Mary Restaurant

Firing the conchas on the plancha.

The first time I told my friend from Argentina that I liked conchas, he started laughing hysterically. Evidently in Argentina, conchas mean something completely different than the sugar-topped pan dulce they are in Mexico.

So when Paola asked me if I would like to eat conchas here in El Salvador, I wasn't quite sure what she was asking me. Did she know of my fondness for Mexican conchas from this blog? Or somehow know about my fondness of Argentinian conchas? I was afraid to ask!


Ingredients for the pupusas.

Turns out here in El Salvador, conchas are little, tiny shellfish - mollusk type creatures. For awhile, I though she meant conch (which I am fond of) but she described it as small, which eliminated the conch.

High above San Salvador and up a windy, switchback road is the restaurant known as Mary. Famous for their pupusas of cheese and frijoles refritos, they are also known for the special way they prepare conchas. In garlic and butter and cooked on top of a plancha.


A plateful of conchas with ajo and butter.

As the plateful (the first of multiples) landed on our table, I knew exactly what these little conchas were. In Hawaii, we call them 'Opihi and eat them raw. Delicious and salty little mollusks that cling to surf rocks and must be harvested by hand. I did a little harvesting when I lived in Honolulu - it's difficult but rewarding work.

And these conchas were delicious. Paola is wildly enthusiastic about the conchas and now we know why. Flavored with garlic and butter, they're placed on a hot plancha where they cook until they boil off. The texture is tender and chewy with just a hint of salt and the rich buttery goodness of garlic. Unbelievable. We consumed a good four platters of conchas.


Oooh, la la!

Next up, were the pupusas. Balls of maseca with refried beans and cheese rolled out flat and cooked on the plancha. Tasty and boiling hot. Top with some spicy pickled vegetables and salsa rojo and you've got a messy but tasty meal. Guzzle down some beer (or in my case Coke Zero) and you're really living up high above San Salvador.


Pupusas!


< Pickled veggies and salsa rojo.



Camilo, Diego and Paola discuss the finer points of Conchas.

Eating Loroco

Fresh Loroco and Paola - in the grocery section!

Perusing the aisles of the local supermarket, I spied a bag of tortilla chips and asked Paola what she thought of them. Good, but only with dip. Hmmm, maybe that can of Frito-Lay Nacho Cheese dip but that seemed a bit wrong when in a place such as El Salvador. Paola's answer: Loroco Sour Cream dip.

Loroco? What is this Loroco? No one seemed to know. But here in El Salvador, it's wildly popular and they even sell it in the vegetable section. A visit to Wikipedia was sure to identify it as something well-known in America, but no - nada. Just some herb that's popular in this part of the world.



Loroco dip - pretty darn good.

In the dip, it's oddly familiar and quite tasty. In fact, I scarfed down half the tub and half the bag of chips. Paired with Coke Zero and it's a snacktime winner.

But I still have not real concept of what this Loroco really is...

Heat, Humidity and the Traveling Pants

Freshly washed, softened and ironed jeans ready for San Salvador.

Growing up in America, I'm predisposed to one particular item of clothing: shorts. In what I can only surmise is one of the greatest sartorial passions that our nation has produced (along with t-shirts), a pair of shorts is both comfortable and an expression of freedom.

The problem is that when you wear shorts in most countries outside of North America, you're instantly pegged as a tourist, and perhaps as "one of those people we don't want to associate with."

Travel to most any country in the world, wear shorts and the locals will think you're an "American" or worse: "Australian" - and God Forbid they might think you're English (especially if you're in Eastern Spain). Beyond the general disdain you'll feel in these nations, you'll also become a beacon for any and every kind of hawker, con artist and hustler that preys on unsuspecting tourists.

The one universal that seems to placate most every society is surprisingly another of America's great contributions to sartorial desires: the denim jean. Jeans are ubiquitous throughout the world. They're always in fashion and can even be worn to fancy restaurants (if you're part of the right crowd). Some countries demand that you iron and press your jeans with sharp creases (that's how they tell you apart in the Philippines) and you'll be chastised by your friends if your jeans are wrinkly.

The difficult part, for an American like myself, is that these tend to be nations where the weather seldom drops below 75F. Regardless of temperature, humidity or general weather conditions, these people believe it to be de rigueur to wear jeans (or long trousers) at all times. Shorts are to be left to those less than desirable types: poor urban youth or tourists.

