The last day of Kenyan Miroroma as an espresso was …today, so if you didn’t get to try this fantastic coffee, sorry, but it’s gone – there is no more! But have no fear – Naturelle will be in the house! It’s wonderful when… a regular couple who love the flat whites bring their visiting Australian friends in (who also love their coffee and who introduced the regulars to flat whites initially over in Oz), and their friends say afterwards ”we’ve just been travelling in Canada, USA and Italy – and you beat them hands down – it was great”. Frequent comments like this are so humbling, appreciated, and reassuring – they help to counteract my own almost constant dissatisfaction (partly coffee-paranoia!) with all but the sweetest, most successful shots. I’ve said it before, but hopefully this level of expectation (whilst emotionally crippling ) is part of what helps to achieve high standards, keep them there as often as possible, and sustain the desire to strive to raise them ever higher… Another more curious phenomenon I’ve also noticed happening more frequently lately, is just how distressed people can occasionally be when I don’t have their personal favorite coffee on for the espresso that day, or worse, when it’s gone forever. And I don’t just mean disappointed; these folks get upset – even angry!! Naturally I try to explain about seasonality, freshness, offering variety, and that all the coffees are equally delicious in different ways, etc, but sometimes this just doesn’t get through – they MUST HAVE Miroroma (for instance)!! It can make for some awkward moments, but I think it’s actually a good sign: This IS part of the beauty of great, seasonal, artisan-roasted coffee, and part of why the coffees can taste so fantastic, whether people understand and accept that or not. And, if people can get so particular about their cup, I/we must be doing something right! Other News: New replacement BestMax water filter/purifier on the way for the ‘spro machine – to keep water supply for the shots at its very best! Guest espresso from Origin coffee roasters due to land for a few days next week! I have bitten the (admittedly rather small!) bullet, and arranged for our spouted single handle to be machined to a naked – so now, singles can be naked as well as doubles (alongside spouted split doubles in the mix where needed too)! Lenny, resident Kiwi and my best, most accomplished trainee ever, has left to go travelling. But best wishes! Some shots …and some shots - all from today:

