An Introduction

Coffee has an unique problem.

Unlike wine, spirits, cheese or even bread; coffee consumers are asked to undertake a large role in the production of the product they enjoy. They must tackle a fickle and unforgiving brewing process in order to actually consume a drink. This is daunting, it requires skill and education to perform correctly.

I believe by developing a system for understanding coffee and developing metrics by which we can judge the success of a brew; coffee consumers can become more involved and ultimately, drink better coffee for themselves.

In this blog I’ll try and provide the detailed thinking by which I roast and brew coffee. Hopefully enabling any reader to make coffee of the highest calibre themselves.

I’ll aim to challenge many of the assumptions people make about coffee and layout a framework by which we can judge our own preferences and build a understanding for ourselves going forward.

N.B. For the most part of this writing, I’ll address paid baristas as end consumers for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I work at a roastery and baristas are my direct customers. Secondly, training for baristas is often poorly executed, lacks depth and, more often than not, favours rote practicality over true comprehension.