Mompelomp

A series of adventures in London, coffee and tabletop RPGs.

[mompelomp]

Cupping with Climpson & Son's

Cupping session with Climpson & Son's, we lined up a bunch of coffees after closing and worked our way through them.

For those of you who don't know, cupping is a process of tasting coffee on a neutral platform, strictly standardized to make it as independent as possible of the skill of the barista. Coffees are preferably tasted without knowledge of which is which, or blind. Coarsely ground coffee is placed in a cup, then water is poured in, maintaining a constant brew ratio across all batches to be compared. After a set time, the crust of grounds forming at the surface is broken, and the coffee is allowed to cool slightly before the foam which gathers on top of the cup is removed with a spoon. Throughout the brew process, and especially when the crust is broken, you smell the coffee, evaluating the aroma. You also smell the dry coffee before adding water. The coffee is tasted using a spoon to pick up a small amount of coffee and slurping it vigorously, ensuring that you disperse it across the entire tongue and draw in air as you taste it. You may want to consider carrying a pit-cup, so you don't have to drink every drop. Many hours of sleep have been lost that way. Perhaps needless to say, but not a great event to bring a first date to (slurp-spit-slurp-spit).

The purpose of cupping is to evaluate and compare the characteristics and quality of different coffees. It is a great way to train your palette and to find the best coffee around. It is used in competitions such as the Cup of Excellence, by buyers of green beans and by roasters.

Among the coffees we sampled, I found myself drifting towards Africa. My heart settled with two Ethiopians and a Kenyan.Fruitiness and acidity all the way.

The Kiawamururu I've already mentioned in my last segment of "Bean there, done that". I also enjoyed Climpson's Doyo from Ethiopia, which melded together bright, floral flavours with a full body. Of the many outsiders we sampled, Tim Wendelboe's Hunkute stood out, with rich jasmine flavours, a crisp texture and a slim, clean body. Probably not something I'd drink everyday, but a lovely demonstration that the A-list Norwegian coffee celebrity knows what he is doing.

[mompelomp]

Bean there, done that: Kiawamururu

Kenya! One of my favourite coffee producing countries.

Brewing method: Hario v60

Ratio coffee/water: 250/15.5 grams

Extraction time: 2.5-3 minutes

Very lovely. Lots of blackcurrants; rich sweetness and a calm acidity. Combined with a full, velvety body and a crisp, clean aftertaste. Notes of sweet lime as it drifts off.

Everything a good Kenyan coffee should be.

[mompelomp]

Bean there, done that: La Amistad

A little souvenir from Norway, and a pleasant reunion with one of my favourite Colombians. 

Brewing method: Hario V60

Ratio coffee/water: 25,5/425 (grams

Extraction time: 3 minutes

Initially full body and rich flavours of peaches, milk chocolate and cherries. This fades into a smooth finish with a light, delicate body and a tantalizing acidity. The mouthfeel is syrup-like, but leaves a surprisingly clean palette when swallowed. La Amistad means "Friendship", and I think this fits the flavour profile well. This is absolutely a "comfort-coffee"; it presents with an easily approachable taste experience, yet with enough nuance to make it intriguing. A safe bet and a lovely coffee.

[mompelomp]

Bean there, done that: Finca Tamana

After a trip back to Workshop Coffee co, i picked up this little gem. It was 12£ per 350 grams.

Brewing method: Hario V60

Ratio coffee/water: 18/300 grams

Extraction time: 3 minutes

Instant rich aroma of sunflowers. Smooth and full bodied, with a wonderfully rich sweetness, reminiscent of walnuts, which lingers in the long aftertaste. Mouthfeel reminds me of red wine, yet not quite as sticky; it leaves you with a cleaner palette. 

Good stuff!

[mompelomp]

Mompelomp's London Adventures: Cirque du Soleil, Quidam

One amazing Christmas present I got last year was a ticket to Quidam, a show by Cirque du Soleil performing in Royal Albert Hall. I've previously been to another show with them called Varecai, and it was intensely memorable. As was this one.

