I don’t think you are understanding my point on the blind cupping. Perhaps if I had a table of Esmeralda it would be relevant However, 1. blind or not, the Esmeralda was obvious on the table and 2. It still won’t tell me if it is better or worse, than what I expected to receive, which was to be sent an Esmeralda 1-2 days post-roast.

I think it’s a compromise. If I had ordered a week earlier, I would have gotten fresher Esmeralda. So the age it got sent to me was not an active decision, rather it suited their roasting schedule. Unless you want to tell me that TCC are holding on to roasted bags of Esmeralda until they are a certain age before posting them… I doubt it.

On the US roasters – try Terroir.

I am not saying that you’re statement is wrong, it might be very valid for you and probably me as well – but my guess would be that a lot of TCCs customers feel the same way as mine.

The blind cupping matters because if you were to score the coffee low, you would know that it had nothing to do with your low expectations.

If they feel it’s best between 14 and 21 days, are they really compromising? And do you know their coffee well enough to really argue that it isn’t? Personally I haven’t cupped enough nitrogen flushed coffees at all to take a stand against TCC when it comes to when it’s at it’s best. (Until recently none of the norwegian roasters were doing it) I have just like you experienced that while a sealed bag might last longer, an open bag will die faster. I believe that to be a discussion over wheither to flush or not, rather than a storage issue though.

You’re right, it would be possible to get Esmeralda roasted in the US. But both the shipping and the degree of roast bothers me more than getting 14 days old coffee.

On the blind cupping – it doesn’t matter whether I or others can tell the Esmeralda apart from other coffees on the table, or whether they are better or worse than other coffees. Is it better or worse than itself 2 weeks younger is the question! (why don’t you cup/taste a 5 day old and a 19 day old and see?)

I don’t expect compromises from roasters at this level.

I don’t think any “so called” altruism on the part of the roaster in going to the effort of sourcing such a coffee should form part of an excuse.

Also, there are plenty of US roasters who will ship to Ireland, such as Terroir and Stumptown, from whom I have had previous season’s Esmeralda. Of course, you yourself had some of this year’s crop from Intelligentsia. So it’s neither here nor there.

If you’re sure you can nail all those origins and varietals at any given cupping with coffee you haven’t had before then sir, you sure are a better man than me. My personal experience is that if i have Tekangu together with this year’s TCC esmeralda, even experienced cuppers might get them mixed up. And if you add a reference cup, say a washed Yirg or a second Kenya – the confusion is in enough cases total. Which is why I am so sure blind cupping is the way to go.

Is the TCC Esmeralda worth €34? One could argue that you’re paying for it’s limited availability more than it’s actual quality. I know several norwegian roasters backed out of the auction this year for that spesific reason.

There is a difference between “optimal” and “good”. But one could also argue that to get the “optimal” cup, you would have to travel to Copenhagen to get your cup of Esmeralda. The stress the bean suffers from it’s travel to Ireland isn’t exactly benificiary either. In most cases, that strategy would mean that most Irish citizens wouldn’t get to taste the Esmeralda at all, as there are no local roasters in Ireland selling it. And even if they did: You would have to find a retailer who would sell keep those incredibly expensive beans in stock. And if they are as most retailers, they wont accept a shelflife of only 1 week – that would mean throwing away lots and lots of coffee.

The point is: If TCC didn’t source, roast and ship this coffee, you wouldn’t be able to taste it even if you wanted to. And you’re right, it’s your customer’s right to say that you don’t think you got your money’s worth. In fact, I’m pretty sure they would give you your money back if you ask them nicely(And maybe not through twitter). I’m just glad you have the opportunity at all. You woudn’t have just a few years ago.

We all accept coffee is a perishable product. We all accept it deteriorates. From my experience the first week to two weeks post-roast is the peak of vibrancy, and perceptibility of nuances in coffee.

Some may agree or disagree with that, but I feel that I, as the consumer, should be able to make that decision.

If it tastes good what does the roast date matter?

There is “good” and there is “best”. I want to taste coffee at its best, regardless of price. In this specific case, for a coffee whose price dictates it is truly an infrequent luxury, I want to be doubly certain I can taste everything it has to offer.

I still don’t get your comments regarding the sacred need to cup it blind. We’re all well versed enough to know what to expect in a table that included a Guatemalan bourbon, a Kenyan, a naturally processed Ethiopian, and a washed Geisha. We kept an open mind, and our opinions, expressed by myself, Karl, and Colin (above) who was also present were made in good faith.

I’m also surprised, given your reputation, Rasmus, that you would so staunchly defend something that surely has to be conceded is sub-optimal.

I have never really had any problems with giving negative feedback to roasters and even other café owners. When I do so however, I do feel obliged to back the claim up properly – which I think was the biggest mistake you made at this tasting.

I don’t remember if it was you or @coffeeangel who stated that you were influenced by the date on the bag, the same way a customer might be when seing latteart in his/her drink. Which is exactly why I think blind cupping is the only way to go. As Tim Varney put it, if it tastes good, what does the roast date matter?

I absolutely agree with this method, and it needs to be more prevalent in the coffee community. There is nothing better than constructive criticism from your peers. Both us and TCC share the Kiawamururu (another cracking Kenyan), and we have shared back and forth feedback on this coffee – something i’d like to do with SQM too. It is very interesting to see the roasters interpretation of how best to display the coffee, and to then work to improve on it yourself.

That said, Twitter isn’t the place for it.