Espresso Run

Caffè Culture 2010 - London

2010-05-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

... SEE YOU IN LONDON ...

Yet again Josefin and I are going to work for Paul Pratt and cafelat, we are looking forward to seeing everyone in London and have already started counting down the days!

Kiril and Josefin do flickr!

2009-11-20T22:18:00.000-08:00

For all those beautiful travel pictures please tune into our flickr page!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiril_and_josefin

Let it snow!

2009-11-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

The flowers are finally blooming! The whole plantation is covered in beautiful white flowers. Looking from above it is the most spectacular view, seems as if everything was covered in fresh snow powder, amazing!

Mountain Top Coffee Farm

2009-10-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

Its been a little while since my last post, I do apologise for that. Much has happened since the last update. I have left Sweden and have put my barista career on hold, I am now working at the beautiful Mountain Top coffee farm in the east of Australia with Josefin (my coffee roaster girlfriend). Mountain Top doesn’t need much further introduction, but for those who don’t know about this beautiful farm can read a brief description here. We are living at the farm in an amazing house with the most magnificent view of the valley and mount warning. I leave you with these images until further notice …

Over at the farm we are involved with all sorts of regular duties that include running experiments and trials as well as operating the mill and heavy machinery.

Rome Espresso Run

2009-09-07T02:21:00.000-07:00

visited: 04/08/09

It feels good to be traveling and drinking coffee yet again, I think I’ve almost forgotten what Espresso Run started out to be, but no worries, I am back on track.

The city of Rome is simply amazing! Rich cultural experiences are truly overwhelming; history, architecture, art, food and of course coffee … The Romans claim that their coffee is among the best in Italy and are very proud of their long espresso history. With such high statements I had to put the Italians to the test and discover the coffee for myself.

I am actually going to write some thoughts and conclusions before listing my picks, it would just make more sense in the end …

Simple rule is: no milky drinks after noon only espresso, its every baristas dream not to be swamped by latte customers.

Looking from the “new wave” of espresso brewing, I would describe espresso in Rome rather old fashioned due to lack of care. Baristas don’t strive to perfect the coffee, it is made with speed and lack of attention hence the word “espresso”. Simple steps like wiping the basket, flushing the machine, cleaning the steam wand and so on - seem to be the thing of the future?!?!?! Having said that, the experience from my visit is unforgettably rewarding, so here are my picks …

Cristalli di zucchero (Via di San Teodoro 88)

This is a brand new pasticeria and espresso bar offering a large variety of designer pastries and gelati. At the back of the shop they have a brand new la marzocco linea, this was the only la marzocco machine that we have come across so were very eager to try the coffee, to my surprise this was the best espresso I’ve had in Rome. Our barista knew a little bit about the coffee and had told us that they actually have 2 locations and do their own roasting on sight, he strongly emphasised that the coffee used was 100% arabica beans. The coffee was fantastic and I strongly recommend making this trip.

We accidently stumbled across this shop and you have to have your eyes open to find it as there are no signs outside, its tucked away on one of the roads close to Circo Massimo and is fairly easy to find if you map it out. Be sure to try their fresh ricotta cannoli it is superb! Their machine plays a big role in espresso quality, as suppose to other espresso bars that use extremely old and worn out machines as part of the overall charm.

Caffe Tazza D'Oro, (Via Degli Orfani 84. (Pantheon))

This is a historic espresso bar that been established in 1946. The walls are filled with various photographs and different coffee bags. This is one of the places that has an active probat coffee roaster. This drum roaster is very old and could well be from the 60’s, they roast in-house few times a week but early in the mornings, so be sure to make it down there early if you want to catch them doing it. There is hardly any ventilation so all the emitted smoke escapes into the room filling the whole place. They have a large selection of coffees in glass silos. The house blend is 100% South American arabica coffees. The place certainly has its charm with a lot of things to see. Standing at the bar and drinking espresso opens up a different espresso culture that is truly unforgettable.

This typical Italian espresso bar is an absolute must to visit for that cultural coffee experience, but don’t get your hopes up about the coffee.

Sant Eustachio Il Caffe, (Piazza Di S. Eustachio)

This espresso bar is mentioned in every coffee guide of the city for its outstanding secret recipe espresso. Sant Eustachio Il is one of the oldest cafes established in 1955 does something different that others don’t do. When you get your espresso the crema is extremely thick and you could stand your spoon in it. This had me guessing for a while what it actually is that they do to the espresso. It is impossible to see as the machines are shielded with screens. Well I worked it out and I am going to blow their secret out into the public.

As soon as the espresso comes out of the machine they add some lightly carbonated water and vigorously whisk it, as a result of that the crema becomes thick. You can try this at home to see the reaction of crema with carbonated water. I suggest to use lightly carbonated water like ferrarelle.
The taste of the espresso is changed also. Espresso itself becomes smoother as it is watered down but the overpowering taste of minerals is not pleasant at all.

I recommend going here and checking this place out. I forgot to mention that their coffee is roasted in a wood oven, don’t really know how they go about doing it as everything seems to be top secret in that place.

Illy Caffe, (Termini Station)

Inside the grand central station we came across a very small illy cafe that was pretty good. Extremely quick service, with a nice breakfast and lunch selection, made this espresso bar our morning pit-stop as we were staying close by. The familiar illy taste didn’t disappoint, smooth and sweet. To my surprise the espresso here tasted much better than many historical espresso bars around town, if you are in the area I suggest to go there, but otherwise its a very good example of standard illy espresso that might not be worth a trip if you are familiar with the taste already.

Caffe Greco, (Via Condotti, 86)

A very famous italian cafe for its inspiration to many poets and artists, its in a top notch location, right by the Spanish Steps so be careful not to sit down otherwise they will charge you 6 EUR for service. The bar is rather tacky with velvet walls and old grandma interior. I didn’t find it charming and the coffee wasn't good at all, pop in if you are in the area, espresso at the bar is 1 EUR.

Gran Caffe la Caffettiera‎, (Piazza di Pietra)

Old piston machines, was mentioned in few guides so we went there. Its more of a lunch cafe than an espresso bar. Really nothing special, not worth a trip.

Coffee for Italians is a lifestyle and a scheduled part of every day, so they don’t go out of their way in search of a good cup, the best is the cheapest and is simply around the corner, no matter who you ask. Espresso seems to be of a certain standard, not terrible and not amazing, something hovering in the middle. Every time I drank an espresso I’ve finished it, either with sugar or without, so it was very drinkable unlike many other European cities. To stumble across amazing coffee in rome is virtually impossible, but the cultural experience is unforgettable.

La Marzocco Extra Virgin Tuscan Olive Oil

2009-07-17T02:29:00.000-07:00

Is this the kind of product you expect from one of the worlds leading espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco? Perhaps not? Well ... believe it or not La Marzocco have bottled a limited amount of olive oil to give away as a gifts, and one of those bottles made it into my kitchen. This bottle was a gift that I picked up in Atlanta at the SCAA conference in spring this year ...

So what’s the story behind this olive oil? I have been told that this specific oil comes from an olive grove close to the La Marzocco factory in Florence, Tuscany. Unfortunately I don't really know any more specific details about the olives but I do know that it tastes absolutely delicious. I am not an olive oil specialist by all means, but here are my little tasting notes ...

Visually the oil is quiet murky and dark in colour as it’s not filtered. This olive oil is extremely aromatic with hints of fresh grass and floral senses. The taste strongly reflects in its smell with distinct fruity and herbal like notes. Slight tints of green and zestiness add to the overall balance.

Unlike some other olive oils that I’ve tried this one is very smooth and doesnt have that powerful back-burn in the throat that you sometimes get with older oils. My guess is that this oil is pressed from young olives. This olive oil serves a great purpose in my kitchen, mostly as salad dressing.

2009-04-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

... SEE YOU IN ATLANTA ...

keep your eyes open for cafelat ... it is promising to blow everyone away

Reg Barber Ripple Tamper Evaluation

2008-09-05T01:48:00.000-07:00

Just last week I have received a new tamper from Reg Barber and was very anxious to put it to the test. As you might know, I have given Reg’s tampers a thorough evaluation on bases and diameters. This interesting tamper has a ripple cut in the stainless steel, a very appealing to the eye, but is it practical well here are my thoughts …

There are 2 different types of ripple tampers, c-ripple and flat ripple. I am playing around with the flat ripple base. For me, the biggest interest in this design was to see if the ripples create any form of channelling, resulting in inconsistent or uneven extractions. As the ripples are perfectly spaced apart the surface after tamping is very much cohesive and even, so as the puck expands onto the showerscreen evenly. Unlike the curved tampers the expansion is almost resemblant to that of a flat base. As I explained in my previous evaluations, curved tampers play a big advantage in my style of tamping and I much rather prefer them.

The pros of this surface is definitely its look, after tamping the puck looks fantastic with awesome wavy patterns, however apart from its look it acts no different to a flat tamper. I would imagine that the c-ripple would be similar to c-flat tamper.

I have found that the more you use the tamper the likelier the chance of coffee getting stuck in the ripples, so I end up wiping the tamper almost every time on my apron to avoid the clogging. It has happened on few occasions especially in the middle of the base.

This tamper is perfect for those who prefer flat tampers; it has a very good appeal about it and is a very attractive tool to have. I would love to thank Reg for kindly donating this tamper for evaluation.

Beans Leaves and Love ... and lots more

2008-08-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

Just this past weekend J&N had a mini festival at their roastery. Lots of their customers distributers and friends were invited to spend time and meet new people. A very kind gesture! That same weekend I was working for J&N at the tradeshow, looking after a coffee machine and making a thousand lattes, so missed out on all the activities that the guys put together, but still got to go to the party on Friday night.

Congratulations to David Haugaard for winning the first ever AeroPress competition, his claims his success was hidden in the amazing water imported from Wales. David made me a cup of his amazing misty valley coffee that I felt in love with there and then, just superb!

I would love to congratulate everyone at J&N for putting on a great show. For me it was a great time to see all the people that I’ve met at exhibitions and trade shows. I was very surprised and delighted to see Conal from espresso warehouse, everyone had a great time drinking together and shaking it on the dancefloor.

Thank you J&N ...

'09-'11 WBC machine and grinder sponsors are ...

2008-08-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

As from last night the new sponsors of the WBC were announced, congratulations to Nuova Simonelli and Mahlkönig for securing sponsorship rights for 2009 – 2011. The official machine will be the Aurelia and K30 grinders. Both of the manufacturers will have their hands full for next couple of years I hope that they do a good job at living up to all the expectations.

Complete Summary of Changes to WBC Rules & Regulations for 2009

2008-08-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

The changes to the WBC Rules & Regulations, WBC Score Sheets, and WBC scoring system were proposed by, discussed among, and agreed upon by members of all of the WBC committees as well as the WBC Board of Directors. The changes have incorporated feedback from competitors and judges around the world. The changes can be characterized as providing competition baristas with more options and creating less stringent guidelines for WBC requirements in performances, with a greater emphasis on coffee presentation and coffee quality, while continuing to advance the craft of baristas and specialty coffee.

“The Grinder rule”

No change has been made to the grinder rule. Competitors retain the option to use the provided WBC sponsor grinder or bring their own grinder.

*Previous Version (2007/2008)*	*New Version (2009)*
TECHNICAL SCORE SHEET
Shot times within 20-30 seconds range	Shot times within 3-second variance. Competitor earns point if extraction times are within 3.0 seconds of each other. (Shot times of 20-30 seconds is still recommended.)
Tech judges visually evaluated espresso for cappuccino and signature beverage.	Tech judges do not visually evaluate shots. Item removed from score sheets.
Understands Grinder Score 0-6 points	Station Management Score 0-6 points Tech judges award points based on competitorʼs workflow during performance including management of station, equipment (grinder, espresso machtools and movement around station.
SENSORY SCORE SHEET
Sugar required as an accessory.	Sugar no longer part of service.
All 4 beverages served simultaneously.	Simultaneous service of beverages no longer required. Competitor may serve beverages to judges when ready. Judges will evaluate beverages when served. (All four beverages within drink category must be served before moving on to next category.)
SENSORY SCORE SHEET (continued)
Total score calculated by averaging tech scores and adding tech score to each sensory score sheet. Total points possible: 1012. Tech points: 356 points (35%) Sensory points: 656 points (65%)	Scores from each of the six judges are simply added together. Sensory scores weigh more heavily towards total score. Total points possible: 870. Tech points: 154 points (18%) Sensory points: 716 points (82%)
In the event of a tie score, competitor with the most number of 6ʼs on score sheets (sensory and tech) wins tie. If no 6ʼs, then 5ʼs, etc.	In the event of a tie score, competitor with the highest total sensory score for espresso evaluation wins tie. If still tied, moves to cappuccino score, then signature beverage.

Additional Changes

Sensory judges will follow a new protocol for evaluating espresso and cappuccino. (These procedures are detailed in the Judgeʼs section of the WBC Rules & Regulations document).
Additional language has been added to the Judgeʼs section about “Presentation: Professionalism/Dedication/Passion,” encouraging competitors to create a more engaging presentation with a focus on coffee information.
Competitors may not use the space below the workstation for storage of wares used during the competition.
No liquids, of any kind (water, ingredients, etc.) may be placed on top of the espresso machine.

2009 WBC Rules and Regulations

2008-08-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

WBC committee has published Rules and Regulations for 2009, I will read the rules in details tomorrow to find out what the changes are. Please feel free to share your opinions on the new changes ...

[edit: 20/08/08]

Few noticeable changes are:

The sugar is no longer needs to be served at the judges table
2.2.1 - H "Espressos must be served to the judges with a spoon, napkin and water."

There is no specific time in which the shots "should" be extracted.
2.2.1 - E "Extraction time is recommended to be between 20 to 30 seconds; however not mandatory."

Judges MUST stir the espresso before drinking, unless stated by barista not to.

17.2.3 - "Using a spoon, the sensory judge will give the espresso shot THREE stirs"
"Competitors may override the evaluation criteria by giving the judges specific instructions ..."

Score sheets are now added up in one lump sum, rather than average scores

There have been rumours that only WBC sponsor grinders will be allowed, those speculations are false. Barista will be able to bring their own grinder with any modifications.

Extraction of both partafilters at the same time is still allowed, so as Stephen did last year you can grind the first one and sit it aside for as long as you want.

Caffè Latte Splash

2008-08-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

pictures describe a thousand words ...

Nespresso

2008-07-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

Not long ago I had visited Switzerland and finding a good cup of coffee is almost impossible. Never the less the “trend” of espresso is very much alive and starbucks seems to be a cool and trendy hangout place for tourists and natives alike. Another trendy thing to have and drink is Nespresso, the famous espresso brewer in the whole of Europe and perhaps the most publicised and criticised piece of coffee machinery. Almost every household has a Nespresso machine and a vast selection of different pods. I got to use one every morning myself and had found out why people like it and if it actually makes a good cup of espresso coffee …

Ever since Nordic Barista Cup 2007 I’ve been a little sceptical of this machine and its capabilities, but “in theory” this machine is holeproof. It’s clean, its easy and believe it or not the taste is actually half decent. They appeal to an upper class crowds with their clean and sharp designs. This ferry tail success story really is a great example of superb marketing, however people do not buy a Nespresso machine for the taste in be cup, but for its convenience and cleanliness.

