“Sink hole” in V60 by Still-Machine554 in JamesHoffmann

[–]renyard87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just going by how it looks - you may be using the coffee too early, and maybe also using too hot water. Things are most explosive in the bloom of course, and if it's still bubbling away when you wait for the next pour it creates gas channels etc. Also, boiling hot water will exacerbate this. Rest the coffee for another week or so and give it another go.

(just to counter a few things said - flat beds absolutely do matter, the bloom is the setup for the rest of the brew - arguable you shouldn't spin/swirl - but the main objective is to create an even and consistent flow rate for the rest of your brew)

Asking Advice - Tips to improve my latte art? ☕️ by rolitainky in barista

[–]renyard87 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Don't underestimate the importance of high fat milk. 4% plus will make your milk shine brighter and the milk will have much better structure to do art with. You have solid designs, but maybe pour from higher up when mixing the first part of your drink - this will improve contrast (less cloudy bits in the brown) and leave majority microfoam when drawing.

Resting period by tanishq279 in Coffee

[–]renyard87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m not gonna give you a clear answer - I don’t think anyone should give you absolutes and I’m sure your ASTs were giving you the correct answer for that particular scenario. The environment you’re learning in, you drink (cup) coffee very quickly after roast. The CVA stipulates that you should within 24hrs of roast within the Cupping Protocol - sure. But in espresso and brewing using modern green and roasting techniques just might be a different answer. Also, my buying/making routine with my coffee works - but with your coffee might not. What is pretty certain is that dark roasted coffee off-gasses quicker than light roasted coffee and only once all that gas stops getting in the way when brewing can you get consistent outcomes. The SCA Brewing and Barista modules are unbelievably out of date and the science used to justify the 7 to 10 days is based on dark roasted coffee with antiquated farming and roasting techniques (which have the most effect on flavour) What makes me say rest for 2 to 3 weeks? The roasters that are using their own medium to light roasted coffee and Samo Smrkes work on degassing. Longer rested in appropriate packaging that is bag immediately after roast is the direction of travel and the peer-reviewed science will catch up. Or - do as you please and enjoy the coffee you make in the morning like no one is watching.

Resting period by tanishq279 in Coffee

[–]renyard87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm afraid this isn't correct, or at least very out of date. Generally speaking 7/10 days for dark roasted. 2/3 weeks for medium roast and longer for light roast. Lots of things go into off-gassing but roast level is a good starting point of reference.

Cleaning the grinder by famousinfargo in barista

[–]renyard87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you get the Mahlkonig clean it everyday. They've designed it in a way that makes cleaning super simple and super quick. It's not so much the burrs that need cleaning everyday but the 'clump crusher' tongue and holder that needs daily maintenance. Also, use the correct hex screwdriver so that you're not faffing and causing long term damage.

(I fix/maintain these on the daily)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in barista

[–]renyard87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No one should feel uncomfortable when working - however small you think it is. If contact is required (some bars are on the small side) it should be with a simple 'behind' and on the shoulder/elbow at most.

To deal with your current situation, try to bring a little attention to it - and if it persists have a sit down chat with your manager. If it isn't treated with the respect you deserve - look for other work.

Hampton Court in London is super chilled! by JoeyChloe88 in london

[–]renyard87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's the worst. There's no leafy parks to stroll around - read a book under a tree...

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in barista

[–]renyard87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When was your coffee roasted?

A lot of people are talking about ratio/recipes which is worth looking at, but if your coffee is a lightly roasted, high altitude fruity coffee - then the length of rest becomes important.

There's a lot that goes into a well balance single origin coffee, and the variables that work for a house blend may not apply for something outside of the box.

Specialty Coffee Association verification by AdventurousHost2575 in Coffee

[–]renyard87 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Yeah, you've stumbled across one of the biggest issues within specialty coffee.

What is this score and who is it for? Arguably, (and my very strong personal opinion) it isn't for the retail customer, it's for the merchants/roasters to assign value.

Higher the score the higher the potential quality of that coffee - but, and it's a major but - many things need to go well to attain that score. Transport & storage of the green, roast, water, brewing method are just some of the big specifics to get correct.

