These last few days have been a pleasant, but steep learning curve.  I know I’ve muttered about pressure profiling from time to time, but I hadn’t really played with a lever machine properly until Gwilym’s WBC prize arrived. ¹
I am not quite at the popeye arms stage yet, but I could see how you could incorporate a machine like this into a serious workout routine.  I have had some delicious shots, but I have had to abandon the traditional time frames I have used for espressos I know well.

Lots of little things make an impact.  The size of basket has a very strange impact – keep the dose the same, but have a bigger basket means that more water fills the chamber above the coffee meaning you will pull a longer shot.  Changing basket but keeping the dose the same has enough of a weird impact using my Cyncra, but this one single variable has a terrifying domino effect on the shot!

Gwilym came by today, he’s on his way to Italy to visit La Marzocco and wanted to pick up some coffee to play with.  We thought it would be fun to pull some shots of the same batch on the Athena that he’ll play with out there.  The impact of even tiny adjustments to pre-infusion time made an astonishing difference to the cup.

As you can see from the photo above I dug out my Gaggia naked portafilter, as I was curious to see what effect the lack of dispersion screw would have.  (This is the first machine I’ve used without one).  Turns out it is nothing noticeable, but then I am not sure how much detail can really, really be discerned from a naked portafilter.  They do still look pretty though.

Shot times appear to have gone out of the window.  Or at least the window has moved quite substantially.  People who go to Naples often seem to come back remarking on the 45 second shot time.  I haven’t had much under 35s that I’ve really liked, though I haven’t played much yet with barely any infusion so that may change things. ²

Now I’ve never been one to worship at the altar of crema, I don’t want more of the stuff, I don’t read too much into its texture or its colour.  However from an aesthetic point of view the shots from the Athena do look remarkable pretty.  Darker espresso roasts than ours mottle/tiger stripe in a wondrous manner (had some very tasty shots of Espresso Rustico from Counter Culture which I wished I had photographed because I think they’d be an interesting reference point for barista competition judging).

I can’t quite put my finger on exactly how the shots change.  I also admit that I’ve had more experience than most with pressure profiling, and the impact of soaks and ramps.  I do know that you can get some very interesting textural and taste based results (I am separating taste from flavour here), but I also know what a knife edge it can be.  I’d love to pull a few hundreds shots on one of these and see how you build a workflow around them, would it lull you into a pleasant and soothing rhythm or taunt you with its crawling pace.  Plus if you pull a choker then there isn’t much you can do except be patient. ³

I consider myself very lucky that Gwilym has kindly let us play with it.  If you are coming to roastery any time soon then I’ll probably try and force a shot or two onto you and talk in an overexcited way.  I am aware this post comes off the back of a post about how silly espresso is, and how we should all love brewed coffee, but from a personal point of view it is rare that I get the opportunity to go through a learning experience like this one.

I’ll try and post more about it all as I learn a bit more and have something solid and interesting to say.  If you have experience with lever machines then I’d love to know your thoughts.  If I have one gripe with the machine (and this is exceptionally churlish, considering I am borrowing a friend’s prize) it is that the cup tray is really quite tiny.  Petty?  Me?  No….

1. Yes, we kindly offered to ‘look after’ it for him for now…
2. For the record I would start the time the moment the lever is sufficiently pulled down that you can hear the water entering the brew chamber.  Other than that it is noticeable how eerily quiet the whole process is.
3. I have been told a couple of methods to interupt the brew, but frankly they either scare me or increase the likelihood of me making a mess of my clothes and I just can’t condone those things.

I genuinely did think about packing the blog in, but decided to keep writing, and I am very glad I did.

I’ve enjoyed writing more recently, and that probably shows, but what has been truly great is that often 500 words will generate 5,000 words of discussion in the comments.

This blog has always been a way for me to keep learning, to have my thoughts and ideas challenged and to interact with a huge audience.  For a while it went back to just being a chronicle of what I was doing day to day, week to week and I think that is why I lost interest in it.

I hope this blog continues to be a home to debate and discussion.  To try and foster that (from a technical point of view) I will continue to implement little features like threaded comments to a neat little trick or two.  (Highlight some text and a little respond button will appear.  If you click it, it takes you down to the comments section and starts your comment off with a quote.  I hope to implement this within the comments so you can use it to reply to specific people’s comments.

Nerdy stuff aside – thanks everyone.  I’ve got loads of little thoughts and ideas to post, and I look forward to discussing all things coffee with you at great length!

I really want to  encourage people to enter, it isn’t as difficult or scary as it seems.  Everyone who competes, as long as they do it for the right reasons, gets a lot out of it and doesn’t regret a minute of it.  What’s more – I guarantee it will make you a better barista.

1).    Make sure you put an espresso into every sig drink.

Now to begin with this might sound painfully obvious, but every year people make this mistake and up until now the rules haven’t been very clear.  Just brewing those 4 espressos isn’t enough.  If you blend them into something and don’t pour it all out then it doesn’t count as an espresso per drink.  Under the new rules you would get 0 from all sensory judges for this category so DO NOT make that mistake.

I really can’t emphasize this enough (Tip No.4 from the previous post) – Know the Rules!

2).    Come to competitions to learn.

If you compete with the sole goal of winning then most of the time competitions are disappointing and unenjoyable.  Whether it is your first competition or your fifth – if you are open to it then competition is the most intensive 15 minutes of learning of your life, and a great experience.  Those who come only to win often leave resentful of their scoresheet instead of seeing areas where they can continue to learn and develop, which is a real shame.

3).    Be yourself.

If the rule changes are implying anything it is that judges want to see individual, interesting and above all genuine performances.  This was a big goal for both Stephen and myself – from the music, to how we dressed to the way we talked to the judges.  (And of course the drinks we served!) Don’t try and be the barista onstage that you think the judges want to see.  Be honest, be yourself, let your passion for what you come out.  This year I really hope to see some interesting, entertaining and honest performances because those are the ones you remember best and enjoy most.

4).    Stop worrying about latte art.

A rosetta on a capp is not the be all and end all of a competition routine.  It is a six point box.  If you aren’t comfortable pouring art onstage then don’t worry, judges are more interested in taste and texture.  I’ve seen a bad pour throw the routine off of many a barista and it just isn’t worth worrying about.

5).    It isn’t about recreating real life.

Barista competition is a game based on real life, not a direct recreation of a bar.  You can fight against it, moan about, or have fun playing a game that makes you better at what you do for a living.  Once you turn it into a sport it becomes impossible to recreate what happens day to day.  Don’t worry about it – worry about making great drinks, and entertaining your judges for 15 minutes.

If you are reading this in the UK and you want to get involved then click here.  Again – I highly recommend the experience, and it is one of the few opportunities to meet up with other baristas from all over the UK.

Gradually, over the last few weeks and months, I have realised that I am really, truly learning again. It is a great feeling. Competition used to be my way of stepping back and being forced to reassess what I did and why, and my year as champion had amazing bursts of learning such as origin trips.

Back at work again it has been a pleasure to start to develop my palate all over again and start to work out what I am tasting when I pulling shots. I’ve never really able to taste as clearly what a particular coffee is doing in a blend, or to understand exactly what a coffee brings to a blend when pulled with all the variation that humans (especially me!) bring to brewing. All of this is a great reminder that I have such a long way to go, and I love this part of the process.

I also realised today that my Chemex brewing technique has been slipping and I am not getting things right – time for a grind reassessment, as well as a technique check. I am losing the top notes and I want them back!

In other news I have no idea how coffee suppliers stay trim, as I am already starting to worry about my inability to refuse delicious treats when dropping in. Looks like I will have to take up some serious form of exercise!