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Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Simon visits US
The last two weeks have had a lot of interesting events. From a series of problems with different bits of equipment to getting to play chef for a night as an assistant at the culinary school.
Simon's visit this week continued that as we started with a set of mishaps. After struggling with the injectors to sensitive yet troublesome probes, there was a bit of tension that we were going to lack the time to get everything ready for events at weeks end. We eventually got everything worked out but it took a few days of struggling to get it tuned right.
The first event was to have a lineup of espresso done as close to our approach as possible. To show people the potential in espresso and why single origin shots don't have to be Harrar, wild dirty coffees, or generally unimpressive blends.
These shots were impressive. The lack of strong ferment note and the sweet thick jam notes with a gentle aroma in the Yirg Blend just blew me away. The Esmeralda was intense and showed the potential of roasting for aroma and how a direct flame setup can control a monster coffee.
The sheer volume of people that came in for the espresso event and the amount that showed up in the first hour was not only unexpected, it was a reminder of the potential for espresso in this region. Sure vac pot is great, but the espresso is what emphasized the sweetness, the aroma, and the complexity with the intensity only espresso has.
The vac pot event was much lower key. I think fatigue from preparing the two events was catching up to me. Simon brewed what felt like a dozen vac pots one after another, sometimes multiple at once. It was interesting and I know I need more practice. The great thing about vac pot is the instant feedback it gives. A clarity in taste you can't get in paper filter. The other benefit is if you tune the roast right in Siphon, you can translate it to espresso easily.
I know there is fascination with vac pot and yet many of the industry elite profess it's 'too hard' or 'takes too much time to learn' which I really don't get. With all the blogs and forums, is it about finding shortcuts or better cups? Maybe it's all talk.
Overall, I can say the events went over well and the espresso event left me wanting to do more. Soon...
The last two weeks have had a lot of interesting events. From a series of problems with different bits of equipment to getting to play chef for a night as an assistant at the culinary school.Simon's visit this week continued that as we started with a set of mishaps. After struggling with the injectors to sensitive yet troublesome probes, there was a bit of tension that we were going to lack the time to get everything ready for events at weeks end. We eventually got everything worked out but it took a few days of struggling to get it tuned right.
The first event was to have a lineup of espresso done as close to our approach as possible. To show people the potential in espresso and why single origin shots don't have to be Harrar, wild dirty coffees, or generally unimpressive blends.
These shots were impressive. The lack of strong ferment note and the sweet thick jam notes with a gentle aroma in the Yirg Blend just blew me away. The Esmeralda was intense and showed the potential of roasting for aroma and how a direct flame setup can control a monster coffee.
The sheer volume of people that came in for the espresso event and the amount that showed up in the first hour was not only unexpected, it was a reminder of the potential for espresso in this region. Sure vac pot is great, but the espresso is what emphasized the sweetness, the aroma, and the complexity with the intensity only espresso has.The vac pot event was much lower key. I think fatigue from preparing the two events was catching up to me. Simon brewed what felt like a dozen vac pots one after another, sometimes multiple at once. It was interesting and I know I need more practice. The great thing about vac pot is the instant feedback it gives. A clarity in taste you can't get in paper filter. The other benefit is if you tune the roast right in Siphon, you can translate it to espresso easily.
I know there is fascination with vac pot and yet many of the industry elite profess it's 'too hard' or 'takes too much time to learn' which I really don't get. With all the blogs and forums, is it about finding shortcuts or better cups? Maybe it's all talk.
Overall, I can say the events went over well and the espresso event left me wanting to do more. Soon...
Labels: Simon Hsieh
¶ Jaime van Schyndel 4:05 PM
Comments:
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Will you guys perhaps be at CoffeeFest DC? I'm interested in learning more about your espresso methods/roasting philosophy, but the only traveling I can afford is to DC for that weekend.
Glad to hear everything went well.
Glad to hear everything went well.
Cloth Filters.
Russ,
I can't make it. I have too much invested in travel this year and very little time for SCAA stuff. I'd be happy to exchange some roasts but there's a long line of people we have to send stuff to and we haven't gotten real settled yet.
-Jaime
Russ,
I can't make it. I have too much invested in travel this year and very little time for SCAA stuff. I'd be happy to exchange some roasts but there's a long line of people we have to send stuff to and we haven't gotten real settled yet.
-Jaime
I think that people who say it's "too hard", or "takes too much time to learn", are simply acknowledging a certain level of respect for the process. If you're not gonna focus on it, you shouldn't do it at all, no? That's my experience. Doing it half-assed doesn't do anyone any favors.
Mike,
If it were merely a respect for the process then far fewer people would be touting coffee of the highest quality. If such people respect vac pot for the results and challenge, then they must also accept that they are not selling the highest quality coffees because they are not willing to invest the time, effort, and expense to produce such results.
I'm not saying that every shop should switch to vac pot brewing but instead that everyone invest the time and commitment to each brewing method along with roasting process as is required of vac pot.
If it were merely a respect for the process then far fewer people would be touting coffee of the highest quality. If such people respect vac pot for the results and challenge, then they must also accept that they are not selling the highest quality coffees because they are not willing to invest the time, effort, and expense to produce such results.
I'm not saying that every shop should switch to vac pot brewing but instead that everyone invest the time and commitment to each brewing method along with roasting process as is required of vac pot.
Branden, respecting the vac pot and labeling it the highest quality brewing method are two different things. If people believe it to be the best form of brew for their coffees, than they should design the cafe's concept around it. Otherwise it will not get the attention it deserves. This is certainly possible, and there's no reason why it can't happen in the future.
Otherwise, i think we all agree that every method of preparation should be studied and practiced with commitment and care.
Otherwise, i think we all agree that every method of preparation should be studied and practiced with commitment and care.
Simon had told me about the events but unfortunately I was busy that weekend. I am sad that I couldn't make it.
Congratulations on the big turn-out.
(and a reminder to tell you that the TCA-2 does indeed get regular use. Thanks. :o) )
Espresso is still the holy grail for me as well. I just can't get the same expression from natural pressure brew methods.
In terms of clarity, vac-pot is king. Period. Is it most enjoyable for every cup? Not hardly. But when it's strictly business, out comes the TCA-2, yet again.
It's nice to see progress where the fight has been going on for a long time. (I see it here as well. :O)
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(and a reminder to tell you that the TCA-2 does indeed get regular use. Thanks. :o) )
Espresso is still the holy grail for me as well. I just can't get the same expression from natural pressure brew methods.
In terms of clarity, vac-pot is king. Period. Is it most enjoyable for every cup? Not hardly. But when it's strictly business, out comes the TCA-2, yet again.
It's nice to see progress where the fight has been going on for a long time. (I see it here as well. :O)
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