New year resolution!!

 

 

 

 

• Posted by samuellaw178
• Sun, 01/01/2012 - 23:13

When it’s the end of the year, we often look back at what we’ve done in the past year and then set up new resolution(s) for the coming year. That could be related to academics, relationships, family, works, and of course, coffee! I am not sure who actually had a resolution for coffee, but I do!! Haha. But of course it’s only a small part of my many resolutions. The most important one being able to graduate in time with my thesis as well as to find a great job right after my graduation! So what goal did I set for coffee this year?

Well, one of the 'dreams' I’ve always had is to be able to be a great coffee taster. This means that I could taste the defects, the nuances, the goods in the coffee and be able to articulate it. Right now, I can only say that I am at the stage of just getting ready with my sneakers. There’s a long whole road journey awaits me ahead!

Like most people, I could tell a shot is weak/watery, bitter because of high temperature, able to tell and recognize the distinctive earthiness of Sumatra. And thanks to ROASTe's coffee variation, I think I’ve recognized “berries” from Ethiopian Gedeo Worka and 'cherries' from El Salvador El Carrizal. One of the few feats I considered myself achieved this year was to be able to pick the nuance from an espresso blend: Gedeo Worka’s berries flavor from Klatch's World Best Espresso, and the earthiness of Sumatra from Vivace’s Dolce. It might seem trivial to some of you but it's a huge step for me! So in the next coming year, I am hoping to be able to taste more of these and to recognize them.

Other than to develop my taste palate, I am also hoping to be able to steam much better on the 4 hole tips on my Cremina. I’ve spent literally gallons of cold water with dish detergent, trying to improve my steaming skill but to no avail. I guess I will give it another few training sessions to overcome that.

And lastly, I am hoping to introduce more of my friends into good coffee! Some of them actually do drink coffee, but they drink it more for the jolt rather than the taste itself. To me, this is a waste because coffee can actually taste very good and not just a morning jolt!

So what’s your coffee resolution for this year? Oh, and a late Happy New Year to everyone on ROASTe!!

By the way, I was just back from Philladelphia for new year countdown. It was the best 15-minute firework I've ever seen! The photo doesn't even do enough justice to the experience itself!