My own description of the flavor here
Amount of grounds:
2 tablespoons per 10 oz of water
Brewing time:
8.5 minutes
Additions:
None
Reusing grounds:
Not tested
Using grounds in food:
Not tested
General Thoughts:
General feeling about the roast
The Ocumare leads in with being a little bitter, but for some reason not very chocolatey out of the gate. The Ecuador has that sharp sweetness to it, especially in the aroma. Going back to the Ocumare, it has a little more chocolatey flavor to it, but not much. The Ecuador, in comparison, really comes across as sweeter and more chocolatey. It's really good and easily wins out.
Adding vanilla almond milk only to the Ocumare, it gets way more chocolatey and less bitter, but it doesn't go away completely. The Ecuador still has that sharp sweetness in comparison and still wins out.
Adding the almond milk to the Ecuador weakens it quite a bit. It brings out a little of the chocolate flavor, and the sharp sweetness is still identifiable, but it isn't as good as without the almond milk, I think. The comparison is very close in terms of preference, but I think I'd still go with the Ecuador.
Starting off with the Ecuador, it has that familiar sweet and pungent "ting" to it. There's a little bit of roast in the flavor, but not much overall. The level of sweetness in the Ecuador is matched (contrasted?) by the level of bitterness in the Ocumare. It's weird, because at first it almost makes it taste more roasted than the Ecuador. Even going back to the Ecuador after the Ocumare, its flavors aren't really changed as a result of being next to the Ocumare. The Ocumare may have just a slight bit more of a "traditional" dark chocolate flavor to it, but my preference is for the Ecuador, for sure.
This is a little surprising! I started off with the Ocumare, and as has been the case so far, it came across as fairly bitter and a little chocolatey. I guess I would also call it a little earthy, but that mostly seems to be just part of the bitterness. But then when I went over to the Ghana, I noticed the aroma was sweet, almost like the Ecuador roasts. Taking a sip, it's most definitely sweet compared to the Ocumare, and really feels very similar to the Ecuador roasts. But yet I can still pick out a difference. The Ghana has a lighter sweet grainy flavor to it rather than the sharper sweet flavor of the Ecuador. The Ghana is the definite winner here.
I meant to blend the last parts when I did comparisons against the Ecuador roasts and completely forgot, but I did it with the Ghana. Maybe this will be a little window into what the blend would have been like with the Ecuador. Anyway, for the end result, the aroma has both the bitterness of the Ocumare and the sweetness of the Ghana. For the flavor, though, it's one of those where everything snaps to the middle and there's very little that stands out from either roast. Even after letting it sit for a minute and coming back to it, I can maybe pick out the bitterness and sweetness in the flavor, but mostly not.
Starting with the Ghana, it's a little earthy, a little roasted, and somewhat chocolatey. Going to the Ocumare, both the aroma and the flavor come across as quite bitter, and there's a decent amount of chocolatey flavor to it, too. I've been thinking about this, and I think it's not only bitter, but there's more to it, almost like it's an extreme earthiness. It's almost like earthy in its truest form. Going back to the Ghana, it tastes very light and grainy in comparison to the Ocumare. I definitely like the Ghana more than the Ocumare, but I'm also glad to be able to have the Ocumare to use to compare things, because it really feels like such a "out in left field" sort of flavor that it really puts all the others into better perspective.
I was able to go through this comparison drinking a relatively little amount for each one, so I had quite a lot to blend this morning, making almost 2/3 of a mug total. I felt like at first I could still pick out the bitterness of the Ocumare in there, but the more I drink it, the more everything is just really flat with no features of either roast really standing out. It's ok in overall flavor, but the aroma is a little bitter, and in the end there's no wow factor to it.
The Ocumare starts off with a little bit of bitterness and a decent amount of chocolate flavor. The Nicaragua, in comparison, has that strong fermented and bready component that really sticks out like a sore thumb. Going back to the Ocumare, the bitterness mostly disappears and I'm mostly left with just a light chocolatey flavor. Drinking them black, the Ocumare wins.
Adding vanilla almond milk to both, the Ocumare goes very chocolatey and comes out tasting really good. The Nicaragua gets tamed a little bit, has a slightly stronger chocolate flavor, but still has a pretty strong fermented or bready flavor to it. Going back to the Ocumare after, the chocolate flavor isn't as strong, but it's still pretty good, and wins this round, too
Before taking a sip, the aroma of these two is surprisingly similar. They're not identical, but they're closer than Ocumare has been to anything else so far, I think.
I started with the Ocumare this time, and it's that familiar chocolatey, bitter, ultra-earthy flavor. The Venezuela is... again, surprisingly similar! It's not quite as bitter and earthy, but it lacks the sweetness that I've noticed in some of the others. Going back to the Ocumare, it's definitely more bitter, and the level of chocolate is about the same. The Venezuela has maybe a little tartness to it, too... or I may just be drinking them too closely together. Hmmm. The more I drink them, the more similar they seem to become. The Venezuela really is very close to the Ocumare, a lot more than I thought it would be. This is a really close call, and actually, I think it may be a tie.
