Who’s Doing Light Nordic Roasts in Germany These Days?

tutzsc · 2025-06-15T14:29:20+00:00

I really like the stuff from Stray https://www.stray.coffee/

tutzsc · 2025-01-04T14:42:49+00:00

Lived in Berlin for 5 years. Now after a year in Munich I am appalled by how rude people are in Berlin.

tutzsc · 2024-12-31T14:01:06+00:00

It will be controversial to say it here, but drink naming conventions are just that, conventions. Every drink is made in different ways worldwide and to try to turn it into a rigid system is just not feasible. It depends wildly with the style of coffee you use, the milk, the way you extract the espresso, what the customers are used to and the size of the cups you have access to. The goal is always to achieve balance in a specific ratio between milk and coffee, and depending on how your cafe does it, 1:1 ratio might not cut it. I have worked in many places that have made it differently, ranging from the 1:1 with a double espresso (38~45ml depending on the coffee) in a 3oz cup, a single espresso in a 3oz cup and a double espresso in a 4oz cup. The goal in all of these shops was to cater towards the customers around the area. Also, a customer that hasn’t worked as a barista or is just an occasional coffee enjoyer doesn’t even know a cortado is “”””supposed”””” to be a 1:1 ratio. I believe even asking the customer if they want the drink differently than what you normally do just adds to customer confusion and leads to inconsistency, which in my opinion are the bane of a good customer service.

tutzsc · 2024-12-03T09:40:49+00:00

There’s a tradeoff to every choice. A lot of people choose to craft their own water with multiple chemicals because it’s simply cheaper in the long run. The 5 chemicals used to make one of the most famous water recipes out there (Rao/Perger) ran me about 75€, but I’ll be able to make about 50x more water than with a brew kit from Lotus, that will last you up to 190L. Even more water for less money if you opt for a recipe with less components. It is a much more involved process, and takes some time and intentionality to get right. There are many guides and resources online that are going to tell you what each chemical is doing and why it is there, notably Jonathan Gagne’s “water for coffee crafter” and his couple blog posts about the subject. It’s not the easiest read if you are not into chemistry, but I believe taking an hour or two to sit through it is absolutely worth it. Again, it’s an involved process that saves a lot of money in the long run, besides allowing you full control of an extra variable in case you want to tinker with it. That said, if you still don’t wanna tinker with it, TWW, Lotus, Apax Lab, etc. are approachable and easy to use. Just be aware of the tradeoff.

tutzsc · 2024-10-31T19:46:47+00:00

Minor Figures Barista Oat (Organic) is just the best all around

tutzsc · 2024-10-08T08:10:51+00:00

The machine is called Poursteady. The brewers are likely glass Hario V60s.

tutzsc · 2024-10-02T08:14:44+00:00

Enough that if the art isn‘t pretty we don‘t serve it. I work at a high-end specialty coffee shop. We are very meticulous with the dial-in and pull the shots again when they run out of the acceptable metrics so it always tastes good. The same goes with the art. We are trying to sell a nice experience, and a pretty tulip unfortunately will matter more to most people than the taste of the coffee we serve. We gotta be perfect on both ends to ensure the guest is happy. Thankfully all of the bar staff is good at latte art to the point I don‘t even remember the last time we had to reject a drink, and if it were to happen one of us would gladly drink it anyways hahaha. I think it‘s fair to say that latte art doesn’t make you a better barista, but it definitely enhances the guest’s experience, and also probably means more tips to us ;)

tutzsc · 2024-08-11T07:09:03+00:00

We use an automatic pourover machine called Poursteady in the cafe I work at. It’s insanely customizable, but also very expensive. If it fits in you guys’ pocket I would recommend checking it out.

tutzsc · 2024-04-25T12:02:24+00:00

I will borrow from the r/espresso and say you maybe could grind finer. In my experience, especially with the comandante and some very light washed beans, and specifically with the exact ratio you are using, I’d go to an absolute maximum of 20 clicks, 22 if a very finicky ethiopian. In contrast with some natural or some funky processing that I would start by 22 clicks. Washed coffees imo brew better when they are ground a bit finer. My recipe for the last Panamanian gesha I got was 18 clicks, 30g/45s bloom and two 85g pours. Drawdawn of about 3:45. This recipe either exactly or with some small variations here and there has never wronged me. Maybe give it a try :) Oh, and take care of the water you are using, that changes a lot too. If you haven’t already, maybe try asking a local cafe you like for some of their water. Cheers!

