El Diablo was created to serve as a counterpart to our La Corona Blend—a more developed version of the same idea that would satisfy the cravings of those who love dark roasts.  Each season we blend some of our most compelling coffees and re-invent them through the roast, showcasing their versatility and offering a very different taste profile than that which would be found when enjoying them as single-origins.

Dark roasting is a tricky business, and really tests the skill of a roaster.  To execute a perfect dark roast is the ultimate balancing act; one must allow the coffee to develop just enough to introduce a touch of roast-derived flavor without submerging the more delicate characteristics that are intrinsic to the beans.  Many roasts that stray into the dark and oily territory made famous by West Coast Roasters can come across as heavy-handed and aggressive with a taste profile dominated by smoky, bittersweet flavors that overwhelm the palate and leave little room for exploring nuance.

Much of what dictates whether or not a dark roast is successful centers on the ‘bittersweet’ descriptor that is a hallmark of this style.  Emphasis should lie clearly on the ‘sweet’ part, with the ‘bitter’ element feeling more like a gentle caress than a slap in the face.  Think about a silky and transparent veil draped over the bean—those elements that made the bean so attractive in the first place are still clearly detectable but are complemented by a sweet roastiness that adds weight and softens the acidity.  On the opposite side of the aesthetic fence is a Christo Javacheff style treatment that completely envelopes the coffee with pungent roastiness and obscures all but the most overt tastes unique to the particular coffee bean.

We expect El Diablo to be one of most elegant and delicate dark roasts you are likely to come across.