Espresso: General Discussion Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!! Off The Grid Grinding? Kyocera Hand Coffee Grinder Full Range - Coarse to Powder Espresso - Turkish - Press! www.orphanespresso.com   Not Logged in: log in updated topics   new posts   new unanswered   search   faq   sign up   Discussions > Espresso > General > Definitive...   view previous topic | view next topic | view all topics showing page 1 of 3 last page next page Author Messages espressobsessed Senior Member Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 792 Location: Saskatoon, SK Expertise: Pro Barista Espresso: La Marzocco GB5 Grinder: Anfim Vac Pot: Hario Deco Drip: Swiss Gold/Ditting + FP Roaster: 49th Parallel Posted Wed Sep 15, 2004, 10:01pm Subject: Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!!   So I am starting this thread as a means for us to get back on track... it seems we've been distracted lately (not that that's a bad thing...).  But anyway.  So the question is: What were some of the unique moments in your development as a coffeegeek - moments that made you step back, and say, like Rob recently posted, "THIS is what it is all about!" Everyone of all political stripes and colors are invited. So here goes: During my first Seattle trip, one of the Hines baristas, Adam, asked me for a taste critique of a cappa he just brewed.  Until that moment, I had not really considered espresso in the realm of which he obviously placed it.  I possibly, until then, never considered what was possible, flavour-wise, sensory-wise and passion-wise in the world of coffee.   As far as my response, I searched for words to describe what I experienced but realized I was sorely weak on tasting vocab... "uhhmm chocolate, sweet finish..."  I then told him, my experience of coffee before hines was around here (gesturing with hands) and the quality of the Hines I just had was waaaay up here (gesturing with hands, up higher...)!!  I left Hines, and Seattle, with a new perspective on espresso... mostly because the one barista forced me to look at espresso in a different way!  It was like the cloud opened up at that moment and poured the sunshine of enlightenment on me. There was no turning back after that!!!   blog: espressolab.ca work: museocoffee.com owner/barista at Museo Coffee Saskatoon SK Canada back to top Luca Moderator Joined: 27 Jan 2004 Posts: 2,658 Location: Melbourne, Australia Espresso: H: Maver W: FB-80 Grinder: H: Super Jolly W: Brasilia... Vac Pot: Hario TCA-2 Roaster: Sample Roaster at Work Posted Thu Sep 16, 2004, 7:11am Subject: Re: Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!!   Hmm ... one of my definitive moments was probably this trip, which involved sampling a bunch of different espresso and seeing really top-notch rosetti poured by one of Melbourne's finest, sjames.   Mal305 (whom I now work for!) was incredibly generous and the multiple shots that we plowed through were a great learning essperience purely because they were one after another.  We must have gone through half a kilo for three people! Of course, this would also have to be juxtaposed with the job that I had prior to Maltitude, where the old, old cunil with blunt burrs could not be touched because it was 'calibrated every few months when the machine gets cleaned' and we weren't allowed to fill the (5g) baskets to capacity.  Needless to say that I quit pretty quick smart, but it went miles towards improving my appreciation of good coffee! Cheer   General ramblings about coffee: http://www.pourquality.blogspot.com/ Reviews of Australian coffee: http://www.coffeereviewaustralia.com/ back to top Fred_Astaire Senior Member Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Posts: 174 Location: NY/NJ Expertise: I love coffee Espresso: Isomac Tea Grinder: Solis Maestro; NS MCF Vac Pot: none Drip: Braun (love my drip) Roaster: Hottop Posted Thu Sep 16, 2004, 7:27am Subject: Re: Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!!   Nice idea for a thread.  A definitive moment for me was when I stopped ordering espresso in restaurants.  While I didn't recognize it as a definitive moment at the time, it was really a milestone in my espresso odyssey, when it became very clear to me that 99% of commercial establishments (quality coffee houses excepted), couldn't produce espresso that I wanted to drink anymore. back to top espressoDOM Senior Member Joined: 1 May 2003 Posts: 2,189 Location: Bay Area Expertise: I love coffee Espresso: WEGA Lyra (vibe) Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: (no more coffee equipment) Drip: French Press Roaster: Hot Top Roaster; Fresh Roast... Posted Thu Sep 16, 2004, 8:42am Subject: Re: Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!!   the definitive moments that I can recall right now would be.... taking a SBUX elitist to Stumptown in Portland...she was forever changed and is happy to know the difference between good coffee drinks and great coffee drinks.... The other would be the first time I got feedback on roasts I performed with HOT Top.... rave reviews made me beam and thus made my day....   DOM...evil genius ...Up to no good in espresso at all times... VIVA la parts de Espresso back to top Spinnaker007 Senior Member Joined: 24 Apr 2003 Posts: 1,775 Location: Chicago! Expertise: I like coffee Posted Thu Sep 16, 2004, 8:50am Subject: Re: Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!!   It was about 2 years ago, I found CG while surfing the net (I forgot what I was looking for on that day), and later I became an occasional lurker, snooping around with no clear objectives. I didn’t know about Intelligentsia at that time, but I was a big fan of SBUX.  My favorites were hot or iced mocha (still drink the iced mocha once in awhile or when I am traveling.) I noticed the words like “God Shot”, “Velvety microfoam”, “Crema”, etc. constantly, whenever I visited CG.  I was curious, and wanted to see what velvety microfoam look like.  While googling, I stumbled onto Uptown Espresso’s homepage. “Holy moly, I gotta try this, it looks good!”         