The taste of the pods is ranked by strength, acidity and bitterness, so the stronger/bitter the coffee the darker the colour of the pod. In other words higher dose of nasty robusta, stronger the taste. They do however make an 100% Arabica blend which I have grown to like. The name of the pod is Volluto and the capsule is gold in coulour. The espresso shot is far from perfect but it is more than drinkable and not a bad introduction to decent espresso. Having said that there are still few minor skills required in order to pull a decent shot.

Due to the low dose of coffee in the pods (5grams) and the low bar pressure of the machine the coffee is extremely easy to over extract. There is no restriction and very little infusion time at the start of the extraction, so the coffee comes down like a waterfall, it is very important to visually judge the espresso and cut the shot at an appropriate time. I have found that a 25ml shot would come out around 15sec but the end product actually tastes nice; sweet and chocolaty with a good amount of crema.

The machine itself is inexpensive, that is another reason why people want to purchase it but the pods are pretty expensive and the costs add up, but I guess it is much cheaper than getting an espresso at a coffee shop. Each pod is gas sealed immediately after grinding so the coffee keeps much longer. As there is no one way valve, the pods tend to puff up due to release of gasses.

I have come to the conclusion that ordinary people still drink espresso just because its fashionable, they are not interested in origins and don’t recognise fine flavours. Many like the strong taste, many don’t and that’s the bottom line. In that regard Nespresso is going a horrible job at education people about coffee as a product. You never see people buying a bottle of red wine just because its made out of a red grape, peoples general understanding of wine is much higher, many even understand the appellation system. Nespresso could reveal the origins and blend breakdowns, so people can start associating different tastes and profiles.

Coffee in Berlin

2008-07-08T04:40:00.000-07:00

visited : 25/06/08

Straight after WBC I headed to Berlin for a couple of days. As I was in Berlin for a brief amount of time I managed to squeeze one espresso bar into my busy schedule. I would have loved to do a proper espresso run of Berlin, but perhaps next time.

Bonanza Coffee Heroes (Oderberger Strasse 35) was recommended to me by few Berliners that I met in Copenhagen. This small coffee shop is perhaps the most geekiest espresso bar I’ve ever been to. They have a Synesso machine with few Mazzer grinders but that’s not what makes them geeky. Believe it or not, they have a special scale underneath a tamping mat and measure the tamp pressure every time. I guess it gives them more consistency but a barista should be able to feel the pressure naturally every time. As well as all the cool gadgets in the shop they own a brand new clover, when I visited them they were in the middle of installing it into their store. I think that it will be a very good introduction.

Ok lets talk coffee … they use naked portafilters so you get a double shot every time. The espresso blend is on a rather dark side, so the coffee tasted a little ashy and very chocolaty. Personally I didn’t like it as I struggled to find the delicate balance of espresso in my double ristretto, having said that I strongly believe that their espresso is one of the best in town, if not the best. The majority of the clientele drink lattes and cappuccinos so the espresso blend is designed that way and does taste great with milk.

The shop attracts a lot of international guests from all over Berlin. The Barista behind the bar is a really cool Aussie guy that has a lot of passion for coffee. I credit the owners for doing the right thing, they truly have created an awesome barista playground with serious and seriously expensive tools.

I strongly recommend going to this espresso bar, as it simply is the greatest in Berlin. Once the clover is up and running I hope that they will serve some special single origins. Although I wasn’t in love with the coffee I was in love with the passion this place carries out, a great asset to Berlin! A must visit!

Wonderful Coffee - Copenhagen 2008

2008-07-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

This was my second coffee trade show, but first ever World Barista Championships. I was extremely excited to be part of it all and had been counting down the days.

I arrived to Copenhagen on Thursday (the first day of the exhibition). As soon as I dropped off my bags at the hostel I rushed over to the venue. I’ve been in Copenhagen before, so getting around the city wasn’t a problem at all considering that the exhibition hall was in a very central location. On the first day the event seemed a little disorganised especially the WBC area. The competition area was extremely hot with no airflow and hardly any sunlight. The stations were well orgonised though. Machines were well tuned and had no technical issues. The organisation had improved on the second day and the weather got a little cooler for the weekend.

All the competitions were held in conjunction with the Wonderful Coffee exhibition so the whole event attracted a mixed bunch of visitors, both local and international. Over the course of 4 days there would have been close to 2000 visitors, so it is safe to say that the show was a great success.

I would like to congratulate all the winners but in particular the Australian competitors that did so extremely well. Massive congratulations to Con for winning The World Latte Art comp and to Dave for coming 2nd in the World Barista Championships, a really outstanding effort boys! The Aussie support team was as strong as always cheering for the boys!

I would also like to congratulate Stephen on taking out the WBC title. Massive congratulations to James and Anette for getting Stephen over the line, you guys are amazing and should take the credit!

Massive shout outs to Casper, (you are a rockstar man!!!) for winning the Cupping comp! Casper took out the comp with sheer style, he is the coolest cupper you will ever meet and I am so damn proud of him! Big congrats to The Coffee Collective crew, yet another trophy to the bookshelf along side your roaster!

Huge congrats to Daniel!!! You make Sweden very proud, great result! I look forward to meeting you again shortly! Swedish support team … YOU ROCK!!!

And how could I forget the Dutch support team, awesome, just awesome!!! Without you the event would have been very dull! You make the whole place shine orange, my condolences about the Dutch football team, but I say no more I know that it’s a very touchy topic for you! Thanks for making this event memorable for everyone! Big Congrats to Liesbeth for putting on a massive fight and coming 3rd in the world!

I was very fortunate to meet so many interesting people, if I haven’t already sent you an email I dearly apologise, it was an honour meeting each and every one of you and I hope to see you all again in the nearest future.

Huge thanks to espresso warehouse (Gary, Conal & Dave) for everything!!!! I am forever grateful!

Thank you Emily for hooking me up with all the volunteer work. It was a bless helping out behind the scenes and making wonderful coffee at the WBC café! Huge congrats to Michelle on keeping everything under control backstage, and good job on sticking it to the mic. guy hahaha!

I really do hope that this WBC is a first of many for me, I cannot describe how much fun and enjoyable everything was. Great job to everyone making it possible, especially the sponsors. If you haven’t already seen the pictures you can find them here … see you all next time!

The Coffee Collective

2008-06-29T03:41:00.001-07:00

visited: 21/06/08

I would like to make a very important addition to my previous “Copenhagen Espresso Run” blog post.

Since my last visit The Coffee Collective (Jægersborggade 10) have opened a new roastery/café in the suburbs. This espresso bar is an absolute asset and must be visited by everyone. Peter, Klaus, Casper and Linus do all the right things and they do them so damn well! They strive to achieve a lot of balance in their complex and well thought out espresso blend and nail the shots every time. During my Copenhagen stay their espresso was the best, hands down and experience was priceless.

This new sight has topped my Copenhagen Espresso Run chart.

Wonderful Coffee Pics

2008-06-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

I finally have some time to post all the pictures from Wonderful Coffee 08 … much to write about in upcoming weeks, so keep reporting back .

Wonderful Coffee Copenhagen 08 sets:

Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Grand Barista Party

I haven't had a chance to look for other photos on the internet so if you know of other galleries or are willing to share yours feel welcome to post a comment with the attached link.

It was great meeting everyone, hope to see you all again soon ... enjoy the photos!

Amsterdam Espresso Run

2008-06-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

visited: 16/06/08

I am back in Europe to continue my coffee journeys, so expect few more espresso runs. My first journey has brought me to Amsterdam, a beautiful city full of rich history and amazing architecture. There are tons of “Coffee Shops” here, but do not be mislead as they sell weed rather than coffee. Good coffee is hard to come by, but never the less, after doing my homework I have found few gems around the city.

My favourite espresso was at a very small and intimate espresso bar called Coffee Connection (Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 33) not far from the central station in a great location. It’s a one-man governed shop, so the social interaction feel with the barista is great. David, the man behind the machine is always keen to talk coffee and takes pride in what he does. The coffee is roasted locally in Amsterdam by a lady, that use to own the coffee shop prior to David. It’s a full city roast of Arabica coffee. David has a La Marzocco Linea that he takes good care of and cleans regularly. He grinds his coffee on demand every time. Espresso was very rich with no complexity due to its roast profile but never the less had a great amount of crema and a lingering chocolaty aftertaste. The good thing about this espresso bar is the consistency as only David handles the coffee machine and on both occasions my coffee was exactly the same.
The place itself is not very big, but they have a cosy little upstairs sitting area with a great view over a busy street. A pet cat also resides in the building keeping the mice out. You might bump into her upstairs, as the wooden bench seem to be her favourite resting place.

The Coffee Salon is an amazing espresso bar with an absolute eye candy of a machine facing out onto a street. The main focus of the whole place is that Kees van der Westen design mistral. As you can see on the picture it is a piston machine giving it a very manual modern look.

I was thoroughly disappointed with the coffee. They use falombini coffee beans from Italy, which are simply not fresh. A dose of nasty robusta was very distinct, giving the coffee a rough edge that I wasn’t very fond of.

They occupy a very large space and have a great feel inside with very alternative art around the place. They also attract a much younger crowd. This espresso bar has a very good potential to make outstanding coffee, but at the moment they are lacking in many departments. I recommend going there just to see that amazing coffee machine, it will blow your socks off! I really wanted to get my hands on it.

Brandmeester (Van Baerkestraat 13) is a very interesting espresso bar with rostery as well as a big showroom full of espresso machines and interesting coffee gadgets. A very nice open space with different coffees on offer for purchase. In the far courner of the shop you have a very clean probat roaster. I didn’t get to meet the roastmaster but from the look of the roaster they take good care of the roasting side of things.
The coffee itself wasn’t all that great, very overextracted and pale. The barista had no knowledge of how to pull a decent espresso shot. The cup was very bitter and burnt, I don’t think that their faema machine is tuned well.

There is a chain of coffee shops called the coffee company, it is not worth your time and I recommend avoiding them if possible. I think they are best described as Dutch answer to starbucks. They do carry beautiful Kees van der Westen machines so feel free to have a look at them through the window.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Amsterdam and definitely hope that the coffee scene will improve over next few years. I was amazed at how many Kees van der Westen machines there are in small coffee shops around the city. I had an opportunity to meet up with one of the great coffee historians and collectors Robert Vriesendorp. He has an amazing collection of vac pots and various coffee brewers. I recommend checking out his website. He roasts his own coffee and to be perfectly honest the best espresso in Amsterdam that I had was at his house, it truly was spectacular. Next time you are in Amsterdam drop him an email and he will update you on the current scene. Robert has great knowledge about coffee and is a very inspiring individual.

Smoking coffee chaff

2008-06-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

As the coffee roasts and expands in the roaster, it emits a particulate matter which is discarded thorough the ventilation. Of cause I am talking about the coffee chaff , roasters often collect it into a waste bucket or simply let it float out of the window. It seems like a waste but perhaps it isn’t?

On the weekend I have tried smoking the chaff (YES, SMOKING). This cigarette was rolled up exactly the same as a homemade cigarette with a filter. I myself never smoke, so not exactly sure what profiles I should be looking for but it wasn’t unpleasant, very flavoursome. If you enjoy a fine cigar than you might find this interesting. I found that the smoke carried out a light coffee note as well as dried straw and grassy taste. I didn’t feel any side effects, but I only took a couple of puffs. You might get a little dizzy if you smoke a whole one but don’t quote me on this. I am not exactly sure about any other side effects so if you decide to try it, you may do so at your own risk.

I don’t hope to spark some freaky phase here, wouldn’t want roasters rolling “Dat fine Columbian shit …” during roasts!
Care to feedback or even give it a shot yourself?

Esmeralda Special 2008 Ends

2008-05-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

As expected the early harvest batches have sold for a very high price. Batch 2 got extra attention from the bidders selling for $105.25 USD per pound. The winner with the most ambitions was Stumptown. As a matter of fact they ended up buying first tree batches including 6 bags of peaberry. All together they spent $135,372 USD for 680 kg of coffee.

I question if this great coffee worth all this money, it probably isn’t! For Stumptown it is a gesture to show off in the market and flash their cash among the public and competitors. Is that doing any good in the speciality coffee industry? I certainly don’t think so. I am glad that Intelligentsia didn’t bid big, they certainly have the money and have no need to be buying reputation points. They only got 6 bags of Jaramillo and pulled out of the peaberry auction. I guess this coffee will be treated for pure pleasure, it is certainly not enough to go around Midwest.

Enhancing the spice

2008-05-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

This week I’m concentrating on enhancing certain elements and aspects in the espresso. Apart from the most obvious characteristics such as sweetness and acidity which are found in many full-bodied coffees; I often get hints of spice that linger at the back of the throat. In many ways you could associate spice as aftertaste as it is a lingering sensation, so I wanted it to come through as more distinctive initial taste.

First thing that came to mind was pepper sauce, so without hesitation I dropped few drops of Tabasco in to the cup. NOT A GOOD IDEA! After drinking this combination my thought was on fire, the sauce itself is pure vinegar and this combo doesn’t work at all.

Using freshly ground pepper seemed to do a trick. You will find that black peppercorns are a little too overpowering, but white peppercorns are just right. The idea is to freshly grind a little dash of white peppercorn into the espresso cup and run the extraction over the top. The most important thing is to mix it really well to achieve the balance. I encourage you to try this and report back.

I will further continue with spice tests perhaps roasted garlic is the next big thing, I guess we just wait and see … :)

Best of Panama 2008 Ends

2008-05-20T19:04:00.001-07:00

As expected Café Granja La Esperanza got the highest bid going for $47 USD per pound. That makes one bag worth $2,350 USD (which still is a pretty good price for what they get) ... making 5 bags worth $11,750 USD. The lucky winner was 49th parallel coffee roasters.

you can see the final results here

As you can remember last year Hacienda La Esmeralda sold for $130 per pound, that still remains to be the record.

Esmeralda Special 2008 auctions are on tomorrow, so all eyes peeled on that one. I am tipping Intelligentsia taking out most of the batches.

Best of Panama 2008 Auction

2008-05-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

As the auction opens the bids are starting to slowly float in! This is one of the highly regarded auctions as previously green sold for a lot of green ... interesting to see who will flash the most cash this year ... wouldn't surprise me if we see bags sold at over $600

The eyes are on: Café Granja La Esperanza from Jaramillo Arriba which was voted the best geisha and scored 93.16 in the cupping.

Australian Barista Comps 2008

2008-05-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I competed in Open Heats for the Australian Barista Competition in Melbourne just past weekend. I placed 7th out of 18 people and am pretty pleased with my result.

