What's better than espresso training? Brainwashing of course!

When I say that Phoenix Coffee offers "espresso training" to its customers, there is a mixed sentiment behind the statement. I feel primarily proud that we are able to offer this "training", based on years of experience and experimentation (what good is experience without experimentation?). But I also feel that training is not enough. Sure, I can show you the mechanics of making a good espresso. I can show you the myriad pitfalls... the crooked tamp, the cold portafilter, the grind-thats-too-coarse, the grind-thats-too-fine, and many more. But can I communicate to you in one "training session" the ethic that art of espresso making is an important and worthy endeavor? Because it is this ethic that will drive you to continue to ask questions, to experiment and to maintain good espresso practices for long after the "training session".

In most cases, instilling such an ethic would involve brainwashing. First the brain must be washed of all the previous impressions of espresso. Espresso is not simple. It is not easy. It is not automatic. And it is not trivial. Espresso is rewarding and complex and dynamic and challenging. Oh, and delicious, when it's brewed correctly. That's the rewarding part.

So I think that's how I'm going to start my next training session. I'm going to start with a good brainwashing session, of deconstructing espresso and then reconstructing it again, in concept, before we even get into the specifics. Just to create the appropriate mental "soil" in which the "seeds" of espresso wisdom (laying it on pretty thick here) can be sown.

Now I just need a coffee shop or restaurant owner to volunteer his or her staff for such a brainwashing, so I'll have some live subjects to experiment on! Such fun! If I don't get any volunteers, I'll have to use my own staff! Watch out Phoenix Baristas...