Friday, March 15, 2019

The Sprudge Twenty Is Coming—Presented By Pacific Barista Series

Ahoy there Sprudge reader—please allow us now brief update on a project we’re very excited about, headed into a busy coffee events weekend. Just a few short weeks ago we invited our readers around the world to nominate oustanding coffee professionals for the Sprudge Twenty, a new leadership initiative presented by Pacific Barista Series. And nominate you did, with an outpouring of entries received from around the globe.

Nominations for the series are now closed. The first full class of Sprudge Twenty honorees will be announced on Monday, April 8th, in advance of the 2019 SCA Event in Boston (also home to the 2019 World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup Championship). Winners receive spotlight features on Sprudge, mentorship opportunities from Pacific Foods Barista Series, and much more to be announced in the weeks and months to come.

It’s our hope that you’ll be thrilled by our inaugural class of honorees, and that you find this work to be as exciting and compelling as anything we’ve done in our near-decade of publishing Sprudge—the site’s 10th anniversary is this September. Watch this space, and be sure to follow this weekend’s live coverage of the 2019 US Coffee Championships, happening this weekend on Twitter and at Sprudge Live, our sibling site dedicated to coffee sports.

Want to be the first to know the inaugural Sprudge Twenty class? Subscribe to our newsletter and podcast—you just might get an up-front scoop.

Jordan Michelman (@suitcasewine) is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.

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Coffee Design: Spectrum Coffee In Brooklyn, New York

Spectrum Coffee is a new roasting company out of Brooklyn. The folks at Spectrum have been roasting out of the Pulley Collective in Red Hook for three years with the hopes of opening their own space sometime in 2019. Spectrum roasts coffee from Nordic Approach, Collaborative Coffee Source, and Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders. You can find their coffees at cafes like L’impremerie, Babydudes, Cafe Beit, and their sister cafe Dweebs out of Bushwick.

Spectrum packages their coffee in Biotre bags housed in a sturdy white box with clean lines, gold foil, and a pop of color on the top. All of the coffee information is kept in a tidy colorful band that distinguishes the type of coffee. The design process was a 50/50 effort between the Spectrum team and their designer friends. We reached out to Will Douglas and Sam Stoothoff digitally to learn more.

When did the coffee package design debut?

This most recent iteration released about a month ago. We’ve sort of been improving our packaging piecemeal since we started a few years ago. We’re pretty happy with it now, but as I’ve learned in this process, at least for me, I like change. I love working with people on new designs and the little sparks of idea you get in the shower that have to get translated into reality. We always looking to improve though, and through this design we already have fun new things we want to try next time.

Who designed the package?

The design was about 50% in house, 50% friends. We were lucky that one of our employees’ brother, Matt Varner, worked at a prominent design firm in New York. He created our logo font and layout, and we took it from there. The “scatter” logo on the bottom of the package was done by our friend Kaela Chambers, an independent artist in Jersey City.

The coffee information is on a wrap around the box—what kind of information do you think is important to share with the coffee drinker?

That’s been an interesting point of discussion for us. We include all the basics, like elevation, process, varietal, producer, etc. Something we’re interested in doing soon is including the price per pound that we paid for the coffee. Transparency is cool, but it needs context. A lot happens along the way to bump up the retail price, and we’re working on a way of communicating that so our customers know what they’re paying for. Cupping score is another metric we’re thinking about adding to the label. We’re figuring out how to present it so that consumers understand how the score fits in the bigger picture. A lot happens along the way that affects price, for instance, Costa Rica has a high minimum wage (cool and good) which leads to a more expensive final product that may score equal to a cheaper Colombian coffee. If you’re reading this and have thoughts, please reach out, we’d love to hear your ideas about what label info you’d be most interested in seeing!

Why are aesthetics in coffee packaging so important?

Coffee is fun and beautiful and deserves to be presented as such. If it weren’t dangerous and probably illegal we’d put one of those dumb party poppers in every box that would shoot confetti in your face the first time you open it.

Tell us the specifics on the design details.

The labels on the coffees are polypropylene. With our old retail design we needed something that wouldn’t rip. With this new one we’ll be switching to paper labels since they’re more environmentally friendly. We used a company called Packwire for the boxes. They were really nice to work with and manufacture in Canada. For a slightly higher price per unit we cut out an entire transpacific voyage compared to having them made in China. The gold foil is Crown #170 from Crown Roll Leaf.

The box itself is recyclable and the Biotre bag inside is 60% compostable. What 40% isn’t.

The innermost lining of the Biotre bags aren’t compostable, but they use an additive that allows them to break down in 5-10 years. The outermost two layers are totally compostable.

Where is it currently available?

Online or at one of our dope partners in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Thank you!

