It’s his toolkit, a sample case to demonstrate the differences between the premium cigars-the ones that he sells-and the cheap items resembling cigarettes that are found in convenience stores. He takes out a few premium, hand-rolled smokes, then brings out packs of machine-made cigars flavored with grape and pipe tobacco. He goes to his cluttered desk-Borysiewicz has two oversized desks in his office, a clean one for meetings and a somewhat messy one with a computer for doing work-and grabs a massive briefcase, which travels with him to D.C. “They didn’t know the difference between a Marlboro and a Macanudo,” he says in his Orlando headquarters, located on the second floor of his second-largest store. Borysiewicz not only discovered that the politicians shaping our laws seemed to enjoy hearing directly from the business owners who would be impacted by the laws they made, he also discovered that many of them were completely ignorant of the world of premium cigars and thought that tobacco was simply cigarettes. “I had never been to Washington in my life, never got involved in politics,” he says. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), and Mel Martinez, then a Republican Senator from Florida, as well as staff members from the Senate Finance Committee. It was nothing more than adrenaline-fight or flight.” Cigarmaker Rocky Patel and retailer David Berkebile, the owner of Georgetown Tobacco, were there with him. “I’m on the hook for more than $1 million.” It was fear, plain and simple, that put Borysiewicz on a plane to Washington to plead his case. “The bank calls, wants to pull the loan,” says Borysiewicz. The bankers funding Borysiewicz’s new construction loan got an immediate case of cold feet. Borysiewicz, whose business model was built on large inventory, would have been ruined. The first draft of the bill called for a tax of up to $10 per cigar, and a provision, known as a floor tax, that would have made retailers pay the tax on every cigar in their inventory. It gets its funding through increased tobacco taxes. SCHIP is the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, a piece of legislation intended to help provide health care for uninsured children. “The construction company started digging the footers, and here comes SCHIP.” I was building the downtown store-the most expensive store I ever did,” he says. That first trip to Washington came because he was at risk of losing the business. Today he’s one of the most prominent cigar retailers in the United States, with superstores that stock some 2 million cigars representing virtually every premium cigar brand on the market. He built his business from scratch, maxing out a pair of credit cards and taking bank loans on a car and a boat to finance it. “I almost lost everything,” says Borysiewicz, a dark-haired, 42-year-old with a square build and the thick forearms of a working man. Jeff Borysiewicz, the founder and president of Corona Cigar Co., didn’t go to his nation’s capital until he was 37 years old, when he found himself in a dogfight to save his cigar company. “The idea,” says Borysiewicz, “was to build a place, a mecca, where if you don’t like cigar smoke, you’re in the wrong place.Most Americans make their first visit to the marbled steps of Washington, D.C., as a child, perhaps as part of a school trip to visit the presidential monuments or on a family vacation to smell the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Home to a Diamond Crown lounge, the 8,500-square-foot store brims with cigars of all types. The finest Corona Cigar store in Orlando is the newest, located downtown, at the corner of Orange and Pine, near the old Rosie O’Grady’s building and mere steps from the University of Florida. The store in Heathrow is smaller, but has an Avo cigar lounge. The lounge in the 5,000 square-foot store on Sand Lake Road, which also is home to the company’s corporate headquarters, has vast seating and a beer, wine and Port bar. stores also boast spacious smoking lounges. cigar market to $30 rarities that are hard to find elsewhere.Ĭorona Cigar Co. The three shops he has in the Orlando area are loaded with all manner of cigars, from inexpensive smokes made just for his shop to $5 to $8 premium brands making up the meat of the U.S. is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, the land of Disney World. It’s like a Disney World of cigars.”įitting that Borysiewicz’s Corona Cigar Co. “There’s no sense hiding it,” he says quite simply. Instead of opting for the traditional cigar shop model, where some cigars are out on display and more are stacked in the back in inventory, he decided to put everything out for the customers to see. When Jeff Borysiewicz decided to open a cigar shop, three words rang through his mind: big-box retailer.
