I am a big fan of a certain type of education. I am not sure of the correct terminology for this style of learning, but am enthralled with the option and the benefit that is evident because of it. Watching others for minutes/ hours/ days/ months/ years- do something that can't be learned without experience. I term this apprentice learning, which I would assume to be a loose description.
Here recently I, and a couple equally as worthy peers, have been given the responsibility of taking over the roasting program for Blackbird Coffee in Milledgeville , Georgia, as well as our sister store in Dublin, Georgia on a small batch roaster. This coffee shop sits just a little under a block away from Georgia College and State University as well as sitting in the center of Milledgeville's downtown, to say that we stay pretty busy is an understatement.
A little back story:
In December, our Roastmaster, Don Harris, went for a two week vacation, and was planning on returning after the new year. After he and his wife returned, she was in a car accident the following week that handicapped her for a bit and he had to step down from roasting for an indefinite amount of time.
It is now the middle of march, and we have been roasting now for roughly 3 months time.
Back to present: apprentice roasting.
I had been watching and talking to Don for the larger portion of the time that had been working at Blackbird, and soaking up every moment I could of his experience as a roaster. None of that could have prepared us for taking over the entire roasting program.
I should stop here to say that this is not a note on being overwhelmed, rather, it is something that has brought a new challenge to my life. I work a lot...., but I love what I do. It has been and still remains, an intimidating and entertaining experience from the moment we took over up until the moment before and during each time we roast. We have experienced a massive exhaust fire, and learned how to put it out. We have had the notes of all of Don's past roasts to read from, and have had the ability to meet some very experienced peers in our industry to learn from.
I guess you could call this a sort of experiential learning. When we started roasting we simply followed the directions that Don had been following, and as time has progressed we have started to develop our own style, with each roast. Slowly adjusting in some areas, working hard to maintain in others and learning new things as we go each time. As I stated early on, this is the way that I love to learn, under the constant tutelage of an experienced teacher. So far I have found this to be my favorite of all the tutors that I have had. The funny thing is the description of the unnamed teacher. Its name is Ambex, and it is the 33lb roaster itself. Without this device I would not be able to do what I do, but every time I visit with the massive thing, I am taken aback buy its sheer power and ability. This may seem to end cheesy, but this machine is what I have learned the most from, listening to it's every utterance, and noting every change, to the best of my ability. The roaster has been my master educator for the past three months, and from the looks of things, will remain one of the most cherished learning experiences that I have or will ever have had.
I apologize for the rather scatter brained nature of this post but, this thought kind of overwhelmed me and I just wanted to "jot" it down.
Thank you, if you read.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Friday, November 6, 2009
an old barista
Yesterday, I had a wonderful shift.
I pulled quite possibly the best shot of my life! This is a feeling that is quite possibly only understood by baristas, for those who aren't, I excelled at my job when I did that. It was a feeling of payoff. I have been practicing for moments such as this for three years now, and it happened. It's much the same as when Mark Lemke would hit a home run(for those of you that remember the old Braves baseball player). You practice away learning to get good hits, ones that land you at least standing on base, but then everything lines up and you connect and the ball sails over the fence; only in this instance, it took 9 atmospheric bars of pressure, my 19 grams of Blackbird Coffee's house espresso, a spotless 4oz demitasse cup, saucer and silver spoon, and 26 seconds but I was sailing over the fence.
The flavor profile was amazing, and my tongue went wild with appreciation, experiencing this from beginning to end:
It all started with my taste buds at a rest being segued, and not shoved surprised, but ushered into an overwhelmingly pleasant green then black cardamom lasting only for seconds, somehow then transforming into a sharp raspberry- or maybe lesser cranberry tartness (but pleasant) middle that made my taste buds dance as if my tongue were a ballroom floor and then it immediately and finally disappeared into a perfectly smooth and creamy dark caramel that stayed with me for the rest of the 4 to 5 o'clock period remaining on my shift, never once going sour; never once going stale; never once going bitter....then it disappeared, vanishing without a trace.
That was my day yesterday, that was what hit me today as I realized yet another reason I love what I do.
Again, and again, and again, I cannot wait to learn more.
I cannot wait until I am an old barista. Until I have had many more of these experiences.
