I realize the ridiculousness of this, but I think it's come to The point where I need to pay someone to help me with my coffee.
I've posted about it a few times, but the gist of it is that I can no longer make a good pour over no matter what I do. Previously, I could make excellent, coffee shop quality- cups. I've tried tons of fresh roasted quality beans and multiple grinders, water, techniques and everything else you can think of.

Coffee is one of my main hobbies so I don't mind spending the money if it's necessary, as it is I am definitely not enjoying the process. I used to be excited in the mornings to make my cup, but now I dread it because I know it's going to be a boring, flavorless cup.

I have had a few friends try my coffee and they taste the exact same thing I do, just a dull lifeless brew but they are unable to tell me the reason.

My hope is that a seasoned coffee professional can take a few sips, or maybe even a few separate cups and can tell me what I'm doing wrong, since I sure as hell can't figure it out

I do live in Los Angeles, and I know there are a bunch of "coffee consultants" here, although I'm not sure exactly what they do or if they would even be willing to do something like this.

Does anyone happen to know someone I can hire? I can pay with some bags of quality coffee if necessary.

Did you ever go to a reputable coffee shop and try their coffee to double-check that coffee still tasted good to you? I know it was suggested in your previous post.

I would say this about 'friends that drink coffee': if you tell them beforehand that something tastes or smells like this or that, they will taste or smell that thing (good or bad.)

Have you thought about trying to find a class or some type of educational setting for coffee?

I'm sure LA has plenty of spots that would offer that.

Drewskie wrote:I do live in Los Angeles, and I know there are a bunch of "coffee consultants" here, although I'm not sure exactly what they do or if they would even be willing to do something like this.

Check wuth Klatch https://www.klatchcoffee.com/training/h ... wing-class

Heather Perry is one of the best trainers I know. She may be running the entire sho now; but whoever is doing the classes is likely to be very good.

Intelli has an LA training lab close to you, you can call them and see if they offer anything
https://www.intelligentsia.com/pages/lo ... ting-works

Counter Culture also has an LA training center
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/counter-cu ... 2162076738

Drewskie wrote:
I have had a few friends try my coffee and they taste the exact same thing I do, just a dull lifeless brew but they are unable to tell me the reason.

I get into this rut sometimes, for me it is usually extracting too much. For a more lively, bright coffee, grinding coarser and lowering the temperature of brew water often helps.

Another thing you could try is a salami brew, where you do a a brew as you normally would be isolate the resulting coffee in three phases of the brew. Basically the first phase coffee should give you the taste of under-extraction, the second phase should give a more balanced brew, and the third should give the taste of over extraction. That exercise might show you which direction, more or less extraction, you should go for what you like.

Drewskie wrote:
I do live in Los Angeles, and I know there are a bunch of "coffee consultants" here, although I'm not sure exactly what they do or if they would even be willing to do something like this.

Memli coffee, which seems to be about 40 miles north of San Diego so it is pretty close to LA, has tasting and brew classes - the guy running it is nice and he seems to have a passion for teaching and helping (he offered lots of advice to me via email.) He might do a one on one if you do not find a class good. He is an engineer, who switched to coffee roasting and competing, so he demonstrates a passion for it.

https://www.memlicoffee.com/

Workshop classes Memli offers: https://www.memlicoffee.com/workshop

StoicDude wrote:Have you thought about trying to find a class or some type of educational setting for coffee?

I'm sure LA has plenty of spots that would offer that.

Yes, there's a one-man coffee shop here called Endorffeine and apparently all of his cups are outstanding. He does a pour over class but the last few I tried to attend were sold out instantly.

another_jim wrote:Check wuth Klatch https://www.klatchcoffee.com/training/h ... wing-class

Heather Perry is one of the best trainers I know. She may be running the entire sho now; but whoever is doing the classes is likely to be very good.

Thanks s ton. As I mentioned once before, I actually buy the coffee for a grocery store and we were selling Klatch before but it didn't do very well. I got a ton of sample bags from them, and could basically not make a single good cup out of all of them, but since my coffee game has been ruined, I feel like I didn't give them a fair shot. I'll reach out and see if they have the classes.