Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr.

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr.

Ukraine’s Soloway Coffee Opens First US Shop in Chicago

A specialty coffee roasting company based in western Ukraine called Soloway Coffee (Instagram link) this week opened its first location in the United States. Beans roasted in Ternopil, Ukraine, using…


How do you roast coffee for milk?

It’s impossible to deny just how popular milk-based coffee drinks (such as the flat white, latte, and cappuccino) are in coffee shops around the world. According to 2020 data from Project Café USA, the latte was the most ordered drink in the UK, and the third-most popular beverage in US coffee shops. In line with […]


Torr Launches the Hive Cafe Countertop Coffee Concentrate System

Commercial cold coffee equipment company Torr Industries recently rolled out a countertop-friendly version of its signature Hive Brew cold coffee system, called the Hive Cafe. The northern California coffee company…


The Caripe Variety: A Groundbreaking Milestone in Venezuelan Coffee Farming

Today, we unveil the story behind the Caripe variety and its significance for the Venezuelan coffee industry. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Carlos Felipe Ramírez Mesa via Unsplash In the heart of Venezuela, nestled among the picturesque states of Monagas, Anzoátegui, and Sucre, lies a legacy deeply rooted in coffee cultivation. This […]

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr.

What are modular espresso machines & how do they work?

For decades, espresso machine design and technology have been evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of coffee shop owners and baristas. From multi-boiler systems and automation to custom branding, there are now more factors to consider than ever before when it comes to the design of an espresso machine. Many businesses choose to position their […]


Miami-Made Panther Coffee is Popping Up in Manhattan

Beloved Miami specialty coffee company Panther Coffee is making its first major New York City showing with the opening of a popup shop in Soho. With a soft opening scheduled…


The Caripe Variety: A Groundbreaking Milestone in Venezuelan Coffee Farming

Today, we unveil the story behind the Caripe variety and its significance for the Venezuelan coffee industry. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Carlos Felipe Ramírez Mesa via Unsplash In the heart of Venezuela, nestled among the picturesque states of Monagas, Anzoátegui, and Sucre, lies a legacy deeply rooted in coffee cultivation. This […]


Playing Leaderboard, the Arcade-Inspired Coffee Game

We sat down to try the newest version of the game—a fun opportunity to learn more about coffee while vying for cool coffee prizes.  BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos by Tanya Nanetti I’ve never been much into video games, except for the classic arcade games of my youth.   Growing up in the ‘80s meant […]

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr.

Understanding the Process: Double Fermentation

Continuing our series on coffee processing, we learn about double fermentation, a term that can refer to several different processes. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Cafe Imports Editor’s note: Check out other entries in our “Understanding the Process“ series here. When exploring the wonderful world of high-quality coffee, you’ll discover that no […]


Know Your Sweeteners: Agave: Part Two—Environmental Concerns

Agave has become an increasingly popular sweetener in the coffee industry. But is it as environmentally friendly as people claim it to be? BY EMILY JOY MENESESBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo sourced via Pixabay In recent years, you may have noticed an increase in demand for “alternative sweeteners” like agave. While today, the nectar serves […]


Is the World Barista Championship too exclusive & expensive for competitors?

There are a number of competitions in specialty coffee designed to test the skills and knowledge of industry professionals. However, many consider the World Barista Championship (WBC) to be one of the most esteemed and highly regarded events, acting as a platform to showcase excellence in the barista profession. There are many reasons to celebrate […]


4 Cool Cafés to Try Out in Bologna

Bologna, the Italian city home to the world’s oldest university, is traditionally famous for its food and drink—and it has some stellar specialty cafés. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash Bologna is home to the oldest university in the world and is the unofficial “capital“ of the porticos […]

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr.

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr.

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr.

We talk to the multi-time Panama Brewers Cup champion about his brewing preferences.

BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Photos courtesy of Wilford Lamastus

Coffee professionals tend to spend most of their days brewing coffee. It can be an espresso shot pulled for a customer or a cupping to check out a new roaster to choose for the shop. Or maybe it’s a V60 brewed to post a story on social media. But what about when they’re not at work? What are their coffee habits when at home? Do these habits change when they travel? 

Wilford agitates coffee brewing in a vacuum coffee maker. He is using a wooden whisk.
Wilford has won multiple Brewers Cup competitions; he’s also a coffee producer who grew a coffee valued at a record 98 points.

Meet Wilford Lamastus, Jr.

Wilford Lamastus, Jr., the multi-time Brewers Cup champ from Boquete, Panama, is a famous coffee producer at Lamastus Family Estates. He’s also the owner of Sisu Coffee Studio, a specialty-coffee micro-roaster based in Panama City. We checked in with Wilford to learn about his coffee habits. 

“When I’m at home, I brew every morning using a Groove Coffee Dripper, a cone method similar to Timemore or Hario,” Wilford says. He confides that when he’s in his own city, he mostly drinks coffee at home. But he also loves going out for coffee. 

“I mainly go to my own coffee shop, but I also visit different coffee shops in my city, places that strictly deal with specialty coffee,” he says.  

And here, his usual order is always the same: a pourover. 

Wilford pours coffee into a cupping vessel at a competition as judges look on. He is wearing a khaki apron.
Although he most often drinks coffee at home, Wilford enjoys trying specialty coffees abroad.

Wilford on the Road

To keep up with his habit of constantly brewing coffee, Wilford can’t help but bring his own coffee gear when visiting family and friends or simply traveling. Wilford recently told the ”Eat Drink Sleep Repeat” podcast that some of his favorite cities to visit include Taipei, Taiwan and Melbourne, Australia.

“I have a travel brewer called Pakt,” he shares. “Basically, Pakt is a compact brewing gadget that includes a water kettle, a stainless-steel brew dripper, and a practical coffee thermos/travel mug. And of course, I also bring my own scale and hand grinder everywhere. And I also bring coffee around.”

Exploring the Coffee Scene

But traveling isn’t just about brewing coffee; it’s also about visiting new coffee places. 

“Now most of my trips (probably 80%) are work-related, so when I travel, I always visit clients who own coffee shops or roasters. In any case, before leaving, I always look online to check the specialty coffee situation that I’ll find at the destination… (but) I always also bring my own coffee stuff,” he says.

Wilford checks a recipe on his phone while cupping numerous coffees on a table. He has a close beard and white tshirt on.
Wilford often relies on a travel brewer called Pakt for coffee while on the road.

As a final suggestion on the best way to drink and brew coffee while traveling, Wilford has one piece of advice to share.

“Search for Pakt, and you won’t regret it.” 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.

The post Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr. appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr.

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr.

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