The open heat was extremely competitive with big guns blazing for the title. In the end Con Haralambopoulos took the title, although few things went wrong and he ended up going a little over time. I am not going to cover the event in full detail as guys from cafe grindel blog have covered it in full detail but I will give some reference to the pics from the open heats.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020518&l=021e6&id=218800198

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020519&l=e7676&id=218800198

and great photography by Sydney Law http://www.thelows.org/syd/austbarcomp/

On Day 2 we had a new Australian Barista Champion, David Makin. His routine was something out of a move, simply flawless and amazing. I congratulate Dave on winning and will be cheering for him in Copenhagen. Here are some pictures from day 2.

Having seen Australia’s best in action makes you realize how much level of attention and attenuation goes into 15 minutes of competition time. I am not too sure when I will be completion next but I will be more confident and more aware of what to expect. Cant wait to watch worlds best baristas battle it out in Copenhagen.

Filtering the Crema

2008-04-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

All this week I’ve been playing around with crema, lots of different experiments and a lot of failed results. I did however find something interesting and definitely worth mentioning. So in regards to my previous post I am still trying to eliminate crema without physically removing it with a spoon.

I’ve been trying to filter out the crema during the extraction using various filtration methods. All but one, have failed. I have found that filtering through filter paper will give a very unpleasant cardboard taste in the cup. The best filter turned out to be a single (9 gram) filter basket. Let me break it down a little bit. The espresso runs straight into the filter basket sifting through but the crema stays on top and filters out almost completely. The end result gives you the espresso liquid with slightly thin pale layer of crema (resemblant to that of aeropress). I guess the advantage of removing the crema this way is that it doesn’t mix in the cup during the initial stages of extraction.

After filtering out the crema I then compared both filtered and unfiltered espresso. This is what I found:

I am using a very sweet espresso blend rich and full of body with distinct dark chocolate notes.

Regular espresso (crema mixed in with a spoon thoroughly)
The smell carried out a subtle hint of berry and chocolate notes. The espresso was well balanced with smooth rich mouthfeel, slight bitterness and a distinct chocolate note.

Filtered Espresso
A very sharp oaky smell with hints of chocolate. Espresso was very sharp and clean with absolutely no body. Distinct taste of chocolate remained.

The conclusion that I have established indicated that the main characters of espresso (with crema) will carry out through filtration. In this instant the distinct chocolate note was very much present although the overall espresso lacked body. I personally prefer the espresso for what it is today a smooth, creamy, well balanced drink and all those aspects are tied in by ONE essential ingredient, crema. I also found that filtered espresso is good for picking out the main flavours and raw (bold) character out of the bean to more accurately describe its main taste.

Espresso without crema

2008-04-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

Recently the coffee collective documented their experiments, they removed the crema from top of the espresso and found that the coffee is much smoother and cleaner in taste. I have been debating this issue for a long time but never had the courage to blog about it with fear of criticism. I guess this post is in eye opener for myself to push through with my controversial espresso experiments further and further. I have yet again proven to myself that there is no right or wrong when it comes to espresso, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE TASTE.

Imagine an espresso cup; a small tight space for espresso to fall into. Too often we see crema fill up more than half of the cup and hold for a long time? A perfect competition shot where crema seems to hold and hold. Now imagine this … a shallow and wide surface for espresso to fall into. The crema is now spread out along the surface and gradually starts to dissipate, a plate …

Today I have been extracting into a shallow plate, the results are staggering. I encourage you to try this. As the coffee falls onto a shallow surface the espresso evenly mixes and slowly spreads out on a plate. As a result you get a well-balanced, clean “plate” of coffee. This is definitely not a competition friendly way to serve coffee as the crema doesn’t hold at all but why would you want it to? I am proud to say that this was one of the better espresso shots I’ve had in a long while.

The way the coffee falls and mixes (especially in early stages of extraction) is absolutely vital, I will dedicate some time into exploring different surfaces for coffee to fall into and document my results.

Obsessive passion turned into memories

2008-04-09T03:47:00.000-07:00

Collecting various espresso cups has always been a passion of mine. Not long ago it has come to my attention that I have over 20 different styles of cups in my household. Most of the sets are stashed in cupboards but the individual cups I like to use and drink out when I make coffee at home. As you can see I have cups from almost every country I’ve been in.

Up until recently I have always liked the tulip shaped cups such as this “Café Grumpy” cup. Its all well and good as it makes the espresso visually more in quantity. I’ve always been brought up in the school of ristretto so I guess that is the reason why I have grown to like that specific shape.

After coming back to Australia I have started to appreciate the overall balance of espresso through longer extractions. These days I prefer a rounder bottom cups. If I had to pick my absolute favourite I would have to go with these 3 cups. Denesi, Mauro and Caffe D’Arte. Denesi make there own shape and use a generic cup manufacturer; the cup is very unique as it closes in on the top allowing you to swirl the espresso in the cup, a little like wine. It is also great as the fumes come up to the rim allowing you to enjoy the fine smells.

The other two designs are also “round bottom” cups but have really thick walls. I really love the thermal aspect as well as the feel on the lips. The MAURO cups are ACF, but from what I hear they have turned their production to a much cheaper chinese manufacturer, which in a way is a real shame as they are of much lesser quality and have various defect on almost every cup. Last but not least is Caffe D’Arte cup made by Nuova Point, I use this same cup for all my barista competitions, they make them in plain white as well as brown. I love this cup for a reason that it is extremely wide and you can really swirl the espresso around to get an overall balance throughout the cup, it feels heavy in the hand and is all so pleasant to drink out of.

I believe that the right cup is an essential for serious espresso drinking. I’ve been playing around with all these cups to see if the way coffee falls into the cup and the way it mixes in the bottom effects taste, but have yet to document my progress; at this stage it looks like the rounded bottom cups provide less obstruction and smoother fall for the first drips, opposed to cups that have a dimple in the bottom of the cup. I believe that first drops are the most important part of extraction and definitely worth further investigation.

Auckland Espresso Run

2008-03-30T02:54:00.000-07:00

visited: march 2008

Having spent almost 2 days in Auckland I had a great deal of time to visit most of the coffee shops on my list and meet great people along the way. I got a really interesting impression about Auckland’s coffee culture. It seem to me that the majority of speciality coffee shops are one way or another are linked to Allpress Espresso company. The company supplies LaMarzocco and Synesso into the country, so even if you are not using their coffee you are forced to get a LaMarzocco or Synesso equipment from them. Here is my espresso run …

MOJO (205-209 Queen St) was my favourite out of a whole bunch of places. It is very central and is located on the lobby floor of National Bank building. They occupy a very spacious open area with a lot of natural sunlight. As they are in the lobby of a busy building it creates a very unique atmosphere. There are plenty of seats around, but I would imagine that they do a whole deal of take-aways. As they are in an office building all the customers are regulars and I really like that.

The coffee side of things were just flawless. They have a synesso running a double shot into the cup every time. They roast their own coffee in Wellington. The staff are very knowledgeable and are well trained. One of New Zealands best baristas Tafa works there, he has placed 4th in the country last year and is hoping to do better this year so I wish him all the very best.

You absolutely must visit MOJO it is a very special place with fantastic coffee.

An absolute gem of a find is a small espresso bar called Ben (57 Fort St). Ironically the owners name is Ben, he also happens to be a roster. He roasts in-house on a small diedrich roaster that is neatly place near the windows. They have a synesso machine and as well as MOJO pull a double shot. Ben’s coffee is much more different in flavours, more delicate and smooth. I thoroughly enjoyed the overall balance of the espresso. I was highly impressed by this espresso bar and would definitely recommend it.

I absolutely must credit Ben for his amazing creations, this ideal espresso bar has everything a good coffee shop should have. I also love the fact that he is an independent roaster and that gives him freedom to express his own skills and ideas in his coffee.

I don’t often stumble across a good coffee shop but this one was my first coffee of the day a place just around the corner from my hotel. Elliott Stables (Elliot street alley) I walked in to have a coffee there because I saw a LaMarzocco machine. They use allpress coffee. I never really liked the taste of commercial air roasted coffees but this was relatively good. Not sure which allpress blend they were using but it was very smooth and sweet, it did lack a lot of body though.

Centre of Gravity (11 Mayoral Dve) This coffee shop and training centre is located underground. A very interesting tunnel like corridor bar. There is absolutely no sunlight in there so it will be a nightmare place to work in. On top of things there is no air conditioning and it gets ridiculously hot in there. There was hardly anyone in there around lunchtime and I doubt that it ever gets busy, just because it is not very appealing to be relaxing in a bunker, however they stress that they are mostly a training facility rather than an espresso bar. They roast their coffee in wellington (I think). The coffee was pretty average but never the less drinkable. I recommend going there just to check out the space.

Caffetteria Allpress (Adelaide St, Freemans Bay) I was expecting great things out of this particular place. They are attached to the roastery and are absolutely pumped with the best equipment possible. Not to mention the interior or the shop, luscious space with long benches a real great environment to work in for any barista. It did lack a lot of natural sunlight and it feels really dusk and depressing inside. They also have a relatively big outside space and on a sunny day everyone was enjoying their coffee outside.

To my huge anticipation of an amazing cup of coffee I got an absolute abomination of an espresso shot. It was very long (40ml) over extracted and carried a lot of bitter and unpleasant sour notes. The texture was very dusty and almost grainy. I really didn’t enjoy it at all.
From a “showcase, display” espresso bar I was expecting to get the best of Allpress offerings instead my hopes were shattered.

I've included a picture from my rostery tour. Here is the Allpress air roaster.

Atomic Coffee Roasters (420C New North Road, Kingsland) These guys carry a lot of history behind them. They were the pioneer rosters a few years back. At the rostery they have an attached espresso bar, so you can actually see through the window and watch the roastmasted do his thing. Big glass windows separate the roastery and espresso bar. The whole place is really bright and has a great feel about it. They use an SM machine and a mazzer grinder. Despite their reputation and pioneer work in the past my espresso was very bad. Although the length of espresso was sufficient the coffee tasted very dusty and dirty. I think they haven’t cleaned the machine for a long time, on the picture you might be able to notice milk crust on the steamwand, and that for me is not a very good sign. I was not impressed at all. I am sorry to say, but you can save your time and effort catching a train to Kingsland because it was not worth it.

New Zealand scene is very advanced in its own right, far beyond anything we have here in Australia. A lot of coffee roasters that are doing the right thing and the specialty coffee market is very competitive. Still there is a dominant roaster Allpress that people know and trust the logo. As allpress are distributors of LM machines in New Zealand they sell them for a good price to all of their clients and as they hold a lot of business around town it is not rare to see these brand new LM machiens in many coffee shops. I went to few other cafes that use allpress coffee, naturally have amazing machinery and great potential to make a good coffee but the knowledge behind the machine simply wasn’t there. The coffee was bellow standard and those shops are not worth mentioning. As the saying goes … the coffee is only as good as the barista.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to visit Altura coffee and meet Chris White. As many of you know Carl Sara 3rd world barista in 2007 had his coffee roasted by Altura. I definitely recommend going there. It is a little out of town and not very easy to get to.

Christchurch and Wellington Espresso Run

2008-03-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

visited: march 2008

I apologise for not keeping up to date with my blog, to be perfectly honest nothing exciting or thrilling is happening in my life at the moment, so my espresso runs are a very rare occasion these days, however over Easter I visited New Zealand and had an opportunity to drop past few coffee shops. Here is a quick rundown of places in Christchurch and Wellington.

Christchurch

There are few places that I’ve heard of, however all but one were closed due to Easter holidays.

I ended up going to C1 Espresso (150 High Street) , this unorthodox espresso bar offered a very rewarding experience. They pull a double ristretto into a funky heavy glass. The coffee itself was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sitting among Japanese cartoons that are pasted on walls was very interesting. They also have a small space for a DJ, yet another very interesting concept that they integrated into their space. They even have a bazaar sowing machine that will poor your water (you have to see it to believe it).

C1 is an absolute must to visit.

I would like to mention others that I didn’t get a chance to visit as they were closed, but feel that they are definitely worth visiting.

Vivace espresso bar (86 Hereford Street)
Underground Roastery (803 Colombo St)

Wellington

Same story as Christchurch, all the places are closed on public holidays apart from one.

Caffe Astoria (159 Lambton Quay) is located at the bottom of a big Vodafone building. A well established café with 2 WEGA machines. Inside the shop they have a small Italian made Vittoria roaster. They only do one blend and do a pretty solid job. I thought that the coffee was very good however I could sense few defects like chalkiness, might be due to long roast time or something to do with the roaster not very sure. Never the less I do recommend visiting them, you will get a decent shot of espresso.

Other places to look out for:

Lafare (27 College St)
Mojo (23 kent terrace)

Old vs New

2008-01-23T04:54:00.000-08:00

After getting back home I made a discovery. In my kitchen cupboard I found a sealed bag of CIBO blend coffee that was roasted on the 24th of December 2006. This bag of coffee has been aging for approximately one year. So I decided to compare it to a freshly roasted CIBO blend. The aim here is to see how much of a difference there will be in the flavour profile between old and new bags.

I have put both coffees thought the plunger simultaneously. The visual appearance between the two wasn’t so noticeable. Perhaps the aged coffee didn’t bloom as much, but like I mentioned only a slight difference.
After 4 minutes I broke the crust and sensed the immediate difference. The aged coffee was much sharper in smell, at this stage very hard to pin point main aromas.
Here are my tasting notes:

Old:
Smell: Hints of rubber, wet cardboard
Taste: unpleasant overpowering stale feel and taste
Wet grounds smell: yeasty

New:
Smell: Caramel candy
Tate: Sweet, distinct dark chocolate
Wet grounds smell: Freshly sliced cucumber

Newly roasted coffee was very flavoursome in the cup where the aged coffee was overpowered by stale taste and aroma. No matter how well the coffee is sealed it will lose its character after a period of time ... someone please forward this post to illy.

I didn’t expect a different result, once again I have proven to myself that coffee is all about freshness.

Hong Kong Espresso Run

2008-01-13T00:18:00.000-08:00

visited 1/12/07

Considering that population of Hong Kong is almost 7 million people compacted in 1,104 km² of space, a quality coffee shop is extremely hard to come by. Big chain companies such as sturbucks dominate the coffee market and is extremely popular among the locals. Despite this sad factor there are just a few coffee shops that are worthy of mentioning.

My favourite Zambra café (G/F., 239 Jaffe Road, Wanchai) it is located on Hong Kong island and is convenient to walk to from Wan Chai ferry or Wan Chai metro station. They have another location close to this shop, however I’ve been told that it is not as good as this one, so I never got a chance to go there, the address is: 13 O'Brien Road Wanchai

The owner of the shop is a New Zelander so you are guaranteed to find few surprises on the shelves. They have a large variety of pastries and healthy lunches. I had a meat pie for lunch, I must say that the quality of the pie was rubbish and I don’t recommend it to anyone. They occupy a large space – downstairs and a large upstairs area, clean cut interior. The best thing about this place is that it is on the courner so it gets a lot of sunlight coming in and believe me among all the monster buildings that is indeed a rare treat anywhere in Hong Kong.

