Diedrich IR5 & Loring S15 Falcon Analysis by Doris Garrido
Machine: Diedrich & Loring
Batch Size: 4.5 and 18 lbs.
Great news! We can finally enjoy Peru Finca Tasta coffee again. The coffee arrived last week, and I’ve already cupped it a couple of times. They will be on the Crown menu this weekend. We are very selective about our Crown Jewel coffees, and Edith's meticulous work is evident in the exceptional taste.
Edith and her brother Ivan Meza own a farm in the foothills of the Andes, the forest side of the Junin region of Peru. This harvest was challenging due to heavy rains caused by climate change, which lowered the yield of some of her coffees.
To mitigate some of the impacts of these changes, Edith has implemented several strategies based on her knowledge of coffee farming. These include replanting the farm and nurturing the plants with specific care, she has also adapted harvesting and processing techniques to account for the climate influence.
Edith’s background in food engineering focused on chemistry and microbiology, has been invaluable in addressing challenges during fermentation. She has optimized the process and built raised beds and greenhouses to facilitate drying. All this work has resulted in this exceptional cup! Her ingenuity and creative work have made this elegant natural process coffee truly impressive.
I have done two roasts now. The first one on the Diedrich roaster turned out exceptional, so for the second roast I tried to adapt the roast to a different roaster and batch size.
On the Diedrich, I used low charge and waited to turn on the heat until the turning point. I shifted with this the highest part of the heat to the middle of the roast, ending up with about half of the roast time in drying and the other half in Maillard. The development was pretty fast, happening over the last 16% of the roast. Not ideal, but the flavors were amazing: super sweet with notes of black cherry, cherry cola, jackfruit, pineapple, raspberry, cacao nibs, and my favorite, red velvet cake!
For the Loring I was just a bit more cautious. I opted for a very short soak, which resulted in a really good balance between drying and yellowing. I started with 100% power in the first 30 seconds and gradually lowered it during caramelization, first crack, and during development.
An overall 9.7-minute roast with an ending temperature of 407F. I recommend that, as for natural coffee, watch the first crack to maintain a smooth dropping during development.
On the cupping table this roast resulted in a very pleasant natural processed coffee that even a washed purist drinker can enjoy rich, tangy, very sweet, velvety, fruity, and a nice touch of raspberry chocolate, very clean.