So whether I find myself in Central America, Africa, South America, SouthEast Asia or whatever country that finds it necessary to hit me with 90 degree weather and 100% humidity, I'm resigned to going with the locals and donning my jeans to try to fit in with the local culture. Lest I desire to be marked as a tourist and meet all sorts of tomfoolery up and including kidnapping, ransom and extortion.

Of course, no matter how I may try to blend in, there's always something else that gives me away as a foreigner: fabric softener. But that's a tale for another day...

Running With The Shadows Of The Night

As the minivan lurches forward through the darkened highway, I notice the silhouette of my driver, Pablo's crewcut. He's chatting in rapid fire Spanish about the distance to San Salvador and I'm reminded that my Espanol no es muy bien.

It's scene that's both familiar and comfortable to me. Darkened roadways punctuated by the dim illumination of florescent lighting from the houses, slow-moving (or warp speed nearing) cargo trucks and the occasional group of locals walking along in the darkness. It's my first time to El Salvador and Pablo is gunning away at the engine and in Spanish. I think about asking him to slow down but ask him about midday traffic instead.

My seatbelt doesn't lock so I'm facing near certain doom or dismemberment if we crash into that crane truck lumbering in the right lane. It's 40 kilometers from the airport to the city - a city wrapped in heat and a touch of humidity. Stepping off the plane reminded me of arrivals in both Manila and Honolulu.

Inside the van, the A/C is blistering cold. I want to ask Pablo lower the fan speed but I don't know how. The cold air blows across my chest, threatening pneumonia. I adjust the vents away from my body and now they blow on my head.

Life is a blur when you travel. No matter how far, how long and how painful, travel always seems to be a sort of suspended animation. Ten hours ago, I was in cold Baltimore. Now I'm in a cold Toyota van where I've suddenly come to fear sickness more than at home!

2E - CO 828

Reason I Love Travel #2364

Jumping Seats On CO727

The Beauty Of Winter Travel

Dressing Safely

Once again, it's time to jet off to some distant land for yet another coffee trip. This time I'll be traveling from a place of cold to a place of warmth. They say it's pushing 90F in San Salvador and I'm still freezing my butt off in Baltimore.

These kinds of trips make it a bit harder for me to prepare. When traveling within the same climate, things are easy - just pack whatever you would normally wear. But when traveling between extremes, one can get caught up. Don't check the weather reports and you could end up in Central America with wools and heavy clothing. Or, as I discovered in Europe after two weeks in Africa, you could end up in a snowstorm with only a light jacket and t-shirts (or traditional African tribal wear).

This time, I made sure to double-check the weather forecast. Supposedly, there's a ninety degree week ahead of me, and even though I was basking in 75F weather in Mexico City two weeks ago, it's hard to get a grasp of 90F when you're mired in -8C environments.

What to wear? What to wear? Shorts? In Latin America that's a dead giveaway that you're a tourist and should be left to tourist beach resorts. Everybody wears jeans, so in they go. Since we're judging, trousers are a must. So too are collared shirts. And neckties. Might as well toss in a sports coat, but also slippers for lounging around the pool and hotel lobby.

Oh well, time to depart for the airport for another opportunity to have my cock jerked off by some TSA officer - at least they wear latex gloves for safety...

Enjoy!

Swag Elite Lancero, Dunhill Ultimate Cigar Lighter and a Diet Coke.

After running around the city this morning picking various things that the shops needed, I ended up at home planning on sitting down to watch the movie Red and finishing up tidying about the house. That's when I realized that: A)the sun was out, B)it's pretty warm outside, and C)this would be a perfect time to enjoy a cigar outside, in the middle of winter, without the need to haul out the propane heaters and/or build a fire.

Stay in the house or smoke outside? How could I resist? From the humidor, grabbed that Swag Elite Lancero that Hank, the Oliveros rep gave me yesterday to try and a bottle of Diet Coke and all is well. The Elite smoked brilliantly with good body, full flavor and a warming buzz in the mid-winter sunshine.

Now all I needed was a fine Latina by my side to make the day complete...

Weekend DF

The Roxy Especial at Neveria Roxy.

