#03 The Hawaii No One Sees
An analog journey through O'ahu & a dive into my espresso renaissance
Welcome to issue #03 of the newsletter. I can’t believe it’s been three already, I’m loving the process of sitting down and building these, I hope you’re digging them too.
Here’s what to expect from today’s issue: A gallery of my favorite film photos from Hawaii, the newest espresso trends & techniques, and a solid film camera on a budget.
Hawaii No One Sees: A 30 day analog journey through O’ahu
Between prepping The nooq for a year-long leave and packing all the gear for three different trips happening this June/July, I feel like I haven’t stopped in weeks. And although I just came back from Hawai’i, it feesl like it was months ago already. One of the highlights of this hectic time was getting the scans back from Statefilm from our month on the island of O’ahu. I shot six rolls there, exclusively on Kodak Gold 200, and with the tiny but mighty Canon Elan 7E and Canon EF 50mm 1.2. I love the limitation that one film stock, and a camera lens combo brings. You are freed from thinking about what other lenses to carry, the whole thing fits in one hand, so you can only focus on doing the work. My intention is to show you my favorite images from this trip and give you a bit of background on each — and fear not, there will a Hawaiian installment of Isaac’s and I’s No One Sees series on YouTube this month! For now, let’s get to the goods.
#1 Dan Worden doing a gainer 40ft over the Pacific
#2 North Shore Headquarters
#3 Manoa Chocolate Farm
#4 Koko Head in the distance
#5 Austin Kino
That’s it for now. I have more photos to show you but there will be on our Hawaii No One Sees film on my YouTube in a few days. If you aren’t sub’d yet, it would make my day if you did: Make Alex’s day.
Now, its time for coffee.
My Espresso Renaissance: Embracing new techniques and tools
In partnership with La Marzocco.
This is the first time I'm introducing a partner here, and I wanted to do it early so you, the reader, know what to expect. Partners will support the newsletter, but they will only be for products I use and love. For example, after writing this full feature on espresso, I realized I should present it to La Marzocco to see if they wanted to be the presenting sponsor. They only requested that I link the Linea Mini (which I've been using since 2017) at the bottom of the write-up. My love for the Linea Mini is pure and continues to grow year after year..
I have to confess that my knowledge of making espresso has been stagnant since the early days. Until now. Seven years ago, I did several training sessions at the legendary Espresso Vivace in Seattle and the folks at La Marzocco Seattle. Since then, I've occasionally read a technique book, picked up a new gadget, or watched a video, but I haven’t kept up with the latest trends. That changed when my friend Levi sent me a video by Lance Hedrick a few months ago. The video discussed why "naked portafilters," considered the gold standard for serious baristas, might not be as great as we thought. And how they even lead us astray. This video sparked a rush of curiosity and reignited my excitement about making espresso.
Here are some of my takeaways about the current trends in espresso making:
Removing clumps in grounds: WDT isn’t the most effective way to remove clumps in coffee grounds, this funnel is.
Even extractions: Using a mesh screen allows for a more even extraction and keeps your dispersion screen clean.
Paper Filters: A paper filter, akin to an Aeropress one, allows for a more even extraction
Tamping consistency: A spring loaded tamper is more consistent than a traditional one: it always applies the same pressure.
Turbo Shots: Pairing lower pressure (6 Bar instead of the traditional 9 Bar) with a coarser grind and a shorter extraction time (15-18s) can produce sweeter and clearer shots.
If you want to learn more, I recommend checking out Lance Hedrick on YouTube. An easy win would be to get these Ethiopian beans from Olympia Coffee Roasters — they taste like drinking straight passionfruit. Or, if you want a ‘set it and forget it’ system, you should sign up for to the La Marzocco home espresso subscription — that’s how I get my beans every month (La Marzocco has been gifting it to me since I got the machine eight years ago but don’t tell them, they probably forgot.) You’ll get two bags of beans from a different roaster every month.
In conclusion, having a proper espresso machine at home has literally changed my life. This little machine has become the gathering spot with my family, friends and neighbors. Beyond sparking a lifelong burning curiosity with coffee production and extraction, it is also a community building beast. Its a party piece. Everyone wants to come over for a cortado and that gives me a good chance to catch up with people. This social aspect is my favorite part of coffee culture. As my pal Steve Booker puts it, in his very own British accent, “coffee is about people, man”.
Coffee Stuff
La Marzocco Linea Mini Espresso Machine
Watching
Why Naked Portafilters Lie (sometimes) by Lance Hedrick
Gear
Canon Elan 7E: This is a solid film camera for under $200. Pair it with a proper Canon EF lens like the EF 50mm F1.2 (or F1.0 if you want to splurge).
Kodak Gold: Created to be a mass market alternative to the more elite Portra series, the Gold is now finally appreciated by the film community for its poppy colors. Make sure to shoot it slightly overexposed to reduce grain.
Salomon Ultra Bumbag: This was made for long trail running races but i’ve been using it as a carry for my daily kit: phone, wallet, keys and point and shoot cameras.
Reece Brown edits and proofreads this newsletter
Good write up! Making coffee is very much like photography: you never “arrive”, instead it’s a lifelong learning process 🤠
Love these photos! Can you share the link of the rental you stayed at?