Although the storytelling itself is not the strongest suit in the expansive range of stage expression present within the show, it revolves around a young girl who escapes into a world of imagination, inventing the character of Quidam, a man with no head in a bowler hat. Supposedly he serves as a metaphor for a stranger passing by, everyone and no one at the same time. He does not make much of an appearance throughout the show though. The story is not particularly clear; there is no significant plot to follow or grasp, but the figure of the young girl who runs around the stage as the performances unfold themselves serves as to reinforce a child-like wonderment in the audience. This is greatly reinforced by the brilliant use of lighting and music, which range from complete silence, imitating sounds of rain and thunder to music numbers bordering on metal. The lighting is so precisely coordinated with the music and the performances, and combined, these things crate a surreal atmosphere which can only be described as mesmerizing. 

The performers themselves are, as you would expect, out of this world. The strength, endurance, flexibility, coordination and cooperation of the entire troupe is truly astounding, and they master a range from silent, slow-moving feats of extreme balance to fast paced drops from 10 meters, entwined in rope or cloth, stopping not 50 centimeters from the scene floor, with no safety to guard them. While watching you feel constantly privileged, because you know you are watching something so extraordinary, and after the show is over, your mind races back, rediscovering acts that were momentarily forgotten in light of new ones, and the fascination takes hold again. A show like this is just a show for a single night, it is a show you carry with you for a long time. 

If you are in London and have the resources to get hold of a ticket, I would strongly recommend this show. I would describe it as watching a fairy tale come to life on stage, and it is an experience that simply must be had.

[mompelomp]

Happiness

I don't know if I have ever been this proud as a GM. One of my players, Santatory, drew me this amazing map of my home-brew setting Celiria for Christmas. Middle Earth, go home! I am so excited about this it may border on unhealthy obsession.

[mompelomp]

Bean there, done that: Alfred Seed

Again big thanks to timeforlemontea. This coffee just screams exclusiveness. The bag only contains 100 grams, it is the final coffee in a series of eight from Costa Rica, featuring a special label. Oh, and it is a geisha. For those of you now furrowing your eyebrows wondering what on earth a pile of beans can have in common with a white-faced Japanese lady, I will try to briefly explain. Coffee berries come in different varieties, just like grapes or apples or most fruit and berries. The varieties include the typica, bourbon, pacamara and, as you have probably guessed, geisha (and many others). The geisha variety is renowned for being the most expensive coffee in the world, not including kopi luwak/poop coffee (long story) and a plantation in Panama called Hacienda la Esmeralda is largely to thank for putting it on the map. The coffee is known for producing excellent cup quality with light floral flavours with strong citrus notes. This does not mean that all geisha coffees are going to be good, but in the words of this years World Brewers Cup Championship (Erin McCarthy, he had an amazing performance in the finals, absolutely worth checking out), when you are served a Geisha, you know that the coffee you are about to drink has the potential to be outstanding.

So there it is. For my brew:

Brewing method: inverted aeropress

Ratio coffee/water: 21/240 (grams)

Extraction time: 35 seconds, 20 seconds press time

Strong taste of blood orange and distinct touches of the natural processing. A slight dryness with hints of cinnamon. Overall it is intensely sweet, a striking lack of acidity, low bitterness but extremely intense. Mouthfeel like velvet and a smoothness which is just amazing. The body is round and full, yet somehow light, and the experience is exquisitely balanced. It is just a fantastic coffee, one of the best I have ever had.

[mompelomp]

Bean there, done that: Dromedar christmas coffee 2013

Big thanks to timeforlemontea for sending me an early Christmas present! This is part one of that. The Dromedar Christmas coffee from El Salvador, Cerra los Ranas, or the "frog farm" if you will. This coffee is a welcome guest who shows up once a year for the holidays. Last year it was absolutely amazing. Sweet, well rounded and full bodied, it was the perfect coffee to keep you company alongside big meals and sweet cakes. I've been looking forward to this!

Brew method: Hario V60

Ratio coffee/water: 24/400 (grams)

Brew time: 3 min

I want to say this is good. I really do. I want to say it gets me in the Christmas spirit and fills my belly with jolly. But alas, it does not. The coffee is very, very bitter and has a rancid flavour of charred oils. Hints of ash and charcoal. There is no nuance, no finesse, nothing at all to get excited about. It is the kind of coffee where you grimace after every sip.

I can only hope that this was a fluke roast, and judging by the burnt taste this may be reasonable. Over Christmas I will definitely taste it some more, and hopefully come to see it in a different light. But this coffee, right here, is just plain awful.

EDIT: Tried it out as stove-top espresso. Much nicer. Full body, sweet, not exceedingly nuanced, but it makes for an earthy, rustic cup of coffee. 

[mompelomp]

The little things...