On the bar you will find a LaMarzocco FB70 machine with a couple of Mazzer grinders. They pull a decent shot of espresso. The coffee is rosted in their own facility, I believe that they have a Probat roaster and roast for both of their stores. The baristas are knowledgeable and are very friendly. I made friends with a really cool guy El, he is really into his latte art and can do swans and all sorts …

I strongly recommend this shop as it is the only thing to good espresso in Hong Kong.

The only other espresso bar that is worth mentioning would be Crema Coffee (67 Mody Road, Shop G36 Peninsula Centre, Tsim Sha Shui East) A very tiny coffee shop in a relatively busy area. These guys have a LaMarzocco Linea with a mazzer grinder. They cook some lunch foods such as pastas and fresh sandwiches so it does get busy around lunch, I recommend going there before lunch or after.

They roast in house on a small microwave oven like roaster. I am pretty sure that it is an electric drum roaster and it is made in Korea. The roast itself is very dark so it is hardly impossible to taste any fine flavours. The coffee itself was overextracted, toasty and dusty in texture.

As the shop itself is not very big I felt like a lonely sardine in a can with vast amounts of people trying to cramp in for a take-away cup of coffee.

I think Hong Kong coffee market will keep progressing and there will be more and more specilised coffee shops in the nearest future. Paul Pratt is doing a great job with supplying Marzocco equipment and he has just started roasting so hopefully sooner or later there will be an overall higher standard of espresso in Hong Kong, until that day …

Visiting Paul Pratt in Hong Kong

2008-01-10T20:46:00.000-08:00

visited 7/12/07

First and foremost I would like to apologies for long absence from my blog. I am back in Adelaide now after my fantastic Asian travels I have a few posts to catch up on so please keep checking back. In this particular blog I would love to share my Hong Kong experiences. Whilst in Hong Kong I had a chance to visit few espresso bars as well as Mr. Paul Pratt at Just Java.

As many of you know Paul is the man behind bumper tools, I personally used some bumper gear back in the days, especially the tamping stand. Paul has a very creative mind when it comes to coffee tools. Everything that they make gets assembled in their workshop they even polish and refine each and every tamper handle. I got a little insight on future products, one in particular caught my eye: bottomless knockbox that comes up above the counter. A very practical and clean idea as the waste goes straight into the bin.

Behind Paul’s creative mind is a serious mind of espresso machine collector. Paul is world known for restoring vintage espresso machines, he even keeps a webpage. Here is one of his recent projects the infamous Faema E61 a real eye-candy to say the least and I got to see it first hand. The amount of effort that went into restoring this machine really is unbelievable, you can read all about it in Paul’s two part documented posts on coffeegeek.

Paul is also a very big collector of LaMarzocco machines so he has a few restored vintage machines around the place. Some of the machines are plugged in and are in frequent use, I even got a chance to play around on the original GS1, we pulled some decent shots. Also got to play around with few LaMarzocco lever machines.

I must say that visiting Paul and seeing his collection was possibly the best thing I have done in Hong Kong.

On top of bumper and restoring machines, Paul also keeps busy with roasting coffee as a boutique coffee roaster on his Probat roaster with crazy indoor exhaust filtration system, it allows him to roast indoors without pipes running out of the window.

I would like to thank Paul for fantastic tour of his facility. It is amazing to see people like Paul pushing the coffee industry to another level, very inspiring!

Copenhagen Espresso Run

2007-12-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

visited 29/11/07

I have spent the most amazing days in København. I’ve been treated to an incredible welcome by Klaus and Troels. They told me all the worthy places to visit in town so in my spare time I ran around doing my espresso runs. Here is my take …

The Coffee Collective (Jægersborggade 10) [edited 29/06/08] Is one of the leading and most progressive espresso bars in the world.

Without a question Estate Coffee (Gammel Kongevej 1) is the best espresso bar for quality coffee. They are the only bar in Copenhagen that has a clover. A vast selection of premium single origins is an outstanding way to try something different every day of the week. The clover is tuned nicely, giving maximum flavours into the cup. The espresso was outstanding also, very complex with light acidic and sweet notes and great mouthfeel.

There is much to love about this place especially the coffee, the atmosphere inside is not very welcoming, the staff have been a little distant on few occasions, but if you walk in on the right day you might find your overall experience complete. An absolute must to visit!

Café Europa (Amagertorv 1) stood out also, this café is more about the feel. Old rich heritage of this place really reflects in the interior. The food was fantastic, we had a massive antipasto breakfast with just about everything you could think of on the plate. The coffee was great also and really completed the overall picture. These guys have a very strict theme and are much more serious and professional than Estate. The location is very central so you can't miss it, highly recommend going here. These guys raised 3 out of 4 world barista champions. They are very proud of that fact and display all the trophies above the bar. If you end up going to Europa try their brunch it is outstanding!

Here is a place that deserves a lot of credit for its espresso … Kaffe & Vinyl (Skydebanegade 4) is a cool vintage record shop with a coffee machine. They use estate coffee and pull a double shot every time. The espresso was outstanding. You must make a trip over to them, trust me you will like it.

Risteriet (Studiestræde 36) is a well worthy bar also, they roast their own coffee. The espresso wasn’t all that great unfortunately. Inside the shop you will find the whole range of reg barber tampers so if you are in the market for one, this is the place to see them.

Riccos (Studiestræde 24) – just next door to Risteriet this underground espresso bar doesn’t really offer anything unique but a cool place to go and see, do not have a high expectation to get a decent espresso shot.

Copenhagen espresso run has bee a lot of fun, it is good to see a very high standard of coffee from some of the shops. This is the city that always moves forward and never moves back, it is outstanding to see coffee collective entering the scene, it’s the matter of time before they sign on experienced clients. Unfortunately at this stage there are not many cafes that offer their espresso blend, but like I said its just a matter of time.

Denmark - Country of Barista Champions

2007-12-05T23:29:00.000-08:00

As many of you know Denmark has had 4 world barista champions, this factor alone immediately indicates a very high standard of coffee quality. I would like to talk about certain barista champions and what they are up to these days ..

It is really good to see that all past barista champions from Denmark are still involved in the coffee industry.

Martin Hildebrandt (Miami, 2001), I had the opportunity to meet one of the pioneers in barista competition world. He is currently busy managing Europa café, which is located in the heart of Copenhagen. An outstanding espresso bar that raised three World Barista Champions.

Fritz Storm (Oslo, 2002) – I didn’t have the opportunity to catch up with Fritz this time, as he doesn’t live in Copenhagen, he is very busy and involved with lots of trade shows and general barista education.

Troels Poulsen (Seattle, 2005) – Very much involved with Kontra coffee today, Troels is in charge of barista education at Kontra coffee. Troels gave me a very detailed tour of europa café, we got to catch up and talk a lot about coffee. I cannot express how genuinely nice he is. After our little europa experience we ended up at Kontra rostery. I must say that the space that they have is amazing. They occupy 2 levels of space. On the first level you will find anything from domestic single group espresso machines to the most professional toys in the coffee business. On that same level; a big probat roster with a nice cupping room at the back of the facility. Downstairs is mostly education with a nice room with a projector screen and seating as well as few different espresso machines (da la corte and la marzocco). Further down the hall you will find a spacious storage facility with spare parts and miscellaneous wares. This rostery is backed by the owners of europa, a very successful roastery. The roastmaster is Michael a very knowledgeable roaster, on top of things a great gentlemen.

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting kontra coffee rostery, it is good to see that Troels is heavily involved in the coffee industry and doing to great things in barista education and marketing for Kontra . Kontra it is also a shop; you can easily visit their roasting facility without booking an appointment.

Klaus Thomsen (Berne, 2006) – now part owner of coffee collective coffee rosting company. Him and 3 other guys have joined forces to open a pioneer rostery in copnhagen. They all came from estate coffee so have a very high standard in anything and everything. I can without a doubt say that they are one of leading rosters in the industry. These guys are perfectionists in just about everything that they do, very involved in research. I couldn’t help to compare their philosophies to what Tim Wendelboe’s doing in Oslo. The coffee is fantastic, they are not getting ahead of themselves, they only roast few different coffees and absolutely perfect each and every one! You can see their selection on the website. The other great thing is that they try to use direct trade. They are very active in traveling the world in search of best plantations and keep a blog about their ventures, you must check it out. I received very generous welcome from Klaus and the crew. If you are in town in the neat future, you must check this place out as it offers an unforgettable and rewarding experience. As you know we did water cupping at the rostery, feel free to check out my previous post…

This blog turned into my experiences at Coffee Collective and Kontra, unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to go to Estate Coffee rostery, but I do hear amazing things about it so if you have time I strongly recommend visiting them too.

Malmö – Sweden Espresso Run

2007-12-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

visited 29/11/07

Having spent a lovely afternoon in Helsingborg I was on my way to Malmö which is way south of Sweden. It is roughly 40 minutes away from Copenhagen and the train is connected via a long bridge. Mr Dan Stenqvist was expecting my visit and had already planed out our espresso run for the evening. We went to all worthy espresso bars around town and finished off with a little coffee jam at Solde kaffebar where Dan works. So here is my take on Malmö.

Solde Kaffebar (Regementsgatan 2) was my favourite out of the bunch, we went there last. They employ a very fun, casual approach. Inside there is plenty of space to move around however they keep seating limited, a real traditional corner bar design with high stools. This café changes their house blend once a month. In a way that is a great way to keep regular customers coming back and giving them the opportunity to try different espresso blends and educate their palate. They are very open towards different coffee and do occasionally get traditional Italian blends with robusta portions. The coffee still needs to pass the owners quality examination, so they don’t end up serving complete rubbish for a whole month. I think that this system takes a lot away from the overall consistency of the shop throughout the year, but I will let you make your own mind up. At the end of they year the customers get to vote on which coffee they liked best. Last year David Haugaards blend was the winner, I think they even sent him a trophy.

Right now they are using J&N FTO espresso blend, I am very much familiar with this blend as I got to play around with it few times in Stockholm. I must saw that shots in Malmö tasted completely different; nowhere as good as Stockholm. They are aware of this fact and blame the water I think they need to look into few different filtration systems, perhaps “Water + More” filter would work well.

At the end of the day we had some time to have a little coffee jam and pull some shots, we tried the KOPPI espresso blend that I brought along from Helsingborg. Once again the shots were vastly different. The complex acidity that was very distinct in Helsingbord was hardly noticeable. Again, water is an easy target to blame here.

Lilla Kafferosteriet (Baltzarsgatan 24a) – a very interesting concept espresso bar with a micro-rostery. They are the only espresso bar with a 3 group synesso machine in the whole of Sweden. They also have a very dirty probat roaster, you could see that the cooling trey isn’t cleaned properly as well as various other unclean elements. I want to give theses guys credit for doing what they do as they offer a nice selection of premium single origins and 2 espresso blends. The shots that Dan and I got were extremely hot and burnt my tongue. That machine needs proper temperature tuning! There is absolutely no point having a synesso running at such high temperature. The shots were too hot so that might have been one of the main factors that took away from the overall taste. I found the espresso blend very boring without any striking features.

Te & kaffehuset ( Fersens väg 16) is a domestic equipment shop with a large selection of different coffees. Their primary market is in selling packed coffee. They also have a GB 5 machine that they use for their café part. A very experimental shop using different extraction methods with different coffee beans. Well worth visiting and having a chat with Mattias Sjöbäck , very enthusiastic and knowledgeable owner.

Nesta (Södergatan 22) – a very well designed espresso bar in a stellar location. This place has a very nice vibe about it. They have the best coffee equipment, however the coffee is very much lacking in just about everything. It has a very heavy dose of robusta. The coffee is imported from Italy so freshness could be an issue also. This is the kinda place where you go with your friends to just sit down and chill, not for the coffee unfortunately.

Malmö is a very interesting town with plenty of quality espresso bars that are very capable of pulling good coffee however at the end of the day espresso part of things didn’t really strike me. The main issue here would have to be the water, I think they have to start looking into water science a little further. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dan for his kind hospitality … thanks man!

Visit to Helsingborg – Sweden

2007-11-30T11:12:00.000-08:00

Visited: 28.11.07

Located on the south-west coastline of Sweden this small town has something extremely special to offer. As from few months ago this remarkable espresso bar / rostery opened under the name Koppi.

Located in the center part of town this micro rostery is mind-blowing. The space that they have is just remarkable, the design is very simple yet extremely effective. Massive open space with large windows really light the place. Clean working spaces with lots of room to move around and the best toys in coffee business. The roaster and the bar are on different split-levels, making the roaster superimposed from the bar with big glass panels separating the two. The whole place is extremely visual and everything is eye catching.

Brand new 3 group la marzocco linnea along side 3 phase mazzer robour, diedrich roaster are the main features in this barista heaven. Their coffee is extremely good, a well balanced, clean espresso. It was very lively and full of complex flavours. Pleasant mellow acidity, a very aromatic cup with great finish and long aftertaste.

I also had a quick second to visit a small espresso bar called kräm, they use koppi coffee and do a damn good job! They have an elektra coffee machine along side a mazzer major grinder. They know how to treat the machine properly and pull a very decent shot indeed. I recommend visiting kräm!

I cannot tell you how impressed I am about Koppi. It is possibly the best designed espresso bar I have EVER seen. I strongly recommend going to Helsingborg just to visit Koppi and chat with Charles and Anne.

Water Testing with Coffee Collective Crew

2007-11-30T10:28:00.000-08:00

This week I had the opportunity to do water cupping with coffee collective crew down at the newly established roastery in Copenhagen.

We had 3 different sources of water and ran a blind cupping session, with 2 different coffees (Kariaini and Finca Vista Hermosa) . We had reverse osmosis filtered water that has been totally purified, bottled Eden spring water and “water + more” tap filtered water which Klaus was particularly interested to test out.

This filter has a four-step filtration system, standard water purity filter, carbon filter (removes odor and bacteria), ion filter (removes calcium) and an extra fine 10 micron purity filter. You can also regulate the bypass. As well as a one-way valve, making it extremely easy to change without having to shut off the main water system. Mind you - this filtration system was especially designed for coffee.

As it was blind cupping we didn’t know which water was which. The difference between the cups was remarkable. The two standouts ended up being the spring water and the “water + more” filtered water. The pure water was simply too boring. Filtered tap water had a little feel of slightly carbonated water with a little bit of mineral sparkle which retained the natural acidity and perhaps enhanced it on the palate. Spring water was outstanding also bringing a lot of natural profiles out of the coffee.

The most remarkable thing about this filter is that it will produce the same results no matter there you are in the world (with proper tuning) providing that well-needed consistency through out clientele that many roasters would like.

We had the opportunity to try unfiltered tap water along side “water + more” filtered water. It is most certainly not drinking water; it almost tastes like flat mineral water due to a high content of CO2. It wasn’t very pleasant to drink but it works fantastic with coffee.

The guys from coffee collective were very happy with this system and are going to introduce it to all their customers, so there is consistency in water quality throughout. Klaus wrote his thoughts about this filter on his blog also, so be sure to check it out.

This cupping session was a real eye opener for me, the water is undoubtedly the most important aspect in quality, and so it is absolutely critical to install the right filtration system to get optimum results.

