Last week, the city of Portland, Oregon played host to 2007 WBC Champion James Hoffmann’s eagerly awaited Nuova Simonelli T3 tech talk. This event was hosted by the American Barista and Coffee School, and attended by around 80 specialty coffee enthusiasts and Hoffmann fanboys (not exactly a mutually exclusive group). Here’s our 10 most memorable moments from the talk, presented in Buzzfeed Top 10 style.
10. James Hoffmann, humble when it comes to pulling shots: “I think we can all agree that espresso is hard. People come up to me expecting flawless espresso, and as we all know, that’s not an easy thing to do.”
9. James came dressed casually in blue gingham and mellow denim, with blue loafers and a friendly smile.
8. We had some technical difficulties to start…but then Gianni said “Ok, let’s have another beer!” and there was much rejoicing.
7. “I can trace a lot about temperature stability to one guy.” James credits David Schomer for getting the coffee industry to focus on temperature stability.
6. Fun fact – James attended the 2008 WBC machine testing calibration in Vanoucver, BC. “It was about the most boring thing I’ve ever done as a tester.”
5. James Hoffmann is literally obsessed with buttons. “When I push a button, I want to know it works. I’ve had the chance to poke loads and loads of buttons.” Mr. Hoffmann has some strong feelings on the subject.
4. A personal opinion from James: “I would politely beg that no more money be spent on temperature stability R&D – I think we’re past the point where I can taste a difference. People say, ‘Oh, I brought it down a half degree, and it changed the taste,’ and the truth is, I don’t believe you.”
3. James talked a lot about energy conservation, citing a study spearheaded by Peter Giuliano during his time with Counter Culture Coffee that found that a pound of coffee generates 8 pounds of carbon – and 7 of those 8 pounds happen in the cafe. Aurelia T3 has addressed this by wasting 40% less heat than the Aurelia T1.
2. James offers an overview on the Aurelia T3: “This machine is built in a way that’s sympathetic to what we want to do – it’s been thought through.”
1. Bunk sandwiches, local beer, a bit of Scotch nipped before the presentation got underway, and around 80 folks from across Oregon and Washington State – not to mention the delegation from Italy.
After James’ presentation, a number of attendees had an opportunity to have a hands-on look at the T3 itself. When the sandwiches were put away and all was said and done, Mr. Hoffmann rode atop his Aurelia T3 and flew off to New York City.
A special thanks to Nuova Simonelli and the American Barista & Coffee School for their collaborating on this awesome event! Look for more Sprudge.com events in your area, coming soon.
