Author: liza maksimova

  Specialty coffee is tightly connected with Passion.   It is believed that to work in the industry, you have to be passionate, inspired at least with something. Lots of baristas get inspiration in practicing latte art, many – in getting geeky with espresso, some – with technical side of the business, lots – with … Continue reading #31 Cafe Service: Espresso served at 100% (when you don’t have, or cannot afford to have a passionate barista)

I’ll start the post with these repost from ben morrow’s instagram feed, from one of the trainings he did. Why is it always about pretty vs tasty? I meet people in the industry, and pretty often hear these two positions (not joking, for real): 1) I don’t care about latte art, practicing latte art is … Continue reading #30 Beauty and the Beast

  Dangerous attitudes we apply working in Specialty coffee, and why we should stop. I think I am about to write about the problems that worry me the most, and therefore, it will be the most important post I wrote here. This topic appeared out of nowhere in 2 days, after having some talks with … Continue reading #29. Things that we do (or think) that hold the Specialty Industry back

We are serving a very nice espresso this week. Single origin Honduras Santa Barbara, washed caturra and catuai. Candied apple, walnut and cacao in a shot, hazelnut, butterscotch and cacao in cappuccino. Very nice espresso, clean, balanced, sweet, complex enough to enjoy but not to get confused, espresso that makes me proud to serve it. … Continue reading #28 Acidity hated

  Some time ago, while living in Latin America, I wrote this post about service.   And today, being in Moscow, I would like to come back to this topic.   We buy coffee for various reasons. To survive a day in the office, to wake up in the morning, to have somthing hot to … Continue reading #26

(c) photo by Christophe Jammet Matt Perger wrote last week about Aeropress, or, better to say about Drip vs Immersion.   I was brewing today same coffee (Brazil roasted by Double B Moscow) in 3 different brewers, Aeropress, V60 and Kalita. And for the aeropress I used the recipe that won this year in Dublin (you … Continue reading #24

  My attempt to resume for myself how the changes in the coffee industry in the last 3-4 years are affecting the work of the barista or the owner of the  speciality coffee shop that cares about quality. I am focusing here only on the technical side, not including service, which is another huge topic. … Continue reading #22

  No excuses. World Barista Championship usually tends to bring some questions to my head, and makes me reflect on some things. Usually it is about professionalism and growth.   Personally, I hate giving excuses. And I don’t respect people who blame others for their failures.   But that’s me. At the level like that, WBC, … Continue reading #21

    Comparative Cupping vs Leisure Cupping or “Tell me how you cup and I will tell who you are”     Just a short note.   While now we are already at the level when we question the quality of our cupping technique as it is, and the purpose of it itself (switching from cupping … Continue reading #20

I don’t know if I should be writing this post. I mean, I understand that my opinion is just mine.   I understand that the industry is growing and learning. For example, learning to brew and roast better, learning about the consistency techniques and water, pressure and flow rate, hospitality, varietals, cultivars, processing…   I … Continue reading #19

    Decaf coffee and alternative “milks”.   I had no itention to write about it today, till I found that article about colombian coffee. Just in the end, there is a line. “Baristas like Ivan Lopez from Amor Perfecto demonstrate different brew methods, talk about the importance of highlighting coffee’s journey and sum up … Continue reading #16

There are many questions that bother my mind now, all of them at once.   I am thinking, after all the talks we had lately, about working in the area you are passionate about.   Some people may think it is easy. Like a dream come true. You go to work, and every day is … Continue reading #15