Supreme Bean Original Organic Espresso

[cafeIKE]

Today another espressionist dropped by, Mazzer Mini in tow, to check out the La Cimbali Max Hybrid and, to a lesser extent, the Vibiemme.

Coffee : Supreme Bean Original Organic Espresso.

I pulled the first shot to show my guest how I use Max.
Gee, that machine [Vibiemme] is very quiet... Wow! I've never pulled a shot this good.

After a couple of back and forths between the Mini and Max:
No doubt. The Max definitely produces a better shot.

Comment on steaming:
That's WAY more power than my [machine].

Comment on his macchiato:
That's a great macchiato!

The previous night we'd hosted a dinner party for 7. One of the guests, who's sampled cappa's here for about a decade, came into the kitchen while I was preparing 3 cappa's and a latte [in 5:58] stating "I want to learn your secret. All your espresso drinks are incredible, as good or better than anything I ever get in a shop." "Look," I said, "it starts with great coffee. Next is the grinder, then the machine, and last and least important is me." I challenged her to make her own cappa, but she demurred until the next visit when she promised to give it a try.

Bottom line : Great coffee, grinder and machine and espresso is easy.

[Abe Carmeli]

Bottom line : Great coffee, grinder and machine and espresso is easy.

This is when the barista's job becomes interesting. If you can count on the mechanical tools to deliver every time, you can direct your attention to the interplay between dosage, grind temperature & extraction time to change a cup profile. For me, that's where the art is.

[cafeIKE]

This is when the barista's job becomes interesting. If you can count on the mechanical tools to deliver every time, you can direct your attention to the interplay between dosage, grind temperature & extraction time to change a cup profile. For me, that's where the art is.

I never worry about "grind temperature" , lumping coffee and fineness into dose, as they are inextricably linked.

If it is "art" to produce 15ml of coffee flavored BBQ sauce from 20g, I'm glad I was a science major.

For my 2d, espresso is a technical skill akin to soldering. One must use the right 'alloy' with the correct 'tip' at the ideal temperature to ensure a satisfactory 'connection.' Once the requisite skills are in hand, repetition is perfunctory.

Please let me disabuse you of any notion that my parameters are static : Yesterday I changed to Supreme Bean Bella Luna : Temperature up 1.5°F, grind four 'clicks' coarser and dose down ~1g. This is not "art." "Art" is not quantifiable.

[Abe Carmeli]

If it is "art" to produce 15ml of coffee flavored BBQ sauce from 20g, I'm glad I was a science major.
.

humm...it appears there are a few tricks I still need to learn. Never got it to taste like BBQ sauce yet.

[Abe Carmeli]

Please let me disabuse you of any notion that my parameters are static : Yesterday I changed to Supreme Bean Bella Luna : Temperature up 1.5°F, grind four 'clicks' coarser and dose down ~1g. This is not "art." "Art" is not quantifiable.

They shouldn't be static, that's the whole point. As to whether making good espresso is an art, well...this discussion can last a few weeks, so I'm going to leave it alone. I used Art in the broader sense here, don't take it too literally. Call it skill if you are more comfortable with it.

This is not "art." "Art" is not quantifiable

Neither is espresso. What is quantifiable are the tools you use for preparing it & the recipe. But so is Architecture. It uses very precise tools, as well as geometry, mathematics and physics. It also produces a "Recipe" the blueprint, which can be used to reproduce the result endless times. Would you say it isn't art? All artists use tools to produce their craft, and in the current definition of Art, A pile of dung and barbwire can also be called art if it is displayed at the Whitney.

So, here's to your coffee flavored BBQ sauce masterpiece; it ain't the Mona Lisa, but it sure beats a pile of dung. How does it feel to be an artist?

[cafeIKE]

...Architecture. ... Would you say it isn't art? ...

Chrysler Building, YES - Whitney, NO

So, here's to your coffee flavored BBQ sauce masterpiece; it ain't the Mona Lisa, but it sure beats a pile of dung.

I'll take the dung. I have a garden that needs fertilizing. After I've forked it in, I think I'll enjoy an espresso.