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Why Modern Espresso Is So Ugly

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  • #16
    Originally posted by luca View Post
    I really hate it how the guys doing a bad job bugger it up for the guys who put in 10x the effort and do a great job, since people go to a fancy cafe, get a coffee that tastes terrible and then think and post everywhere that it's a general principle applying to all fancy cafes that the emperor has no clothes. It must be really dispiriting for the good guys.
    A fact of life Luca, there are good and bad in all fields of endeavour, good bakers and bad, good dentists, good mechanics, good bartenders and of course good barista's, the list is endless.

    Daily life is full of choices and decisions, the bad make us appreciate the good even more, imagine if everyone excelled in their chosen field, the whingers would have nothing left to complain about.

    PS The interesting thing is the best operators in most fields seem to shine regardless of the modesty of the tools available to them.

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    • #17
      I have seen a lot change in 15 years but with coffee there is no rule to say you need to change with the times.

      I watched that video a few days back and was interested when it was posted here.

      I think today there is a more clinical perfectionist approach with zero retention, no clumping and exact weights being highly regarded.

      The roast end points are also on the lighter side. I have gone that way myself but only a bit. I used to take it into second crack and now I don't. I know I have over done it if there is oil on the surface of the beans.

      I have a Robur which suits the practice of doing everything volumetrically, that is fill to the top, distribute skim with finger and tamp. It works as the consistency is 100% which is what I am after and what I got the Robur for.

      The Robur of course goes against the single shot as it isn't zero retention. It isn't for everybody but I have yet to notice retention causing me issues.

      The other thing now is special screens for the group head and custom baskets that are more exacting and give more extraction. I have gone this way but just now have gone back to the standard baskets. These things certainly can make a difference but it maybe is just a difference, neither good or bad really.

      I don't like roasts that are too light. I think the world has moved too much to lighter roasts, my two cents.

      I have to say too...bottomless portafilters? Really. It does seem to put the ANAL into analysis.

      Coffee taste and procedures and equipment, is quite subjective at times so there is plenty of room to keep your own opinions...

      I guess coffee is subject to fashions, fads and trends just like clothing is.
      Last edited by wattgn; 14 August 2019, 06:54 PM.

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      • #18
        Originally posted by wattgn View Post
        I have seen a lot change in 15 years but with coffee there is no rule to say you need to change with the times.

        I think today there is a more clinical perfectionist approach with zero retention, no clumping and exact weights being highly regarded.
        I agree pretty much with all of your post, however this in particular.

        Seems to be a much greater focus on machinery bells and whistles with far less appreciation/understanding of whats finishes up in the cup.

        For me its always has been and still is about the coffee.

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        • #19
          I am a fan of James Hoffman videos as I think he is a no nonsense coffee person who goes mostly on how things work and taste but also likes to think about the science behind what is going on.

          This video to me is about the evolution of coffee, the lightening of roasts due to specialty coffee roasting and about the influence of refractometers, the focus on yields and TDS. I think this is driven from specialty roasters in particular and then dropping into more cafes in terms of 2:1 recipes and better Barista technique. To me it's a bit like race technology coming into cars as higher end things become more mainstream. But there is a broader discussion around whether just going for highest yields results in better taste, some interesting experiments from Scott Rao (and others) with Aeropress filters top and bottom of espresso shots.

          As a relative newbie to coffee (say 10 years using manual machines) I think the obsession with single dosing and weighing in/out has improved my personal coffee. I can also see this trend as a couple of my favourite local cafes (Silipo and Papercup on the Gold Coast here) who weigh/dose when setting up their grinders and machines and use OCD distribution tools and PUQ presses to try to promote consistency in what they put in the cup.

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          • #20
            A later video discusses the effect of puck temperature on flow rate and he achieves this by microwaving the beans prior to grinding. An interesting discussion which is well worth a look.

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