Barista Magazine

JUN-JUL 2012

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2012 USBC Finalist Charles Babinski INTELLIGENTSIA COFFEE ROASTERS LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Name for your drink? There is no name for either of the drinks! Editor's note: Charles created two different signature drinks, for a specifi c reason. See * below. What are the drink components? The fi rst drink is made up of an infusion of Citra hops, simple syrup and a long extraction of the Bolivia Takesi. The second drink was framed as a red velvet cake: melted vanilla ice cream, chocolate with the acidity of the Takesi, adding a certain liveliness (like the acidity in a red velvet cake). Tell us about the coffee I used the Bolivia, Takesi. It is a very clean, fl oral, white grape-y coffee. Super delicious! Did the coffee guide the drink-building process? With regards to the hop drink, the Takesi was a coffee that could take a very long extraction well. With all that crisp acidity, the astringency of some overextraction actually adds a certain balance to the drink. The way in which that worked with the fl oral and fruity Citra hops was incredibly tasty. For the second drink (the red velvet drink), bring- ing acidity to these rich, approachable fl avors was the plan. Did you use any fancy gadgets to make your drinks? My own two hands. No special tools required (save an espresso machine). Can you describe the process of making the drinks? For the hops drink: an infusion of Citra hops, using 100°F water. I intentionally infused the hops lightly, but only used a glass fi lter on it. This meant smaller bits of hops made their way into the drink, which helped get a good hop fl avor without overwhelming bitterness. This was mixed with simple syrup and the longer (19 grams in, 50 grams out) shot of Takesi. For the second drink, I melted vanilla ice cream, shaved chocolate and mixed in four shots of espresso. *What was the experience you were trying to create for the judges? I wanted to show two different ways of approaching the coffee, to coincide with the two styles of service I was using during my presen- tation. On one side of the judges' table, my approach was very infor- mational, educational. Thusly, the drink tied in with my somewhat academic interest with extraction and how that extraction dictates ingredients to pair. For the other side of the table, my approach was more hands-off but hospitable. The plan for the drink was to share something approachable, rich, decadent. What was the message about coffee that this drink was meant to convey? The drinks were meant to highlight how different customer approaches affect how you use the coffee, how you share it. Hopefully, what was ultimately conveyed was tastiness. 54 barista magazine

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