Take action against the following bad habits and you'll see immediate improvement:

1. Using a blade grinder

Blade grinders don't really grind the beans as much as they smack the beans really hard and shatter them into smaller and smaller pieces. The problem is the only control you have over grind size is the amount of time you grind the beans and it's easy to over-grind some of the beans (those that pile above the blades) and under-grind others (those that settle below the blades). 

Burr grinders, on the other hand, crush the beans and only let bean particles of a certain size and smaller  pass beyond the burrs. This produces a more consistent grind size. 

2. Using beans roasted who-knows-when

As a roaster, this one is near-and-dear to my heart. Freshly roasted coffee is the holy grail of great brewed coffee but most coffee at the grocery isn't labeled with a roast date. 

Therefore only buy coffee with a known roast date so you can ensure you're getting the best flavor out of those beans. 

3. Under or over-dosing your coffee

How many scoops of coffee do you add to that pot of coffee?  Is it always the same?  Volume is a bad way to measure your unground beans because different coffee types have different bean sizes and densities.  You'll get fewer coffee beans in a tablespoon if the beans are larger in size and this will result in an under-dosed coffee. 

A set of digital scales fixes this problem. Weigh both the bean and the water and shoot for a water-to-coffee ratio in the window of 16 - 20:1.  Test and tune the ratio. If you want it stronger, use less water for the same amount of coffee and do this for each new coffee type -- some coffees are better with a higher water content. 

It's easy to fall into a routine with your coffee ritual, especially considering you're making the coffee in an under-caffeinated state. But if you eliminate these three bad habits, you'll be well on your way towards delicious coffee every day!

One of the underlying themes of this retreat was how time and temperature affect roast development so we had several exercises that explored that relationship.

I took five classes that count towards a level 1 certification with the guild (six classes to go).  And while all the classes were great, the one event I found most fascinating was the follow-up to the SCAA Symposium by Kim Elena Ionescu.  She did a study titled "Mo’ Money, Mo’ Quality, and Other Myths About Micro Lots," where she and a colleague went to coffee farms in Central America and surveyed farmers about micro-lots and how the premiums paid for micro-lots affected the farmer's livelihood.

For a quick primer; a micro-lot is a specific selection of a farmer's coffee lot that represents the very best coffee from that larger lot — basically it's the cream pulled off the top.  Part of the problem, however, is that by removing the best of the beans, you reduce the overall value of the larger lot, so any premium paid for a micro-lot has to not only offset the loss of quality to the larger lot, it also has to reward the farmer well enough that he can (hopefully) use that money to improve his production output in future years.

The question that remains unanswered is if the premium paid for micro-lots does just that.  Some farmers surveyed responded resoundingly 'no' and others, including one who is a member of the SCAA Executive Committee and who was present, responded 'yes, micro-lots are viable and indeed valuable.'  

Another great aspect of the retreat was the hands-on experience we had on a wide range of roasters.  There were over a dozen different roasters in the main roasting tent (seen pictured above) and each roaster was built with a different roasting philosophy in mind.  Having access to those machines and learning to run them was an invaluable experience.

Lastly, the opportunity to meet so many people in the industry and talk to them about what works and what doesn't and what affects their customers, etc, was also invaluable.  I'm continually impressed with how friendly and open the specialty coffee industry is!

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For the last several weeks we've been really enjoying our booth at the West End Farmer's Market and the main reason we love it is because it gets us in direct contact with you folks, where you can ask us questions and we can talk coffee all day.  

The most consistent theme of questions is about the gear we use to brew our coffee.   I prefer a clean cup of coffee so my choices in green coffee, my roasting techniques, and my brewing gear all reflect that.  My daily brewer and the workhorse at the farmer's market is the Chemex.  The main advantage to the Chemex is the dense, thick filter, which traps almost all of the bitter sediment before it reaches your cup.  I talk more about various pour-over filters in our blog post titled Brewing Methods And Coffee Filters.  

You can get the Chemex at Amazon for around $45.  At home, we have the handblown version, which is sturdier and a bit more pricey but well worth it in my opinion.

We also weigh everything to ensure we get a consistent cup of coffee (read more about weighing your brew in our blog post Brew By Weight).  These are very inexpensive but accurate scales that tuck away nicely in a drawer when not in use.  

Often we'll also brew with a Hario V60 into a Hario Range Server or directly into a mug or cup.  The Hario filters are slightly less dense than the Chemex filters so they add a bit of body to the cup, but not much.  

