Practice. Research. Experiment.

photographer unknown

“I love this top.” You flip the tag over and read the price. “$75. I can’t afford this right now.” 

Leaving the dressing room with every intention to put it back on the rack and walk away, you notice there are only a couple left. The only left in your size in the one still in your hand and the sales rationalizing beings.

“This top is 25% off and I can save an extra 15% with this coupon...”

It is amazing how one can justify buying something. With coffee there is no justification needed for buying the better coffee. Using logic and science, roasting, brewing and drinking better coffee becomes our scientific duty.

Practice.

In high school I was a competitive swimmer. The 500 yard freestyle and 200 yard butterfly were my events. In college, I was a member of the synchronized swim team. I spent three hours a day in practice training.

I play the clarinet, bass clarinet and piano. Each of these instruments requires daily practice to improve.  

Sports and musical ambitions take practice, but practice doesn’t make perfect. 

Practice brings us understanding. Understanding brings us closer to perfection.

When roasting coffee, practice is needed in order to gain an understanding of the roasting apparatus. Familiarity of how my roaster works will allow me to roast better coffee. 

Practice isn’t limited to roasting. Practice brewing is important as well. And if you’ve spent the time roasting and brewing coffee or espresso, it is only logical to practice tasting the beverage. It is wasteful to spit it out, so you’ll just have to drink it. 

This is, after all, in the name of science. One must be thorough.

Research.

The scientific process documents the experiments and thoughts a scientist used to get to a conclusion. It is this method which makes it possible for scientist to build upon the knowledge of those who came before them in order to make new discoveries.

In order to roast and brew better coffee you need to learn from the knowledge of others. 

Read books and blogs.

Talk to baristas and other roasters.  

Drink coffee others have roasted.

Remember science is depending on our research to make more advancements everyone can benefit from. This might mean you’ll have sacrifice a hour of sleep and have that extra shot of espresso.

Experiment.

After becoming familiar with the roasting and brewing processes, and researching how others roast and brew while drinking good coffee, like Intelligentsia’s Black Cat espresso, it is time to apply what has been learned.

Recently I roasted Papua New Guinea  Purosa, Indian Mysore Chikmagular and Yemen Mocca Mataria together using only low heat. 

It produced coffee.

It wasn’t posionous.

It was far a success.

It left my mouth dry with a burnt crust after taste. 

I don’t consider the attempt a failure. 

Like Edison and the light bulb, I just found another blend roast that didn’t work. 

When roasts don’t turn out well it just motivates me to try again. 

The bad roasts are need with the good to obtain perspective. 

Which is why it pays during research to let your palate taste good coffee so you know what experiments to repeat and which ones to never do again.  

Share.

If Newton never share his law of gravity, would Einstein have been able to give us the theory of relativity?

Practice, research and experiment with roasting and brewing coffee, and then share your findings, the good and the bad.

It is for science!

For the betterment of culture and society.

For the advancement of the human race.

And one can’t argue with scientific fact.

Share your findings here by using the comments box, or by emailing me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.