1/14/09
SUNDAY SNOWY SUNDAY
It was snowy on Sunday, January 11, 2009, and one of the slower days I have worked cause everyone was shoveling out in the morning. When I arrived to Taste Clare had set up the Bar again, but the shots were tasting the same way when I came in the day before. So we reviewed the lessons from the day previous. It reminded me that proper execution of espresso is a unique craft and is something that, although is not terribly difficult, requires a constant revisiting of training and technique troubleshooting before one is able to self assess what changes their own routine needs before it becomes just that, routine. The trick is to never settle or become complacent with your skill, always pushing to be better, without becoming over the top. Again if you just become mechanical about doing exactly the same thing you did when you pulled that one really good shot, that one time back in the day, every time and pulling to specs more than to taste, then you are missing the mark. Clare is a good sport and everyone on the team is very respectful with each other with coaching and feedback, even if it doesn't sound like it at times when we are joking. We worked together, reviewed and she tried again correcting the problem. Again, the shots weren't bad they just did not reach their greatest potential, and we are always learning in effort to improve what we do. I have recently been retraining as well to better my shot quality/consistency, and to do this in a rush all while maintaining a clean bar. If you have ever come in on a Saturday morning/ afternoon, or during a consistently busy espresso rush you may notice coffee grinds, water, milk, and chocolate kicked around like it was confetti. Cleaning or even a simple wiping down the counter suddenly takes the back seat to getting everyone the perfect drink in as timely a manner as possible. So the goal was to reassess my method for cleaning as I go. Nik was glad to help giving me some suggestions as to where to place towels in the work flow in order to maintain speed, quality , and cleanliness. The battle with espresso is not only that it wants to taste bad, but that it wants to be messy, and a good barista will fight, and fight I will and you can bet I'll win too. By the end of the weekend I had made dramatic improvements and the bar was spotless most of the day while quality and speed were maintained. As in any war though, victory is short lived before a new battle arises and it is a dedicated barista who will step up his/her game every time, never satisfied, and always proactive in their endeavor to perfect their craft. One only hopes said barista has fun doing it cause lord knows it isn't a lifestyle choice. Guess I'm a sucker for a good cup! Hope you are too, here's to ya and hope you all had as much fun drinking this weekend as I did preparing. I can't wait to do it all again real soon I hope you'll be there, See you all Thursday!
Logan Hudson, January 14, 2009
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