noah wrote:Jim, you forgot Ayn Rand!

Thanks for reminding me

I think part of it may also be our increasing reliance on automation. Having a machine do a job can be a great thing, don't get me wrong, but it takes away some options and some of the learning. For example, my father makes his espresso with a Jura Capresso fully automatic machine. Many of the choices and decisions I have to make with my manual setup were made for him by someone in Switzerland. While he is happy with that, I don't think he can appreciate the full range of espresso possibilities, both good and bad. He also does not know what to do if something were to go wrong with the machine, or if the coffee tasted off. I see this same thing in some cafes. Recently I tried a new place. For whatever reason, the portafilter was leaking in the group head. Because she wasn't trained and was used to pressing a few buttons to make espresso, all she could do was to hold up a bar towel to PF to stem the flow of water and grounds. Needless to say, that was the worst espresso of my life.

A similar process happens with popular novels. I think Stephen King is very honest about what he does. It's all very mechanical and his descriptions of what he does acknowledge the workaday quality of his novels. (FWIW, some of my favorite movies were based on King's novels, most notably the Shining, but also the Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile).

I'm certainly not suggesting that we chuck all our machines, but I do think that the question of automation is more complex than it might appear.

Hmm, one of the events that inspired me to get my rig was a fantastic latte from local coffee place. It was almost like the sunshine came out on a foggy day with the first sip (Smoky!). I was so impressed. I went back the next day for some more liquid sunshine and it sucked. Bleah!
I happen to know the owner (one of my customers) and the beans and the equipment are exactly the same.
The difference was the barista. The Owner pulled the first drink and an employee did the second. The first was sweet and chocolate, the second was so bitter I couldn't finish it.
I had my first machine in a matter of a week and the journey began...
Now onto fixing my UPS'ed grinder.

Reading these post reminds me of a small shop I visited in a tiny coastal Maine town this summer. They had a beautiful commercial Rancilio and a Nuova Simonelli grinder. When I found this place I was very excited as there was nothing else in this charming but tiny town.
I was second in line for espresso and when it became my turn I ordered a plain latte. To my horror the sweet young girl making the coffee simply pulled another "shot" out of the same portafilter as the customers before me! I'm talking the same coffee grinds! I was so deflated I simply smiled and thanked her for the drink and left.
If anyone is wondering, the latte was dreadful.

pilotroger wrote:Reading these post reminds me of a small shop I visited in a tiny coastal Maine town this summer. They had a beautiful commercial Rancilio and a Nuova Simonelli grinder. When I found this place I was very excited as there was nothing else in this charming but tiny town.
I was second in line for espresso and when it became my turn I ordered a plain latte. To my horror the sweet young girl making the coffee simply pulled another "shot" out of the same portafilter as the customers before me! I'm talking the same coffee grinds! I was so deflated I simply smiled and thanked her for the drink and left.
If anyone is wondering, the latte was dreadful.

You must really hate confrontation.