When working in a coffee shop you often call out drinks by the name of the person who ordered them. "Cappuccino for Bob" etc. Normally a very mundane task, but when you play tabletop RPGs and have played a large number of characters, this can lead to some funny situations, even if you are the only one getting the joke.

I run into numerous Andrews in a workday, and each time I call out "Extra hot flat white with two sugars for Andrew" for the third time, I imagine my stout cavalier lumbering over to the counter, fully armoured, battered and bruised, downing the beverage in one fell swoop, before marching out, mounting his mighty war steed and charging off to fight evil. Or you think the order is outrageous, because your character would never order that type of drink. My Andrew drinks black americanos, no sugar. And so you find yourself slightly annoyed at the customer, because his order was out of character.

But sometimes the order is oh-so perfect for the name. Today I had the pleasure of calling out "two hot chocolates for Mel". Instead of the lady who came to pick them up for her kids, my minds eye saw an excited boy, looking like he could be around 12 years old, with unruly dark hair and eyes which seemed to fluoresce with every colour imaginable; an omniscient demigod who could level the entire block with a flick of his pinky, but whose raving madness reduce him, or perhaps elevate him, in this blessed moment, to nothing more than a little boy relishing joy like only a little boy can; the joy of two cups of hot chocolate, one in each hand.

[mompelomp]

Bean there, done that: Yirgacheffe

This one is from the Knots family farms in Yirgacheffe. I've always been a fan of Ethiopian coffees, since it is the home country of coffee. In many other countries, a culture of plants can be very homogeneous; based of the same genetic material. It is not unusual for large plantations to be developed from a single plant. Therefore the genetic diversity of the coffee species is almost entirely located in Ethiopia. Maybe it is just my imagination, but I feel like in general, Ethiopian coffees have a uniqueness to them; a depth of flavour and a complexity which is hard to find elsewhere. This coffee was roasted by and bought at Climpson & Sons, prize was 7.5£ per 250 grams.

Brew Method: Hario V60

Ratio coffee/water: 24/400 (g)

Brew time: 4.5-5 minutes

You might think the brew time is very long. 5 minutes for a V60 brew? Different coffees extract at different rates, and this one is a prime example. I ground it coarser than I usually do, and still it trickled through the filter at a remarkably slow pace. However, it does not taste as over-extracted and gnarly as you would expect. It is, however, on the more rustic side of Ethiopians, perhaps in part because of the long extraction. Deep, earthy flavours of hazelnut and almonds, with a creamy mouthfeel: It can almost be associated with peanut butter. The nutty character follows through to the aftertaste, which is semi-dry with a mild, pleasant bitterness. A delicate but tangible hint of bergamot or earl grey tea. Very nice. An easy to drink, accessible coffe which would fit most pallets, but that bergamot touch makes it stand out. Beautifully balanced and a genuine pleasure.

[blitzhellion]

So it’s no news to people who know me that I desperately want a male companion for the Doctor soon. The Doctor needs a bro, a buddy. It seems that it’s all too tempting for the writers to spruce up the Doctor-Companion relationship with romance when he travels with pretty, sassy girls.

Donna was...

[mompelomp]

I remember that talk. I think we even formulated an opening to episode 1 of a season, immediately following the regeneration into a new doctor:

The Doctor has just regenerated and at the same time finds himself crashed in a war zone somewhere on earth. Explosions are heard, the sound of gunfire is deafening. Being pretty banged up and disoriented after his crash and new makeover, he is presumed wounded in the conflict and is picked up by and rushed to a medical tent. All the while, the people carrying him keep calling out "Doctor!" The Doctor tries to communicate to them that yes, he is the Doctor, stop yelling, until another man rushes into the tent and the people who picked him up says "Doctor, thank god you're here!" Close up of the Doctor looking at this new person with confusion. Is this himself in another regeneration? An impostor? Change to the camera closing in on this new doctor; the new companion's face. Cut to opening theme.

A real bromance, with a companion with discernible skills who challenges and complements the Doctor instead of just bathing in his majestic, timey-wimey glory. A Watson to his Sherlock.

