11.23.05
Breaking Rules (My Love Affair with the Kenya Part I)
It’s funny how certain rules, whether etched in stone or generally accepted conventions, can stop one from exploring certain paths eventhough they look mighty intriguing. A lot of the times rules are valid because they’ve been tried and proven true. A lot of rules are also established as idiot-proof measures against, well, idiots.
Rules rule the coffee world. A lot I follow especially those that I’ve tried and proven true to my circumstances. But curiosity always gets the better of me, and the path presented by a light roasted Kenya run through the La Marzocco Linea is just way too tempting. I give in.
What rules am I breaking here? Thou shalt not use beans roasted light years shy of second crack in espresso. Thou shalt not use the same light roasted beans as a single origin espresso. I see the espresso gods pacing nervously, their salivary glands in overdrive anticipating a face-crunching disgrace of a brew. It won’t work, it won’t work, they fret.
The path opened as sweet as the splat of something purple juicy oozing from the corners of my mouth. Succulent, yet tart. Bright but unbelievably smooth. Tingles and tickles but also soothes. A complexity replete with berries and currants carried by the subtlest of umami. A clean snappy finish.
I march to the sinbin smiling.