Company: Spectrum Coffee
Location: Brooklyn
Country: United States
Designer: Matt Varner & Kaela Chambers

Zachary Carlsen is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge.

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Thursday, March 14, 2019

Drip vs Immersion: The Battle of The Coffee Brew Methods

Who doesn’t love a filter coffee? You can make it at home without needing to buy an expensive machine or order it in a café for that barista-quality brew. It allows you to savour the complex flavours of a specialty coffee and it’s easy to play with recipes.

Yet there’s more than one way to filter coffee – and each brew method brings with it different nuances in the cup, from enhanced body to greater clarity.

We tend to split filter methods into two main categories: pour over or drip and immersion. But what exactly are the differences between these two styles of brewing?

I reached out to James Gray, the co-founder of Barista & Co., to find out. His team are Kickstarting a product which they describe as a mixture of drip and immersion brewing. The Twist Press is a version of the iconic coffee press with a twist – literally. Users twist rather than press the device. It’s already nearly doubled its official funding goal, with almost three weeks still to go [to be updated the day before pub]. James shares with me his insights into the two main types of filter coffee.

You might also like Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Pour Over Coffee

pouring coffee on a cup from a french press

Decanting freshly brewed French press coffee.

Drip Coffee, Pour Over, Filter, Manual… What’s The Difference?

A method that goes by many names, the humble drip coffee is a style characterised by pouring hot water over ground coffee. It allows gravity to draw the water through the coffee bed and filter into a vessel.

Drip brewing equipment that falls into this category includes the Hario V60, the Kalita Wave, and the Chemex, as well as most batch brewers on the market.

However, the term “pour over” does not apply to batch brewers. It only applies to manual drip brewing, where the water is poured by hand onto the ground coffee.

brewed coffee on a kalita wave

Brewed coffee drips through the flat-bottomed Kalita Wave.

Why Do We Love Drip Coffee?

“With gravity-driven coffee, one of the things you can end up with is a very, very complex coffee, which has… a great deal of flavour [and] a lot of depth to it,” says James.

Drip brewing lends itself well to highlighting the complexity of a coffee. It tends to accentuate delicate flavours and aromas. Because the water is allowed to extract coffee oils and solubles in its own time (assuming a good recipe is used), it also allows for greater clarity of flavour.

Depending on the flavours you want to highlight, different pour over devices tend to reveal different characteristics, even when brewing the same coffee.

For example, the V60 is good for emphasising acidity and floral notes while still letting a decent amount of coffee oils through the thin filter, boosting body. The Chemex, with its thick filter paper, retains more of the beans’ oils and so yields a sparkling brew with complexity. The Kalita Wave, with its flat-bottomed base and three exit holes, tends to suspend the brew for longer with a reduced flow rate, resulting in a more forgiving coffee and a deeper sweetness.

With drip brewing, the extraction of coffee solubles is also a little more efficient than immersion brewing, due to the constant flow of water, as Matt Perger of Barista Hustle explains. In other words, you need marginally less ground coffee per brew.

You might also like Understanding Extraction For Excellent Coffee

The actual filter, depending on material and thickness, also traps the resulting coffee oils outside of the brew, yielding a clean-tasting coffee. This makes it a good choice for coffees with highly complex profiles, such as high-quality single origins or ones with a nuanced acidity.

Last but not least, drip brewing devices tend to be relatively easy to clean.

Read more in How to Accentuate or Reduce Acidity When Brewing Coffee

brewing coffee on a chemex

Coffee is brewed with a Chemex.

Drip Coffee: The Challenges

“The main challenge that obviously you have with this [method of brewing is that] consistency is very difficult,” says James.

In a tool with so much flexibility, human error can cause problems. Bad pour technique, channelling, and temperature instability are some of the most common issues that affect drip brews, especially under an inexperienced hand.

Beginner brewers tend to find controlling the rate of pour with a gooseneck kettle difficult. In fact, they may not even have a gooseneck kettle at all.

Channelling is the result of unevenly distributed grounds; it causes the water to channel through certain sections of the coffee bed, over-extracting there, and not extracting or under-extracting in other sections. The deep angle on some pour over devices, like the Chemex and the V60, makes it more difficult to evenly distribute coffee grounds. This can result in an unbalanced brew with jarring notes.

“You can argue that when you move from certain brands to other brands, you know, the shape of the filters and things like that will aid you in terms of consistency…” James says. “But ultimately… you’re still going to carry a relatively high risk of… channelling if you don’t know what you’re doing, and then the coffee is going to be under-extracted.

“So, you can end up with an amazing coffee and then… you do what you think to be exactly the same thing again and it just doesn’t deliver.”

And temperature instability, either due to the material of the pour over device, the size, the shape, or even the choice of pulse pouring over a continuous pour can also negatively affect the taste of your coffee. Ultimately, if the water cools too rapidly, it will change the rate of extraction.