Copenhagen Visit

2007-11-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

Sorry for not being very active. At the moment i am in Copenhagen spending time exploring the city and hanging out with Coffee Collective peeps :) Had some interesting days already, so i will blog all about it in the near future.

Once again sorry for being idol without notice.

Sunbeam Cafe Series Commercial

2007-11-18T09:49:00.000-08:00

Here it is ladies and gentlemen … I give you the cafe series short commercial that will air in Australia very soon.

I will give away a little secret, for this commercial guys at cafe series used 100% robusta beans, its visually much more pleasant!

Indulge!!!

Meth Coffee

2007-11-16T03:43:00.000-08:00

Many people often tell me that I am addicted to coffee, my response to that statement has always been the same: - “I am addicted to the taste of good coffee and the process of making it, not the caffeine content.” I very much stand by that statement. If I don’t have access to quality coffee I can go fine without drinking any odd coffee for the sake of drinking caffeine.

This week I got to try Meth Coffee, the hype behind this coffee is that it gives you a more powerful effect. The blend consists of 100% arabica beans, from what I got told it has 3 different bean varieties: Honduras, Brazil and Guatemala. The guy that I bought the coffee from told me that “The Roaster” wouldn’t give away the actual breakdown. Meth coffee company are very secretive about who is roasting the coffee. They only have an e-shop so it is only possible to order it online.

The company is trying to present this product as if it were a drug. The packaging looks like a home-made laboratory bag with big METH writing on the front. The whole presentation and obscure text on the back of the label didn’t appeal to me at all. The video on the website clearly has drug reference, showing the man going through withdrawals.

Despite the name Meth there are no methamphetamines in this coffee so it doesn’t make you hallucinate or trip out. The only other addition is "Yerba mate" which is a herb from the holly family it contains mateine (psychoactive stimulant) also found in guarana, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

The espresso itself tasted really revolting! Pale crema absolutely no body. Very unpleasant bitter, sour tangy thin liquid closely resemblant to dirty dish water. As I finished 2 shots of it with my eyes closed I waited for 20 minutes for the extra buzz to kick in. To my huge disappointment I didn’t feel any extra side effects what so ever, just the usual caffeine rush, if anything it made me a little fatigued?!?!?!

I don’t believe that anyone who called themselves a speciality coffee roaster should tamper with coffee this way. The end product should be the taste of origins not the amount of “buzz” your body generates.
I don’t recommend this to any quality coffee drinker.

Coffee of the week: Rwanda Gatsinga

2007-11-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

This week I’ve been enjoying fine espresso named after Emmy Gatsinga from Rwanda. It is really something special and very unique in character, like no other coffee from Rwanda.

You will have hard time finding anything about this coffee or Emmy Gatsinga in particular. The only reference I can give you in on David Haugaards blog and it is in Swedish.

Espresso notes:
The roast profile is on the lighter side.
This espresso smelt exactly like piped tobacco, and flavoured apple smoke.
This coffee is all about sweetness and distinct acidity, the main character is lemongrass and straw.
A very clean round finish, long and lingering.

Outstanding in form of espresso, very complex in delicate acidic flavours, for serious coffee drinkers that appreciate single origin coffees.

For limited time you can also enjoy this fine espresso at Raptis Ahlgren in Old Town in Stockholm. Discard the picture on the internet, their cappuccino is much better, you can have my word on it.

Paris Espresso Run

2007-11-10T05:28:00.000-08:00

Visited: 6/10/07

Paris has never had a good espresso reputation nor it should! A little bit like Barcelona, everyone is drinking espresso however, generally speaking, it is not at all drinkable. It is impossible to stumble across good espresso unless you know exactly where to go. After doing some research I was left with a very short list.

Soluna Cafés (52, rue de l’Hotel de Ville). This coffee shop and rostery offers a very rewarding experience. Undoubtedly the best place for coffee in Paris, they roast different single estate coffees in small batches daily. The selection is rather vast, a whole wall of choice, a very good selection of South American coffees. The shop owner Gloria has been involved with coffee for a very long time and is very knowledgeable in the field, more so on sensory and enzymatic. Frequently she runs education classes for her customers, which is an amazing cause especially in Paris. All the coffees are coming directly from estates, so they do not use a middle man and do pay the plantation owners a good price.

They are very big on appellation, so they take a “premium wine” approach.

Plantation – Estate – Region – Country … Always emphasising the plantation and estate first. A great approach that every quality roaster should take.

They only offer espresso through their LaMarzocco FB80. I believe that they are one of few places in Paris that uses LaMarzocco I mostly saw cimbali machines. As they roast so many different varieties they do not have a freshness system as such. They pre grind the coffee into a container every hour and measure out the right dose on order. I had a chance to go behind the machine and pull some shots, I must say the Guatemala coffee that I was using was outstanding. Their roast profile is always under the 2nd crack so the beans retain their oils. The beans are always cooked right through on a longer roast time, which is great to see.

I must give credit to Gloria and her team for doing what they do, it is really special inside that shop. The passion, commitment and dedication is most certainly there. You get a whole experience from the plantation all the way to the cup, indeed a very rewarding experience. This place is an absolute must to visit and I hope to make it there again one day soon.

Bodum (103 rue Rambuteau) This shop you will not find in any guides at all. This is a huge bodum shop that sells everything and anything ever made by bodum. I accidentally bumped into it whilst exploring tourist sights. Inside you will find a LaMarzocco Linea with a bodum badge over the top of the logo. Rather funny yet offensive at the same time. The coffee was half decent, you could certainly drink it. This shop is worth going as they have all the vac pots, even the vintage ones that are rare to find. They also have a new line of thermal cups as well as interesting plungers and various kitchen ware.

Cafe Verlet (256, rue Ste Honore) This shop is worth mentioning as they have a very cosy atmosphere and very stylish interior. Using a faema e61 legend the coffee is nothing special at all, a very long, bitter and overextracted shot is not at all pleasant. The presentation is their main priority. They serve their coffee in a leaf shaped saucer with a cube of dark chocolate, they might as well, because the coffee is 2.70 EURO. This shop is conveniently located near the Louvre so if you have some money to burn you can check it out.

I loved Paris, for its beauty and rich history. I was very glad to find Soluna Cafés, they truly offer an unforgettable experience that you will not find anywhere else in Paris. Make this espresso bar a must on your list. I recommend doing your espresso run on Tuesday – Saturday as many places are closed on Sunday and Monday.

Café Series Commercial

2007-11-01T02:37:00.000-07:00

Café Series is a new branch of Sunbeam Australia. This video is part of the commercial campaign that will air on public television in November, so if you are in Australia keep your eyes out as Café Series commercials will include various items like blender, toaster … and of cause the espresso machine.

These videos first débuted at the HOST exhibition in Milano and I must say blew everyone away! The captions were shot with a super slow motion camera rolling at 1000 frames per second … I would describe it as coffee heaven, especially with Barry White’s music playing in the background. I hope that this extremely effective commercial champaign will bring a lot of success to Café Series crew.

The machine had fluctuation of only 1C, which no other machine (in that price bracket) in the world has. You will be paying under 600AUD for these piece of excellence. Not bad for a fully PIDed domestic machine. In my opinion this machine will pull a much better shot than a stock Rancilio Silvia.

Indulge in the video!!!

The titanium GS3

2007-10-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

This machine was displayed over at the La Marzocco stand as part of their 80th anniversary. It was bought by Magnus in Sweden and then sold to someone else in Sweden. I spoke to Lars from expressivo, he told me who the lucky owner was but I did not remember the name.

As you can see on the picture the whole machine is see-through with 2 titanium boilers. Apart from its cool looks the machine is noticeably lighter and in a way more portable, too bad it didn’t fit into my bag haha. They didn’t let anyone use it for obvious reasons. It really added on to the LM stand and was centre of attention.

[edit]: The lucky owner is Jens Brine from impod

Swiss Milk

2007-10-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

For past months I’ve been taking interest in fresh milk in different countries. Last weekend I stayed at a friend’s house among lots of cow farms in beautiful Swiss Alps. There was a small store in the village where they sold fresh local products such as milk and cheese. I must say that I have never had such good milk, not even in Sweden. As you can see on the picture the milk carton is very generic and has no branding. The milk is 3.5% fat and is rich and smooth. It is also organic as the cows have a large space to walk around, and get pristine care from their farmers. The cheeses were outstanding also.

This milk would be just perfect for coffee, Swiss people are very fortunate to have nice daery products, it is a real shame that there is no quality coffee to compliment the milk.

Milano Fiera RHO 2007

2007-10-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

I finally get a little break to blog about my Milano experience, as many of you already know I’ve been traveling around Switzerland. Living in the beautiful alps and enjoying amazing Swiss nature. I don’t think I can put a scale to this exhibition, it is HUGE. In order to understand the size of it you will definitely have to go there. Anything from ice machines pavilions, pizza makers, gelati machines ... it is just ridiculously big. The coffee sections was 2 pavilions full of various “stuff” and a ton of generic machines and grinders and bits and pieces. Only 5% of the exhibition is worth seeing and mentioning, as the rest is just various junk.

Day 1
The exhibition started slow on Friday but never the less a very good amount of people came for the first day. Lots of networking and socialising with good friends and industry related people. It was great to finally meet baristas like, James, Troels, Storm, Anna ... . A bunch of outstanding people whom I had lots of time to hang out with and talk coffee. Visits from Adelaide were very overwhelming: Tony from Rio Coffee dropped by, it was great to catch up with him as I haven’t seen him for almost a year. As well as Maria from CIBO, old friends that gave me my first push into the coffee world, people that I very much respect and care about. Got to catch up with Paul Bassett over at the café series stand, it is really amazing what the guys are doing with domestic espresso machines, I give them real credit!

I was given a position to work on the Clover machine over at the MAHLKÖNIG stand, got to play around with lots of nice single origin coffees that I had. Trying and drinking all day, I think Christian from MAHLKÖNIG and I were buzzing all day from lots of fine coffee.

The standout coffee from the clover was Rwanda Peabery that David Haugaard from Stockholm kindly donated. This coffee was full-bodied, very round and well balanced, as it cooled it picked up light citric notes, as well as some earthiness. On the smell a distinct hint of spice and cumin.

That following night we went to La Marzocco cocktail party, some more networking and socialising, great times drinking with Guido he is genuinely a very nice person. Anastasia from Clover was there also so between the drinking we had a chance to chat about coffee. That same evening the whole espresso warehouse crew went to a very nice restaurant near out hotel, James and Annette came along too, it was very inspiring to chat with James about coffee.

Day 2
Despite the headache the exhibition the next morning (Saturday) went smooth, perhaps the busiest day at the show. The clover got a real work out, it was good to work with Anastasia as we shared the stand and took breaks. I got to play around with the show Linea machine that La Marzocco had at their stand. I pushed through Haugaard's mellqvist blend and also Coffee Collective that Klaus sent over. Both espresso blends were outstanding, Klaus’s blend was on the acidic side where David’s was sweeter and more full bodies. A good example of good quality difference. It is a little hard to remember the fine notes as I was dosed up on coffee that day, but I remember them being both outstanding and everyone at LM were highly impressed, possibly the best espresso served at the exhibition.

The highlight of the day however was the latte art throwdown organised by espresso warehouse. We had a great turnout, few surprise entries included Jack Hanna (current latte art champion) Troels, Chiara (Spanish barista champion), some veterans of the industry overall about 7 competitors. There were some close calls but the trophy went to Chris Baca from ritual, a well deserved victory. Spectators and competitors enjoyed the show raising over 150 euro for CoffeeKids.

That following night we went to the Hyatt for drinks and then to a nice typical Italian restaurant, after that I went to the pub to celebrate THE LOSS of English team in the rugby world cup final.

Day 3
Sunday was a great day, not too busy so I got a chance to pull some espresso with Paul Bassett over at the café series stand. Paul pushed through Tim Wendelboe’s new espresso blend through sunbeam domestic machine. I must say that I was highly impressed with this little machine. It has fluctuation of only 1C, it is really amazing to see what the guys at café series are doing, they are really pushing home espresso to the next level. Tims coffee came out great, long infusion time made very it interesting. The infusion time was roughly about 13 seconds and extraction 4 seconds. A well balanced espresso in the cup, with slight acidity, round, well balanced. Paul and I both enjoyed drinking it.

That following night we went to URNEX party, this was the best party ever! The food was great and the bar was open, so we were drinking grappa all evening. Skip was calling rounds of grappa every 10 minutes, we got really wasted.

Day 4
Monday morning I could hardly stand from previous nights of drinking, good thing I had lots of coffee left over to keep me going. The exhibition has started to loose its buzz with lots of people leaving. We had some spare time to full around and waste milk, Chris was pouring latte art into a massive cup, which made its way around the exhibition hall.

That following evening we had a nice relaxing dinner in this very nice restaurant. A time to relax and go to bed at a reasonable hour was well needed needed.

Day 5
On Tuesday morning I took some time off to go around Duomo during sunlight. It was really fascinating both inside and outside. A quick stop at the exhibition in the afternoon to collect presents and say final goodbyes wrapped up my Milano experience.

I would like to thank espresso warehouse crew for giving me the opportunity to be there. It was great to meet so many interesting people, you guys know who you are so forgive me for not naming everyone. Hope to see you all again some time very soon.

Quick update

2007-10-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for being underground, just letting you know that I am well and still alive. Here are the pictures from Milan Fiera RHO, I will write about it when I get some time.

At the moment I am at my friends mountain home in Switzerland, still travelling going to Paris on the 2nd … any ideas for quality espresso in Paris??

cheers,

http://purdue.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2019561&l=33d27&id=218800198

http://purdue.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2019562&l=cd0cf&id=218800198

http://purdue.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2019563&l=ccc38&id=218800198

Swedish Dairy

2007-10-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

I would really love to talk about milk, this topic has been on my mind for quiet some time now. Ever since I lived in Sweden I’ve been fascinated by vast amounts of dairy products available in the supermarket. The shelves are filled with all sorts of yogurts, fermented milk drinks in all shapes sizes and fat content. The hardest part is to actually choose exactly what you want.

Let me run you down through all the milk that is available. I am going to talk about one brand in particular “Arla” they hold the monopoly here in Stockholm, they sell to every supermarket and convenient store in town.

Here is a picture of all the available choices; the design on the packet is simple the fatter the stripe on the packet the fatter the milk.

The red packet with fattest stripes has 3% of fat and is very consistent throughout the year. Almost all the coffee shops use this milk for its great taste and its consistency. I’ve used this milk on many occasions. As well as its amazing taste this milk textures extremely well; it’s a very nice milk to work with and it is reasonably cheap 5SEK for 1L thats about $0.7USD if you buy in bulk.

I would like to talk about other milk that Arla makes, but in particular their organic range, so here is the picture. Just for reference the barista milk is not organic.

Lately I’ve been playing around with the organic milk (ecological) that Arla release, it is the one on the far right (oldstyle milk), this milk has more fat 3.8% - 4.5% so compared to the regular milk it is not very consistent through out the year. This milk is not processed and fat levels vary throughout the seasons. Never the less this milk is amazing, it textures even better and tastes fantastic.

