I've often wondered about the popularity of the triple basket. I have generally been opposed to it on principle (though I've used it with certain coffees that seem to be optimized for this basket like the Black Cat). I've considered it to be, philosophically, a crutch of sorts. And I found that few coffee actually tasted best when extracted from this basket. So I wondered...
I had long theorized that people liked using it for three reasons.
1 - It results in a "stronger" espresso. (It seems like, for many Americans, when it comes to coffee quality equals perceived "strength." Thus a triple is more and thus better than a double.)
2 - It is ridgeless and thus easier to use. (Ridged baskets require far more accuracy and control in dosing.)
3 - It allows for a flavour profile that is more concentrated and intense. (With a triple basket you can pull a sort of "large double ristretto" if you will, that is as concentrated and dense as a ristretto but has more volume - though in actual volume it is about half way between a double ristretto and a triple ristretto).
Recently, however, I've discovered two new potential causes - one of which is probably important.
You'll note that all three reasons above are the sort of things that professional baristas might obsess over. And thus... I decided they were likely the motivations behind the popularity of the basket. For the average serious home barista, however, there are other issues at play here.
1 - The shots look "better". (With the increased popularity of the naked portafilter for home use - and with the rise of the "money shot" style of photography commonly called espresso pornography - there is a huge amount of pride at stake in how these shots look when they are extracting. Shots from a triple basket look "better" and photograph "better.")
2 - With a triple basket you can get decent shots with stale coffee. (This is the important one. Today I experimented with some 7 day old coffee from Ecco Caffe. When fresh, this was a lovely, subtle and balanced espresso. Now, in a double basket it is quite flat and undefined, with little dynamic range and limited aromatics. In the triple basket, however, I can pull a 1.75oz shot that is incredibly concentrated, dense and enjoyable - especially in milk. My guess is that I should be able to get decent shots out of this coffee this way for another day or two.)
Given that most serious home baristas do not get free coffee, do not have access to a top-notch pro roaster less than 100 feet away... there are some economic drivers here that are quite significant. I calculated the other day that, on average, I get about 4 double shots out of a 1/2 lb of coffee. Yes... this is skewed by the fact that I change blends a lot and have to work hard to dial in the grind, thus wasting a lot of coffee. But the reality is that I throw out stale coffee. I throw out shots that are drinkable but not as good as they could be.
If I had to actually pay for my coffee... this would be a very expensive habit.
Suddenly, the popularity of the triple basket makes a ton of sense to me.
9.15.2005
9.14.2005
why i love the esmerelda
So today I got to taste some more of the Esmerelda.
This time, brewed through the Melitta.
It is so good.
I don't even know how to explain how good it is.
Wonderful molasses notes and the inter-twined bergamot, muscato d'asti... hints of tangerine and jasmine... like a lovely old vintage Rum or an incredible Belgian Gran Cru ale.
While it may not be the "dessert island coffee" that the Las Nubitas is, there is little doubt in my mind about what coffee (out of all coffees) I'd pick for a special treat cup.
The thing about the Esmerelda is that each sip is different. Each cup is different. You taste and taste and pay more and more attention and you just can't wrap your head around it.
It's that complex.
I was talking with someone today who asked me how I thought it would compare to other Geisha coffees grown in Ethiopia.
I was glad to say that I had, in fact, cupped it along side a number of auction lot Geisha coffees. And that it was head and shoulders above the rest.
I feel honored and priveleged to experience this coffee every time I taste it. It's not the price. It's not the scarity. It's the experience of something that is truly special.
astonishing.
This time, brewed through the Melitta.
It is so good.
I don't even know how to explain how good it is.
Wonderful molasses notes and the inter-twined bergamot, muscato d'asti... hints of tangerine and jasmine... like a lovely old vintage Rum or an incredible Belgian Gran Cru ale.
While it may not be the "dessert island coffee" that the Las Nubitas is, there is little doubt in my mind about what coffee (out of all coffees) I'd pick for a special treat cup.
The thing about the Esmerelda is that each sip is different. Each cup is different. You taste and taste and pay more and more attention and you just can't wrap your head around it.
It's that complex.
I was talking with someone today who asked me how I thought it would compare to other Geisha coffees grown in Ethiopia.
I was glad to say that I had, in fact, cupped it along side a number of auction lot Geisha coffees. And that it was head and shoulders above the rest.
I feel honored and priveleged to experience this coffee every time I taste it. It's not the price. It's not the scarity. It's the experience of something that is truly special.
astonishing.