Yesterday marked for me 10 years of unbroken daily coffee consumption. Some glimpses of my coffee pre-history: Maxwell House, a percolator, a kitchen with yellow cabinets in an old farmhouse in rural Indiana. My mom would make a pot every morning before going out to feed the animals. I vaguely remember tasting it on a few occasions and thinking it was disgusting. It probably was. East Village, 1992. I’d made a hangout of a place called Cafe Limbo. They served mochas in giant bowls. doesn’t really taste like coffee. New York City. 1995-ish. Fashion week. I’m in a tent at Bryant Park backstage at a Calvin Klein show that I have no business being at. I’m standing next to Charlie Rose and Barbara Walters and attempting (probably unsuccessfully) to look nonchalant. There is an espresso bar, I think it was set up by Timothy’s Coffee. I take a cappuccino and am surprised to find I like the taste of it. I file away this dangerous tasty drug discovery, vowing to only use it when the need is extreme. Midtown. Rat race. I’m working at a large healthcare nonprofit. I wear a tie to work. Starbucks is nearby and they have silly espresso based beverages that I indulge in only when I’m really in a crunch and need an energy boost. I regard coffee with suspicion, addiction to a stimulant seeming like a bad path. Amsterdam. 2000. I’m in Holland for a couple weeks visiting family, smoking and bicycling and occasionally drinking coffee because ordering juice at these coffeeshops all the time starts to feel lame. Burning Man festival. 2000. I’m there with my close friend and roommate from Brooklyn, camped among old and dear friends. I have an enormous crush on my roommate’s sister (let’s call her Joanna) who lives in Oregon and is also at Burning Man. I almost postponed my Holland trip earlier in the year to see a Bowie concert with her. I think knowing she’d be at this event was the thing that put me over the edge to attend. I’m not sure I can encapsulate in any useful way what Burning Man is/was like if you’re unfamiliar. Transmundane. Intensity and profundity. Excess and exhaustion. Meltdowns and Epiphanies. And sometimes just a lot of dust in your lungs, general awkwardness and the all consuming desire for a shower. A few days into the event I was having a meh Burning Man. Babysitting other people’s dramas, struggling with the construction of my elaborate personal geodesic dome which I designed in miniature to fit unassembled as checked baggage. Turns out making a dome the size of a tent (but 50x heavier) is as much effort as making a 20 foot tall dome. There is a lesson there. But that girl Joanna. She was camped with Oregon people clear on the other side of the “city”. I kept seeing her but we rarely had a chance for more than a few words amid all the other people and chaos. I’ll leave out a full accounting of the pharmaceutical adventurings that occured, but suffice to say by the end of the week I was feeling spent. A night of general art tourism commenced and the girl and I were part of a large posse exploring the seemingly infinite expanse of theme camps and installations. For very brief moments we could break aside, hold hands, talk - before being swallowed back into the social chaos of our group. I felt like I would collapse from exhaustion before finding any game with this dame and that would be a shame. My options for rescuing the evening seemed limited. Option number one would be to eat a tab of LSD, gambling that its stimulant effect would outweigh its consequences on my consciousness. Clearly that was a stupid idea, but it is a testament to my fatigue that I seriously considered it. The other option was to herd cats toward center camp where coffee could be obtained. It was a 16oz cup and I was nearly in the fetal position as I was sipping it. I drank about a third of it and was feeling nothing, ready to write off the evening and head back toward my stupid metal tent. Then I felt it. A second wind. A few hours later everyone in our posse was dropping like flies and Joanna and I were the last ones standing. We grabbed a blanket and headed out deep into the desert and kissed and watched the sun rise. I remember a lot about that sunrise. Bookends. The center camp cafe at Burning Man where I had cup number one in my streak (L). 10 year mark, Day 3653: Finca Vista Hermosa peaberry, Huehuetenango, roasted by the producer, the incomperable Edwin Martinez (R). I vowed I would drink coffee everyday for the rest of my life. Haven’t missed a day since. So there you have it.

Carrying of from yesterdays work another post on one of the farms from my Bahia trip last week. This is from the neighbouring farm to Aranquan floresta is a farm I know quite well. Farm Name: Fazenda Floresta Producers Name:Nelson Ribeiro Region:Chapada Diamantina Altitude:1050 to 1200 meters above sea level Varieties Grown:Bourbon, Catura, Java, Pacamara, obertan, topia Last visit: November 2009 Report: Since the last visit in 2009 much of the work has been done in upgrading drying patio facilities. This is part of an ongoing program in the farm to raise the quality of production. The cupping lab that was set up on the last visit has continued to be used with monthly cuppings being held where every one joins in. Junior (nelsons oldest son) has participated in a in depth course to understand cupping and sample roasting which has been valuable while setting up the lab. Newly planted growth from the last visit has continued to thrive and the whole farm is looking incredibly healthy. Grivilia (a shade tree) has been planted all over the farm to help with shade and as a pest deterrent. A project to grow passionfruit in between the coffee plants has also started. Although competing in the same soils there root structure is different and harvest periods opposite ends of the year. So a small test section has been set up. Planting of a varietal called oberertan has produced its first harvest. This varietal has very elongated branches that tend to fruit towards the ends. It is not known how this plant will react to the conditions of Bahia and in particular Floresta but we hope to see some early samples soon. Also planting of a pacamara and java where we should see the samples of this experiment although there will be no commercial offering until after these tests and more planting The Bourbon trees that Has Bean bought all the crop from last year have thrived in the past 11 months and are looking very healthy. In spite of this, disappointingly the crop has underperformed producing less that last year. It seems the bourbon tree is not a fan of high yields and organic farming, and it seems that it is very difficult to grow in these growing conditions. Plans to extend the bourbon plants by a 1000 have been put on hold because of this, and maybe put off completely. Instead of planting more Bourbon Nelson has allowed me to choose what to plant, in a mini Fazenda Has Bean Project. I have suggested two to Nelson who will go see if he can get the seedlings to start it off, and will be a Has Bean Exclusive. The farm in general looks amazing and much work have been done over the past twelve months, investment of money time and energy is starting to pay off. Cupping of the naturals, pulp naturals and washed were interesting so early in the season. The naturals stood out for special praise, you could taste the attention to detail. All in all a farm that feels like its progressing and moving forwards in the specialty and quality.

