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Espresso Enthusiasts
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Ah, I had noticed it - in passing - but never paused long enough to pay it a visit. Admittedly, I did have some sense that it had been around for a while .but, (cue expression of stunned amazement) they have been around all this while and only managed 920 posts?
Hm. While, doubtless, they will make the 'quality over quantity' argument (both re number of posts, and re quality of bacon), I think we may be able to trump them on the grounds of sheer, absurd, but wonderfully deranged enthusiastic insanity .
Since apparently it is New Equipment Week....
A while back, before, I posted a bunch about my efforts to find a way to make good espresso at work, in a work-environment-friendly fashion, which includes non-coffee-friendly conditions such as not making a lot of noise, the need to transport water, generally not making a nuisance of myself (I will add only that, in my California office, I sit about 6 feet from our CEO, who is not a coffee drinker....), pig-headed corporate policies that actually ban, outright, personal coffee makers, the need to duplicate the kit across two offices, etc.
Anyway, I tried many options, and eventually defaulted back to a french press with a hand grinder. It works, it is easy, it tastes wonderful.
But.....I want espresso, at work, and recent events have caused me to be even more aggressive in "not settling" by missing out on what I really want.
So, as I have started very recently to show my face back in the offices, here and there, the need for an espresso option returned, and I have set my goal to be simply "tolerable espresso." I provide the fresh beans and the know-how, I just need a kit that won't get me thrown out of the office.
Keeping in mind my goal for simply "tolerable espresso," I purchased (at my own expense, not the company's) one of these......
This morning, for the first time ever in 22 years here.....I have barely tolerable espresso, and it is wonderful. Hyperion to a satyr, compared to the GS/3 or the Rocket, but enjoyable nonetheless (we will see how long that lasts......and perhaps my long-term unspoken goal is to slowly work up to something better....hey, this new Rocket will be a just a *bit* more noisy than the Jura......everything is ok, just stare into the pretty light....).
A while back, before, I posted a bunch about my efforts to find a way to make good espresso at work, in a work-environment-friendly fashion, which includes non-coffee-friendly conditions such as not making a lot of noise, the need to transport water, generally not making a nuisance of myself (I will add only that, in my California office, I sit about 6 feet from our CEO, who is not a coffee drinker....), pig-headed corporate policies that actually ban, outright, personal coffee makers, the need to duplicate the kit across two offices, etc.
Anyway, I tried many options, and eventually defaulted back to a french press with a hand grinder. It works, it is easy, it tastes wonderful.
But.....I want espresso, at work, and recent events have caused me to be even more aggressive in "not settling" by missing out on what I really want.
So, as I have started very recently to show my face back in the offices, here and there, the need for an espresso option returned, and I have set my goal to be simply "tolerable espresso." I provide the fresh beans and the know-how, I just need a kit that won't get me thrown out of the office.
Keeping in mind my goal for simply "tolerable espresso," I purchased (at my own expense, not the company's) one of these......
This morning, for the first time ever in 22 years here.....I have barely tolerable espresso, and it is wonderful. Hyperion to a satyr, compared to the GS/3 or the Rocket, but enjoyable nonetheless (we will see how long that lasts......and perhaps my long-term unspoken goal is to slowly work up to something better....hey, this new Rocket will be a just a *bit* more noisy than the Jura......everything is ok, just stare into the pretty light....).
That must be a pretty well engineered machine if it can be so completely automated and yet still elicit a 'tolerable' designation from you.
I'm glad you've managed an acceptable espresso at work! I fear I'm still stuck with the trusty press and manual grinder, but I'm not complaining (I've seen what everyone else is drinking
).
Yes, alas, in our work environments, unfortunately, sacrifices are sometimes (for which read, very often) the case, especially where coffee is concerned, as all too many seem to be of the erroneous opinion that SB offers the acme of a caffeine fuelled experience.
But we must soldier on, and seek to persuade (I was about to write 'convert') those who have yet to experience the pleasure of real, and what we would consider to be really good, coffee.
