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Originally Posted by bcrdukes
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I haven't been to Artigiano in a while but I find it interesting that you weren't impressed. What's interesting is that they (used to anyway) pride their reputation in serious barista training. I am no professional, but temperature control on both the espresso shot and milk are serious grounds on becoming a good barista. Not only that, they pride themselves on the basis of using "the best" machines which is a La Marzocco.  |
The problem with their barista is that they focus too much on the appearance, or how the cup look at the beginning. As for temperature control, it might be my personal preference, but I tend to like the milk at 93 degrees when adding into the espresso to bring the aroma up along with the creaminess of the milk. The first time I was there, they had it in a slightly lower temperature, making the drinking easier in a sense but losing the aroma in the process. The second time I was there, I asked it to be a lil bit warmer due to the first experience, their espresso came out too quick sacrificing the body of the coffee.
And if the barista is really good, equipments cease to matter, it's the attention to detail that they put into making that matters. Good equipments simply facilitate the process.
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Originally Posted by bcrdukes
You may or may not enjoy their espersso at Gene Coffee Bar. The roast is the Espresso Gran Bar from Casa Del Caffe, roasted by Vincent Gentile. Not sure if you know about his background but he apprenticed in coffee roasting in Italy for 7 years and has been in the business for 25 years in Vancouver.
The roast is a lot more darker for most North American paletes but the shots pulled at Gene Coffee Bar instantly reminded me of the same tastes and quality from what I had in Prague, Dresden and Vienna. I personally love their Wega machine used, a true E61 grouphead so the consistancy is there. Their baristas can be quizzed if you want to.  |
I think consistency is key in a coffee shop. I don't expect any coffee shop to brew "my" perfect coffee due to the subjective nature of tasting. But if they can put out consistent products and flavors, they have been doing an amazing job, will sure let you know I'm heading.
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Originally Posted by bcrdukes
Not many baristas do that anymore. They should occassionally pull a blank shot to taste to determine whether adjustments need to be made at the grinder. Superautomatic machines suck.  |
Yep, very true... and yet sad.
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Originally Posted by bcrdukes
The latest hot topic amongst baristas is that crema is not always a sure-fire indication of the final product, which eventually is taste. I've personally found that when sticking to the general guidelines of pulling a shot is that a 2oz. double shot should typically be complete at around 30 seconds. It's the under and overextraction that can really ruin the taste of the shot, nevermind just the crema alone especially if its blonding too early or too late. Of course, temperature control, grind quality, dosing and tamping and the beans are crucial to the final product.
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I'm a more traditional type of coffee drinker, it has to do much with the gentleman I learned from. Therefore, an ideal shot, which consists all you mentioned plus pressure level and grind temperature (sometimes grind gets too hot, taking away the aroma originally existed in the bean, giving different performance on the same bean just one shot before and after), shows relatively clear in crema. I wouldn't say it's always the case, but it's a very good indicator.
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Originally Posted by bcrdukes
Hehe, you seem to have a good understanding of espresso. Let me know where you like going and how you find Gene Coffee Bar. I'm always there, it's like my 2nd home!  |
I have an Argentinean friend here (who comes from an Italian family) who makes a killer espresso at his place. He, too, is a crazy coffee lover, I will see if I can make him to give us a tasting opportunity (I usually just pay for the bean) and you can come to experience some coffee that I consider excellent.
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Originally Posted by bcrdukes
Just to throw it out there, this is my coffee rig at home. I have some beans coming in from Stumptown Coffee Hair Bender roast by the end of this week and an El Salvador single origin for the pourover next week. |
Stumptown's bean is very good, I tried them when I was in Portland and was very impressed.