Automation in coffee Creates, not Cripples.

Note: It have been awhile since I last contributed to an article here but a fellow barista sharing on how he gained new knowledge simply from my frequent IG postings made me realise that, there is always opportunity to write, just not formally on the blog itself. So I am trying this out, putting this recent posting which I feel may have some value here with some edits and add-ons to give it more relevance. Enjoy.

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I was kidding behind the bar earlier today, while preparing a filter brew using the SP9 by @marcobeveragesystems but at the same time, manipulating variables to deliver a coffee experience with the @lapalmayeltucan Lactic Sidra with delicious results.

Having been exposed to pourovers way back while running the Cuppa Academy in 2007, it is easy to ridicule an automated pourover brewer and claiming that manual is the best. If you have ever made that kind of claims, it is either your barista ego talking or you are plain ignorant to dive in deeper to control the machine but allowing the machine to control you!

SP9 takes away the variables of hand brewing, allowing accurate pulses of water to be introduced each time to the coffee bed, while maintaining the same temperature each time (Consistency, something a barista can never achieve with a kettle, 9 out of 10 times) yet allowing the operator to have a full control of the recipe, like temperature, volume and brew time.

That aside, I was tweaking grind size and adjusting how 'cold' I like the inside of the serving vessel to be but at the same time, making sure the exterior of the @acmeandco cup is warm to touch. The whole experience matters and selling an experience comes from a Barista, not an automated coffee brewer.

Automation in coffee doesn't  cripple an experience  if one knows how to use it to his/her advantage while maintaining a delicious brew and having more time as a result to deliver legendary service. Our Barista in Dutch Colony now are able to balance between handcrafting espresso beverages of quality and yet being able to produce delicious brews consistently, in a timely manner  and creating more opportunities to connect with these customers while preparing  those brews. If you have yet to experience for yourself a brew made by the SP9, do visit any of Dutch Colony 3 shops today.