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The likelihood of winning any game of chance is shown using the mathematics of probability. The Concept of Return to Player and How it Applies to the Minnesota Lottery The Minnesota Lottery briefly sold tickets online through its website, but it ended the practice in 2015. When players buy Minnesota Lottery tickets online through the Jackpocket app, what they’re actually doing is paying Jackpocket to go buy tickets on their behalf from an authorized retailer.Īfter Jackpocket purchases tickets, it scans copies of every ticket, uploads them to players’ accounts, and notifies customers of winners. It’s a minor difference, but it’s important from a legal perspective. The Jackpocket MN app ensures its legality by acting as a courier service, not a lottery ticket sales agent. The Jackpocket user ordered a Powerball ticket through Jackpocket, won a $1 million prize, and claimed the prize directly from the MN Lottery. Within a month of launching in Minnesota, the Jackpocket app sold its first seven-figure ticket to a local player. Per the memorandum, Jackpocket agreed to rules set by the MN Lottery, including ensuring all customers are 18 or older. Jackpocket launched for Minnesota residents in 2018 after receiving a “memorandum of understanding” with the MN Lottery. Players can buy Minnesota Lottery tickets online for the following games: The Minnesota Lottery does not sell tickets online, but it does permit third-party lottery courier app Jackpocket to purchase tickets on behalf of customers. Along the way, you’ll learn about the history of the game and benefit from plenty of practical lessons on where and how to buy MN Lottery tickets, with specific details on the sometimes-complicated process of cashing in your winnings. This page covers details on every game’s return to player percentages and other odds information for Minnesota Lottery games that you can’t find anywhere else online. The goal of this page is to offer a complete perspective on playing Minnesota Lottery games, from the state’s multiple scratch-off options to the local and multi-jurisdictional draw action and even a guide to the oddball raffle game played in the state. If the state has been “making” even two millionaires a year (through the Minnesota Millionaire game) for the past fifteen years, that’s 30 millionaires right there. Thanks to the Minnesota Millionaire game, the state’s lottery page brags frequently about the program “making millionaires,” though further details about the number of big-prize winners aren’t highlighted on the state’s lottery site like you find with other larger lottery programs. More details on how to play and what your odds of winning are below. Minnesota Millionaire is a raffle-style game which is only drawn once a year on New Year’s Day. For now, it’s enough to know that these are hybrid draw games that allow bets of $1, $3, and $5 each. This page covers what each of those means in greater detail below. Print-n-Play is an instant win game that allows bets in three different styles – bingo, crossword, and slots. These Minnesota-only games offer starting bets between $0.50 and $1. Minnesota Lottery also offers three state-based games: These multi-jurisdictional draw lottery games all cost $2 at a minimum to play, except for LottoAmerica which still has a $1 ticket available. Minnesota’s draw lottery program includes four multi-jurisdictional games: The scratch-off tickets are traditional instant win card-based games where players scratch off special ink to reveal symbols that determine their winnings.
Next we'll look at the official Monopoly rules, which are useful when arguing with your sister about the penalty for rolling three doubles in a row. The brass 80th Anniversary edition was made, while the gold 85th Anniversary edition was made. For example, the 75 th Anniversary Revolution edition used plastic tokens portraying the outlines of the original Dowst pieces. The Jail square has two sections: "Just Visiting" is if you roll and land on Jail and "In Jail" is when you get sent to jail. Select a favorite Monopoly token, place it on Go, and roll the dice to own it all Featuring classic Monopoly gameplay, this fun family board game for kids and. Hasbro has also made it a tradition to keep its anniversary tokens interesting. The "Go to Jail" square only results in jail time if you land on it, not if you pass it. Free Parking is the only space in the game that requires you to do absolutely nothing. Every time you land on or pass GO on subsequent turns, you collect $200, referred to as your "salary" in Monopoly. The four remaining squares are the corner squares. Other unfortunate squares include Luxury Tax (which carries a $100 penalty) and Income Tax ($200 or 10 percent of your net worth). The "general repairs" card isn't much better, charging $25 per house and $100 per hotel. The "street repairs" card requires the player that draws it to pay the bank $40 per house and $115 per hotel, which is a