So from past trips I tend to do like a travel diary and this time I decided it was time to change that. so for this trip I’ve done like a farm review on every farm I visited and I’m putting together a little video slide show of photos with a voice over from there. This is the first time I’ve done this so please be forgiving as I learn a new bit of video stuff. Farm Name: Fazenda aranquan Producers Name:Luca Allegro Region:Chapada Diamantina Altitude:1050 to 1200 meters above sea level Varieties Grown:Catura, Acaua, catucai 144, catucai, catura Last visit: November 2009 Report: Since the last visit in 2009 like the neighboring Floresta much of the work has been done in upgrading drying patio facilities. This farm has gone a major overhaul and lots of the old plant stock removed and lots (and I mean lots) of new planting. Luca has hosted me on both of my trips to the Diamantina but last year had little to show me because of the new planting. Its a similar story this year but its amazing to be involved with the farm so early in its development. The one offering we did get chance to look at was the Catura washed coffee from the older plants. Processed by Nelson from fazenda floresta (these farms have very close links) its one of the best washed brazils I’ve tasted in a very long time. Pending samples back home I think this will be a huge coffee for us next year. New planting involve catucai 144 which is gives just red fruit (as opposed to catucai normal which produces both coloured fruits) and Acaua which produces 40% peaberry. Another exciting coffee we cupped was the peaberry from this and the catura, I cupped the natural one and it was a very special cup. There were some discussions that they pulped natural and natural may not be able to be split, but we will see if we can twist some arms to make this happen. I think in the coming years we will see more of this farm, its a baby at the moment but has the potential / plant stock / skills / processing to make some very grown up coffees.

The Bob attacks at DiPasquale's.

Bullet points on becoming a Spro Barista. Over the years, I've enjoyed the opportunity to train baristas near and far, for my own companies and for others. Training can be fun and exciting, but it can also be challenging and frustrating. Whether it's to my own standard or someone else's or to a more general standard, the training environment is always interesting and unpredictable, though I do find it a bit more difficult training people to a standard more open to interpretation, like the SCAA standards. Within our own world, the standards become more defined and the sway room more narrow. When training to a specific standard, one can be more rigorous and exacting and I kinda prefer it that way. However, standards do change from time to time and year to year. The more we learn, the more we refine what we do and that standard changes. It's most evident in my own baristas - whether from Jay's Shave Ice or Spro. Now that I've got eight years of training experience behind me, I can look back on our baristas and see the evolution of our style and standards. While we continually push ourselves to become better and we retrain certain aspects of technique, I can look upon each barista and see details of their style and technique that says what era of our company they learned the craft. Perhaps it's a little flair here, or a particular tamping style there, but it's obvious to my eyes. The interesting thing is that while the techniques may have evolved, the general base standard for preparation has not. Whether we're talking 2004 or 2010, we're still looking at a base standard espresso of 1.75-2.0 ounces, delivered in 25-29 seconds. The goal remains the same while the way we reach that goal has evolved. Jeremy teaches Mia and Mia the AeroPress. I got to thinking about this the other day after I had assigned the training of new baristas to our current baristas. Our new training program now begins with 20 hours of basic instruction and then a minimum 20 hours production experience before a candidate will be eligible to take the barista examination - a four hour marathon of coffee making that comprises both oral and practical skills. After the new candidate's first day, I was working in the lab the next morning when I noticed the notes written on the white board. I've long pondered exactly what the baristas I instruct learn and pickup. While I may talk about hospitality, accommodating the customer, hyper-excellent quality and doing whatever it takes for the customer to leave feeling "stoked" about visiting us, one can never be sure if they're absorbing it verbatim (as much as I would prefer it to be digested verbatim) of if I'm missing the boat completely. The notes on the white board were a fascinating journey into how one barista has internalized, digested and then communicated "our way of doing things" to the next generation of barista. In reading the notes, part of me is touched, part of me is amused, part of me is honored and even a part of me is a little bit horrified. "Is this how they are interpreting my words?" Yet, I'm assured on a regular basis by customers that indeed they have digested my teachings while interpreting it through the prism of their own experiences.

