Simon Fairbairn
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simonfairbairn.bsky.social
Simon Fairbairn
@simonfairbairn.bsky.social
Travel and tech and coffee. And, for a limited time, piano.
Just been to the Brighton Coffee Festival and picked up this lovely haul. Excited to dig into them.

Going to start testing my Coffee Recommendation Engine against them (and filming the results).

#coffee #v60
August 11, 2025 at 1:14 PM
New bean day! Scenery Wilton Benitez Gesha.

Easily the best coffee I’ve made this year so far. Giving high end lemon cheesecake with a digestive biscuit base, decorated with flower petals and a single Turkish delight. Smooth and creamy and fabulous.

£15/100g. Pricey, but worth it.

#coffee #v60
April 25, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Received these beans for Christmas! Don’t usually go for blends but big fan of Colombian and Ethiopian and tasting notes sound promising.

Aeropress calibration brew: 95°, 16g, 150g water, 40s brew time.

Low acidity, some sweetness but less than promised, and a lot of body.

#coffee
January 2, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Today's match up:

1) 94°C, 555µm grind, 3 pour
2) 88°C, 777µm, 4 pour

I was sure yesterday that the 94 had it in the bag but a finer grind means a risk of clogging and I think that's what happened.

A slower drawdown led to those darker flavours coming out, killing the sweetness.

#coffee #v60
December 14, 2024 at 8:49 AM
Today’s head to head!

2x 12g doses of my Saint Ethiopian Washed Koke:

1) 98°C, 666µm grind, 16:1 ratio
2) 94°C, 555µm grind, 15:1 ratio

Both delicious, but the 94° took it. The finer grind and colder water slowed the brew down enough to give it more body without adding bitterness.

#coffee #v60
December 13, 2024 at 10:13 AM
Started using a Prufrock scoring sheet I found online to grade my morning tastings.

Five areas (Aroma, Acidity, Sweetness, Body, and Finish) scored on Quantity and Quality on a scale of 1 to 5.
December 12, 2024 at 8:59 AM
Five hours of piano today. Slogging through All I Want for Christmas.

I struggle with fingering sometimes. I want to be able to do it without constantly thinking about it but then you don’t want them to end up in the wrong place cause it can produce unpleasant results.
December 11, 2024 at 9:44 PM
Back to the Aeropress because those filters are so terrible and I have to source some new ones.

Still, getting consistently good brews from this setup. Impressed with the Saint Washed Koke beans.
December 11, 2024 at 7:05 AM
So got some new “Hario” filters and, um, I suspect they might not be legit. See if you can guess which one is from the new batch.

End result for brews: massive clogging and almost double my usual brew time. Not ideal.

#coffee #v60 #hario
December 8, 2024 at 10:33 AM
First A/B v60 brews with these. Four pour vs a two pour. 2x 12g doses, 555µm grind, 94°.

Both great brews, but the four pour added body without any additional bitterness so it got the win.

The finish on these is fantastic. Leaves you with a sweet, smoky flavour, like a fine single malt. #coffee
New Beans Day! I have not had a lot from Ethiopia recently so excited to dig into these.

#coffee #aeropress
December 7, 2024 at 10:09 AM
Did an Aeropress calibration brew to get an idea of what flavours I want to try to bring out with the v60.

16g dose, 666µm grind, 150g water. 20s of vigorous stirring then slow plunge. Total brew time: 40s.

#aeropress #recipe
New Beans Day! I have not had a lot from Ethiopia recently so excited to dig into these.

#coffee #aeropress
December 6, 2024 at 6:03 AM
New Beans Day! I have not had a lot from Ethiopia recently so excited to dig into these.

#coffee #aeropress
December 6, 2024 at 5:41 AM
Current coffee setup: Dual wield v60s for blind A/B tests.

I do the brews, Erin does the pours, then I score blind. Let the best recipe win.

#coffee #v60 #SCIENCE
December 3, 2024 at 12:30 PM
Now deep into Jingle Bell Rock and some of these chord changes are wild.

Em7(b5) into A7aug buddy I’m really new at this have mercy pls and thx
December 1, 2024 at 12:55 PM
I bought a piano in August and I’m now in the midst of a crash course that consists of learning a half dozen Christmas songs by mid-December.

Just started the intro to All I Want for Christmas Is You yesterday and boy hammering out those triplet chords at 150bpm is FUN.
November 30, 2024 at 10:52 AM
Reposted by Simon Fairbairn
man what am i even supposed to do here
January 6, 2024 at 5:51 AM
Reposted by Simon Fairbairn
Inspiring words from this NASA official
December 20, 2023 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Simon Fairbairn
🚨 THE TIME HAS COME 🚨

Rocket men Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos face off for the crown. We only wish the winner could be blasted into the sun as a reward!

🗳️ VOTE NOW: forms.gle/udviJ3pZFBVG...
December 17, 2023 at 12:50 PM