For heating water at the market, we use Bonavita electric kettles and at the market I prefer the variable temp model because it has a "hold" feature that will hold the designated temp for up to an hour.  If you just want to heat some water to immediately brew coffee or tea, you can get the standard model for much cheaper and the standard model is great for office use.  

Great coffee is more than just getting freshly roasted beans — it's also brewing the right way at home.  It doesn't cost a lot to get the right gear and get into the habits needed to brew a consistently delicious cup of coffee and at the end of the day, that's what we all want!

Gear up and brew on!

The farmer's market is also a great opportunity to show off the brewing methods we like the best and that show off the unique flavor and aromas of our coffees.  By far our favorite brew method is the Chemex because of the clean cup it produces.  But we also love the Hario V60 pour-over method and we are often asked why we prefer these methods and the short answer is because of the filters, which you can read more about in this blog post: Brewing Methods and Coffee Filters.  Both the Chemex and the Hario V60 can also be used to make Japanese style iced coffee...which we quietly tested yesterday as well and we're happy to announce the addition of iced coffees to our menu moving forward!

If you're in the Alexandria area on Sunday, stop by and say "hi!"  We'd love to talk coffee with you!

The technical answer as quoted from the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) is:

To be considered specialty grade, green coffee shall have zero category one (1) defects and five or less category two (2) defects.

Their green coffee standards are well documented.

The philosophical answer is that specialty coffee is the responsibility of everyone involved in the "chain of custody" of a coffee and that includes the consumer.  Specialty coffee is about quality, which involves traceability to the source, the means of processing the coffee, the cultivar or varietal that produced the coffee, the importer who carefully transports the coffee to it's destination country and stores it appropriately.  It involves the distributer who works with roasters who in turn select and roast the coffee always with quality in mind.  And finally, it involves a conscientious, informed consumer who chooses specialty coffee to support the entire chain and to preserve the concept that quality should be sought and encouraged.  And for the consumer it goes beyond just purchasing specialty coffee — it includes properly brewing the coffee using the right gear and the right processes to achieve a truly delicious and unique cup of coffee. 

Here at Oil Slick, we're dedicated to helping inform and educate the consumer on what it means to be a part of that chain of custody.  It would be easy to simply provide specialty coffee for purchase but our passion is fueled by the opportunity to share with others what we learn about coffee so that others can enjoy coffee as much as we do.  

The extra information includes the country of origin, the region within the country, the producer (or farm), the elevation of the farm, the processing technique used and finally the specific tasting notes associated with the coffee.  Read on for a break-down of each section.

Producer:  Finca El Molino
Country: El Salvador 
Region:  Santa Ana 
Varietal/Cultivar:  Bourbon 
Process:  Washed Process
Elevation:  1300 - 1500 meters 
Tasting Notes:  Floral, citrus with a caramel finish

Producer

Different farmers use different techniques for processing their coffees. Some may have more resources to devote to their coffee trees, which allows them to experiment with micro lots, different cultivars (cultivated or hybrid plant varieties), different processing techniques, etc. As farmers become known for great coffee, they get better prices for it and can then turn additional resources towards more improvement.  Maybe someday  we'll see celebrity farmers like we see celebrity chefs!

Country

Each coffee-producing country has a unique climate and soil composition that affects the flavor of the coffee. The entire system; the climate, the soil, etc is collectively called the terroir and the terroir is one of the key defining characteristics of a coffee.  For example, coffees from east Africa are known for the unique fruity and floral notes they display, while coffees from Sumatra are known for their earthiness. 

Region

Within countries, different regions have unique environments as well. There may be drastic differences in the amount of rain and sun farms get on either side of a mountain. There can also be drastic elevation differences -- and we'll talk more about elevation in a moment.  Different regions may even have different processing techniques that can alter the taste of a coffee. 

Varietal/Cultivar

There are three commercially viable species of coffee plant; coffea Arabica, Canephora (robusta), and Liberica.  Arabica represents 60 - 80% of the world's production and is the highest quality of the three.  Arabica is further broken down into thousands of varietals (natural variants) and cultivars (cultivated or man-made variants) such as Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, etc.  As you explore various varietals and cultivars you'll find that some are better than others.       

Process

There are several ways to process ripe coffee cherries and these processes have different effects on the quality, flavor, and aroma of the final coffee.  The two most important factors in bean quality, flavor and aroma are beautiful red, ripe cherries and proper drying.  If either of these factors is sub-par, the coffee will suffer. 

The two main processing types have the following characteristics:

Wet process:  clean, clarity, acidity. 

