For many espresso or coffee enthusiasts this spectacular blend is exactly what one would hope-for, and expect from, a specialty coffee company. The 1936 espresso is for many the ideal house shot. It flavour and composition has changed a little with seasonal shifts, but not as much as one would think. The natual process underlying the green coffee chosen, as well as the original characteristics shine through, making for shots with notable sweetness. Dense and challenging to extract consistently on anything but excellent equipment, this afro-brazillian is roasted to a lighter than typical roast level for espresso-extraction. Roast-flavours are largely set aside to highlight origin-flavours and process-characteristics inherent to naturals.. I imagine that this is a challenge for a roaster to replicate year after year because of the seasonal variability in coffee crops. It takes a rock solid estate-choice to weather the seasonal availibilty, and aging effects that come with green coffee and the task of turning it brown. Roasting to a lighter level shows their confidence in their green-coffee choice. It also shows a tremendous amount of confidence in their master-roaster and barista team, as lighter profile beans chosen for espresso typically require more work to dial in, perfect, and extract consistently. This coffee is really responsive to the skill of the barista and the equipment used. Right temperature control, perfect grind, dose weight, and pressure are required to get the best out of this coffee - which means a slightly darker roast profile might make things a smidge easier and more consistent, and also more accessable to typical equipment. With good cafe quality gear, the dialed-in espresso is delicate, verysweet, with moderate body, fermented fruit acidity, and a pleasant finish. For me - this means the espresso makes a great base for lighter milkbased drinks, and easy drinking americanos. In lattes or larger volume drinks the espresso edges further towards the delicate side, but in shorter drinks (such as a machiatto), the balance of origin flavour, roast level and milk are most balanced and harmoneous. I think id probably prefer an extra 20-30-40 seconds of roast time in development to balance out the generous sweetness with a touch more roast flavour on finish... thsi would make it a better all around every day espresso while giving the barista (and home barista) a little bit of an extra edge coaxing out the generous flavour of the beans. Fresh-roasted, this one is a tougher one to extract. It produces enough delicate crema. In my opinion it benefits from high temp extraction around 94-95 degrees, a touch-coarser grind, soft long preinfusion, and a solid 9 bars extraction to ratios around 1:3. The result is best enjoyed macchiato. Ive probably bought dozens of kilograms over the years, extracted it on a wide variety of equipment, using a variety of grinders, and at ages from 2days to 1 month after roast. A good grinder is a must. The coffee grind settings move with time as the coffee rests and it is ideal around 9 or 10 days after roast until 14-20 days, after this the crema shifts.
There is probably no reason to avoid brewing this coffee in any style you wish - its all around excellent - but unless you have a super solid equipment setup with stable extraction temps, grinder consistency and puck prep you may find a darker roast easier to extract as an espresso. If you have the skill and equipmement and experience to dial this one it you'll have a really top notch espresso on your hands. Id wish i could try this slightly darker just for the sake of experience because i think id take it a smidge darker based on my personal preferences.
Compare this with their other espresso and try not to let the price decide for you which is better. Both are excellent. Truly.
