Espresso Remixed
Alika Magas | September 2, 2020
Over the years, as companies often do, the makeup of Ampersand has shifted. Baristas come and go as do the back of house staff. But the Ampersand crew is starting to lock in place. Now, in 2020, we have more than doubled in size and gained some amazing new team members. So, we thought it apt that our only coffee blend mature alongside us. Our last Ampersand Espresso blend was created a few years ago when our team was entirely different. While we enjoyed our old espresso blend, we felt like it was time to reinvent our espresso together. A new blend for a new team.
The way coffee is blended might be an obscure process for some—even a few of our baristas were new to the practice. Coffee is about community, not obscurity. Because we hold that principal dearly, the Ampersand Family thought it would be a nice idea to share how we created our brand-new Espresso. It was an exciting day for the team, and we’re certain it is exciting for you, too.
Kylee (left) breaks the top layer and takes in the coffee's aroma while Carissa (right) removes the grounds.
As we began, Carissa, who heads our customer relations at Ampersand, debriefed the team. She already had an idea of what flavors she thought could make our new espresso taste amazing: the blend should be sweet, with tasting notes of milk chocolate and caramel, maybe some pecans to add an extra, savory layer.
“For our espresso blend we are looking to create a stand-out crowd pleaser. Not only do people expect a certain flavor when it comes to espresso, but the blend must be well rounded enough to stand out against milk or shine in an americano. When creating this blend, we also kept our wide variety of clients in mind... something smooth & easy for baristas to dial in. ”
With Carissa’s goal in mind, the cupping process began. First, coffee was weighed out into individual cups and ground. The team then went around the table to take in the fragrance of each dry coffee, followed by a round of experiencing the aroma of each origin after the ground coffee had been wetted with boiling water and the crusts broken on the top of the cups. On each pass, with each scent, the team took note what flavors might pair best together.
Then the real fun began. We tasted each coffee individually, by measuring out one spoon into a cortado glass and taking in the sample with a sharp intake of air, that way the coffee would cover our whole palate. The goal here isn’t to sound as ridiculous as possible with each slurp—though that is an unintentional outcome—but to experience every aspect of each coffee’s unique behavior; body, beginning and ending tasting notes, mouthfeel, all of these components combine together to set each coffee apart from one another.
After our initial mental notes were taken, we began to spoon different coffees together into our glass. To make sure the new blend would be easy to replicate exactly, we used our cupping spoons as way to measure the ratios of each idea. Some were two spoons of a dark roast, and one of a light or medium. Some ideas used one spoon of three separate coffees. But one thing was certain, each contender was creative and individual. The team sorted through many options before narrowing the contenders down to two. And it was a tie.
A stroke of genius struck one of our baristas, Annie, who suggested that perhaps we swap the dark roast base of each blend with each other, a move that would create two more unique options. Columbia and Sumatra were switched on the two blends, and after the team tasted the two new options, the winner was clear. After only an hour of our team’s creative endeavor, we had a new blend that told the story of Ampersand’s next chapter: Sumatra to serve as a sweet and lively base, Brazil for a dash of nut and caramel, and Guatemala to shine through with a gorgeous, smokey milk chocolate body. The new blend is indicative of where we are heading. Ampersand strives to be communal, to build a family of coffee lovers that everyone can feel proud to be a part of. Bringing the team to collaborate on a new Espresso was just one way for the company to embody that.
Change is coming, and it is a new chapter we are all eager to savor.
Have you tried the new blend? Let us know what you think!
Drop us a line, anytime on our Instagram <3
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