# Extract Roasters today - Barista Day review (raffle win)



## coffeechops (Dec 23, 2013)

Firstly - what a great day! Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Today Yes Row and I took part in the barista training day we won on the forum raffle a little while back. I thought I'd post a review of what went on and how I found it (I'm sure Ollie will give his opinion too).

We arrived at roughly 9:30 at Extract's fairly nondescript industrial unit in a slightly rougher part of town, and then the doors to wonderland were opened by Sam, Ashlee, Tim and Callum and in we trooped. Decor is really quite imaginative inside - psychedelic graffiti in the gents included - but really stylish; a shame to be hidden away.

I think there were ten of us in total (including Hoffmonkey who by coincidence was also there). We were split into two groups, with ours starting with Ashlee the roaster kicking off a roast for us to taste later on (the Wahani), and a chat on roast profiles, bean types, how the roast is done (generally they roast pretty light) and so on. She then showed us around the roastery, which is a proper nerd-fest of roasters (4kg 'James', 30kg 'Betty' and 60KG 'Bertha' - undergoing restoration after being rescued in rusty form from Croatia!), workshop machines, motorbikes, half-rebuilt espresso machines - much pointing and asking 'what does that bit do?' which Ashley was incredibly knowledgeable about answering. Following that, we moved to the training area which is a fairly large space split into an espresso bar - with a La Marzocco Linea 3grp and a San Remo 3grp, more on those later - and a large cupping area. The whole lot has been made from reclaimed oak from church benches, from a greengrocers shack, and so on. Retro and stylish, I loved it.

She then talked us through coffee processing, and we got down to cupping - six single-origin brews if I remember correctly, couple of Columbian, a couple of Indonesian and two others (I can't remember any apart form the Wahani - I will mail to find out I think!). All ground on an EK43; what a beast. Great to smell and taste the differences, really did help to cup all one after the other and differentiate - surprisingly easy to do I thought. The Wahani in particular was stand-out for me, dry processed, really sweet fruity acidity that was very unusual, described as 'quince' and dry cocoa which was spot on. The plain old coffee - a Colombian single origin - was very dull by comparison, but would probably shine if you liked good, rich, malty chocolatey coffee. Finally for the morning session, she described a set of brew recipes for various types of filter brews, the usual V60, Aeropress, Chemex, syphon, french press etc, and we tried a couple. The Wahani in a french press was great, but even better in a V60. Ashley was a great presenter/tutor.

Lunch - local sour dough bread, cheeses, salami, pate, salad, olives, nuts, strawberries. Described as a light lunch!

Afternoon, we swapped and moved to the Espresso bar with Sam. He obviously knew his stuff too, and went through the espresso process. His manner I found maybe a little patronising, but he certainly pulled some damn fine shots to back it up so I can easily forgive him that. We used the Linea, with a K30 on grinding duties, each trying a shot or maybe two, discussing the taste; not enough time here, but I guess they can't spend too much on us. Next onto milk, and again a great description then we each had a go - very small jug, very powerful machine, very difficult to get right! - and tried a bit of latte art (and in my case failed miserably - I'm much better at home). I managed to get him to let me pull the shots for the milk dudes, which was good. Personally I found the beans great for espresso, Sam pulled some fantastic shots, but far too acidic for milk - just didn't work at all for that.

And then a couple of bags each of coffee to take home and off we went at about 2:30pm.

Bad points - really not many. There was an assumption that home espresso will never compare to that on a commercial machine which was disappointing; an incorrect assertion that a grinder for espresso must produce the same size particles, whereas it doesn't matter for filter (a Hario Slim was deemed to be entirely good enough - 'all you really need') but nothing else I spotted. The biggest thing for me was that I'd have liked longer practising on the Linea, not only in driving it but also working out how to taste the mistakes and how to correct for them. That's about it I think.

So, a really very interesting day. Not sure I learnt a great deal - apart from confirming that I can't drive a Linea - in that most of it was knowledge I already had, but fascinating to try and put it into action. The cupping was a high point for me I think. I hope the forum will gain a few members too as a result of Ollie and I harping on about it!

