Where is Scott Rao?

I’m thrilled to contribute to the first edition of the new coffee magazine ! Published by the lovely people of , the magazine features beautiful photography, a deep-dive into Lisbon’s coffee scene, and some wonderfully written articles.

I wrote about pre-batch espresso, as I felt I wasn’t receiving enough grief online this month 😅. More seriously, pre-batched espresso is a topic I get asked about often, and I believe the conversation around it tends to skip one salient point: pre-batched espresso, the way it is done at .coffee and in Australia, tastes *better* than fresh espresso. The reason is based in sound coffee science. Want to know more? Read the article …

Thanks to for opening my eyes to the profound difference between filtered and not filtered espresso. And hat tip to for recognizing ages ago that crema is, indeed, rubbish

Excerpt from The Physics of Espresso by 

“Top: The temperature across the vertical layers of an espresso puck can differ by 30°C (54°F) for the first several seconds of a traditional shot. This means that the different layers contribute significantly different flavor profiles, an effect that would be furthered with a thicker espresso puck or shorter shot ratio.”

Notes from Scott:

I remember reading a 1998 blog post by David Schomer of  , in which he drilled a hole in the bottom of a portafilter basket and inserted a bead probe to measure the temperature at the bottom of the puck. Of course, I immediately tried the same experiment, and was shocked how low the temperature stayed until near the end of an extraction.

This is one reason lightly-roasted espresso can often be sour. The majority of espresso extraction occurs during the first 10 seconds, when the lower half of the puck averages about 50℃.

One way to “fix” this temperature gradient is to pull a blooming shot. In the second image, soaking the puck using a 30-second bloom homogenizes the temperature across the puck. The impact is greater than these graphs imply at first glance, since very little extract leaves the puck during the first 35 seconds of a blooming shot.

I’m pleased to announce my roasting masterclass in Brussels during World of Coffee. Whether you roast on an air roaster or a drum, this class contains everything you’ve ever wanted to know about roasting. After working on almost 900 machines in my career, I’m ready to dive into the specifics of how to optimize any machine.

Class topics will include:

How to create a warmup and between-batch protocol for flawless consistency

Optimizing drum RPM, airflow, and BBP for different machines and batch sizes

How to use curves and data to improve roast quality and consistency

How to manage air roasters vs drum roasters

Sample roasting and cupping strategies for green selection

Roasting QC methods, including color measurement, weight loss, and cupping

Cupping of underdeveloped and light-but-developed roasts from Prodigal

endless Q&A

and much more

In recent years, I’ve added a lot of information and tips about air roasting, as well as how to differentiate approaches to washed and natural coffees. I will adapt the class as needed to your machine and experience level.

Tickets: $275 (Seating is limited, so this class will sell out well ahead of time)

See link in bio or www.scott.com for tickets

Date: Saturday, June 27

Time: 8am—11am

** Past attendees of my live seminars are entitled to 25% off. Email [email protected] for a discount code.

Please see today’s IG stories to ask anything, and see responses! (No questions in this post, please)

Photo credit

Please save our World of Coffee San Diego schedule!

Prodigal retail bags will be for sale at all events.

We are stoked to share an event with of at Sunday morning, where we will serve three gorgeous Prodigal coffees on batch brew and Simon will walk people through using Apax mineral drops so you can taste the difference.

We look forward to working with , , and

Prodigal retail bags will also be available throughout WOC at the booth 4234!!