9.08.2005
playing with beans
i've been busy trying to come up with an illustration of a theory i mentioned a while back about a possible simple but great espresso blend. and finally i've succeeded. thanks to all the folks who roasted and sourced these wonderful beans!!
Base - Brazil Fazenda Cachoiera Pulped Natural
Primary Accent - Brazil Cerrado Daterra Reserve
Secondary Accent - Rwanda Musasa
Tertiary Accent - Guatemala Finca San Vincente
50/25/15/10
All roasted Full City.
The best thing about this blend is that it was simple and flexible and yet incredibly good tasting. I was able to find four different "sweet spot" sets of parameters for brewing. It tasted fine at a range of temps and a range of doses and basket sizes.
My favorite one was at a brew temp of 200f; a pressure of 9.15BAR; with a 17.5oz dose in a stock (ridged, OEM) La Marzocco double basket; 2oz double in 27 seconds.
Thick beyond belief. Wonderful mouthfeel, tons of chocolate and caramel/honey sweetness. Wonderful notes of cherry and truffled raspberry and a huge complicated aroma. Lovely.
Base - Brazil Fazenda Cachoiera Pulped Natural
Primary Accent - Brazil Cerrado Daterra Reserve
Secondary Accent - Rwanda Musasa
Tertiary Accent - Guatemala Finca San Vincente
50/25/15/10
All roasted Full City.
The best thing about this blend is that it was simple and flexible and yet incredibly good tasting. I was able to find four different "sweet spot" sets of parameters for brewing. It tasted fine at a range of temps and a range of doses and basket sizes.
My favorite one was at a brew temp of 200f; a pressure of 9.15BAR; with a 17.5oz dose in a stock (ridged, OEM) La Marzocco double basket; 2oz double in 27 seconds.
Thick beyond belief. Wonderful mouthfeel, tons of chocolate and caramel/honey sweetness. Wonderful notes of cherry and truffled raspberry and a huge complicated aroma. Lovely.
8.28.2005
summertime
PDX summer continues.
Hot, dry, berries, now corn.
It's sunny most all the time and our yard is going brown.
The other day it was only 4degrees cooler here than it was in Bishop. Of course, the humidity here was what? 5 times what it was in Bishop?
I had a chance to play with yet another take on the Daterra espresso. This time from Caffe Fresco. It was interesting. The darkest roast of the four examples I've tried (two from Terroir, one from Ecco and this). Dramatically less marzipan and with far less of the aromatics and fruit that I was getting from the others. Tons of chocolate, quite buttery and with hints of fig and date. I found it best in short milk drinks where it became soft and round and ended up tasting kind of like a caffe mocha.
I also got a whole bunch of the new Artigiano espresso. I have a ton of respect for Vince and for Sammy - they've build a great business in Vancouver. I was a little nervous when I heard they were switching from Intelligentsia to roasting their own. It made sense at a business level, of course, but it seemed really risky for such a high-profile and high-volume business to do this - especially given that they didn't have experience roasting.
I had all sorts of expectations about the espresso - that it would taste like the Black Cat, that it wouldn't be good, that it would be poorly roasted... I'm glad to say that I was wrong on all counts. The espresso is very much its own thing. It doesn't taste like the Black Cat or, for that matter, like any other leading espresso blend. It has a signature taste. As you'd expect, given Artigiano's focus, it's optimal in milk drinks. It has lovely fruit with tons of aromatics, some honeyed-citrus (Meyer Lemon?), lovely dark chocolate and a very long finish. Notes of peanut and vanilla and a little oily-herbal note round it out.
It's a really nice espresso - and incredibly impressive for a first go at it. Given the drive and passion of the owners of the business it's only going to get better.
I also had a great talk recently with John Bicht from Versalab. Quite and incredible experience. He's a really interesting guy. Yes - he has very strong opinions and yes - he speaks his mind. But the guy is bringing a very different perspective to problem solving with espresso - and he's pushing the envelope perhaps more than anyone in the last 40 odd years.
I wish I had the chance to work on one of his machines for a couple of months - I think I could learn so much about the effects of brew temp profile and brew pressure profile and their interactions and the results in the cup... Actually, who am I kidding... that's a lifetime of work right there.
If I had my dream espresso lab, it would have one of those Versalab machines in it (along with a couple industry standard commercial machines of course).
Other than the above, I haven't had a ton of time for coffee stuff recently.
I've been really busy with work (business and strategy consulting).
The leg is (slowly) getting better.
I was allowed to paddle on the machine the other day. I'm horribly out of shape and now really sore but it was nice to do something physical again.
