Espresso Shot Pulled from Sweet Maria's Moka Kadir Blend
So close to the end of our blend experiment. We have one more after I tell you all about Sweet Maria’s Moka Kadir Blend. I also figured it was about time I showed an updated pull from the La Pavoni. One of the best things about this coffee journal is I get to look back and see my improvements, as well as where I am lacking. Change is always the key.
I have been working fairly hard at perfecting milk steaming/frothing. It has been probably the most difficult thing I’ve gotten into since obsessing over coffee. Espresso was hard, but not nearly as frustrating as creating beautiful and tasty milk to go with my ever evolving coffee.
Sweet Maria's Espresso Workshop #11: Tono Alto, Full City Roast
Most of the blends I have tried tend to sit on the darker roast side, Sweet Maria’s Espresso Workshop #11: Tono Alto is meant for light roast, and by that I mean keep it to a City+ if you can take it. I pushed it too far into Full CIty, but I still got an interesting experience out of it.
This isn’t your typical shot dropped in a glass of orange juice. This time around it’s an espresso shot. Over on the HB forums there’s a thread going on for people to share their favorite iced coffee drinks to help beat the summer heat. SiD- has mention his favorite and I couldn’t resist.
La Pavoni Europiccola Naked Extraction
I’m constantly striving to make better espresso. I scourer the internet reading up on techniques, machines, coffee varieties, grinders, and all sorts of other gear. It’s shots like this that make me feel a little less like a “n00b” and a little more like a novice on the verge of a becoming true espresso geek. A few months ago my first step into truly obtaining espresso geek bliss was to chop my La Pavoni’s portafilter in order to diagnose my possible weaknesses in pulling shots. The beginning was a little rocky. Now I feel like I might just know what I’ve been talking about since getting into espresso and all the choices I’ve made.
Two Toddies Brewing in a French Press
It’s been freakin’ hot lately here in Southern California. And when it’s hot, the last thing you want to think about is brewing coffee. Fortunately there are some things you can do to keep your coffee habit and chill out at the same time.
Sweet Maria's Puro Scuro Blend, Light French Roast
Sweet Maria’s Puro Scuro is absolutely meant for dark roasts. I tried to play it a bit safe with this blend and start with a Full City+. I was not enjoying the flavors I pulled at this level. Kind of like drinking earthy V8 with coffee. Not terrible, but not exactly enjoyable. So, I decided to be a bit bold and head into the roasting realm I rarely like, French.
Something like a Latte
This is currently my finest state of milk frothing. To the untrained eye it looks rather good. But in reality it truly is a disaster. Steaming and frothing milk is all about bringing out the milk’s natural sweetness and creating lovely microfoam. If you really wanna get into the nitty gritty behind milk frothing, CoffeeGeek.com has a great (and intense) Milk Frothing Guide.
As it stands right now, I really am no good at steaming and frothing milk. But, I’m willing to learn.
As I dive through more blends I am starting to realize that I might not enjoy complex coffee as much as I thought. I am finding I really miss the nice clean flavors single origin espresso offers. While there are blends I like, the majority of the time I am still feeling like my cup is muddy with flavor. But don’t let my reaction to blends keep you clear of ‘em. It very well could be I am not an experienced enough roaster to get these right. So, lets talk about Sweet Maria’s Espresso Monkey Blend.