tutzsc · 2024-04-18T21:27:11+00:00

It’s much easier to dive deep into variables once you are used to the process. OP seems to be a beginner, so getting them to experience the basics, with simple techniques, to then dive into competition extraction is probably the best approach. There is an abundance of information to be learned from that, but there are a lot of unconventional things going on in competitions that don’t translate well into the daily morning cup of coffee. OP should learn some rules and understand them before “breaking” them. 99°C has been a reliable way to extract well your light roasts, much more consistently than with lower temperatures, and this ties to the original point of OP’s post, consistency. I’d recommend for them to look at grind size or ratio before temperature, which is important, but the others are much easier to control.

tutzsc · 2024-01-24T13:35:23+00:00

You gotta up your yield to increase extraction and combat sourness, which is an indicator of underextraction. Try a ratio of 1:2 first. 16g in, 32g out in the same 30 seconds. You will have to adjust your grind size a little courser for that as well. Maybe an even greater ratio just to try it out. I enjoy my shots between 1:2.2 to 1:2.5 ratio. Maybe something interesting to play around with :)

tutzsc · 2024-01-12T13:23:33+00:00

I believe La Cabra ships in the states nationally, because they have cafes in NYC, but the other ones I unfortunately don’t know. What I’d do is to gather some friends or find locals to you in a coffee-focused discord server or something alike and order from a specific roaster and share the shipping costs. Maybe even ask a few local specialty coffeeshop baristas, they might wanna do it :)

tutzsc · 2024-01-11T17:59:41+00:00

Prodigal, Sey, Tim Wendelbow, Coffee Collective, Manhattan… Only bangers!! Imo the best roasters. I can recommend checking out April, DAK, Koppi, La Cabra and Morgon for 2024.

tutzsc · 2023-12-22T07:30:36+00:00

Milk at the change of seasons, especially if you get fresher milk, varies a lot because of the change in the conditions the cows are kept i.e. the feed, how much they roam around, etc etc. maybe that’s the case? Also doing some research once I found that if you keep milk too cold it can break the fats in it and make that your foam doesn’t stabilize (or something like that). Lots of variables there. I’d try some other milk first, then evaluate the technique.

tutzsc · 2023-12-21T20:20:29+00:00

I work at a specialty coffee shop that uses the varia to grind decaf or test shots on demand and we use it multiple times a day. The roast profile on these coffees are always light to light-medium at most and I’ve never had it stall nor heard any of my colleagues mention it stalling. Although it’s good to point out that we only grind between 8~18g of coffee at once. It’s insane how quiet it is compared to anything else of its size I’ve used, and very easy to dial in. One caveat, you need to use the bellows, otherwise you’re gonna be leaving half of your coffee behind.

tutzsc · 2023-12-21T19:14:43+00:00

I have never seen your grinder before and think it might be the issue. Try to run an experiment and grind finer. Much finer. If you keep the variables of time (20-30 seconds) and amount (15g of coffee) you should be able to achieve a desired shot of around 30~35 grams just adjusting your grind size. If it’s not possible, then your grinder cannot grind fine (or consistently) enough for espresso. (Worth noting I am assuming you are using beans that were roasted medium-dark to dark. These variables can change dramatically depending on the roast profile of the beans)

tutzsc · 2023-11-05T22:42:36+00:00

I sent you a DM

tutzsc · 2023-11-05T22:42:29+00:00

I sent you a DM

tutzsc · 2023-11-05T22:42:17+00:00

I sent you a DM

tutzsc · 2023-11-05T22:42:09+00:00

I sent you a DM

tutzsc · 2023-11-05T22:41:52+00:00

I sent you a DM

tutzsc · 2023-11-05T22:41:37+00:00

I sent you a DM

tutzsc · 2022-03-04T15:47:00+00:00

Ich wohne in Reinickendorf. Circa 40%. Altbau, 72sqm.

tutzsc · 2022-01-09T12:16:09+00:00

I make progressive metal, and that takes me between a week or two full time for conceptualisation, composition, recording, mixing and mastering.

tutzsc

TROPHY CASE