Oh... I figured something out about holding a milk pitcher and all of a sudden my latte art has come together. This morning I poured a perfect, symetrical, centered and well defined 18-leaf rosette in a 5oz cup. Sweet.
And it was a Capp made from the Hairbender and it was fucking glorious!!
Finally, speaking of the above - Stumptown has started offering Euro-style aka Competition-style cappuccinos. Hurrah!!!
Hot, dry, berries, now corn.
It's sunny most all the time and our yard is going brown.
The other day it was only 4degrees cooler here than it was in Bishop. Of course, the humidity here was what? 5 times what it was in Bishop?
I had a chance to play with yet another take on the Daterra espresso. This time from Caffe Fresco. It was interesting. The darkest roast of the four examples I've tried (two from Terroir, one from Ecco and this). Dramatically less marzipan and with far less of the aromatics and fruit that I was getting from the others. Tons of chocolate, quite buttery and with hints of fig and date. I found it best in short milk drinks where it became soft and round and ended up tasting kind of like a caffe mocha.
I also got a whole bunch of the new Artigiano espresso. I have a ton of respect for Vince and for Sammy - they've build a great business in Vancouver. I was a little nervous when I heard they were switching from Intelligentsia to roasting their own. It made sense at a business level, of course, but it seemed really risky for such a high-profile and high-volume business to do this - especially given that they didn't have experience roasting.
I had all sorts of expectations about the espresso - that it would taste like the Black Cat, that it wouldn't be good, that it would be poorly roasted... I'm glad to say that I was wrong on all counts. The espresso is very much its own thing. It doesn't taste like the Black Cat or, for that matter, like any other leading espresso blend. It has a signature taste. As you'd expect, given Artigiano's focus, it's optimal in milk drinks. It has lovely fruit with tons of aromatics, some honeyed-citrus (Meyer Lemon?), lovely dark chocolate and a very long finish. Notes of peanut and vanilla and a little oily-herbal note round it out.
It's a really nice espresso - and incredibly impressive for a first go at it. Given the drive and passion of the owners of the business it's only going to get better.
I also had a great talk recently with John Bicht from Versalab. Quite and incredible experience. He's a really interesting guy. Yes - he has very strong opinions and yes - he speaks his mind. But the guy is bringing a very different perspective to problem solving with espresso - and he's pushing the envelope perhaps more than anyone in the last 40 odd years.
I wish I had the chance to work on one of his machines for a couple of months - I think I could learn so much about the effects of brew temp profile and brew pressure profile and their interactions and the results in the cup... Actually, who am I kidding... that's a lifetime of work right there.
If I had my dream espresso lab, it would have one of those Versalab machines in it (along with a couple industry standard commercial machines of course).
Other than the above, I haven't had a ton of time for coffee stuff recently.
I've been really busy with work (business and strategy consulting).
The leg is (slowly) getting better.
I was allowed to paddle on the machine the other day. I'm horribly out of shape and now really sore but it was nice to do something physical again.
Oh... I figured something out about holding a milk pitcher and all of a sudden my latte art has come together. This morning I poured a perfect, symetrical, centered and well defined 18-leaf rosette in a 5oz cup. Sweet.
And it was a Capp made from the Hairbender and it was fucking glorious!!
Finally, speaking of the above - Stumptown has started offering Euro-style aka Competition-style cappuccinos. Hurrah!!!
8.16.2005
the next big thing
so the long-rumoured Stumptown 'Annex' opened today.
what is this?
imagine a high end wine merchant but selling coffee beans. imagine all the education, all the expertise of a wine merchant. imagine the tastings, the discussions, the equipment and accessories. but with coffee.
it's very very cool.
you want to cup coffees? drop in and see when folks will be cupping.
you want to buy a vacuum pot? swing by and choose from a couple (and get an explanation on how to make coffee at its best).
you want to choose from a dozen or so of the world's greatest coffees? no problem - they're all there.
it's really amazing. i've been dropping by as it's been getting close to opening and i think this has the chance to really push coffee to the next level. this gives the customers a chance to get the knowledge and insight that coffee professionals have - without having to get into the industry.
for far too long the coffee industry has treated this stuff as some sort of intellectual property and has done its best to obscure it from the customers. now the wall is falling.
drop by Belmont and SE 34th (two doors down from the Stumptown Cafe) and check it out.
it's a revolution.
what is this?
imagine a high end wine merchant but selling coffee beans. imagine all the education, all the expertise of a wine merchant. imagine the tastings, the discussions, the equipment and accessories. but with coffee.