I'd have happily paid full price for the day and considered it very good value, and would highly recommend it.

Cheers - and thanks, I wouldn't have gone without this place pushin me to do it...

Colin


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Thanks for a great post , glad you had fun , and great recruiting by the sounds of it too


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Sounds like you had a lot of fun and some challenges along the way.

Linea's are great machines and can have their quirks but its all about learning to get the best from them.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Brilliant, thanks Colin, for an informative, entertaining and encouraging review. I have been weighing up going over to Extract with my daughter (as per another thread) and hanging on to see what you made of it - you've helped me decide.


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## Hoffmonkey (Apr 28, 2014)

'Twas a great day, and I did pay full price for it. I still feel like it was excellent value for money. I intend to give more feedback on what I consider might improve things in future but right now I am balancing 3 month old twins on my knees whilst their next feed cools down.

It was nice to meet (albeit briefly) a couple of other forum members but YesRow and CoffeeChops were in the other group.

Gotta say the blow away highlight of the day for me wasn't even coffee, but tea made from the dried skins of the coffee cherry: Cascara. Ashlee brewed us a cup and it was absolutely delightful!

More later...


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## centaursailing (Feb 27, 2012)

Thanks for the very interesting review coffeechops.


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## aquinn (Jun 16, 2014)

Thanks Coffeechops for this review. We're really glad you enjoyed the day, and you found it worthwhile. Some things for us to improve for next time as well which is always welcome.

Regards,

Ashlee and all the team at Extract


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## coffeechops (Dec 23, 2013)

Thanks Ashlee, should have realised you would be listening in! ()

If you are considering doing a more focussed day on e.g. espresso or on roasting as Sam hinted, I'd definitely be interested.

Colin


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## Yes Row (Jan 23, 2013)

It was a good day, the roastery is most impressive, as were the machines we used on the day. Again, thank you Colin for the kind invite.

I feel the day really benefited the casual coffee maker more than maybe us more interested and with a boarder knowledge of coffee making (taking into account a little knowledge can be dangerous!) That said I did not come away without learning. Maybe the biggest surprise was the coffee we were using had a brew recipe of 18.5g 28s to 43g and I had been brewing this at home with 30g out and the greater extraction really made the coffee excellent. So lesson learnt, don't be afraid to try great volume on extraction.

The guys who took the coarse were a pleasure to listen to and as Colin said, if further courses were available specialising in more defined areas I would certainly be interested.....however Bristol is a long way from Derby!

In summary, a great day and I would fully recommend, depending on current knowledge/coarse offered.

The beans I came away with, Ibairi, are some of the best I have ever had!

Thanks Extract


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Thank you Yes Row - neatly complements Colin's review and I'm still encouraged on the basis that there is always something to learn (in my case, an awful lot - I don't think that I even know the little that it would take to be dangerous!







).


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## Hoffmonkey (Apr 28, 2014)

OK, so I'm "at work" - I therefore have slightly more time on my hands than I usually get at home...

The ambience of the place is great - I imagine it must be a lot of fun working there, and I imagine everyone gets to muck in on everything - they all seem to be smiling the whole time so that is encouraging. I really enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere of the roastery, trying to imagine what it might be like when in full production mode. I have to say I'm slightly jealous of these guys getting to have jobs they are completely passionate about (I'm a bit bored of my flatlining career but can't afford to risk jacking it in - booooo)

I was in the group opposite Colin and Ollie, so went on the epresso part of the day first. Sam is a very passionate about his 3rd/4th wave coffee stuff. I do think that he's approaching coffee from a commercial background rather than a home barista background somewhat and this came across in his presentation. I do feel he might benefit from thinking about how a home barista might get the best out of typical kit - to that end, it would probably be really beneficial to have a decent single group HX or DB machine to compare with. Also, perhaps another grinder which is slightly more accessible to the home user. I felt that Sam was a little dismissive of anything other than lightly roasted coffee and that is a bit of a shame. It was also a real shame we only got to try one single origin blend as an espresso - I think that mixing things up a little with say a prosumer style espresso machine and cheaper grinder and perhaps a blended coffee would really make that section of the day shine.

