Monday, July 10, 2023

AutoComb Presale + How to Roast Coffee

AutoComb Presale

BH Unlimited Update, July 10th 2023

Have you noticed something's really starting to fizz in the world of espresso? Maybe things got a tiny bit sameish for a bit there — a lot of groundbreaking work happened 10 or 15 years ago but then with the possible exception of flow profiling, you could be forgiven for saying the second half of the Twenteens were a touch uneventful when it came to the advancement of espresso techniques. Of course, a giant revolution in the world of coffee processing took place during that time (things like this and this), so we're not complaining. But after having visited the World of Coffee in Athens last month, and witnessing some of the stellar performances from folks like the newly crowned World Barista Champion, Boram Um from Brazil, there's quite a different complexion on things. It's suddenly starting to look like an espresso renaissance is taking shape.

Boram has a superb espresso workflow in his performance. There's a lot of skill on display and quite a few cool gadgets involved. It all happens so efficiently that you'd almost miss it, but yes, he's using an Autocomb for each shot, too 😀. Incidentally, so were 3rd-placed Jack Simpson from Australia, and Isaiah Sheese from the United States who finished 4th in the world rankings.

Steaming milk with a traditional steam-wand

Pre-order your AutoComb here

Our congratulations to all the competitors for WBC 2023. If you're thinking about throwing your hat in the race for next year's WBC, or you are simply looking for a way to distribute your coffee with a WDT tool where you won't have to straighten the needles after every shot, check this link to preorder your Autocomb today. 1st batch is sold out for global orders. There's still some left for EU customers. Batch 2 will be launching soon!

How to Roast Coffee

We have a bumper edition of our How to Roast course with Scott Rao for you this week. This hefty update completes our chapter on setting up and tuning your roaster. Getting these steps right is crucial before you even think about roasting your first batch, if you want any chance of getting consistently delicious results, so take the time to read these lessons thoroughly, and don't forget to test your knowledge with the pop quiz at the end of the chapter.

Scott explaining probe placement on a drum roaster

In this week's lessons, Scott shows you how to check that you have the right kind of temperature probes for your roaster, and that they are installed in the ideal position to monitor your roasts. Next, he takes you through the process of tuning the airflow in your roaster, and explains how to spot problems with the airflow by analysing the environmental temperature curves from your roaster.

Lastly, he shares some tips on how to measure and control the airflow in your roaster as precisely as possible. Even in the latest roasting machines, equipped with variable-speed fans and drum pressure sensors, it can be challenging to ensure that the airflow in your roaster is consistent over the course of several weeks and months.

Each of these factors can severely limit the consistency and quality of your roasting, if you don't tune them carefully. The latest lessons, available right now to all BH Unlimited subscribers, will help you develop good practices from the very first batch that you roast.

Quick links

Speaking of espresso innovation, have you been following the developments in the world of fast-flow filter baskets? Or more accurately, espresso baskets with 3 to 4 times as many holes in the bottom where the holes go right out to the edges of the basket. It's been more than 10 years since the last big leap forward in basket design. But suddenly in 2023, things are getting very interesting. Here's a great comprehensive review of the important new players from the extremely lovable Lance Hedrick. Plus the Real Sprometheus is at his exacting best in this video, too. And data scientist/barista Robert McKeon Aloe puts WAFO and VST baskets head to head with some compelling results.

The Share-o-press has landed. After years of playing with colour, plastic type and even downsizing, coffee lovers now have a way of making other coffee lovers an Aeropress without going through the rigmarole of making two.

Coffee Education — Without the Advertising

BH provides a level of detail about coffee production and barista skills that platforms like Youtube are unable to obtain, because we are a subscription service — our members pay us to produce the best, most detailed information for them, rather than creating videos that get the most views for an advertiser.

At BH we never do ads for other company's products on our website. There's no product placement in any of our courses, newsletters or blog posts. Our only income comes from what you pay for your subscriptions.

When you see machinery or coffee gear mentioned in any of our educational material, or featured in our course videos, we have chosen to use that equipment because we like using it, because we think it's historically significant in the evolution of the espresso machine, or because it shows you something you need to see about modern coffee culture. It's as simple as that.