i'm in far less pain -- in fact, i've cut back to only one or two prescription painkillers per day as of yesterday.

this has resulted in my being able to get up off the sofa at last.
and that has resulted in my being able to get out to the coffee bars again. very nice indeed.

after a couple of days without espresso i've had a couple really good macchiattos in the last two days. yesterday's (at Belmont) had lovely dark malted chocolate notes and a very heavy mouthfeel. today's (Downtown) was softer, with fantastic sweetness and a milk chocolate caramel finish.
in a sense, it was really good to get away from the cafes for a couple days. i don't know how or why, but i'd lost the ability to just experience the cup and instead was dissecting and evaluating it for flaws all the time. i'd lost the ability to enjoy the espresso.
those couple drinks were so enjoyable it is crazy.
it makes me really really proud to be a part of Stumptown when i get drinks like that.

at a certain level i feel like a lot of people who are serious and passionate about coffee have lost sight of the simple, visceral enjoyment of the drink. we're like cabinetmakers at a furniture museum -- looking at the joinery work on the back of the Stickley armoire instead of just enjoying the beauty of the object.

the classic good news/bad news

well...

i had a great shift yesterday. super good crew, handled a bad customer with ease and professionalism, turned out great drinks with style and aplomb... very fun indeed. then cupped a bunch of really amazing coffees (the Cup of Excellence Bolivia is so cool). then capped it off by spending some time at the climbing gym with two good friends who are visiting Portland and who we haven't seen for a long time.

but...

while at the gym i fell awkwardly and it turns out i've broken my leg rather badly. i'll know more on Monday when i see the orthopedic surgeon.

sigh...

i'm trying to keep my spirits up.

the social lives of baristas

it's been an amusing and enjoyable and fun weekend.

first - Friday evening (as is becoming more and more common) folks gathered at the downtown cafe. belgian beers, David Griswold's photos from Ethiopia, visitors from Zoka, Stumptown roasters, baristas, managers... tons of fun or too much fun?

second - Kyle and Stephen's housewarming party on Saturday. super fun! a keg of Celebration ale (thanks Duane), snacks and blender drinks, folks from every coffee bar of note in Portland and others down from Seattle, the crew from Barista Magazine. sadly Duane is on an origin trip in Colombia, but otherwise it was a full house.

it makes you wonder... is Portland becoming the new hot spot for US coffee?

long days

just wrapped up a couple long days. tiring - but rewarding as well.
worked a shift downtown and a shift at division. still lovin' it.
learned a new word (sweetical). tasted a new drink (layered melted chocolate, espresso and cold heavy cream). pulled some shots, steamed some milk.
good times.
the baristas here are so damn cool it's scary.
been helping out with prep for the USBC. learning a lot.
planning for the future.... big things are afoot. coolness.

the weather here has been great. amazing even.
and i'm starting to feel nearly healthy again.

our Rwanda Karaba is cupping in a truly godlike fashion right now. so incredibly tasty.

Coffee Review just reviewed our Rwanda Karaba...

great score, rave review.
it's interesting to note the differences in perception. the "astringency" that Ken Davids notes in the review (and considers a negative) is something i've perceived as a lovely vanilla note. amd while i think the coffee does, in fact, have lovely floral notes (i've described coffee blossom, orchid, etc.) to me it's dominated by the chocolate/berry truffle tone (when hot, a tart raspberry and as it cools it moves toward cranberry).
is Ken Davids' review wrong? hell no!
is my palate wrong? nope.
and therein lies the challenge of evaluating perception of taste.

regardless - i'm really really excited about this. folks here are going to be so proud.
a deserved honor!

clarification etc.

so... obviously my previous post was a bit cryptic and incomplete.
in my defense, so was my thought process.
through thought and some fantastic exchanges with Duane (the owner of Stumptown) i've clarified things in my own head.

so, let's see...

what do i mean between there being "a link" between Cup of Excellence and Transfair?
link was a bad word. i mean that there is something really critical that is missing in Transfair and is present in the CoE. Cup of Excellence reward producers for quality with recognition. in addition, through the auction process, they reward producers financially. this ties quality to revenues. Transfair does not tie increased pay to quality but rather divorces it entirely.

to be blunt, Transfair are a bunch of paper pushers. they have rules and structures and numbers -- all objective, note of them subjective. this is the way life is with bureaucratic organizations - they exist on an objective basis. it's reality. they're doing great things - there is not doubt about it - and their hearts are in the right place. but they're missing the boat on quality.

at a certain level, it would be great if an organization like Transfair could learn from CoE -- if they could start to understand, explain and push the link between quality and price to both producers and to consumers...

CoE is rewarding the producers of quality with recognition and with increased income. but CoE is limited in scope and leverage and brand. CoE is (honestly) entirely dependent upon a handful of buyers/judges like Duane and Andrew. there are a very small number of people who are pushing for quality at a bean through consumption level -- and who are (as a result) creating a link between quality and income for the farmers. these folks are making a difference and are setting an example -- but there is no Organization.

you can make the argument that, right now, Transfair has the money, they have the resources and they have the leverage. they may well be the best positioned to make a difference on a larger scale.

but... can one create an organization with that sort of structure that is subjective in basis? can you somehow codify quality of taste? to be honest - i can't see it. i don't know if it's possible for an organization like Transfair to work the way CoE does and to focus on quality.

i really do believe that there is some way to increase awareness of quality at the consumer level and to tie increased income to quality at the producer level on a larger and replicatable scale. i feel like i'm close to seeing it - but it's all still a bit fuzzy.

i worked a really fun shift at the Division cafe yesterday. great people on both sides of the counter - tons of fun. it's challenging to switch between the cafes still - but i'm also starting to get more and more positive out of it. it not only keeps me fresh, but i'm starting to be able to identify the really good things and figure out if and how they can be transfered. neat.

today i had a great talk with one of my favorite people in the coffee business. Andrew Barnett is the owner/roaster of Ecco Caffe in the bay area and a truly great guy. every time i talk to him i learn something new, and much of the time my conversations with him clarify thoughts in my head as well.

we talked a whole bunch about the issue of taste, and the lack of understanding of the importance of coffee quality and taste above and beyond all else. on a related topic, we also talked about the implications of this on all aspects of the industry - not just baristas but also roasters and brokers and growers. in the end, the conversation turned to Transfair and Andrew really nailed one thing for me. he talked about how he supports Transfair and thinks they're doing great things but that they need to start focusing on quality. and he made the (now obvious to me) link between Transfair and Cup of Excellence.

hmmm... a whole lot to think about there.