# Hasbean Christmas Present



## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Anyone manage to snag a bag of these. I've got one on the way. http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/christmas-present-blend Pay the postage and that's it but only 50!


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Ah, all gone now apparently. Sorry.


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## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

had my hopes up there!


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Milanski said:


> had my hopes up there!


It was gone in about 10minutes. It wouldn't go through to begin with for me. Got lucky in the end.


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## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

Let us know how it tastes eh?


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## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

I had it in my cart, was about one second away from paying and BOOM, out of stock.

I'm sure someone will enjoy it though.


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## CrazyH (Jan 14, 2011)

I got lucky, as a not particularly expert coffee maker I fear it will be wasted on me but I imagine it'll be on sale at some point anyhow...


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

I'll let you all know how it tastes.


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## kikapu (Nov 18, 2012)

I am always too late! Hope they sell an xmas blend too seem to remember last years was really nice


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Yeah they usually do a Christmas espresso and filter blend.


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

The description suggests it's part of the guest espresso pack for anyone in that


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## jakeapeters (May 20, 2013)

I got a bag too. Sold out really quick! Looking forward to getting it and having a taste.


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## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

CrazyH said:


> I got lucky, as a not particularly expert coffee maker I fear it will be wasted on me but I imagine it'll be on sale at some point anyhow...


I doubt it, I was talking to HB Chris and it sounded like it was a microlot.

Just enough for the subscription people and the 50 bags.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

I couldn't keep my eyes open last night so went for a snooze at 11.30 (so rock and roll these days) and set an alarm for 12. Turned it straight off haha


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Remembered at 11.55 then promptly forgot distracted by pudding coming out of the oven : (


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## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

garydyke1 said:


> Remembered at 11.55 then promptly forgot distracted by pudding coming out of the oven : (


Pudding at 12?


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Kyle548 said:


> Pudding at 12?


Puddings good at any time of day!


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Yeah , Saturday night dinner is always quite late .


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

I'm slightly regretting staying up as my boy woke at about 4.30. Exhausted today. I'm sure the coffee will be worth it when it comes!


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## Java Jive (Sep 21, 2013)

Managed to grab a bag too and just wish I had a decent grinder to get the best from the beans. Waiting on the new hopefuls (Commandante, Lido2, made-by-knock) since the summer is getting really painful.


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## CrazyH (Jan 14, 2011)

Mine arrived today, it is available on the site http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/nicaragua-finca-limoncillo-washed-yellow-pacamara, it looks like it's a very special one, though. I've opened it just to weigh it for tomorrow and it smells like peach. Report in the morning!

I hope I can do it justice, will be as careful as I can with it.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

I'd expect them to be bloody good beans at that price...


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

You better hope it doesn't take you three or four shots to dial those beans in ......


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Mrboots2u said:


> You better hope it doesn't take you three or four shots to dial those beans in ......


I'll be crying if I have to sink 3-4 shots of this stuff.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Try your hardest to over-extract them rather than under


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

jeebsy said:


> I'd expect them to be bloody good beans at that price...


Sometimes price is driven by rarity & exclusivity rather than standout quality, however expect them to be amazing


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Wonder how long a rest these beans need?


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

No point paying a high price for something just because it's rare and exclusive, there's got to be underlying quality. Sounds like these will be pretty good though...


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## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

I'd be interested in how dark the Christmas blend is.

As regards to pricing of beans, the best Hasbean beans I've had were probably the Cachoeira and one of the cheaper super-fruity Yirgacheffe naturals. People sometimes get excited when they see high prices. You've got a supply/demand defining the price, but hopefully it's more the demand that's driving the price rather than the lack of supply!


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Yellow Pacamara is mega rare , as is a natural Bolivia , that'll be on sale soon I hope and a bit cheaper !


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## CrazyH (Jan 14, 2011)

I made in a french press this morning (I don't have espresso facilities).

First thing that hit me was not the flavour, but the mouth-feel, it is the creamiest feeling coffee I have ever tasted, granted I am no connoisseur, but it is felt rich and smooth. Flavour wise it is quite fruity, I tend not to pick out specific fruits but maybe nectarine, it reminded me of nectarine yoghurt, anyhow.

My guess is that the beans should be quite easy to use, I detected no bitterness and little in the way of acidic sour notes, overdoing it shouldn't be too offensive


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## kikapu (Nov 18, 2012)

CrazyH said:


> I made in a french press this morning (I don't have espresso facilities).
> 
> First thing that hit me was not the flavour, but the mouth-feel, it is the creamiest feeling coffee I have ever tasted, granted I am no connoisseur, but it is felt rich and smooth. Flavour wise it is quite fruity, I tend not to pick out specific fruits but maybe nectarine, it reminded me of nectarine yoghurt, anyhow.
> 
> My guess is that the beans should be quite easy to use, I detected no bitterness and little in the way of acidic sour notes, overdoing it shouldn't be too offensive


mmmm looking forward to trying the filter blend too should be arriving for the weekend


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## Java Jive (Sep 21, 2013)

Just had my first cup! Now I'm riff-raff with a cheap Porlex grinder and do brew only but even so, the CCD brew is lovely. It's bright, sweet and the yellow fruit flavours shine through. Mango and peaches.

