Training Log by Lisa Zancanella - What is your favorite brew method?

What is your favorite Brew Method and why?

My favorite Brew Methods are two: first, the Cupper Brewer, which reproduce the same beverage of a cupping cup, used without filters, the same timing and procedure of cupping, it brings out the coffee as it is, more intensely than with any other device. The V60 then, which allows us to play more with recipes, doses, and timings, exploring all the limits and possibilities of the coffee. Plus it personally helps me to understand and stretch each variable of the brewing.

What do you recommend a Home Brewer should think about if they want to make competition quality coffee at Home?

I would only suggest to keep it simple, exploring a different range of flavors and coffee Origins without getting too fancy on methods and filters. Usually, the time spent at home isn’t a lot: after the initial excitement for new devices, it may become harder to keep on it.

What's the best coffee you ever tried?

The best cup of coffee I’ve ever tried is not a geisha or a revolutionary processed coffee: is a simple Kenya, from Kirinyaga. The familiar taste of black currant and sweetness that I was expecting came along with a grapefruit acidity that was very different from any another Kenya I had before (yes, now it’s quite normal and very usual but at the time it wasn't). It was so intense and well structured, but at the same time, it surprised me as my favorite coffee Origin. I’m not a huge fan of fermented or natural coffees; instead, I prefer very fruity and clean coffees. So when tasting coffee I always ask myself if I would drink a whole cup of it: this Kenya definitely was worth more than a cup.