I cannot wait until I am an old barista.
-Chris
It takes love - Dr. Illy
I pulled quite possibly the best shot of my life! This is a feeling that is quite possibly only understood by baristas, for those who aren't, I excelled at my job when I did that. It was a feeling of payoff. I have been practicing for moments such as this for three years now, and it happened. It's much the same as when Mark Lemke would hit a home run(for those of you that remember the old Braves baseball player). You practice away learning to get good hits, ones that land you at least standing on base, but then everything lines up and you connect and the ball sails over the fence; only in this instance, it took 9 atmospheric bars of pressure, my 19 grams of Blackbird Coffee's house espresso, a spotless 4oz demitasse cup, saucer and silver spoon, and 26 seconds but I was sailing over the fence.
The flavor profile was amazing, and my tongue went wild with appreciation, experiencing this from beginning to end:
It all started with my taste buds at a rest being segued, and not shoved surprised, but ushered into an overwhelmingly pleasant green then black cardamom lasting only for seconds, somehow then transforming into a sharp raspberry- or maybe lesser cranberry tartness (but pleasant) middle that made my taste buds dance as if my tongue were a ballroom floor and then it immediately and finally disappeared into a perfectly smooth and creamy dark caramel that stayed with me for the rest of the 4 to 5 o'clock period remaining on my shift, never once going sour; never once going stale; never once going bitter....then it disappeared, vanishing without a trace.
That was my day yesterday, that was what hit me today as I realized yet another reason I love what I do.
Again, and again, and again, I cannot wait to learn more.
I cannot wait until I am an old barista. Until I have had many more of these experiences.
I cannot wait until I am an old barista.
-Chris
It takes love - Dr. Illy
Monday, August 10, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Solace and pressed things
I love coffee- understatement.
I dream about it. Am constantly planning the ways that I'd love to set my own personal shop up. Bugging friends on trips to stop at any coffee shop that I see along that way. Attending classes. Conversing about it. Reading about it. Thinking about it. Making it. Teaching it. Managing it. Roasting it. Drinking it. Comparing it.
Then I met tea, and now I want to get that into tea as well. I've also been reading about tea houses, nice ones. The ones that if you didn't know how they worked ahead of time, you'd be offended or maybe astonished. Ones that have a no carry-out policy.....let it sink in...yeah, they won't let you leave with their premises with tea....NO CARRY-OUT. My first thoughts are," That better be a damn good cup of tea!" But as a coffee professional for almost four years now, a very short amount of time I know, I distinctly recall describing, and to multiple people, coffee as a sommelier would a wine; talking of things to pair it with, but then also explaining how I have tasted these things on my palate and you may not, and how that's not just with this one coffee, and not even necessarily with that individual coffee every time, if it has been roasted by two different roasters or at different roasts. So every sip is important to me. Every single cup, should reflect the shop it came from, the ability of the barista, the craft of the roaster; who should in turn be working their hardest to represent the farmers who have toiled over the picking drying/ washing/ fermenting/ packing/ bartering/ daily with little to show for the coffee we so nonchalantly guzzle.
So how did you get from tea to the longest run-on sentence in the world about coffee, Chris?.....Let's go back to my last statement about tea:
"That better be a damn good cup of tea!"
When I said this, or better thought it, I wasn't thinking about it in the way that I respect coffee. I was picturing it much like many of my friends see coffee:
Where they see coffee as, at best, something ground just before they buy it and take it home to brew it in the Mr. Coffee, without filtered water or measuring the amount of coffee used out, probably at best measuring it to the standard set by the writing on the side of the bag. ( I'm not trying to come down on any of my friends, coffee isn't their passion, this is merely a comparison)
Much the same, I was only seeing a pre-bagged (filter included), baggy of tea; myself bringing some water to a boil (because that's how you steep all tea....right? wrong, just so you know), and as far as the amount of time steeped goes, I go by whether the water has changed color of, again- at best, by the directions attached to the pre-bagged baggy of wonder.
So what is tea?
I guess I could give you a couple links
Mighty Leaf Tea
Plethora of basic tea knowledge
Adagio tea
Teavana tea
That's the easy way I guess.
and I guess this thing has gotten fairly long, but this whole thing was to say that I have new goal, and that is to become as informed about tea as I am about coffee (that ain't much, I'm not trying to say I have all of the answers, but I want them !)