Starting with Ocumare, it's a little bitter and a little chocolatey. Going to the Uber Dark, I can kind of pick out the sweet pungency of Ecuador in there. It's quite roasty, as expected, but pairs well with the Ocumare, and it brings out more than just the roast, which is nice. Going back to the Ocumare, it gets more bitter and less chocolatey than before. Is also has a pungent smell that has a similar feel to onion or garlic. It doesn't smell like either one of those, but the quality is similar. Picking a favorite between the two is hard. I like the sweetness in the Uber dark, but not the deep roast. I like the lighter quality of Ocumare, but not the bitterness. It's such a close choice! But as of now, I think I could drink the Ocumare more long term, so I'm going with that.
Adding vanilla almond milk to both, they both get very chocolatey, and the other qualities mostly fade to the background, though the sweet "ting" in the Uber dark is still there pretty strongly, which is nice. I think that edges out the "straight chocolate" flavor in the Ocumare, though, so I'd call Uber Dark the winner here.
I decided to just start with taking in the aroma of each one because I suspected that they may be very similar, and the aromas really are close. My first sip was of the Mexico. It's a little less tart this morning, and there's a hint of bitterness, but there's a good amount of chocolate in the flavor. If it was like this all the time, it wouldn't be so bad! Going over to the Ocumare, wow, the flavor and aroma is SO close to the Mexico! It's chocolaty, there's less tartness, and about the same level of bitterness. Like with the Mexico, if it were like this all the time, it wouldn't be so bad. I have no idea why these are better this morning than usual. Going back to the Mexico, the tartness is now stronger and getting back to what I'm used to in these comparisons. The Ocumare is just the milder and less tart version, and my preference between the two.
With just a little splash of vanilla almond milk in the Mexico only, it's still a little tart, but very chocolaty, and very good overall. The unaltered Ocumare is still pretty decent and hasn't really changed with the comparison. There's still a little bitterness and a decent amount of chocolate flavor. But it can't compare to the strong chocolate flavor of the Mexico, even with the little bit of tartness there. The Mexico wins.
Adding a little splash of almond milk to the Ocumare, I really thought it was going to get a lot more chocolaty like the Mexico does, but it didn't. The bitterness is pretty much gone and it's a lighter flavor overall, and it is a little more chocolaty and very good, but it's not super chocolaty like the Mexico. But even with that being the case, the tartness that's still hanging out in the Mexico is holding it back. They're really close, but I think I like the Ocumare just the tiniest bit more.
Starting with the Ecuador, it's pretty dark and roasty and bitter, but it has that hint of sharp sweetness and pungency behind it that is pretty typical for the Ecuador roasts. Going over to the Ocumare, it's very mild in comparison, with a good bit of chocolate, and that extra earthy bitterness that is its mainstay. Going back to the Ecuador right after really makes that sharp sweetness pop out. Some of the bitterness and roasty flavor is still there, but they're pushed a little more to the background. Overall, I prefer the Ocumare over the Ecuador by a fair amount.
I blended the last little bit, and in the first sip, I could still make out the Ecuador quite a bit, especially in the aroma, but I could also pick up the strong earthy tones from the Ocumare. I gate it a little more time to incorporate, and now I pick up the earthiness of the Ocumare more in the aroma, but I can just barely still make out some of the flavors of the Ecuador. As I get to the bottom of the mug, things have mostly snapped to the center, and I can't really make out much of anything from either one in the flavor, although I thought I could still pick out a little of the sweetness of the Ecuador in the aroma. I've never had a blend move around so much in flavors before, I don't think. That was really interesting.
The Ocumare starts out lightly bitter with some chocolate, but Ecuador comes in with the strong pungency that leans a little sweet and a good bit of smokiness. I'm not a huge fan of either one black, but like with the Anakin, they're both "ok" when I drink them side-by-side in the comparison. I think I'd pick the Ocumare as the winner because it's not such an assault on the senses.
With vanilla almond milk in both, the Ocumare comes out with a good bit of chocolate to it, but also keeps a fairly strong bitter component. The Ecuador keeps the strong pungency but the roast mostly goes away. It's better than without the almond milk, but not as good as the Ocumare. I'd still keep the Ocumare as the winner.
It's probably worth mentioning that I thought at first I may have messed this one up. I accidentally brewed ocumare for the entire cooling time, which was about 14 minutes. In the end, I don't think it really mattered much.
