This review project is by "Takeru," a user who has been using CROWD ROASTER since its early stages and has worked in the coffee industry for a long time.
This time, we have user reviews from those who have already tried out the newly launched [ CROWD ROASTER EX]!

 

Hello everyone.
I'm Takeru CROWD ROASTER user.
This time, I tried out the newly launched [ CROWD ROASTER EX], so I've written a review of my experience.

First, what is the 【 CROWD ROASTER EX】?
Simply put, it's a service where you can order pre-roasted coffee beans in 100g increments and have them delivered right to your home.

CROWD ROASTER 's basic service involves providing the raw coffee beans you want, a roaster to roast them, and, if desired, directly requesting your preferred roast level from the roaster via comments, allowing you to have a truly original roast created.
While it's an interesting service unlike anything before, from a user's perspective, it had the following usability issues.

1. It takes time from the start (participation) of the roasting event to the actual delivery of the coffee beans.
2. It's a high hurdle because you don't know if the unfamiliar green beans will suit your taste.
3. If you want to start your own event, you'll need to buy 250g of green coffee beans, which is a high hurdle.

Many people probably feel that "1" and "2" are particularly relevant, don't you think?

I often organize or participate in roasting events, and by the time the coffee beans actually arrive at my home, I've completely forgotten that I ordered them! (laughs)

When I started my own events, it sometimes took 3-4 weeks for the event to be organized, and then another 1-2 weeks for roasting and delivery. So, I felt it was a little disappointing that the coffee would arrive when my desire to drink it had faded.

Furthermore, without knowing the flavor of green coffee beans, it's difficult to know "which roaster to ask" or "what level of roasting is best," making the ordering process quite challenging.

To get back to the point, I believe that the newly launched [ CROWD ROASTER EX] will solve these problems.

As mentioned earlier, when you place an order, they will deliver already roasted coffee beans right to your home, and of course, those beans are roasted using the same combination of green beans and roasters handled by CROWD ROASTER .

You can check the combinations, roasting levels, and flavor profiles through the app before ordering, so if you have your favorite coffee beans, you can easily experience CROWD ROASTER 's service, which is great.
 

Okay, I'll go ahead and place my order.
Open the app and tap the coffee bean package icon at the top to see a list of coffee beans currently available for order.

This time, I'd like to order a coffee roasted by " LEAVES COFFEE ROASTERS Ishii Yasuo " which is "[ BPC ] El Salvador España Farm Anaerobic Natural," a coffee I've never tried before and have been curious about.

I placed the order on April 27th.
Well, I'll wait a while for it to arrive.

I received notification that the item had been shipped on April 28th, and it arrived on April 29th.
...That was quick, lol.

If you were to participate in a regular roasting event, you would have to wait at least a week and a half, or sometimes more than a month, so this is really fast in comparison.

Since it was already roasted, I checked the roasting date and it was listed as "2023/04/20".
Although it's been over a week since roasting, this isn't a problem for me at all, as I usually let my coffee age for 2-5 weeks after roasting. (In fact, it helps because it reduces the waiting time until it's ready to drink.)
If you'd like to enjoy freshly roasted coffee, you might want to check the roasting date in the product details.

Since I've gone to the trouble of brewing it, I'd also like to write a review of what it tastes like.

I'm going to drink some coffee brewed using the paper drip method.
Using a Mellita dripper, extract 140ml of coffee from 14g of coarsely ground coffee beans.

Before we begin the tasting review, let me reintroduce the brands we'll be trying.

The coffee we'll be trying today is "[ BPC ] El Salvador España Farm Anaerobic Natural," roasted by " LEAVES COFFEE ROASTERS Ishii Yasuo " as a "light roast."

This España farm is located in the Apaneca district of Ahuachapan province.
Although it's in the same Ahuachapán province as the previously introduced "[GSA] El Carmen Farm Geisha Anaerobic Natural," this España farm is located in the "Apaneca district" within that province.

The Apaneca region is known as a region well-suited for coffee cultivation, producing high-quality coffee even within El Salvador, but it is also known for its strong winds.
Therefore, in this region, windbreaks are often planted alongside the coffee plants to prevent damage to the leaves and cherries.

 

*From Google Earth

The image above is an aerial view of a mountain in the Apanekha district of Awachapan province.
You can see several square, mesh-like structures; most of these are windbreaks.
(I'm not sure if all of these are used for coffee production, though...)
I thought it would be interesting to share this with you because you can learn about the characteristics of a production area from a map.

To get back to the point, the three cultivars used in this brand are " Bourbon ," "Pacas," and "Castillo."
Since the production process is anaerobic natural, the taste might vary if it's not a single variety, but how does it turn out?
I'm hoping it will work in a positive way and add some complexity.

I apologize for the lengthy introduction.
Now let's taste it.

 

The tasting method involves using a wine glass.

A sweet aroma reminiscent of stewed apples, like in Tarte Tatin.
In addition, it has a flavor reminiscent of mulled wine with a hint of cinnamon, and a tartness that evokes cherries.

During extraction, I strongly noticed a pungent, fermented aroma, but the taste was milder than I expected. (This might be due to the coarse grind.)

Also, although this is described as a light roast, I don't get the impression that it's particularly lightly roasted.
(Even during extraction, it expanded quite a bit despite being lightly roasted and coarsely ground.)
It has a well-balanced finish, with a distinct flavor derived from the ingredients that makes it easy to drink.

The aroma has an anaerobic, fermented quality, but the acidity has a pleasantly sweet and sour freshness reminiscent of cherries.

Overall, it's calmer than I expected.
While the aroma is certainly striking, the taste is simple. As it cools, there are some changes, such as a slight hay-like scent or a stronger impression of grapes from mulled wine, but the changes aren't too dramatic, and overall, it's a coffee that consistently gives off a wine-like impression.

However, if you let it age a little longer, the flavor might open up and the impression might change again.
I'd like to enjoy the rest of it while letting it rest slowly.

This time, I've written a review based on my experience with the [ CROWD ROASTER EX].

Having tasted [ BPC ] once, I started thinking things like, "Next time, I'd like to try it at this roast level," and "I liked Yasuo 's roasting because it was well-balanced and brought out the flavor of the beans so well, so next time I'd like Yasuo to roast these green beans for me."

I personally think that CROWD ROASTER is a great service for people who are using it for the first time, or for those who want to try out coffee made from "green beans" or roasters they haven't tried before, with a casual attitude of "I just want to give it a try."

If you're interested in a coffee made with "green beans x roaster," why not try using [ CROWD ROASTER EX]?

If you can find the "green beans" or "roaster" that suit your preferences, we believe you will enjoy CROWD ROASTER 's services even more.

That's all for today.
May good coffee be a part of your daily life.

 

2023.05.05
Takeru

 

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