# Next bean order... Darker roast



## gazbea (Jul 11, 2011)

Right. Thought I'd set my sights differently for a change. The Hasbean thread I created Hasbean a success (sorry, I'll get my coat) but I'm starting to get bored of the light roasts they seem to be sticking with.

I miss the kick up the backside you used to get with a good strong espresso. I don't want floral, grass and fruits otherwise I would be looking at wine books!









So, what beans and roasters are people recommending/using for nice dark roasts with dark chocolate (80-90% solids), caramel, treacle and toffee.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Depending how dark you want to go, Black Chough from Hands-On is something you might take a look at. It's by no means a full on French roast, but it's a "2nd cracker" and definitely takes on many of the qualities you'd expect from that. The dark choc is there, and the bitter-sweetness.

http://www.hands-on-coffee.co.uk/on-coffee/?coffee=black-chough


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## CoffeeMagic (Aug 7, 2011)

Ahem, cough, cough!







Too subtle?


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

I'm just going through a bag of hands-on's lusty glaze and it's definitely got the rich dark chocolate notes. Worth a try if you haven't already.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

CoffeeMagic said:


> Ahem, cough, cough!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ha! Yes, sorry Ron... how about Ron's "Arabicadabra"? Italian style, I'd say, and had good feedback from forum members recently.


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

gazbea said:


> Right. Thought I'd set my sights differently for a change. The Hasbean thread I created Hasbean a success (sorry, I'll get my coat) but I'm starting to get bored of the light roasts they seem to be sticking with.
> 
> I miss the kick up the backside you used to get with a good strong espresso. I don't want floral, grass and fruits otherwise I would be looking at wine books!
> 
> ...


Try Union Hand Roasted. They are a boutique roaster who aren't afraid of the dark.

They have a very wide range Revelation and Foundation are certainly dark:

http://www.unionroasted.com/coffees/best-sellers/revelation.html

Climpsons are worth looking at too - try The Baron. Not as dark as the darkest Union roasts but a very different style to HasBean

http://webcoffeeshop.co.uk/buy-coffee/the-baron/

Then if you really want to go old school try Café Sienna from Drury. Very rich, dark and funky.

http://www.shopdrury.com/product.asp?strParents=100&CAT_ID=161&P_ID=437

The lady in the Drury shop claims she takes a whole suitcase of this out to her relatives in Naples every year and they can't get enough of it.

And if you want a bargain, Happy Donkey Classic Italian. Not the most refined beans, but I rather like them. And they are half the cost of the cheapest HasBean blends.

http://www.happydonkey.co.uk/classic-italian-coffee-beans-2-bags.html


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

Not tried Climpsons but agree with the above. I think Union Revelation is the loveliest of these. Drury and Happy Donkey are much more bulk oriented. Union will despatch fresh if you order direct, or you can get them from Waitrose.

I've been trying Bailies offerings this week. Again, they are much more traditional but I like that. There are subtleties to be found in good dark roasts that aren't like the in your face acidic offerings. My favourites have been Silvio and Puccini....both 100% arabica I believe. I'll be ordering more.


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## gazbea (Jul 11, 2011)

Wow. Cheers for all that info! Plenty for me to have a go at there! Definitely going to get my hands on some hands on coffee. Heard many a good thing there.

Happy donkey Italian ... used them, and like you say not particularly refined but always got a good shot out of them. Got them as a freebie when I got my MC2. Albeit I did always get about 2cm worth of crema out of them! Lol.

Plenty to go at there following my use up of old Java and Guatemala El fogon from coffee bean shop.


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

gazbea said:


> Happy donkey Italian ... used them, and like you say not particularly refined but always got a good shot out of them... Albeit I did always get about 2cm worth of crema out of them! Lol.


 I think it's true to say the traditional Italian-style espresso blends are21 easy to use and the results are predictable. With the more subtle/lighter/fruitier blends they can taste different every time you use them, depending on your skill and equipment.


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## gazbea (Jul 11, 2011)

Had some old Java from coffeebeanshop earlier. Really good dark roast! Sort of thing I've been looking for. Caffeine kick, strong, chocolate and everything!

The grind setting was miles away from Hasbean though! About 8-9 full knob turns on the MC2. Was getting 2oz in 7 seconds otherwise!

Struggled grinding a bit tho. Beans were huge! Bit of work needed!


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## totallywired (Jun 25, 2011)

Try Blend 67 from http://thebeanshop.com. Strong dark and choc! Been having this one for the last year and can't seem to get away from it. Tried a few others but nothing this good. Great service as well.


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