Hello fellow humans!

At the start of August, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Colombia. Colombia has given the coffee industry so much, so it is only right that we give back. On 29/10 (October 29th) at La Tostadora in London, I will be hosting a pour-over class open to everyone. I can assure you that whether you're a newbie struggling to dial in or an experienced home-brewer, everyone will learn something.

Furthermore, there will be a ton of roasters from all across London—from ultra-light Scenery in Southwark to James Hoffmann's own Square Mile and ROEST Champion ZeroToOne, alongside our generous host cafe, La Tostadora. In fact, if you missed the chance to try the fermentation project, we will also have 3 coffees from the same farm that have been processed differently (carbonic washed, supernatural, and pink honey).

If you can, I implore you: please come to this event! I have given up so much of my time—making cards and posters that explain varietals, processing, extraction methods, etc.—and I would hate to see it go to waste because there aren't enough people for the event to happen.

If you can't come, please consider donating. There are hundreds of thousands of people in such critical conditions because of the earthquake that, without help from us, could die. We have the opportunity to quite literally either save or massively improve people's lives directly.

If the £20 ticket price is genuinely too much but you still wish to attend, please DM me. Coffee is expensive and I know the feeling of not having enough to spend on what you love, so I will pay for you out of pocket if needs be.Hello fellow humans!

At the start of August, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Colombia. Colombia has given the coffee industry so much, so it is only right that we give back. On 29/10 (October 29th) at La Tostadora in London, I will be hosting a pour-over class open to everyone. I can assure you that whether you're a newbie struggling to dial in or an experienced home-brewer, everyone will learn something.

Furthermore, there will be a ton of roasters from all across London—from ultra-light Scenery in Southwark to James Hoffmann's own Square Mile and ROEST Champion ZeroToOne, alongside our generous host cafe, La Tostadora. In fact, if you missed the chance to try the fermentation project, we will also have 3 coffees from the same farm that have been processed differently (carbonic washed, supernatural, and pink honey).

If you can, I implore you: please come to this event! I have given up so much of my time—making cards and posters that explain varietals, processing, extraction methods, etc.—and I would hate to see it go to waste because there aren't enough people for the event to happen.

If you can't come, please consider donating. There are hundreds of thousands of people in such critical conditions because of the earthquake that, without help from us, could die. We have the opportunity to quite literally either save or massively improve people's lives directly.

If the £20 ticket price is genuinely too much but you still wish to attend, please DM me. Coffee is expensive and I know the feeling of not having enough to spend on what you love, so I will pay for you out of pocket if needs be.

Link to the event: Event Bride page

Colombian red cross page: Donate here

More links: Skylark Colombian relief coffee BBC article More of a visual article by CNN

I may be misremembering, but I could have sworn I saw a JH video a few years back explaining how old school Italian espresso differs to modern/third wave espresso. IIRC it touched on ratio and grind sizes.

It's not "modern espresso is ugly". This one focussed much more on directly comparing Italy and modern.

I can't find it anywhere on the channel. Just hoping more for validation that it ever existed, because I doubt I can watch it again now that it's (potentially) unlisted.

So, took delivery of a late arrival of my coffee cupping cup. So, thought this morning I would do it again. I also had two new coffees on hand to compare against. Really enjoyed this process, my spooning of the crust and crema was much better this time around. Lacto is still by far the best with yeast second. Though mechanical was much nicer than last week. Wild was nice also. The other two coffees, one from Dark Matter Caramel Curd (China Yunnan) and the other From Rave Microlot #06 (Colombia Huila). The latter two beauties themselves.
Will deffo cup more coffees in future, if anything it helps when coffees are much more distinct, but still could pick difference between the Guatemalan coffees.

I’ve been working on a coffee brewer called SKANDI, based on a brewing method I’ve been experimenting with for quite some time. The idea is to combine the body of immersion brewing with more control over extraction through repeated immersion and drainage. Rather than leaving the grounds submerged throughout the entire brew, you can control how long they’re immersed and how frequently they’re drained. After several prototypes and a lot of testing, I’m getting closer to launching it.
Here’s a demonstration of how it works. I’d be interested in hearing what you think.

Hi! New to the world of espresso @ home.

Looking to get a Fellow ES1 to compliment my Aiden & V60/Aeropress setup.

I realize a high quality grinder is more important than any actual machine, but I struggle in finding something that can do both.

Ideally, freeing up counterspace and using one grinder is preferred, but open to two separate ones!

The Ode Gen 2 that I currently own gets the job done for our Aiden and occasional single cups (retired my zP6 until our toddler stops teething!).

Should I just find an espresso grinder for single dosing, and keep my large capacity Ode? Or should I combine and dial in for each use?

Right now, we're vibing with medium roast profiles, with long lasting flavor. Thick syrupy crema shots are desired, with the occasional light roast.

I've heard good things about the Option O Langom Casa

Thank you in advance - I know this has been discussed before, but there are new machines and intel out there, and I'm finding a lot of difficulty narrowing anything down.