[mompelomp]

Bean there, done that: Doi Chaang

An interesting coffee today. Specialty coffee prides itself on fairness; a dedication to treating farmers with respect and paying decent prices for their product. In brewing the coffee, trends have emphasized being "progressive", challenging tradition and making coffee something more than it has been. It is therefore an interesting hypocrisy to examine the way the industry as a whole regards east Asian coffee: it's bad. Plain bad. If you say you like it, you must not know your stuff. The reason for this reputation is that countries like Thailand and China have mostly grown coffee in plantations previously used for farming rice, which leaves the soil depleted of nutrients and therefore producing bland, poor-quality coffee. Although there may be some truth to this, stapling the region as one which cannot produce quality coffee is very unfair. Today's coffee is an example of how stereotypes can be very wrong.

It is not the first time I have tasted the Doi Chaang. A relative of mine owns the Stavanger Coffee Roastery (Stavanger Kaffebrenneri) in Norway, and I got a bag of it for Christmas a few years ago. Seeing it again made me very happy, simply because of how unique it is. Roasted by Climpson & Sons, price per 250g is 7£.

Brew method: Hario V60

Ratio coffee/water: 24/400 (grams)

Brew time: About 3 minutes

Pungent floral aroma, reminiscent of strong perfume, with flavours to match. A dominant streak of sweet jasmine permeates the taste. Hints of zesty lemon. Bitterness is nearly non-existent. Soft mouthfeel, like light tea. Short and pleasant aftertaste. 

The Doi Chaang stands out in its extremity. As you brew it, the room fills with the heady aroma of jasmine. Compared to "other" coffees, the floral fragrances, the jasmine flavour and the tea-like mouthfeel are so real, so extraordinarily dominating, that the experience of drinking it feels removed from coffee at all. In this, I suppose it could discourage some consumers; it can easily disappoint if you sought a more... traditional cup. However, it performs beautifully with different brewing methods. Want to try that sweet, mild jasmine-style? Go V60 or aeropress. Want a more robust cup? Whip up a french press. The distinct characteristics are still present, but in a subtler way. It is amazingly responsive to altered brewing parameters; just a slight change in grind size can alter the balance of the cup, without necessarily producing foul over-or under extracted flavours. 

This coffee provides a brilliant example of how prejudice blinds. Most baristas and coffee aficionados would shy away as soon as they detected the origin of the coffee, but in doing so they would deprive themselves of a very pleasant cup of coffee. If you ever come across it, I would highly recommend it. It may not be the best coffee you have every had, but I promise it will be a distinct, memorable experience.

[corruptionpoints]

Just out of curiosity: how do you feel player deaths should be handled in a campaign? I have some players who would likely get upset over their character dying, while others will readily and happily roll new ones. I personally feel like death absolutely needs to be a real risk in all longer campaigns, but I wish to know what you think.

Alright, I’ll tell you the honest truth, but you have to keep this between you and me. It’ll tarnish my image! Promise?

I hate killing PCs. I really don’t endorse it, and I feel it has to be taken with utmost severity if ever approached. With that being said, players are very often looking for specific play experiences, and it is my job to deliver that experience. 

When I’m playing Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Sun, my players know that death is right around the corner at any time. To them, it is part of the appeal. The setting is notoriously brutal, and has already led to the death of several PCs. 

However, in Dark Heresy, where the setting is equally if not more brutal, I was incredibly gunshy about killing any PCs at any time. This did not keep me from consistently stating to my players that they were on the brink of death. A terrified player is a healthy player.

There were also times of which I would declare to the PCs “You can die here. This is a situation that you can and will die in.” This was most often for boss battles or hefty dungeons (such as a Space Hulk), and allowed the players to understand the gravity of the situation.

Although, in the most extreme situations, if a player does something that will most certainly end in death, they’re dead. This includes self-sacrifice and ridiculous player decisions.

I would rather cripple a character one hundred times before killing them. It adds fun complications, it leads to actual phobias, and it prevents the player from losing what may be years of character development due to bad dice. 

[mompelomp]

If I may chime in on this, I want to say that I absolutely agree with corruptionpoints on this.

I actually operate with a "no player character death" policy when I GM (with the caveat that this policy ceases the moment players take advantage of it) and I openly communicate this to my players. Why? Because re-rolling characters has a tendency of watering down player investment. The first character you make for a campaign you put a lot of effort into (hopefully), they are thought out and have a distinct personality and a set of motivations. Then the character dies, and maybe you put 80% as much effort into character number 2. Probably less. As characters die and are replaced this goes on, until your character is no more than the numbers on their character sheet. This may not be the case for everyone, but I have seen this happen consistently with every player whose characters died in a long campaign, and it always had a detrimental effect on the quality of the game. 

