perhaps a required upgrade

I was up at Espresso Parts Northwest the other day talking with Terry et al.

Saw the info on their La Marzocco PID upgrade kit.
DAMN!!

If you have a Linea or FB70 you need to call them up. This is the real deal. Full retrofit kit. Relay, probe setup and PID controller.
And the price I saw.... a total, complete steal!

Order it.
Now.
Before he sells out.

Oh... and if you have not picked up a Scace Thermofilter - you might want to snag one of them. The retrofit kit plus the Thermofilter and a Fluke and you'll have every espresso geek's dream rig.

More Cool Stuff

So I'm hearing rumours of at least two more (related?) cool things that are going to occur next weekend - during the whole CoffeeFest/NWRBC shindig.

I don't have full data on either yet - but it sounds like we're going to be seeing some cool new equipment and at least one big announcement and associated party.

Stay tuned for more news as this develops...

If any of you are in, or will be in the Seattle area at the end of the month - you owe it to yourself to go to the Northwest Regional Barista competition.

Yeah - there will be rock star baristas in action.
Yeah - there will be parties at Cyclops and Elysian Brewing and Zoka and and and.
Yeah - there will be cool people and tasty treats and chances to cheer for your favorites.
Yeah - the best barista in the Northwest will be crowned (and awarded $1k in cash!!).

But... there also are going to be a couple of amazing opportunities that you should not miss.

First - there is going to be an antique espresso museum machine. Various machines from the collections of Kent Bakke, John Blackwell, Duane Sorenson and John Sanders are going to be on display. These include most if not all of the seminal and key machines in the history of espresso machine development. Perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Second - during the competition, there will be periodic cupping events (2-3 per day). The coffees being cupped will be limited to those that are award winning. If you want to get a chance to taste coffees from the Cup of Excellence, Kenya and Ethiopian Auction Lot coffees and coffees from the Best of Panama (like the Esmerelda Especial and the Carmen Estate) then this is your chance. Again... the chance to see cupping tables like this... probably also a once in a lifetime event.

Oct 28-30.
MOHI (800 Pike, across from the Convention Center)
Seattle WA
9am-5pm.

B.W.A

I'm tired of this whole "4 star" silliness.
I'm tired of people wanting coffee bars to be restaurants, of whining about baristas not sucking up to customers - of the whole stupid idea.
There is a reason it's called a coffee bar.
"Barista" is a bartender.

Coffee bars should be like bars.
Baristas should be bartenders.

Is there a "4 star" movement in bars?
How many times have you heard people talk about "lovable surly" bartenders?
When I go to Toronado in SF do I get cranky about the fact that it's beat up? That there are no linen tablecloths? That it's kind of a dive? Do I refuse to tip because the bartender hasn't smiled at me and in fact has been a bit abusive.
No.
Why? Because they are the best beer bar in the US.
Why? Because the beer they serve is incredible, the bartenders know their beer, their selection is amazing and their commitment to (or even obsession with) these great beers is incredible.
Do they serve panini? Do they offer blended drinks?
Hell no!
They are a BEER BAR.

And this is the model we should be following.
Passion. Committment. Taste. Vision. Single-minded obsession.

So... with that...
I announce the formation of the B.W.A (Baristas With Attitude).
We're bastards, we're surly - but we know coffee, we're passionate about coffee and we're going to get you the best damn coffee you've ever had.
'Cause if what you want is someone to blow smoke up your ass there are a thousand places for that - but if what you want is to share a passion for great coffee and get a great coffee drink, then a crumb scraper isn't going to mean shit to you.

Northwest Regional Barista Competition

So I've learned yet more about the comp.
It's going to kick ass.
There are so many cool things planned... I think this is going to set a new standard for these regional barista competitions.

Rumour has it that these have been filling up fast in all the regions - and the Northwest Region, as we all know, has tons of serious baristas. If you're interested in competing you need to fill out and send in your registration form ASAP. If you're interested in judging... same goes for you.

And if you have any thoughts of being in the Pacific Northwest the last week of October, well... you owe it to yourself to come check out the madness.

Oct 28-30. Seattle WA.
Be there!!!

I'm so excited.

cool tools kick ass

Slowly slowly we're starting to actually learn about espresso.

Over the last week or two, I've had the chance to work more extensively with the so-called "Scace Thermofilter Device." This is a rig to scientifically measure espresso machine brew temp. It's being used to evaluate machines for use in the WBC; it's in use by various machine vendors for calibration purposes; and most top machine techs seem to have one for doing quick adjustments to the machines they maintain. It's not cheap - but it's very good at what it does.

As a result of the time I've spent with this device I have learned a number of things. Most importantly, I've had to radically re-evaluate my perceptions on optimal brew temps.

For example - using the old school methods (pioneered by Schomer et al) for measuring brew temp I had the idea that the Hairbender was best at around 199 or 200 F. Using the Scace, I've determined that the optimal brew temp is more like 197 or 198 F. This is a big difference.

Interestingly, this has lead me to discover that, when brewed at the optimal (for my tastes) brew temp, the Hairbender is actually better at a lower brew pressure than I'd thought. At brew pressures of below 9BAR the crema persistance becomes noticably weaker - but the flavour and mouthfeel improves. I'm really liking the results at around 8.5BAR right now.

And this has lead me to discover that, when brewed at this temp and pressure, the Hairbender tastes best (to me) at 3 days out of the roaster rather than at 4 days.

Very cool.

I've also been playing around with a super-fancy borrowed pH meter rig. I'm finding some unusual things about coffee.


Oh... and we're a month away and counting from the mighty Northwest Regional Barista Championship. This is always a fun event - but this year should be even better than usual. It's being hosted by Hines and Stumptown - so you can assume that it is going to be fun, wild, crazy, intense... all the usual stuff you'd associate with those two companies. I'm starting to hear about the plans and all I have to say is BE THERE. Seriously. 27-29 October. Seattle.


finally - on a non-coffee note - it turns out that i have to have ankle surgery after all. pretty much a total drag. so i'll be laid up and on crutches again. and then back to PT. seeming a bit never-ending right about now.