Something is wrong with my espresso

[Vlad]

I just roasted Sumatra FT Gayo Tunas Indah yesterday, stopped it at second crack (I think). The bean is dark, but when the espresso is light brown, and very anemic tasting. What in the world did I do? It tastes like corn on the cob tea or something.

[EricBNC]

I just roasted Sumatra FT Gayo Tunas Indah yesterday, stopped it at second crack (I think). The bean is dark, but when the espresso is light brown, and very anemic tasting. What in the world did I do? It tastes like corn on the cob tea or something.

It might need longer than a day of rest to develop fully - try it again at day five post roast and see what flavor might develop.

[StillShaving]

When you say corn cob, do you mean like grass? Which would be a sign of under roasting. Perhaps you had some early snaps of 1st crack, but then really stopped the roast just as 1st crack started to get rolling. I did that once and the grassy flavor was too strong to finish drinking the roast, though it did mellow over time. As Eric recommends, it is too early to judge and after a few days rest you may end up with something good.

[Everett529]

Yup, I'm guilty of that myself. Sometimes I think later pops of 1C are actually 2C. I stop and look at the beans, and if they're not smoother (still creased, pitted with dark lines) then I realize I'm usually not at 2C :P

[StillShaving]

Likewise, I have had 1st crack practically roll into 2nd crack before I realized it. Found that roasting decaf and some 1+ year old Vietnamese to be tricky in that aspect. I have over roasted both of these coffees more than I liked.

[jumper]

I found that the Sumatra FT Gayo Tunas Indah is dark at FC but dry looking, pushing it to SC will usually bring out some sheen on the bean after it rests for a day. This is usually a good sign that you actually hit SC, and depending on the roaster it is sometimes difficult to hear/tell. If you hit SC and let it rest for 48 hours you should get a nice bright cup with a 7 gram dose.

[PozzSka]

How long was the roast? How are you roasting? When did you hit 1st, 2nd, how long was 1st, etc.?

[Go West Young Man]

My solution usually involves going back to the counter and asking the barista to fix it.

[Vlad]

Looks like it was under-roasted. I let the color influence me, and stopped it early. Thanks for your help, gents.