Art Repeats
We’ve talked about workflow. Now let’s talk about the role of equipment—and why, for an artisan, the pursuit of consistency is not a compromise but a commitment.
The Artisan’s Dilemma
As tools become more precise—roasting machines that hear first crack before we do, pour-over machines that mimic expert hands—we find ourselves asking: does precision diminish the craft? If the machine can do it, what’s left for the artisan?
It’s a fair question. I’ve asked it myself. I’ve made shoes by hand, studied fine art, and now I roast coffee. I care deeply about the creative process. But I also care about something else: experience.
The Case for Consistency
In the context of a business—especially one dedicated to offering an elevated coffee experience—consistency is everything. One of the unspoken missions of a great café is repeatability. Not just to avoid a bad review, but to meet the high standards we set for ourselves, every time.
Each time a grinder misfires, a pour-over is mistimed, or a shot runs off target, we face a choice. Serve it and let someone experience something lesser than what we’re capable of—or remake it and waste time, product, and effort. Either way, something is lost.
This is why I believe in designing equipment setups that protect the work we’ve already done: the hours of refinement, testing, and creative labor. The real craft, the artistry in the end product, happens long before the shot is pulled.
The Work Before the Work
What varietals will we work with?
What processing methods express what we value?
What’s the ideal milk-to-coffee ratio? What experience are we offering?
These aren’t technical decisions—they’re creative ones. This is where art lives and works. As Chuck Close put it: “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.”
We don’t wait for inspiration to strike mid-pour. We test 30 recipes. We refine roast curves. We work, again and again, to articulate what the coffee wants to become—and who we’re making it for.
Then, we find the equipment that can deliver that vision—not once, but endlessly. Machines that do our will without deviation. Tools that reproduce our decisions with reverence, not rebellion.
The Role of Equipment
We are not peons bowing to the machines. They are our instruments—extensions of the decisions we’ve already made, the harmony we’ve already composed. Our goal is to create a symphony of one, played perfectly for each person who walks through the door.
This is the best road to the highest experience we can offer—and the best road to avoiding waste of every kind. Lower loss, lower cost, better prices for our guests.
That’s why my equipment list is always evolving. Not for the sake of novelty, but because we’re always asking the same question: Could this tool help us do what we already do, but better?
We’re not chasing gadgets—we’re chasing consistency. We want a grinder that won’t dose 19g when we need 17. One that won’t dust our counters with grounds like confetti. We want machines that let us forget about them—so we can focus on coffee, and on the people drinking it. To “profit from the moment,” as we say in French.
Toward the Ideal Setup
My hope is that through careful research, hard-earned conversations, and countertop trial and error, we can arrive at a setup that reflects our craft at its highest. A system that expresses everything we’ve worked for—in every cup, every time.
After all, we’re setting up in the countryside. We need a workflow that’s as resilient as it is beautiful—one that can handle whatever curveballs come our way.
A Quiet Invitation
This pursuit of precision isn’t just about espresso shots or grinder specs—it’s about building a place where care is felt in every detail. Out in the countryside, far from the frantic pace of city cafés, we have the rare opportunity to slow down. To let the work speak for itself. To show that consistency isn’t the enemy of art—it’s its greatest ally. If we do this right, each cup becomes a quiet invitation: come and see what intention tastes like.