try this one..

http://www.statespellingchimp.com

hey ken ... what part of idaho? near salt lake city?

jon

Or this one: Anguish Languish.

(But if you really want to see something scary, try grading student papers... )

Randy G. wrote:Ef ewe gies keap makyng fuun uf mi tipung aynd spiling, eye um goying to half two feynd ay gnu fourem!

Fine by us!!!

Randy G. wrote:I asked him what coffee they were using and he wouldn't tell me. I wanted to get some to try to attempt to duplicate something close at home- or at least try. Some paths are gated and locked.

I get in the habit of smiling a bit sarcastically, and walking away from those who would try to sell us the magic, but not the magic secret. The blend that they pull, and the resulting shots, is supposed to make the connection in your lil rat brain that if you buy an NS machine, this is what you're espresso is like. To show you what it is capable of, and not allow you the tools to compare it to someone else's machine with the same ingredients, shows that "It's the coffee stupid, the machine just gets the water hot". While this may or may not be true, the act of hiding the coffee suggests that at least one person there believes it to be.
I had a similar experience with the new roaster here. I asked him what beans he used in his espresso blend. He said it was a secret. I responded that, while the exact blend and the exact method of roasting should be a secret if your business is selling your craft (roasting and blending beans ) as well as coffee, I'd be far more interested in the coffee if I knew what was in it as opposed to just knowing that it was some kind of coffee. I've got money in my pocket, and a choice to make. "I won't tell you what you're buying" means that I'm moving on. He told me, understanding my point of view immediately without the preceding hyperbole, and I bought the beans. Nice blend, you can dance to it, I'll give it an eighty-six.
The decaf is amazing, though. While I never expect a decaf to hold a shadow of the caffeinated version of the blend, I'll rate them against other decafs, with a pro-rated scale. This one blows me away (as I drain my cup) with a caramel note so intrinsic that its reminiscent of the carnival midway! But I digress...

cannonfodder wrote:Some machines have a thicker dispersion block. That protrudes further into the basket reducing the overall depth in the basket. The Elektra machines are one that comes to mind (since I have one). If you try jamming 19 grams of coffee in the stock double basket she will spray you down with coffee jets.

I've been thinking about that. If you added a mil to the thickness of the PF gasket, you could increase that headspace. It brought it to mind because CMA has a habit of using different sizes on a lot of their groups, and from year to year on the same model (*sigh*) and I got slightly thinner gaskets with paper spacers this time around. I decided to forget the spacers, and just go with the gasket. Next time, I shop for the right gasket, and possibly 'updose' the gasket and see if I can still lock in with confidence. CF, you participated in my technique thread a while back, and lately I'm thinking that this may have contributed.

Psyd wrote:I had a similar experience with the new roaster here. I asked him what beans he used in his espresso blend. He said it was a secret. I responded that, while the exact blend and the exact method of roasting should be a secret if your business is selling your craft (roasting and blending beans ) as well as coffee, I'd be far more interested in the coffee if I knew what was in it as opposed to just knowing that it was some kind of coffee. I've got money in my pocket, and a choice to make. "I won't tell you what you're buying" means that I'm moving on.

Why? Are you boycotting Coke until they turn over the ingredient list to you? If a roaster's blend is wonderful, why wouldn't you buy it, anyway?

I start from the assumption that what goes into someone's proprietary blend is none of my business, but that if the roaster wants to share it, I feel privileged and enjoy discussing it with him/her.

Marshall wrote:Why? Are you boycotting Coke until they turn over the ingredient list to you? If a roaster's blend is wonderful, why wouldn't you buy it, anyway?

I'm not drinking Coke, but it's not for what they won't tell me thats in it, but what they will! ; >
OTOH, if I'm getting a blend on the internet, or something local from a new guy, he's got to tell me something objective about the blend before I want to buy. "It's really good" ain't gonna cut it. It isn't a case of a wonderful roast that I already like, it's a case of an unknown roast that I'm curious about.

Marshall wrote:I start from the assumption that what goes into someone's proprietary blend is none of my business, but that if the roaster wants to share it, I feel privileged and enjoy discussing it with him/her.

I start from the assumption that there is a goal and there is a path to reach that goal. While I may not be privy to the treasure map, or where the 'x' is, I should be given a bit of some idea of what I'm buying beyond 'coffee'.
I prefer something akin to, "We've blended a Costa Rican coffee for brightness with a bit of a citrus and a spicy chocolate finish, and a Gethumbwini Kenyan Peaberry to compliment that citrus with a great silky mouthfeel and a pineapple suggestion, and finally a Harrar to confuse you and add some berry and spice, with a bit of musk and wild game" to "It's an exciting coffee that 's reminiscent of floating above the clouds on a rainy, sombre, pacific northwest afternoon, with the comfort of an old, worn favorite blanket."
If you can't tell me what I'm buying, why am I speaking to you? If you're not proud of your blend, why are you there? If you think that I can take the three beans that you use to make your espresso blend and get the same thing at my house, don't quit your day job.
Roasters are masters of their craft. While there should be secrets in what they do (the mystery is part of the fun) I'm not of the opinion that the ingredients are part of that deal. Heck, even Coke has to list the ingredients on the side of the bottle.
Look, I'm not the kind of guy that can glean all of the details from the bean that it will have to offer, my espresso is simply, crap, drinkable, good, really good, or OMG. If there is something in the blend that is a hammer, I'll get it. I get chocolate a lot, caramel occasionally, a bit of wine once in a while, and some subtle citrus. That's fairly recent, and I'm starting to associate certain origins with certain things I'm fond of, and certain things I'm less fond of. If I know where the beans originate, and I know what to expect from that bean, I can pick out it's contribution to the blend and start to figure out which ones I like and which ones I don't. In future, it would follow that I will be able to discuss the blend with the roaster and decide which of their offerings I will prefer.
If I continue buying willy-nilly, I will have to get the SO's to identify the qualities that each is endowed with, and never get the benefit of the roaster's knowledge.
I don't need to know how to build a car, but if I ask what's under the hood, the guy should be able to describe the powerplant in some detail.

RapidCoffee wrote:Or this one: Anguish Languish.

(But if you really want to see something scary, try grading student papers... )

Or read one of my un-edited bench posts. But with the help of copy editor Dan and Professor John, I may get my grammar correct one day.

cannonfodder wrote: But with the help of copy editor Dan

I thought I was the only one! I'll take this opportunity to thank Dan once again, for making a number of my contributions better, and easier to access/understand. Thanks Dan!

RegulatorJohnson wrote:hey ken ... what part of idaho? near salt lake city?

jon

South Central