Come Together Over Coffee {LeverCraft}
The Art of Espresso
Words by Jessi Devenyns Photos by Shelby Bella & Ashley Haguewood
The mechanics of pulling a cup of espresso are what originally lured Eric Mann away from his job at Ducati and into the world of coffee. After forging a relationship over Ebay with an Italian purveyor of vintage coffee machines, Eric began experimenting with varying pressures, differing water purities, and finally trying to dial into the ideal roast for coffee beans in his pursuit of a good cup of coffee. It did not take long for this experimentation with the components of coffee to lead him to roasting his own coffee–first in a one-pound mini roaster and now in a two kilogram roaster that sits in his back shed.
“We roast all of our coffee; well, I roast all of our coffee,” Eric corrects himself. “Anywhere between 50 and 150 pounds of coffee a week.” However, arriving at the point where each batch is roasted with nuance and depth took several years.
When Eric was working at Ducati, he drank Starbucks along with the rest of the office. But with the discovery of the vintage coffee machines, he began testing their quality with the office staff as judges. One thing led to another, and he began swapping out Starbucks for hand roasted beans, which he produced with varying levels of success.
“I didn’t know how to roast coffee super well at that time. I made [a roaster] out of a Stir Crazy popcorn popper and a NuWave convection oven,” he recalls. “It was not very great, but it roasted the coffee, turned it brown, the coffee popped and the next thing you know, I started buying more roasters.”
Six years later, his hobby has transformed into a shop where he teaches others how to roast coffee independently as well as pull espresso from analogue, post-war Italian machines. Eric doesn’t only use vintage machines for lessons though. At the LeverCraft coffee bar, a 1950s milkshake machine whips milk into a dense, silky froth that tops freddos, and a hand lever espresso machine creates a balanced shot to add to any beverage. Even though these manual machines can be slower than their contemporary counterparts, Eric says that the beauty of each beverage stems from the finesse and care it requires to operate the devices. Plus, he adds, “The quality that you can get out of these machines is just as nice as the modern machines today.” And some would argue that they’re even better.
Contact:
3307 Oak Springs Dr.
levercraft.com
@levercraftcoffee