it's very very cool.
you want to cup coffees? drop in and see when folks will be cupping.
you want to buy a vacuum pot? swing by and choose from a couple (and get an explanation on how to make coffee at its best).
you want to choose from a dozen or so of the world's greatest coffees? no problem - they're all there.
it's really amazing. i've been dropping by as it's been getting close to opening and i think this has the chance to really push coffee to the next level. this gives the customers a chance to get the knowledge and insight that coffee professionals have - without having to get into the industry.
for far too long the coffee industry has treated this stuff as some sort of intellectual property and has done its best to obscure it from the customers. now the wall is falling.
drop by Belmont and SE 34th (two doors down from the Stumptown Cafe) and check it out.
it's a revolution.
8.09.2005
way too much fun
The last week has been total coffee nirvana for me.
I'm smiling as I write this.
Last week there was a single origin tasting at Stumptown where coffees evaluated included the following:
Honduras El Puente - Gorgeous sweetness, intense bright fruit (pomegranate, grapefruit), floral aromas. A little tannic as espresso.
El Salvador Las Nubitas - Amazing. Caramel, ripe apples, a touch of Belgian chocolate... Such a wonderful coffee. Very balanced and complete. Fantastic "fluffy" mouthfeel. Love it.
Ethiopia Harar - Super concentrated and intense, with dried blueberry and dark chocolate and a hint of potpourri. Powerfully aromatic though perhaps not quite as defined as one might wish from espresso.
Rwanda Musasa - The shocker of the day - an amazing espresso. Medium bodied and very fruit forward with tons of truffle sweetness and wonderful berry notes. Strong floral aromatics and a candied finish.
Nicaragua Finca el Injerto - Very focused and intense. Dominated by chocolate and fig notes this was a tightly wound shot. Quite strong on the front of the palate.
Guatemala Finca San Vincente - Soft, smooth and very round. Medium bodied and very sweet with wonderful cherry and milk chocolate and tropical fruit notes. Bright enough to balance out all the sweetness and light on the palate. Nice.
The crew at the tasting was fantastic - with folks like Gabe from Ritual in SF and Brent from Crema here in PDX and Phuong from LavaJava and the Dog River folks as well as Sarah and Ken from Barista Magazine and all the Stumpies. There were a ton of other people there but I didn't get a chance to meet most of them and I apologize in advance to all people who I've failed to mention.
It was a seriously good time. And oh my was it great coffee.
Anyway... I liked this so much I grabbed a pound of the Las Nubitas (which is selling in the Stumptown cafes for a shockingly low price) and took it home for the weekend.
Las Nubitas shots.
Las Nubitas macchiattos.
Las Nubitas cappuccinos.
Does life get any better?
Oh yes it does...
So yesterday was cupping and analysis and prep at the new Stumptown Annex. Duane and Robert (from Mocca Java in Oslo) and I cupped some coffees (the Panama Don Pachi, the El Puente, the Las Nubitas and the wonderful Los Delerios) and then compared notes and began working on optimal "brew-by-the-cup" methodologies.
The Don Pachi is amazing... a big bold round fruity candy monster of a coffee.
The El Puente is like some sort of ur-Central. All of the acidity and cleanness - but with balance and sweetness.
The Los Delerios is Ranier Cherry Pie with Chocolate Granita in a cup.
And the Las Nubitas... godlike. Sweet and yet bright. Round and yet exciting. Floral and yet balanced.... it's got it all.
And then today...
Annex experimentation take two.
Starting off with a cupping to die for. Don Pachi, Las Nubitas, Los Delerios, El Puente, an amazing (truly) Sumatran and, of course, the mighty Esmerelda.
In this company the standouts were the Esmerelda (of course) with its bergamot, jolly rancher, watermelon, muscato d'asti, tangerine hard candy insanity and the Sumatra.
I'm not usually a huge Sumatra fan but this was different. Shockingly clean, with no hummus or mushroom notes. Powerfully piney/resinous with strong herbal notes but with incredibly clear acidity. One of the brightest and most balanced Sumatrans I've ever tasted.
And then extraction testing with all the various equipment at the Annex.
Melitta bar El Injerto... Eva Solo El Injerto... Press Pot El Injerto... Vac Pot Don Pachi (mmmm good)... Moka Pot Don Pachi (amazing)... Moka Pot Esmerelda (okay, out of control now)... and then shots of espresso from the La Pavoni.
I feel like each day is this special present for me - where I get given the best coffee in the world perfectly prepared.