tough blow to folks who have invested heavily to improve their properties. The two most potentially disastrous cards are those requiring "street repairs" and "general repairs" for all houses or hotels you own. Bought this for Christmas to replace an old tatty version, much the same with the exception of a new piece. There is the famous "Get out of Jail Free" card, but there's also the "Go directly to jail. Both Chance and Community Chest cards can be good or bad. Game box includes: Bi-fold gameboard, silver-toned game tokens, 2 dice, plastic houses and hotels, plastic money tray, Community Chest and Chance cards, title deeds, pad of Monopoly® money and rules.In addition, there are three Community Chest squares and three Chance squares that require players to draw a card.Play with classic game rules: Try to buy up the most property and force your opponents into bankruptcy!.Most importantly, this game includes all the Classic Tokens!! For 2-6 players Contents: A game board, 8 Tokens, 28 Title Deed Cards, 16 Chance Cards, 16 Community Chest Cards, 32 Houses, 12 Hotels, 2 Dice, Money Pack and. This version uses all the original artwork and original street colors that we remember.Fond memories will spring to life, with family and friends, when you play Monopoly® The 1980s Edition. The original hand made editions of the Monopoly game had been localized for the.Inside you'll find the most beloved features, including the traditional bi-fold gameboard, a full-size money tray, the same green houses and red hotels, your favorite game tokens, and all the cards, deeds and money that once made you feel like the richest kid in the world! Authentic rules of play are included too.įinally, it's time for a new generation to inherit that wealth of fun with Monopoly The 1980s Edition. The games manufacturer plans to replace one of them. The original version of Monopoly has eight game pieces. Recommended for ages 8 years to adult 2 to 8 players Play time: 60-90 minutesĭesigned exactly like the version you remember from your own childhood, this quality Monopoly® set lets you revisit some of your favorite memories while creating new memories with your own kids. For One Monopoly Token, the Days Are Numbered. It just appeared in the Beyoncésphere and it was left to us to decipher and decode it. The release of the “Flawless” remix mirrors the release of her surprise album late last year: zero promotion, zero context. She just makes sure there’s a jaw-dropping line and let’s us do the rest of the work. ' (stylized as ' Flawless ') is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé self-titled fifth studio album (2013). She doesn’t send out a press release announcing her latest single. Was it calculated? Absolutely.īeyoncé and her team are nonpareil when it comes to marketing, promotion and teasing out factoids to keep the world engaged and intrigued. The power couple is easily worth a combined billion. Artista: BeyoncéArtista em destaque: Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieÁlbum: Beyoncé: Platinum EditionData de lançamento: 2014Gênero: Pop+ de Beyoncé. But she wouldn’t have had nearly the amount of buzz without the take-that line. Instead of doing an interview about The Incident, she uses the intense curiosity to buoy interest in her latest single, the remix to “ Flawless.” The fact that she teamed up with Nicki Minaj on the track would have been explosive enough. On her next album, for the song Countdown, she slides in a reference to her relationship with Jay-Z once again: “All that gossipin’/10 years stop it”-an obvious reference to her then 10-year relationship.Īnd so, this weekend, she drops the ultimate headlining-making sound bite: “Of course sometimes shit goes down/when there’s a billion dollars on an elevator.” Party packs squelchy 90s soul, and the Major. Not that 4 is in any way a banger-free zone. Kanye West Delivers Wide-Ranging Rant About Jewish People, Name Drops Drake, JAY-Z And More Queen Bey goes back to the future with a fourth album that trades some of her strutting blockbusters for timeless mid-tempo finger-snappers (Love On Top) and slow-burning ballads (1+1, Best Thing I Never Had). We only list some of these package systems here because they are Therefore you should report issues to the packagersįirst, before reporting to the GIMP team. Third party packages are not officially supported by the GIMP Previous installers for macOS/OSX can be found on. Since version 2.8.2, GIMP runs on macOS/OSX natively. Open the downloaded DMG and drag and drop GIMP into your These are vanilla builds without any third-party add-ons. Not in anyway connected to the GIMP team. Provide any package on Apple's App Store at the moment.