First off, let's talk about Brazil. Brazil is the largest coffee producer on the planet and therefore acts as the "canary in the coal mine" for coffee pricing. If Brazil is having a bumper crop then the rest of the coffee producing countries have to deal with an abundance of coffee supply on the world market. As we all know from Economics 101, the greater the supply, the lower the demand, and the lower the price. That works out for the average consumer in the price of a cup of coffee.
Unfortunately Brazil had a little bit of an issue with frost in 2021. Unfortunately Brazil also had an issue with drought. There has been a spike in freight cost. There is a shipping container shortage. Strikes and blockades at ports. Covid! Now we all have an issue with price. Issues, issues, issues!
Due to these ugly conditions (BTW, frosts and droughts happen from time to time so not necessarily a climate change issue) Brazil's 2021 Arabica bag yield declined somewhere around 35% over 2020. This means there is less supply and more demand. Enter rising prices! Now the question is "How is this going to affect the price of my cup o' joe?"
Thankfully for the customer, prices should not rise to that same extent. Unfortunately for the coffee shop, we will have to absorb some or most of that cost and largely wait for the spike in price to settle down again. You may see prices rise slightly, but your favourite shop will be taking the biggest punch.
How long will this last, you ask? Given that some of the youngest plants killed by the frost will have to wait 4 years to yield viable cherries again, we might expect a couple of years to recover. Good news is, Brazil has had great rainfall this year so recovery should be quicker than that.
Coffee wakes us up. Coffee revs us up. Coffee is the centerpiece of so many social aspects of our lives, and it stimulates the ideas that carry societies forward. So if you want to keep your favourite shop open and thriving, skip the drivethru at the big chain and spoil yourself with a cup made with love and true artistry. Support your local shop.
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Fast forward to your afternoon coffee break at the local coffee shop down the street. You order your coffee and BAM!! ..... $7.00 for your 2pm re-fuel. What happened?! Did the coffee commodities market spike in a five hour time frame? Are you being ripped off? Nope, the simple truth is, you didn't order the same product. Here's the skinny on why your artisan coffee shop serves a more expensive coffee:
Coffee Beans - There are many different shades of beans, different qualities, different regions of the globe, and varying levels of social and environmental responsibility. Just like any other product on the market, there are cheap items and there are expensive items. Equating coffee beans to cars, (everyone knows cars, right?) the larger chains and greasy-spoons of the world are driving a Dodge. They get you to where you're going, but that's about it. Mass produced, inexpensive, and marketed to those who want a basic ride.
Now think about the Third Wave, super-cool, flashy coffee shops. These guys are driving the Lambos, the Ferraris, and the Bentleys of the world. Coffee beans are produced in limited quantities by artisan growers, hand-picked, babied, and grown with both environmentally and socially responsible methods. While these beans cost more to purchase, they are of higher quality and support the financial and physical well-being of the communities at origin.
***Pro Tip*** If a coffee shop proudly markets "100 percent Arabica Beans", be wary of the quality of your coffee. This is like a hotel proudly advertising "Colour TV and Hot Water". These things should be redundant and to advertise these may show that they are serving the very base level of product.
Equipment and Training - At Bean Scene, new staff do not operate the espresso machine or grinders until they have at least 80 hours of training on the equipment (I cannot tell you how often we have hired staff with years of barista experience who know very little about their craft). This training is coupled with espresso and coffee theory, palette conditioning, and an overview of the innards of the gear. Our staff must understand how their tools work and the effect those tools have on the final product being served. While some training is provided by entry level and chain coffee shops, their general focus is on how to use the administrative tools of the POS system and their facility-focused procedures...... not on actually understanding the coffee itself.
Third Wave coffee equipment is a world unto itself. While an entry-level commercial espresso machine may cost around $5,000 high caliber machines can cost between $20,000 and $30,000. Each grinder may cost up to $4000. This price difference brings us back to the Lambo vs. Dodge analogy... You don't win races in your 1978 Dodge Omni.
Alternative Milks - The world is changing and many people don't like the idea of using animals to help make their flat white. With the addition of alternative milks such as oat or almond, comes a dramatic increase in cost. As of now, a four litre jug of milk will cost somewhere around $6 while a one litre tetra pack of oat milk is the same price. That's 4 times the price to make the same drink! The demand for alternative milks has sky-rocketed in the past five years necessitating an increase in the price of the final product. While that effects our pocket books, our furry four-legged friends enjoy a longer and happier life, and our planet takes less of a beating.
Environment - I'm not talking about the planet, I'm talking about the vibe of the shop itself. Third Wave coffee generally puts it's concentration into training and quality. The big chains will have 12 huge screens scrolling through all of the high margin items they want you to purchase, and staff will be trained on how to upsell you into buying a cookie, a t-shirt, and an espresso machine with your latte. Everything is focused on quarterly earnings. Third wave shops want the product and aesthetic to speak for themselves. Screw the TV screens, the invasive marketing, and the "corporate-approved" and scripted customer greeting . If you serve a perfect product in an awesome environment with competent and friendly staff, people will come back and profits will happen.
Now, these are only a few of the reasons why your local Third Wave shop serves a pricier cup of coffee. Consider that while the price of a drip coffee may be marginally more expensive (maybe 25 - 50 cents more), every time you say another word when ordering your coffee.... "large, almond milk, caramel, extra shot, no-foam latte" you will incur the costs of all that goes into that drink. The training, the equipment, the responsibility, and the professionalism all contribute to a more refined experience. In my humble opinion, you should really come to love the purity of the coffee being served in a perfect cappuccino, a decadent traditional macchiato, or a deep americano. All that other stuff just clouds the artistry of a well trained barista. If you still like all that other stuff, no worries... we got you fam!
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To get yourself started on a path to deep and rich espresso, you will need to know a couple of things about tamping and grind distribution, and some of the problems that may arise if you do these two thing incorrectly. It will be difficult to recognize what these issues are if you don't taste your espresso...... so TASTE, TASTE, TASTE!
First off (and a little off topic) you need to grind your espresso to the appropriate size for your espresso machine. Not all machines are created equal but as a general rule, consider the price of the machine to be a good indicator of it's quality. Anything under $100 will extract an inferior espresso to a machine that costs $2000. Sorry, just the nature of the world. You don't win Daytona in a Hyundai. Don't shoot the messenger. At Bean Scene, if we grind the espresso for you, we will write the size of the grind directly on the coffee bag so you know for next time. All of our grinders across the company are calibrated to grind exactly the same. Use these very simple rules: #1. Espresso normally extracts between 20 seconds - 30 seconds to reach 1.5 ounces in volume. (See blog post listed below for flavour implications). #2. If it reaches 1.5 ounces in less than 20 seconds, use a slightly finer espresso. #3. If it reaches 1.5 ounces in more than 30 seconds, use a slightly courser espresso. Professional baristas get far more in depth but you're not a pro yet.
Ok, now you have the right grind size of espresso so let's talk distribution. Distribution is exactly what it sounds like.... you are distributing the coffee evenly in your portafilter. If you don't do this prior to coffee extraction, which is under immense pressure, water will find the path of least resistance and extract where the distribution is thinnest. There are a dozen different ways to do this but maybe you don't want to spend another $200 bucks on the professional tool. Let's say you don't, and that you want to do it the old school way.... Manually!
1. Load your portafilter up to the rim with espresso. 2. Gently tap the side of the portafilter with the palm of your hand and watch how the grinds move in the filter. You may have to tap a few times as you watch how those grinds are moving in the filter. The goal is to make the grinds an even height so that when you tamp down the grinds, they will compress into a uniform puck across the inside of the portafilter. This will ensure that the pressure will extract ALL of the flavour of the coffee.
2. Tamp your coffee with 30 pounds of downward pressure PERFECTLY LEVEL. Your machine most likely came with a little plunger to compress the coffee into the portafilter. This is to concentrate the grinds prior to extraction and to allow a back pressure. Very important!!! - If your machine does not have enough oomph, it may purge the pressure back into the machine itself and create a big mess. If this happens, course up your coffee grinds (and get a mop)! You can tamp on a household scale (you know, the kind you stand on) to see what your pressure is. Easy peasy.
The biggest challenge you will have with a normal portafilter is that you will not be able to see the extraction itself, only the product that pours out of the little spout. At Bean Scene we use a bottomless (naked) portafilter so we can see the extraction intimately. It's our whole existence so we do stuff like that. So with no naked portafilter..... use your tongue. If you're using Bean Scene coffee it will taste good when extracted well. If you're using a bargain coffee.... good luck. Use the link below for the effects of doing it wrong. It's generally geared toward pour-over coffee but most of the rules regarding flavour apply.
So, to recap..... distribute your grinds as detailed above, then tamp nice and straight with 30 pound of downward pressure to improve your home espresso. Questions?....... Just pop into any Bean Scene and ask one of our senior baristas to give you some tips. This is what we do and we love sharing!
If you know someone who might benefit from this blog series, hit that share thingy!
Link for Espresso Flavour - https://bean-scene-coffee-works.myshopify.com/blogs/news/not-a-pro-you-dont-need-to-be
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Nobody NEEDS pro coffee gear at home to make good coffee. Nobody NEEDS an in-home barista to make them a perfect cappuccino. What you NEED is a little tip and/or trick to help make that coffee a little nicer. It's the middle of a pandemic, what else are you going to do anyway? Let me open your mind a little bit to help make that first experience of your day a better one.
Coffee is all about two simple rules: Grind size and immersion time. Playing with these two very basic ideas, you can manipulate any coffee (I would start with good stuff or it's an uphill battle) into the flavour profile you might be looking for.
Rule #1 - Grind Size
Coffee beans are always best purchased whole bean and ground fresh just before brewing. This ensures that a minimal amount of oxidization attacks the complexity of the profile. If you buy pre-ground coffee, well.... shrug. Hint: Bean Scene will grind coffee for you at the counter and suggest the best grind size for your type of brewer.
