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[HB]

I follow several blogs on espresso and life, not unlike my own Overextracted. This thread will highlight some of my favorite blogger entries, excerpted with permission. You will certainly recognize some of them among the HB membership.

[HB]

Chris is even more opinionated in his blog than on HB! His theme below struck a chord that has been resonating in my mind for several weeks -- my failure to live in the moment. Chris singles out an unlikely cause (or effect?).

Death to the 'to-go' Cup!
by Chris Tacy (God Shot)

Seriously.

I think we can blame a lot of the problems in the US coffee market on the damn 'to-go' cup. People are not tasting their drinks, they're in a rush, they order those horrid 'extra-hot' drinks... the list goes on and on.

Bronwen makes a great point. Coffee bars are social centers in so many other parts of the world. And, in many cases, they were started to fulfill this same function in the US. But now we have people talking on their cell phone while grabbing a drink to take with them in the car.

There are so many things wrong with the picture, and regardless of whether or not 'to-go' cups are the cause - I have little doubt that killing them off would fix a whole bunch of the problems. And even if they only fixed a little bit - they are such a potent sign of what is wrong here that making them go away would send such a clear message it would be well worth it.

Death to the 'To-Go' Cup Now!

Blog entry 06.20.2005

[PheasantCreek]

I agree with that. There is a huge difference in social culture between Europe and the US. In Europe, if you ask somebody what they do they reply, "I play tennis . . . I hike . . .. I ski . . . I build model ships". Europeans always reply with what they do outside of work. In the US, people always respond with what they do for work and the stay-at-home moms feel alienated when people ask what they do!

In Europe, you always see benches. Benches everywhere! Benches on the sidewalk, benches in the gardens, I even saw benches in the middle of the woods in Switzerland riding into Italy. People are encouraged to relax, sit down and smell the roses. U.S.? We build roads and more roads so people can get from home to work and work to home as fast as possible. Hell, go to any shopping center! What do people do? They park, run into the one store they want to go and get back in their car to drive to the other end to go to the second store. I guess walking 100 yards is too much for their busy lifestyle! I see it in our shop all the time. People discover us and come in and ask how long we have been here. I tell them and they have this shocked, where-the-hell-have-I-been, looked on their face. They then dig a bigger hole of how much their lives are too busy to look around and mention that they visit the store 4 doors down every other day and never knew we were here.

I'll get off my soapbox now . . .

[Abe Carmeli]

Not all is lost in the U.S. though. Geoff's point is well made, but I think it is not that bad in cities which are built around a walking culture as opposed to driving. New York City (Manhattan) is one of those walking culture places. You do find benches in the streets, and no malls to speak of. Driving is not an option for most people, and the street social life is similar to some European cities. A walk in some areas of town is not much different from a walk in Paris, or Rome. However, when asked what we do, we still answer I work for an investment bank. Some things are dyed in the wool.

[HB]

Trish's entry echos a sentiment I've read a lot about lately -- frustrations with consumers' expectation of consistency (or is it "sameness"?). Be certain to read the comments, lots of thought provoking follow-up (e.g., tonx replies, "Much of the 'success of the Specialty Coffee Related Beverage Product Industry (or whatever we call ourselves) is built on obscuring these complexities, creating the illusion of consistency and aping the sheen of mass-market products.").

I confess to a certain taste-laziness. To simplify equipment comparisons and refine my technique, I rotate through only a handful of espresso blends. Trish's lament and Abe's The Longest Day reminded me that I need to embrace more of life's serendipity.

PS: Check out pf.net's podcasts. Beats the radio chatter during the morning drive.

not so cinchy
by Trish Skeie (portafilter.net)

Okay, maybe you all won't want to read a lot of belly aching about the difficulties of making good coffees....not to mention great ones, but I feel the need to continue the discussion that Peter and Chris have been working on here.
Espresso blending and roasting - and marketing, for that matter- is not so cinchy.