Īny downloads on the store are created by third party and is !IMPORTANT! ⚠️ App Store: GIMP team does not.Supported OS: macOS 10.12 Sierra or newer Show downloads for x86_64 Warnings and information Please refer to the documentation for your Unix-like system on the installation of software. GIMP can also run on Solaris and is available for the BSD family of systems such as FreeBSD and OpenBSD. You can always fall back to using the following command line:įlatpak update Systems without flatpak support Once again, if your distribution does not have proper support, Instead if yourĭistribution and/or desktop has a good support for flatpak, it Work!) when a new version of GIMP is released. Have to come back on this page and install again (it will not This installation will also provide regular update. The meantime, you can still run it by command line (not as the If this is not the case, we suggest to report a bug to yourĭesktop or distribution asking for proper support of flatpak. Once installed, it will be made available exactly the same wayĪs other applications (menus, desktop overview, or any specificĪpplication launch process used by your desktop). Install GIMP, then manually install by command line: Installed and if clicking the link still does not prompt to Out-of-the-box on some platforms since the flatpak technology is The flatpak link above should open your software installerĪnd prompt you to install GIMP. Therefore choose your installation medium according to your Will likely provide faster updates, following GIMP releases The flatpak build is new and has known limitations, though it If available, the official package from your Unix-likeĭistribution is the recommended method of installing GIMP! ( note: i386 and ARM-32 versions used to be published, yetĪre now stuck at GIMP 2.10.14 and 2.10.22 respectively). Flatpak build available in: x86-64 and AArch64 Create Logo Projects, Photo Projects, Graphics Projects, Website Projects, or any kind of project in any field, the suite got all covered. It offers users to work with efficiency and allow them to unravel their creativity with powerful and limitless functions and modules. You can also download CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2020.ĬorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021 brings new features, LiveSketch tool, capabilities, functions, and more to provide users with the best user experience. It includes enhancements, more smooth and seamless experience. This suite consists of some of the very compelling Corel products which includes Corel Photo-Paint, Connect and Draw etc. This application is created for professional designers as well as artists. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite OverviewĬorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021 is an impressive application that has been equipped with loads of tools and options to help you create some astonishing projects. It is full offline installer standalone setup of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021. It's only available as a 64-bit download.CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021 Free Download Latest Version. What version of Windows can CorelDRAW run on?ĬorelDRAW can be used on a computer running Windows 11 or Windows 10. The CorelDRAW 2023 24.5.0.686 demo is available to all software users as a free download with potential restrictions and is not necessarily the full version of this software. This download is licensed as shareware for the Windows operating system from graphics editors and can be used as a free trial until the trial period ends (after an unspecified number of days). Taking a nod from Adobe's Photoshop suite, Corel also offers a discounted student version. You can request the key from Corel after you have completed the purchase of the program. This program functions as a full version for 30 days until you're asked to provide an activation key. The software download is perfect not only for those getting their feet wet with web design, but also those who have a history and experience with graphics design especially those who actually know what a vector object is. You can also apply the core effects to images without installing third-party plugins. There are also different brushes and filters which you can download in order to increase the functionality of this image editor. One good thing to note is that there are several different sites online which post useful tutorials which provide useful tips. All tools which help you organize, search, edit, take screen captures and convert bitmaps into vector images. Includes a number of modules for editing vector-based graphicsĬorelDRAW also comes with some neat and useful utilities including Corel CONNECT, Corel PHOTO-PAINT, Corel CAPTURE and Corel PowerTRACE. You can create web graphics, vector images, high quality animations or edit photographs. It is highly adaptable for working with illustrator-type projects and is also suitable for web designers. With that said though, the application still has a loyal following of users.