Lion Gold Roast: Espresso Review
A friend recently brought me a bag of Lion Gold Roast from Hawaii. So I figured I would try it out. I’ve been home roasting for five years, and I know what I like in terms of blends and roast level, so having beans from somewhere else can be a gamble. I was surprised at how different it was than my expectation, and I really enjoyed the flavor.
The beans were a medium-light roast (I would expect that means First Crack), but it looked more like a City+ roast than a First Crack. The perfume after grinding was not as dark and bitter as I expected based on the color of the beans
I ground the beans using Lume, and then I sifted them with Kruve using the 400um and 500um screens. Then I made a staccato shot with 7/8/9 grams for fine/coarse/mid layers.
I used my trusty Kim Express to pull the shot with a 15/15/70 seconds for pre-infusion/bloom/infusion. The infusion was far too long; typically it takes between 15 and 30 seconds. I expected a strong bitter shot but was surprised.
The flavor was very rich. I expected the coffee to be bitter because it seemed over roasted, but what came out instead was a smooth rich flavor, with some sweetness, no sourness and an enjoyable bitterness. The bitterness was not like the burnt bitterness of other dark roasts; I was surprised. At times, it seemed to have a tobacco smoke aroma. The aftertaste was long lasting and more of a textured feeling than anything flavor.
The seconds in milk was a bit more bitter but it tastes like a bitterness I want to get to know.
My second shot was similar to the first in that the fine layer needed to be reduced a bit. Even still, the shot tasted rich and strong without a nasty bitterness I thought it would have due to the roast.
Here are my measurements on the shot. Usually, my best shots have similar scores across the different taste metrics, but these varied quite a bit. The shots were still very enjoyable.
Ultimately, I’ve used this coffee for my superautomatic (Odea Giro) at home for a cappuccino or a latte, and it has been delicious. I was really surprised by how much I liked this coffee, which is why I wrote this review.
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Further readings of mine:
Staccato Espresso: Leveling Up Espresso
Coffee Solubility in Espresso: An Initial Study
The Tale of the Stolen Espresso Machine
Affordable Coffee Grinders: a Comparison