“Pour over control is difficult,” says James. “There are many variables within it and having absolute control can be tricky.”

barista brewing coffee in v60

The elegant – but finicky – V60 pour over.

Immersion Brewing: How Is It Different to Drip?

When it comes to immersion brewing, the key is in the name. The ground coffee is immersed in water and then left to brew until it is appropriately extracted and ready to be consumed. This means that rather than focusing on controlling the pour, brewers need to be thinking about the brew time.

With some immersive brewing methods, like cupping, the coffee grounds are left in the water. When cupping – which is how coffee quality is evaluated – this allows the drinker to taste the coffee at different levels of extraction.

In other immersion methods, the coffee grounds are filtered out. For example, with the French press or Barista & Co.’s Twist Press, this happens when the brewer presses or twists the device.

The Twist Press has two chambers: the main coffee chamber and a top chamber which forms a concentrated pocket of air above the brewing coffee when closed. Both chambers have their own separate handle. When the brewer is ready, they twist the two handles together. Corkscrew grooves on the sides of the main chamber use torsional force to produce an even downward pressure when the handles are twisted to meet, pushing the brewed coffee through a paper filter.

These immersion brewing devices add an additional factor to the brew method: it’s human pressure that forces the liquid coffee through the filter. In turn, this pressure can allow for a finer grind size and shorter brewing time.

Other immersion brewing methods allow gravity, rather than human pressure, to start the filtering process. The BrewThru Coffee Dripper, for example, resembles the traditional V-shaped funnel of most pour over devices. However, it has a valve located near the base of the funnel.

This valve allows users to control the steep time like a traditional immersion brew as well as the rate of flow when the valve is released. It may look like a pour over device, but it also borrows from the immersion brewing process.

twist press and freshly brewed cup of coffee

The Twist Press with a freshly brewed cup of Blue Mountain coffee. Credit: Barista & Co

Why Do We Love Immersion Brewing?

Depending on the device, immersion brewing can be perceived as less fiddly than drip brewing. There is less need to monitor the process from start to finish, which is ideal if you prefer a simple brew method along with more easily achieved consistency.

Generally speaking, immersion brewing results in a bolder coffee profile with greater body. And for those who like the taste of immersion brewing but are less fond of the heavy mouthfeel, bypassing is an option.

This is the process of adding water to a concentrated brew; in essence, it dilutes the beverage. It’s the same process, in fact, as making an Americano.

James, for example, recommends bypassing a coffee concentrate as an option with the Twist Press, which he says produces “a very clean body… with rich texture and body”.

He feels that bypassing is intuitive even for most beginner brewers. “If you’re trying to introduce people into [the world of specialty coffee], confidence is generally a thing they don’t have,” he says. But bypassing is a forgiving method.

“We’ve actually found that using the bypass – or in layman’s terms, by diluting down the coffee – and reducing the TDS, even if you’re brewing for two people at home, for example… you can… get two really well-balanced, great cups of coffee out of it.”

barista pouring coffee from french press

Decanting freshly brewed French press coffee.

Immersion Brewing: The Challenges

This brewing method has a less glamorous reputation than the pour over – but is it deserved?

While not necessarily synonymous with immersion brewing, the most high-profile immersion device around is the iconic French press, which tends to work well with a coarse grind and subsequently longer contact time.

Unfortunately, many people over-extract their French press by failing to decant it immediately after plunging. This has led to its less-than-stellar reputation. However, it seems unfair to blame the device for our brewing errors. Additionally, experimenting with a finer grind on the French press can also result in greater extraction and a richer flavour.

Some people consider immersion brewing methods to simply have too much mouthfeel for them (hence the trend of bypassing). Most standard coffee presses in the mainstream market are made with metal mesh filters between 80-300 microns. Unlike the paper filters common to pour overs and some immersion devices (such as the Twist Press), these filters don’t trap coffee oils and sediment as effectively. This can result in a heightened perception of bitterness in the final brew.

“The thing is, you can only use a certain micron level filter with a press, logically, because it means it’s very difficult to plunge if it’s the wrong level. So, I think that that’s certainly a negative with a standard immersion,” says James.

In addition, with French presses, it helps if you are not in a rush and have more time to spare for cleaning the device.

“When we’ve done research with consumers, we find that very few people use coffee presses during the week. It’s almost like they think they have more time in the weekend. ‘I’m going to sit and have a press coffee, read the paper,’ and then… often the coffee press gets left on the side unclean. I mean, we’re all guilty of it, you know.” James laughs. “I think there are certain negatives, just from a usability point of view.”

Finally, James argues that traditional presses with a downward pressure rather than a circular or sideways one result in less stability and consistency in the way we press our coffee.