With an order of coffee for the first Competencia Mexicana de Catacion on the shipping boards at Spro, I figured it would be easier to deliver it myself than to ship FedEx and deal with all the export/import forms and insurance/tax hassles. On top of delivering coffee, I might find myself with a fun weekend to engage the city once again.

I'm not in much of a mood to write a lot right now, but here's a glimpse of my weekend activities!


Taco de Chicalada at Escandon's El Progreso.


Chilaquiles Verde at El Bajio.


Engaging in a little black market currency.


Pechuga de Guajolote at Enrico Olvera's Pujol.


Platano con Queso Brocheta at Sushi Kom.


During the touristy thing at the Monumento a la Revolucion.


The Good Life - friends, shoe shine, nice threads and a warm day.


Adriana and Hector eating tacos al pastor at Latosos.

The View from 3B

CO President's Club IAH - Nice!

IAH: The Heart of Continental

Seems Like The Only Plane In The World

One Fine Day

A Quiet Life

Jeremy, Devlin and Martin manning the bar.

I'm sitting here in the main room at Spro watching the action. The tables in the front are filled, one table (of two) in the back are filled and a steady stream of guests come in and out as the morning gets busier.

What I notice most is the happy banter of friends from the tables. Everything else is quiet. The three baristas working the bar (Jeremy, Devlin & Martin) work quietly and efficiently. They greet customers, answer questions and quietly communicate amongst each other. Their movements are calculated and anticipatory of each other. Without realizing it, their dance has begun and it's a brilliant moment.

As the guest count increases, they must keep track not only of the guests standing in front of them waiting for their orders but they're also keeping track of which guest receives what item wherever they decided to sit.

For me it's actually thrilling to watch. It's a ballet. The quiet concentration, the focus, the passion. Amazing and I'm very proud of their work.

Hours pass and the intensity remains. The service level is friendly and welcoming. Comfortable without being overtly familiar.

It's really what I always hoped for at Spro.

Roaster, Will Travel

Mystique Toro

The Old Toro and The Road.

I'm hitting the road with cigar in hand. This time it's the Hugo Cassar Mystique Toro that I purchased in March 1998 at the old Don Pablo Smoke Shop, Aloha Tower in Honolulu. Since that time it's been aging in my humidor - for nearly thirteen years.

The Mystique was a curious cigar when it was released, featuring a candy cane dual wrapper it attracted quite a bit of attention back then. I remember it being a decent cigar. Nothing amazing, just decent.

Sometimes, with aging, you discover something fantastic. Something amazing. Aging cigars is a gamble. Lay down a box of Paul Garmirian cigars and you're almost guaranteed ecstasy over the long term. Other cigars, like the Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Fuente, in its cedar wrapper, tend to give off explosive spicy notes over time.

As with any gambling endeavor, sometimes you go bust. Sadly, this was one of those times. After many years aging, the Mystique has faded into a musty and unremarkable cigar. A shame and a difficult companion to pass the hours on the road away.

Sad.

So Happy I Could Die

Gaga from the floor of the Mediolanum Forum.

Back when I was going out to concerts, cameras and recording devices were banned and confiscated. To get the snaps we did of Madonna during the Like A Virgin Tour, we had to smuggle in a Canon AE-1 SLR and 200mm zoom lens, pop it out, shoot quickly and then hide it before one of the security people caught us. To get decent photos and/or recording of a favorite concert was pretty difficult.

So, as I was heading to Assago for the Lady Gaga concert last month, I wondered just how the scene would be - would I have to smuggle my camera in? With the plethora of camera phones and HD phone cams, why do they even bother writing "Cameras and recording devices prohibited" on the tickets? Just in case, I loaded up my trusty Canon SD790IS with an emptt 4GB SD card, just in case.

But not to worry. Once inside the Mediolanum Forum, everyone and their mother (literally) had their cameras, video cameras and phones out snapping away and recording the entire concert for personal posterity. I only wish I had brought my 16GB SD card.

In the days of Duran Duran's Sing Blue Silver Tour (which my mom would not allow me to attend and has scarred me for life), the audience carried lighters to illuminate the darkness. Today, the lighter has been replaced by the cell phone screen. A curious and interesting twist in these days when smokers are relegated to criminality.