A lot of folks I have worked with and admire greatly are constantly disillusioned by the effort. It's like our dirty little secret in the business and no one really wants to talk seriously about it. Yeah, I know. It is a bit of a downer to get into, but there are promising signs in our future.
Espresso components are damned hard to come by and the demand for them has grown umpteen fold. I don't care who you are or what your espresso reputation is, your blend is not consistent. Some of us can pull it off better than others, but espresso truly is what Nick Cho called the "bikini contest" of coffee. Your blend is a continuously moving target. I have made a point of tasting some highly touted blends dozens of times. Some of them have not rocked my world as was promised. This is not an indictment on them because I know that was just a moment in time. Others have reported godshots with these same blends and I believe them. Still others float above the fray, never coming in contact with our terrestrial espresso pitfalls...who the hell do these coffees think they are? God's gift? (Dammit I guess they are.)

It is nerve racking to go to a friend's shop and not be able to give them the thumbs up on the shot...and then they ask, "...really, what do you think?" All I can say is, "I think you haven't tasted it recently."
But you see, I *know*! I know what is happening. I have been there, we all have.

It's nerve racking to get a sample from an importer...tiny tiny these samples are. They need to know, like yesterday, if you want the coffee and how much. How can you test blends with these itty bitty samples? You need to trust that you understand how the crema will really perform after degassing....2 days, 4 days, 10 days? Who knows, but you don't really have the time needed to try it out, you have to act because the importer wants to sell it to someone today.

Enough poor me venting...can you hear my violins? Here comes the promising future for the big finish:

The conventional wisdom about espresso is now being examined and either accepted or debunked. In some case, both at the same time. Weird, huh? Just as we have religiously logged our roasts, some baristas are brewing everything all different ways. To me, it seems more than ever that the brewing will be matched to the coffee not the other way around. That means that there will be even more reason to say that espresso is anything you want it to be. If you have a hard time defining Third Wave, this would be one of its cornerstones: You can make coffee anything and any way you want to so long as it works. But that means we have a responsibility.
A little Star Wars symbolism...... Black= absence of all light
White is the presence of all light

Blog entry 06/11/2005

[HB]

Jimmy's site has been on HB's Top Pick's list since the beginning and he's recently revamped it to include some nice photography. His entry below got my attention after struggingly for the n'th time to properly describe an espresso blend. My vocabulary isn't as limited as "uh, tastes like coffee" but the prose doesn't flow easily from tongue to page for me. Now I know why... or at least I know what to blame.

Espresso-Specific Flavour Wheel
by Jimmy Oneschuk (espressolab.ca)

I've come to wonder, why do we continue to use the cupping flavour wheel for tasting espresso?

The cupping wheel is a wonderful resource - and I certainly relied on it during my tenure in BC. But if the sensory aspects of espresso and brewing differ, might be wise to develop something specifically for espresso? When was the last time you deconstructed aromas from your single origin shots?

The espresso process tends to highlight and make complex certain flavours where regular brewing does not. There are flavour 'families' that could be expanded upon. The family of defects could be reworked to reflect typical defects resulting from the wider array problems in the espresso process.

Of course, there will be those who won't need a revised wheel. Many professionals, especially those with significant cupping experience, possess an intuitive understanding of differences to be expected between each format. I wouldn't expect the wheel to be totally reworked; there are fundamentals to the wheel, but I wonder if the wider professional (ie: less experienced) world would not benefit from a specialized wheel?

Blog entry June 30, 2005

[HB]

Teme's blog is part practical guide, part reference, and part personal log of espress experience and experimentation. The entry below was especially noteworthy because it contrasts so sharply with one of the SwagFest contest entries, "Are we straying from the path of righteousness?" And what's this... the same author???

Well, I suppose that everyone has their moments of weakness.

First symptoms of upgrade fever
By Teemu Pihlatie (Espresso Passione)

A couple of things on the Rocky have recently started to annoy me. The beans that I use are not an overly dark roast or oily, but I occasionally experience them getting stuck. I then have take off the hopper lid and stir the beans to resume grind. Not good. I'd ideally like the Rocky to grind just a little bit quicker, too. On top of this, I've been bitten by the upgrade bug - and I've only had the Rocky for three months now! The Mazzer Mini E would be very tempting if it wasn't for the ridiculous price premium it has over the dosered Mini.

(cont'd)

Blog entry June 12, 2005

[Teme]

Teme's blog is part practical guide, part reference, and part personal log of espress experience and experimentation. The entry below was especially noteworthy because it contrasts so sharply with one of the SwagFest contest entries, "Are we straying from the path of righteousness?" And what's this... the same author???

