Tuesday, September 14, 2004


Autumn's Splendor

As a recent transplant to Vermont (in my seventh month... only thirty years or so to go 'til I'm no longer considered a flatlander) I'm anxious and eager to see the blaze of color that Autumn promises here. Which only goes to prove that I am a flatlander, as anxiety is not something that native Vermonters practice very much. Even clocks here tend to tick with a slower beat.

The change of seasons is reason enough to celebrate in my book, and when I celebrate I roast coffee. Inspired by the hues and aromas of Fall, I've been having great fun with melange roasts (See, Jim, you're not the only one who can flip a bon mot) or blends of light and darker-roasted coffees.

I've been daring myself to do truly smoky things to some truly high-grown Guatemalan beans. Honestly, it's not easy for me to do... I hear the brittle-toothpick snaps of second crack and it's all I can do to stay my hand and not quench the roast. Let the smoke roll... they can take it!

The results have been easily as tasty as they are colorful. Really, what coffee's not going to sing sweetly with a smoky, caramelly, velvety-bodied bass note underneath it? Pairing a smoky French-roasted treat like that with a fruited Guatemalan Coban is lovely. Toss in a handful of Oaxacan beans, which at Full City have a bit of a reddish hue, and you've got candy for the eyes, too, as well as their palate-pleasing spicy Mexican chocolate note.

Even if you don't roast your own, you can still play with melange blends... pick up some French or Viennese beans from your local roaster, as well as an assortment of bright, acidy coffees to sing in the soprano section and you're on your way. Happy blending!

posted by deCadmus | 10:06 PM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments