Eh... maybe I lied

My blog is neglected, a revival is coming...

Taste Appreciation

Here I sit, waiting for my shift to begin at Sunergos, enjoying a delicious cup of Bancha. We usually serve only Sencha when it comes to straight green teas, and I must say I am happy about the switch. I can't help but wonder whether I would actually be enjoying the taste of this stuff if it weren't for my recent warding off of sweets for lent. Tea is so intricate, I assume that it is really difficult for me to really get all that it has to offer while filling my palette with excessive amounts of sugar throughout the day.

I imagined that giving up sweets would be this super difficult breaking of a habit that I wanted to continue, and believe me sometimes it has felt just like that. But mostly I feel that I am beginning to appreciate alot of flavors in everything that I eat or drink that were masked previously. I do look forward to eating a delicious bowl of ice cream or having a few samoas (as long as they are still around after lent) but I think these things will be even more enjoyable.

When I got back from Chicago I told Chris that I never wanted to put caramel, or anything else that's incredibly sweet, in my coffee again. What stemmed from that was a much longer conversation than I expected to have. It was really beneficial, I think I finally understand why I felt like that after getting back. Going to Chicago introduced me to a coffee world where the norm was not to put additives into the cup to conform it to your current tastes, but to conform your tastes to enjoy everything it had to offer. I had become so accustomed to mocha shakes, caramel lattes, and white mochas that I missed that idea entirely. Now I will admit that my opinion was pretty harsh when I got back, but I still generally feel the same way. I do still enjoy caramel lattes and other sugary drinks occasionally, but my mind puts them in different categories than an artisan roasted cup of Ethiopian Sidamo or Guatemala.

An Offensive for the Naked Portafilter

Crotchless, naked, bottomless... these words are beauty to my ears. Portafilters are an important part of the espresso making process, beautiful chrome plated brass windows into paradise. They only open for short moments of time, but what an incredible 25 seconds. Few things are more incredible in my daily life than the rust colored, marble textured espresso that flows from the Rio in our kitchen.

Suffice it to say, I am truly enjoying my experience thus far with my newly purchased naked portafilter. What is most interesting is not the gleam and glamour of watching the shots pour, but the vast increase in the actual quality of the shots that I am getting. When I decided to go naked, I only thought about how awesome it would be to take pictures and stand open mouthed as I marveled at a triple ristretto. In reality it is so much easier to check on the exact point of blonding of the shots, resulting in an incredible cup. There is also something unexplainable about the improvement in quality, I hypothesize that the lack of spouts also means the lack of anywhere for crema/oils to except the cup. The Rwanda shots that we were pulling yesterday were so floral/sweet, it was an incredible experience.

My hope are that John Letoto and I will have an espresso tasting soon, Intelligentsia provides a solid bean but I have high expectations for him. So far he has surpassed my expectations as a Louisvillian home roaster by far.