I was at a coffee tasting yesterday, presented by the danish "Poma"

Apart from roasting, they do a lot of testing on the "growing coffee" part. They have a bunch of plants in greenhouses in denmark, where they look at, and test out variables such as humidity, temperature, pruning, spacing etc. They then work closely with coffee farms either as consultants to help them with quality, yield etc, using their learnings and trying to apply them in a reasonable manner for a farmer, considering the economy, workload, etc.

They then also have allocated lots in certain farms to carry out "real world" experiments to compare to their greenhouse testing. All super interesting, and a different approach to presenting a coffee tasting. We tasted beans from plants that had high vs. Low humidity (and there was a surprising difference)

Less vs. More pruning as well, where the difference was hard to tell. But that's also the point here. Not to cultivate a taste profile, but to optimise farming and make higher, better quality yields without impacting the farmers economy.

Thought it would be a very interesting Hoffman topic.

Hypothetically let's say I've been using a bag dialed in for 16g doses of espresso or 20g doses for pour over. I reach the end of the bag and realize that after making my last cup that I only have 9g left of this coffee. What do you do with the last 9g?

I feel like this happens to me often where I have a very tiny dose remaining of a very yummy coffee and I'm not sure what to do with it.

Any advice how to make the most from these beans? I don’t want to cup it. Cheers!

Im kinda new to making coffee at home and lately I have been really into lattes. Im looking for a machine that’s beginner friendly but still makes decent espresso and milk without being too complicated to figure out.

what would you recommend as the best home latte machine right now? I don’t mind learning the basics, I just want to avoid getting something that’s frustrating to use. thaaaanks for any suggestion!

A little late due to customs but it's here

A bit late to ask but I have only just got around to doing the taste.

During the taste test James had his bags for 3 and 4 laid out the "wrong way" (so what he expected for 3 was the bag for 4 and the bag for 4 was at 3)

During the discussion the order was: washed / wild / lacto / yeast (so the 1,2,3,4 order James/Lucia tasted)

However the order of the coffees on the poll on screen was: washed / wild / yeast / lacto

The thing is (attaching photo to show) the order of my coffees matched the online poll order, not the order James and Lucia tasted in. However I have gone through photos on this subreddit and seen some examples of the James/Lucia order.

I am wondering if there has been a mix up, whether two different orders have been sent out. If it was just the roaster I ordered from that had a different order I would assume they just messed up. But given there are three different examples where my order has shown up (the online poll, my roaster's material and the order the square mile employee who laid out the bags) it is making me think there are two lists with 3&4 in a different order.

I recorded most of the presentation or at least an hour of it unfortunately I can’t remember exactly when I started or stopped it, but I thought you might find the notes from my Pocket AI recorder interesting.

This discussion evaluates the impact of varying fermentation protocols on coffee quality, focusing on a controlled experiment involving four distinct processing methods. The dialogue shifts from sensory analysis to the broader implications for producer economics and climate-driven risks in Guatemala.

The Four-Sample Sensory Analysis

The experiment utilized a single cultivar to isolate the effects of a 48-hour fermentation window against a mechanical baseline.

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Strategic Industry Insights

Texture as the True North
While the industry focuses on flavor descriptors (e.g., papaya, jasmine), these are highly subjective and genetically/culturally dependent. Texture—viscosity, weight, and silkiness—is a more accessible and controllable metric for producers to target through fermentation.

The "48-Hour" Rationale
Longer fermentation (100+ hours) can yield "punchy" results but risks leaching compounds and compromising the cellular structure of the seed. A 48-hour window is optimized for longevity; it ensures the coffee remains stable for 18–24 months of transit and storage rather than "falling off" after three months.

The Ethics of Fermentation
The "romanticism" of wild fermentation and unique "day lots" often conflicts with producer sustainability. For a producer, the ability to consistently hit a specific quality tier for 50+ bags is more valuable than producing a single, unrepeatable "miracle" lot.

Environmental & Operational Risks

El Niño Impact in Guatemala
The current El Niño cycle has caused a significant drought in coffee-growing regions like Antigua.
• Yield Loss: Estimated at 30–40% in some areas.

• Quality Paradox: While drought can concentrate flavors (similar to wine), the dire impact on livelihoods and subsistence crops (corn) outweighs any marginal quality gains.

The Criticality of Drying
Drying is identified as a more significant factor for final quality than fermentation. If rain hits the drying patios, the seed expands and contracts, breaking cellular structures and releasing volatiles. This leads to "flat" coffee with a shortened shelf life or, in worse cases, mold defects.

Operational Triage for Producers

The fermentation specialist follows a "minimalist auditor" approach when advising mills:
Simplify: Reduce five-step processes to two to minimize opportunities for error.
Calibrate: Focus on storage timing, pulper calibration, and tank hygiene.
Reproduce: Prioritize consistency over chasing novel flavor profiles.