I started off with the Ocumare and its earthy bitterness with a bit of chocolate. Switching over to the Ivory Coast, it's really a different flavor altogether. It doesn't come across as chocolatey at all, and it's light and grainy in flavor. Ever since I first had the Ivory Coast medium, I've noticed that it's not like the others, but this comparison really makes it stand out. Going back to the Ocumare, it really makes that one taste bitter, deeply earthy, and a bit more chocolatey. Between the two I'd go with the Ivory Coast even though it's just a different beast completely.
I blended the last few sips of each, and strangely, the bitterness of Ocumare is even more bitter now. Woof! But at the same time, I can also make out a little of the lighter grainy flavor of the Ivory Coast, which is really interesting. It's probably not a blend I'd make more of, though.
Starting off with the Ivory Coast, it has that sweeter earthy flavor with a little chocolate that has no surprises to it. Going to the Ocumare, not is it very bitter and very earthy, but I was struck by how it almost also tasted very darkly roasted even though it's a light roast. It almost reminded me a little of the charred flavor that I got from my first sample of Choffy's Volta French roast. How weird! Going back to the Ivory Coast, it's milder, sweeter, and the earthy flavor leans way more in the "grainy" flavor direction. I strongly prefer the Ivory Coast to the Ocumare here.
I blended the last little bit of each one, and it still has that very earthy and bitter aroma, but the flavor is quite a bit lighter. I'm not picking up on the sweeter flavor of the Ivory Coast in it. After letting it sit for a little longer, a lot of the Ocumare aromas died down and the whole thing just wound up being pretty flat.
Starting off with the Ocumare, it has the usual bitter, deeply earthy, and chocolatey flavors. Going over to the Ivory Coast, I noticed quickly that the aroma was coming across as... sweet and dusty? I think that's the smoky aroma trying to come through. Taking a sip, I'm mostly getting smoky and earthy flavors with little to none of the sweetness I'm picking up in the aroma. I also wouldn't exactly call it chocolatey, either. Going from the Ivory Coast back to the Ocumare, the flavor of the Ocumare doesn't really change much. I thought at first maybe it seemed a little less bitter, but no, it's pretty much still all there. If there's one thing to say about the Ocumare flavors and aromas, they are tenacious in the face of comparison and blending. They don't move aside easily. Even in spite of that, there's a lot of similarity between these two, and I almost want to call this a tie. But that strong bitterness in the Ocumare is just something I don't think I'd want to drink every day, so I'm calling it slightly in favor of Ivory Coast.
Because it's been a while since I've had the Ocumare, and I remember not being a huge fan of it when drinking it black, I decided to start with it this time. The aroma is somewhat bitter, but decently chocolaty, and with just a hint of tartness, too. The flavor is mostly the same, although it feels a little flatter than the aroma. Going over to the Nigeria, the nutty aroma and flavor are very strong on the first sip, with just hint of bitterness. There's chocolate there, too, but it's really the nuttiness that jumps out. Going back over to the Ocumare, it's now more tart, but less bitter, and while there's still some chocolate there, the tartness is really coming out strong. Between the two, I prefer the Nigeria a good bit.
I added vanilla almond milk only to the Ocumare first to see how that does against the unaltered Nigeria. It now has a very strong chocolate flavor with only the tiniest hint of tartness or bitterness back in the back. Going to the Nigeria, I was surprised to get a whiff of the sweetness that I usually pick up in the Ecuador roasts. It's not in the flavor much, but it's there. It's also not coming across nearly as nutty now, but the chocolate is still decent. But I have to say that with Ocumare being quite a bit milder and the tartness gone, it's really good, and it wins here.
With a splash of vanilla almond milk in the Nigeria now, I'm picking up more on the nutty flavor, but also the burnt part of it, which strikes me as weird. Going to the Ocumare, a little bit of the bitterness is back, but mainly in the aroma. The flavor is still very chocolaty and the tartness isn't there anymore. The Nigeria is also still giving off a little bit of the sweetness I mentioned earlier. It's a really close race, but I think with the burnt flavor and aroma hanging around in the Nigeria, I have to call it in favor of the Ocumare.
Going with the Nigeria first, it's mostly the same not-so-chocolaty, kind of smoky, and burnt nut flavor. It's tolerable, but not great. The Ocumare has a good bit of bitterness, it's kind of earthy, and a little tart. Again, there's not much chocolate here in the flavor, but I am picking it up in the aroma. It's ok, not great, but I would probably pick it over the Nigeria. Actually, the more I drink it, the better it gets. The same is not true for the Nigeria. so yeah, Ocumare is definitely the winner.
With vanilla almond milk in both, the Nigeria takes on a stronger nutty flavor and a more chocolaty aroma, and most of the smoky or burnt qualities are gone. It's decent, and certainly much improved over drinking it black. The Ocumare has a much stronger chocolate aroma and flavor to it. There's still some earthiness, but the tartness is gone, and it's pretty good overall. Going back to the Nigeria, the burnt nut flavor is a little more apparent, but not enough derail it. But in the end, I'd still go with the Ocumare as the winner here, too.
