34th Competitor: Heather Perry, Coffee Klatch, San Dimas CA
jazz. Heather Perry sounds like a tour guide. She is guiding us on a tour of coffee.
capp: organic milk for sweetness and butteriness. esp is nice-colored and honey-thick, if a little uneven. Heather Perry is our city on a hill. offhandedly elegant rosettas. texture and thickness of milk look good. served 7:01. toasted almond and cocoa. Heather Perry has clearly thought long and deeply about what she wants to convey with her speeches, and her points are impassioned. her tone of voice, however, is evenly modulated and rehersed, as if she’s reading from cards. it’s a little unnerving. because she’s reciting, when she goes off script she has to backtrack. if that’s the worst anyone can say about her, she’s doing ok.
esp: Brazil Poco Fundo, natl. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Sumatra. hints of berry. served 9:32.
sig: “Cindy’s Special” based on her mom’s favorite drink. Lemon zest, reconstituted figs, white and brown sugar for cleanness and molasses. warmed together. cream in tiny cute pitchers, esp has good volume. poured over fig syrup into large martiny glasses, the crema heals immediately. chocolate flavor w/out actual chocolate? neat! almond syrup forms a barrier between esp. and cream. lemon peel “spritz” on the glass, to awaken senses. interesting combination of flavors, textures and temperatures. served 14:45, time 15:00.
It must be a high-pressure job, being Heather Perry, with the eyes of the world upon her. neat to hear how she brought 3 blends and 5 single origins, so she could modify the blend on the spot. clearly she’s still excited about espresso. good to see a person maintain that level of excitement through so much work, time, and- new competitor! whee!