“When you’re going in from side to side, it gives you stability. If you’ve got downward pressure on something, obviously you’re putting the pressure through the vessel as well as the product brewing, so… less stability,” he says.

barista twisting the twist press

A barista twists the Twist Press to force brewed coffee through the paper filter. Credit: Barista & Co

Different Brew Methods, Different Coffees?

Immersion vs drip coffee: one is known for its rich, bold taste and full body; the other for its cleanness, complexity, and highlighted acidity.

And then you have those brewing methods that borrow from both technologies, allowing for a clean cup with a bold taste, for example.

But does this mean that certain coffees pair better with certain brew methods? Should a high-acidity single origin always be brewed as a pour over, for example? Or is it simply a matter of personal preference?

“I think to say that there’s one type of coffee for any type of brewing method in my mind is wrong,” James tells me. “I think it’s more about you finding the one that’s right for you.”

Written by Sierra Burgess-Yeo. Feature photo credit: Barista & Co

Please note: This article has been sponsored by Barista & Co. Their newest product, the Twist Press, is currently live on Kickstarter and can be backed here.

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Rayos UV: Ayudan A Controlar La Calidad Durante El Tueste

La consistencia es clave en el tueste del café. Mantener todas las variables lo más uniformes posible ayuda a mantener un nivel de calidad. Los rayos ultravioleta (UV) son una herramienta que puedes usar para lograr la consistencia.

Sigue leyendo para descubrir cómo usar los rayos UV para identificar los granos de café verde que tienen defectos y mejorar la calidad final de tu café tostado.

Read this in English Using UV Light For Quality Control in Coffee Roasting

muestras de cafe verde con defectos Granos de café verde defectuosos. Crédito: Ana Valencia

¿Qué Son Los Rayos UV?

La gama UV del espectro es invisible para el ojo humano, pero las luces ultravioleta (o negras) nos permiten utilizar los rayos UV para poner destacar algunas sustancias.

Las luces negras están hechas del mismo modo que las lámparas incandescentes y las fluorescentes, pero se usan materiales distintos para el revestimiento de vidrio exterior. Esto significa que gran parte de la luz que se emite se compone de rayos UV y solamenteamente de de un poco de luz visible en las longitudes de onda más cercanas al espectro UV (índigo y violeta). Es por esto que las luces negras aparecen generalmente de color morado o azul oscuro.

Bajo una luz negra, la ropa blanca y otros objetos brillan en la oscuridad. Esto se debe a que contienen fósforo o sustancias que absorben la energía y la vuelven a emitir como luz visible.

También te puede gustar ¿Cómo Garantizar La Calidad en La Tostaduría & Tienda de Café?

luces negras para detectar defectos en el cafe verdeLuces negras. Crédito: Rich Smith

Cómo Usar Los Rayos UV Para Controlar La Calidad

¿Pero qué tienen que ver los rayos UV con el café? Como tostador, siempre estoy buscando maneras para mejorar la consistencia y la calidad. Uno de los métodos que sigo para lograrlo es el uso de rayos UV para identificar los granos verdes con daños e irregularidades antes del tueste. Había escuchado que otros usaban esta técnica y sentí curiosidad, así que compré una luz negra de USD 2 e hice un experimento. Puedes hacer lo mismo.

  • Preparación

Empecé con dos lotes de muestra: 350 gr de los granos más caros que suelo comprar y la misma cantidad de nuestros granos más vendidos, ambos de proceso natural. Puedes comparar dos granos de distinto nivel o puedes simplemente elegir cualquiera que te suscite curiosidad. Espárcelos sobre una bandeja o placa para horno.

Ahora, apaga las luces y siéntate. No quieres tropezar en la oscuridad y lastimarte. Tomate unos minutos para que los ojos se adapten.

muestras de cafe verde para despasillar con luz uvPreparando las muestras y probando la luz negra. Crédito: Mary Beth Stephens

  • La Técnica

No mires directamente a la luz negra y protege tus ojos de los rayos. Si llegas a mirarlamirarla, espera a que tus ojos se adapten de nuevo.

Levanta y baja la luz sobre tus muestras. Muevela lentamente hacia arriba y hacia abajo hasta que encuentres la posición perfecta. Cada tipo de café se verá distinto bajo la luz, pero en un lote, todo se verá de la misma forma excepto los granos defectuosos., pero en un mismo lote, todo se verá de la misma forma excepto los granos defectuosos.

Cuando tengas la posición correcta, resultará obvio. Los granos defectuosos absorben los rayos UV de manera diferente y se harán claramente visibles.

