Part 1 -Evaluating Coffee Acidity

Acidity, body and aftertaste are common terms used in coffee culture, when we describe some of our sensory experiences. In our trade it is of the utmost importance to be able to differentiate these elements, using universal terms, so that our coffee is consistent.
Our May public cupping will be the first of a three part series, on these components of taste.
Using a variety of sensory exercises and different coffees, we will isolate and talk about acidity.
Join us as we begin to demystify coffee’s complexity.

When: Sunday May 27th, 1pm – 3pm
Where: Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roastery
200 Market St NE (Enter through the tasting room)

To Join Us: Please RSVP at 360-753-4057 or madams@batdorf.com
Please do not wear any perfume or any other scents.

Cost: Free of charge.

While on my Portland/Olympia/Seattle trip, I had the opportunity to do some Coffee Ambushes. I was very excited about this, because I’ve not done them outside Atlanta and Nashville up to this point, and the thought of doing them elsewhere is really cool. And the three companies I chose were handpicked because of what they do, and how they do it. In Portland, I ambushed NEMO, a design and brand identity firm that works with Nike, and a group that Emily Jackson told me about. In Seattle, PopCap Games was the place to go, and being a fan of what they do, it was a no-brainer. And while in Olympia, Sandy Hall with Team Batdorf set up a Coffee Ambush for me at Intel.

For this Ambush, my cohort was Sandy Hall. We brewed our Colombia Finca Las Margaritas with Clever Drippers in the company’s cafeteria. It was a great time of brewing, answering questions, guiding people to coffee choices, and lots of other great things in addition to brewing this delicious coffee. There is no video from this Ambush, because of security issues because it is, Intel, but I was allowed to take a few pictures, which I’m including in this blogpost. Enjoy, I know I enjoyed brewing coffee there!

Last week, we hosted the first of our Miracle Berry Flavor Tripping Parties. For these, I partnered up with our good friends over at Scoutmob, since this is right up their alley for adventure. We had 150 people (plus about 15 who volunteered for the event, including an amazing amount of help from our friends at Scoutmob who sent a great team of folks to help), and the Batdorf Atlanta Roastery was buzzing with people in a tasting frenzy at 10 stations we’d set up. We had: Lemons, Limes, Granny Smith Apples, Pineapple, Dill Pickles, Tomatoes, Sour Cream, Sriracha, Balsamic Vinegar, Mustard, Salt & Vinegar Chips, and Guinness Stout.

I won’t forget the first time I saw the Planet Green show “Future Food”, which featured Homaro Cantu talking about the Miracle Berry, and how it could literally change the world, and thinking to myself how could I incorporate the use of it into my coffee education stuff. I checked to see if the berry affected coffee’s flavors, and I’ve heard it doesn’t. So, I leaned on something I could connect with, and that’s the fact I believe coffee is culinary, and I work with flavors all the time here at the Batdorf Atlanta Roastery in our Brewing Lab. I work with the fact that coffee has loads of amazing flavors, and those flavors morph and change with time. And that’s how I connected the berry to what I do. I deal in flavors, tastes, and culinary fun and education.

Lots of people had different reactions to the berry’s reaction, some more than others, but all had changes. If you don’t know what the Miracle Berry does, check out more info at http://mberry.us/ Basically, it causes your tastebuds to taste things differently. For me, dill pickles tasted like bread and butter pickles, the pineapple was almost too sweet to eat, the salt & vinegar chips were really toned down, the sour cream tasted like Greek yogurt, the lemons tasted like lemonade, and the Guinness did taste like a chocolate milkshake. Some folks needed an additional berry, because you’re supposed to let it sit on your tongue for a bit beforehand (something I wasn’t aware of.)

We also had great live music from the band “The A-B Temperature”, composed of two of our roasters here at Batdorf Atlanta, throwing down some sweet jazz-fusion tunes as amazing background music. We’ve got detailed instructions and are ready to go for the March 3^rd party, and it’s going to be even better, with some different foods to try this time. (And I’ll make sure we actually take some pics during the event, and not be so busy with everything else.)

As a coffee trainer I am exposed to different makes and models of espresso machines almost daily.  New models allow expert baristas additional options: adjust pump pressure during extraction, pre-infusion, etc.  Yet the vast majority of these machines brew at, or very near, 200F.

Older espresso machines, along with some new La San Marco’s, use very simple heat exchange technology to heat brew water before it arrives at the grouphead.  In this case the brew water at the group is actually boiling, 212F.  Pulling a shot of great espresso on this type of machine requires the barista to take an extra, sometimes long, step.  Press the brew button and flush all the boiling water through the group until boiling water is no longer heard.

Very commonly when I travel for trainings and use machines out in the field, this step is missed.  The extraction of organic compounds with a bitter taste profile is accelerated at higher temperatures.

Boiling water = Scorched Espresso.

If your espresso machine hisses and gurgles when you press the brew button, do not fret.  Simply flush out this water as you are dosing and tamping your freshly ground coffee.  When the hissing concludes, voila!  Sweet, Delicious, Espresso.

If your business is located in the Northwest Region and you would like to discuss training at your location or at our Roasting and Training facility, please contact:

Dan Graham

Dang@Batdorf.com

(800) 955-5282 x107