stability and easy handling.
Retail prices on small quantities : €12,40 a kilo. Yes, it's a bargain.

I know it's ballsy to show all people what we put into our blend. The first time i saw Kontra their labels i was almost shocked, but i think we got nothing to hide, au contraire. And if somebody wants to steal it : go ahead, it would be a compliment.
It's our intention to try to stay ahead and continue to go fast forward and readjust our blend on and on.
I'm a bit afraid for the continuity of the El Salvador, but the other components were really good and stable the last 3-4 years.

So, our barista's are waiting to serve you the new House Blend as a ristretto, espresso, lungo, lungo radicale or americano. Cheers!

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