Welcome to a new series of sorts, where I’ll be going through different beans as I try them and giving my thoughts and opinions on their flavour profile, roast degree, whether they’re better for espresso or filter, and more. There will be several posts in pretty quick succession as I go through what I currently have on hand, and then I’ll make new posts just as I buy new bags I haven’t yet tried. This series was requested by @viral.vegabond@piefed.social so thank you to them for the suggestion! I think it’ll be fun.
For the first episode, I’ll be reviewing a bag you may have seen me post a lot recently, Supernova by Hatch. I’d like to say at the start that I’ve been having a lot of fun with these beans and they get my full recommendation for espresso, and they make pretty good filter too.
Now to get into it.
Roaster: Hatch (Markham, Ontario, Canada)
Origin: Brazil
Process: Natural
Roast profile: Medium
Roaster’s notes: Berries, praline, baker’s chocolate
Espresso:
Preferred brew ratio - 2.2:1 (18/40)
This is where these beans really shine, in my opinion. They’ve become my favourite espresso bean, actually. I don’t quite get praline through this brew method, but the berries and chocolate are heavy on this one in a very pleasant way. I’ve mentioned it before but it literally tastes like I’m drinking dark chocolate covered berries. Every time I make a shot with these beans I’m surprised it’s as good as it is, and I go in with high expectations. Interestingly, I get lots of floral notes on the nose, which I don’t taste at all, and isn’t listed in the tasting notes. It’s got a long finish and isn’t harsh in any way. This is probably what I’d give someone who wanted to try espresso for the first time.
Filter:
Preferred brew ratio - 16:1 (15/240)
While I prefer these beans for espresso they do make a decent filter cup too. I feel like these were probably designed to be filter-first because I really do agree with their notes, it’s just not my preference. Berries right away, developing to praline and finishing with chocolate. Light acidity, nice sweetness, very little roast flavour, overall a very pleasant, balanced cup. I just can’t shake the feeling that every time I do a pour over with these, it’s an espresso shot that could’ve been made instead.
Overall, this is a very nice bag that I’d recommend and will definitely be buying again. If you’d like to order these online, you can find them here.
For espesso I’ve found 1:2.2 to work really well. My typical dose for these is 18/40. For filter I’ve mostly just stuck with 1:16 and haven’t really ventured too far outside of that, but it makes a nice cup.
Thanks! Do you tend to like lighter or darker roasts? I used to enjoy dark roasts, but especially for drip and pour over I don’t like much anything past medium roast now.
I’ve been really enjoying medium lately. I’d like to experiment with light and ultra light eventually but I don’t have any like that right now. I used to drink dark and very dark but I really don’t enjoy that anymore. It just tastes like charcoal now. My wife is similar, she used to love super dark roasts, nearly black beans covered in oil, but now she says it tastes like Canadian Tire (which I guess is only funny if you know what that is).
With all that being said, I was visiting my parents today and my dad pretty much exclusively drinks light roast single origin Ethiopian and I had a cup today, I think I under-extracted it a bit but it was still pretty good, especially as it cooled down. It’s very different from what I’m used to but I think I could get into it with more exposure (and properly brewed). I probably should’ve asked him to make it for me since he knows how to brew that type of bean way better than myself, but oh well. Maybe next time.