The Arrival: Puerto Rico

            When I arrived in Puerto Rico I was expecting some sort of culture change even though it is a US commonwealth.  When I stepped off the plane I was immediately stuck by how humid it was.  I felt like I was walking though a steam room.  This, when combined with the heavy clothes I was wearing for Sun Valley weather, made me feel like I was swimming in damp, hot moisture. 

What I assumed would be my first culture experience in Puerto Rico was my cab ride.  I was thinking there may be some Spanish radio talk show going on and that I wouldn’t really be able to clearly communicate where my hotel was to the driver.  Yet, the moment I stepped into the cab I was greeted by Gaga’s “Born This Way” which was quickly followed by “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love”.  Clearly the only major difference between mainland US and Puerto Rico was the national language. 

I noticed other abnormalities as I travelled around the island.  Gas is sold in liters while distances are either posted in kilometers or miles depending on, as far as I know, how the road crews felt that day or whatever was in stock at the local official Highway Sign Store.  The speed limits were pretty straightforward.  Signs posted indicated various numbers such as “55 maximum” with no reference to whether that was in mph or kph, which, for me, was confusing based on the spontaneous substitution of distances in either metric or imperial measurements.  Also, all police and emergency vehicles, rather any car or truck with some sort of bright flashing light apparatus, constantly kept their lights on.  Driving down the freeway I would see police cars and ambulances with their lights blaring as if they had somewhere to go, yet they calmly moved along with no sirens and no emergency to rush off to.  This only bothered me when the police were right behind me on the freeway because my initial gut instinct is to pull over when police lights are on.  Actually, one time a police car followed me through a drive through at night with his lights on the whole time.  I guess his hunger was a pretty big emergency. 

Out of all the changes when coming to Puerto Rico the one that is by far the best is the weather.   I left cold, damp, dreary, depressing “Sun” Valley and gladly welcomed pristine blue skies, crisp sunny days and an average of 95°.  There is nothing better than sun, warm breezes, lush tropical hills laden with coffee and plenty of white sand beaches.  

El Conquistador Resort

Colorful Old San Juan

Colorful Old San Juan 

Colorful Old San Juan

           

Brewing

There are numerous methods for coffee brewing.  All of them run water through coffee grounds to extract the highly volatile oils that give a cup of coffee its flavor. Although all of the various methods seem to brew coffee in the same way there are a number of key factors that affect the final cup. 

- Size of the grounds

- Time water is in contact with the grounds

These two factors determine the strength and quality of the drink.  Temperature of the water is also a key factor.  Water temperature for brewing coffee should be between 195° and 205°  Fahrenheit.

There are a number of different brew methods.  A few are: pourover, drip, French press, and espresso.

The essential basics when it comes to coffee brewing are this:

Ground size corresponds with the time the coffee is in contact with the water.

The smaller the ground the quicker the coffee is brewed, the larger the ground the more time is needed.  The goal when brewing coffee is to achieve the perfect cup.  If the coffee is under brewed the coffee can come out watery and bland.   If the coffee is over brewed it can become too strong and achieve a very overwhelming taste that loses the specific notes that the origin beans or blend intended to achieve.

Brewing even one blend of coffee a number of different ways can manipulate the flavors, body, aroma and acidity achieved in the final cup. 

A number of steps are required before you even begin brewing a cup of coffee.  Weighing out the right number of beans for the size of drink you are having, using high quality grinding equipment (burr grinders vs. blade), the temperature of the water, and the quality of the machines performing the brewing all are highly important in achieving a great cup of coffee.  

Espresso Grind

Drip Grind

Pour Over Grind

French Press Grind

Pour Over

French Press

Pour Over

French Press

Drip

Tasting of different grind types

Disconnection

Sorry the blog hasn't been updated in awhile. I am yet to find an Internet connection for my laptop. I have a few blogs to post when I find some wifi so don't get too worried. See y'all later

-Bryce

Lesson 1 of 1: Roasting Coffee

When it comes to roasting coffee there are generally two mindsets.  One believes that roasting coffee is an art and the other believes that roasting coffee is a science.  Liz Roquet embraces both at different times of production. The actual roasting of the coffee is completely scientific.  At certain times and certain temperatures you are guaranteed certain chemical reactions within the beans.  There is no guesswork when it comes to roasting beans.  The true art form, according to Liz, is developing blends of beans that achieve certain flavor profiles for the customer. When it comes to roasting coffee, time and temperature are the main factors in achieving the roast you are looking for.

To imagine the inside of a roasting machine think of a dryer.  A rotating drum is blasted by heat from infrared burners.  This drum is constantly turning to ensure even roasting as well as circulate the air around the beans.  If the drum were to stand still the beans could catch fire.  With a roasting machine you can control the heat and the air.  The more air you let in the hotter it gets due to the increase in oxygen.  It is the roaster's job to nurse the roast and decide the roast degree.  The quality of the beans is controllable, the rate at which they roast is controllable and it is up to the roaster to determine the flavor desired and when to stop the roast.  Coffee is roasted at such high temperatures that even a few seconds difference between stopping a batch could mean you end up with an entirely different roast than what you intended.

During the roasting process the sugars in the coffee beans begin to caramelize.  Based on how long the beans are roasted the sugars can lead to flavors that are sweet, toasty, smoky and burned.  Sugars are very important because they play one of the biggest roles in how the coffee tastes.  As coffee is roasted the volatile oils that give a cup of coffee its flavor come to the surface.  The darker the coffee is roasted the more the oils begin to emerge.  When roasting beans it is key to look for smoothness and sheen.  During the roasting process coffee beans can lose up to 15% of their weight, but increase about 20% in size.      

Before you start to roast coffee you have to have an idea of what flavors you want to highlight and what beans can achieve the final cup you are looking for.  Blending different types of beans can create an experience that, as Liz puts it, "doesn't happen in nature and complements the flavors you want, whether they are fruity, earthy, zingy or just a base".

The three main keys to a great cup of coffee are:
1. Top Quality Beans
2. An Attentive Roasting Process
3. The Freshness of Roasted Beans

 To the Right: A fresh batch coming out of the roaster.

 Liz Roquet's Diedrich Roaster

A range of beans at different levels of roasting.  In the distance are un-roasted green beans.  Next are light roasted, then medium-light, then medium, medium-dark, and then dark roasted beans.

Coffee Grading: Yes that's right! Inanimate objects get report cards too

At the most basic level there are two types of coffee.  Arabica coffee is of a higher quality and is grown at higher elevations than it's close brother Robusta Coffee.  Robusta is a cheaper, hardier variety that can survive at a wider range of climates and lower elevations.  Robusta coffee also has higher caffeine concentrations.  Under these bean classifications coffee is graded into a number of categories.  The highest classification is Specialty.  Under this highest grade all of the coffee beans are graded for size and defects.  There are a variety of ways to separate coffee beans for grading and sometimes it is done by hand.  Each individual bean is handled, graded and separated before packaging.  Specialty grade is still a large classification itself.  It includes the top 3% of coffee beans, which still leaves a large scale for differentiation.  One of the main ways to guarantee the best beans from the Specialty grade is to have an importer that makes relationships with farms and co-operatives.  If an importer tastes at origin and purchases straight from the farmers you are guaranteed to get amazing coffees.