Great. Everyone will get a chance to see the Yakster at work.

For a mental Kodak moment that will last a lifetime, make sure you catch him hitching his pants (he goes to both sides, knuckles thru the belt loops, two tugs) and then steps in for the pulls.

See if I am not a Truth Teller.

That's only during Latte Art throw-downs and tossing back IPAs is usually part of the routine.

Miss you, bud.

DB

yakster wrote:That's only during Latte Art throw-downs and tossing back IPAs is usually part of the routine.

That's a good defense, but how about some offense; maybe some equally graphic observation about the ways o' Boldjava?

We're all hanging out in coffee heaven here at Cher's. It's like a lever and grinder museum.

Chert wrote:That's a good defense, but how about some offense; maybe some equally graphic observation about the ways o' Boldjava?

BoldJava is a gentleman and scholar beyond reproach. BTW, Dave, I'll be in Milwaukee in 12 days touring The Excellent Cup's roasting facility, I'll be brewing and roasting there. Might be a little smoky there, not just from the coffee roasting, but from the Herfing going on as well.

Good morning, Home-Barista! Janet and I had a blast at Cher and Demello's Leverfest yesterday. We were wowed by the creativity of this group and delighted to see old friends and meet people that had been met online. I'll start with group photos. I took the first, David (cuppajoe) took the second similar to the first. Apologies for blinking eye shots, I cropped to a subgroup with me in the back. From the left in the front, you're looking at Tahko (David "cuppajoe's" wife) and Randy Glass, Cher, Val (Randy's wife), Janet Birgenheier (my wife), and in the back, David (cuppajoe), Joel Elias (slickrock), John (the chocolatier), Demello (Cher's husband), and Chris Moritz (yakster).



For the next photo David stepped out to take the picture and I'm in the back. Others who attended and aren't pictured are Cher and Demello's friends, Matt, Maria, and their friend, Cat.



But first, there's a heroic backstory to what it took to host this event. Cher and Demello were blindsided in the last two weeks when their landlord required their moving out several times on short notice to allow a plumbing rebuild, installation of granite countertops and replacement flooring and carpet cleaning, then left them to clean up much of the contractor mess. Most people would have cancelled this gathering, but they persevered and then some. What made it so challenging was their impressive assortment of vintage items, books, records and Cher's old Blues magazine, aromatherapy supplies and their museum-like coffee gear collection. They've made maximum use of their space, which means lots of vertical storage on shelves and such. And they hosted Janet and me at their place for two nights. How they pulled it off is beyond me, including their kitty, Zelly, who hung around for awhile, then burrowed under the covers of their bed. Here are some photos of C & D's coffee gear collection to show you what I mean, and this isn't all of it. There's a front closet with roasters.





The first edition Vesuviana on the left has quite a backstory. (I will link that soon.)



Matt (MB) is taking a turn pulling shots behind Cher's new old stock Faema Urania is on the left, and a pristine vintage Cremina is next to it.



Here's Matt pulling a shot on one of Cher's two vintage Elektra Microcasa a Levas. Next to it are (all Elektra) grinder, Miniverticale and two Sixties machines, one brass and one chrome.



Here is Matt's Pharos-o-magtic, with a tabletop mount he custom-made for this event, along with his own bean scoop and dosing funnel. Cher's HG One is on the left with her other Elektra Microcasa.



I'll put up another post soon with more photos of people, their contributions and some unusual gear.

Man, was that fun. Cher and her SO are the warmest of hosts. When I arrived, Dr. Gary was in the kitchen (aka the Elektra wing of the museum) working an MCAL. Past the kitchen and beyond the roasting equipment and greens repository, I was introduced to the goosebump-inducing displays of classic levers and grinders. The trip would have been worth it just to enjoy looking over that, but no, we were just getting started.

I had brought in my Pharos-o-magtic, so back to the kitchen to dial that in on some delicious Burundi. Soon Joel (I think, as I'm terrible with names) set up his Monolith flat. Cher was at the MCAL and needing to attend to the guests pouring in, so I got my chance to handle that beautiful machine.

I didn't bring my SO, as she doesn't partake of the elixir of the bean. However, the plentiful food and delightful goodies we're enough alone to keep anyone happy. Of special interest to my wife had she been there would have been John's freshly hand made chocolates. They were beautifully decorated and had ingredients like Irish whiskey, nut butters, Chinese five spice, and other delicate nuances.

One of the surprises for me was a Monsoon Malabar that Cher had roasted up. It had a sandalwood flavor that was unexpectedly delicious. I like variety and this makes a nice contrast to the Ethiopian beans I've been getting into lately.

A cozy, fun event with good people, conversation, food and coffee. What more could you ask for?

MB wrote:...
A cozy, fun event with good people, conversation, food and coffee. What more could you ask for?

Wherever I go, vacation or baseball, I try and throw a group together. While I find the machines and coffee interesting, people make the event.

Whoever took the photos did a superb job. Thanks for sharing.

DB

This is what I get for not paying attention to HB except for a while. Totally missed even reading about this today. Glad everyone had fun! Sorry I missed you in town Gary. Looks like the usual good time was had by one and all.