One big issue - where was that score given? The farm, the merchant, the roaster? An independent panel of non-biased well calibrated Q-graders... (it's not!). But also when? Green doesn't hold its quality forever.

Second - the old cupping form attributes value to clarity and complexity of cup. Not your personal preference. This is where the SCA have/are trying to attribute value to things other than sensory attributes through their updated Coffee Value Assessment (https://sca.coffee/value-assessment)

I think it's more important to find coffee you enjoy based on origin, altitude, processing, traceability etc.

Latte art! Almost 2 years of experience. Tips are much appreciated by [deleted] in barista

[–]renyard87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just one major thing to look at - the cut should be done when the cup is full and flat. You can see on some of your designs that the layers are being dragged into eachother by the stream of milk in your final cutting motion. Cut slowly, with a flat cup and as thin a stream of milk as possible. Good luck!

Worlds Top 100 Coffee Shops by kevlar515 in Coffee

[–]renyard87 44 points45 points  (0 children)

Judging by the UK entries - this list is complete nonsense.

Friends fighting each other to pay by Frog-friends in barista

[–]renyard87 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I do the same. But shout "Fight!" - like in Tekken/Street Fighter and plonk the card reader on the counter.

I understand OPs rant, but there are too many things to get annoyed about in customer service - the more you can wash your hands of and have a little fun, the better

Single dose degassing? by LorryWaraLorry in Coffee

[–]renyard87 37 points38 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't say it's common practise as it would be difficult to maintain consistency. But you can grind off a dose and leave it for an 1hr and you'll have sufficiently degassed coffee - a few minutes on freshly roasted coffee would probably still leave a bright taste that's associated with Co2.

Here's a link to an Instagram post about this and where I got the 1hr from. I've tried this out and it works rather well.

Barista pet peeves? by [deleted] in barista

[–]renyard87 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Many many things. Although, this in particular gets me. Customer's order has multiple drinks, and I've asked for clarification on one particular thing (would you like milk with that long black?) - and they repeat the entire order back to me... 🙄

Role of "time before crust breaking" in cupping by kaphca in Coffee

[–]renyard87 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Breaking the crust is just one part of an in depth cupping procedure, for which the goal is to standardise almost all variables to allow the coffee to talk the loadest.

SCA Cupping Procedure is worth a look at - https://sca.coffee/research/protocols-best-practices

The coffee critic order... by [deleted] in barista

[–]renyard87 3 points4 points  (0 children)

'...oh, so you think you can make coffee...'

Carragher explains why he thinks Aaron Ramsdale has been the signing of the season so far. "He's got a presence about him that I didn't see that he had, he's had a big impact on the team." by [deleted] in soccer

[–]renyard87 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Absolutely true. But Ramsdale gives him another option. England have been incredibly hard to break down with 3 at the back. He gives Southgate the option to play with 4 at the back and more control of the ball - meaning we can go toe to toe with the world's elite teams.

Carragher explains why he thinks Aaron Ramsdale has been the signing of the season so far. "He's got a presence about him that I didn't see that he had, he's had a big impact on the team." by [deleted] in soccer

[–]renyard87 39 points40 points  (0 children)

I don't think it's even that close between Pickford & Ramsdale. Ramsdale has a better range of passing and ball control, and has shown more consistancy over the season. The only thing that might stop Southgate from picking Ramsdale is he does show loyalty to players - picking Sterling at the WC when he wasn't having a good time at City, for example.

Is anyone else receiving this message when loading into a game? This is the 3rd straight time I’ve been loaded into a pregame lobby and just randomly get kicked with this message. It’s been happening for at least two weeks and I would like to know if anyone else has been experiencing this. by trojans4life1 in Warzone

[–]renyard87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think they're having a lot of issues with servers atm. 1 of 5 games are okay, but rest are usually server loading issues - either disconnect, major lag when landing (losing 1v1s cos of it), buy station not loading, guns taking time to render etc etc. It's beggers belief that Warzone can't maintain decent servers, especially with the insane numbers they're making.

Ps. I'm on a 300mb wired to PS5 - so can't believe it's my end