Our latest DIY Moka Java Blend Set (“Do It Yourself”) pairs coffees from Ethiopia and Java for a host of blending opportunities
As the name “DIY” suggests, this is a “do it yourself” kit with seemingly endless possibilities, even though there’s only two coffees in the set. It’s a coffee kit with the tinkerer in mind, those who enjoy the process just as much as the final creation. We provide the coffees, you control the blending.
Not only is the “Moka Java” blend one the oldest, and most widely recognized coffee blend names on the market, it’s also one of the simplest blends to construct in that typically it only involves two ingredients. Traditionally made with coffee from YemenYemen has a coffee culture like no other place, and perhaps some of what we enjoy in this cup is due to their old style of trade...: Technically,... (i.e. “Mokha”) and Java
There are several types of Abyssinia variety coffee, but they are not from Ethiopia but rather Indonesia. Abyssinia 3 = AB3. PJS Cramer, a Dutch plant researcher, introduced this variety..., contemporary blend variations have broadened to include other dry processDry process coffee is a method for taking the fruit from the tree to an exportable green bean. The whole intact coffee cherry is dried in the sun... African coffees, and wet hulled coffees from Indonesia
USDA is (obviously) the United States Department of Agriculture. USDA also had coffee plant breeding programs in the past and one variety they distributed to Indonesia and was.... In our DIY Moka Java Blend Set, we’re including a dry process coffee from EthiopiaEthiopia, formerly known as Abyssinia, or a coffee cultivar: Ethiopia, or more specifically the Empire under Haile Selassie, was known as Abyssinia. The name is Latin, derived from... and wet hulled from Java, and you’d be surprised how many variations you can create from these two coffees.
What’s Included in the Set
Each sample set includes four pounds of coffee: two pounds Dry Process Ethiopia, and two pounds Wet Hulled Indonesian coffeeIndonesian coffee is known for its unique earthy, potent flavors. Some like it, some hate it, but it's certainly distinctive. Much of the coffee in Indonesia is processed.... We settled on two pound bags so there’s a reasonable amount of material to play around with when testing out different blend ratios, and approaches.
I don’t like using vague terms like “bold” to describe flavor, but it works well to describe the kind of flavor profiles these two types of coffees produce. Both Dry Process Ethiopia and Wet Hulled Indonesian coffees bring about the kind of “aha” moment, where you suddenly realize that not all coffees taste the same.
They’re capable of producing low-toned cups, with fruit flavors, rusticA general characterization of pleasantly "natural" flavors, less sophisticated and less refined, but appealing. : What is Rustic? This is a general term we came up with... Dried... sweetnessSweetness is an important positive quality in fine coffees, and is one of five basic tastes: Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Savory (Umami). In coffee, sweetness is a highly..., and intensely aromatic. These are bodied coffees, great for espressoA small coffee beverage, about 20 ml, prepared on an espresso machine where pressurized hot water extracted through compressed coffee.: In its most stripped-down, basic form, this is..., and both are true to the “Moka Java” theme, though the Ethiopia has more fruit than most Yemeni coffees would produce (we like it that way!). Ethiopian coffee is also a lot less expensive!
Blending Before or After Roasting
When I’m coming up with my own blends, I tend to roast each coffee separately first. This allows me to try many different ratios without having to roast full batches. That applies here, and I think it’s a fun and easy way to try many different recipes, and even different roast levels for a melangeA blend containing a coffee that has been roasted to a different levels (or steps) - light to dark.: A blend containing a coffee that has been roasted..., in order to explore the many different possibilities. Having a scoop like this makes coming up with those ratios a lot easier too!
Once I settle on a recipe, I prefer pre-blending the green before roasting. The physical traits of coffee may vary – densityThe density of a coffee bean is often taken as a sign of quality, as a more dense bean will roast more with a better dynamic. The density..., moisture levels, etc – but I find that unless they vary greatly, I’m able to achieve better roast consistency between ingredients when I pre-blend. Furthermore, the coffees in this set roast great together, even when roasted light. Like Tom says our Blending Basics article, “(on pre vs. post-roast blending) I would advise this: roast the coffee together until you encounter a situation where the results are disappointing, and for success, you must roast them separately“.
Getting started with the DIY Moka Java Blend Set
The “quick start guide” for a Moka Java blend is to blend in equal parts. You can literally dump both bags in a mixing bowl, stir, and you’re done! The 1:1 ratio pulls combines the unique characteristics from both into a complexThe co-presence of many aroma and flavor attributes, with multiple layers. A general impression of a coffee, similar to judgments such as "balanced" or "structured" cup that could not be achieved with either coffee on its own. In this case, it’s the fruit flavors, and complex aromatics from the Ethiopian ingredient married with earthyEarthy is a flavor term with some ambivalence, used positively in some cases, negatively in others.: Sumatra coffees can have a positive earthy flavor, sometimes described as "wet... bittersweetness, and bodyAssociated with and sensed by mouthfeel, body is sense of weight and thickness of the brew, caused by the percentage of soluble solids in the cup, including all... of the wet hulled Java. The 50/50 approach is a good option for those who like dark roasts, and espresso.
I personally enjoy a little more fruit in my Moka Java, and favor a 2:1 ratio, Ethiopia to Java. Dry process Ethiopian coffees bring syrupy fruits to the equation, and are a lot less bright than their wet processWet-processing starts by removing the outer skin of the coffee cherry with a machine called a pulper, then fermenting the remaining fruit (with green bean inside) in water... counterparts. That’s one reason they are often used in espresso blending. The inverse of this will tone down the fruits, giving the cup more intense bittersweetness, and accents of pungentRefers to an aggressive, intense aroma or flavor, often related to spices (pepper) or roast tastes. Pungent foods are often called "spicy", meaning a sharp or biting character,... spice, tobacco, and aromatic wood.
It’s also fun to play around with a melange of different levels, especially if blending for brewed coffeeBrewed Coffee refers to all coffee preparations produced by adding non-pressurized water to coffee grounds. Contrasted with espresso coffee, which is produced under pressure, brewed coffee is primarily.... Referring again to our Blending Basics article, Tom writes; “One of the most compelling reasons to blend coffee is the Melange, a blend of coffees roasted to different degrees. A good reason for a Melange might be perhaps you want the carbon-y flavors of a dark roast but also want the acidy snap of a lighter roasted African coffee“.
Going with this notion, I recommend roasting the Java to Full City or Full City+City+ roast is an ideal roast level that occurs roughly between 425 and 435 degrees Fahrenheit in many coffee roasters with a responsive bean probe where First Crack... to develop big booming bass tones, and opaque body, and the Ethiopia to City+ where some of the brighter fruit and aromatic notes prevail. Start with a 2:1 ratio, Java to Ethiopia, adjusting until you find profile that suits your taste.
We’ve had a lot of fun with exploring the many possibilities with our DIY blend sets, and hope you do too.
