We actually had two Aeropress hacks classes teaching two completely different methods!
CoffeeCon is a great coffee consumer festival but it is also a definitive learning center about all things coffee. At the upcoming July 26 CoffeeCon San Francisco, we will feature more classes than ever. Why? We notice that the classes are so popular. Coffee is as a complex as wine, but you need more than a clean glass and the proper serving temperature. Every cup of coffee must be prepared moments before you indulge your passion and start to sip.
Take the Chemex. When I began brewing with a Chemex, the local shop that sold it to me knew very little about it. They recommended fine drip grind. They also recommended near-boiling water. Those of us who are experienced Chemex users know a coarser grind is a better match. We know a more off-the-boil temperature is a better temperature. Or is it?
One benefit of classes, especially hands-on classes, is the opportunity to taste the teacher’s theories. We find the best and you are the beneficiary of their knowledge. I’ve written two books about coffee and I was exposed to a new way of siphon (vacuum) brewing at a CoffeeCon class. At first I wasn’t convinced but, after some subsequent in-home test comparisons, I now add the coffee after the water rises and, yes, I do think it works and tastes better.
The Aeropress always has a hacks class. This most-nonspecific of all brewers seems to attract the inventor in its fans. We recently couldn’t decide between two classes and finally decided to offer both.
Whenever possible, we try to make a lecture a demonstration, and a demonstration a lab with multiple workstations. Sometimes this just isn’t possible due to equipment limitations and logistics. One of our finest moments was when Bunn held their Trifecta lab. To see a dozen of these high-cost coffeemakers surrounded by teams of consumers getting to try multiple samples on a cutting edge brewer most people in the trade had not even been able to test, was a joy to behold. You should have seen the hungry eyes on the couple who won their own Trifecta at our prize giveaway at day’s end.
Now is a perfect time to contact us about what classes you’d most like to see. Although classes are first come on sight enrollment, I am always interested in what you’d like to see. I am still organizing and contacting our final presenter list.
