Pithy advice from your fellow baristas

Want to talk espresso but not sure which forum? If so, this is the right one.
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HB
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#1: Post by HB »

jrtatl wrote:Grind finer, Tamp softer
This was Jeremy's winning "best of three" entry. It reminded me that sometimes a few select words can carry the impact of many carefully crafted pages (sort of a Zen thing). So in recognition of less-is-more, what advice would you offer to your fellow baristas, if you only had eight words or less? Mine is below...

Listen to the water dance, don't watch.
Dan Kehn

k7qz
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#2: Post by k7qz »

Hey Dan, I'll bite! OK, OK it's two sentences but it's still 8 words... :lol:

Shot isn't pretty? Toss it, don't drink it.

-Mike

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jrtatl
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#3: Post by jrtatl »

well, here's another from the zen master:



Buy fresh. Grind fresh. Brew fresh. Drink fresh.




Jeremy

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HB (original poster)
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#4: Post by HB (original poster) »

k7qz wrote:Shot isn't pretty? Toss it, don't drink it.
Au contraire...

At least sip the "mistakes"; know thy enemy.
Dan Kehn

k7qz
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#5: Post by k7qz replying to HB »

Partial point conceded Dan!

As someone newer to the espresso field than yourself, my experience went something along these lines:

When disaster struck ("blond gusher" or whatever) I used to stand there and think to myself of the effort that it took for me to blend those green beans, roast them, let them rest, fiddle with the grider setting, tamp etc. So even though my shot looked like witches brew, I'd eventually just go ahead and toss back that little bit of liquid death. Then for the next 30 seconds or so I'd stand there with my face contorted and say Eewwww, that was really, really bad! Finally I decided that for those really big obvious mishaps, rather than punishing my taste buds I should place them right where they belong- in the sink! :)

Did I learn something? Yeah, I can make really bad espresso! :wink:

However by faithful application of what I've learned from you and others here, this doesn't happy very much now (Yeah!!). Thanks Dan! Thanks the rest of you!

Anyway, my thought was don't be afraid to "try, try again". Hey wait a minute, that's even better, a three word sentence instead of my original two sentance, 8 word offering! Can I re-submit my entry Dan? :lol:

Keep 'em coming guys, this is a fun thread!

-Mike

HAL9000
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#6: Post by HAL9000 »

Be the coffee Danny.

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Compass Coffee
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#7: Post by Compass Coffee »

Know each bean, blend with mind before cup.

Become intimate with the bean, roast your own.

Bad shots are not waste but teachers.

and of course

Life's too short to drink bad coffee!
Mike McGinness

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jrtatl
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#8: Post by jrtatl »

HAL9000 wrote:Be the coffee Danny.

nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh.......

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HB (original poster)
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#9: Post by HB (original poster) »

The site motto is "your guide to exceptional espresso," but I considered the one below: (However I was concerned that some visitors would not appreciate the humor).
Dan Kehn

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malachi
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#10: Post by malachi »

Pay attention.
What's in the cup is what matters.

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