Grind Adjustment

Certainly at this point in the winter we are supposed to perform various different exploits to simply do life as normal: put on all those extra clothes, shovel, salt, drive slowly, stay awake when it's been dark for hours. At this point, I often begin to wonder why we are still required to
continue to do everything that we are supposed to do as responsible contributors to this community and also as valiant, pioneering Americans, even when the energy required becomes significantly greater over a long period of four months or so.

For example, yesterday at Kubal we had a new record for most dramatic grind adjustment needed all at once. We always meticulously adjust the grind according to various conditions.
This allows Kubal to achieve a superior espresso. The main conditions are:

1. Relative humidity (the weather) 2. Bean age (a coarser grind setting is usually necessary for an espresso blend that has been roasted two days ago versus one that has been roasted four days ago).

Yesterday we topped off the hopper of our Mazzer espresso grinder not thinking anything unusual except, "oooo. fresh coffee. mmmmmm!"

All of a sudden, later that afternoon, the espresso just stopped extracting -- completely, not even a drop.

What had happened, we discovered was that because the air had been particularly dry the past two days, it had dried the previous batch of our blend more than it usually does in three days. That afternoon was sunny and much warmer than it had been recently, thus melting a good bit of snow causing the humidity to rise significantly.

These factors coupled with the new batch of fresh, oily espresso blend just starting to be ground, caused a clamp down. Wow...

Previously we had never had to adjust the grind more than four settings at once, but because of this alignment of augmented affairs, we had to adjust the grind seven settings and run six test shots!

For the benefit of those that don't know, simply put, we had to jump through hoops, juggle flaming torches, and walk a mile long tight rope just to serve our coffee at our normal standards. Granted, I tend to drive the standards way up in the sky, but those are my own eccentricities I suppose.

Sometimes hibernation seems to be a wise alternative, but so did the Wild West.

Roasting Like a Feen

We have our 2 for 12 sale this week, so my roaster is fired up red hot this morning. So people have told me they are glad they can get their beans before the cold snap tomorrow.

Roasteria Build-out Progress

It has been a long time coming. We finally made some real progress in the build-out. For the longest time we have been working in a make-shift space, one year to be exact. That one year seemed like a decade. We now have counters, sinks, even a vintage Victoria Arduino espresso machine (soon to be installed). This way our roasteria can not only serve our purposes as a wholesale operation, but also it can be an event coffeehouse, such as an art gallery and music venue. Stay tuned for the grand opening party. I think this will be a blast for the community of Eastwood.

This holiday season, it would be an inexpensive and impressive way to please people by making them a French press of coffee. Currently at the shop we are jammed full of French presses of all different sizes if you don’t have one of your own. If you are unsure of how to prepare one, I can gladly instruct you on the process.
Just for a reminder, here is some info last presented in issue# 2:
To make a French press of coffee at home use a course grind. The grounds should float in the water if they are fresh. Make sure that your grinder produces uniform-sized granules. Otherwise, you will get some silt in the cup.
Sinking grounds are a result of completely degassed coffee (old). Use boiling water, technically about 200F. At the shop we use 2oz (weight) of grounds for a 32oz (volume) press. At the pre-press stage of a French press, it should look like a Guinness with some nice head. If you've never seen a well poured Guinness, I am sorry; I can't help you. Let the coffee brew for around four minutes, or until you detect a wet aroma. Then press! Enjoy.