The other milk I would like to talk to you is the barista milk, I personally think that this is a marketing scheme, this milk has less fat but more protein (3.8g vs 3.3g). They stress that issue claiming that the milk will texture better. Although it textures just as good it doesn’t taste better by all means. More fat more flavour ,so I favour the organic milk.

In my conclusion I must say that I admire dairy products here in Sweden. The coffee industry is very fortunate to have companies like Arla, they deserve the recognition for doing what they do best. My favourite milk to work with is deffinately the oldstyle milk, for its richness and taste. I believe that guys in Norway are struggling with their milk and Tim Wendelboe has been putting together a partition to import organic milk into the coffee scene in Oslo, I wish him all the best and if you can join forces with him, please do!

Reg Barber Tamper Bases - The Conclusion

2007-10-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

After about 2 month of experimenting with my new tamps, it is now time to wrap up to my conclusions.

Here is a quick summary of all the posts:

1. Reg Barber Tamper Bases (Metal Evaluation - First look)
2. Tarnish looks
3. Base Durability
4. Tamper base diameter test
[edit: 10/09/08]
5. Reg Barber Ripple Tamper Evaluation

The right choice here depends on various factors but mostly your personal technique and preference.

If you want a heavy tamper then I will recommend getting an aluminium handle and either brass, copper or stainless steel base. If you prefer a lighter tamper then I would suggest a wooden handle with an aluminium base. The aluminium base is by far the lightest.

If you are going for a specific look suited to your likings or theme than I suggest going on Reg Barber website and having a look at different coloured handles and matching the base to your preferred handle.

Durability is very important, you should choose the right tamper according to level of use. If you are going to use it in a busy café than be sure to get stainless steel base as it is by far the strongest metal and it will not tarnish. If it is a specific base look that you are after for home use or your competition, perhaps other metals will do the trick. Keep in mind that if you drop your precious brass, aluminium or copper tamper on the floor it will dent, so take good care of it.

If you are going for an all round tamper that will last you a long time and will not tarnish, then your best choice is getting one with the stainless steel base. It looks and feels fantastic.

The curve choice is mostly a personal preference based on your technique. I found that for my technique, American curve and c-flat extract a nicer shot than euro or flat. Once again it all depends on your tamping technique.

The diameter is perhaps the most important factor to perfection, so the right size should be picked according to your technique. If you think that your technique might change over the years, or simply want an all-round base to work with different filterbaskets I would recommend 58.0mm.

I would like to thank Reg Barber for his great tampers, they really do an outstanding job both in the industry and home use. I could comfortably stay that this tamper is every professionals choice one way or another.

I hope that this summary was of help to you in choosing your future tamp.

quick update

2007-10-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting for a couple of days. Here is a little update to my previous post "Tamper base diameter test" I have recorded a video of my technique for you guys to see and understand it a little better .. here it is (under 2mb)...

Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Jaramillo Especial geisha (Plunger/French press)

2007-10-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Jaramillo Especial geisha (Plunger/French press)

Having tried Hacienda Le Esmeralda through a an espresso machine (read here) I now have my hands on something even more special, this particular coffee is grown in a region called Jaramillo which is ran by famous Finca Esmeralda and the Peterson family, this geisha is grown on high altitude in perfect conditions and is an award winning crop like no other in the world. This particular batch was roasted by David Haugaard with immaculate care! This is a light, 7 day roast.

I really wanted to get maximum out of this coffee so I have used a slightly finer grind approach. I have found that For many acidic coffees this approach is the best, as you get more natural acidity coming through into the cup. The dose is very vital also, you don’t want to use too much coffee as flavours will become overpowering. I used almost 3 full standard table spoons (15ml) of ground coffee per 350ml of water.

There was an interesting array of smells, as soon as you break the crust you smell a distinct chocolate note, however that note disappears in the cup completely. In the cup it is very floral with hints of cinnamon and spice, those smells dominate the cup as it cools.

On the palate you get a distinct lemongrass acidic note and green grape as the cup cools. The last drop of the plunger is the most intense part, a balance of sweetness and bright acidity makes it taste like lemon lollies. The best part of this coffee is the finish; it is slightly sweet, very crisp and clean!

I have spotted a very interesting smell profile after all the coffee was gone. The wet grounds (silt) in the plunger smelt exactly like freshly ground cedar wood led pencils; this really brought back childhood memories. The strange thing here was that there was absolutely no woody smell or taste in the coffee, both were fantastic through out the cup. So this cedar smell is not necessarily bad but yet another surprise.

This coffee is an art-form to say the least. The variety of flavours is a rich unpredictable bouquet. Through out the cup this coffee evolved into endless amounts of different smells and tastes, this is what makes this coffee what it is! No wonder it’s highly rated among best coffees in the world!

Panama Hacienda Le Esmeralda geisha (Espresso)

2007-10-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

Panama Hacienda Le Esmeralda geisha (Espresso)

For those who know coffee this geisha doesn’t need further introduction! Just before I tell you about my espresso experience I would like to go into a little bit of history and processing behind this special bean.

This coffee has been out on the market since 2004 and every year since has won “The Best of Panama” competition. What makes this geisha crop so special? This coffee is grown in near perfect conditions it also gets a thorough treatment through processing and drying. They use a quick wash process and then sun dry the coffee on a concrete slab. You can read all about the history and detailed process on their website.

So, one may say putting this bean through an espresso machine is a crime, well it is! But if you have the opportunity to do so it is a very rewarding one also.

This coffee was Lightly Roasted roasted by Johan & Nystrom in Stockholm. So here is what the espresso tasted like:

On the smell this coffee was very fruity and floral with dried prune notes almost resemblant to Ethiopian Sidamo Beloya selection one coffee that I tried in Toronto not long ago, that batch was of similar light roast and was roasted by NOVO coffee. This is a very aromatic coffee and is a very striking standout!

Visually the coffee has a lightish crema that dissipated rather quickly, I didn’t expect it to hold from a single estate coffee.

First few sips were very fruity with sharp natural acidity, a very distinct tone of lemongrass and lemon zest mellowing into light sweetness, this coffee was very gripping right on the last drop. The last few sips were superb, imagine pealing a green grape and chewing on the skin – well that is exactly what the last drops are, I cant describe it any better than that!

The smooth overpowering acidic taste balanced with slight sweetness makes this espresso a very memorable one indeed. The fact that it stays with you for at least 20 minutes is a great sign of excellent cup.

Tamper base diameter test

2007-10-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

Just before I start, the abbreviation NSEW mean – North, South, East, West. As you know I have 5 different bases, they are all of different diameter, so I will put them to the test and come up with the best diameter for my tamping style and liking.

First of all I am going to describe my tamping style and pace each of the bases exactly the same way with the same dose. I am packing the coffee just on the line for better visual result. I generally collapse the coffee twice, a decent 2-drop collapse on the grinder arms and then a light collapse on top of the doser before levelling the excess coffee back into the dosing chamber. Here is the video (under 2mb) for you to understand a little better.

My tamping has changed over this year drastically, that is why I need a tamper that will suit my current style best. As I am not tapping the side of the portafilter before my 2nd polish, so need the tamper to grab as much edge as possible with little coffee left on the inside rim of the basket. For this experiment I am using a standard 18g LaMarzocco basket, which has a dose line groove. I would much rather a synesso basket that doesn’t have the line groove, soon I will get my hands on one eventually and do this very same experiment.

I took all the photos after my tamping routine without flicking the waste so you can clearly see the excess grounds left behind. So here is my verdict…

57.7mm – Stainless steel – c-flat

This base is considerably smaller than 58.0mm and really feels that way, as soon as you put it in you can really feel the room between the basket and the tamp base. This size base is perfect if you use “NSEW” technique. Some people actually prefer their tamper to be smaller, here is a post by Mark Prince I read on coffeed a while back. I don’t use the same technique as Mark, so didn’t favour this size at all, as you can see from the picture there is a considerable amount of coffee along the rim that this base didn’t grab.

If you do decide to go with this size, I recommend you chose the c-flat base, just like mine. It will be more forgiving than others (if used properly). The shot that it pulled was great; I really like the c-flat extraction.

57.8mm – Aluminium – flat

Slightly bit bigger, from the picture you can’t really see much of an improvement on the edge. This is a flat base so I definitely do not recommend getting it smaller than 58.0mm. There is no advantage to it even if you use “NSEW” technique. The purpose of this base is to grab the edge as much as possible and at this size it has simply failed to do so. It felt very loose in the hand. The extraction results were decent but not great, due to its diameter and flatness.

58.0mm – Brass – c-flat

This base is 0.2mm bigger than previous and already you can visually spot the difference. As you can see the edge is much sharper, my concern with it was the LaMarzocco basket, the coffee gets stuck in the line, still the c-flat base is more forgiving than other bases, so it pulled a very good shot that I was happy with. I am assuming that it will pull a better shot out of the synesso basket as it doesn’t have the line in the basket. This size is the industry standard for many reasons, if you use “NSEW” technique it will suit you just fine as there is enough room between the base and the edge. And if you use my type of technique it is also a very solid performer. You can definitely find some middle ground with this base and wont go wrong by choosing it.

58.1mm – Brass – American Curve

Once again I am not too happy about the coffee getting stuck in the line and visually this photo doesn’t look much different than 58.0mm but I assure you it felt much better tamping down, much tighter, closer to the edge with less room between basket and the base. This grabs the edge nicely and is great for my technique. The shot was very solid!

58.2mm – Copper – Euro Curve

This is my favourite size, feels amazing going down on the first tamp. The diameter is just perfect and fits the basket like a glove. Right up to the edge leaving practically no coffee up on the sides of the basket. For my dosing technique it is perfect. As this was a euro curve the extraction expanded from the sides into the middle, I think I would prefer a c-flat base which is curved like “euro curve” on the sides with a flat, even extraction in the centre - expanding up onto the shower screen. The coffee tasted fantastic, so I am all for this diameter.

Choosing the right base for yourself should be decided according to your tamping technique, if you like to experiment I would suggest getting a standard 58.0 and something smaller and/or something bigger. Personally I am leaning towards 58.2 at the moment. The curve is also a very important choice and also depends on what style of tamping you use. For me it would have to be a c-flat base or a curved base. The flat base is also great but for me doesn’t pull a better shot over other curves, many might argue, but my experiments have proven my taste buds right, over and over again.

Aging coldbrew – day 6 & 7 + summary

2007-10-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

On day 6 my coldbrew has started to take a turn in a slightly negative direction. The taste has picked up some bitterness and stale deoxidised taste, I have added some sugar syrup that I have prepared, it added sweetness and got rid of the bitterness. This way I was enjoying the coffee much more. The sugar brings out the sweetness a whole lot but doesn’t enhance nor change any of the other flavours.

Day 7 was exactly the same as day 6, the coffee is starting to get a stale bitterness that I wasn’t much fond of! I think this experiment is well over and I can do my conclusion now. I have actually added a drop of nice whisky to my glass, it made a really nice mix, smooth sweet, superb! I encourage you to try that also.

Summary:

Process - A very fun, easy process please read my step by step guide.

Day 1 – After 10 hours of brewing this coffee was ready to drink. Sweet chocolate notes, no acidity or bitterness. Enhanced sweetness with added sugar syrup.

Day 2 – 1st day of aging, coldbrew has started to take a turn and develop character. A sharp edge almost resemblant to cheap scotch or whisky. Really nothing special, not a very enjoyable overpowering taste.

Day 3 – This was a highlight for me, on this day the sudden magic cicked in. The sharp edge on day 2 was completely gone and the coffee has stared to smooth out and balance out the sharp unpleasant edge, still containing the chocolaty sweetness.

Day 4 and 5 - A solid drinkable cup, excellent all round, both days were almost the same, coffee nice, smooth and rich in flavour.

Day 6 and day 7 – The decay has started, the water has become stale and deoxidised, nothing special, perhaps in a form of a base for a drink. Perhaps adding it to quality whisky. As I have done that the flavours work rather well together not overpowering one another with a smooth alcoholic balance.

The highlight for me was day 3 where the coffee has taken a noticeable turn. The best day to drink it was day 4 and day 5. The best part about this coldbrew were the stages and waking up to it every morning. I hope that you get mazing results like me, goodluck. If you got any questions let me know.

Kiril

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe - plunger (french press)

2007-09-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

This week I am playing around with Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, here are some tasting notes from my plunger (french press) brew.

Usually I take notes as I take sips of the coffee, but for some reason this coffee encouraged me to finish the whole plunger before taking notes. This coffee was pure endulgement. This coffee has a rare combination of amazing smell, taste and mouthfeel. All the aspects are so well balanced I couldn’t really pick my favourite one.

Well, lets start with smell first: Floral note with hints of nougat and marchpane. As I broke the crust a rush of yeasty aroma rushed out almost the one resemblant to smell of fresh bread in a bakery. I really didn’t expect anything like that, so very anxious to try it.

Taste: First few sips were very mediocre but as the cup cooled the flavours bloomed. A very distinct juicy sour cherry note, I describe it juicy as it was very lingering and each sip made me want more, guessing that’s why I wanted to enjoy the moment and dint take notes. The smell of freshly baked bread, nougat and marchpane didn’t really reflect in the cup, so I guess in a way was a mind trick. Instead I was treated to cane sugar sweetness mixed with juicy cherries, a fair trade I must say.

The mouthefeel was fantastic, like I mentioned that lingering juicy sour cherry taste held really well as the cup cooled. A very clean profile was also a highlight of this cup.

This coffee is very special indeed; with mixed deceptive smells that don’t much reflect in the cup, but never the less you get the whole balanced picture. Its great! Tomorrow I will grind the coffee a little bit courser to see if that makes a difference, if it does I will update this post.

quick update: Taking a courser grind approach didn't pay off. You best stick to your "usual" french press grind to get maximum enzymatic and sensory profiles.

Aging the coldbrew day 3

2007-09-27T02:18:00.000-07:00

I had to rush over from the kitchen to write about this … its is just fascinating!!!

OK, The flavour changed, THERE IS NO MORE SHARP EDGE, my coldbrew has started to smooth out.

It smells like cognac but not as sharp as it doesn’t have the alcohol in it. The smooth lingering taste just goes on and on and on … its is really fantastic, I really encourage you to try this.

Seems to me that during aging it picked up this sharp edge note and started to smooth out to something very special, something I’ve never experienced. Still has a distinct chocolate note, still no acidity but that twist of smooth character is just fantastic.

And you know what the best part about this is??? … there is more in the fridge!

proceed to coldbrew days 6 and 7

Aging the coldbrew

2007-09-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

Recap of yesterdays tasting: Very sweet and smooth with distinct chocolate notes. No acidity or bitter, unpleasant notes. I saw this brew as a base for a further beverage, perhaps something with hard liquor or even a sweetened milk base drink.

Day 2 – brewed coffee has had a day to age in the fridge, from what I’ve heard in the past the coldbrew coffee actually starts to develop some character after few days of aging. So I was very anxious to see the results.

