The Bean Vagrant

Lots and LOTS going on coffee-wise (not much time for anything else at this time of year..?!).  

But, aside from the obvious, I spent a little time first thing today brewing differently …with a brand new blend in the grinder …to see what happened.  

Ristrettos always seem to work better for me at dawn recently, for some reason, and so I bent ‘the rules’, and pushed things even further this morning, on a whim …and a hunch.  

A 45 second, ristretto bottomless double shot, at about 0.5oz, with about 17g, beginning to bead the screen at 12 seconds, and the 1st drops only hitting the cup at about 18 seconds, was possibly the best shot I’ve ever had. 

Was it bitter and ‘burnt’? …No! It seemed to be a stunningly sweet, bright, and fruity syrup. If anything it seemed more successful and without flaws than many ‘standard’ shots that I make on our machine, as if this was actually the best way to brew! Perhaps it was the blend… Perhaps I just hadn’t woken up properly… 

Moments like this make the bizarre world of espresso ever magical and exciting. I know this is possibly how some folks brew all the time …and it’s tempting to do the same …but no doubt there’s a time and a place.  

…Maybe a coffee chain is planning to restrict their 21g shots even further than this to make the ratio of milk to espresso work in their ‘new concept‘ for a 30ml ‘flatwhite‘ drink..?  

So… What’s the lowest form of humour again?  

 Some similar (although quicker and longer) shots brewed in the quest for repeatability of something great! 35-40 secs. 0.7-1.1oz  

 I just had to sample two more – which isn’t like me!  

…Now the obligatory eye candy?  

…Your espresso today is:  

 2010 heats.

This entry was posted on January 27, 2010 at 11:26 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.