The Home Roast Mail List Pacific Northwest Gathering (PNWG) Number 2 @ Alchemist John’s, 2004
When I found out the PNWG gathering was going to be in Oakland I was excited. I regretted missing the first one at Mike McGuiness’ in Vancouver, WA and now it was nearby and I could make it. But why would the groupe from up North come here for their get-together. Oh, Oakland, Oregon … I didn’t know there was one! Even my sister from Portland didn’t know it. Maria and I jumped in the car, with the dogs, a drove up to the PNWG Gathering Number 2 in Oakland and after a missed attempt (we left the directions at home) we DID fins it. It was a fun-filled weekend of roasting, espressoA small coffee beverage, about 20 ml, prepared on an espresso machine where pressurized hot water extracted through compressed coffee.: In its most stripped-down, basic form, this is... ...more, home roasting talk, espresso, great food, espresso and then some more espresso. How many came – I think it was 25, or 30, plus a few dogs. I was learning to use my new Olympus camera and the results are some really mediocre pics, but hey …
 I can’t explain my angle here, but I can tell you that is an Expobar and Jeff Wikstrom in the background looks very worried about something. |
I was impressed with the Expobar – nice heavy build. It’s a bit primitive but so is the Miss Silvia. Jeffrey Pawlin looks on… |
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Mike McKoffee’s Portable Power Conditioner- I can’t remember all this does. It’s like a Variac, a Timer, and an Electric Chair all in one… |
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All I can says is “Wow!” |
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Is Mike obsessed? Does the icon on his espresso machine answer that? |
A Hearthware Precision with 2 types of cocoa beans. |
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John roasts cocoa – check out his web site www.chocolatealchemy.com |
John breaks a cocoa nib for tasting and John Kangas looks on… |
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We cupped the PanamaPanama coffee ranges from medium quality lower altitude farms to those at 1600 - 1800 meters centered in the area of Boquete in the Chirqui district near the... ...more Auction Lot coffees but it didn’t go to well. I thought it might be low water temperature but in fact I think it was too many espressos for me, and for a few, too many espresso AND too many beers…. Here’s me and John setting up the coffees for the cuppingCupping is a method of tasting coffee by steeping grounds in separate cups for discrete amounts of ground coffee, to reveal good flavors and defects to their fullest.... ...more |
Ditto |
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Oh lordy … I don’t know what’s going on here. I think I was sniffing the dry fragranceIn the cupping procedure for tasting and scoring coffee, this is the smell of the dry, ground coffee before hot water is added. The term fragrance is used... ...more. Maria took the picture. |
John’s farm is beautiful! I woke up early Sunday and walked all over with the dogs. It was so quiet and there was that neat early morning fog hovering over the low areas – just great. Oakland Oregon was a nice break from Oakland California. |
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Look at those wisps of early morning fog … |
John’s goats. Maria and I stayed outside, slept in a tent with the dogs. It was great, a 1 day camping vacation for us. The goats started up pretty early though – seems there was a piece of corrugated metal in their barn and they liked to step on it a lot, making a very loud sound. |
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The dogs had fun too . Here is Francy – he thinks I have a treat or something – he has that crazed begging look. |
… and here is the other one – Judy. They are both 100% pure Oakland Pound Mutts! Oakland California that is. |
| Back to coffee…..
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The Cimbali grinder went this commercial 1 group machine, both bought off eBay. It’s a great machine – but I think it was running a bit too high because the BrazilBrazil is a coffee giant . As Frank Sinatra sang, "they grow an awful lot of coffee in Brazil".: Brazil is a coffee giant . As Frank Sinatra... ...more shots I pulled had an overextracted character. |
| Thanks so much to Alchemist John and Penelope for being the hosts, and to all who came. Can’t wait to do it again! | |
-Tom
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