Ĭorel is specifically an image editor capable of dealing with and editing vector graphics and can also handle JPEG, PNG and other popular formats. If you're looking for a program which is versatile and able to work with many different types of graphics, then this image editing suite might just be what you're looking for.īack in the day, CorelDRAW was almost on the same footing as Adobe Photoshop when it came to graphics editing, but it kind of just faded into history and nobody has heard that much about it when you consider the explosion of different graphics editors in today's age. What is CorelDRAW? It's an image editing application which was originally the most popular back in the early days of Windows that went far beyond what many image editors were capable of and has culminated in what we see today. Legacy version of a popular graphics editing program with support for photos, web graphics, drawing and various other tools by Corel. ❗VCF is defined as “somatic and cognitive exhaustion that is caused by the intensive and/or inappropriate use of videoconferencing tools”. Perhaps not surprisingly, the study supports self-reports: video conferences that are poorly run and trying to simply 'replace' in-person interactions cause pretty real fatigue.Ī few things stood out to me in reading the primary source (which I have linked in the comments below).įirst, the definition of VCF - video conferencing fatigue is indicative of some of what actually causes the exhaustion itself: Interestingly, this is the first study to be conducted with real scientific rigor, versus the self-reports we have relied on to date. The Wall Street Journal recently came out with an interesting article covering a study by Nature on the neurophysiological perspective □ of video conferencing in an academic environment. The infamous 'Zoom Fatigue' remains an issue for many professionals and for companies. Ready for actionable strategies and an inspiring perspective? Check out an excerpt from AK'S Zync episode to know some top strategies for performing under pressure □įull episode included in the comments □□ Ikwuakor's perspective provides valuable approaches to navigate challenges and emerge victorious in sales, and moments of personal pressure. This episode is a treasure trove of insights into winning strategies applicable across various life domains. He shared with me essential connections between high achievement across sports, sales, and everyday communication.Įver heard of somatic visualization? AK's got some great techniques for self-awareness and self-regulation, experiencing immersive exercises designed to navigate high-pressure scenarios with clarity. I had the pleasure to speak with Coach AK Ikwuakor, an esteemed executive and performance coach at Google. □ Guess what's live? Episode 5 of "Conversations in the Future of Work" by Virtual Sapiens is out and ready to up your performance under pressure! □ □Take a look at Richard’s Zync excerpt to discover actionable insights for optimizing virtual interactions in the modern workplace□ Leaders, coaches, and professionals navigating the digital workplace will find this episode invaluable for personal and professional growth. □This conversation isn't just about understanding virtual presence and communication it's a doorway to actionable strategies and improvements in these domains In particular, it is a fascinating dialogue around balancing growth, change and how we can welcome more parts of ourselves into our daily expression and experience. Richard challenges this notion, suggesting that these established comfort zones might not always facilitate the most authentic expressions or actions. In this episode, we welcome Richard Richards, Executive Presence Coach and discuss how individuals often create an identity of authenticity within their comfort zones. This aligns perfectly with the core theme of our 6th episode of Conversations in the Future of Work by Virtual Sapiens. And as part of our ongoing work, we’ve been partnering with academia to stay one step ahead of new types of abuse tied to fake accounts that are leveraging rapidly evolving technologies like generative AI.□️ The word of the year "Authenticity" as defined by Merriam-Webster, refers to being genuine and true to oneself. “We are constantly working to improve and increase the effectiveness of our anti-abuse defenses to protect the experiences of our members and customers. Whatever the motivation, there’s no doubt it’s even easier to create a fake profile thanks to the advances in AI. In the first half of 2022 alone, the platform had detected and removed 21 million fake accounts.īut why exactly are all these fake profiles popping up? For some it’s to create trust amongst visitors to their websites, for others it's rooted in SEO purposes under the false belief that Google ranks articles with authors higher than ones without. Why are People Creating Fake LinkedIn Profiles?