Comments on: Unblended espresso

By: Basspresso

Basspresso — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:17:31 +0000

That’s one of the coolest coffee images ever!
I want a “naked” portafilter so bad.

By: Justin Kagan

Justin Kagan — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:42:19 +0000

Hey james, great to read your articulate posts. you have many kindred souls here in Portland, assuredly. Just finished some cupping, including Beloya and Aricha microlot and a couple of Sumatras I’ve weighed as green contenders (both from Mercanta, and as you know offerings in the US tend to differ from the UK/Europe portfolio). Curious to know if you get to sample these offerings….currently liking the Sidikalang estate. All coffees I like seem to just reek of coffee above all else. …other assets a boon on top.
I’ve begun to wonder if there’s a speciousness to the rating systems for anything. I’ve tasted a lot of super-pricey CoE offerings here in town and am beginning to think there’s a good measure of lunacy in the cuvee coffee-ing.
But admittedly the microlot national winner Bolivian I carry makes just amazing coffee, shots or drip..I had it way before the USBC this year and it cups very close to the SO Boliv Anjilanaka offered by Sr. Philips in his majesterial performance this year. And didn’t even make it to the CoE comp, a crime.
Do you gents ever read the coffeereview.com offerings? Curious because there’s a question of advertising there…so far the reviews I’ve garnered have generated exactly zero interest in buyers.
keep up the good work. If you do indeed ever run into Grant Rattray, send regards from me in Portland…justin

By: The Ant - Facts About Ants

The Ant - Facts About Ants — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:17:22 +0000

That picture just makes me start drooling…. ahhh…. ooohhh… :D

By: Dylan

Dylan — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 05:37:02 +0000

These pictures are great!

By: Zach

Zach — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:56:58 +0000

It looks like it tastes good, but I use coffee for keeping me going in the morning just as much as I do for the taste.

By: tnomeralc web design toys

tnomeralc web design toys — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:42:30 +0000

I can just smell it from in here where I sit in front of my computer. Oh my, James my saliva is just starting to…. I can’t stand this, I gotta have one tonight.

By: Edmund

Edmund — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:28:55 +0000

I first got in to coffee through espresso and a great passion for working with espresso machines, in fact this way of brewing coffee seemed more important than the coffee itself. However as the years have gone by I have become less interested (relatively) in espresso and more interested in coffee this has resulted in me using filter, press and vacuum brewers a whole lot more.

Getting to the point; during this process I have been pushed away from blends and drawn to SO coffees. When you blend coffee you are creating something unique, it might tick boxes in making a blend or a balanced coffee but at the same time taking away what that coffee is and where it is from.

James, you mention traceability and a few other comments have mentioned individual farms, estate coffees and micro lots…. By drinking this coffee you are creating a partnership between yourself, the producer and all the other people in the chain getting those green beans in to your cup. If that coffee is no good you look at those links in the chain from harvesting, processing, transporting and storage, roasting and then brewing to see where it can be improved. By making improvements through blending you are merely taking shortcuts.

These shortcuts are perfect for high volume ‘commercial’ coffees/offerings for obvious reasons. In the long run if coffee is going to continue getting better with superbly differing and delicious SO coffees this is only going to happen through building partnerships between the drinker and the grower.

Espresso is all about brewing coffee, if we want more delicious espresso coffee whilst still paying our dues to all the people that helped make it we need to stop focusing on creating blends to manipulate the taste but focus on the links in the chain from seed to cup. It might be the long way around but it is better for the coffee farmers and in the end better for your taste buds…

By: Flavia C. Pogliani

Flavia C. Pogliani — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:45:43 +0000

Guys, if you ever have the chance to go to Australia, go to Byron Bay, to the local farmers’ market on thursday mornings and try an espresso made from a single origin coffee, called Bangalow. It comes from a pesticide-free plantation and Michelle, the owner, makes wonders with her roasted coffee beans in a manual home espresso machine.

By: Electrical Test Equipment

Electrical Test Equipment — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:47:58 +0000

i like the coffee but no so much that it can spoil my sleep and routine and daily life generally i use to take

By: Johannes van Vloten

Johannes van Vloten — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:53:05 +0000

I am relatively new to the espresso game (Discovery Coffee, Victoria BC), but I thought I would quickly say that I have had some remarkable SO ‘spro experiences.

(Ethiopian Sidamo [Natural Process]: Strawberry Cheescake, Blueberry, Cocoa (even root beer!), and a few Brazil Daterra Res. shots: Plummy, Nutty, Chocolate.)

SO can be remarkably fun. When they hit their peak, it is just heaven.

I have just found it incredibly ‘spromantic (thank you!) to have many different espresso’s at your finger tips at Discovery. I love being able to surprise regulars with an explosively fruity Sidamo….I love how perplexed, yet, enthralled they are by it.