tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post8600720306842901479..comments2023-11-01T00:45:05.165-07:00Comments on God Shot: State of SF Coffeechrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07259964812670851159noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-49888021139468739492010-01-18T00:02:20.022-08:002010-01-18T00:02:20.022-08:00Tim
Thank you for your kind words. As you know, m...Tim<br /><br />Thank you for your kind words. As you know, many of us on the final preparation and consumption end of the chain do what we do to respect the work of those who are producing these beautiful coffees. Keep up the good work - we all appreciate it.chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07259964812670851159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-54369561356439648282010-01-14T17:11:58.504-08:002010-01-14T17:11:58.504-08:00Thanks for this. These types of comments and spot ...Thanks for this. These types of comments and spot evaluations are so important from a producer perspective. After all the hard work that goes into producing an exceptional bean with our name on it, it is important to know that who we sell it to is doing it justice in the roast and pour. Helps keep roasters on their toes and separate the Cafe hype from reality. It is a long chain from farm to cup to keep up and get right for the customer and it is a beautiful thing when it all works. Plus it sounds like it was fun. Tim O'Brien, Owner of Cafetin de San Martin 1900 used by Four BarrelUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03226485799555691282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-52388380387605470172010-01-10T21:51:00.980-08:002010-01-10T21:51:00.980-08:00A poorly prepared coffee is going to taste bad - e...A poorly prepared coffee is going to taste bad - even if the beans being used to make that coffee are fantastic. And a well prepared coffee made with bad beans is also going to taste bad.<br /><br />This is one of the primary challenges of coffee. As a consumer - you have to find a coffee bar that prepares beautiful coffee - and which uses a roaster that sources and roasts beautiful coffees. <br />As a roaster, meanwhile, you need to find / educate / sell coffee bars that are as committed to quality as you are.<br />As a cafe, you need to find / select a roaster who can provide fantastic coffee and services to you at a price you can afford - and that your customers like the taste of<br /><br /><br />I suppose the next step in this series should probably be to do a State of SF Coffee Bars.chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07259964812670851159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-87089307334968659242010-01-10T20:03:22.208-08:002010-01-10T20:03:22.208-08:00No, I was trying to suggest that some of my bad ex...No, I was trying to suggest that some of my bad experiences (with Ritual especially) may have been due to my getting older beans, or making poor choices at the counter (roasts that didn't match my preference or brewing style)<br /><br />I guess I'm trying to talk/ask about the difference between the quality of the beans/skill of roaster as measured in a cupping like this and the every day retail experience.<br /><br />For example, Intelligentsia may be the best roaster in the US, but I've never been happy buying drip coffee made from their beans ay Specialty's.<br /><br />There are a number of variables in between the roaster and the customer in most cases (although a large part of espresso obsession works to cut out those variables :)<br /><br />Not everyone has access to excellent equipment or the inclination to develop good barista skills - and I think that one part of being a good roaster is working after the roast to make sure the beans are being delivered to the customer (as whole bean, drip, or espresso) in a way that preserves the good qualities of the original beans...firebushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10025670762597941017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-32693262027943309352009-12-17T14:19:23.895-08:002009-12-17T14:19:23.895-08:00I'm confused by your last point. Are you sayin...I'm confused by your last point. Are you saying that our cupping experience might have been problematic as the coffees were too fresh and that the counter experience is better as the coffees are older?<br /><br />To be clear - the coffees cupped from Blue Bottle were all between 1 and 3 days out of the roaster (with only one of the coffees being 3 days old).chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07259964812670851159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-84296374916914038392009-12-17T13:25:39.142-08:002009-12-17T13:25:39.142-08:00I've had other coffees at blue bottle that cam...I've had other coffees at blue bottle that came highly recommended (I think it was a Brazilian coffee at a higher price point served in vac pot at the Mint alley outlet) and had a poopy taste. They might just think that funk is a desirable flavor note.