June Recon, Coffee Dragons!
We had so much fun with Papua New Guinea and Sumatra last month that we decided to stay in the Indo-Pacific region one more time. This month we visit the island of Flores, Indonesia which borders the Komodo island chain famous for the Komodo Dragon.
Quick overview of our June Recon selection:
Main Bag: Flores Komodo Dragon dark roast. Semi-Washed/Wet hull process Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, Molasses. Low acid, high body with average sweetness.
Sample Bag: Flores Komodo Dragon medium roast. Semi Washed/Wet hull process. Cocoa, Graham Cracker, Brown Sugar. Low acid, medium body with average sweetness
The approach to roasting the Komodo Dragon beans was to start with our standard Sumatra profile, then work backwards to see what else the beans had to offer. What we found was very interesting and fun (to us anyways!). We typically roast our Indonesian offerings darker due to less than favorable flavors and mouthfeel at lower drop temperatures. This may be due to a combination of processing method, and the relatively low altitudes, and high humidity environments where the coffee is grown. That said, the Flores-Komodo stayed clean and pleasant even at a lower roast level.
The dark roasted main bag offers what we would expect from a coffee of the region. It’s rich, full bodied, with earthy dark chocolate and molasses. It’s less “funky” than a Sumatra and just as approachable as the Papua New Guinea from May.
The medium roasted sample bag retained the character of the beans with a little more sweetness while dialing back some of the body. Cocoa and graham cracker seem to be more prominent with a hint of brown sugar replacing the darker profile’s molasses.
We roasted the dark beans on our Mill City 15kg production roaster, and the sample was done in three 1kg batches on our Aillio Bullet then blended together. The dark was taken into second crack until they reached 424 degrees and about 4 minutes of development. The medium batches averaged about 416 degrees and 3:25 minutes of development after first crack.
So, why did we pick this particular bean you ask? Great question, with a super simple answer. But let me complicate it a little bit before answering. Usually, we look for beans that provide flavor notes or complexity that add diversity to our menu or provide a specific characteristic to a blend. Are we looking for added brightness in a full-bodied blend? Grab some Ethiopian! Do we need to add depth to a mild-mannered medium roast? Pepper it with Sumatra! But for the Komodo Dragon selection, it’s already in the name.
No, seriously, it was the name. How cool is that? (marketing works on roasters too, we’re only human!) For real though, it does have yummy flavor notes that were super appealing, AND a cool name. I mean if it only had the cool name but notes of burnt tires and an old mattress, then we’d all be learning a different lesson this Recon…
We hope you enjoy this month’s selection and thank you for staying on this journey with us!
Happy cupping!
Adam