coffee journals
My first personal coffee blog
Long before I thought of blogging here on Roaste along with the other bloggers already here, I kept a blog of sorts that I have found invaluable over time.
For every coffee I bought I wrote down how I tried pulling it, which basket I used, what grind setting I used, how many grams I used in the basket, what temperature I pulled the shot at, and if I was feeling really ocd I would write down both how long it took to grind exactly that number of grams and how long the shot I pulled took, but that has been a less important set of details.
I then, of course, wrote down how the shot tasted and what I thought I should have done differently. If a certain shot ended up being especially good I would highlight it with another color.
The great thing about this was that if I ordered a coffee from vendor X on Roaste and then tried it again a few months later it has been especially easy to recreate the shots I loved from it the last time.
This is not a miracle worker though because things do change. More things than you might expect. As beans age they need a different dose or grind to pull as well. Blends are made for beans in the first place which are, of course, crops and change with seasons, so it is rare that two blends even with the same name and the same roaster will be the same if enough months have passed.
Also, of course, the grinder might not be exactly the same a month later with the settings potentially drifting a bit over time.
All that said, it gets you close in the starting point and equally importantly it keeps you paying attention so you are likely to pull a slightly better shot. It is funny that I cannot keep a journal for my life, but I sure can for coffee!
Long before I thought of blogging here on Roaste along with the other bloggers already here, I kept a blog of sorts that I have found invaluable over time.
For every coffee I bought I wrote down how I tried pulling it, which basket I used, what grind setting I used, how many grams I used in the basket, what temperature I pulled the shot at, and if I was feeling really ocd I would write down both how long it took to grind exactly that number of grams and how long the shot I pulled took, but that has been a less important set of details.
I then, of course, wrote down how the shot tasted and what I thought I should have done differently. If a certain shot ended up being especially good I would highlight it with another color.
The great thing about this was that if I ordered a coffee from vendor X on Roaste and then tried it again a few months later it has been especially easy to recreate the shots I loved from it the last time.
This is not a miracle worker though because things do change. More things than you might expect. As beans age they need a different dose or grind to pull as well. Blends are made for beans in the first place which are, of course, crops and change with seasons, so it is rare that two blends even with the same name and the same roaster will be the same if enough months have passed.
Also, of course, the grinder might not be exactly the same a month later with the settings potentially drifting a bit over time.
All that said, it gets you close in the starting point and equally importantly it keeps you paying attention so you are likely to pull a slightly better shot. It is funny that I cannot keep a journal for my life, but I sure can for coffee!
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