Dry process:  sweetness, body, fruitiness.  But with unique risks; fermentation, rot and mold. 

It's important to know that beyond seed development, you can't add sweetness, only accentuate it.

Elevation

Coffee trees love hot days, cool nights, and high elevations. Trees soak up energy all day in order to grow in the cool night.  With the higher elevations you get less oxygen, forcing the plants to grow slower and use water and starch to create a more densely-packed coffee bean. This helps attribute to a higher quality coffee.

Tasting Notes

This section is relatively self-explanatory. I provide a few of the key aromas and flavors that define a specific coffee. You may not pick up on all of them and you may experience some that I didn't. That is one o the great things about coffee; it's such a complex food (more complex than wine even!) that two people can have remarkably different experiences with the same coffee.

I hope all of this information will be useful to you and will enrich your coffee experience!

This month my Brewing System arrived and I must say, Able understands packaging like Apple does — the packaging is always clean and elegant.  

But packaging isn't all Able does well.  The Brewing System is also clean and elegant-looking in white ceramic.  This is something that will look nice at a the table when you are entertaining guests.  

'How well does it brew?' you might ask.  The Kone is tried and true.  We have one we use in our Chemex and it imparts a fuller body on the coffee than the paper filters and it does the same in the Able Brewing System.  

I have two gripes though and both are with the spout.  First; the spout drips after the pour and the drip runs down the front of the caraffe.  Second, the spout is a rather large hole that allows heat to escape, which means the coffee cools quickly.  Neither of these problems is a show-stopper for me but would certainly be nice not to deal with and I understand that I received an early iteration of the product.  Afterall, it was a Kickstarter project.

At the end of the day, the Able Brewing System has a place at our table and I'm very happy to have supported the project and help Able and their latest endeavor.  

You can see more pictures on our Flickr page.  

 Update:  After mentioning this review on Twitter, I heard back from Able and they explained that the wider pour spout is needed for better pour control and the dribble is a matter of ceramic surface tension, which can be fixed.  They are going to post a link to the DIY fix, which I'll link here as well.  

Coffee body is one of the key elements to how much you enjoy the coffee and the primary way you can control body is through the filter.  

But what is "body" in a coffee?  Body refers to the mouth-feel of the coffee.  A coffee with more body has more soluble lipids in the cup.  These lipids are responsible for the aroma and flavor of the coffee and since coffee is intrinsicly bitter, more lipids equal more bitterness.  Coffee filters can trap these lipids and prevent them from entering the final, brewed coffee.  The more lipids you trap, the cleaner, "juicier," and sweeter the final coffee will be.  

A French press has a very coarse, metal filter that primarly traps the ground coffee and allows a majority of the lipds to pass into the cup of coffee.  This produces a very heavy-bodied coffee, often with a very distinct oil slick floating on top.  That oil slick is caused by the oily lipds floating on the water.  Brewing Tip: always decant your coffee from the press around four minutes after adding the hot water to the grounds.  Otherwise your coffee continues to steep and will become overextracted, bitter, and unenjoyable.  

On the opposite end of the filter spectrum is the Chemex paper filter, which is a very dense, thick paper filter.  The Chemex filter traps a lot of the lipids and the resultant cup of coffee has a very light body that is clean and juicy.  Some say (and I would agree) that the Chemex is a great way to bring out the unique varietal flavors of a coffee by reducing the bitterness of the lipids that can sometimes distract from the more subtle and sweet flavors present in a coffee.

Experiment with different brew methods and filters!  You'll find that different coffees are better when brewed in specific ways and it all boils down to what you like in a cup of coffee.  

The three phases are the drying phase, the maillard (pronounced mayard) phase, and finally the roast development phase.  Different roasters will have different names for them and not everyone follows the same theories, so if you talk to someone and they tell you the drying phase is something else (or doesn't exist), that doesn't mean they're wrong.  

The Drying Phase

The drying phase begins immediately when you drop the beans in a hot roaster.  Free water (water not chemically bound) starts to evaporate as the beans absorb heat and start to equalize in temperature with the roaster environment.  Water is needed for chemical reactions later in the roast, so its important not to spend too much time in this phase.  

The Maillard Phase

The maillard reaction begins around 300°F and is the combination of sugars and proteins into maillard compounds.  The maillard reaction is what turns bread brown when baked, or browns meat when you cook it.  Maillard compunds taste woody, nutty and earthy and the sugars used to produce these compounds are ultimately subtracted from the sweetness of the coffee.  Therefore,  just as in the drying phase, we don't want to linger too long here.

