The first week of “write everyday” went very well! I did some blogging, some journaling and some correspondence. I feel relieved that I was able to manage a week at work with writing everyday, and have fun while doing it! There are definitely some benefits to even writing a little bit each day. I have managed to inspire Ella- she is writing too! We currently have dueling Ipads going, each with our own mini keyboards wondering why our wrists are a little sore… I am also finding that journaling and thinking is doing my brain some good as well. Without the need to get ready for the Farm Store and Bakery each weekend, there is some down time to think of other things, begin planning for the farm, bakery and store for next year, and for just planning for LIFE in general. There is a kind of slowness that develops in the winter mornings. A wistful, vacation feel to the weekends now that does not exist during our busy times in the season. I am grateful for wandering winter walks, a second cup of coffee and taking it slow in the morning. For sure.
This week I wanted to blog about Espresso. Not only did I want to read up a little on the history of espresso, but I also wanted to start practicing making espresso, so thought blogging might be a nice way of pulling it all together. First, why espresso? Well, we want to add espresso and espresso drinks to the Farm Store coffee offerings. We gathered a number of new roasts from our favorite Rock City Coffee the last time we were in Maine, and we have been tinkering with our new Breville Espresso machine to find the right timing, grind and tamper to create the most perfect of coffee drinks, the robust espresso.
As I was reading on the history of espresso, basically all you need to know is that as a method of preparation of coffee, the espresso was created and cultivated primarily to reduce the brew time so that busy people do not need to wait for their coffee. While part of the ambiance and experience at the Farm Store is waiting for your Pour Over Coffee to brew, some of our customers have asked for espresso and espresso based drinks, and being a girl that loves to accommodate (and also loves espresso) I was more than happy to oblige!
We will still brew pour over coffee- we have our diehard fans and faithful customers who come for pour over coffee- we actually introduced that to many of our customers- sharing tips and tricks, the equipment we use and the right grind to achieve the perfect cup. We want to branch out- be able to fix other types of drinks for those who really like espresso drinks. So, we bought a Breville right before Christmas, read the directions, tinkered for a while funding the right grind time, the right grind size and the right tampering and viola! We figured it out! The perfect espresso in a pretty little demitasse cup!
The tampering of the grinds was originally my nemesis as I started to practice. Getting it just right, to the right amount of pressure was tricky, but I have the right grit now, the right muscle strength and I know what the grind cake looks like and feels like, so now the pressure dial achieves the correct pressure as the water pushes through the cake. A perfect brew in a perfect little cup. It is pure magic.
Illy’s definition of espresso is also magical:
A jet of hot water at 190-200 F passes under a pressure of nine or more atmospheres through a seven gram cake like layer of ground/tamped coffee. Done right, the result is a concentrate of not more than 30ml of pure sensorial pleasure.
I am excited to be able to offer espresso drinks to our customers this spring. Now on to creating the menu of available drinks!
Thanks for joining me on this writing journey! There is certainly more to come!
Be Well,
Teresa