Īs well as Twitter, LinkedIn has had trouble in recent times with the amount of fake profiles on its site. They were by far the largest vessels of the British shipping company White Star Line's fleet, which comprised 29 steamers and tenders in 1912. Built in Belfast, Ireland, in what was then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, RMS Titanic was the second of the three Olympic-class ocean liners-the lead vessel was RMS Olympic and the final ship in the class was HMHS Britannic. The name Titanic derives from the Titans of Greek mythology. When the ship sank, the lifeboats that had been lowered were only filled up to an average of 60%.īackground Gaumont newsreel containing the only known footage of Titanic, 1912 Together, the 20 lifeboats could hold 1,178 people-about half the number of passengers on board, and one-third of the number of passengers the ship could have carried at full capacity (a number consistent with the maritime safety regulations of the era). However, she actually carried only 20 lifeboats, four of which were collapsible and proved hard to launch while she was sinking (Collapsible A nearly swamped and was filled with a foot of water until rescue Collapsible B completely overturned while launching). Titanic was equipped with 16 lifeboat davits, each capable of lowering three lifeboats, for a total of 48 boats. Titanic had advanced safety features, such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, contributing to its reputation as "unsinkable". A high-powered radiotelegraph transmitter was available for sending passenger "marconigrams" and for the ship's operational use. The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury, with a gymnasium, swimming pool, smoking rooms, high-class restaurants and cafes, a Turkish bath, and hundreds of opulent cabins. The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from the British Isles, Scandinavia, and elsewhere throughout Europe, who were seeking a new life in the United States and Canada. Titanic was under the command of Captain Edward Smith, who went down with the ship. Thomas Andrews, the chief naval architect of the shipyard, died in the disaster. She was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service and the second of three Olympic-class ocean liners built for the White Star Line. The disaster drew public attention, spurred major changes in maritime safety regulations, and inspired many artistic works. It remains the deadliest peacetime sinking of an ocean liner or cruise ship. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died, making it the deadliest sinking of a single ship up to that time. RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Lifeboats: 20 (sufficient for 1,178 people) Total: 3,327 (or 3,547 according to other sources) Two three-blade wing propellers and one centre propeller Struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm (ship's time) 14 April 1912 on her maiden voyage and sank 2 h 40 min later on 15 April 1912 111 years ago ( )Ģ4 double-ended and five single-ended boilers feeding two reciprocating steam engines for the wing propellers, and a low-pressure turbine for the centre propeller output: 46,000 HP Titanic departing Southampton on 10 April 1912 (repayment period) than normal bank loans 15 a power project may have a 2- to 3-year drawdown period during construction, and then 15 years of repayment, giving a total term of 1718 years. This records a decrease from the previous number of -56,452.300 INR mn for Mar 2023. The stand-by fee payable during the first year for health-related COVID-19 operations under the $6 billion Fast Track COVID19 Facility (approved by the Board on March 17, 2020) is waived. Debt service is normally a fixed series of payments, which are thus on a nominal basis (except for inflation-indexed financing. India Union Budget: Receipts: Capital: Debt: Draw Down of Cash Balance: Disbursements data was reported at -174,320.900 INR mn in Mar 2024. In addition to the one time front-end fee of 0.25%, DPL DDOs are subject to a stand-by fee 1 of 0.50% per annum on undisbursed balances, accruing from the date of effectiveness.ġ. The calculation of the average repayment maturity begins at loan effectiveness for the determination of the applicable maturity premium, but at withdrawal for the remaining components of the spread. Pricingĭisbursements will be priced at the prevailing spread over the reference rate for IBRD loans –comprised of the contractual spread, funding cost, maturity premium, and market risk premium– at the time of drawdown. In order to provide greater certainty to the borrower that the funds will be available when needed, the Bank will periodically monitor the borrower’s compliance with the drawdown conditions. The gradual decline in the price of a security or other investment between its high and low over a given period. Pandemic-driven drawdowns reduced record private debt capital