I'll never forget this.
I'm smiling as I write this.
Last week there was a single origin tasting at Stumptown where coffees evaluated included the following:
Honduras El Puente - Gorgeous sweetness, intense bright fruit (pomegranate, grapefruit), floral aromas. A little tannic as espresso.
El Salvador Las Nubitas - Amazing. Caramel, ripe apples, a touch of Belgian chocolate... Such a wonderful coffee. Very balanced and complete. Fantastic "fluffy" mouthfeel. Love it.
Ethiopia Harar - Super concentrated and intense, with dried blueberry and dark chocolate and a hint of potpourri. Powerfully aromatic though perhaps not quite as defined as one might wish from espresso.
Rwanda Musasa - The shocker of the day - an amazing espresso. Medium bodied and very fruit forward with tons of truffle sweetness and wonderful berry notes. Strong floral aromatics and a candied finish.
Nicaragua Finca el Injerto - Very focused and intense. Dominated by chocolate and fig notes this was a tightly wound shot. Quite strong on the front of the palate.
Guatemala Finca San Vincente - Soft, smooth and very round. Medium bodied and very sweet with wonderful cherry and milk chocolate and tropical fruit notes. Bright enough to balance out all the sweetness and light on the palate. Nice.
The crew at the tasting was fantastic - with folks like Gabe from Ritual in SF and Brent from Crema here in PDX and Phuong from LavaJava and the Dog River folks as well as Sarah and Ken from Barista Magazine and all the Stumpies. There were a ton of other people there but I didn't get a chance to meet most of them and I apologize in advance to all people who I've failed to mention.
It was a seriously good time. And oh my was it great coffee.
Anyway... I liked this so much I grabbed a pound of the Las Nubitas (which is selling in the Stumptown cafes for a shockingly low price) and took it home for the weekend.
Las Nubitas shots.
Las Nubitas macchiattos.
Las Nubitas cappuccinos.
Does life get any better?
Oh yes it does...
So yesterday was cupping and analysis and prep at the new Stumptown Annex. Duane and Robert (from Mocca Java in Oslo) and I cupped some coffees (the Panama Don Pachi, the El Puente, the Las Nubitas and the wonderful Los Delerios) and then compared notes and began working on optimal "brew-by-the-cup" methodologies.
The Don Pachi is amazing... a big bold round fruity candy monster of a coffee.
The El Puente is like some sort of ur-Central. All of the acidity and cleanness - but with balance and sweetness.
The Los Delerios is Ranier Cherry Pie with Chocolate Granita in a cup.
And the Las Nubitas... godlike. Sweet and yet bright. Round and yet exciting. Floral and yet balanced.... it's got it all.
And then today...
Annex experimentation take two.
Starting off with a cupping to die for. Don Pachi, Las Nubitas, Los Delerios, El Puente, an amazing (truly) Sumatran and, of course, the mighty Esmerelda.
In this company the standouts were the Esmerelda (of course) with its bergamot, jolly rancher, watermelon, muscato d'asti, tangerine hard candy insanity and the Sumatra.
I'm not usually a huge Sumatra fan but this was different. Shockingly clean, with no hummus or mushroom notes. Powerfully piney/resinous with strong herbal notes but with incredibly clear acidity. One of the brightest and most balanced Sumatrans I've ever tasted.
And then extraction testing with all the various equipment at the Annex.
Melitta bar El Injerto... Eva Solo El Injerto... Press Pot El Injerto... Vac Pot Don Pachi (mmmm good)... Moka Pot Don Pachi (amazing)... Moka Pot Esmerelda (okay, out of control now)... and then shots of espresso from the La Pavoni.
I feel like each day is this special present for me - where I get given the best coffee in the world perfectly prepared.
I'll never forget this.
8.01.2005
regrets
as i've mentioned before, i really miss some things from my Stumptown gig.
i miss the people.
i miss working bar shifts.
i really, really miss cupping coffee with people like Duane.
but right now, more than anything else, i'm regretting that i won't be going to the Nordic Barista Cup this year. last year's NBC was an amazing and life-changing experience for me. i met so many great people and had such a good time. i was really looking forward to this year's cup.
have fun, each and every one of you.
i miss the people.
i miss working bar shifts.
i really, really miss cupping coffee with people like Duane.
but right now, more than anything else, i'm regretting that i won't be going to the Nordic Barista Cup this year. last year's NBC was an amazing and life-changing experience for me. i met so many great people and had such a good time. i was really looking forward to this year's cup.
have fun, each and every one of you.
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