Cuando tengas la posición correcta, resultará evidente. Los granos defectuosos absorben los rayos UV de manera diferente y se harán claramente visibles. Creo que la diferencia en cuanto al color entre un grano bueno y uno malo se debe a variaciones en el secado y el procesamiento. Al parecer, los granos con menos humedad brillan con mayor intensidad. Descarta los granos defectuosos.

algunos granos defectuosos visibles gracias a la luz uvBajo los rayos UV, los granos defectuosos brillan más intensamente que el resto de la muestra. Crédito: Mary Beth Stephens

  • Evaluación

Cuando hayas sacado todos los granos defectuosos, enciende las luces y evalúa lo que te queda. Yo descubrí que aquellos que separé tenían defectos visibles. Entre ellos, granos rotos, granos pequeños y subdesarrollados, unos infestados por la broca del café

Bajo la luz natural, no habría visto estos defectos sin inspeccionar los granos a fondo. Usar la luz negra me ayudó a removerlos más fácilmente.

granos defectuosos Granos defectuosos que se encontraron usando la técnica de luz negraLos granos defectuosos que se encontraron usando la técnica de luz negra. Crédito: Mary Beth Stephens

La Importancia De Eliminar Los Granos Defectuosos¿Por qué importa si un par de granos rotos o pequeños llegan al tueste? Porque solo se necesita un grano defectuoso para arruinar tu café.

Tal vez algunos afirmen que los quakers (granos de café inmaduros) y otros granos defectuosos aportan matices a la taza. Pero un tueste exitoso implica calentar uniformemente cada uno de los granos al mismo tiempo. Un grano roto o defectuoso no absorbirá el calor con la misma velocidad y, debido a esto, se tostará demasiado o demasiado poco. Y eso impacta en el perfil final de tu café.  

¿Por qué importa si un par de granos rotos o pequeños llegan al tueste? Porque se necesita solo un grano defectuoso para arruinar tu café.

Tal vez algunos afirmen que los quakers (granos de café inmaduros) y otros granos defectuosos aportan matices a la taza. Pero un tueste exitoso implica calentar uniformemente cada uno de los granos al mismo tiempo. Un grano roto o defectuoso no absorberá el calor a la misma velocidad y, debido a esto, se tostará demasiado o demasiado poco. Y esto incide en el perfil final de tu café.

También te puede gustar Guía Para Lograr La Consistencia En El Tueste De Café

granos de cafe verde expuestos a luz uvGranos verdes bajo una luz negra. Crédito: Ana Valencia

Paso más tiempo sacando los granos dudosos que hacer cualquier otra cosa en la tostaduría. No te dejes engañar por los granos descoloridos o la película plateada, especialmente en los cafés de proceso natural. No tienen un impacto negativo en el tueste, así que yo los dejo. No parecerán tan malos en la selección bajo la luz UV.

Por mucho que lo intente, algunos granos defectuosos siempre llegan a la tostadora. Así que sigo buscando granos malos incluso luego del tueste. Es fácil detectar tanto los granos sobretostados como los subtostados por el color.

Obviamente, quitar los granos defectuosos significa tostar un volumen menor que el que compro, pero el café tostado final tiene una calidad general más alta de la que tendría si no los sacara. Cada tostador tendrá sus propias variables, pero yo calculo que pierdo alrededor del 35 % del peso de mis granos crudos por la disminución del contenido de humedad y los granos defectuosos que descarto. Los costos del trabajo también pueden aumentar si compramos un lote de granos verdes que difiere mucho de las muestras.

Pero yo creo que vale la pena pagar más para producir un café de calidad superior y parece que nuestros clientes están de acuerdo. Paso más tiempo separando los granos dudosos que haciendo cualquier otra cosa en la tostaduría. No te dejes engañar por los granos descoloridos o la película plateada, especialmente en los cafés de proceso natural. No tienen un impacto negativo en el tueste, así que yo los dejo. No parecerán tan malos en la selección bajo la luz UV.

Por mucho que lo intente, algunos granos defectuosos siempre llegan a la tostadora. Así que, sigo buscando granos malos incluso luego del tueste. Es fácil detectar tanto los granos sobretostados como los subtostados por el color.

Obviamente, remover los granos defectuosos significa tostar un volumen menor del que compro, pero el café tostado final tiene una calidad general más alta de la que tendría si no los descartara. Cada tostador tendrá sus propias variables, pero yo calculo que pierdo alrededor del 35 % del peso de mis granos crudos por disminuir el contenido de humedad y descartar los granos defectuosos. Los costos del trabajo también pueden aumentar si compramos un lote de granos verdes que difiere mucho de las muestras.

Pero yo creo que vale la pena pagar más para producir un café de calidad superior y parece que nuestros clientes están de acuerdo.