Great coffee, however, is another matter entirely; there, I fear, the wait may be long before the populace at large understands what may be at stake ..
But we must soldier on, and seek to persuade (I was about to write 'convert') those who have yet to experience the pleasure of real, and what we would consider to be really good, coffee.
Great coffee, however, is another matter entirely; there, I fear, the wait may be long before the populace at large understands what may be at stake ..
So it seems the goal to getting a nice GS/3 into the office, a few feet away from the CEO, is to condition them over time with lesser machines that "aren't so bad" and then work your way up to better and better machines, adding, along the way, that "this one is just a tiny bit more than the last one" and it'll be okay - you won't even notice the difference!" Before you and they know it, you've gotten a full espresso station built into the corner of the office and a staff of hand-picked, by Mr. Kurweanl, baristas attending it.
Very good strategy.
Ah, but the real challenge still lies ahead.
This is to then persuade the company to fund a nice GS/3 under the budget heading of 'Absolutely Imperative Capital Expenditure'. Somehow, I doubt that the budget heading which allows for odd expenditures and which reads 'Miscellaneous' would suffice under these challenging circumstances .
BTW, roasted Liquid Amber and roasted Ethiopiques are currently in stock at SM's (roasted Sept 2).
Okay, it's in my field, so I can't help but share: coffee got its buzz by a different route than tea.....parallel evolution of caffeine production.
And the original article: the coffee genome provides insight into the convergent evolution of caffeine biosynthesis.
And the original article: the coffee genome provides insight into the convergent evolution of caffeine biosynthesis.
That is generally the plan....I like the way you think!
In truth, the GS/3 is very quiet.....
As you well know, and as we all know and have proven time after time....when it comes to coffee, there is no budget. There is only coffee.
Okay, it's in my field, so I can't help but share: coffee got its buzz by a different route than tea.....parallel evolution of caffeine production.
And the original article: the coffee genome provides insight into the convergent evolution of caffeine biosynthesis.
Very interesting. I never knew that about the leaves. Maybe I should try grinding the leaves instead of the beans. Just a thought.
++++
Anyone want to join me for another 100+ shot weekend, as I continue to learn the idiosyncracies of the GS/3?
From bottom left:
Stumptown House Blend (for years, long ago, my go to coffee)
Stumptown Holler Mountain
Doubleshot Ambergris Espresso Blend
Blue Bottle House of Good
Sweet Marias Ethiopiques (in two bags, some roasted already, some not)
Sweet Marias Liquid Amber
Blue Bottle Decaf Noir
All fresh, within the past few days.
Can't wait....
PS: shout out to Shrink. Hope you are feeling better.
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Oh ho...someone is in for a fun weekend!
Before I start roasting my own espresso (which is coming imminently, I'm planning to mod my second popper this weekend), I went ahead and ordered a pound of roasted Liquid Amber and Ethiopiques from SM's.
So I just started pulling Liquid Amber shots as of this evening....Oh mama....
This is some serious espresso, and I'm only just starting. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I'm pulling shots here that are better than any large scale retail coffee house to which I've been. But that's probably more of a reflection on the utter destitution of Starbucks et alia rather than my own skills per se...
Okay, I might also mention that my consumption has increased conspicuously since this machine arrived at my apartment...
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This will be fun.
Never mind about the taste, I want to know why it didn't fall out onto the table.
KGB
Yes, I too, hope that Shrink is feeling somewhat better - this strikes me as having been a very nasty dose.
Now, we believe that there is only coffee and that expenditure comes a (very poor) second (and indeed, last consideration) in constructing this particular equation, but I suspect that we may have some difficulty persuading businesses focussed on the proverbial 'bottom line' that quality (as in superb quality acquired at considerable expense) trumps quality ..not when what passes for thought and philosophical insight in so much of the capitalist and commercial worlds has been marching steadily in the opposite direction for the best part of the last thirty years.
However, we shall chip away; I get the sense that some of us who dwell herein pride ourselves on the quality of our wood-cutting .
Now, I look forward to further commendably detailed tutorials on the inner workings of the GS/3 .
