Training Day #1

So today was training day #1 at BJava(I have permission to mention the coffee house). Training is being done around my current work schedule, which is incredibly kind, and most unusual. So off the bat I appreciate it. How did it go?

I thought it went very well. The morning started with a Coffee 101 refresher, which I think sets the tone for how you train and understand what they do. We tend to think of coffee sometimes as this drink we simply enjoy, but you need to understand it is farmed, and the people who grow and harvest it work very hard, so you can enjoy that cup of joe.

The majority of my day was on espresso. I will always admit to not knowing something, and here is today's a-ha moment. I didn't realize espresso was a brewing method. Ok...all you coffee snobs out there can snicker. I get it. I thought it was a type of roast of a coffee, and we drink that coffee in tiny cups, made in a very hot and compressed manner. 

Once the process was demonstrated, my job was to make espresso. There I was grinding the coffee(sometimes too much, but hey, it's practice right?), I had to tamper the coffee into the thingy, or portafilter if you must. Then it was time to brew...this is the tricky part. 

As with all coffees, there is a look, a feel, a measurement, a color, a density, etc., into making a successful drink. My first effort was....well a first effort. Practice, they say makes perfect, so I did it again, and again, and again. Eventually I think I made a decent espresso for a first day. 

Next up - pour over. Right off the bat, if you want a fast cup of coffee, don't get a pour over. It can take 4-5 minutes to do this, and trust me, you can't rush it. Happy to say I did pretty well with that. 

Now you may ask, did I drink a lot of coffee today? Some. Like CoffeeCON, I drank enough to taste and compare, but not to just drink. 

The best part of the experience was the notion that I can experiment. With coffee you can be creative. This creativity happens at roasting, but it also happens in brewing. Chemex or Siphon? Drip or Pour Over? Do you add coffee, grind a bit differently, test what you can. You may create something special, or you may create a rotten cup of coffee that Circle K would be proud to serve. Once you have the basics, then you can stretch yourself and what you can do with coffee.

Good first day!

Charlie