He was also somewhat dismissive of anything other than updosing coffee measures. I have found certainly with my Gaggia Classic, that the very best shots I can currently get are with a dose of say 15g in the standard basket. I have read an interesting thread on home-barista which debates this at length - I will stick with not updosing for the time being as it seems to be working for me!

Breaking for lunch, a massive wooden platter was brought out with all manner of artisan breads, cheeses, paté, hummus, olives, cured meats and salad. It was a really good spread - you'd happily pay £7-£10 per portion for something of that quality in a posh cafe...

Onto the second part of the day - cupping with Ashlee - started off wandering around the roastery pointing at things - Ashlee has a lovely demeanour about her - very calm and polite, listens to everyone and answer all questions even daft ones courteously. I asked if she had ever tasted the coffee cherry itself and if so what it was like - she hadn't but at that point mentioned the "Cascara" tea that is made from the dried fruit. Later in the day she made us some and I thought it was absolutely delicious! I'll definitely be keeping a supply of that on hand in future.

The cupping exercise was quite an experience too. Though in hindsight I should have swallowed rather than spat every time. No chuckling please. I think it would have let the finishing flavours come out more. Clear favourite for me in the cupping experiment was the unwashed bean. We went on to some different pour over brewing methods. We all oo'd and ahh'd over the siphon jobby. Ashlee alluded to some reservations about it before starting the brew and quite amusingly it didn't work properly. Shame that we didn't get to try it though! We did get to enjoy some from a V60 drip though. And the Cascara tea, oh the Cascara tea!

Personally I might have liked to see some more information about relative grind sizes for the different methods of brewing - as a bit of a coffee virgin, I know it's not immediately obvious how coarse or fine grinds should be for each. Of course many may disagree but that's what I thought... I guess there's a fine balance between not wanting to tread on experienced peoples toes whilst guiding the newbies a bit more. Perhaps to that end, instead of just splitting the group down the middle by where they stand in the room they should gauge what level of coffee geekiness people are and group them that way?

At the end of the day we all got given two bags of coffee - one filter roast profile and one espresso roast profile. Me being cheeky also managed to get a couple of handfuls of green coffee beans for my forthcoming popcorn popper roaster experimnents, and some cascara tea! Very kind of Ashlee to give me all that! Then I asked Sam if he wouldn't mind giving me some of their original blend espresso for me to compare with the single origin. He kindly agreed and I have to say I absolutely love the blend - I found it less overtly bright than the single origin we were tasting on our espresso intro.

I was delighted with the day, well worth the £50. If you're thinking about going, don't have any reservations, just do it!

Cheers

Dave


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Thanks Dave for a brilliant review - this whole thread is just one reason why the forum is so good. Now, to get on and plan my session there.


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## aquinn (Jun 16, 2014)

Hi David,

Thanks so much for the feedback. Having only conducted a few workshops in this format so far, this information is much needed at this stage!

After the general feedback from June's session, we are planning to involve a darker roasted espresso (like our house blend) - only slightly darker than the Rwandan you tried, and by no means 'dark' roast - during the espresso portion of the day. I think we get carried away in trying to show off our more progressive coffees, and sometimes forget these are not to everyone's taste/not the best reflection of coffee that is available in the wider market. In regards to a more Italian style of dosing,we believe its not something that works well with either our coffee, or our machinery, or our style as a business. However, we absolutely will look at making what we do teach as part of the workshop more accessible to people's home machinery.

I'm pleased you like the cupping, and I was really appreciative/relieved at how enthusiastically everyone took to it, especially as it is a very simplified rudimentary way to brew coffee!

With grinding and brew methods, we will endeavour to improve on making this also as accessible as possible. Obviously each session is different from the last in terms of the ability and experience of the attendees - and I'm tempted to hide the Syphon for next time! Grinding is a tricky thing to translate to a succinct brew recipe, what with everyone's grinders/machinery/water/palette being different. But I am a fan of the idea of brewing different grind sizes to demonstrate how this affects the cup quality. I cannot emphasize enough how much trial and error there is in making a great coffee. Hopefully we will have left you with the tools to work on this at home.

