An Affair to Remember
I'll start by saying that Italian and French roasts are not my general preference. I'm more inclined to medium and medium-dark roasts. However, having found in Dekaf Coffee Roasters a roaster that does so well with decaffeinated coffees, when I came across their special A Dundown Affair, I decided to give a try. I'm gald I did.
In overview, this is one of the better Italian roasts I can remember trying, decaf or regular. It delivers the bold taste and very full body that lovers of dark roast coffee seek while maintaining a pleasing complexity of flavor. However, make no mistake: such a bold cup that may not be for everyone. Its flavor demands your attention and is not content with lingering in the background.
Neither will the bold taste of A Sundown Affair be lost with the addition of milk and sweetner, only softened. Even half-and-half does not overwhelm it. If adding sugar, I suggest perhaps trying a little brown sugar, or, for an extra treat, Demerara or Turbinado sugar.
Observations on brewing with the pour-over method: use a slightly coarser grind, water with a neutral pH level, a lower brewing temperature, and a slightly tighter coffee/water ratio. For me, that translated to a medium grind; water with pH of 7, alkalinity of 55, and TDS of 150; a brew temp of 200; and a coffee/water ratio of 1:15.
Be sure the water is fully "flat" before pouring, typically about 30 seconds after taking it off the source of heat. On the first pour saturate the grounds and wait a good 30 seconds before the next pour in order to let the coffee grounds fully bloom.
If your cup tastes too bitter, make your grind slightly coarser or drop the water temperature by a couple of degrees; if it tastes hollow or sour, grind a lilttle finer.
Final notes: Dark roasts are, of course, oily. The oils will oxidate rapidly when exposed to air and heat, so be sure to keep the beans well sealed and stored away from heat sources. I suggest also cleaning your grinder and brewing equipment before starting a new bag of dark roast coffee (and after finishing a bag), because the oils will readily pick up the residual flavor of the previous coffee, and will readily pass its own flavor onto the next coffee.
