Dialing in espresso shots — perhaps life shots too?
If a barista is an artist in coffee, we can all be artist in life. Life is a series of problem and problem solving, dial it right!
Barista create art — they start the day with dialing in the best espresso shot that deserve to be served to everyone who comes for a fix.
This espresso shot tells us the barista’s perception and preference in a ‘god shot’.
In this art of dialing shots, barista will take into consideration of:
1. Origin of bean
2. Roast profile of bean
3. Freshness of bean
Observe the parameter of the first test shot:
1. Flow of espresso shot
2. Colour of crema
3. Extraction time and volume
Then come the process of inhaling, slurping and tasting the shot, where they have to tell the:
1. Aroma
2. Body
3. Flavor
4. After taste
According to the taste that a barista want to achieve, he will then adjust:
1. Dosage
2. Grind size
3. Brew time
4. Brew temperature
Basic troubleshooting guideline:
1. Coffee taste sharp or acidic — under extraction
Grind the coffee bean finer or lengthen the extraction time.
2. Coffee taste flat, bland or bitter — over extraction
Grind the coffee bean coarser, or shorten brew time
3. Coffee is watery and thin
Increase dosage in shot
A real barista creates art in customising the espresso shots; some even tests and redial the shots every hour to maintain the consistency of coffee when surrounding temperature, brightness and humidity change throughout the day.
Life is a lot like an espresso shot — sometimes you have a good shot to start with, sometimes a lousy shot on bumpy days.
On those bumpy days, you might sulk, you might complaint, you might succumb to feeling shitty.
How about dialing your life like an espresso shot?
You could take a step back, observe the current situation, identify the problem, determine the cause of situation, and change the variable — like an espresso shot.
Repeat the process throughout the day to ensure consistency of ‘good shot’.
If a barista is an artist in coffee, we can all be artist in life.
Life is a series of problem and problem solving, dial it right!
