Well, it’s official, my article for Barista Magazine is now online. I’ve been an avid reader of it for years and I’m so happy to be published by them in conjunction with the launch of the roastery.
Speaking of which, things are finally coming together. Ordering the chimney for the roaster was a 3 week ordeal by the time we figured out everything we need. Positive pressure double walled venting isn’t a normal item around these parts. In addition to being incredibly expensive, it also has a 4 week build time. In the end, other things have not progressed as
fast as I would like but we are looking good for opening the first week of March.
Last week we took down the wall between the two principal rooms in our space. A huge floor radiator came out to make way for a pair of industrial doors where our coffees and customers will enter. Subfloor was laid to make way for tiles that will come in a couple weeks. Electrical will get started and the first coat of primer is
on. Even more exciting is that the Diedrich, which has been spending the last 3 months in a green house, is making its way down in a couple days. I’ll be spending at least a couple days cleaning it, installing a manometer, adding a light kit from Diedrich above the trier and likely installing an extra thermocouple into the drum.
On another note, through some luck and good karma (after volunteering our pourover station at a fundraiser and giving away a coffee for a year auction item), we received a design package from a big design firm in Toronto. We asked them to help us design our bags. They were really excited by the project and presented us with 4 options last week. We have narrowed it down to two, each with a very different approach. Once we decide we’ll be sure to post a preview. Also look for a redesign on our logo.
Filed under: barista, coffee, cupping, espresso, roasting | Tags: cupping, Dark Horse Espresso, Hanks, Momi, roasting
We’ll get back to the roadtrip with the roaster again soon. But first, I had the pleasure of stopping in at Dark Horse Espresso Bar the other day to cup with one of my favorite baristas, Momi (look halfway down on the link). I brought in samples I was evaluating sent to me from Cafe Imports in Minneapolis.
I’m a big fan of bright coffees, Ethiopians, high grown Centrals, but every once in a while I like a nice easy drinking cup. I had tried a couple great Mexican coffees on my travels down in The States and wanted to add a nice one to the inventory when we FINALLY fire up the roaster.
What I originally thought would be just Momi and I turned into an impromptu public cupping. Max from Hank’s on Church stopped in and another barista from Montreal named Sameer happened to be in house. First off, I should mention that I wasn’t quite happy with my roasting of these samples. I had put a smaller charge into my sample roaster than I normally would and at the end of the roast, the coffee seemed to get away on me a bit. I also took them a bit darker than I normally would, closer to a full city roast instead of a city roast. I had cupped production roasts at Stumptown and was experimenting with going a bit darker in this exercise. Oh well, lesson learned. 
We cupped a Tanzanian Peaberry, Washed Congo, a few natural Sidamos including one from only red cherries, a Columbian Supremo, and 3 different Mexicans. Even through the roastiness, some of the coffees that stood out were the Peaberry, the Sidamo from red cherries, the Colombian, and one of the Mexicans. The day after cupping at DH, I ended up reroasting the samples to my usual city roast and found the peaberry to have an apple crisp type quality. The Sidamo had heaps of beautiful red fruit with an interesting bit of bergamot you’d expect from a Yirgacheffe. The Colombian was easy drinking and paired really nicely on the Chemex with some coconut cupcakes my wife made. And finally, the Mexican was really great, huge body, with chocolate and rich cashew nuttiness. Unfortunately, the Congo was a bit of a disappointment at both roast levels. Next samples to roast…dare I say it, DECAF! Cheers.
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