Hi Beanbuffs,
Shack Coffee has a home now. I have leased a small studio in Shahpurjat. I call it ‘hope in the wall’. It’s small, but it’s also special. When I first came to Shahpurjat in 2010, I had leased the second floor of the same building. This time it is the ground floor.
I had hosted the first ‘Coffee Satsang’ there
It was the hub of coffee lovers, roasters, tea tasters, restaurateurs. Like a true snob, I would get new brewing equipment such as Clever brewer, Aeropress, Pour Over, Hario Kettle, Siphon/ Vac Pot, and brew with the Beanbuffs. I also kickstarted Beanbuffs. I take pride in introducing and converting many a friends there. Hario’ Siphon/ Vac Pot was the best weapon of conversion. It made coffee brewing cool.
I sent the last newsletter in January
I had roasted for the first time. I could roast many types of coffees, but a good tasting blend is rare. Till date I have roasted multiple batches. I could get my hands on five different types of coffees. I could prepare more than ten blends. I have been roasting once a week. Then I wait for twelve hours to cup the coffees. Cupping is the most boring and exciting thing at the same time. It isn’t as cool as brewing or pulling the shot. For understandng beans the roast profile is always light. The focus is to understand the nuances of the flavours, body, aroma, fragrance, acidity.
What’s next? Three things.
Launching the expresso blend.
Launching the espresso bar.
Hosting a ‘Coffee Satsang’ or ‘Espresso Satsang’.
I need your help in finalizing the blend
I have already prepared blends. I will send you different blends for blind tasting. I would collect your views and feedback about the each one. We can talk or I can send a mail. We will rate the blends on the basis of five paramters: aroma, falvour notes, sweetness, body and aftertaste. We won’t use jargons, just the basic taste test: it’s a yes if you like the aroma, flaour, sweetness, body and aftertaste. It’s a ‘no’ if you do not like it. In real life we do not half-like or half-dislike a food or a drink. It’s always a yes or no. I will require five coffee lovers, who have espresso machines at home, and five who can brew using pour over, French press and Aeropress. Who is in?
I dream big, but can only take small steps
My focus is not to own the most expensive machine, in the most post location, offering all the brewing methods. The core idea is to serve great tasting coffee to fellow bootstrappers. A place where they can indulge in a mini picnic. I will share more details in the next dispatch.
Three beautiful things
One, a soup and ramen place in Japan has become a community hotspot. The master or shaukinin in Japanese, developed the unique recipe by trusting his taste. I always urge fellow coffee lovers to trust their palette, and not jargons. I wish I could build Shack Coffee as one such place. Link
Two, a one man army runs a food truck in NYC. He sells Puerto Rican food with utmost love and passion. People do not mind the chaos. They turn the place into a mini picnic spot. That’s the goal. Link
Three, Italians hate takeaway coffees. They prefer goign to their favorite espresso bars. It is a ritual for them to relax, or to chat with someone, or an excuse to take a break. Link