Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Progress and Perfection


So, construction on the trailer is coming along quite nicely!  Tomorrow I am going to install the flooring and begin work on my counters using beautiful White Oak from my Grandpa's saw mill.  It was an amazing experience to be cutting and planing this wood with him.  Most of my life has been spent on opposite sides of the country from him- and getting to come together on this project especially after learning of his diagnosis has been ... well... heart-wrenching at times.  He may not have all the strength and stamina that he used to have, but he has all the knowledge and passion for a job well done that he ever has.


So, that's the Progress part.  The Perfection part is in my quest to come up with a kick-ass pourover recipe.  It's been exciting for me to have all the equipment I've ever wanted to create a really delicious cup of coffee- whenever guests come over and they take a sip they are shocked.  Some of them had no idea that coffee could ever taste like this!  I am obsessing over brew ratios and TDS readings and extraction yields.  The reason I am going through all this work is not because the work itself makes great coffee, but because by being disciplined and by understanding all that is affected by the little changes I make I can become more consistent and a bettter all-around barista.

I just read about the "Mane Conference" coming up in October in Rhode Island.  It's a coffee festival that doesn't necessarily have all the frills and stuff of hosting the WBC or USBC or even the official Latte Art Championship.  It's all about the coffee industry and what's going on both at the store level (latte art workshops) and at the Origin (Green classification seminars).  I'm excited to hear from the keynote speaker, George Howell, and his experience in starting the Cup of Excellence program that has really been taking off lately.  The only downsides is that it costs $100 and it's a 13 hour drive but I think it will be worth it.

Until next time,
Tim

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