Visually the coffee hasn’t changed at all, perhaps a little darker, but to an untrained eye it looks the same. The aroma has also remained the same however the taste here is my ultimate test. I really didn’t expect the result I got, the yigacheffe has treated me to something special indeed. Overnight it developed that sharp edge that it didn’t have before, it tasted as though its been aging for a little while. I can’t help but to compare it to whisky. As you know there is a vast difference between young and aged, the young whisky is a little rough but with age smoothens out and develops a tangy rich smooth feel. This coffee is exactly that but opposite. This edge doesn’t necessarily make it better, but for my taste it adds on that character that it was missing initially. I wonder how many more days I can age it until it becomes unpleasant to drink, I will keep it for few more days.

The taste profile was resemblant to yesterday, distinct chocolate sweetness, however that edge is a real eye opener. As the coffee is high in caffeine few sips really hit you like a ton of bricks. I think this will be perfect with a shot of high grade scotch or whisky served on rocks before a big night, I shall try that some time soon … too bad its only Wednesday.

Proceed to Aging the coldbrew Day 3

Evasolo coldbrew – The verdict

2007-09-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a little "extraction" video addition (20MB) to my previous post ...

My coffee has been slowly brewing for 10 hours in the fridge it is time to take it out and try it. Visually the brew looks ready. The cold brew developed a moist cork-like crust on the top, by pulling out the filter you break the crust allowing the air break through. A very interesting cloud develops and slowly sets to the bottom of the jar. Be sure to rinse out the moist silt before putting the filter back into place.

The coffee tasted sweet without any bitter notes. A very interesting, yet very satisfying result! I saw this cold brew as a really good base for further drink creations. I mean the possibilities are endless, you can mix this with alcohol or milk based drinks, it will taste amazing. It is a little overwhelming drinking it cold, not that I didn’t like it but I guess I am not use to drinking coffee in a cold form. The yigacheffe has a very distinct acidic note, however the cold brew didn’t show any acidity at all, only the pleasant sweetness and interesting chocolate notes. I have added some sugar to it and it actually made it taste even better, so like I said this form of espresso is a possible base for a sweet cold drink.

It is a really interesting way of extraction and evasolo performed efficiently and really well. Yet another reason to love this simple creation.

Proceed to: Aging the coldbrew

evasolo cold brew

2007-09-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

It feels like I’ve bragged about my evasolo an awful lot throughout my posts, but to be perfectly honest … ITS AMAZING! Anyways why not play around with some cold brews …. I have a lightly roasted bag of Ethiopian Yigacheffe at my disposal this week, so I will play around with different extractions and give you my thoughts.

This doesn’t get any simpler; instead of pouring the water over the top of ground coffee you simply load the grounds into the filter and dip it into warm water (30C - 35C). I have chosen to grind the coffee a little finer than for the plunger, as evasolo filter has a very fine mesh. As soon as you dip the coffee into the water, enjoy the fine moments of first steps of extraction with smaller grounds passing through the filter and floating slowly to the bottom. It is really amazing to watch that colour change. Don’t forget to wrap the opening with some gladwrap and wack it into the fridge.

The important thing here is not to stir the coffee that is in the filter, you want to let that coffee peacefully soak and extract over a roughly 10 hour period of time in your fridge. I have put 3 tablespoons of coffee for my brew, not sure how it will turn out, but we will see tomorrow.

Proceed to: evasolo coldbrew - The verdict

A switch for the better ...

2007-09-24T05:09:00.000-07:00

When I use to work at CIBO in Adelaide we had a saying … “Are you a “switch flicker” or are you a “button pusher”?” Let me explain …

We use to have a Marzocco Linea and as you know on the standard machine you have a “on/off Switch” and also a button on the preset pad which essentially does the same thing. About 50% of baristi use to use that button … well I’ve always been a “switch flicker” at heart … so I raise the question to you; Are you a “switch flicker” or a “button pusher”?.

La Marzocco always had issues with their buttons, some say that the switch on a Linea is too small, so they put on AFTERMARKET buttons on it that are much bigger, I’ve seen that done at Ritual Coffee in San Francisco, I don’t think that those switches are all that much better I guess it takes getting use to them.

Ever since one button FB80 came out there has been a huge debate. I personally don’t much like that design and have experienced few difficulties with this button, especially in a rush the machine sometimes wont start as the button needs a decent press-in. I know that this has been an issue at 2006 WBC and La Marzocco are well aware of this problem, so I would like to see them go back to the “manual style” switch on the FB80 … I mean there are no guesses whether its on or off … its simple and is very practical and visual!

So here it is .. the new all improved La Marzocco Linea with a new switch design. Taking the new look to the most versatile, practical machine on the market today. Looks great … but does it do the job. I had a play around with this new switch and must say it is simply FUNCTIONAL! Just like the old switch, very visual and easy to use. You can clearly see when your extraction is on and there is even a little light to remind you. This 2007 Linea still retains its original design and look fantastic!

I must credit La Marzocco for their new style switch, its easy to use and takes no time at all getting use to, I would love to see the new button/switch designs that they will produce in the future, perhaps they will treat us to something special at the Milan coffee exhibition … the wait begins :) !!!

Base Durability

2007-09-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

There are no tricks in testing the durability, the base that best holds its resistance against everyday use will be the durability test winner. Here are some statistics that I got from matweb, from what you can see the stainless steel appears to be the strongest metal in all aspects and copper the weakest …

statics from matweb:

AISI Type 303 Stainless Steel, cold drawn
- Hardness, Rockwell B = 96
- Tensile Strength, Yield = 60.2 ksi

High Leaded Naval Brass, C48500
- Hardness, Rockwell B = 82
- Tensile Strength, Yield = 53 ksi

Aluminum 6061-T6/651 (aircraft grade)
- Hardness, Rockwell B = 60
- Tensile Strength, Yield = 40 ksi

Copper, cold drawn
- Hardness, Rockwell B = 37
- Tensile Strength, Yield = 48.4 ksi

I’ve been using the bases for over 3 weeks now, I am always very careful using my tampers, avoiding heavy knocks. I don’t tap the sides anymore, just a light tamp and a quick polish. Still some of the bases have started to develop scratches and dents.

As expected from the statistics above stainless steel has less dents and scratches on it where the other metals have started to develop minor scratches and dents. The copper is very soft and has a solid knick on the edge already.

Once again stainless steel is coming up on top above other metals. So if you want a metal to last you a long time and remain its shiny finish, the choice is easy.

Pitaito – Hulia, Columbia 2nd prize cup of excellence 2006

2007-09-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

This flavoursome bag of coffee was roasted in Barcelona by Salvador Sans at El Magnifico. I was there when Salvador roasted this batch, it was taken right up to 2nd crack and cooled and packed quickly. It was roasted slowly with a lot of airflow. The coffee went through a very quick drying process, and developed a very interesting profile. I really wish that I could uncode what region

Straight out of the bag this coffee was very aromatic! As soon as I opened it, this amazingly strong butterscotch, caramel aroma captured my nose. I have possibly never had such an aromatic coffee in my life.

The smell in the cup very much reflected the smell out of the bag. You could pick out a sudden hint of coco and milk chocolate mixed with rich melted buttery aroma.

It tasted very mellow and was not very offensive with any overpowering flavours and very well balanced. A distinct milk chocolate sweetness was the main foundation. Its rich and smooth mouth feel carried all the way through, without any acidity at all.

This coffee is a pristine example of a very good cup of rich, smooth and sweet coffee. Like I said it’s not very offensive and well balanced, a perfect addition as a foundation to any espresso blend.

Tarnish looks

2007-09-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the part 1 of my evaluation (first look) I suggest you read it before reading this post.

After few days of use I started to notice that some metals have begun to tarnish, here is my further look on tarnish levels of all the metals.

Stainless steel has no tarnish, retained its polished finish and has absolutely no smell.

Copper almost instantaneously picked up fingerprints and gradually became darker. I have also noticed that copper gives out a very strong metallic smell, not sure if this will effect coffee in any way but its possible that it might effect the taste. As you can see from the pictures the metal have noticeably tarnished.

Aluminium has held up really well, absolutely no tarnish and no smell

The brass has started to tarnish, but not as much as copper. This particular metal has actually stained from a drop of coffee, you might be able to see the little stain on the picture. I have tried to clean it but it looks like the metal has absorbed the stain pretty good. This base has a light metallic aroma but not as noticeable as the copper babe.

It will be possible to revive the original shine by cleaning brass and copper in a regular descaler solution, although reg barber recommends to avoid cleaning your tamps with water. I would imagine as soon as copper and brass are exposed to air and constant use they will tarnish again.

If you are going for a long life, polished, shiny looking base than I strongly recommend stainless steel or aluminium.

back to summary

Portaflon

2007-09-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

This has been out on the market since may 2007. Was invented by Swedes, and being in Sweden at the moment I am proud of that fact, although I am not Swedish. You will see this technology more and more and I am all for it.

So here is the basic explanation of what Portaflon is: Portaflon is a company that coats steamwands and inside of the group-handle with Teflon coating. Many coffee machine manufacturers like: ECM, La Marzocco and Synesso have been insulatin their stem wands, so they don’t get hot to touch and to the advantage of milk not burning to the steamwand. The Swedes have discovered that if you make the steamwand out of Teflon the milk will not stick to it. Great idea right??? Well see for yourself VIDEO. I've actually done the very same experiment and got exactly the same results.

I am very fortunate to be working with these steamwands, the milk still burns to it however it is much easier to clean, one simple wipe will do it. For a good clean barista the portaflon steamwand is absolutely not necessary, as you have to wipe the wand after every use. I find it great as you don’t have to spend seconds stroking, one wipe and its all gone.

Wait … it gets better, Teflon coated portafilters, once again I am very fortunate to have them at work. So easy to clean, almost makes cleaning fun! Still it is a luxury for a good barista to have it and not an excuse, not to clean the portafilters every hour. A simple rinse under hot water, light wipe and all the coffee build-up is gone. The coating feels a little oily as any Teflon does, it is an amazing invention and is very efficient. I would like to see portaflon work on Teflon filter baskets next.

The word on the street is that La Marzocco will soon employ this technology in their standard group handle production, till that day you will have to flop out a lot of money to portaflon for these handy tools.

La Marzocco MD-5 Conical Grinder

2007-09-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

Last night I put my hands on a brand new conical La Mazrzocco MD-5 grinder. Here are my first impressions:

These grinders are made by an Italian company called Eureka, many of you will know the squire designs that they come up with, and La Marzocco have used their grinders in the past. I believe that Simonelli buy Eurika grinders also and modify them to their own style and stick labels on it. That is exactly what La Marzocco have done. The first thing that strikes you is the hopper, its made out of glass and has a much smaller hole on the top, unlike the mazzer hoppers for example. I haven’t cleaned it yet, but guessing that it would be rather challenging and the best way would possibly be to stick it into the dishwasher. The body of the grinder is gloss coasted steal and they come in black (MD-5) and red (MD-80). There is not reference for the red one yet, but just wait a month or so and it will all be official. After a long days use the body attracts coffee grounds due to build of static electricity, even right at the back of the grinder. This is something I’ve never experience with a mazzer grinder or any other grinder for that matter, it’s not a big issue and easily fixed with a damp cloth.

The grinder is pretty fast and the engine doesn’t make that much noise, the dosing leaver is very noisy and you can really hear the click! If you are constantly dosing it can irritate the customers. The doser design is very simple, similar to mazzer. It has a plastic rim on the top, so if you place your group handle on the top to flick excess grounds, it doesn’t damage the grinder or your handle. The windows on the dosing chamber are made out of glass and are easy to clean. The best part of this grinder is the dosing itself, it is nice and straight and doesn’t spray the grounds all over the place, giving you less wastage. This was a real big issue with all mazzar grinders that I used, they really need to work on the dosing!

The grinder runs relatively cool all the time and has no issues overheating. At the shop where I am testing the grinder they have two of them, and apparently one day the new MD-5 decided to stop working for 5 minutes. I am guessing it takes a rest when it reaches a certain temperature, which in a way could be a good thing. This hasn’t happened to me yet so I am not sure if it’s a technical fault.

Operation is simple, you have a ON/OFF switch as well as the manual START button. For the grinder to start you need to do 3 click, this is a good function as it gives you a chance to clean your doser before the next dose. If your doser is clean already and you don’t want to do 3 clicks you can simply press the manual START button which will also activate the grinder, however that button doesn’t stop the grinder you have to turn it off with the switch. The system takes a little while to get use to but once you get use to it I found that it is more efficient than the mazzer system.

Grind adjustment is very easy, a simple wheel mechanism, a classic standard that Eurika always used.

This grinder is extremely easy to clean, unlike the mazzer the opening to the conical blades is much smaller. Real easy to get into with a brush. You don’t need to take it apart completely, avoiding having to adjust the grind every time.

Positives: Design, straight (no waste) dosing, quite engine, easy to clean, design of the doser.

Negatives: The body attracts grinds (due to static electricity and paint finish of the grinder), the dosing click is very noisy, hard to clean hopper.

If you’ve been waiting for a really good, easy to use, easy to clean grinder, then this one is for you. These are so new that there isn’t much reference about it on the internet so I cant even get the specs and profiles but I’m sure that La Marzocco will put it on their website after the Coffee Exhibition in Milan that is taking place on 18th of October. I will get more specs and post them on my blog later on.

Barcelona Espresso Run

2007-09-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

Visited: 4/09/07

Spanish people are very active coffee drinkers. Every bar, café, restaurant has an espresso machine. The market for coffee is amazing and from what I noticed; in the mornings its strictly espresso or cortado. As a matter of fact it seems to be the case through out the day. The palate for the espresso is very much sub par. It is a real shame to see such a big city being so behind with anything and everything modern espresso should look and taste like. Many will argue with me, at the end of the day if it tastes good, than its good espresso, RIGHT?? Well trust me, what I’ve seen and experienced in other cities was much much better than Barcelona. All criticism aside, here is how I rated the shops that I went to.

After doing some crafty research on the internet, talking to roasters, growers and baristi; I was left with few places to visit. Café Central which is a 3 store espresso chain in Barcelona and Cafes El Magnifico which is a rostery/coffee shop. So with those 2 on my list I was in hope of further reference, but unfortunately even the roster Salvador Sans struggled to recommend a café that will serve a decent espresso shot.

Café Central (C/ Calvet 3) – this is a very interesting espresso bar, one long bar bench where people have their espresso or cortado and go. It is not the kinda place where you are welcome to hang out for hours. There are no seats outside, so you end up making way for others to order their drinks and move away. They don’t go through a whole lot of coffee; possibly 40kg a week, but turn over a lot of clients. The reason being is their dose amount. A single espresso shot will come out of a single group with a 7g filter basket (one grinder click). They use LaSpaziale machines which are running way too hot and end up burning the coffee through the extraction. The coffee is on a weaker side and they tend to run a long shot making the crema very pale. Never the less, the coffee is very much drinkable and is much better than other coffee shops around town. Having said that, most places will still use 7 grams out of a single portafilter.