The beauty of this constant need to record one's life and post it to the Internet also means that you can get a glimpse of the very same concert you saw from different seats in the arena. Want to know what the view was from the floor in front of the stage? YouTube. The cheap seats? YouTube. The seats of those people who spent inordinate amounts of money on "VIP Access"? They've posted their videos too.

And it's not some video from another show that will remind you of your experience. It's the very same show from a completely different view. With a little creative downloading and editing, you might just be able to recreate your concert from different camera angles.

Of course, the difficult part is that these are videos shot by regular people on regular phones (albeit some are HD phones) without understanding of framing, composition and/or sound. Meaning that the camera work is shaky and the audio garbled at times. Not perfect, but a good way to remember the concert.

Which is what I did all last night during the snowfall. Instead of doing something productive, I watched YouTube videos of the Lady Gaga Concert at the Mediolanum Forum in Assago, Italy on December 5, 2010 all night long. GaGa, Oh, La, La!

Christmas In January

I love you, Mrs. Hanes!

After a very good and productive staff meeting that shut down Spro Hampden for the afternoon, Molly came by with a Christmas gift for me in tow. That was very nice and unexpected of her. And with the snow falling, very apropos.

The gift was a couple items from her home town, Winston-Salem. A porcelain coffee mug inscribed with the famous sights of Winston-Salem and a bag of Mrs. Hanes Moravian "Sugar Crisps" Cookies. Evidently, Mrs. Hanes is as famous in Winston-Salem as Otterbein's is in Baltimore. They're unique and a hallmark of Winston-Salem. I cautiously tried one.

Holy crap. They're absolutely brilliant! Light, perfectly crisp, evenly thin and just the right sweetness. I want to make some coffee or tea to enjoy with the cookies but I can't stop. They're delicious. Sugar cookie perfection. I'm a fan. A raving fan.

I can't stop eating them. As I'm writing this, my 226 gram bag is nearly half empty. I'm plowing through the cookies - they're that good!

Thank you Molly for bringing me a taste of the South.

A Merry Christmas indeed.

Hampden Kitchen

Ready for operation.

Top Coffees of 2010

One of the benefits of operating a company whose model is to procure coffees from a variety of sources is that I get to taste a wide variety of coffees - certainly wider than if we followed the traditional model of exclusivity. Here's a list of some of the best coffees I've tasted in 2010. For the most part, the descriptions are as they appeared on our menus throughout 2010. Most of them are no longer available.

Michicha Natural - Sidama, Ethiopia
A harmonius balance of exotic fruits, such as mango, papaya and lime with hints of lemon strawberry with a ketchup-y sweet flavor and medium body.
Imported by Samuel Demisse and roasted by Counter Culture - in the Eva Solo.

Bufcafe - Zirikana, Rwanda
From a country transforming right before us comes this wonderful coffee filled with notes of peach nectar and grapes with tart lime acididty.
Roasted by Intelligentsia - in the Eva Solo.

Honey Michicoy - Guatemala
Notes of honey & maple syrup with bing cherries, blackberries and apple rounds with buttery caramel and cocoa for a refreshing warm weather sipper.
Roasted by Barefoot Coffee - in the Chemex.

San Vicente Micro Lot - Honduras
From the famed Pena Blanca comes this exquisitely complex coffee with characters of sage, hops and citrus peel aromatics, and a lively grapefruit acidity with tingling mouthfeel and a brisk finish.
Roasted by Origins Organic Coffee - in the Cold Drip Tower.

Aida's Grand Reserve 2009 - El Salvador
Widely celebrated as our $13 cup of coffee, this one brought us to CNN.com back in April. A monster coffee filled with tropical fruit fragrances and aromas of cinnamon bun and logan berries. Medium bodied with notes of citrus, spice and raisin, with nuts and apple cider on the finish.
Roasted by Counter Culture Coffee - in the Vac Pot.

Fully Washed Yirgacheffe - Ethiopia
A great exemplar of the very best washed coffee from the Yirgacheffe region. Incredibly aromatic, full of floral notes and bergamot, and in the cup sweet limes and honey, a soft cardamom note with a light, tea-like mouthfeel.
Roasted by Square Mile Coffee - in the Vac Pot.

