bean log 2026-02-24
coffee chronicler, winter sidewalks, finca los angeles
prelude
The sidewalks have been scooped outside. The heater is whistling.
Inspiration - watching The Coffee Chronicler’s tips for learning about coffee. He’s something akin to a sommelier for coffee, and the most important step forward for him was when he started “cupping with professionals” and trying many different coffees at the same time with other people that were more experienced. That sounds amazing; are little conferences or workshops for that?
I’ve been a coffee geek for 16 years. That coincides with when I started roasting coffee at home for fun. But actually the first few years of my learning curve was rather slow. The really big change in my coffee understanding came when I started cupping coffees with professionals and that’s really the cheat code if you want to understand coffee much deeper and much faster, trying many different coffees at the same time, ideally with someone more experienced who can help you to understand the difference. — The Coffee Chronicler, I have been a coffee geek for 16 years. Here’s my best advice. - YouTube
brew
typical RDT: three sprays of purified water with four bean shakes. measured 16.0g beans before spritzes. After going through grind, 15.8g remained (including the weight of the spritz), ≈0.2 g retention/loss. accepted the shortfall out of curiosity; the Finca from two days ago was more memorable than yesterday, similar shortfall then? yes.
Brew Details > Dose > 15.9 g Brew Details > Water > 267.8 g (intended 256 g) Brew Details > Ratio > ~1 : 16.8
typical pre-heat ritual for these days: pouring all the water into hario switch with filter, waiting a bit during the grind, then switching it through to the patagonia mug under. then reheat before pour.
water in pot had visible gas release; it was hot.
for easy immersion, used typical two pours (immersion blurs the term “bloom”) different this time: first pour ~175 g with clockwise spiral, reaching into center. second pour beginning around 0:25. at ~1:00, shifted to tighter concentric circles in the middle ring. switch released at 2:34 (four seconds later than intended). drawdown complete at 3:36.
groundsbed
Like other brews for this coffee, spent bed forms a clear upper water ring at the perimeter — a dark high-tide mark against the filter wall. Inside that, the grounds slope inward like a shallow mountain range, descending toward a small central mound — a modest pitcher’s mound at the core.
Not flat. Not evenly settled. Instead, a conical inward migration pattern: outer ring → sloped interior → central peak.
observe
’isten
Debussy: Images Books 1 & 2; Arabesques played by Zoltan Kocsis
taste
first sip is bequeathed to me in a waterslide
of gentle acidity, a a a bright, sweet flute
of flavor. zero pucker or reticulation. thirdly,
holding the tongue in a pouch, the sweet honey …
there! the little sparkles of acidity, that blackberry
cobbler!
reflect
in retrospect, this was a better cup than yesterday. the special thing about this Finca is the aftertaste; the acidity has a signature sweetness. perhaps tomorrow should try this Finca with the same 16.8 ratio, but keep the very hot water and the modifications for having the first pour with ~175 g.
[ cup/1 · weather/winter · listening/debussy · listening/spotify · learning/cupping ]