I also employ anyone who reads this, inquire from your barista of choice, why they do what they do. You may be surprised that they would really like to have a conversation about coffee. If they've been doing coffee for more than a year chances are they like to talk about coffee, or better, a certain coffee that they had in the past, that sold them on what coffee could be, kind of which coffee was the perfect sales pitch for them. Be ware though, it's not a short conversation.
I want to find people like this in the tea world, I have one friend/ co-worker, that is like this, and she kind of sparked this.
Challenge: Ask any professional, what their favorite part of their job is, and then ask a seasoned barista what their favorite coffee is. Then sit back and compare the answers, and you may get to see some of the passion that we in this really nerdy industry carry, and maybe you'll pick up some of that passion. That's what we all want anyway.
bye
I dream about it. Am constantly planning the ways that I'd love to set my own personal shop up. Bugging friends on trips to stop at any coffee shop that I see along that way. Attending classes. Conversing about it. Reading about it. Thinking about it. Making it. Teaching it. Managing it. Roasting it. Drinking it. Comparing it.
Then I met tea, and now I want to get that into tea as well. I've also been reading about tea houses, nice ones. The ones that if you didn't know how they worked ahead of time, you'd be offended or maybe astonished. Ones that have a no carry-out policy.....let it sink in...yeah, they won't let you leave with their premises with tea....NO CARRY-OUT. My first thoughts are," That better be a damn good cup of tea!" But as a coffee professional for almost four years now, a very short amount of time I know, I distinctly recall describing, and to multiple people, coffee as a sommelier would a wine; talking of things to pair it with, but then also explaining how I have tasted these things on my palate and you may not, and how that's not just with this one coffee, and not even necessarily with that individual coffee every time, if it has been roasted by two different roasters or at different roasts. So every sip is important to me. Every single cup, should reflect the shop it came from, the ability of the barista, the craft of the roaster; who should in turn be working their hardest to represent the farmers who have toiled over the picking drying/ washing/ fermenting/ packing/ bartering/ daily with little to show for the coffee we so nonchalantly guzzle.
So how did you get from tea to the longest run-on sentence in the world about coffee, Chris?.....Let's go back to my last statement about tea:
"That better be a damn good cup of tea!"
When I said this, or better thought it, I wasn't thinking about it in the way that I respect coffee. I was picturing it much like many of my friends see coffee:
Where they see coffee as, at best, something ground just before they buy it and take it home to brew it in the Mr. Coffee, without filtered water or measuring the amount of coffee used out, probably at best measuring it to the standard set by the writing on the side of the bag. ( I'm not trying to come down on any of my friends, coffee isn't their passion, this is merely a comparison)
Much the same, I was only seeing a pre-bagged (filter included), baggy of tea; myself bringing some water to a boil (because that's how you steep all tea....right? wrong, just so you know), and as far as the amount of time steeped goes, I go by whether the water has changed color of, again- at best, by the directions attached to the pre-bagged baggy of wonder.
So what is tea?
I guess I could give you a couple links
Mighty Leaf Tea
Plethora of basic tea knowledge
Adagio tea
Teavana tea
That's the easy way I guess.
and I guess this thing has gotten fairly long, but this whole thing was to say that I have new goal, and that is to become as informed about tea as I am about coffee (that ain't much, I'm not trying to say I have all of the answers, but I want them !)
I also employ anyone who reads this, inquire from your barista of choice, why they do what they do. You may be surprised that they would really like to have a conversation about coffee. If they've been doing coffee for more than a year chances are they like to talk about coffee, or better, a certain coffee that they had in the past, that sold them on what coffee could be, kind of which coffee was the perfect sales pitch for them. Be ware though, it's not a short conversation.
I want to find people like this in the tea world, I have one friend/ co-worker, that is like this, and she kind of sparked this.
Challenge: Ask any professional, what their favorite part of their job is, and then ask a seasoned barista what their favorite coffee is. Then sit back and compare the answers, and you may get to see some of the passion that we in this really nerdy industry carry, and maybe you'll pick up some of that passion. That's what we all want anyway.
bye
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Summertime @TheDarkFowl (tweet it y'all)
It is a interesting thing, management that is.
