In Ep. 10 we chat with Ben Jones, Director of Education at Ristretto Roasters and 2016 US Aeropress Champion! After getting to know Ben a little bit, we dive right into his Aeropress recipe (see table below). We also get to learn a little bit about what Ben does as the Director of Education at Ristretto Roasters and he shares some tips to help us be better coffee tasters!

We all know good coffee grows near the equator. Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Guatemala, Panama. Aside from a few outliers like Hawaii, it doesn't grow further north than southern Mexico. And for the most part it grows in poor countries. The cherries all ripen at a different time making picking by hand the preferred method, too expensive at $10 minimum wage. ... So why is one farmer trying to grow coffee in California?

Good Land Organics - California Grown Coffee

I first exchanged emails with Jay, owner of Good Land Organics, when he subscribed to Angels' Cup. His email address rang a bell because I had just watched this youtube video on the LA coffee scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYryKbPjm4s It's really a short documentary that first takes us on a tour of the Good Land Organics farm, and then to an Intelligentsia cupping table where it's on the table with Geishas. Here's their conclusion:

"Pretty damn good for a California coffee, that's exciting to see. It definitely surprised me, the coffee was more complex than I expected, it really surprised us all. Pretty awesome, that's a victory for California coffee."

That's a solid endorsement from a reputable company, that wasn't under any pressure to say nice things. I haven't actually tried the coffee yet, so I can't really weigh in on the conversation. But the 2016 harvest is starting now and those coffees should be hitting the market in a few month. I'll be first on line, super excited to give them a try!

Favorite Excerpts

I think variety is the biggest driver in quality. And then then whole post-harvest world, there's a lot to learn. There's a lot of things you can do to accentuate the varieties, either define a region or re-define a region. Jay was a little crazy to start growing coffee 13 years ago, but today it's not so crazy. That's because the specialty industry has really caught up and consumers are more educated on the origins of coffee and are willing to spend more money. I believed that we had a market, and then I pushed us to stick our heads out and send product to coppers to get some honest feedback. And that was very scary but we got some positive feedback which was very encouraging! The reason we have 13 varietals is because originally when I started I thought what plan would survive - they all survived. I said ok which one is going to produce - the all produce. And then we said which one is going to cup well enough - the call cupped between 82-89 in the first year. I'd say that we will constantly be developing the flavor profiles of our coffees. But we have reached a level where we're able to selling all of our product every year. And I've been able to ask a price point that lets us sustain coffee growing here. Diversity of farms is essential for our food system. Coffee has opened my eyes to say there are companion crops. Things like avocado and coffee and passion fruit have all grown in very diverse ecological climates, jungles. It's only modern agricultural systems mainly derived from crops like wheat and corm where we look at monoculture systems. Then we take fruit trees and put them in that monoculture system, and what I like to see is having a diverse system. Originally it was looking at an ecologically diverse system, and that's kinda cool. But what's really capturing the eye is can we have an ecologically diverse system that's also economically diverse. So that you have crops that cash flow differently. We're looking at farming a system that no longer just who can get the highest yield on avocados, but who can get the highest yield. Who can get the best profit and revenue with the least water resources and nutrition. Jay likes growing things that other people think he can't. That may be what inspired him originally to try it out. Eventually the excitement and the hugeness of the coffee industry and the impact we may be able to have it is what inspires us today.

TL;DR - Here's Rusty's go-to Aeropress recipe:

Variable, Setting Method, Inverted Coffee, 16.5g Water, 220g Ratio, 13.3 Temp, 185 ℉ Filter, Tim Wendelboe Grind, Baratza Virtuoso 14 Time, 2:30

View here if you can't see our beautiful table: https://angelscup.com/blog/podcasts/

Additional notes - Rusty does a 50g bloom for 30 seconds with a quick stir, then fills to 220g of water. Caps it at the 2 min mark, and flips for a 30 second press. The grind is slightly finer than what Rusty uses for a Kalita. He uses a custom Tim Wendelboe metal filter which can be purchased here for $20*: http://rustyshawaiian.com/shop/merchandise/rusty-obras-championship-aeropress-filter/ Also! Rusty will be answering questions on our Facebook group page, check it out after you've listened to the podcast: www.facebook.com/groups/angelscup *Everything on rustyshawaiian.com is 10% off through May 1st (for Mother's Day ?), so that filter is $18 while supplies last!

Introduction

With that out of the way, welcome to Episode 7 of the Angels' Cup Coffee Hunter podcast! This week we're speaking with long-time Angels' Cup subscriber, 2015 US Aeropress Champion, & 2016 Northeast Regional Aeropress Champion, Rusty Obra. Scroll down to the bottom to listen, or search for "Angels' Cup" wherever you download podcasts! At the core of this interview, we're going to learn about all the Aeropress brewing variables and why/how Rusty dials in his recipe. Rusty is the perfect person to chat with about this not only because he's such a strong competitor, but also because his recipe is simple. Anyone can follow these steps and make a decent cup of coffee on their first try, what sets Rusty apart is his tastebuds and his ability to make minuscule changes.

Favorite Podcast Quotes

The real reason I got into the Aeropress was just because of travel and how easy it is to pack. Everything was just right there in that little bag that comes with the Aeropress, and you can pretty much brew a cup of coffee anywhere. I got my first Aeropress in 2011 and my first competition was in 2012. That was the first year that US nationals ever started, and I just decided to compete on a whim. And I will be the first person to admit, I was horrible at brewing a cup of coffee with that. I got booted in the first round. But it was my second coffee convention and I liked hanging out with the people. And I liked trying coffee. So I said why not? Anybody can be an Aeropress competitor. I honestly believe that anybody can do it. I know this is going to sound weird, but you gotta get to know your Aeropress. Once you figure out how it works, it's pretty much up to you, what you taste, what you like. It's kind of scary just trying to figure out the Aeropress at first, but just by repetition, you kinda get a feel for it, just like anything else. You do it over and over again, you start to feel more comfortable with it. And overall, trust your palate. I like natural coffees, Ethiopia is probably my favorite origin, and I also like coffee that have a fruit bomb. Lighter roasted coffee that have that fruit bomb character. When I was younger I used to like really full bodied coffees, but my palate has changed and it's too heavy for me now. I don't exactly know what happened with my palate. I don't know if it got developed, but it just seemed to strong for me and that when I really started liking the naturals. It's kind of therapeutic for me. For those 2.5-3 minutes, I kind of just zone out. I concentrate on the coffee and forget about what I'm doing for just a few seconds. Support your local coffee roaster, small cafes. If you have a cafe that you know of that does single origin stuff, that they roast their own coffee, go out there any try it. You'll never find out what you like and dislike until you tart tasting things. I'm still, 6 years in that I'm seriously into coffee and I still love trying coffees. Going to SCAA. Sometimes getting my Angels' Cup delivery and those four little envelopes that are in there. Try to look at it, see what I like, see what I don't like. Just taste, taste, taste.