The beans seem bigger than normal and I even weighed my bag to see if we'd been sent more than 250g. They went through the Porlex easily and the filter paper after the draw-down was super clean. I'm guessing the grind may take some tweaking for the chrome-owners ?


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

I think the thread should be renamed to Hasbean Christmas Present to avoid confusion as what we're talking about is a SO and not the Christmas Blend now available on the website. I realise no one knew what would be sent before it was started


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Java Jive said:


> Just had my first cup! Now I'm riff-raff with a cheap Porlex grinder and do brew only but even so, the CCD brew is lovely. It's bright, sweet and the yellow fruit flavours shine through. Mango and peaches.
> 
> The beans seem bigger than normal and I even weighed my bag to see if we'd been sent more than 250g. They went through the Porlex easily and the filter paper after the draw-down was super clean. I'm guessing the grind may take some tweaking for the chrome-owners ?


Pacamara varietal are always huge beans


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## Java Jive (Sep 21, 2013)

Ah, not had a pacamara before. So for the next brew I'll weigh out the beans rather than rely on my volume measurement of 1 AeroPress scoop. Thanks for the comment, Gary.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Geordie Boy said:


> I think the thread should be renamed to Hasbean Christmas Present to avoid confusion as what we're talking about is a SO and not the Christmas Blend now available on the website. I realise no one knew what would be sent before it was started


Sorry, my fault. It was a quick post when it was announced and I named it incorrectly.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Neill said:


> Sorry, my fault. It was a quick post when it was announced and I named it incorrectly.


Hi as suggested title changed to Hasbean Christmas present ......


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## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

Ah! I was confused too...


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

Couldn't resist cracking this this morning. I haven't used pour over for a while so I thought it time to dust off the v60. Went for 15g of beans and 250 of water. Beans are the usual massive size tha my you'd expect for pacamara. Very light roast -










Unfortunately forgot just how fine you need to go on these big beans and under extracted it. 30s bloom plus continuous pour all ran through in 2mins total. Bit on the sour side but still fairly sweet tasting definite tropical flavours but the main thing u taste at the minute is nectarine. I'll get the grind finer next time.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

If I had those pricy beans I wouldnt even try brewing until Id cupped them first to see the potential .


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

garydyke1 said:


> If I had those pricy beans I wouldnt even try brewing until Id cupped them first to see the potential .


Ok, I'll give it a go. Having never tried cupping before have you any hints. I've checked out the hasbean brew guide for cupping before and noticed he talks about a gritty grind but I've also noticed in your previous posts mentions of v60 grind for cupping? Obviously the idea is that it can show a coffees potential but how does that then translate into use in, for example, a v60? Does it simply allow you to know what to aim for flavour wise or can you judge grind/brew ratio from cupping. Sorry for the silly questions. I'll hopefully give this coffee a try as espresso next week too.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Don't worry about grind size so much , your v60 should be fine .

Cupping allows you to taste the coffee without error , ie the full spectrum of flavour . Ie you can blame the coffee if it's sour when cupped , but blame yourself if it isn't !

Pour over is crying out for under and over extraction !


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

What gives cupping such a wide margin for error?


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

jeebsy said:


> What gives cupping such a wide margin for error?


I'm presuming it's because you are tasting it at more than one time throughout the process so at various extractions and temperatures. Maybe someone more experienced will confirm if that is correct?


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

steeping has a huge margin for error. I usually slurp from the cupping bowl 25-30 mins after breaking the crust and its luke warm and still yummy (often more so than at 6-15 mins).

4 mins allows you to break the crust and get the gust of aromatics and then initially assess body and acidity.

From then on youre seeing how it develops as it cools, sweetness can build, defects in roast can be spotted etc

Things get really interesting with 2, 3 or 4 coffees side by side.


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

I can fully recommend the Has Bean cupping course (if they do another) as you do exactly that, cup lots of different coffee's beside each other. I think of it as a raw way of tasting coffee as there's no filtering involved


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## jakeapeters (May 20, 2013)

I opened up my beans yesterday (rested for a week) and pulled a couple of shots. At ~ £2 a shot just for beans they're actually scary to use - the fear of wastage is insane.

I usually grind for Espresso at somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5 on my K30 so I thought as these beans are Pacamara it was best to err on the fine side. I set it at 2 and pulled a shot, which yielded 46 grams from 19 in less than 20 seconds. I was traumatised, on the verge of tears, but forced myself to drink it rather than pour it away (like I would with any other bean) and I'm glad I did! These beans are exquisite, there's a crazy amount of acidity, but the Hasbean descriptors are bang on - it's a huge mouthful of tropical fruit.

I'm now at 0.5 on my K30 (running out of clicks, and taking 50% more time to grind than usual) and yielding 32g from 19 in 29 seconds, and I'm getting close to where I want to be.