Since last post, i have been busy about the work that I mentioned in a prior post. The work that I had no idea existed until fell on me with much the same weight of a wrecking ball mid swing.
Blackbird Coffee has become a deep passion, and my bosses have started to verbalize their recognition of this development.
To date, there are no evaluation forms for this tiny shop that is slowly approaching artisan status, at least that's what we are shooting for; there is also no training manual, or no procedure manual, and until about 3 months ago there was no pre-typed application. This is by no means a knock to the past management at Blackbird, the years that we do have under our collective belt have been nothing short of a learning experience; a learning experience that we all feel and hope will not come to completion any time soon, but that we will continue to develop and further; changing from first points of education to a mastering of skills.
As of this week and the past months work, I have successfully created a printable application, and have finished an in depth outline for our evaluation sheets; I am also working on new recipe sheet formats and a training manual.
Tomorrow I get to go to an Espresso Lab in Atlanta. I called today, last minute to see if there was still room and, randomly enough, I turned out to be the only one that was wanting to sign up for the class. I talked to Rob Tuttle (www.everythingcoffee-tea.com) for a bit, and I have to be in Atlanta from 9 - 5 tomorrow; I can't really believe how excited I am right now. This is the first time that I have had any legitimate instruction since entering the coffee world with the exception of a little time hanging out with Jason Dominy (http://www.dilworthcoffee.com).
So, to understate it I have been hella busy here lately.
On a more personal note:
I'll be moving in about 2 weeks into a new apt. with a barista/ musician friend.
Music is interesting right now. I've decided to take a little time off from tying to right for performance, and simply shoot for going back to learning to write good songs. I used to be decent at this, but in joining other bands, and not be a part of the major song writing, I didn't continue honing that skill, and have drastically backpedaled. I also feel as though my interests have changed quite a bit since those days. So I will still be playing music with friends, and on stage with them, I look forward to reworking and writing new material for the world, or (and probably more honestly my family and nice friends).
I date this girl, she pretty much rules (<- biased) :)
I want to make my own caramel.
I am currently walking up the torrential downpour stricken, muddy, gooey, slip 'n slide 'esque - hill known as QUITTING SMOKING. I hate doing this, every time I have tried before I have face planted on every attempt, but I really want this.
Hang-ups are as follows: I love the taste, I work in coffee (everyone here does this...worldwide), I play music (no real description need here, go hang out with a struggling musician), and I will be living with a smoker. Life is not easy though.
Werd.
That's this for now.
Peace and love. Make coffee not war,
Chris
Since last post, i have been busy about the work that I mentioned in a prior post. The work that I had no idea existed until fell on me with much the same weight of a wrecking ball mid swing.
Blackbird Coffee has become a deep passion, and my bosses have started to verbalize their recognition of this development.
To date, there are no evaluation forms for this tiny shop that is slowly approaching artisan status, at least that's what we are shooting for; there is also no training manual, or no procedure manual, and until about 3 months ago there was no pre-typed application. This is by no means a knock to the past management at Blackbird, the years that we do have under our collective belt have been nothing short of a learning experience; a learning experience that we all feel and hope will not come to completion any time soon, but that we will continue to develop and further; changing from first points of education to a mastering of skills.
As of this week and the past months work, I have successfully created a printable application, and have finished an in depth outline for our evaluation sheets; I am also working on new recipe sheet formats and a training manual.
Tomorrow I get to go to an Espresso Lab in Atlanta. I called today, last minute to see if there was still room and, randomly enough, I turned out to be the only one that was wanting to sign up for the class. I talked to Rob Tuttle (www.everythingcoffee-tea.com) for a bit, and I have to be in Atlanta from 9 - 5 tomorrow; I can't really believe how excited I am right now. This is the first time that I have had any legitimate instruction since entering the coffee world with the exception of a little time hanging out with Jason Dominy (http://www.dilworthcoffee.com).
So, to understate it I have been hella busy here lately.
On a more personal note:
I'll be moving in about 2 weeks into a new apt. with a barista/ musician friend.
