The Un-ABC’s of Coffee with George Howell, via CoffeeCon

“George is a legend,” Kevin Sinnot, founder of CoffeeCon.

When Kevin Sinnot, founder of CoffeeCon, opened the conference with keynote speaker George Howell, by saying the aside quote, it was like hearing a widely recognize assumption, followed by a two-hour talk full of coffee proofs.  Whether one agrees with all of his fundamentals or not,  George Howell brings a lot of reason to the subjective hows’ on getting to a great cup of coffee.  Curated from his Coffee Tasting Seminar, here are ten un-ABC’s of coffee, as noted by smdlr.

  1. Water: If there is something wrong with your water, there is definitely something wrong with your coffee.
  2. Quality: Single estate is the peak of coffee.
  3. Milk: I usually drink milk in my coffee. 
  4. Longevity: After 90 days off roast, coffee goes downhill in an accelerating fashion.
  5. Economics: We can’t expect economic stability for farmers as long as they remain anonymous; they need identity.
  6. Dates: Know the roast date.
  7. Cupping:  Its not the best way to taste coffee, it’s the only way.
  8. Coffee: The whole is better than the parts.
  9. Brewing: Very small changes make big differences.
  10. Altitude: The higher the altitude, the brighter the roast.