My coffee journey began in childhood, playing barista with my parents' wedding-gift espresso machine. They wanted Sunday morning cappuccinos in bed, and I was their eager apprentice. While I initially cared more about steamed milk and maple syrup than the coffee itself, this early exposure sparked what would become a lifelong passion.
During my teenage years, black coffee became an occasional affectation, inspired more by watching Twin Peaks than any real appreciation for the drink itself. There was something romantic about drinking black coffee like Agent Cooper, even though I rarely enjoyed the actual taste. Most of the time, I stuck to heavily sweetened drinks, masking the coffee's true character with milk and sugar.
My dedication to espresso grew stronger when I found my first machine at Value Village, even getting into a tug-of-war with another customer who clearly understood the significance of the find. I soon became the self appointed coffee maker among friends, experimenting with everything from homemade cappuccinos to Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk. But despite my enthusiasm, something wasn't quite right. My espresso was often bitter and harsh, with a thin, watery body that required generous amounts of milk and sugar to be palatable. It took years to admit that I wasn't actually enjoying the coffee itself.
The turning point came when I borrowed a pour-over set. What started as a temporary solution until I could afford another espresso machine became a revelation. The more diluted nature of filter coffee allowed me to actually taste what was in my cup instead of being overwhelmed by intensity. Suddenly, I could identify distinct flavors and characteristics that had been hidden behind espresso's concentrated punch. It was like switching from hard liquor to wine – the lower intensity allowed for more nuanced appreciation.
Pour-over's forgiving nature also made it easier to experiment and learn. Unlike espresso, where small changes could drastically affect the cup, pour-over brewing offered a gentler learning curve. Small adjustments in technique led to noticeable but not drastic changes, making it easier to understand how each variable affected the final cup. The affordable equipment was a bonus – good coffee no longer required a four-figure investment.
This newfound clarity led me to Pop Coffee Works, where a naturally carbonated carbonic maceration coffee completely redefined what I thought coffee could be. Without the overwhelming intensity of espresso, I could appreciate its unique effervescence and distinctive flavor profile. This coffee showed me just how far the boundaries of coffee could be pushed when you have the right tools to appreciate it.
Ironically, this journey through manual brewing led me back to espresso – but this time with a deeper appreciation. While I now enjoy both brewing methods, pour-over remains my favorite. Its accessible nature, forgiving learning curve, and ability to highlight coffee's subtle complexities make it the perfect method for truly understanding and appreciating what's in your cup. The meditative ritual of brewing is just a bonus to what pour-over coffee does best – letting coffee reveal its true character, one gentle extraction at a time.
Auguste Fortier
Director of Coffee and Operations
Mikko Coffee Roasters