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Barista told me my pour over was 'too controlled' and now I doubt everything
So last Saturday I went to this tiny shop in Portland called Flicker & Bean, got a natural processed Ethiopian from their single origin menu. The barista handed it over, I took a sip, said it was really clean and balanced. She laughed and said yeah, it's good but it's 'too controlled,' you can taste that I'm scared of bitter notes. That hit me weird, like she was talking about my whole approach to coffee and maybe life. I always use the same 1:16 ratio, water at 205, swirl twice, never more. She does wild pours with big pulses and ends up with this jammy, chaotic cup that still works somehow. Made me realize I've been chasing perfect extraction instead of trying to have fun with it. Has anyone else had a coffee person call out their style in a way that stuck with them for days?
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carr.abby5d ago
The part about you being "scared of bitter notes" is what gets me. Do you actually dislike bitter coffee, or do you just avoid it because you were told a good cup should taste clean? Because those are two very different things and only you know the answer. If you truly hate bitter flavors then your 1:16 with the double swirl isn't fear, it's just your taste. But if you've never really pushed a brew past what feels safe, maybe try one cup where you let it go a little long and see what happens. Not saying her chaotic jammy style is better, just that you won't know if you're playing it safe or just know what you like until you test it.
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