New year, new shit. Jim is now in the thick of his training for the GLRBC. We've built an espresso blend from scratch using some greens from sweet marias and some of our own. For Jim's setup, sig drink, and drinkware choices, he's taking a simple, traditional approach. The water he's selected is amazing. The milk he's using is sweet and from a family owned dairy/petting farm. I'm actually suprised how sweet the milk still is this time of year as most of the pastures are dying right now. We are still ironing out the ratios and presentation for the sig drink, but i think the simplicity will do well.
As for the blend, I don't know if Jim wants me to let out all the coffees. I will say this. We have built this blend 100% from scratch. It involed many test batches, SOS tasting, graphs, equations, many many trial blends, tremor-like caffiene highs, blew out palletes, and a stubborn Sumatran. Most of the trail blends tasted disturbingly like the Five Country from Counter Culture, which were trying to get away from. In the end, we were slurping down nicely blanced shots with earthy, spicy undertones and a clean fruit snap right in the center of the tounge. Long, ultra-complex finish with phases ranging from orange peel, caramel, and market spice. It's holding really well in milk and makes for a really complex macchiatto. The blend will be available for a limited time at the cafe after the comp. We will be basing our house espresso blend off of it, but that won't be on tap until later in the month.
This whole experience has gotten me really excited about my job again. This is a great chance for me to compete vicariously through Jim. Whether he places or not, I'm really glad he's doing this. And I'm very thankful for the chance to be a part of it.
Good Luck to all at the GLRBC, we'll see you there!