Recently we’ve been talking about replacing the temperature probe on the roaster. The discussion came up about probe placement, and where would be best. Our UG-15 is something of a difficult roaster in this respect, because the fins on the drum pass very close to the front wall meaning you can’t get a probe very deep. John, a constant source of good ideas, came up with a plan. We could take the front door of the roaster off, replace it with perspex, throw some coffee in and see where the bean mass was most easily measured. I have to say that being able to do stuff like this, working with people excited to geek out and experiment, and have fun while doing it makes me very happy! We had some coffee that was going to be trashed as there had been a gas pressure issue early on in the roast so we’d dumped it. (In case you are wondering why the coffee in the roaster is such a funny colour!) We learned a lot from our little experiment – and it was fun too! I threw together a few clips from video I shot as we were doing it because I thought other people might find it interesting. Not included in the short are several of the trial and error attempts! The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that because the perspex didn’t fit super tight there was some massing of the beans where the movement was clearly restricted compared to how the would be moving when the roaster was in normal operation. (Music: “Do the Astral Plane” by Flying Lotus) I look forward to more experiments!

Jeremy and Linsday prepare the coffee. Some discussions the other day over the internet prompted me to ponder the potential for vacuum brewing cold coffee. If marinades could be infused into proteins, pickling juice into vegetables and compression to fruits, what possibilities would vac bagging coffee yield? Could it lead to properly extracted cold coffee in a short time period? With that in mind, we gathered the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe from Origins Organic Coffee that we're brewing at Spro in the cold brew tower. It's become our de facto standard iced coffee this summer with a crisp fresh flavor profile featuring notes of citrus and a reassuring familiar taste of "coffee." It's light and easy to drink and has been the panacea in Hampden for our hot Baltimore summer. Ready for the chamber vacuum. For this initial test, we chose relatively simple parameters: 48 grams coffee, 24 ounces cold water, vac bag at 31 mbar and just wait. Initially, I was planning on leaving the bagged coffee overnight and then pull it out to see the effect. The concern there was that if I was going to let it steep overnight, then it doesn't really offer much of an advantage over the brew tower or other long-term brew methods. Water temp 70.3F but I it feels cooler. Instead, I opted to let the bag steep for ten minutes and then pull a sample. While the thermometer shown displays 70.3F I'm hard pressed to believe its accuracy because it was pretty cool to the touch. Perhaps I should note that while it is possible to bag water and coffee with a Food Saver type of vacuum sealer, it is difficult and chances are that you won't get the proper flush of air from the bag, nor will you be able to set the vac pressure. A proper chamber vac allows greater control of the vacuum environment as well as a complete vacuum being set over the liquid. Filtering the coffee with Hario V60 and AeroPress. After ten minutes it was time to cut the bag open and give it a taste. However, the coffee needed to be filtered and we tried two different filtration methods: simple paper filter in a V60 Pourover and a pressurized filtration through an AeroPress. The problem with pouring out steeped coffee are the sediments which gather in the filter. Normally, these are dispersed throughout the coffee bed, but lacking the coarse ground coffee, the fine sediment clogs the paper filters. The pressure from the AeroPress only improved filtration speed slightly. V60 and AeroPress filtered with the brew tower control sample. The results themselves were less than stellar but proved insightful. At ten minutes under pressure, the coffee had been extracted but was still underextracted. The color variations in the samples above demonstrate this. The flavor show hints of the tower brew but was very faint. No conclusions as there's still much to be tested and tried, but it's a good start. Some thoughts were to go with hotter (100F) water or longer times. In the coming weeks we'll sample more and see how it goes.