Green Unroasted Estate Java, Whole Bean Coffee, 5-Pound Bag

I'm a big espresso guy, and I tend to gravitate towards the African continent coffee varietals since they stand up better to a darker roast.I roast using a heat gun and do small batches by hand -- not the most refined method, but I find it a challenge to get an even roast and the slight differences in roast profile adds complexity to the batch that turns out to be pretty great for a coffee snob.These beans are not totally uniform in size, so especially challenging to get an even roast profile, but what I've found is that by roasting just into the 1st crack when only a small % of the batch is a little bit further along (2nd crack, just showing a sheen of oil), the result is a GREAT espresso.The more darkly roasted beans give the bite that normally would come from blending in some Robusta, and the remainder of the beans deliver a really deep full bodied flavor that can't be beat.This varietal is the closest ive come to replicating coffee I've had around Italy without having to blend in Robusta or monsooned Malabar.

This bean offers a free wide variety of flavors based on roasting level, but be careful because this bean coasts longer than others I have roasted in my Behmor 1600. Attempting to get a lighter roast, I took the beans 1 minute into first crack, but they coasted all the way to city+. Hitting cool at 20 seconds into first crack actually got me to the level I was looking for. At this level you get cinnamon, caramel and a hint of citrus. At full city, you get strong chocolate and tobacco notes.These beans are a little trickier than the more forgiving Yirgacheffe from the same supplier. First it seems like there are some errant early pops that can seem like first crack is beginning, though timing the beans from these sounds results in an incomplete roast. Wait until you hear a lot of pops for timing purposes. Secondly I was still hearing popping almost 30 seconds into the cooling cycle. I wonder if the rounder shape of the beans causes this?If you are looking for a lighter roast, use a profile that ramps right up to full heat. On the Behmor I use Profile 1. Using the other profiles results in good coffee, rich and strong, but not as complex as a straight forward roast produces. Very different than the Yirgacheffe that gets more complex with a varying temperature profile.Overall, I like this variety a lot. As a bonus, beans don't get stuck in the basket. I will definitely be ordering more.

disclaimer: I'm not much of a coffee drinker so much of this review is 2nd hand info. However, I do like this coffee, freshly roasted, ground and brewed in a home barista type machine. I drink it black - it is so mellow. My daughter's boyfriend, a coffee fiend, declared a cup of this the best coffee he had ever had. My husband drinks it iced, with Splenda and soymilk, in the summer, and hot, as cafe americano or sweetened w/ Splenda when it's cold. We have a small home roaster that can roast 4.5 oz of green beans a batch, yielding about 3.6 oz of roasted coffee. The coffee drinkers prefer a medium roast, as opposed to the very dark espresso roast. My daughter told us dark roast tasted burnt but she drank it anyway. And the coffee lovers prefer this bean to others they have tried. It's almost good enough to convert me away from tea. If you belong to Costco and live near a store that roasts in house, you can buy a 30 lb box of beans but my coffee drinkers like the Kenya AA better and Costco doesn't sell this beanYou do not need to start out with the specialty roaster & espresso machine. A little bit of googling will give you directions on roasting using a hot air popcorn popper or even a skillet (if you dare). Grinders are inexpensive and a french press makes an excellent cup of joe. If a good cup of coffee then curls your toes, you can go coffee mad with all the toys and some Kenya AA.

I've been roasting my own coffee for probably ten years now and usually spend a good deal of time wading through the descriptions on those coffee sales sites that describe their buying trips to exotic places and the blackberry undertones, hints of pear and lilac and the subtle tones of this and that and blah blah blah.I have never noticed any of that particularly. I just like the taste of good coffee. Maybe I'm a barbarian, I dunno.Anyway, bought a bag of this and it's just flat out terrific.I can't tell you about the finish or the fruity background or the round mouth feel or any of that. But I know good coffee when I taste it and this is good coffee.I'm ordering more right now.

Brazil Santos has always and likely will always be a personal favorite of mine. Like any bean personal preference is what's important. I think of this one as a versatile coffee. At lighter roasts I can still get some of the darker chocolate type flavors as well as the bright notes usual in lighter roasts. What I feel this bean doesn't like is a fast roast. Never ever go faster than 30 degrees a minute. If you have a fresh roast or one of the other small fluid bed roasters this can be difficult. Stay on top of it and knock the heat down if it's going too fast. I try to get about 20 degrees a minute and it always comes out nice. I also roast this one well past second crack for a french dude I work with. He loves it as an espresso. Take your time and treat it nice and it will always treat you nice. Oh, and six bucks a pound shipped can't be beat either.

I do pan-roasting, a couple of pounds at a time. I took these to just beyond second crack - the aroma was stunning, as rich as I've ever had. This has been my favorite location coffee from long ago, when it was known as "Celebes" rather than "Sulawesi". Now I'm looking forward to a few weeks of delicious grinds.

The Unroasted Indian Monsooned Malabar is a great buy, especially if you enjoy roasting something special. With a good city roast, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the body these beans have. They are very balanced and roast well, not to mention clean. The smell alone will bring neighbors knocking. Buy these beans, they are worth it. You'll be glad that you did.