We have also spoken about splitting the group by ability, it might be something we look to do in the future by offering different workshops for beginner/advanced. Though judging this can be fairly tricky, there are many home baristas out there who know far more than some of the professionals!

Many thanks again and we're pleased you had a good time with us, and particularly that you thought it was worth the time/effort/money to come down.

Regards,


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Just booked on the September 13 workshop for my daughter and me - and looking forward to a great experience, based on the experiences reported on the thread.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Well, it's Wednesday already and my mind is going back to last Saturday when my (younger) daughter and I went over for the home barista workshop.

First of all though - another big thank you to the guys above for this thread and for leading me to Extract.

The general format of the day has been so well described that I won't repeat the detail here. In our case it lasted from 10.00 to almost 3.00pm. There were 16 of us in the group, split for most of the day into two groups of 5 and one of 6. None of the people in the groups that we were in are making espresso at home, generally using a French press, stove top or aeropress. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were encouraged to think more seriously about it, based on the enthusiasm both in the group and on the part of the Extract staff. For us it was Ashlee, Sam, Kit, Tim and someone else (whose name escapes me).

There was a general introduction from Ashlee (we arrived late after a stretch of slow traffic on the M4 and going slightly wrong in Bristol) and so missed some of that.

We were then in a group with Sam, pulling shots and doing latte art. I thought that Sam was a brilliant teacher: he was very patient, good humoured, and guided learning - quickly adjusting his approach to individual needs (multiple in my case when it came to latte art although my daughter's first attempt was very good - it is as well that I'm not that competitive).

Lunch: as described above - and spot on.

At some point (caffeine had been taken) Ashlee talked us through the roasting process while roasting a batch of beans on 'James', their original and 'baby' roaster. I found that fascinating, in particular because Ashlee clearly explains things and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw on.

As a smaller group, we also had a tour of the roaster with Ashlee, where we learnt a lot about the history of the company, its values, goals and ambitions.

Ashlee also ran the cupping part with us and I could easily have spent a lot longer on that and, in particular, discussing flavours (I find it so hard), flavour profiles and the characteristics of different beans, growers, how Extract blend and so on - but that could easily be half-a-day in itself.

We then had our brewing session with Tim - who quickly and skillfully engaged with us, showed us and talked about different grind characteristics for different brewing methods, and then showed us and talked about the aeropress, chemex, V60, French Press and syphon with demonstration brewing. We really needed longer for this session, too, but certainly for the group that I was in, I could see that Tim was opening up a world of possibilities for those who had arrived thinking that coffee at home = French press.

And, as is customary, two bags of beans at the end.

Overall, my daughter and I thought that it was a great day. She's a V60 brewer and left definitely wanting to play on my Classic (she'll have to wait until she is back home for a few days) as well as getting an aeropress.

Undoubtedly, as has been highlighted in the posts above, it is a day for relative newcomers to the world of speciality coffee and home brewing/espresso making and I have no doubt that it will have enthused many (if not all) who attended. At the same time, I think it would be of interest to many on this forum as chance to get up close to what Extract are doing, why and how - although the team there could probably devise something better to achieve that aim.

Based on what they are doing, it would be easy to see half-day or end-of-day/early evening dedicated sessions on cupping, home brewing, espreso making, roasting, and then another session of general fun and merriment.

You would expect enthusiasm, interest and knowledge, and you might also expect good communication, humour and patience. You would also expect to learn new things, be enthused and, maybe, come away feeling better about the world. You would also expect good value. The Extract team delivered on all of those things as we experienced them last Saturday. I enjoyed it so much I'd be inclined to do it all over again - and at least both encourage friends to go as well as consider buying a place as a present for some one.

Thank you Ashlee, Sam, Kit, Tim and your colleague, for ensuring that we had a great day and for such a brilliant introduction to Extract coffee.


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