An element of coffee brewing that is near and dear to our hearts here at Caffe Bellezza is the pourover. It's how we make our coffee at home. It's simple in essence, yet takes a level of skill and precision that many baristas can appreciate and not all do well. But every week we get at least one or two customers who go: "Why is this taking so long?" and "Why would you introduce this brewing process into your mobile cafe?"
There's a few reasons why we do it, despite the fact that it takes longer than most people have been trained to wait.
First, there are problems associated with "batch brewing." This is the process that allows customers to just come up and grab a quick cup. Baristas have to brew the coffee ahead of time despite knowing how much coffee to make- so the result is often waste and a lack of freshness. Coffee is precious! The other problem is when you brew in a large batch, you miss out on the opportunity to tailor your brewing process based on the coffee itself. Not all coffee is the same (we're talking size of bean, variety, species, density, roast level, processing method, WOW!)! Yet in a batch brew, all coffees are treated the same (and abused the same!). The biggest problem with batch brewing is the wrong expectations that it creates in our customers. Coffee should not be cheap and ready whenever I want it. It has taken many skilled hands months to grow, harvest, process, roast and brew- and acting like it's simply a warm version of a Red Bull is so sad! Coffee should be savored and appreciated, respected and adored for all the love and effort that has been put into it.
Thank you to all of our talented farmers and roasters who have worked so hard to bring us the best coffees they can. May we always treat coffee with the respect it deserves! Try a pourover of our rotating single origins the next time you see our truck!
