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It has been a very good year.

I’ve been reflecting on some of the happenings this year and feel like it’s worth jotting down some of the positive experiences I had over the last 12 months. These experiences are not in any particular order.

The Brewed Coffee revolution

I know that the word “revolution” might sound a tad melodramatic but this year, after a few years of a bit of a spluttering start, (think 1970’s engine) coffee brewed in ways other than through an espresso machine has really taken hold amongst those in the specialty coffee community. The most notable thing here is that attitudes to brewed coffee have changed to a point where there is a greater respect for the brewed product and where many people choose to brew their extra special coffee’s through brewing systems that give them the chance to experience nuances in the coffee which would not be evident to them through espresso. This newly found enthusiasm by the industry in general has resulted in a few good things happening. Firstly, manufacturers are getting serious about making and supplying gear that gives us better brewing results. Marco in Ireland have now got serious and have produced a machine (Uber boiler) that dispenses water to exacting temperatures. Syphon brewers, Chemex, Clever Coffee Drippers and filters are readily available and most importantly there are tons of people experimenting and publishing their thoughts on how to get good results. This is an excellent thing and bodes very well for those interested in the success of specialty coffee. My favourite brewed experience. Ethiopian Beloya through a Clever Coffee Dripper, 30g to 330ml, 3 minute steep time, Blueberry smack in the face!

Coffee from Kintamani in Bali

We’ve been visiting Bali for about 3 years now and this year is the first year that I’ve felt that our investment in the area has started to have a real impact on the people who are doing the farming and on the coffee in the cup. I won’t go into the finer details but because of the choice of a large exporter choosing to pull the pin on their support for a few farmers we were working with it meant that they (the farmers) would also loose their wet mill. We were able to buy the wet mill from the exporter and leave it in situ for the farmers to continue to use. This year the growers really improved their post harvesting techniques in an effort to increase the quality of the beans sent to us. The beans arrived last week. The quality is much better. It feels good to be involved in something where there are wins all round.

The opening of a couple of new places (Proud Mary and Seven Seeds)

These two venues have a unique place in the industry in Australia – for how far they have lifted the bar and how they have become what they are. Each of these venues reflects the passionate coffee journey of the people behind them – Both these venues have people that work within them that started from very modest coffee beginnings. Mark, Bridget and Nolan and Sharee rely on the bean telling the story and work their hardest at providing hard working Australians with one of the world’s best total coffee experiences. Mecca (Paul) in Sydney and a couple of other also fit into this catagory but were opened prior to this year.

The arrival of our baby gade and backroom program:

This heading is really me trying to summerise a whole mix of events and moments that all contributed to something that made us like coffee just so much more. The return of Jenny Murray from her sabatical in Canada, the final pimping/modification of the Renegade sampler, and the arrival of our first mixed shipment of microlot coffees from brokers in the US all culminated in us being able to really explore roasting profiles and brewing results of unique and excellent coffees like we’d never done before. I’m not sure I’ve every heard so many “wows” in one year by the guys here around the roastery.

Our success at the comps:

Normally our participation in competitions is done simply for us to be able know how we are going in the industry against the rest of Australia and the rest of the world. We here in Perth often feel that our isolation prevents us from keeping up with what’s hot and what’s not so we are constantly watching the industry as closely as we can and striving to get better. Our success in the comps this year has played a role validating the efforts we’ve made to hover at cutting edge of the specialty coffee industry. It’s a small measure but we’ll take it.

The birthing of the “mod” department:

We probably never really understood what we would be getting when we signed up for a service department. After much hard work we’ve not only got ourselves a slick equipment fixing machine we’ve also got ourselves a couple of equipment geeks (I hope they will forgive me for calling them this – they know who they are) who have been able to demonstrate with skill and imagination anything is possible. Out of our workshop this year we’ve seen a tuned Renegade sample roaster, a preinfusion mod on a Synesso, a funky timer and hopper mod on a normal Robur and more recently a mashup of a Synesso and Isomac to create an incredibly heat stable multiboiler machine suitable for the domestic market. In recent days the geek (Rich) has also been able to convert a 3 group Sabre into a Hydra/Sable Hybrid. It’s just incredible to be associated with a company with a service department that can do a whole lot more than just change seals and filters. I think that best is yet to come and ultimately, the specialty coffee industry will be the winner.

The noise in the production room is starting to lift as I finish this post. The guys are playing hacky sack, the BBQ is on and the drinks are on ice.

Yep, it’s been a very good year.