Headstrong from Great Northern Roasting Co

Discussion of various types and blends of commercially available pre-roasted beans, their best sources, prices, their respective merits, and the Vivaldi settings required to optimism flavor.
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JohnB

Headstrong from Great Northern Roasting Co

Post by JohnB »

I mentioned this espresso briefly in the S/O thread but after drinking it for 2 months I think it deserves it's own thread. This is without a doubt the most interesting espresso I've tried & that includes both S/O's & blends. Jack, co-owner & roaster describes it below from a post on CG:

"the Mexican Natural we're pouring as SO has been extremely different in terms of rest time needed after roasting. I was very excited to receive this lot of coffee after getting some experimental pulped naturals in the past, and this current lot has become the production process natural for our farmers in Mexico. After roasting a few samples, I poured some full city roasts as espresso and was shocked at how bad they were-mostly tasting of prednisone (if you've had it before you know...) & cough syrup. a total letdown. I skipped over the espresso development to focus on the brewed end of the spectrum, completely forgetting about the preliminary samples (about 2 lbs. remained).
Flash forward 3 weeks and I rediscovered the SO batches and decided to retry them in the Synesso and...stumbled upon the magic recipe. absolutely no medicine flavors in the cup, HUGE chocolate cherry body and ultra complex berry notes (blackberry, blueberry, raspberry). after some back & forth with newer batches we locked down an 18 day minimum rest time after roasting, the prime target being 21 days. after more in house R&D, we went live with the first commercial release at 28 days old and haven't looked back."

The bean is a Terruño Nayarita Mexican Natural which you will find listed at the bottom of this page:
http://www.greatnoroco.com/beans.php but if you want to order the Headstrong email Jack directly as he has batches pre roasted & aging plus the Headstrong is a couple $$ cheaper per lb. I don't know about you but there is no way I could wait 2.5 weeks after a coffee arrives to try it. Get some thats 10-12 days past roast so by the time it arrives you will only have a couple days to wait.

This coffee has the most intoxicating aroma when you open the bag of any I've bought so far. Whether its fresh out of the zip lock valve bag (a nice touch!) or out of a vacuum bag that's been in the freezer for 3-4 weeks it is like opening a really good bar of chocolate. You want to bury your whole face in the bag & inhale every time you open it.

I've played with temp/dose & p/i quite a bit over the last two months & have settled on 15g+ @94C w/3 sec P/I lately. It is excellent at 17-18g/6 sec p/i doses also but I backed off to lessen the caffeine kick so I could consume more & still sleep at night. 93C & 95C can also give good results depending on age. It's at its best within the 18-30 day window & it will make a very tasty Cappuccino or short latte as well as an excellent straight shot.

http://www.greatnoroco.com/company.php
boldstep

Re: Headstrong from Great Northern Roasting Co

Post by boldstep »

With a glowing endorsement like that, I had to order a pound! I will report back. Thanks John!

Btw, just got done sampling Great Barrington's Espresso blend. It is very nice both in milk and as a straight shot. Pulled a ristretto this morning (after about 1 week of the bag being opened) at 94 C/18 G and it left my taste buds delighted!!!!!!!!!!!! :happy7:
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