Dogshot wrote:As a former professional classical musician, I know what you mean about the value of practice! Practice can be greatly enhanced by some knowledgeable feedback. I was fortunate enough to study with a great pedagogue (Lorand Fenyves), who used to say that repetition leads to inattention and bad habits. The trick to learning a technical skill is to do it right every time.
Well said. I recall reading an interview with Earl Weaver, the late great manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who insisted on having his team practice until the players did not have to think about how to react to 99% of the plays that would happen on the field.
That kind of practice, with that kind of goal, isn't what we're about in specialty coffee. Sure, we should practice, but we should do so with our full attention (or as much of it as we can muster!). There's a lot of variability in making good espresso: from the beans to the grind to the tamp to the machine, small variations can result in noticeable changes...and sometimes those changes are for the better, even after we think we've nailed the 'best' way to pour a shot from our particular machines. In baseball, there is only one right thing for a second baseman to do when a ground ball is hit to him and no one is on base. The more he practices it until he no longer thinks about it, the better ballplayer he will be. In espresso, there is more than one right thing to do. Devoting our attention to that is the key.
That said, I too would want to cup more, had I the time. That's where the "Fifth M" (mtaster...and that's a silent "m") can really be developed, and ultimately the tasting is what it's all about.
My two cents...perhaps I run at a bit of a tangent, but that's the espresso working!
Paul