<br /><br />And I note this as someone who buys blue bottle beans exclusively and has been unsatisfied with rituals and four barrel for beans. <br /><br />In part, I think it's that I know what I like and what to avoid at blue bottle, but there are other ways (freshness for example) that the counter experience can differ from the cupping experience...firebushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10025670762597941017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-15163928387678927212009-11-29T11:00:34.358-08:002009-11-29T11:00:34.358-08:00The whole acidity thing is a constant back and for...The whole acidity thing is a constant back and forth for me. With our current roasting setup we've had to fight a bit harder to make some of our Kenyas sparkle - but sometimes it is easier to roast for the industry rather than the consumer. As long as character, uniqueness and quality are maintained I quite like a sweeter cup rather than an overly bright one. <br /><br />Of course every individual business has to decide where to set its goals, by which they rate their progress and success - be it style of sourcing or style of roast/cup. Choosing between peers and consumers when trying to set that goal is not easy.James Hoffmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10214207817450633673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-21736081422441547882009-11-29T10:49:28.353-08:002009-11-29T10:49:28.353-08:00I agree that the descriptor "acidity" is...I agree that the descriptor "acidity" is problematic when communicating with consumers - but I feel like this problem extends beyond the description to the actual taste of the coffee. As you say - we cannot get so distanced from the consumer preferences that we alienate them - and this seems to be happening with many of the boutique roasteries.<br /><br />Comments were opened up about 1 month ago.chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07259964812670851159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-35792433407763869862009-11-29T08:53:19.231-08:002009-11-29T08:53:19.231-08:00Coffee people like sour coffees - consumers with e...<b>Coffee people like sour coffees - consumers with educated palates do not.</b><br /><br />I think this really is a big deal. I've pretty much stopped using the word acidity when writing labels, though still referencing it in more desirable terms (juicy, fresh etc)<br /><br />I think we always need to ride the line between selling the coffees we love (as an industry) but also not getting so far ahead of the consumer's preferences that we leave them behind and alienate them. Worthy of much more discussion for sure.<br /><br />Look forward to reading about the next tastings.<br /><br />(On a side note - have you only just opened up comments recently or is that my memory playing tricks on me?)James Hoffmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10214207817450633673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-34494411763620949992009-11-25T08:17:31.719-08:002009-11-25T08:17:31.719-08:00The employee suggestion situation without a doubt ...The employee suggestion situation without a doubt hurt Blue Bottle in this case - and as noted I'm expected that in the next round of cupping Blue Bottle will perform far better.<br /><br />As for preference - three of the four people cupping coffees had a self-confessed preference for Latin American coffees (with two of the four feeling that the best coffees in the world right now are coming from Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama). So I don't think that the results speak to a bias towards African coffees or against Centrals. In fact, two out of the top four coffees were Central American coffees.<br /><br />Personally, I try to not be biased towards against any specific region (with the possible exception of Sumatra where I've yet to find a coffee that is better than simply acceptable). <br /><br />While a comparison of each roaster's version of a specific coffee would be an interesting way to evaluate the craft skills of roasting - a large part of being a coffee business is choosing, handling and managing your green. I'd rather evaluate, as a result, in a holistic manner.chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07259964812670851159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7626015.post-23005929707534588922009-11-25T00:35:32.615-08:002009-11-25T00:35:32.615-08:00Very interesting evaluation of high-profile SF roa...Very interesting evaluation of high-profile SF roasters. It's easy to nitpick methods. That said, the most random factor seems to be the employee bean referral. I've never been amazed by a Mexican coffee so in my mind BB was at a disadvantage to start with. That said, there's no excuse for a dirty cup. <br /><br />Taking the random employee factor out, I'd really like to see a comparison of coffees from the same region or style. That seems to be closer to comparing apples to apples. I'd also point out 80% of the coffees are Central American (not generally my preference either) so the Ecco would almost certainly suit my palate best as well.3030visionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01302755447897052148noreply@blogger.com