Coffee: we drink it or we get angry.

What was the water temp? Too cool can cause sour coffee. Why are you letting it sit 10 minutes after the 4 minute extraction time? It continues to extract as long as it's in the press. Overextraction can cause off flavors as well. In my experience Ethiopians aren't typically bright like Kenyans but they can be fruity and floral. Washed not as much as natural. I'm a big fan of Ethiopians. Coffees vary farm to farm and crop to crop. I've had some pretty bright Costa Ricans. Add a touch of sugar for sweetness if you want.

 

I'm fine with a bit of acidity to balance out sweetness but this is just too weird for me. What kind of coffee would be sweetest? The Columbia one that seemed sweetest among the stuff i tried out smelled like vanilla and molasses but tasted like old lemon-sour and super bitter. albeit that was a cheap bag with no roast date... The Ethiopia right now tastes more like normal sour than bitter-sour, but is still kind of weird. Maybe i should try out some natural/semi-washed coffees? Aiming for an HD650 kind of sorts, with Ethiopia right now as HD800.

SEA&Brazillian....wouldn't that taste extremely muted acid-wise?

 

Do you have a grinder? Where are you located?

 

Also, are you putting the lid back on the press and turning the spout opening to close that off for heat retention?

 

Just off boil. Trying to do more of a cupping brew style than normal French Press to get higher extraction. Getting as much extraction as I can to neutralize the sourness (supposed to be underextraction?) before it starts tasting completely bitter.

Central NY with a Porlex JP-30. College student just getting into coffee. If I'm to have 3 cups of coffee a day, it'd better be the gourmet stuff (at least not Charbucks...)

Mine was 48, but now that I've seen your description of acidity and sourness, I'm starting to think I might just not be a "clean" coffee kind of guy, cause the "sourness" doesn't linger on too much, it's just lacking more sweetness to make up for it. Putting sugar in makes it even worse, adding a very unconvincing sweetness to it. Maybe my expectations for specialty coffee are completely wrong. I was expecting more caramel and chocolate than bright fruits. Any coffee with more of those characteristics?

 

Oh yeah. Natural-processed. That might just be the thing I'm looking for. More sweetness and viscosity, right? Even the green tea i'm drinking right now is sweeter and more viscous than the washed Ethiopian, which is weird considering coffee's supposed to be the heavier drink.

EDIT: been drinking Vietnamese coffee all my life so my opinion on how viscous and sweet coffee should be might be due to the sh*t ton of condensed milk we put in our coffee.

 

You might give this blend a try:

https://counterculturecoffee.com/shop/coffee/big-trouble

 

Has anyone tried the Compak K3, and E5?

 

@Vansen I gotta start writing all these stuff you're saying man... good stuff!

 

Yep, green apple candy on the bag...Might give this roaster a second go. They have a semi-washed Costa Rican and dry processed Brazil as well that have descriptions of "toffee" and "creme brulee". Supporting local business and such.Now I just gotta finish up this bag of Ethiopian. Thanks guys. After 4 bags of weirdness, I might just find one that I finally like.

Oh yeah. Completely forgot about that. Still have a bag of some dark roasted blend lying around unused. Nasty, charcoal bitterness is not how I like my coffee at all, even just a hint. No tobacco or ink taste for me (yes i've tasted ink as a kid...). Just caramel all day with some nuts on the side. Perfect coffee for me would basically taste like flan in a cup. Herbs, florals and vegetal stuff are strictly tea territory (I prefer green tea over black tea ).

 

Acidity to me is like part of the fruit profile of a bean/roast.
Like, "juicy grape" vs. "strawberry" vs "green apple" vs. "lime" vs. "lemon" acidity. Fruit along an acidity continuum.
Balance is also important. I've had Ethiopian Yirgacheffe with darker roast profiles but a peaky lemon stripe of acidity...interesting at first but overly bright & unfit for the morning routine.
Audio analog: A kind of "mid-mids/upper mids/lower treble/treble" in brightness/amount (and relative to rest of the FR).
Some otherwise nice IEMs have a "thin bright wire of treble" running through the middle of expansive bass/lush mids.

Yes, a bright acidity can be described as sour (just like lemon) but...

Sour to me in coffee is something "not-good" that happens as a function of lowering temperature. More like a sour milk characteristic.
Audio analog: "Honky mids", perhaps? Not really something that I think anyone has a preference for, mainly a fault.
(Though, I'm sure someone could argue this as a "Mango Lassi" characteristic...I'm not buying it.)

I love Ethiopian coffees that have buttered blueberry muffins in the aroma, caramel in the palate and mouthfeel, and/or some medium juicy acidity (strawberry/raspberry please). That also tastes great all the way down to room temp. Ahhh. Please pass those recommendations on to me.

Or, South American with apple (not super sour unripe granny smith apple). Ecuadorean, some Colombian.

Like grapes from a particular patch in a particular year, sold/harvested by a particular winery & handled by a winemaker that matches my tastes...coffee is like that too. Hard to grow, process, handle, roast, ship, in just the right way down the chain to a heck of a cup. At their best, minor miracles.

 

Starbucks surprised me today. I had a Jamaican Blue roast of some kind from their Clover brewer. It was the first cup of anything I've had from them that didn't make me yearn for my press at home.

 

Have you searched out local roasters yet? I live in Rochester and I have 7 or 8 to choose from. The reason I ask that is buying small quantities for testing or maybe they brew samples in house. My local roaster even has small events to learn about brewing/roasting/food pairing etc. Many samples to be had.

I've been loving a single origin Guatemalan bean roasted around medium to City. Its a little sweet, nutty, earthy, with a little kick at the front of the mouth. I can't stop drinking the stuff....lol

My local lady said she sells green coffee too, so I could fiddle with this bean and roast a little darker if I so desire too...

 

https://counterculturecoffee.com/shop/coffee/buziraguhindwa-natural-sundried

https://topecacoffee.com/shop/africa/ardi-ethiopia/

 

^Thank you! Just finished my beans yesterday and need to order.

 

The first one is more complex IMO and Counter Culture typically ships a bit faster.