Music is interesting right now. I've decided to take a little time off from tying to right for performance, and simply shoot for going back to learning to write good songs. I used to be decent at this, but in joining other bands, and not be a part of the major song writing, I didn't continue honing that skill, and have drastically backpedaled. I also feel as though my interests have changed quite a bit since those days. So I will still be playing music with friends, and on stage with them, I look forward to reworking and writing new material for the world, or (and probably more honestly my family and nice friends).
I date this girl, she pretty much rules (<- biased) :)
I want to make my own caramel.
I am currently walking up the torrential downpour stricken, muddy, gooey, slip 'n slide 'esque - hill known as QUITTING SMOKING. I hate doing this, every time I have tried before I have face planted on every attempt, but I really want this.
Hang-ups are as follows: I love the taste, I work in coffee (everyone here does this...worldwide), I play music (no real description need here, go hang out with a struggling musician), and I will be living with a smoker. Life is not easy though.
Werd.
That's this for now.
Peace and love. Make coffee not war,
Chris
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
the 20/20 over my shoulder
Undoubtedly I have neglected this little clipboard of my thoughts for the better part of the last few months. Funny how we can start things off with such vigor and zeal and then along the way forget the location of the logs that keep the fire going....
I recently discovered just how much grace I have been given by bosses of the course of the past year. Blackbird can be a Thanksgiving Day plate of food.....every single day, but then again what other management role isn't?
When I came back I thought I had a big "S" on my chest and a bright red cape on my back. I didn't realize the hard work that my bosses had been putting into their coffee shop, I completely missed that. This is a tough industry to introduce into an unknowing market, and they had not given up, rather they were getting a little weary, I was the rookie just up from the minors, that they were placing trust in. I walked out onto the field and fumbled around like I'd never played before, did some things right, and ultimately came out average. The greatest part of this is that my bosses didn't give up, they put me in my place, and even though we don't exactly agree on everything, things have started improving. Seeing their appetite for success, specific success, helped me see what I could and still can learn.
This post is a is in complete apology and gratitude towards Jimmy and Iona. I am a barista because of the shop that you were a part of starting and have found an industry I want to be a part of for the rest of my life because of the shop that you now run, with a little help.
Also, this is not a sad post, quite the opposite. I just felt as though these things needed to be said.
I look forward to the future of Blackbird coffee, and what I will do with what I learn from this experience, no matter what that means. Thanks, both of you.
Peace, love, and coffee,
Chris
I recently discovered just how much grace I have been given by bosses of the course of the past year. Blackbird can be a Thanksgiving Day plate of food.....every single day, but then again what other management role isn't?
When I came back I thought I had a big "S" on my chest and a bright red cape on my back. I didn't realize the hard work that my bosses had been putting into their coffee shop, I completely missed that. This is a tough industry to introduce into an unknowing market, and they had not given up, rather they were getting a little weary, I was the rookie just up from the minors, that they were placing trust in. I walked out onto the field and fumbled around like I'd never played before, did some things right, and ultimately came out average. The greatest part of this is that my bosses didn't give up, they put me in my place, and even though we don't exactly agree on everything, things have started improving. Seeing their appetite for success, specific success, helped me see what I could and still can learn.
This post is a is in complete apology and gratitude towards Jimmy and Iona. I am a barista because of the shop that you were a part of starting and have found an industry I want to be a part of for the rest of my life because of the shop that you now run, with a little help.
Also, this is not a sad post, quite the opposite. I just felt as though these things needed to be said.
I look forward to the future of Blackbird coffee, and what I will do with what I learn from this experience, no matter what that means. Thanks, both of you.