Finca Vista Hermosa - Guatemala
One of our favorite coffees in the world produced by Edwin Martinez, the FVH is smooth & full-bodied with flavors of caramel, brown sugar, figs, warming spices, apples and bittersweet chocolate. This coffee develops notes of juicy grapefruit as it cools.
Roasted by Barefoot Coffee - in the Eva Solo.

Coope Dota - Costa Rica
Founded in 1960 in the Terrazu region with a focus on microlot coffees, this coffee is lively and balanced with the sweetness of Rainier cherries, orange-lemon citrus body and pleasant notes of toffee and nougat on the finish.
Roasted by Ecco Caffe - in the Chemex.

Santa Barbara Estate - Brazil
Starting off with aromas of tangerine and brown sugar is this immense coffee from World Barista Champion Tim Wendelboe of Norway. Smooth with subtle flavors of blueberry oatmeal, egg custard, brown sugar and cloves that ends with a calming, buttery finish.
Roasted by Tim Wendelboe Coffee - in the Vac Pot.

Finca Kilimanjaro - El Salvador
A new arrival from Aida Batlle and her Finca Kilimanjaro demonstrates comforting aromas of spiced apple cider and vanilla that gives way to notes of strawberry and red grapes. Offered in August as part of our "A Taste of Aida" series where the guest could sample head-to-head the Kilimanjaro from Stumptown versus the Finca Mauritania from Counter Culture.
Roasted by Stumptown Coffee Roasters - in the Eva Solo.

Yirgacheffe Natural - Ethiopia
One of our most popular coffees that was offered both as a pour over and cold brew tower demonstrating bright citrus-like notes for a crisp, clean and enjoyable cup.
Roasted by Origins Organic Coffee - in the pour over & cold brew tower.

Thiriku - Nyeri, Kenya
Truth be told, I'm not really a fan of bright, acidic coffees. Give me fruit, give me nuts, give me chocolate and I'm a fan - bright, not so much. But pair this Thiriku with a strawberry tart and you begin to see possibilities with "coffee pairings." Absolutely stellar. Classically bright with full-bodied notes of citrus, honey and candied ginger comes this coffee from the foothills of Mount Kenya.
Roasted by Counter Culture - in the Chemex.

Amaro Gayo - Ethiopia
A Spro exclusive from the mind of roaster Paul Galvin - spicy and woody notes on the nose with warm graham cracker and blueberry flavors on the tongue. The coffee is a sensory sensation with notes of baking chocolate and an even finish.
Custom Roasted by Callao Coffee - in the Eva Solo.

Nigusie - Ethiopia
Beautiful aromas of grapefruit, golden raisins and black pepper start off the cup moving into flavors of graham crackers and chocolate pudding. From a wonderful small roaster in New Jersey, this cup finishes with notes of plums and dreams of fireside Christmas.
Roasted by OQ Coffee - in the Chemex.

Zone 10 - Wabi Sabi Series
A two bean blend of washed coffees delivering floral aromas with hints of plum and orange that moves to very soft and smooth notes of burnt sugar and caramel with a mellow citrus finish.
Roasted and Blended by barismo - espresso.

Hines Espresso
As it was in the beginning is now and forever shall be - perennially my favorite espresso blend, the Hines has always maintained its character of medium body, light fruitiness and notes of cacao with lingering nuttiness on the finish.
Roasted and Blended by Origins Organic Coffee - espresso.

2010 and Onwards

After a night of revelry into the wee hours of the morning there must be something wrong with me penning this post on New Year's Day, but I guess it's time for another one of those Year In Review things.

2010 was a pretty good year. A year with ups and downs. A year that started off in darkness. A year filled with challenges. Notably, it was a year that none of my friends passed away.

One year ago, I listed some "resolutions" and here is how I fared:

- Eat more. Yes.
- Drink more. Not really.
- Party more. Sometimes too much.
- Meet more women. As though it were a vengeance.
- Learn more. Check.
- Explore more. Check.
- Travel more. Check.
- Speak my mind more often. Too much.
- Love more. Finally.
- Return to Paris. Check.
- Return to Honolulu. Failed.
- Visit Spain. Failed.
- Seek more fortune. Check.
- Spread goodwill. Check.
- Meet more people. Check.
- Be a good uncle. Bad Uncle.

Here are some of the highlights (or lowpoints) of 2010.

