Citrusy Scent β€” How to Encourage It?

I have been home roasting for just over 20 years, mainly on the HotTop. I drink espressos and ristrettos, no sugar. I brew on a La Marzocco G3/MP and grind on Mazzer Philos (recently) and Mazzer Mini E (prior). I prefer a lighter style espresso, with good acidity, touch of sweetness, restrained bitterness, and a nice crema. Hint of chocolate is not required, but would be nice to have, although I understand that would require blending.

I have been able to reach my objectives on the HotTop and on the R1 β€” to which I am still quite new. However, getting that citrusy scent has always been a hit and miss on the HotTop (mostly a miss). I am hoping to be able to do that on R1, but I am not sure how to encourage it. I have tried, so far, quality Kenya and Guatemala beans from Roast Rebels in 833 g batches. Very nice, but no citrus. Below are my latest attempts (unsure if it is better to link to roasts or embed screenshots).

Many thanks for your wisdom and any suggestions.
Rafal

1 Like

Your roast profile looks pretty solid to me so it might be the green beans’ flavor profile.

In my experience, Kenyan coffee have blackcurrant, grapefruit, berry, sometimes tomato-like acidity and chocolate, nutty, floral, and occasionally bright fruits for Guatemalan (Huehuetenango).

Maybe you can buy a batch of Ethiopian Sidama and try a similar roast? I roast them to medium, let them rest 3~5 days and get plenty of that dominant citrus note with sweetness with espresso.

2 Likes