Ignorance

 
 
 
 
  • Posted by avaserfi
  • Thu, 02/02/2012 - 09:28

For the longest time I remained ignorant of quality coffee found beyond the espresso world. This was my own doing, I had shunned it all because of so many bad experiences at the hands of others. Well, one day at work I asked a barista for my morning cortado. She told me that the espresso was not pulling very well this morning and suggested something else or said I could still have the cortado. I decided to listen to the pro and said make me whatever you feel like.

About five or six minutes later I had 10 ounces of black coffee in front of me. I was told that it was pour over from a Chemex. I was not excited about the cup after the description, but she is one of the better baristas I know so I threw caution into the wind and took a sip. WOW. I was completely blown away by the complexity in the cup. The nuance and flavors. Instantly, my view on the coffee world had exploded. I needed to learn more about other brew methods.

Of course, this meant I had to revisit all of my favorite coffee shops and change my ordering habits. Rather than getting an espresso or two, I started ordering pour overs, drip, cold brew and more. The whole experience made me more able to enjoy coffee as a whole and even espresso, my original coffee love, more!

Now I am in the process of saving for a Chemex, kettle and Coava Kone so I can try to recreate my original experience at home. At the same time, I have been experimenting with cold brew at home and brewing with an Aeropress. Who knows what will come next. Of course, I'm always open to suggestions! Maybe experimenting with roasting is next.

REVIEWS & COMMENTS

  • YUM

    Wakeknot | Thu, 02/09/2012 - 21:22

    it is amazing how many great ways there are to drink coffee - every time i think I have it figured out a new one pops up.

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  • I STARTED OUT WITH DRIP

    hoonchul | Sat, 02/04/2012 - 00:52

    I started out with drip machine, moved on to press, now I'm enjoying my espresso machine. I'm sure I'll get into pour overs eventually but I'm enjoying espresso so far!

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  • ESPRESSO IS NOT THE ULTIMATE!

    Son Ton | Fri, 02/03/2012 - 01:48

    Yeah, I agree with you. Espresso is not the ultimate; it is just another method of brewing. What most important is still the beans, if it is good, then however you brew it (correctly of course) it will still be amazing!

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  • WHILE I LIKE A NICE SHOT OF

    GmanJenks | Thu, 02/02/2012 - 21:30

    While I like a nice shot of espresso I will always love brewed coffee more. There could be many reasons but to me the social act of having a coffee is enhanced and elongated with a cup of brew instead of a shot. I would recommend looking at a siphon brewer, super easy to use but a little bit like a science experiment, fun to watch and more forgiving that pour over.

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  • @INTREPID510

    avaserfi | Thu, 02/02/2012 - 14:24

    So true! That's why I am enjoying my discovery of all these new brew methods even if they aren't too sexy.

  • ESPRESSO IS ADDICTIVE

    intrepid510 | Thu, 02/02/2012 - 13:53

    Espresso is addictive because it's just sexy. However, truth be told there are a lot of coffees out there that just do better in a pour over. And can I recommened the Bonavita Electric kettle, very nice and super easy to use.

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  • BRANCHING OUT

    jbviau | Thu, 02/02/2012 - 11:31

    Discoveries like the one you described are exciting. It's hard for me to get bored with coffee when there's so much experimenting and tasting yet to do!

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