Oh ho...someone is in for a fun weekend!
Before I start roasting my own espresso (which is coming imminently, I'm planning to mod my second popper this weekend), I went ahead and ordered a pound of roasted Liquid Amber and Ethiopiques from SM's.
So I just started pulling Liquid Amber shots as of this evening....Oh mama....
This is some serious espresso, and I'm only just starting. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I'm pulling shots here that are better than any large scale retail coffee house to which I've been. But that's probably more of a reflection on the utter destitution of Starbucks et alia rather than my own skills per se...
Okay, I might also mention that my consumption has increased conspicuously since this machine arrived at my apartment...
I don't doubt that for one minute; call it an addendum to Shrink's Law ..
Oh ho...someone is in for a fun weekend!
Before I start roasting my own espresso (which is coming imminently, I'm planning to mod my second popper this weekend), I went ahead and ordered a pound of roasted Liquid Amber and Ethiopiques from SM's.
So I just started pulling Liquid Amber shots as of this evening....Oh mama....
This is some serious espresso, and I'm only just starting. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I'm pulling shots here that are better than any large scale retail coffee house to which I've been. But that's probably more of a reflection on the utter destitution of Starbucks et alia rather than my own skills per se...
Okay, I might also mention that my consumption has increased conspicuously since this machine arrived at my apartment...
View attachment 488959
You demonstrated about the same reaction to the LA that I did when I first started pulling those shots! It is shocking, the amount and size of the crema it makes. Good job!
I also edited your photo and fixed its sideways appearance in the post. We don't want it to spill out and make a mess here!
It is not arrogant at all. It is the truth.
Pulling great shots requires being excited about espresso and caring dearly about how the shot tastes. That's you.
Well, I will just say: the coffee at my company is about the worst tasting stuff in history. SB would be a step up.
Don't scroll down!
Ah, yes, the crema bomb that is Liquid Amber.
Let's see if this works....pulled this morning, just now. A La Marzocco shot of Liquid Amber, roasted on Thursday. The shot kind of runs away at the end, but still tasted pretty good.
http://vimeo.com/105426515
This is shaping up to be a wonderful day of watching and reading you practice all these shots and pulls and different beans and baskets on the ever awesome GS/3!
I may do some practice on my Gaggia, but I don't think it would handle the workload the GS/3 is capable of.
Where did you get the little measuring cups with the measurement markers on them?
Thanks for the edit. I don't know why MR always insists on rotating my pictures when I post directly from the phone.
Ugh why am I awake at this time on Sat.....
I suppose I'll pull a shot...
Here. I typically pull into a demitasse, but, for testing/evaluation shots, I use the Rattleware pitchers. Very handy.
I suppose I'll pull a shot...
Always a good answer.
++++
Not liking House of Good so far.....
Thanks for the edit. I don't know why MR always insists on rotating my pictures when I post directly from the phone.
Ugh why am I awake at this time on Sat.....
I suppose I'll pull a shot...
I may warm up my machine too here soon...
A couple of other tips for you. If you haven't already, remove and toss out the orange float in the drip tray. Its totally worthless and looks ugly anyway with all the stainless steel.
The drip tray, if you also haven't figured out, should be drained/cleaned after every shot or two as its quite small and fills up quickly. This is especially true when you make milk drinks and need to prime the wand and the brew group. Lot's of water comes out.
Thank you. Order placed.
You know, if we opened up a small distributor that bought at wholesale and sold only to this thread......we'd save a ton!
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Ugh why am I awake at this time on Sat.....
I suppose I'll pull a shot...
I think you answered your own question!
That is for sure. Now if we only knew someone with plenty of business savvy...
Ah, behold how the difference between the Old and New Worlds can be distilled down to (and expressed succinctly in) one post; you guys in the New World see business opportunities everywhere; here, in the Old World, we are happy to consume high quality stuff the thought of actually crafting an opportunity out of one of life's great pleasures sounds much too like hard work .
Now, let me put on my Bialetti and deal with this shock and awe to my system with some high quality coffee ..