Thanks Dan, quite an interesting reading. Topic is out of scope of my professional expertise, but it never hurts to learn about ourselves.

malachi wrote:It's an ever-moving bar.
For where you are right now it's beyond what you could expect ordinarily.
As your expectations improve, the bar moves up.
The minute that the exceptional becomes ordinary - you are settling for ordinary.

Agree; reminds me early days of my "get acquainted" with various software and computer which went from "useless thing" to "can't live without it" and skills that grew.

I would say the same way you recognize something you really like. If it makes you come back for more, if it stands out from the crowd, if it makes you smile, then it is exceptional to you.

Cheers

It's a question of semantics, but the question (and the HB sub-title) ought to be exceptionally good, since exceptional simply means very much different. I assume few of us want to brew exceptionally bad espresso for example. That said, it's much easier to recognize exceptionally bad espresso - and simply not drink it.

A lot of the very experienced people here seem to seek out varieties of espresso, single-origin beans, etc.. I assume that's because they have highly-developed palates, and can distinguish subtle flavor nuances that would be lost to me. On the other hand, there are probably a lot of people who crave variety for variety's sake, and wish to change coffees frequently. The point here is that tasting a lot of different coffees, blends, brewing techniques, will lead to exceptional experiences, good and bad. Because taste is subjective, one man's good could be another man's bad, although again, I suppose that experienced tasters might tend to agree on which is which.

What am I saying? That exceptionally bad is easily recognized, and that it is probably easier to agree on, that is exceptionally good. (also that I'm only qualified to judge the former).

I'm less certain about this idea that once exceptional becomes ordinary I am settling for ordinary. This implies that I need to continually seek new flavors, and this is not my cup of tea (or espresso). For my taste, once I've found something I think is exceptionally good, it continues to be exceptionally good as long as I keep enjoying it.

PC

Is it possible that followers of George Howell's school of thought on "single origin bean" rejected Italian espresso blending standards, and predictably then ended up changing roasts frequently in search for nirvana? The exceptional espresso drink implies incrementally a broader definition than just output of very good technique at the coffee bar.

Just to clarify... "single origin espresso" was not something invented by George Howell. Nor was it actually popularized by George.

Arpi wrote:I would say the same way you recognize something you really like. If it makes you come back for more, if it stands out from the crowd, if it makes you smile, then it is exceptional to you.

Somehow I don't agree with this sentiment. I think that to appreciate exceptional espresso (or exceptional things in general) you have to know a lot about espresso (or the thing in question). I feel more particularly that recognizing something exceptional requires that you can recognize the difference between what you personally like and the qualities that make something exceptional.

To give an example: I can see that Rubens is an exceptionally good painter, but most of his paintings leave me stone cold.

To give another example: recently I tried this coffee: http://www.knopes.com/nos-cafes_5_cup-o...ence_.html (for those who understand French). It was exceptionally good, but I used most of it for drip because the taste (as an espresso) left me stone cold.

On the other hand, I'm having something called "India Robusta Cherry AA 18+" in the grinder at the moment. The pack says (among other things) "no acidity at all". I bought it 12 days post roast. It's well made and I like it. But I wouldn't call it 'exceptionally good' - certainly not at this forum.

And oh, the pack didn't lie: it has no acidity at all. No fruit bomb, etc. Great. Lovely espresso.

Ethiopie, I doubt your roaster is <<exceptionelle.>> Your reference translated, "we advise you to taste our coffee 3 months maximum after roasting. After opening the bag, use within one month maximum."

Marvin

I know they print that message on their bags. But they sell their coffees fresh (at least to me, they do). I got that particular coffee 5 days post roast.

I can only attest that Knopes is a good roaster. The Rwanda Musasa they sold still stands as one of the best filter coffees I ever had.