Starting with the Ocumare first, it has the usual bitter, earthy, and chocolatey thing going on. Going to the Volta right after, it's pretty different from how I've ever experienced it before, but I'm not sure if I can explain it well. I think there's a flavor that would normally be earthy, but it's coming out a little more on the sweeter grainy side, but for some reason there's also maybe a little bit of a buttery flavor in there, plus just an ever so slightly bready or fermented flavor, with just a little dash of chocolate. I think what seems weird about it is that it's a really complex flavor that I've just never gotten from the Volta before. An no matter how many times I go back and forth between the Ocumare and the Volta, it stays the same. It's really interesting! But I will say that I think the stronger bitterness of the Ocumare hurts it in the comparison, and the Volta wins out in the end.
Starting with the Volta, it has that familiar slightly dusty, slightly earthy, slightly bitter chocolatey flavor. Going to the Ocumare after, it has a much more bitter aroma, almost coffee-like. The flavor isn't as strong, but it's deeply earthy and somewhat bitter, and not terribly chocolatey. Going back to the Volta after, it almost tastes bland in comparison. It's much more mild, and a little more chocolatey, but the earthy flavor really pales in comparison to the Ocumare. Although if I put some time between them, the Volta has almost a "beany" flavor to it. Between these two, the Volta is the winner.
The Ocumare starts out fairly bitter and a little chocolatey. The Volta is very roasty but also just a little chocolatey. Going back to the Ocumare, it comes across as slightly bready, but so strong as Chocolate Alchemy's Big O or Crio Bru's Nicaragua. I'm not a huge fan of drinking either one black, but I think I'd go with the Ocumare as the winner here.
With vanilla almond milk, the Ocumare jumps out as very chocolatey with a hint of bitterness. The Volta is somewhat chocolatey with a little bit of the roasty flavors still coming in. They're both really good this way. I think I kind of prefer the Volta over the ocumare because going back and forth, the ocumare retains a little bit of the bready flavor, which I'm not a huge fan of.
Considering how Anakin is a really dark roast and Ocumare is a light roast, there's a lot of similarity between these two. The Ocumare has a kind of fruitiness and a bitterness to it that generally isn't in many other roasts. The Anakin kind of has that too, but under a heavy blanket of roasty and toasty flavor. I'm usually not much into drinking Anakin black, but something about pairing it with Ocumare makes it more enjoyable. It's really hard to pick a favorite here. Drinking black, I think these may be tied.
Adding vanilla almond milk to both, the Anakin goes somewhat chocolatey but still has that lovely toasty "marshmallow" flavor. The Ocumare comes across more chocolatey, too, but minus the toasty flavor because it's a light roast. I think I like the Anakin more just because of the toasty flavors in it.
Like with the Nicaragua, I started with the Ocumare because I'm not sure what the Shot in the Dark is going to do to it. Ocumare starts off a bit on the bitter side, but it's much like a dark chocolate flavor, which is nice. Shot in the Dark is all bitter, smoky, and charred, but there's a sour note to it, too. Going back to the Ocumare, it's a bit on the earthy side, and there's an interesting grainy flavor I haven't picked up in there before. It's actually pretty decent! It reminds me a lot of the Ivory Coast roasts, and is by and far the clear winner here.
With vanilla almond milk, the Ocumare has a really striking chocolate flavor! That first sip was really good, and it will be interesting to see if it continues. Shot in the Dark is still very roasty, bitter, and sour, but there's a hint of a fruity aroma to it. It's definitely improved over drinking it black, but I'm not sure I'd say that I like it. The Ocumare is staying strong with the chocolate and just a hint of the grainy flavor. If this is the way it had always been, it would have been near the top with the doctored versions of Anakin and Shadow's Silhouette. Then again, I did a side by side with Shadow's Silhouette, and even with the almond milk, Ocumare didn't fare well against it. But here it's really good and the clear winner.
I have to say that although I'm not liking Shot in the Dark, having it to compare against other roasts and seeing what it does to them has been invaluable. I love this type of discovery.
I started with the Ocumare, and while it's light, it's extremely earthy to the point of being bitter. The Shadow's Silhouette next to it is tart and has that fermented flavor and aroma, but there's still a bit of fudgy brownie to it. Going back to the Ocumare right after, and the bitter flavor is heightened. I'm not a fan of drinking either black like this, but I'd have to say the Shadow's Silhouette wins out.
Adding just a little vanilla almond milk to both, the Shadow's Silhouette becomes that awesome chocolate bomb that I'm falling in love with. The flavor of the Ocumare is tamed, but it's still earthy and bitter, but the aroma almost smells rubbery. I'm really still not a fan of Ocumare. The Shadow's Silhouette is far and away the winner.