Brew for others
Ever since I posted my Kapeta experience, an idea's been growing at the back of my mind.
What if I started brewing coffee for other people?
I mean, if a guy with a bag of beans, a grinder, a portable stove and kettle, and a couple of French presses could do it, why can't I?
Now, I'm not a connoisseur, I just know I love the process. In my native tongue, mahilig lang, hindi magaling. I don't know all about flavor notes, I don't know even know if I have good taste in coffee. I just know that I like what I like.
I only have a cheap grinder, an aeropress and a dream.
I have to start with what I have. This coming week, I'll be experimenting with my aeropress brews and be more meticulous in recording things. There's no other way to it than to do it.
Once I lock in a consistent brew, I'll make my officemates my guinea pigs and keep working till I get a cup of coffee that they've approved. Only then will I even consider adding a price tag to what I'm making.
In another life, I'd probably be a barista or a bartender. I love the fantasy of service and communication with the customers. I know it's not all sunshine and butterflies, which is why I'm not actively pursuing these occupations now, but I'd like to get a small taste of them in this lifetime.
Creating coffee for others scratches the itch I have of being in service while doing something with my hands. And coffee enables instant feedback. It's either a good cup or not.
I've always brewed for myself, mostly (my partner tastes my brews but she's biased because of love). Maybe it's time I start chasing this dream. At least when I'm not busy chasing the others.
Things I'll need:
- Adjustable temperature kettle - with an aeropress, the water temp is quite important for the recipes.
- Weighing scale - another factor is the amount of beans and water (plus milk and other ingredients). What can be measured can be managed.
- Good grinder - I just bought a new one but it grinds very fine even on the coarsest setting. If I don't get a good brew despite getting the water and weight locked in, I'll have to buy a new one to get over this bottleneck.
- Aeropress Recipes - good resource for what I'm about to do.
-jgzn