I’ve had some green Sumatra in the place for a few months now. Have roasted a little bit here and there. Prior to getting Sumatra the only other time I remember having it is at a Starbucks in San Francisco two years ago. It was a Starbucks Reserve and it was made with their clover machine. Not bad but wasn’t blown away.
Fast forward almost two years and here I am trying it as an espresso shot. Not impressed. Not impressed at all. I’m not sure what it was about it but I really did not enjoy it. I then tried it as pour-over the next day. Also hated it.
At this point, one could say that the problem was the roasting profile. Maybe. I can’t rule it out. Fast forward the remaining 2-3 months to present day and I have a day trip scheduled to some villas. Have to bring my own coffee. I know they have a french press there so I decided to roast a little Sumatra and bring it with. I did bring whole bean and my trust Hario hand grinder with.
I have to say I was thoroughly taken aback at how much flavor came out of the beans. I was really happy with it. To make sure it wasn’t a fluke I did it again the next day at my house. Still a great cup of coffee!
It’s also the first time in a few years that my french press has been used for something other than cold brew.