If anyone else is pulling this as Espresso - please please please be careful about your grind size, I never expected them to be quite this problematic! (or indeed quite this delicious)


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## jakeapeters (May 20, 2013)

To give you an idea of the level of the roast, here's a comparison with some other Hasbean beans (Colombia El Miridiano Decaf - on the darker side for them).

Apologies for the quality of lighting!


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

I might get round to trying them tonight as Espresso so will let you know how I get on


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## CrazyH (Jan 14, 2011)

Beans are temperamental, I mention in the french press thread. My first cup was gorgeous, my next very much not.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

I've decided to get in the ball park using another pacamara from hasbean. Hoping when I switch to the Christmas present it will be close enough. Gonna treaty machine to some volvic too which I haven't tried before.


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

Neill said:


> I've decided to get in the ball park using another pacamara from hasbean. Hoping when I switch to the Christmas present it will be close enough. Gonna treaty machine to some volvic too which I haven't tried before.


I started on Volvic then switched to the 5l bottles of Tesco Ashbeck Springs - similar mineral levels and hardness to Volvic but a lot cheaper.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

I use 100% Tesco Ashbeck now. I tried 100% Volvic couple of weeks ago(its all I had) and the resulting espresso was noticably under-extracted, actually had to adjust grind and recipe! Water makes a big difference


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

Just opened the bag and kept the grind on the fine setting I'm using for this morning's Must Dash blend (mornings need a tighter grind at the moment). Anyhow, I got 24g out of 15g in 25s so almost spot on. Taste is exquisite! I'm not normally one for fruity coffee as an Espresso (generally have them as a Flat White) but this is so smooth and has none of the sharpness I normally associate with them.

It's exactly like the description with bags of subtle yellow fruit that just keeps giving a tropical fruit mouthfeel for ages afterwards........ and there's no way I won't be having another this evening. Well done Has Bean, this is superb!!!


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## MichaelSmith81 (Nov 20, 2012)

I have the yellow Pacamara, I also purchased them a month or so ago as part of a deal with Hasbeam, so to get these again for basically nothing was great! My first experience of these beans was a complete nightmate.

As they were so expensive, I thought that I would make the most of the them and clean the burrs off on the ginder, only to realise that when I re-attached the top burr, I had the graind about a 1/4 turn out on the Super Jolly, so extracted about 60g out in 5 seconds...

The next step was to go back to my usual starting point for the grind setting, again about 60g in 15 seconds, I think I had about 3 more attempts as I was convicnced that the grind didnt have to be that fine each time I adjusted.... But my end point was way finer than I had ever gorund before, after wasting about 100g (£10 worth of coffee) it was pretty amazing...

The 2nd time around I was there in 2 adjustments, although the 2nd grind (1st adjustment) was arguably very good!


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## Java Jive (Sep 21, 2013)

I've lost the mango









First few brews had a real !BOOM!MANGO! taste plus some peach, it was pretty magical. It's still a tasty coffee but now it's more peaches & cream without the tropical punch. Not sure if that's down to bean age, water or inconsistent brewing. The first few I used Waitrose Essential Stretton Hills, now I'm using Tesco Ashbeck but would that really make a big difference?


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Ashbeck's supposed to be pretty good.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Ashbeck is preferable to Waitrose IMO


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

Java Jive said:


> I've lost the mango
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've lost all the tropical fruit as well so I'd say it's the bean. It's still good but has lost all that zing that made it truly fantastic


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## Java Jive (Sep 21, 2013)

Yes, zing is a great descriptor so maybe it's not just operator error then. I've tried changing brew times, dosing, temperature (though that's pure guesswork as I don't have a thermometer) to no avail. First sip of one brew was exciting as I got a hint of it but it was probably just wishful thinking as it disappeared in subsequent slurps. That tropical punch was so vibrant 10 days ago it's hard to understand why it's gone awol.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

The coffee has aged and thus you need to adjust brewing parameters. its quite possible you're past the ideal window now for that particular level of acidity


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## Java Jive (Sep 21, 2013)

Interesting. So a faster brew, hotter water and/or finer grind might increase the acidity ? And I've just realised I've not played with grind at all, doh.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

I've been using this for espresso over the last few days. Real tangy shots, in a good way, very sweet. Switched back to v60 today and much better than my last attempt. 15g with a finer grind. 250mls of water. 30s bloom. Continuous slow central pour after this. The full amount ran through in about 2.15. Grapefruit acidity and big mango flavour this time. I'm gonna miss this coffee when it's gone.


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

This morning I've increased the dose from 15g to 18g. This has helped to bring it back to life in the taste however the lingering mouth feel of fruit has probably passed now


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

Just doesed it up to 20g and it's even got even better. Really brought it back to life in the cup. I can sense the subtle fruit is still there in the after taste however it's being overpowered though I can see this being good as a V60. Note to self, need to learn how to do brewed coffee properly next year!


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