The Roast Development Phase 

During this final phase, which starts with a bang (literally, with first crack), sugars are carmelized and acids are reduced.  Chlorogenic acids, which have a very bitter taste – think of a mouth full of chlorinated pool water – are reduced during this phase.  For lighter roasts, these acids are part of what gives the coffee its acidic flavors; flavors like green apple, orange or lemon.  During this phase, the key word is balance.  We want to reduce those acids but not over-carmelize the sugars, because carmelized sugar is not necessarily sweet.  It has a carbony, smokey note that detracts from the sweetnes.  

You'll notice I focus a lot on sweetness.  Coffee is intrinsically bitter so I like to compliment that bitterness with sweetness as much as possible and doing that makes a great cup of coffee!

With a blade grinder, the blades whirl around and smack the beans and shatter them.  To control the grind size, you simply grind longer to get a finer grind.  But different coffee beans are different sizes.  For example, Maragogipe beans, also known as elephant beans, are huge and would reguire longer grinding times to reach the desired size.  

Another issue is the whirling blades can actually heat up the ground coffee and start chemical reactions that affect flavor in an unpredicatable way.

There are numerous burr grinders out there with several options.  We use a Baratza Vario-W that allows us to pre-determine the weight of the ground coffee we want and to very accurately determine the grind size.  But you can also get an inexpensive Cuisenart that will do just fine.  

So remember; keep the blade grinder for your spices and use a burr grinder for your coffee.  You'll get a more accurate and consistent grind size, which in turn will result in a more consistent, enjoyable cup of coffee!

There's also a very specific chemilcal reaction that occurs about 1/3rd of the way into the roasting process and that reaction is called the Maillard reaction (pronounced "Mayard").  During the Maillard reaction, sugars, amino acids, and water are converted into other compounds and are therefore not available later in the roast.  Because I want a sweeter coffee at the end of the roast, I want to leave just the right amount of sugar and water for later roast phases.  Therefore I normally scoot through the Maillard reaction as quickly as I can.  

The final phase of the roast, called the roast development phase, carmelizes sugars and if you've ever tasted carmelized sugar — like what's on the top of a creme brulee — you'll know it is bitter-sweet and carbony.  That same flavor and aroma is developed in the final phase of the roast and for that reason, I don't want to spend too much time in the roast development phase either.

There's nothing wrong with darker roasts.  In fact espresso beans are normally a darker roast but for a sweet and complex cup of brewed coffee, nothing compares to a good, light roast.  

As the cherries dry, they darken in color and harden.  Once they've reach an appropriate dryness — a maximum of 12% — they are sent to a mill where they are hulled, sorted, graded and bagged for shipment.  

Coffees that have been processed naturally are often sweeter and have more body and a more complex flavor and aroma profile.  This is most likely a cause of the fermentation process.  

Believe it or not, the processing method (dry, wet, or pulped, etc) is one of the single most important factors in a coffee's flavor, second only to picking appropriately-ripe cherries.  There are still debates about which process is best and countries like Brazil are moving aggressively to modernize and automate as much as possible.  What effects that modernization has on the flavor and quality of the coffee remains to be seen, but my concern is it will go the same route as other industrialized crops such as corn in the U.S.   

Weigh your coffee before you grind it for better accuracy and weigh it again after you've added it to the pot to make sure you're not leaving any grounds behind in the grinder.  

With the Chemex, you should start by pouring about 100g of water first and let the coffee "bloom."  This is where the coffee lets off a lot of CO2 and makes shiny, oil-covered bubbles.  As the bloom is settling I use a chopstick to stir the coffee around to make sure it all gets wet and there are no dry pockets of coffee.

I then add the rest of the water in two or three more pours, pouring in a circular motion so that the turbulence from the pour agitates the grounds in the filter to prevent water channels from forming through the coffee mound.

I also like to keep the fire under the kettle between pours so that the water stays at a good temp — about 210°, just shy of the boiling point.  This will keep your coffee mound in your filter at the optimal brewing temp of between 195° and 202°.

Regardless of your brewing apparatus, the following rules will always apply:

1. Use clean, filtered water
2. Brew with water just off boil (~205°F)
3. Use only fresh roasted coffee (you're at the right place for that!)
4. Grind the coffee just before brewing
5. If using paper filters, use bleached paper filters for less paper taste
6. Experiment with your coffee-to-water ratio, which should fall in the range of 9 – 11 grams of coffee per 6 fluid ounces of water