for a few months we had a
physician's assistant helping
us out and she roasted coffee like
a natural. when a new coffee
came in, we'd run it through the
roaster and it'd be a bit off,
and i'd say, shorten the middle
of the roast, let it out two
degrees darker, and raise the
charge temperature next time.
and she'd say, no, when you see
a patient, you listen to their
symptoms, and you give them one
medicine. you don't give them
three treatments at once.
what one thing do you want me to change?
and if that one doesn't work, you remove
it, and prescribe one different one.
if that one doesn't work, you remove it
and try a third one. you only change one
variable at a time, or else you'll never
figure out which treatment helped them.
to this day when im teaching people how
to roast coffee i tell them they are a doctor.
the coffee is their patient. if it doesn't
come out right change only one variable at
a time. be a good doctor. be methodical.
she's off saving people's lives now, but
we're treating coffee like it is our patient and
we send good thoughts her way now and then.