In 2010:
- project hampden opened into Spro Hampden.
- we dazzled people with great coffee.
- I found myself with a group of great coffee people.
- I was mired in darkness during the first quarter.
- I finally dated someone that all my friends hated.
- I found out why - the hard way.
- I reconnected with someone from my past.
- I met my new niece.
- I partied again in L.A.
- I nearly got sucked into the lifestyle in L.A.
- I found that London is really kind of a "meh" city.
- I smoked great weed in Copenhagen.
- I experienced Europe via train.
- I cheated by going first class on the TGV.
- I joined a gym.
- I went once. In February.
- I've been thinking about going back.
- I cut my hair.
- I traveled to Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle.
- I realized that I follow too many coffee people on twitter.
- I finally started tweeting.
- I did not quit facebook.
- I finally got that HD camera I've been wanting.
- I did not make Mileage Plus Premier Executive.

Facing Forward
Now that it's 2011 it's time to think about the year ahead. Still so much to do and I think I'm in the years where the mid-life crisis is supposed to begin. So here are some of the things I would like to accomplish in 2011:

- Buy a Ferrari.
- Be an existent uncle.
- Travel more.
- Attain Premier Executive status again.
- Love more.
- Meet more people.
- Get to the gym more.
- Understand business better.
- Learn more.
- Return to Paris.
- Return to Manila.
- Don't get killed in the process.


Simple goals for the year ahead! Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Is That A Lightsaber???

These aren't the Weapons of Mass Destruction you're looking for.

I don't know how long it's going to be there, but on CNN.com
today is a photo captioned "Trouble In The Land Of Morning Calm" with silhouettes of three soldiers, one carrying what looks to be a lightsaber.

The Empire Has Landed?

You decide.

The Sound of Silence

For such a long time, there's been a low humming sound that has slowly been driving me crazy. And last night it finally got to me.

Unlike most people who simply go out and buy some sort of sound system for their computer, I've cobbled mine together from years of leftover equipment. From the computer (a ten year old Mac G4/500 dual processor) into a Numark PPD mixer that feeds to an Audio Source graphic equalizer to a Furman crossover that splits the signal into multiple amps that feed either a Toa concert subwoofer and Tannoy near-field reference studio monitors.

For such a simple setup, the sound is quite clean and the performance impressive. House shaking decibel levels are possible and when I pump up Nuttin' But A G Thang by Dr. Dre you can feel the bass hit your eardrums like a slug to your head...

The problem has been this incessant humming that I've noticed recently. Like most professionals I know, the home rig is always fraught with little bugs that never get resolved because most of the work is done in the real world and the home world is just a little less than perfect.

So rather than go through the system and debug, I've simply lived with it. Until this morning.

When it finally got to me and I started trying to isolate the source of the hum. Off went the Tannoys, off went the amp and the hum remained. Shut down the entire audio system and the hum remained. Now, it's getting irritating.

In the end, I discovered the incessant hum wasn't from the audio system - surprisingly, the system runs clean, it was from the ten year old Mac G4/500MP.

Unbelievable how loud that machine is. Time for a new one.

Miracle on 34th

Every year the denizens of 34th Street in Hampden join together to create Baltimore's Tour de Force in Christmas lighting. Every night from the Saturday following Thanksgiving through Christmas, the street is filled with lights and packed with people from all over the region coming to see what has been dubbed the "Miracle on 34th Street."

On the weekends, Hampden is crazy busy and parking gets a bit difficult. Luckily since Spro is just down the street, I'm already here, I've got a great parking spot and we can stroll along at our leisure.

Of course, it's blustery cold and by the time we've walked back I'm chilled to the core...

Alchemy on 36th

Molly with the mozzarella and tomato salad.

After many months of delays and frustrations, Debi finally opened her new restaurant on The Avenue: Alchemy. It's a cool space that I had toured during the buildout and now that it's finished it looks even better - especially the white ostrich leather banquettes - very sexy.

And after many days of waiting, Molly and I finally made it down to give it a try. I won't write much but the food was good, Nick our server was enthusiastic, the staff was friendly and everything went smoothly and tastily on a Friday night right before Christmas.

I'll let the pics do the talking.



Mojito Mussels - strange at first, then good. Very good - especially with the bread and butter.