overhang during 2020, but strong fundraising should help replenish. The company may receive the funding gradually over the course of the project. In addition, it is a condition precedent to a utilisation (drawdown) of the credit facility that the (repeating) representations are true (in all. The loan proceeds may be drawn down at any time during the three year drawdown period unless the Bank has notified the borrower that one of the drawdown conditions – adequate macroeconomic framework and satisfactory program implementation – is not being met. In construction, a situation in which a company receives part of the funding necessary to complete a project. Under the DPL DDO, the borrower may defer disbursement of a DPL for up to three years, renewable for an additional three years. The DPL DDO also provides a formal basis for continuing a policy-based engagement with the World Bank when no immediate need for funding exists. The Development Policy Loan (DPL) with a Deferred Drawdown Option (DPL DDO) is a contingent credit line that allows the borrower to rapidly meet its financing requirements following a shortfall in resources due to adverse economic events such as a downturn in economic growth or unfavorable changes in commodity prices or terms of trade. Manual levers do not have limitation, which is why I always advise people who like light beans, but don’t want to buy a technological machine like the Decent, to buy a manual lever machine.Īll the coffee experts I approached preferred light roasts, and most, in a candid moment, would admit to preferring pour-overs to espresso. The ideal pressure curve, producing constant flow with a dark roast, is not the same pressure curve that is ideal for a light roast, or perhaps a coffee bean with different solubility, or those using very-low-fines grinders. This however, is also why I am opposed to spring levers. It’s no coincidence that spring levers create a pressure curve that is almost identical to the green line above: it’s because this pressure curve will create an almost-constant flow rate of espresso, with medium to dark roasted beans. As pressure and flow are directly linked, one can choose to control pressure (instead of flow) to create a desired flow curve. A grinder that produces a lot of fines can cause a pressure “flick” up at the end, but nonetheless, most espresso pucks behave like this. You can see that puck resistance of this espresso gives a peak of 8.6 bar of pressure, which eventually declines to 3.7 bar at the end of the shot. The green line shows the pressure that results from this flow rate. Graph showing a declining pressure profile (green) with a constant flow rate (blue) Here is a chart that shows this in practice. It’s from the Decent Espresso machine software and it’s an “espresso” made with a constant flow rate of 4 ml/s. So, to respect the nature of espresso is to decrease pressure as the espresso is extracted, to work with the reality of puck erosion, and consequently control the rate of flow rate change.Therefore, flow will increase naturally if pressure is kept constant, and too high a flow rate gradient doesn’t taste good.As coffee is extracted, puck resistance will decline due to material loss.Lever machine users had found essentials and crucial truths about coffee: This “manufacturer knows best”, and a goal of removing the need for barista skill, is the trend that eventually gave us the great-step-backwards in drink quality: 9 bar espresso machines. A spring communicates a subtext that “the manufacturer knows best” and once you accept that thinking, further automation (and removal of flexibility) is likely to ensue. With direct levers, the manufacturer intentionally made an open-ended tool. For me, springs were the beginning of the end for levers. This made good espresso easier to attain, as you didn't need to learn how to use your bicep appropriately. The first lever machines used springs, and encoded a “known to work well” lever technique into the hardware. Much experimentation rapidly, oh so rapidly, ensued. So, an open-ended machine was appropriate. I believe this is because at that time in history, there were few people who believed in certainties. The manufacturer did not specify the espresso-making recipe in the hardware of the machine: that was up to you. Like the birth of the guitar, where instrument makers wondered “what kind of music will be made with this instrument”, manual levers were an open-ended coffee-making instrument. Put a pressure gauge stolen from a bicycle pump on the group, stick a thermometer in the right place, and voilà, you have made a formidable espresso experimentation device. Your bicep is a far more sophisticated controller than any motor (or spring) could ever be. Looking back in coffee history, I found that the most exciting time was when direct lever machines ruled. |
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