Comments for By These Pickers and Stealers

Comment on Quiet Cupping by Dill or Dull | Coffee is Food

Dill or Dull | Coffee is Food — Fri, 13 May 2011 02:38:14 +0000

[...] favorite blog post this year has been Mike Ferguson’s Quiet Cupping. I too, have tasted and learned from some great taster and coffee buyers. Silence is golden. More [...]

Comment on Quiet Cupping by Trishr

Trishr — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:53:08 +0000

Nice topic, Mike.
(and yeah, I thought you were going to comment on the slurp and bemoan the likes of Nick Cho, who is currently working on access to his retro-nasal area = LOUD!)

I think the emergence of the open cupping (non -silent) has something to do with all the self-trained cuppers out there. It’s not a bad thing, but open tastings have their place. These might happen in a retail setting or around a kitchen table where no answer is “wrong” and everyone has a say. My job is to find out which kind of cupping I’m about to engage in, and move forward with the appropriate attitude.

That being said, sometimes novice cuppers enjoy cupping with veterans. I have not seen too many problems with undue influence on the inexperienced at the table. In fact, because a novice’s memory-to-vocabulary is less developed – meaning they might be tasting something they can’t put their finger on…and all I’d have to say gently is “do you get a hint of tobacco?” and they’re off! – they can be downright appreciative.

But it does take a bit of seasoning to get that balance right…where you are just helping and not bullying.
…and I might actually be able to name some who have never learned that to this day.

There, I said it!

Comment on Back to Magic Rule #2 by Disappointed

Disappointed — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:02:42 +0000

Please break your rule Mike. I like your posts on Magic.

Comment on Walking Down the Aisle with Coffee by Mike Ferguson

Mike Ferguson — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 17:09:31 +0000

Thanks Scott.

Comment on Walking Down the Aisle with Coffee by scott conary

scott conary — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:23:29 +0000

that was informationally fun Mike, thx!

Comment on A Question of Magic by Mike Ferguson

Mike Ferguson — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:57:37 +0000

J.S. Thanks so much. Blaine is great and definitely in the “escaped from a bottle” category. What I always think about when I watch DB is how everyone talks about Houdini but we rarely hear about his entourage of “assistants.” This fact is necessarily good for magic in general…but some of those guys were undoubtedly magical geniuses, now barely a footnote in history if considered at all.

Comment on A Question of Magic by Mike Ferguson

Mike Ferguson — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:48:43 +0000

Thanks David. I appreciate the comment, especially coming from such a keen observer of things not-so-magical.

Comment on A Question of Magic by PeaceLove

PeaceLove — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:18:35 +0000

Excellent post! The distinction is critical and so often lost or ignored. Luckily, Blaine came along and begot a new generation who understand better than their elders how to create astonishment.

Comment on A Question of Magic by David Rowyn

David Rowyn — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 22:54:42 +0000

Wonderfully written.

I love the distinction between magic bones and non-magic bones.

Comment on A Question of Magic by Mike Ferguson

Mike Ferguson — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:41:30 +0000

Dear Mr. Pierce,
Perhaps I should say I am not a professional magician. Still, right now, I feel like I am learning to walk again. The gap between what I know in my head and what my hands can do is so vast. In any case, what understanding I have is a result of the simply stunning group of magic teachers I had as teenager, many of whom are performing at The Magic Castle this very week, in fact, as part of Long Beach Mystics week.

Thanks for taking a moment to comment on my verbosity.