Finer Grinds (Needs short immersion time): Grinding your coffee to a finer setting will increase the surface area available for water to extract and will increase the depth of flavour. This is a cheater to get more flavour out of your coffee but BE CAREFUL as this will also increase the risk of your coffee becoming bitter. The mouthfeel of the coffee will be thicker as microfine particles can bypass the fibers of the filter itself. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if you're looking to mimic the flavour notes produced by a moka pot. Microfines in coffee can be especially nice with cream and sugar and can create a few more cocoa notes in the cup. You will however, also reduce the amount of brightness (sparkle) in the coffee so be aware of this.
Coarser Grinds (Needs longer immersion time): Generally, modern third-wave coffee is ground a little coarser and left to sit in the water a little longer. This is due to modern coffee theory striving to pull out complexity through time. The longer a coffee is immersed in water, the more flavour will be pulled out. As mentioned previously, grinds can tend to get bitter if left in water for too long, and all of the sparkle will disappear. A general rule is that acids (sparkle, brightness) are extracted in the first part of the brew cycle and sugars in the last part. (note to coffee nerds: GENERALLY!). For this reason, coarse coffee will have immersion times of up to 5 minutes, while finer grinds like immersion times under 3 minutes. You'll find that coarse coffees work better straight up without cream and sugar, and have a cleaner mouthfeel.
Rule #2 - Immersion Time
The longer coffee sits in water, the more flavour is extracted. If it sits in the water for too long, it may become bitter. If coffee sits in the water for too little time (or water not hot enough) the coffee may taste weak and sour. Most residential coffee machines do not heat the water enough, and most inexpensive coffee filters are too porous and won't hold water well enough to extract enough depth. If you're stuck using both a cheap machine and cheap filters, then maybe grind your coffee a little finer to squeeze out some of that flavour. It's a cheat but it will work. There's rarely a machine that will heat the water too much so let's forget about that concept for now.
So, here's the dealio:
1. If you want your coffee deeper, to have more cocoa notes, and to go well with cream and sugar.... make the grind finer and maybe add a bit more coffee to water ratio. Don't let the water sit on the grinds for more than 3 minutes or it may get bitter.
2. If you want coffee to be cleaner, fruitier, brighter.... use coarse grinds and immerse for between 4-5 minutes max. If it gets bitter, reduce the immersion time. If you want it stronger, add more coffee to water ratio. Simple.
Now, this is just a blog not a book, so please keep in mind that there are a million reasons why your coffee might taste bad. There are a million more on how to manipulate flavour including water temperature, filter type, or machine type. What you had for breakfast will effect your impression of coffee!
Promise me to use hot water just off the boil (note to coffee nerds.. "Generally"), use Bean Scene Coffee, and make your first cup count! It's a pandemic.... what else are you going to do?!
]]>When I was young my mom used to tell me that I was perfect just the way I was. I believed it because that's what I was told, and it made me feel good. Then I made a few mistakes, made a few thousand more, and started realizing that just because someone says something, it doesn't necessarily make it true. When I started drinking coffee as an adult, I was told that oils on the surface of the coffee bean show quality. My tongue said, "LIES!!" but I didn't listen. I kept drinking really horrible coffee just because I was given the wrong information. My brain, conditioned to abide, rode in the sidecar mindlessly eating a sandwich . I spent years of my life resisting what my own palette was telling me.... "Stop the madness! You'll die old and alone if you alienate yourself from the perfection of a well balanced brew!!" OK, that's a little extreme but you get the drift.
I'm gonna steer away from the standard third-wave fist-a-cuffs and let you, the drinker, know a little secret. If you like it...... drink it. Yup, it's that simple. Every pocket of civilization has it's miriade of coffee options to chose from.... the light, bright and fruity, the deep chocolate and cherry, the burnt (not recommended), or the crispness of an icy cold brew. These are all on the menu, every day, in every town. The problem is, you don't know what you like until you taste it. You don't taste it because you're following what you've read, what you've heard, what you've been told. You see the issue!?
Take our India Monsoon Malabar that we are serving as our limited specialty espresso right now. Deep and sweet, with a thick and syrupy mouthfeel. This guy breaks all the rules on standard espresso extraction. EVERY rule. I never would have known how good this espresso can be if I didn't accidentally extract it incorrectly. I screwed it up, but I tasted it. My brain, trained to follow all the proper nerdy rules, told me to toss it. But.... I tasted it. I smiled. I loved it. I busted out one of those awkward old-man dances. Then I made it for the staff. They told me I was insane. They resisted. They loved it. They danced better than I did.
You see, coffee isn't a rule, it's an experience. It's the environment you're in. It's the person you're with. It's the laughter, the gossip, the proposals, the break-ups. Do your very best every day to trust that voice deep down that says, "I love you.... seduce me with what makes you happy." Live life by your own rules and drink the coffee that makes you smile. Just make sure it's made responsibly, and crafted with passion.
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