Una tostadora de cafeEl autor con su tostadora,, Rosie. Crédito: Mary Beth Stephens

Tal vez no sea posible quitar todos los granos defectuosos de un lote, pero existen maneras para reducir considerablemente la cantidad de aquellos que tienen defectos y llegan a la taza final. Las luces negras son económicas y pueden acelerar el proceso de detectar y quitar los granos defectuosos y hacerlo más preciso. Entonces, ¿por qué no pruebas esta herramienta de control de calidad con tu próximo lote? Tal vez no sea posible remover todos los granos defectuosos de un lote, pero existen maneras para reducir considerablemente la cantidad de aquellos que tienen defectos y llegan a la taza final. Las luces negras son económicas y pueden acelerar la detección y eliminación de los granos defectuosos y lograr mayor precisión. Entonces, ¿por qué no pruebas esta herramienta de control de calidad con tu próximo lote?

¿Disfrutaste este artículo? Lee Guía Para El Tostador: ¿Cómo Crear Blends?

Escrito por Andrew Pate de Pops Roasted Coffee.

Traducido por Laura Fornero. Traducción editada por María José Parra.

Perfect Daily Grind

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Coffee Futures Hit Lowest Price Since 2006

There’s more bad news on the horizon for the coffee market, as the price of coffee futures drops to its lowest point since 2006.

According to Bloomberg, the issue stems from a global oversupply due in large part to the world’s top coffee producer, Brazil, seeing a record crop in 2018 with another big yield expected in 2019. The slump is taking a big toll on arabica coffee, which the article notes is “one of the worst-performing commodities in the past year.”

Arabica futures for May fell as much as 2.6 percent to 94.65 cents a pound in New York. Prices have dropped about 20 percent in the past year, and speculators have been net bearish for about 18 months.

The problem of an oversupply is not one that is easily remedied. As the article notes, even countries struggling to produce are still taking hits because Brazil’s prodigious output. And for farmers, it’s not as simple as just switching crops. Coffee trees take years to grow and then produce for many years after. In order to switch crops, farmers would have to rip out the coffee trees, rendering useless all the work they have done to get the trees producing as well as removing any chance of earnings when the price rebounds. They are essentially stuck.

And the price is expected to rebound. According to Olam International, “the world’s second largest coffee supplier” (as per Bloomberg), the worst of it may be over soon. Even amid the surplus the importer expects pricing to come up, but unfortunately, the reasons why aren’t positive. Olam states that bad weather will have a negative effect on producers in Central and South American growing regions, which may in turn bring the prices back up a tick.

The issue of untenably low coffee prices isn’t going away, at least not any time soon. For their part, the SCA is investing in their Coffee Price Crisis Response Initiative to help find ways to bring up the artificially low number. But for now, coffee futures remain low. What this says for the future of coffee itself is an open question.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Top image via Tanawatpontchour/Adobe Stock

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In Paris, What’s Old Is New Again At Holybelly 19

holybelly 19 paris france
holybelly 19 paris france

Photo courtesy of Nico Alary.

When Holybelly opened in 2013 at 9 Rue Lucien Sampaix, it set a new standard in quality for the age-old union of food and coffee in Paris. The 30-seat establishment came out firing, serving world-class third wave coffee alongside neo-diner breakfasts of fluffy pancakes and egg and sides until noon, when the stunning seasonal lunch specials kicked in.

The concept puzzled Parisians at first. Was it a cafe? Or perhaps a restaurant? The chefs bustled about in gleaming whites, after all. “I think people struggle to put us in a category because we’re not a coffee shop, but we have really good coffee, and we’re not a restaurant, per se, but we have really good food,” says co-founder Nico Alary. “It’s not hard for Melbourne or New York, where every place is like that, but here we were kind of the first.”

holybelly 19 paris france

Holybelly co-founders Sarah Mouchot and Nico Alary.

We assure you, not every place in New York or Melbourne is nearly as good as Holybelly. Despite the confusion, the cafe soon developed a loyal following, and brunch regularly drew crowds that spilled onto the sidewalk—perhaps even a little too often. “There was always a line and we were worried that people would associate us with, ‘I love Hollybelly and I love the food, but it’s too busy, let’s go somewhere else,’” says Alary. The space quickly outpaced the original vision chef Sarah Mouchot and Alary set out to create, which led to an expansion in 2015.

But the lines continued apace, and the couple had hesitations about further growth. They worried about Holybelly losing its soul, a carefully cultivated balance of good food, good coffee, and good service they pride themselves on. But when a space opened up down the street at 5 rue Lucien Sampaix in 2016, they decided to go for it. A year later, Holybelly re-opened there with 100 seats, inviting patrons to tuck into all-day breakfast from the comfort of snug leather booths and white-washed brick.

holybelly 19 paris france

holybelly 19 paris france

Mouchot and Alary still had the smaller, empty space at 19 rue Lucien Sampaix. They mulled over what to do with it: a rotisserie? A natural wine bar? But Paris had enough of those. “We thought, what about we just do another cafe, but we just do breakfast and lunch very differently?” says Alary. HB5, the “new” space, inherited the menu of big delicious breakfasts and daily specials, while the historic HB19 takes a more intimate approach to breakfast and seasonally inspired lunches. The menu is structured around a large selection of sharing plates and several daily lunch specials, a format that will enable Mouchot to showcase her talent in the kitchen and make the most of what’s in season.

