Daily Telegraph discovers coffee

admin

Yippee! Sydney's Daily Telegraph has once again 'discovered' coffee; what's more they've once again discovered (as seem to every year) that around this time of year there's an annual coffee judging at the RAS...

The good thing is that one of the judges is a well-known coffee expert?? (& broadcaster) Simon Marnie, who says he will never drink instant coffee again - wow!!!

and just so you know: *The crema (yellowish-coloured froth on top of the coffee) should cling to the sides of the cup

*The beans should be fresh and always a 'good brew' - whatever that means, and lastly:

*If the barista doesn't press down with a proper coffee grinder inside the grooved heads [whatever that's supposed to mean?], it's going to be an insipid, weak drink !!!!!!!

I'm sorry guys, but I just can't believe some of the stuff these guys print...

ciao

Admin

Gonzo

Dear Admin, thank you for putting into words what I had been thinking when I read that story on this year's coffee judging at the fine food show. The photo of the coffee judge who couldn't be bothered shaving before turning up to work lent lots of street cred to the whole thing. Next year perhaps we could request they take a photo of a judge sporting lots of tattoos and piercings as these might also lend lots of street cred. I am particularly taken with the decision this year to choose a radio announcer to sit on the panel of judges. Bravo! For next year may we please request a mortician and a hairdresser and the year after, I think a politician or two might be in order. When I have finished writing this forum entry, I am immediately going to despatch an email to Italy to request our manufacturer incorporate these new grooved group heads in the next consignment of machines imported. It is also a very good idea to incorporate coffee grinders into your coffee presses as they will save the barista from succumbing to RSI from having too many separate operations to perform. Efficiency is the key! Liquid cooling could be incorporated to stop the grinder from overheating from the force of your tamping and come to think of it, the press should be hydraulically servo assisted to further lessen the possibility of RSI. Far from this kind of newspaper hype "lifting" the profile of the coffee industry, it is nothing short of embarrassing. And speaking of embarassing did you see the TV morning show on channel 10 a week or two ago when the weather presenter was allowed access to the tasting room of Australias largest privately owned coffee roasting company? The place was set up for her to try coffee tasting as it's done professionally. If I was the coffee company principle I would have made a complaint to the TV station about the appalling behaviour displayed. G.

admin

On the subject of the RAS, did any of you judge this year? If so, any comments on the overall process and standard of the entrants this year? Admin

FreshCoffee2

G'day Admin, I took a sabatical. In fact I'm taking a sabatical from everything this year. It will help me live longer! Did you (attend)? The only comment I can make is that one of the other local from my area) coffee roasters got a nice little write up in the local rag today. He won a prize for coffee grown on his plantation up north, and it adds to the prize we awarded last year, and I think (?) this makes 4 awards over a 4 year period. Good show for him.   I'm not sure what exactly this means in terms of his plantation VS other plantations from the same area as I think they all grow the same one or two principle varieties (but please feel free to correct me if I am wrong). Knowing however that many Australian growers fall down badly in the roasting side of things I am making an educated guess that this grower made a much better fist of roasting the sample submitted than did others. This exemplifies the perennial problem that growers and roasters should principally stick to what they know best and seek out partnerships to best complement their products rather than go down the I'm a "cottage industry and I do everything myself" trail.   Being familiar with the professional way in which the judging is conducted I have no doubt all the results represent a true and fair indication of what was presented. I must admit that I am a little puzzled by the inclusion of a radio announcer in the field of judges however I have no doubt it would have been done with the best of intentions. Anyone else? FC.

admin

No FC, in fact I don't know anyone who did...I guess that's how they ended up with someone like Simon Marnie :o -A

Reschsmooth

Quick question - why are you reading the Daily Terrorgraph in the first place? Patrick

admin

you probably won't believe this, but i actually picked it up in a train - really -A  

FreshCoffee2

The train? Left the merc at home with the trouble and strife? FC.

Unknown

Talking about the RAS, rumour has it that an Australian roaster has actually won Gold in the Espresso category this year...wonder if that has something to do with the fact that the big 'V' had a much lower profile as sponsor this year...? R.S.

Reschsmooth

Admin, I trust you weren't using the paper as a blanket?  :P Patrick

admin

What FC was referring to is that I happen to drive a Mercedes (1973, worth around $3,500). However, since the birth of our roaster-in-waiting, I have indeed been relegated to catching the train or on a good day, I get to drive the '83 Daihatsu Charade.  But thank you all for your concern... -Admin :-/

FreshCoffee2

Hi RS, the judging is designed in such a way as to be as unbiased as possible, covering a number of parameters, the judges only see numbers not names, the results should be quite fair, there is no way I can see that the major sponsor could infuence results... What do you think Admin? FC.

admin

actually, it's a '89 Charade, and for the record, I've got nothing against Diahatsu Charades... -A

Gonzo

re: "the judging is designed in such a way as to be as unbiased as possible, covering a number of parameters, the judges only see numbers not names, the results should be quite fair, there is no way I can see that the major sponsor could infuence results..." well there is nothing to stop judges who are normally in the employ of the major sponsor (or anyone else for that matter) from deliberately marking everything down with a low mark is there? G.

FreshCoffee2

Hello G, I take your point but there is a system of scrutineering in place to counteract the effect of any particular judge having a tendency to score low overall and differing markedly from the overall scoring of other judges. (Hope I explained that clearly???). Questions are asked, samples rechecked if necessary etc. to make absolutely sure a) that the samples have been judged correctly (fairly) and b) to make sure the judges do have the expertise for the job. I cant remember if Classes that have scored overall low marks are "scaled" statistically or not but I do know that sometimes samples in a particular class may be deemed (by virtue of the scores) to have been of a particularly low, or high standard, in which case someone may win a trophy, OR, a trophy may not be awarded at all for that class. Hey Admin, can you add anything further? Yours in coffee judging FC.

admin

To be honest FC, I really don't know for sure...but I do feel Gonzo's got a point. -A

Unknown

I think you people are missing the point. Its not whether marks are collectively lower or higher when a certain sponsor is around, but whether the quality of the judging in toto is any good at all. My sources advise that the radio announcer was not the only "ring in" on the judging panel this year and there were a number of people with no real expertise in the judging of coffee, period. In this group I include those who are only affiliated with coffee through their employment in the COFFEE MAKING industry. Being employed in the coffee making industry does not a coffee judge make and I would wager that in the coffee judge heirarchy a coffee maker might only rate about 1 rung further up the ladder than a radio announcer. I wonder how many people with real coffee judging experience were interspersed amongst the coffee makers and radio announcers? In which case entrants should rightly be concerned about the quality of the adjudication, especially the entrant who someone mentioned won a gold prize in the espresso category. Who judges the "judge" in this here shindig? Mal The Koffee Politik.