S6:EP16
Guest: Siri Simran Khalsa
Role: Executive Director of Coffee
From: Lofty Coffee Company, Southern California
Instagram: @loftycoffeeco & @sdcoffeenetwork
Website: www.loftycoffee.com
The primary lesson learned in this Coffee Smarter episode wasn’t entirely tangible. Still, it may be my favorite of the entire season so far. There are no real shortcuts. Going through the trial and error of making mistakes while roasting (or doing anything) is part of becoming a great coffee roaster. There aren’t any cheat codes that don’t come with potential pitfalls.
Mistakes will happen, but don’t get discouraged. Look at those mistakes as data points so that in the future, when you taste something wonky, you know what the hell’s gone wrong.
In Siri’s experience, new roasters often roast too light, leaving the drinking experience bland and watery. I’ve also experienced this with some of the recent samples I’ve received from show listeners. Avoid going too far one way or another by taking the time to dial in your roast. Adjust the basic variables (time, drop, and heat) and then cup the sample coffee roasts side-by-side. Preferably, do it in a blind cupping if you can manage it.
Mostra Coffee's Ryan Sullivan addressed this earlier in the season. He recommended beginners try to roast new coffees at various levels of light to dark. Then start dialing in after cupping and determining which is closer to where you want the coffee taste to go. You can’t magically look at a green coffee and know the best way to roast it right off the bat. Even if you get the first version right, you’ll never know until you’ve gone through the process.
Finally, and this is for new roasters and humans, generally, Be kind to yourself. We all make mistakes. This is one giant game of trial and error. It’s continually adjusting and adapting that helps us get better. The mistakes are like the stars in MarioKart. They blast you forward, or at least they speed up the learning curve.
FROM THE SHOW
San Diego Coffee Network’s goal is to elevate San Diego's coffee culture through social sharing, education, and events like the Give a Bag, Get a Bag meet-ups. Even if you’re not in San Diego there are of benefits to following @SDCoffeeNetwork. They’ve started delving into live-streamed educational events like this one guiding coffee drinkers through the sensory experience of coffee and how to identify flavors.
Raise your hand if you’ve already ordered a pumpkin spice…something, this fall. That looks to be just about everyone. Good for you. Be kind to yourself. Order what you want. Treat yourself when you can. Siri mentioned how Lofty Coffee is incorporating pumpkin spice into their craft coffee menu with the Pumpkin Pie Cloudy.
NOT FROM THE SHOW
Listennotes is a podcasting app that recently published an interview I did about the Roast! West Coast coffee and entrepreneurship podcast's origins, inspirations, and operations. Read the article on Listennotes.
There is nothing fun about living in a pandemic or pretending that we aren’t. Covid boosters make it easier for all of us to go about our daily lives, and the updated shots are available now. Flu shots too. I got mine. Search by zip code and booster brand to find a place to get yours here: www.vaccines.gov/search/
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S6:E16 - Coffee Smarter: Mistakes New Roasters Make