one third of a better person

M'lissa was intimidating and intense, I was sweaty and shaky, it was all of the suspenseful attributes of any Barista certification. But I emerged victorious and kicked certification's ass! Well, at least the first third.

The Coffee Boss hovered over me with her clipboard as I set the grind from random to perfect in three pulls, consistently dosed between eighteen and nineteen grams of espresso (with 1.2 grams of waste to spare!), and displayed my (still growing) abilities to throw down a heart in a macchiato, and a rosetta in a cappuccino and a latte. Next up: written exam (please, no scantrons), and a mock competition.


I can only hope I have started the trend at Octane to get certification under way. I want at least half of the staff to have the first part of BC finished before I return from my travels. It's great to see everyone getting excited about coffee, especially after our first Octane cupping yesterday evening. Granted, it was a "dress rehearsal," but M'lissa did a fantastic job at hosting her first cupping. Next Monday starts public cuppings at the shop, 7PM sharp. We're not only sipping on some delicious Counter Culture coffees, but other foods, drinks, and smelly and tasty items to work on that palate and sensory vocabulary we all have deep within our souls.

over and under

Please send me home to Tokyo. I know the weather is just the same, and the rainy season is probably worse than this smoke ridden humidity, but all I really want for Christmas is some effective public transportation.



BEFORE I came down with a lovely case of food poisoning, I attended my first cupping at the Counter Culture training center. M'Lissa says it was probably the biggest one they've had yet. A few people looking into opening up their own shop, a couple of vets, and a certain photography someone from a magazine du cuisine. We cupped the El Salvador Santa Ana Finca Mauritania, Kenya Single Lot, and a surprisingly nice decaf--21st of September. The Kenya won me over, as well as most of the crew. Despite the common agreement of a tomato flavor, I kept getting these astonishing aromas and flavors of Ethiopian-style steamed cabbage. Delish.

Since CoffeeFest, ordering at the shop has been a little out of sorts. The fear stemming from running out of the Espresso Toscano has been sedated by pulling shots with the El Salvador. It definitely does not work as a ristretto, but has some great tangy/sweet flavors that arise when pulled longer and combined with milk. The one thing I must say I didn't particularly enjoy in this modified espresso was the thinness of the drink. Yes... looking forward to the return of the Toscano.

Before my next shift on Thursday I'll be re-vamping the Octane mailing list. In case you cant get enough ATL Gossip from this blog or M'Lissa's, feel free to shoot me an e-mail (dglasky@gmail.com) and I'll put you on the list. It'll give you reasons to come to Atlanta and hang out with us Octettes, as if you didn't have enough motivation already.