The two locations complement each other: the founders were careful to preserve the Holybelly identity at both, while crafting two completely different dining experiences. Where HB5 channels cafe casual in leather booths, wood, and brick, HB19 offers a more intimate setting with teal velvet upholstery, marble, and tile. “HB19 is going to show what Sarah can cook and that precision she has for breakfast cooking that she also has for lunch cooking,” Alary tells Sprudge. “At HB5, a dish had to be a meal, so she was kind of limited in the things she could do. At HB19, she can do whatever she wants. It’s perfect for seasonal cooking because there’s no format. Maybe some days we’ll have ten plates and five another day, depending on what’s available.”

holybelly 19 paris france

holybelly 19 paris france

There are no pancake stacks at HB19 (don’t worry, they’re available all day down the street at HB5). Instead, Mouchot has run wild on a sweet and savory small plate experience, with dishes like soft-boiled eggs with buttery mouillettes, gravlax, haloumi slippers, beet salad with crunchy buckwheat nubs, kasha porridge, and mini-donuts with dulce de leche. The coffee here is also similar but different. Belleville Brûlerie still shines at HB5, where a more developed and accessible roast profile pairs wonderfully with hearty breakfast specials. At HB19, Swedish roaster Koppi accompanies what might be described as more delicate dishes, harmonizing well with the small but growing selection of natural wines on offer. In both cases, the coffee experience still stops short of a geek-out. “We stop before it gets too technical. So we do everything super well, everything’s weighted, calibrated, we use reverse osmosis water, but I always tell my baristas we’re not the kind of place where you can just make coffee,” says Alary, who would rather return to a place with good service and bad food than amazing food and poor service. “For me it’s about finding a balance between being a restaurant and a cafe.”

holybelly 19 paris france

The interview portion of this feature with Alary was conducted just one day after HB19 opened. I found the space bustling with regulars, as though it had never closed. Alary attributes the easy transition to the experience the team has gained over the last six years, and a restaurant has evolved to reflect the owners’ own growing up as business partners and hospitality professionals.

“We’re still Holybelly,” says Alary. “We told our front of house staff, stay relaxed, friendly, dress however you want. It’s just really what you put in the plate and the coffee that changes, but we’re the same.”

holybelly 19 paris france

Photo courtesy of Nico Alary.

Holybelly 19 is located at 19 Rue Lucien Sampaix, 75010 Paris. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Kate Robinson (@KateOnTheLoose) is a freelance journalist based in Paris. Read more Kate Robinson on Sprudge

The post In Paris, What’s Old Is New Again At Holybelly 19 appeared first on Sprudge.



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Wednesday, March 13, 2019

¿Puede La Forma Del Filtro Influir En El Sabor De Tu Café?

Cuando consideras lo que afecta el sabor y el perfil de tu café, es probable que pienses en las relaciones de preparación, el tamaño de la molienda, la temperatura y la calidad del agua. ¿Pero sabías que la forma de la canasta de filtro también puede tener un impacto en el sabor de tu café?  

Descubramos más acerca de cómo las características geométricas de una canasta de filtro de una cafetera automática o de un soporte para filtro para el método vertido pueden influir en tu taza cotidiana.

Read this in English Can Filter Basket Shape Affect The Flavor of Your Coffee?

barista preparaun v60 para clienteLa Kalita Wave tiene una base con fondo plano. Crédito: Thomas Martinsen

Investigando El Impacto De La Forma De La Canasta

El profesor William Ristenpart es el director del UC Davis Coffee Center, donde estudia las maneras de preparar mejor el café filtrado. Me contó que gran parte de los dispositivos de extracción disponibles en el mercado tienen una canasta de fondo plano o con forma semicónica.

“En términos generales, la mitad de ellas tiene un fondo plano y la otra mitad aproximadamente, tiene forma semicónica”, dijo. “Sin embargo, lo que falta, en cierto sentido, son datos demostrables que respalden cualquier tipo de análisis de cuál es mejor. Una de las preguntas que hacemos es: ¿deberíamos comparar las relaciones de preparación para las canastas de fondo plano con las semicónicas?

¿Pero cómo establecemos cuál prepara una bebida mejor? Es difícil evaluar y comparar la calidad. La Asociación de Cafés Especiales (SCA, por sus siglas en inglés) ofrece un gráfico para el control de la extracción, el cual Ristenpart me contó que utiliza para evaluar los perfiles de extracción. Pero señala que este indicador no está exento de defectos.