Peace, love, and coffee,
Chris
Sunday, February 15, 2009
spent like brewed bean would be
So today I finished a whirlwind of a weekend that put my Sweetwater stress levels to trial. I covered quit a few shifts this weekend for those that wanted to do the V-day thing (this is not me complaining, I'm happy for those that enjoy that day.....), to be exact I worked a total of 27 hours over the course of 2.5 days. It was good to be back hard at work, sometimes when pulling regular shifts each week I forget how chill of a job this can be. Friday, started the whole deal, working from 6am until 5pm, at the end of this shift I was surprisingly energetic, but this was mostly due to the fact I was doing two pretty awesome things:
awesome thing #1: going to one of my favorite retreat spots- Octane Coffee in Atlanta
awesome thing #2: getting to see John Fogleman compete in a latte art competition
forgotten about awesome thing #3: I got to have a beer at a coffee shop
This is one of my favorite places to have a beer or a glass of wine simply because we baristi are, although we usually refuse to admit it, slightly if not sometimes extremely snobby about what we involve ourselves with. If you want an opinion, stop by your locally owned coffee shop and bring up music, cigarettes, or beverage choice, and chances you'll get an interesting answer about some obscure band that only five people have heard of eventhough it's been around for like thre years, be informed about a cigarette that just got imported from London, or the best coffee, beer or wine that we may have "just run out of but if you're ever lucky enough, you should try it" I say all of this in a joking manner but I love this life, my life that is, that I choose, that I love. the same life that chose to take on the hella-huge workload this weekend.
After Atlanta, I slept the way back to Milly and awoke just as we pulled into my driveway. Enter double day number two...Ahem:
Saturday, V-day, Feliz dia de San Valentin <-------yeah whatever, hooray!!!
Anyway, I actually called go in and didn't come until 8 this day, thanks Josh and B. Curry for allowing me to get some extra sleep. Bee tee dubs Britters is doing a great job, for those wondering. Anyway, at the end of the first shift I realized that I was working the second double by myself, crap, that was tough <--- and that is an understatement, but the tips were nice thanks to all contributors. At the end of this day it was a night out with the crew of people that have become my non-related family, a huge group of singles, and some not so singles enjoying the company of one another over darts and other add-ons.
Skip to this morning, because that's pretty much what my memory allows, beginning off the last shift of the weekend. 7am until 2pm, good times with Hague on his last shift at the bird:
this picture came when I searched Micheal Hague in Google images.
All in all this has been a long eyeopening weekend, and although I do not plan on working like this again for a while, it was nice to realize my abilities by actually using them, instead of just saying or thinking that I could. Hope you all have a great week this week.
Peace love and coffee <----lame, but deal with it, out!
Chris
awesome thing #1: going to one of my favorite retreat spots- Octane Coffee in Atlanta
awesome thing #2: getting to see John Fogleman compete in a latte art competition
forgotten about awesome thing #3: I got to have a beer at a coffee shop
This is one of my favorite places to have a beer or a glass of wine simply because we baristi are, although we usually refuse to admit it, slightly if not sometimes extremely snobby about what we involve ourselves with. If you want an opinion, stop by your locally owned coffee shop and bring up music, cigarettes, or beverage choice, and chances you'll get an interesting answer about some obscure band that only five people have heard of eventhough it's been around for like thre years, be informed about a cigarette that just got imported from London, or the best coffee, beer or wine that we may have "just run out of but if you're ever lucky enough, you should try it" I say all of this in a joking manner but I love this life, my life that is, that I choose, that I love. the same life that chose to take on the hella-huge workload this weekend.
After Atlanta, I slept the way back to Milly and awoke just as we pulled into my driveway. Enter double day number two...Ahem:
Saturday, V-day, Feliz dia de San Valentin <-------yeah whatever, hooray!!!
Anyway, I actually called go in and didn't come until 8 this day, thanks Josh and B. Curry for allowing me to get some extra sleep. Bee tee dubs Britters is doing a great job, for those wondering. Anyway, at the end of the first shift I realized that I was working the second double by myself, crap, that was tough <--- and that is an understatement, but the tips were nice thanks to all contributors. At the end of this day it was a night out with the crew of people that have become my non-related family, a huge group of singles, and some not so singles enjoying the company of one another over darts and other add-ons.
Skip to this morning, because that's pretty much what my memory allows, beginning off the last shift of the weekend. 7am until 2pm, good times with Hague on his last shift at the bird:
this picture came when I searched Micheal Hague in Google images.All in all this has been a long eyeopening weekend, and although I do not plan on working like this again for a while, it was nice to realize my abilities by actually using them, instead of just saying or thinking that I could. Hope you all have a great week this week.
Peace love and coffee <----lame, but deal with it, out!
Chris
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