I booked a weekend caffeine binge trip to Seattle, with a list of coffee shops I wanted to visit. Vivace, Hine’s, Zoka, Zeitgeist, Tully’s, Caffe Ladro, Caffe Vita, Victrola... Because I was unfamiliar to the city, I didn’t get to visit Hine’s or Zoka, but I got loaded at Vivace. I signed up as a CG member after the trip, bought my Tea and Mini a few months later, the definitive moments for me in the world of espresso.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/spinnaker007/ http://spnakr007.blogspot.com/ back to top javalicious Senior Member Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Posts: 68 Location: West Seattle Expertise: I live coffee Espresso: Wega Lyra Grinder: Rocky Vac Pot: Hario garage sale prize Roaster: i-Roast Posted Thu Sep 16, 2004, 9:54am Subject: Re: Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!!   I was a coffee geek starting in high school when my buddies and I would get together and hang out drinking moka pot coffee out of one of those old italian stove top jobs late into the night. Then in the late 80's in Missoula Montana I stumbled upon Butterfly Herbs. They had a coffee and tea counter in the back of the shop with this old commercial lever espresso machine. I was never into the milky drinks so I had the barista pull a double espresso for me and I fell in love. The coffee was pretty good too. :) back to top espressoperson Senior Member Joined: 9 Jul 2004 Posts: 114 Location: Philadelphia Expertise: I love coffee Espresso: Olympia Cremina Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: Cona Drip: Press Pot Roaster: Hottop Posted Thu Sep 16, 2004, 11:52am Subject: Re: Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!!   I remember when I left home and started making my own coffee. I grew up with percolator coffee. Always a pot on the stove ready to be poured - or reheated and poured. "Eight'O'Clock" coffee bought at the local A&P from a large bin and ground right there. We're talking late 50's, early 60's. So I got a percolator and bought the same coffee. But - here's the definitive moment - I could make the coffee taste better, still better, even better! The coffee was as good as I could take pains to make it. - Clean the pot, cleaner, even cleaner. - Put in more coffee, still more coffee, even more coffee. (Oh yeah, measure it and use the same amount every time.) - Adjust the flame on the gas stove. Lower, still lower, even lower. Just enough for water to perc up through the stem without too much boiling. - Turn off the flame quickly, more quickly, even more quickly - as soon as it smelled like coffee. - Take out the basket immediately after stopping. (Ouch! But what won't we do for better coffee?) I still remember smiling every time I tasted it and thought about the coffee I had left behind. I'm still enjoying (and paying for :-) that definitive moment today. I would be very interested to know how that coffee would compare with what I consider good coffee today. MichaelB   MichaelB back to top strugs Senior Member Joined: 21 Jul 2003 Posts: 655 Location: Vancouver, Canada Expertise: I live coffee Espresso: Vincent Wega (Wega Lyra) Grinder: Jules (Mazzer Mini) Vac Pot: Hario TCA-5 Drip: Tray Roaster: Hines Posted Thu Sep 16, 2004, 5:55pm Subject: Re: Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!!   My "Defining Moment": Lack of regret after shelling out $200 for a grinder on a blind recommendation from the geeks on this site. A secondary moment was pulling my first good shot from my HX machine and thinking "this is the best frikin coffee I have ever tasted".   Sean Strugnell WWDP Founder and Chief Strategist Home of the WWDP www.strugs.ca/wwdp.htm E61 real-time temperature probe project: http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/espresso/machines/181121 Coffee Blog http://espressostrugs.blogspot.com/ back to top espressobsessed Senior Member Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 792 Location: Saskatoon, SK Expertise: Pro Barista Espresso: La Marzocco GB5 Grinder: Anfim Vac Pot: Hario Deco Drip: Swiss Gold/Ditting + FP Roaster: 49th Parallel Posted Thu Sep 16, 2004, 6:08pm Subject: Re: Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!!   Sean, Sometimes I think the best 'espresso-moments' are indeed the simplest! I especially love it when you get an extraordinary shot/drink when you least expect it! Steve, if you're reading this, I didn't know you did the espresso mecca tour!  Cool.   blog: espressolab.ca work: museocoffee.com owner/barista at Museo Coffee Saskatoon SK Canada back to top rbh1515 Senior Member Joined: 15 Feb 2003 Posts: 1,127 Location: Milwaukee Expertise: I love coffee Espresso: LM GS3 Grinder: Mazzer Vac Pot: have one Drip: no Roaster: never use it Posted Thu Sep 16, 2004, 6:35pm Subject: Re: Definitive moments in your espresso-odyssey!!   Oh boy, there are a bunch of defining moments for me (when it comes to espresso).  I guess the first is when I married my wife.  I was 30 and never really drank coffee--not during college or Med School.  My wife did, and of course someone (I still don't remember who) gave us one of those cheapo espresso steam toys.  I still vividly remember (about 14 years ago) filling the portafilter with some stuff from the can (probably Folgers) and trying to make some sense out of this espresso machine. Probably the next defining moment was when I finally figured out how to pour a rosetta.  I had already replaced my Krups espresso machine (my first real espresso machine after the steam toy) and was the proud owner of a Silvia.  I did some research on the internet, and it looked like the Silvia was a good choice.  I had not yet found the CG site.  One of the local coffee shops (Alterra in Milwaukee) had a fantastic barista who made unbeliveable lattes and fantastic latte art.  He had me come behind the counter a # of times and showed me the pouring technique.  I tried at home for a long time with  only a bit of success.  Finally one day the planets were all aligned and I poured a nice rosetta.  The camera was ready and I posted the picture here (see below).  MP posted a nice comment.  And that was pretty cool. 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