Well, I suppose that everyone has their moments of weakness.

Thanks for the compliment Dan!

I sort of thought about this contrast as well when I entered the SwagFest article. Some thoughts on these reflections at the end of this post on my blog. I may have been having too technical of an approach to coffee lately, especially on the recent posts on my blog, but on the other hand I have been focusing on two of the four M's - the machine and the grinder - not so much the gadgets and convenience that my article discussed...

As regards the two remaining M's, I have faith in the excellent freshly roasted coffee from my local roaster and in fact earlier this week I heard that Troels Overdal Poulsen, current world barista champion is going to open a new micro-roaster in Copenhagen. This is interesting news in its own right but what makes it really intriguing to me is that if I have understood correctly, his shop will be located about 50 meters from my front door...

And then the final M. Me. The operator. Despite all the technical stuff, I am continuing my learning process and will be doing so indefinitely - aren't we all?

Br,
Teme

[HB]

Ben's Isomac: the music video should be required viewing for any spouse trying to make sense of their loved one's recent espresso obsession. His blog is a delightful blending of coffee research and irreverent humor. In a case of watching the watcher, the excerpt below describes Abe's popular review of the Versalab M3 grinder on HB. I sense fatigue-induced delirium was setting in near the end of the entry; you'll have to follow the links to see what I mean. As HB can attest, referring to oneself in third person is a leading symptom...

we got your exit vortex right here
By Ben Szobody (Chemically Imbalanced)

holy mother of pete. if you mosey over to home-barista.com and check out the deliriously detailed breakdown of versalab's new uber-simple, insanely functional, rave-inducing grinder without the help of a seat back or drool pan, you could easily end up falling to the floor and drowning in pools of your own involuntarily deployed spittle.

and where achingly beautiful close-up photographs of conical burrs and exit vortexes amass, the way-nerdly nerds are sure to congregate. "bearing configs," "serial paths" and "ducting" are all discussed. go read. and then, go buy a boat on credit so you can mortgage it twice to fund the purchase of the m3!

of course, come up with to fix the problem? unbeeleevable.

UPDATE: this dude just had the audacity to ask, "What is the bearing configuration supporting the mainshaft (duplex pair? Angular contact W/preload?) And how stable is the burr from being moved off axis?"

this blog thinks that is pretty funny.

(cont'd)

Blog entry 08/10/05

[HB]

Daryn is a local friend and roaster at Counter Culture Coffee. He announced his new blog that will document his attempt to harvest coffee from a houseplant. No, I'm not joking... his blog reminds me of one of the catch phrases I've read lately from blog watchers when describing their quirky finds: "oddly compelling." Well, Daryn's storyline choice truly merits the distinction. I'll be following to see how his tale of greenery unfolds.

Welcome to my quest
By Daryn Berlin (questforcoffee.com)

It started about four years ago when a friend from church gave me a small coffee plant. It floundered for a couple of years in my kitchen. I was never really sure how to care for it, but somehow managed to keep it alive... I have decided to share this little coffee journey with any coffee freak or geek who may care. I am going to explain the process by which my plant has started to flourish, and I hope anyone who has insights will share them with me. I really believe that one day I will be able to harvest my little crop, process and roast the spoils, and enjoy a spot of coffee with some friends. Coffee is my job, as well as a way of life for me and millions of others. Join me if you will on this, my

QUEST FOR COFFEE !!!

Blog entry August 30, 2005

[HB]

Jay's blog isn't updated very often, but when he does take the time, there's no skimping on prose. However odd the topic (and yes, the blog is as-advertised - strange), he develops an intriguing rhythm that manages to come off both serious and flip at the same time. I hope he updates it more often, everyone including me can use a good thought-provoking laugh.

Most of the topics are about coffee. Scanning the year's entries, the one excerpted below caught my attention. I won't spoil the punchline by saying why, other than to hint that the espresso equipment selection was "curious" for a five-star restaurant.

The Day I Beat Thomas Keller
by Jay Caragay (Jay's Strange Blog)
...

One of the biggest problems in the American restaurant scene today is the lack of attention to the coffee being served. So many chefs and restaurants go to great lengths preparing their dishes but end on a low note by serving poor examples of coffee and/or espresso-based drinks.

