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

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

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 […]


How to roast anaerobically fermented coffee

Among the many different kinds of experimental processing methods, anaerobic fermentation is perhaps the most popular and intriguing. Interest in this processing technique is only growing, with more and more anaerobic fermented coffee available in cafés and roasteries around the world. Moreover, of all the advanced processing methods, this particular technique has one of the […]


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…


How to roast anaerobically fermented coffee

Among the many different kinds of experimental processing methods, anaerobic fermentation is perhaps the most popular and intriguing. Interest in this processing technique is only growing, with more and more anaerobic fermented coffee available in cafés and roasteries around the world. Moreover, of all the advanced processing methods, this particular technique has one of the […]

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

Get Ready for The Barista League’s 2024 Season

The Barista League has announced 12 competitions across four continents. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of The Barista League When The Barista League announces new events, it’s worth paying attention! This year, the schedule will be organized by geographic location, bringing together coffee people in various communities. At The Barista League in […]


A Recap of The Barista League’s Mystery Coffee Vacation in Colombia

The Barista League’s Mystery Coffee Vacation in Colombia is over, and we’ve got the scoop on all the fun! BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Vasileia Fanarioti and Juan Henao During the last week of February, the 2022 Barista League champions gathered in Colombia for this year’s Mystery Coffee Vacation. It was an […]


Ethos Agriculture’s Journey from Vision to Impact in Coffee Sustainability: Part Two

In the second half of this article, we discover how the Coffee Barometer attempts to bridge the gap between discourse and action, envisioning a sustainable…


Brewing at Home and On the Road with Darrin Daniel

We check in with the Cup of Excellence executive director to learn his current coffee-brewing habits. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Emre…

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

3 Elements Coffee: Supporting Veterans, One Cup at a Time  

The Australian roasting company helps to create opportunities for veteran communities.  BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of 3 Elements Coffee  Brisbane, Australia-based 3 Elements Coffee, founded by Navy veteran Terry McNally in 2016, has a mission to support the transition of ex-military personnel into the commercial workspace. To help achieve their goal and raise […]


From Malawi to Edinburgh: The MF Coffee Project

We take a trip from North Carolina to Northern Malawi to Edinburgh, exploring the roots, roasts, and impact of the MF Coffee Project. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of the MF Coffee Project In the quaint village of Manchewe, Northern Malawi, a story unfolded when Cameron Mcallister made the life-altering decision to relocate […]


Test Drive: Update Your Grinding With More Comandante Grinder Accessories

The popular hand grinder has more to offer with a new line of tools and accessories now available. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo by Tanya Nanetti To brew the perfect cup of coffee, it’s important to choose the right coffee equipment. One essential is a reliable coffee grinder. Most coffee lovers start with a […]


Sumatra Coffee Farmers See Gains Through Agroforestry and Organic Fertilizer

Farmers in Indonesia’s Lampung province are making their own organic fertilizer in order to lessen reliance on volatile external supply chains. They’ve also diversified the number of crops they grow,…

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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