Angelfire Chicken - spicy chicken perfectly cooked with a corn and tomato sauce.




Chicken and dumplings.


Alchemy on 36th
1011 West 36th Street
Baltimore, MD 21211
410-366-1163
www.alchemyon36.com

Intelligent v60???

Head-to-Head brewing: Intelli on the left, Spro on the right.

From what I've been told, the Fabulous LaTourell was in the house last Sunday while I was in Italy. He came by for a visit and brought along some lovely coffees from Intelligentsia and Coffee Collective for us to sample, and he offered a tutorial in v60 brewing: Intelli Style.

I've been a little critical lately of the way the v60 drip brewer has been implemented industry wide and I'm sure there's a little bit of a challenge to that position with David's visit. It's all good.


Spro Method grinds.

I'm not the sort of chap who really believes too much in his own dogma, so I'm willing to try other methodologies to see what kind of improvements to our product line we can deliver to our customers. Jeremy was working that day and was the beneficiary of the Intelligentsia tutorial.

With that in mind, we set off to do side-by-side brews with the v60 and see if one method was indeed "better" than the other. For this brew test, we used Stumptown's Colombia El Jordan, roasted on November 30, 2010 in New York City.

According to Stumptown's card: "Warm aromatics of nutmeg and cinnamon segue into mouth-watering flavors of satsuma orange and ripe blackberry which finish with notes of honey and brown sugar."

For this brew test, the coffee was ground using a Compak R80 grinder at the "30" grind setting and we used 24 grams of coffee to make a 12z cup.

According to Jeremy, the method prescribed by Intelligentsia is a finer grind with a 2z initial pour of water for a one minute bloom before adding an additional 12z of water and allowing it to flow naturally through the brewer. Total brew time for our test: two minutes and thirty seconds. Jeremy used a scale to measure the water volume.

On my side of the bar, I used the TruBru brewing stand and free poured the water. Starting off with roughly two ounces of water and a bloom time of 45 seconds, I then slow poured the water into the v60 brewer to control the flow rate with a target time betweem 3:30 and 4:00. Actual brew flow time for this test: 4:53 - I ended up pouring a bit slower than my target.


Intelli Method grinds.

In a side-by-side comparison, the Intelli Method produced a cup that was brighter and highlighted with bitter notes. The Spro Method demonstrated a cup with strong cocoa notes and no bitter/bright tones. For these variations, we preferred the Spro Method over the Intelli Method.

But David had told Jeremy that their method performed best at grinds finer than the typical drip setting, so we readjusted the grind to "25" and used up the last of the El Jordan to make an 8z cup, using the same Intelli Methodology and a finish brew time of two minutes.

Where the "30" cup of Intelli was bitter and acidic, the "25" setting dropped the bitters and really punched through with a nice acidity that was very reminiscent of citrus fruits. A nice cup but also a drastically different cup than the Spro Method.


The Three Finished Brews: Intelli "25", Intelli "30" and Spro "30".

Being someone who prefers chocolate and fruit toned coffees, I would prefer the Spro Method cup of the El Jordan, but this in no way dismisses the Intelli "25" brew. The Intelli "30" was definitely the least liked of the three, the remaining two were both good but quite different.

Here I think it is the difference that introduces the conundrum. So many of us in the business are hell-bent on demonstrating who/which is "right" and that others are "wrong." These two methods produced dramatically different results from exactly the same coffee. Both were tasty cups of coffee, so can either of them be truly "wrong"? I don't think so.

For me, this highlights something I've been thinking more about with the latest push in the industry for conformity and adherence to "acceptably right" brewing methods and refractometer readings - and that is, I want to find differences when I go to different coffee places. The fact that the Intelli Method and Spro Method produce dramatically different results in the cup from the same coffee is a desirable condition.

Both coffees were good and tasty, but were very different. This is to be celebrated because I would hope that our interpretation of the coffee is different than Intelligentsia's interpretation. I would find it a sad condition to travel all the way to Chicago or Los Angeles just to have a cup of the same old, same old coffee I can have at home. That would mean there is little to no difference between shops and that we have homogenous products. That would suck.

There's still more testing that can be done before anyone can draw any sort of conclusion but I'm enjoying drinking my rethinking on v60 brewing methods.