I'm sad to say that Bouchon was no different.

All this work. All this planning. All this anticipation. A wonderful meal. Spoiled by a bitter, lackluster and slightly offensive cappuccino. The portion size was about right. The ratio between coffee, milk and foam was about right. But the flavor was just, well, not so good. Bitter, burnt, bubbles, no sweetness. It was a cappuccino in serious need of the two sugar cubes that came as an accompaniment.

It was no better than my neighborhood Starbucks.

(cont'd)

Blog entry January 25, 2005

[HB]

In 2005, you couldn't click your mouse more than five times on any coffee forum without tripping over Chris Tacy's words. In 2006, he's all but vanished from the coffee scene. Even Mark Prince -- of all people -- lamented in his podcasts the sudden opinion vacuum Chris' departure created. But HB's former second most frequent poster isn't gone, just refocused on other interests. In his spare time he's now cataloging "sometimes and somewhat random thoughts and experiences from deep in the so-called interactive consulting world" in his new blog.

For reasons unknown to me, Chris rarely mentioned his professional IT career. Googling the man turns up some biography information beyond his effusive interest in the barista's world, if you're willing to page through the predominate coffee stuff.

The blog entry that returns Chris to my favorites list is briefly excerpted below:

Education in America
by Chris Tacy (Consulting... deep in the weeds)

I despair for the future of this country.

Honestly, I had no idea how few people really know how to read. Or, to be more accurate, how to understand what they read.

(cont'd)

Blog entry 13 April 2006

To appreciate the depth of Chris' frustration, you'll have to dedicate 30+ minutes to reading Digg.com followers lambast him for his earlier piece, $10,000 is the magic number. The essential theme of that blog entry is his generalization of the true costs of corporate web development. As a former consultant, I read it as a succinct albeit simplified restatement of a software development fact: It is expensive and there's lots of hidden costs. What provoked his follow-up lament was the failure of his critics to absorb his simple message, choosing instead to focus on one thought: "Huh?!? What does this idiot mean it costs $10,000 a page?"

Ladies and gentlemen, read what the man wrote beyond the title. If it helps, consider it part of your weekly character building exercises.

[malachi]

Damn...
I thought my Clark Kent disguise was complete.

[HB]

The pace of Daryn's blog updates match his coffee plant's growth. But wait! What's this... ?


From Beans! Beans! A magical fruit

That should hold enraptured readers for another five months.

[HB]

Matt is an unassuming guy. Although he infrequently posts on HB and needs constant reminders to update Intelligentsia's entries in Marketplace, the company and the man never say 'no' to any reasonable request. "SwagFest prizes of a month's coffee? Sure! What, there'll be five runner ups? That's a lot of coffee Dan, but no problem! ...EspressoFest in Charlotte? Will 10 pounds be enough? Want something special? You bet, it will arrive Friday!"

There's a lot of good reasons to admire the company, employee, and now 2006 USBC champ. But his decision below shows that Matt has as much integrity as skill:

Respect.
by Matt Riddle (barista champ)

So, today I was asked by a local news outlet (I won't mention who) to participate in a blind taste test. Ok, fine. What's it about?

I would be comparing (blindly) Starbucks, McDonald's Premium and Dunkin' Donuts.

Let's pump the brakes for a minute here.
Yes, I'm happy and flattered that they are seeking me out as a reputable source for coffee knowledge to spread to the public. Yes, I'd love to help you out with a story about the Specialty Coffee industry. Do I really want to discuss the finer points of those three companies on television? Not quite 100% about that one.

I realize that I'm now a representative and sort of spokesperson for Specialty Coffee, but is that what I would be supporting or endorsing through this effort? None of those companies participate in or support the Barista Competitions. Yes, one, maybe two (who knows, maybe all three) of them do good work in coffee growing countries, but are they after the same goal as me, my company, or the SCAA/USBC/WBC? Does Intelligentsia get mentioned as a main portion of the story? No? How does that help them?

I fear that participating in this would accomplish one of two things:

1. The United States Champion likes McDonald's (or other) coffee. How does this reflect on the USBC or small batch roasters or other such supporters of great coffee?
2. I don't have anything positive or constructive to say, and it's spun as me being a coffee snob because the "everyman's coffee" isn't good enough for me.