Of course character sacrifice is a different story. If a player wants their character to die, let them die. Nothing adds an epic sense of drama as brilliantly as a well executed character demise. 

As for the point about crippling characters I could not agree more. Killing the character is just an end. Nothing more is to be told. But brutally hurting and maiming a character, now that adds tension and a palpable sense of consequence to the game. Instead of risking to water down the immersion, in my experience hurting the characters tends to increase it. The blemishes and the scars are often what makes us attached to our characters.

I would also consider another way of dealing with death in a campaign. Death is very often the ultimate consequence, the final blow. However, what if it is not the characters themselves who receive it? What if it someone close to them? In this way I have a fairly sadistic style of GMing. Let the characters interact closely with your NPCs; let the players fall in love with them. Then take them away. Let those lovable companions suffer the consequence that would otherwise fall to the PCs. Now the character has to go on without them, opening up a whole new spectrum of emotions and motivations for the player to explore through their character.

In my experience taking a character away from a player against their will has never positively influenced my games, and remember that this is what you are doing when you kill them. However, challenging a character is a great addition to a game. Hurt their bodies, torture their minds, burn their homes and butcher their loved ones, but let them live to see it all happen.

[blitzhellion]

Quick color job on an old drawing. Done in Paint Tool SAI.

This is Andrew, mompelomp's character <3

[mompelomp]

Bean there, done that: La Hondurita

Happiness in a cup. I just had my friends over to visit, and they brought me a batch of coffee I have been really looking forward to. 

La Hondurita is a washed coffee from El Salvador, and for years now it has been an exclusive treat of Dromedar, a Norwegian coffee shop where I've worked and will continue to work. It was roasted by Solberg og Hansen, a large specialty roaster in Oslo. 

Brew method: Hario V60

Weight ratio coffee/water: 24g/400g

steep time: 3 minutes & 30 seconds

Initially it feels very rustic. Bold flavours with rich nutty tones. However, it soon reveals a much more delicate nature. A smooth milk chocolate with slight hints of cinnamon. A subtle yet tangible acidity, hinting at bergamot. Smooth and light mouthfeel, almost like tea, with an aftertaste reminiscent of warm cocoa. I have known this coffee for several harvests now, and this year is impressive. It had a dip in quality last year, so I was very excited to see if they could come back strong. They absolutely did. Good stuff!

[mompelomp]

I have never been happy with the alignment system in D&D or Pathfinder. The nine alignments are often confining, and many players find themselves trapped within the alignment of their character; any behavior not true to the alignment is not viable for the character. This has resulted in the…

[toryness]

I would use this for the serious gamers who have been doing the system for a while. I think that you could try this with new players but they might or might not get confused as you’re putting another detail on top of the rest of the system. However, i think this would be awesome for the DM cause now s/he would have a better clue as to how certain characters will react to situations and thus can plan ahead accordingly. if you don’t mind I think I am going to try this with my group. i’ll get back to you with how it went :)

[mompelomp]

I agree that it can easily be overwhelming to new players. blitzhellion also pointed out that perhaps it may be difficult to implement as a replacement for alignment altogether. I have not had a chance to try it out in a real game yet, but I have a chance coming up. By all means use it, it would be an honour. Look forward to hearing how it turns out. :)

[mompelomp]

Bean there, done that: La Divina

Time for more coffee. One of the really fun things about drinking coffee in London is that there seems to be roasters everywhere. Every other coffee shop I have been to roast their own beans. This of course means there is a massive selection of different coffees to be sampled, but since these small roasters by and large focus on quality and single estate coffees, it means that there is en emphasis on direct trade and fair deals with the farms, which is fantastic.

This time it is the La Divina from El Salvador, by Climpson & Sons coffee roasters, bought at the coffee shop with the same name. It was 7£ per 250g.

Brew method: inverted aeropress

Weight ratio coffee/water: 20.5g/240g

steep time: 30 seconds

Immediately it yields fruity notes with rich, sugary sweetness which gives associations to jam. Accompanied by a light acidity we get clear associations to rose hip and cloudberry. Smooth, silky texture ending in a somewhat dry mouthfeel. Overall very nice, and more affordable than the other coffees I have been drinking without comparatively lacking in quality. I am starting to suspect that the dry mouthfeel of many of the coffees I make is due to the grinder I am using, which I have noted produces a lot of fines (very small particles, typically occurs in cheap burr grinders).