JMANESPRESSO
Fishkill, New York
About me:
My Equipment:
Espresso machine & grinder
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BELLE ESPRESSO
JmanEspresso | Sun, 01/23/2011 - 20:52One of my long time favorite espresso blends, and the first espresso blend I ever had.. nay, the first COFFEE I ever had that was fresh roasted. The flavor profile as changed a bit since I first tried it, but Ive been ordering Belle at least once a month with my other coffees for a long time now. It used to be a very noticeable Chocolate Covered Cherry with a slight hint of brandy or congnac at the end. Now, the milky sweet chocolate is still there, and the body is still thick and rich.. But the fruit is now much more berries. I get blackberry mostly, with some of the twang of a raspberry. Still a very, very good espresso, just different then what it used to be. One of my favorites.. Very easy to work with.. Highly Suggested.
CAFFE VINCENTE
JmanEspresso | Tue, 09/14/2010 - 03:30This blend is very different from the Sweet Cheeks Espresso. This was probably the best representation of a "classic Espresso" Ive had. Simple, with lots of crema, medium body, sweet and bitter balanced beautifully, with nice roast notes. I didnt get much fruit at all, but for the way this coffee presents itself, that works to its advantage. Every now and then, its nice to have a simple, tried and true espresso. Why? Because it just tastes good. I went with 18grams/93C giving about 1.7oz/27-30seconds. So, more towards ristretto. The normale style shots with a lighter dose didn't work out well for me, but, thats my tastes. Always play in the extraction space to find your ideal shot.
SWEET CHEEKS 'SPRO
JmanEspresso | Tue, 09/14/2010 - 03:27This blend is a nice espresso. Is it the best Ive ever had? Probably not. However, it is quite good. Its quite forgiving and flexible, I had good results from 16gr up to 22grams, with temps ranging from 91-94C. Very thick, gloopy shots with rich bittersweet choc. and some nice winey fruit. Id certainly purchase again.
VIVACE VITA
JmanEspresso | Tue, 05/18/2010 - 03:45Another solid blend from Espresso Vivace, this one is designed for the milk drinks. Shot parameters are the same as dolce, 203.5F temp, high dose(17-19gram) and ristretto pulls(1.5-1.6oz in 30-35seconds). In milk drinks up to ~7oz, this makes a wonderfully sweet and creamy cappuccino, that tastes like liquid caramel. Tons of lush sweetness, and full of body. It also preforms well as a straight shot, with a heavy caramel/roasty presence. NOT to be confused with overroasted, burnt, stale bitterness, but bittersweet roast tones. If you're looking for straight espresso, this isn't the #1 pick, although it IS good. From Vivace, the Dolce is what you want. BUT, if you want a blend which will transform any properly sized milk drink (ie: 5-7oz) into a caramel dream, this is what you want. Highly Recommended.
VIVACE DOLCE
JmanEspresso | Tue, 05/18/2010 - 03:41This is a VERY good espresso blend. One thing about it, it NEEDS high temps.. David Schomer Suggests 203.5F for this blend.. higher then most any of the popular espresso blends from other Top Tier roasters. But, if you have a machine capable of consistently hitting this temp(or as close to it as possible, ie: +/-.5F, then you will be rewarded with a shot as thick as pure melted chocolate, that tastes like chocolate, caramel, creamy almonds and hazelnuts, and a SLIGHt fruity presence. But most of all, the sweetness is out of this world. By far, the sweetest espresso Ive ever had. This blend is desinged to be pulled at higher temps, high doses, and a high extraction ratio. Or, simply put, updose and pull ristretto. I was pulling about 1.5-1.75oz in 30-35seconds, with AND w/o pre-infusion.