“¿Cuál es la diferencia (si la hay) en cuanto a las propiedades sensoriales del café vertido cuando usas una canasta de filtro de fondo plano o una semicónica? Nosotros juntamos una gran cantidad de análisis sensoriales para tratar de responder a esa pregunta. El concepto básico es utilizar todo por igual: el mismo café, el mismo tamaño de molienda, la misma temperatura del agua, todo igual, excepto las características geométricas de la canasta”, dijo Ristenpart.

Su equipo descubrió que la forma de la canasta sí marca una diferencia. “Con respecto a nuestra evaluación sensorial, la forma de la canasta tuvo un impacto tal vez más notable que el tamaño de la molienda”, dijo.

También te puede gustar Todo Lo Que Debes Saber Para Preparar Cafés Vertidos Excelentes

preparando cafe en una cafetera electricaCafetera eléctrica Behmor Connected. Crédito: Behmor

Por Qué Es Importante La Forma De La Canasta

La extracción de café es esencialmente una manera de controlar las transformaciones químicas. Cuando preparamos una taza de café, estamos estimulando a las moléculas para que pasen de los sólidos del café al agua.

“Las características del flujo del fluido a través del material poroso (la molienda) están influenciadas por la forma de su recipiente (la canasta). El recipiente afecta el coeficiente de transferencia de la materia. En otras palabras, afecta la cantidad de extracción”, dijo Ristenpart.

“Si tienes una canasta de fondo plano, el agua cae en el centro y se extiende de forma radial. Y luego sale a través de un agujero o muchos agujeros que también están en el centro. Ese patrón de flujo es distinto si tienes una forma semicónica, en la que cae en el centro. El agua no se extiende tan radialmente”, dijo.

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cafe molido en el filtro de una cafetera manualCanasta con café molido Behmor. Crédito: Behmor

Por supuesto, los baristas usan muchas maneras para modificar el flujo del agua para que tenga un efecto en el perfil final del café. Cuando se prepara un vertido, hay varias técnicas para verter, entre ellas, el vertido circular, el vertido único, el vertido por pulsos y muchos más. Las cafeteras automáticas certificadas por la SCA se centran en la distribución uniforme del agua sobre la cama de molienda para favorecer una extracción consistente y una fluctuación de temperatura limitada.

El estudio del Coffee Center muestra que hay diferencias en el perfil entre el café hecho en una canasta de fondo plano y una semicónica e indica que esto se debe a las maneras diferentes en las que fluye el agua a través de la cama de café. Pero es posible modificar el flujo del agua y, por lo tanto, la extracción final en los dos tipos de canastas si se cambia la técnica de vertido.

También te puede interesar Las Tiendas de Café de Especialidad que Prefieren Cafeteras Automáticas a un V60

barista prepara cafe en dos kalita wave para unos clientesUn barista prepara un café vertido. Crédito: Jakub Kapusnak

¿Cuál Es La Mejor Forma De Canasta?

Entonces, ¿cuál forma deberías usar? Al igual que con muchas otras cosas en el café, depende de las preferencias personales.

“Cuando nuestro panel de expertos realizó un análisis sensorial descriptivo de cafés idénticos, pero preparados con la canasta de fondo plano o la cónica, el panel identificó perfiles de sabor muy distintos. Percibieron más sabores que recuerdan al té/las flores en el café hecho con una canasta cónica y más sabores ahumados, a tabaco y a tueste con la de fondo plano”, dijo Ristenpart.

Pero él aconseja no sobrevalorar la importancia de la forma de la canasta. “El primer factor que controla el sabor es la calidad de los mismos granos”, dijo. “No quiero que te vayas pensando que la cónica siempre resaltará sabores que recuerdan más al té y a las flores. Eso no es cierto, porque, en primer lugar, depende realmente del tipo de café que se utilizó”.

configurando cafetera behmor para preparar un buen cafeLa cafetera eléctrica Behmor Brazen. Crédito: Behmor

Preparar una buena taza de café es un equilibrio entre muchas variables relacionadas. La forma de la canasta de filtro que elijas tal vez no sea el factor más importante que determinará el perfil de un café, pero los datos muestran que sí cumple una función.

Así que, si quieres comprar un nuevo dispositivo para el método vertido o una cafetera automática, o no estás seguro de cuál método pedir en la tienda de café de especialidad de tu zona, ten en cuenta la forma de la canasta a la hora de decidir.

¿Disfrutaste este artículo? Lee Ciencia del Café: Descifrando de Dónde Viene el Sabor

Escrito por Sierra Burgess-Yeo.

Traducido por Laura Fornero. Traducción editada por María José Parra.

Perfect Daily Grind

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