Neither of those options are a good idea for me, and are highly possible scenarios to be portrayed in the segment.

Respectfully, I will be declining.

Blog entry 5.02.2006

[HB]

It's deja-vu all over again. My thread Do you handicap your single-origin espresso evaluations? echoed Andy's commentary made over five months ago. Oh well, I did note that I was late on the single-origin bandwagon.

SOS taste recalibration?
by Andy Schecter (portafilter.net)

Do you make a conscious or unconscious taste adjustment when you drink single origin shots? I think I do. For instance, if I'm pulling shots with a Harrar that has great blueberries, I tend to be so psyched about tasting the blueberries that I ignore other things that may be taste flaws. It might be sour, or need more body, but I get a tunnel vision effect, and I just concentrate on the flavor that I'm seeking. The shot will be exciting for me, but maybe other folks, being more objective, would find it flawed.

It's not just blueberries, of course. The same thing can happen when I taste great orange-fruity flavors in a Rwandan or even just a classic earthy Sumatra.

Tonight I chatted on the phone with Kevin C about this issue. He talked how the origin flavors could come through with much greater clarity than they could in a blend. As he said this, I flashed on how an SOS was like an expert soloist performing on their instrument; you could hear every nuance of style and interpretation. An espresso blend, on the other hand, was like a chamber group, with harmony and complexity being more important than solo virtuosity.

One of my goals as a barista, although I'm only an amateur, is to make single origin shots joyously expressive of their uniqueness, while remaining finely balanced. The Harrar shot that Kevin prepared last week did this pretty darn well. On a forty-year-old espresso machine!

Blog entry Sunday, February 05, 2006

[Jacob]

...... There is a huge difference in social culture between Europe and the US. In Europe......

In US they love useless numbers (quantified quality).

Or that was what came to mind when I saw this: http://www.home-barista.com/forum...so-rate-t1906.html


I just have had an five starred espresso

[HB]

Andy is really on a blog roll. You owe it to yourself to check out his entries on portafilter.net. Below is just a small biscuit of common sense to nibble on.

Take the dogma out for a walk
by Andy Schecter (portafilter.net)

...
In my opinion, the flat temperature theory, like the flat earth theory from centuries ago, doesn't bear close inspection. Here's why:

Coffee in the portafilter starts out slightly warmer than room temperature (it picks up a little heat in the grinding process). Even if you force water through it that is absolutely stable in temperature, the coffee in the middle and bottom of the puck gradually rises in temperature as the shot proceeds. It gets close to the temperature of the brew water, but never reaches it.

In other words, ESPRESSO IS NEVER EXTRACTED AT A STABLE TEMPERATURE, no matter what the brew water temperature does.

That's why insisting on ruler flat brew water temperature seems like a very peculiar requirement to make the finest espresso.

(cont'd)

Blog entry Monday, January 01, 2007

[Abe Carmeli]

Andy is really on a blog roll. You owe it to yourself to check out his entries on portafilter.net

Blogs must have some redeeming value to justify the time spent reading them. There are two very general things that I find redeeming: Sheer amusement /curiosity value, and education. When it comes to education, I look for something new, something I did not know that makes a difference, something that will make espresso better. Sad truth is that I often feel like a prospector in the old west. All the innovations, the techniques, the ins & outs of improving espresso, the research, the reviews in the past five years have come from the home enthusiasts community, not the professionals. It is a back breaking job to go through so much dribble and pointless arguments in those blogs. This is not a criticism of Andy's post, his are actually the nuggets. But all the bickering that goes on and on on portafilter.net is just tiring. I read those blogs very selectively, and for the most part skip the commentary.

[cannonfodder]

That is exactly what I was trying to discuss in a thread a few months ago. I was contemplating the A3 vs a GS3 and giving temperature stability a long hard thought.

My question was given the delta between the top and bottom of the puck, how flat of a temperature profile do you need. To my mind, if you have a delta of 3 or 4 degrees between the top and bottom of the puck than having a machine that holds a .5 inshot temperature is pointless. At what point do we reach a point of diminished returns and the obsessing on stability turns into an exercise in futility.

In the end, I got the A3 could not be happier.