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It must be summer and that means another PNWG home roaster get-together! |
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First off was a tour of Stumptown’s roasting facility and training room, where we did a little 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.... of some very fine coffees. Joel (setting up cups to the right) was our host. He is one of the 2 roasters at the Stumptown. We had the chance to evaluate about 8 coffees that were dramatically diffferent. I was impressed with everything on the table, but it was one of the milder coffees, NicaraguaNicaraguan coffees from the Segovia, Jinotega, Ocotal and Matagalpa regions are nice balanced cups. They often possess interesting cup character along with body and balance, outperforming many other... Miraflor, that was the sleeper; sweet, milk chocolateA general flavor or aroma term reminiscent of chocolate. But what type? Usually described with more specifics.: Chocolate is a broad, general flavor or aroma term reminiscent of..., amazing balanceSuggests a harmony and proportion of qualities, and implies mildness since no one quality dominates.: Balance is both an obvious and slippery taste term. It implies a harmony... … just damn fine drinkin’ coffee. We had a tour of their nice 60 kilo Probat, then headed over to their original store to check out the other machines they use (pictured below). There is an old 1919 7 kilo Probat that several home roasters plan to break in and steal. The other is a really slick vintage (’59 I think) 15 Kilo machine. All of them are in great shape, and just shows how much care the Stumptown puts into everything, behind the scenes and, um, in front of the scenes. Etc. |
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| Then it was time to hop in the cars and head out to Vancouver, Washington that is… and Mike McKoffee’s house. | |
 Here is our PNWG3 group photo … although I noticed that more than a couple folks ducked out – what’s with that? |
 Popper talk. Ominous Black Boxes. Hi tech meets Lo tech. Les looks unimpressed. |
 The 3 muskateers and a total poser (me). Take 2. |
 Ah, the now-famous 42 bean blend by Alchemist John. Actually not bad, surprisingly good aftertasteAftertaste refers to lingering residual sensations in the mouth after coffee has swallowed. It might be distinguished from "finish" which is the final sensations of the coffee while.... |
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PNWG 3 informal roundtable. At this point, I am not sure how anybody could even form a sentence. I mean, at this point there were so many espressos (espressi?) pumped out of the 4 machines set up at Mike’s that I am not sure how anyone could hold back the caffeineAn alkaloidal compound that has a physiological effect on humans, and a bittering taste. It is found throughout the coffee plant but is more concentrated in the seed... jitters. As for me, I tasted the lovely KenyaKenya is the East African powerhouse of the coffee world. Both in the cup, and the way they run their trade, everything is topnotch.: Kenya is the East... Kora PB and didn’t get the flavors in the cup right. That’s when you know you had one 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... too many. Now, the light roast UgandaWhile Arabica was introduced at the beginning of the 1900's, Robusta coffee is indigenous to the country, and has been a part of Ugandan life for centuries. The... espresso, that was a big no-no. But it was made up for by Les’ amazing Full City + 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... Don Pachi “Geisha” espresso, pulled on his Exobar, triple basket, sans the crotch. Amazing, delicious.
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Ah Portland, that happy city to the north. A few of my favorite sites. Above, new meaning to the notion of being “big-headed. Right, proof that you can make anything sound good. and below, well, that’s just AWESOME! |
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Sweet Maria’s Coffee Library
Coffee Travel Pictorials, New Product Reviews, Roasting Pictorials, and more |
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