Loring S15 Falcon Analysis by Doris Garrido
Something to notice about the processing method they use for this coffee is the taste of tart and citric cleanliness, without any fermented notes that tend to translate into defects after some time. Another thing that Evan Gilman noticed on his roast, and I agreed 100%, is the lack of quakers after roasting. This is amazing proof of the cherry selection. By floating cherry and using raised beds for drying, Café de Altura de San Ramón really guards the quality of their coffee.
I got to do two roasts of 18lbs each, which is 54% of the capacity of the Loring S15 Falcon. For the first roast I did a “fast roast,” and spent 3:19 drying / 4:37 in Maillard / 1:36 in post-crack development, for a 9:30 total roast time. I started at 433F at charge temperature, adding gas to 100% close to the turning point, and lowering little by little after the 2:29 mark. I was looking to not disturb the rate of rise so much, and also to hit first crack with a rate of 10 degrees per minute, which I was able to do. I dropped the coffee of my first batch at 400.4F, with 54.4 ColorTrack for the ground beans readings.
For the second roast I went a little longer, looking to spend more time in Maillard. I started with a charge temperature of 421F and 100% gas, but different to the first roast slightly less time, and lowering the gas a little faster in order to stretch the time spent in Maillard. With 1:34 of development and 404F drop temperature, this roast concluded at 10:50.
The results were clear right on the cupping table, with no doubt the best cupping notes from the short and fast roast. A clean and juicy raspberry tartness, citric lemons mixed with delicate sweetness of berry jam, and watermelon. For the second roast we got ripe fruits, dried fig, berries, milk chocolate, sweet, but thin and grassy. Because of its clean and delicate taste, I'll keep the first profile for future roast but both of them have good quality flavors, and showcase the great work for this caturra and catuai from Valle Cañuela Costa Rica. And for anyone interested in tasting it, this coffee will be on the menu for just a short while this summer as cold brew here at the Crown.
