Author: liza maksimova

Q Grader. Roast Master. SCAE certified.

How to choose a roaster – most important piece of advice

by liza maksimova

So, you are thinking about starting a coffee roastery! Congratulations!

I’ve been there.

You discuss the machines, which one you like the most, you collect the data and the feedback from the fellow roasters – what are the possible problems, how the coffee turns out. You think about the design – which color to choose, how it will look inside the shop. You are probably even thinking about the length of the chimney and the number of bends it makes – and you really should.

All of it is important, and definitely should be considered and thought through.

But only after you find out the most important piece of information….

Coffee Recipe of the week: V60 – pouring differently

by liza maksimova

What’s new in this recipe? 
The factor I am exploring is the pouring. 

All other variables stayed the same, and the only thing I am changing is the way I pour. In one of the last videos of James Hoffmann where he is exploring different pour over brewers, he mentioned that April Brewer has a special recipe for it.  And since then the thing that I wanted to try was to use that recipe brewing a V60. 

The main feature of it is using a combined pour – 100 grams of water in 10 seconds, divided into 30 grams circular pour (roughly around 2 circles) and 70 grams right in the center.

(ADVANCED) Aeropress Championship Recipes – deconstructed and explained

by liza maksimova

Who has ever looked for winning aeropress recipes and tried to repeat them at home? I am guilty, I’ve tried. And I am almost sure that if you are here, reading this – you have done it as well.

How were the results?

Mine… Were controversial. I mean, those are the winning recipes, they must taste very good – that’s the point, no? But they kinda were tasting just ok. Just fine. In the beginning. And when the coffee cooled down – they were not tasty anymore.
Who has ever looked for winning aeropress recipes and tried to repeat them at home? I am guilty, I’ve tried. And I am almost sure that if you are here, reading this – you have done it as well.

How were the results?

Mine… Were controversial. I mean, those are the winning recipes, they must taste very good – that’s the point, no? But they kinda were tasting just ok. Just fine. In the beginning. And when the coffee cooled down – they were not tasty anymore. Surprise!…

Roasting Coffee or “You can’t always get what you want”

by liza maksimova

Back in 2015 Rob Hoos published a book that, I like to think, changed the perspective of the roasters who read it about how to roast coffee in order to taste in a specific way. How to add sweetness, what to do to increase the perception of the body, how to mitigate or accentuate the … Continue reading Roasting Coffee or “You can’t always get what you want”

Coffee Recipe of the week: V60 for one, brewing sweet cup with medium body

by liza maksimova

One more V60 this week – this time exploring such factors as bloom time, the influence of preheating the ceramic and using just one long steady continuous pour! All of it to make enough coffee for 2 people in less than 4 minutes.