Sweet Maria's Polar Expresso Holiday Blend
Sweet Maria's Polar Expresso Holiday Blend
Sweet Maria's Polar Expresso Holiday Blend
A true dual-use blend that skews toward fruit flavors and creamy bittersweets. Light roasted brews are honey-sweet, with plump stone fruit accents, while espresso promises velvety texture, syrupy dark chocolate, with layers of spice, fruit, and berry notes. City+ to Full City+. Fantastic espresso!
Full Cupping Notes
Our ever popular Polar Expresso Holiday Blend is a true "dual-use" blend, in that it produces a very tasty cup at both ends of the roast spectrum, and as both brew and espresso. We found Full City to be the optimal starting point for espresso extraction, though it can certainly be roasted lighter for brighter toned brewing. Vibrance is not sacrificed altogether at Full City roast level either, though tart dark berry and tangy citrus notes are tempered by syrupy bittersweetness. Pour-over brews of a City+ roast had an attractive stone fruit notes in the aroma, like ripe apricot, and peach, and a very attractive honey sweetness came through as the coffee cooled.
Evaluated as espresso, Full City (400 F 1st crack / 432 F finish) roasts had a complex aroma filled with dark chocolate taffy laced with torched sugars, and cooked berries. My ristretto shots had sharpness of both bittersweet chocolate and fruit flavors. The initial hit noted blueberry, lemon juice, and drizzle of plum sauce, which quickly giveway to bittersweet, dark toned flavors of high % cacao bar, and the creamy center of extra dark chocolate truffle. This silky espresso weighs heavily on your palate, and letting it sit in your mouth gives you time to peel back complex layers of cocoa, dark chocolate ganache, zested orange, cinnamon-apple pastry. Longer pulls highlight fruited acidity, like cranberry, and bright citrus tones, and will work particularly well for an Americano.
My darkest roast was right at the edge of Full City+, with a few snaps of 2nd Crack in the cooling tray (402F 1st crack / 444 finish). The level of sweetness was impressive amidst the roast intensity and low tones, as were hints of dark fruit. "Creamy" is a good descriptor of flavor and mouthfeel, profiles of dark chocolate torte with alternating ribbons of salted caramel, and blackberry sauce. The finish is so long and complex with subtle spice aromatic notes, and a hint of scorched cedar. A holiday espresso blend from us to you, Polar Expresso will be available through the holiday season.
Specs
Region Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya Processing Wet Process (Washed) Drying Method Raised Bed Sun-Dried Arrival date All current crop coffee - 2023 arrivals Packaging GrainPro Liner Farm Gate Yes Cultivar Detail Heirloom Cultivars, Sampacho Grade Grade 1, SHG Appearance .6 d/300gr, 14+ Screen Roast Recommendations City+ to Full City+ Type Farm Gate Recommended for Espresso Yes
Product Overview
Product Overview
| process method | Various Process Methods |
|---|---|
| cultivar | Bourbon Types, Heirloom Types, Modern Hybrids |
| farm gate | Yes |
Farm Notes
Farm Notes
Origin & Farm Notes
The Polar Expresso Holiday Blend comes at a time when we have our widest selection of coffee, and not to mention, some of our highest scores. This year's coffee was blended with both both brewed coffee and espresso in mind, and tastes fantastic at range of roast levels. The flavors skew toward plump fruits and spice, with bittersweetness that can be dialed up with roast development.
So what's in it? A wet process Rwandan component lays the groundwork for a chocolate-centric profile with a nice hint of spice, while dry process coffees from Ethiopia brings plump stone fruit and berry flavors. We even included a little Kenyan coffee this year to boost brilliance, and sweetness too!
My favorite roast for straight espresso shots were right at the beginning of Full City, about 30 degrees of development beyond 1st Crack. Full City and Full City+ roasts work fantastic, the latter being a great milk drink option since bittersweetness is intense, as is a sweet undercurrent, and the acidic impression is minimal. If your roaster has manual heat or fan control will be able to pull back energy at or just before 1st snaps, extending the time of roast development (careful not to stall!) in order to dial back acidity. If you don't have manual control of your machine, you can always try adjusting batch size to slow overall roast time.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Sweet Maria's and The Coffee Shrub!
Specs
Specs
Technical Specifications
Key specifications and operating details for this product.
| region | |
|---|---|
| processing | |
| drying method | |
| lot size | |
| packaging | |
| farm gate | Yes |
| cultivar detail | |
| grade | |
| appearance | |
| roast recommendations | |
| type | Farm Gate |
| recommended espresso | Yes |
Sweet Maria's Polar Expresso Holiday Blend
Sweet Maria's Polar Expresso Holiday Blend
A true dual-use blend that skews toward fruit flavors and creamy bittersweets. Light roasted brews are honey-sweet, with plump stone fruit accents, while espresso promises velvety texture, syrupy dark chocolate, with layers of spice, fruit, and berry notes. City+ to Full City+. Fantastic espresso!
Full Cupping Notes
Our ever popular Polar Expresso Holiday Blend is a true "dual-use" blend, in that it produces a very tasty cup at both ends of the roast spectrum, and as both brew and espresso. We found Full City to be the optimal starting point for espresso extraction, though it can certainly be roasted lighter for brighter toned brewing. Vibrance is not sacrificed altogether at Full City roast level either, though tart dark berry and tangy citrus notes are tempered by syrupy bittersweetness. Pour-over brews of a City+ roast had an attractive stone fruit notes in the aroma, like ripe apricot, and peach, and a very attractive honey sweetness came through as the coffee cooled.
Evaluated as espresso, Full City (400 F 1st crack / 432 F finish) roasts had a complex aroma filled with dark chocolate taffy laced with torched sugars, and cooked berries. My ristretto shots had sharpness of both bittersweet chocolate and fruit flavors. The initial hit noted blueberry, lemon juice, and drizzle of plum sauce, which quickly giveway to bittersweet, dark toned flavors of high % cacao bar, and the creamy center of extra dark chocolate truffle. This silky espresso weighs heavily on your palate, and letting it sit in your mouth gives you time to peel back complex layers of cocoa, dark chocolate ganache, zested orange, cinnamon-apple pastry. Longer pulls highlight fruited acidity, like cranberry, and bright citrus tones, and will work particularly well for an Americano.
My darkest roast was right at the edge of Full City+, with a few snaps of 2nd Crack in the cooling tray (402F 1st crack / 444 finish). The level of sweetness was impressive amidst the roast intensity and low tones, as were hints of dark fruit. "Creamy" is a good descriptor of flavor and mouthfeel, profiles of dark chocolate torte with alternating ribbons of salted caramel, and blackberry sauce. The finish is so long and complex with subtle spice aromatic notes, and a hint of scorched cedar. A holiday espresso blend from us to you, Polar Expresso will be available through the holiday season.
Specs
| Region | Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya |
|---|---|
| Processing | Wet Process (Washed) |
| Drying Method | Raised Bed Sun-Dried |
| Arrival date | All current crop coffee - 2023 arrivals |
| Packaging | GrainPro Liner |
| Farm Gate | Yes |
| Cultivar Detail | Heirloom Cultivars, Sampacho |
| Grade | Grade 1, SHG |
| Appearance | .6 d/300gr, 14+ Screen |
| Roast Recommendations | City+ to Full City+ |
| Type | Farm Gate |
| Recommended for Espresso | Yes |