Espresso Guest

 Those acquainted with our department might be surprised to learn that two of our full professors have substantial involvement. In fact, while Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan is known as the Coffee Maven, it is only Dr. Bob Amey who has substantial (and current) barista experience. 

In fact, he knows a lot more about the preparation of espresso and was kind enough to bring his expertise to a recent session of The Secret Life of Coffee, an Second-Year Seminar (SYS) that Dr. Hayes-Bohanan has offered regularly since the pilot year of the SYS program in 2007.

Dr. Amey demonstrates the use of his own espresso machine
for an Honors section of the Secret Life of Coffee.

The discussion began with technique, but soon turned to the geography of coffee shops and the North Shore neighborhood in which Dr. Amey lives and works.

The coffee he brewed is an unusual blend from Sweet Maria's, which has supplied most of the coffee that Dr. Hayes-Bohanan has roasted for the class this semester, always using a high-temperature automatic-drip brewer. Because most of its offerings are single-origin coffees with very specific field and cupping notes, students have had the opportunity to connect terroir to the cup for coffees of very specific known origins. 

The Liquid Amber Espresso Blend used for this session is very different in both appearance and geographic detail. Dr. Amey offered everyone the "same" coffee brewed three ways, and accordingly ground three ways. 

Click to enlarge -- grind size is dictated by brewing method.
From fine to medium to course (left-to-right),
these are the same coffee as fine, medium, and coarse for
espresso, automatic drip, and French press.

The entire class enjoyed the three preparations, with a general preference for the espresso.