There is a trick about this shop, raining Spanish barista champion Chiara Nicolini works there and she has a Compak K-3 Elite grinder, which she used when I was there the 2nd time. This grinder was tuned very much for her competition practice. She used a double group handle with a 16 gram basket and used a “proper” dosing technique. She packed just on the 16g line and pulled very decent shots. I thoroughly enjoyed my espresso, the unfortunate factor is that noone else knows how to use that grinder and they refuse to come close to it. I suggest you find out what time Chiara is working and go in for a coffee, she will treat you to something special – I promise! This blend was heavy, full of body, sweet. The coffee is roasted by Salvador at El Magnifico, not very dark taken up to the 2nd crack.

Cafes El Magnifico (C/ Argenteria 64) - the location of this coffee shop is very cental. It is located in the old town of Barcelona and is easy to find on the map. This coffee shop/rostery some what reminded me of Monmouth in London. The owner, Salvador Sans manages the shop and roasts coffee almost every day of the week. They offer lots of single origin coffees as well as few espresso blends. There have a little SACO espresso machine, nothing special and the coffee is not very good out of it, but then again his market is not in selling espresso but in selling whole roasted coffee beans. I guess that is the reason it reminds me of Monmouth and also long rich history that this shop carries. You can really feel it as soon as you step inside, its been there since 1919. You will be amazed by the coffee cup collection he has on the wall. Salvador invited us to go inside while he was roasting some single origins, he even treated us to something special, 2nd place Columbian coffee from cup of excellence competition in 2006. I took a small batch of it home, so will be trying it in a couple of days time.

This place is well worth visiting, Salvador is very happy to meet new people and show you around his rostery.

I had lots of fun in Barcelona, got to hang out with amazing people like Chiara and Salvador and even randomly bumped into Bronwen Serna (2004 US barista champ) We had lots of fun getting lost in in this big city and hunting down amazing foods, hahaha good times! Be warned though, if you are a milk drinker or tap water drinker – both are not drinkable. All coffee shops use long life pasteurised milk, which tastes revolting!

Reg Barber Tamper Bases (Metal Evaluation - First look)

2007-09-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

For a long time now I’ve been willing to get a new C-Flat tamper base, the question for me was which metal?

Reg Barber offers a few different metals: Brass, Copper, Aluminium and Stainless Steel. This debate got really confusing, as there was absolutely no information available about different metals on any of the coffee forums.

So here I am with all the different metals at my disposal, I will give you my first thoughts and further evaluate each one of the metals for durability and inspect the factory finish and the surface of the metal after general use. It will be interesting to see how different metals will tarnish.

Inspecting the mass:

Brass and the copper are the heavyset metals, their mass is roughly the same with brass being a slightly heavier metal. Stainless steel is slightly lighter, but aluminium is considerably lighter than all the other metals.

I will use my scales later on and put in exact mass for each of the bases, but for now here is the order:

Brass (58.1mm)
Copper (58.2mm)
Stainless Steel (58.0mm)
Aluminium (57.8mm)

Visually all of the bases are impressive and here are few examples what they look like in the whole assembly with jarrah wooden and black aluminium anodised handle.

I really like the look of "black and gold" and also "black and silver" These are indeed beautiful no matter what base or handle.

Durability wests to come ... but for now continue to TARNISH LOOKS

Panama Coffee (multiple single estate) Blend

2007-09-11T05:30:00.000-07:00

The coffee I am drinking today comes from multiple single estates in Panama from last years harvest. This is a very special batch! As many of you would know Panama coffees always rate very high and rightfully so this coffee is amazing.

14 days from its roast - I decide to pop open my small stash of lightly roasted coffee from Panama, and put it through my evasolo.

Straight out of the bag - roasted beans smell, milk chocolate and mixed floral bouquet. Time to put it through my evasolo. I really love my new toy, for those of you who don’t know what it is … well its like a fancy version of a plunger “French Press” but it has a cone metal filter that stops coffee grounds to pass through. The reason I love it is because it looks great and it JUST WORKS!! Simple to use :) Its amazing to watch your fresh coffee bloom!

OK coffee is ready to drink … after 4 minutes of brewing the crust is thick and as soon as you break it a rush of fruity and citric aroma with a slight hint of berry hit your nose. In the cup it smelt pretty much the same with a hint of tea notes, possibly jasmine. The enzymatic profile was amazing, on the tongue the coffee was very lively, but particularly hitting the back palate with light floral, almost orange peal acidity. As it cooled down the balance of amazing sweetness and acidity stood out even more, no wonder this coffee is in high demand among specialty. The finish was clean and crisp very subtle almost tea like with lingering, gentle acidic sweetness.

This coffee is reason to wake up earlier every morning!

SIC Exhibition 2007 - Milano

2007-09-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gents … as from today, it is now confirmed that I am going to be attending “The International Coffee Exhibition” in Milan. I am arriving on Thursday night 17th of October, so few days earlier. Anyone else going???? Let me know. I will be working for espressowarehouse at their stand - come and visit! I would also like to thank Gary for this opportunity!

Happy Birthday B-Java

2007-09-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

Visited: 15/04/07

I would like to congratulate B-Java (5510 Lafayette Rd. Indianapolis) on their first birthday. BJ, the owner of the shop, recently celebrated a successful first year of her coffee shop.

I never reviewed this café because it didn’t fit into my "Purdue Run" and unfortunately B-Java is the ONLY quality espresso bar in Indianapolis, so by me visiting it, wasn’t much of a run to compare it with any other place. I was absolutely amazed by quality of espresso that BJ was producing.

BJ has been around the coffee industry for a long time, she is also a certified SCAA judge and has judged barista competitions at Chicago coffee festival. BJ has a very high quality work ethic and is passionate about what she does. You can sense real warmth inside B-Java. She has very regular and loyal customers, even Matt Riddles parents go to B-Java to get their coffee and that says a whole lot, haha despite them being good friends. There is a starbucks on the same shopping lot but it’s no competition for B-Java, if anything it attracts more customers that taste the difference.

BJ has a really nice setup inside the shop; 2 group WEGA along side a bunch of mazzer grinders. She is also running naked portafiltes. I’ve worked with few WEGA machines back in the day and must say that if you know how to use it properly you can pull really nice shots and that’s exactly what BJ does day in and day out!

The coffee is roasted in Indianapolis so it is always fresh, from what BJ told me it peaks around 7 day mark. She is using a blend called Café Vera, which is a well-balanced, full-bodied blend. From memory my espresso was very rich and smelt coco and milk chocolate. The taste was more of toasty nuts with light berry acidity right at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can definitely say that it was the best espresso I have had in Indiana.

Once again I wish B-Java a Happy Birthday and lots of success in the future. When you are in Indianapolis B-Java is on your “must to go to” list.

Srockholm Coffee Academy

2007-08-31T11:02:00.001-07:00

Visited: 30/08/07

I got a chance to visit Stockholm's coffee academy, it is a very special place. If you like LaMarzocco you are in heaven. THE Marzocco technician Magnus occupies this space with fantastic toys. The space is just spectacular, lots of room to throw massive parties, and from what I hear they often do! There is a big kitchen and even a shower! Costas Pliatsikas actually lived and trained at the academy prior to the 2007 WBC.

On the left hand side there is a fully automatic Diedrich roaster, David got it started and we roasted some coffee, here is a short video (30MB) of coffee coming out just before the 2nd crack. It was fun to see a fully automatic roaster in action. All the graphs and curves are updated on the large colour screen so you visually pick and choose the profile you are trying to achieve. The graphs are awesome as you get a pretty accurate reading of when the coffee bottoms out. We also roasted coffee on a fully automatic mode, all you do is pick what coffee you are roasting from a preset list hit roast and walk away :) It all worked out, nice way to take skills required out of the equation. These are my first steps into roasting and must admit, I am getting hooked on it!!!

Magnus services and distributes machines so he has few new machines there as well, he has a spanking new 4 group FB80 in white. Very special indeed, would love to have one of them in my kitchen! The other two group FB80 is for "personal use" along side mazzer robur indeed a nice combo. I believe Costas was practicing on that machine, its tuned really well .8 restrictors - the whole deal! Pulled few nice shots out of it, very cool!

There is a display wall full of interesting things. Books, tampers and various tools. Le Nez Du Cafe kit has caught my nose, I am very much into smelling, perhaps i will suggest one of these kits to mum for Christmas.

This coffee academy is very private, you need to be invited to go there. There is no education taking place in it for the public so I am not sure why they call it an academy. Its more like a really spacious service centre with cool toys and gadgets.

Kenya AA Gethumbwini

2007-08-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Kenya AA Gethumbwini - roasted 20.08.07

Although this blog was dedicated to my espresso runs ... I have decided to spice it up with some extra posts to keep you guys in the loop of my interesting doings :) From now on I will throw in few random coffee thoughts as well ... enjoy

soo ... my coffee of the week will have to go to Gethumbwini.

First time I had it fresh 2 days from its roast, it carries a lot of heavy blackcurrant smell and thats very much reflected in the cup, very sharp and distinct from all the other flavours. As it cooled down it picked up amazing berry-like acidity and carries through nicely, with a sweet, slightly smoky finish.

10 days past ...

The blackcurrant smell is even stronger and is just captivating! On the palate the blackcurrant really really stands out however mellows out into pleasant lingering citric aftertaste. The mouthfeel is just amazing, very creamy and rich, mmmm... the smokiness was gone and the finish was much cleaner.

This is really something special, absolutely adore this

Norway – Oslo (Part 1)

2007-08-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

Visited: 08/08/07

Norway – Oslo (Part 1)

I was going to Oslo with very high expectations, but never did I imagine having such a wonderful experience. Oslo is recognised as the best city in Europe for having wonderful espresso and rightfully so. It was fascinating to see how much different Oslo espresso is from the rest of the world, a very specific palate for lightly roasted coffees with bright acidic notes.

Tim Wendelboe (Grünersgate 1) – the name really speaks for itself. Straight off the plane this is the first place that I went to. It is a little tricky to find but if Tim is roasting you can let your nose guide you there. This shop has been long anticipated by many people in the coffee industry, as you might know Tim won the 5th annual world barista title in 2004 and he is all about perfection. This espresso bar/micro-roastery is a paradise to any barista. I saw it as an amazing playground with expensive toys but never the less they mean serious business there! You tend to loose your eyes among all the trophies on the wall while anxiously waiting for your espresso. Finally it was in front of me - the long awaited shot of coffee but I will get to what I thought of it a little later …

Tim has an amazing space that he designed himself, a luxurious bar with wide work benches. The machine is perfectly lifted for a barista to work, even the customers bar fits the shape of the magnificent Marzocco FB80. I was the first guest barista behind that bar and am very proud of that fact. This FB80 is like no other, it is custom built according to Tims order, you can trigger each group to run at different set temperatures allowing the machine to function like a synesso. The word on the street is that La Marzocco soon will have that option available for customers on demand. Mind you, Tim also re-wired the whole place just to have his grinders running on 3 phase, so of cause he has a Mazzer Robour. In his cupping lab he has a small PROBAT microroaster that has never been used yet and a GS3 that is an absolute eye candy of a machine! You can tell by the picture how much geekiness there is in the setup, did anyone notice how far away the grinder is from the machine haha. Anyway Tim loves that machine and pulls very decent shots on it, the only thing is the boiler is awfully close to the top surface, so the cups get extremely hot. La Marzocco have tried to insulate the boiler but the heat from it is still great. You could say that this espresso bar was designed by a real coffee geek and rightfully so Tim is a pioneer in latest and greatest. Even his water filters through a special stone allowing him to sweeten it. This way he can afford to roast lighter and allow natural acidity to shine through with water sweetening the overall balance, all fascinating nerdy stuff but the end result is so damn worth it!

So espresso … the roast was very fresh when I tried it so we didn’t get the best out of the coffee as I had mentioned in my “Espresso Cupping with Tim Wendelboe” blog post, please read it and relate to it. The coffee had a distinct aroma of blueberry bouquet, and on the palate that fruity acidity, with slightly smoky feel and texture due to freshness of the coffee. I bought a small bag of beans to take home with me to Sweden, to test the espresso again and get maximum out of it at the right time. I have tried it when it was 3 weeks from its roast and I must say the results were mind-blowing. Although I didn’t have all the gadgets Tim does I was still able to pull an amazing shot on the trusty FB80.

The coffee was showing light oils due to its light roast, I pulled shots like Tim would, dosing just on the 18g line with a finer grind allowing the shot of espresso to run for its full length right through the colour change. He specifically designed it this way so it would be unfair to judge it otherwise. Having aged the coffee; the smokiness was no longer present, instead I was treated to an array of new flavours and much smoother tasting espresso. The smell evolved from very floral into a fruity almost citrus-like aroma. On the palate it very much reflected that natural fruity acidity with an amazingly smooth taste right to the last drop. I was very impressed how delicious it was with milk too … this time I used Swedish milk which is 100 times better than Norwegian milk. I don’t normally judge coffee by adding milk but this was spectacular. Not a hint of bitterness or unpleasantness, very smooth with milk adding on additional sweetness, really enjoyed it!

I simply have to bow to Tims efforts and achievements, this is the guy that was and is my idol through the very start of my coffee days. I am very blessed to have visited him, although it was only for few days I learnt so much. This espresso bar sits right at the top of my list of places that I have visited. Ten out of ten!

Continued: Norway – Oslo (Part 2)

Norway – Oslo (Part 2)

2007-08-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Visited: 08/08/07

This is the continuation from my previous blog from my Oslo visit, so if you haven’t read it yet - please read it before you read this one …

I already spoke about the best espresso in Oslo and that was Tim Wendelboe's place so refer to this post please.

The second favourite espresso bar in Oslo was from Stockfleth's (Karl Johans Gate 25), their coffee is roasted by Solberg & Hansen, a large coffee roaster supplying for lots of espresso bars in Oslo. The coffee was really good, once again pushing espresso all the way, getting that natural acidity to shine through in the cup. The coffee had more body and was much sweeter than the one at TW. From what I gathered a slightly darker roast (leaning towards medium) and more brazil driven coffee, very nice and I believe would pull great as a ristretto also, if you desire.

These guys are the pioneers of Norwegian espresso tradition so it’s a must on your list! The shop inside has a great display of trophies all over the walls, mind you all the trophies that Tim Wendelboe won are now gone, but still there are tons and tons!

A place Kaffeefuglen (Universitetsgaten 2) didn’t make a good first impression on me, as you walk in you see, a well looked-after FAEMA machine, and an arsenal of paper take-away cups. So I was expecting the barista to serve me my espresso in a paper cup. Some how he sensed that I was a little serious about my coffee so I got a special treat in shot measure glass. The coffee was outstanding, they actually buy the Stockfleth's blend and make a good job out of it.

The reason they only have take-away is due to one of the health regulations in Norway. If you don’t have a toilet or a dishwasher than you can’t have any crockery or cutlery. I think on special request they let you enjoy your coffee out of a measure shot glass, as long as noone finds out its all good so shhhh … don’t tell the chief health inspector, haha.

You are almost guaranteed an excellent cup at a place called Mocca Kaffebar (Ullevålsveien 47), once again an espresso bar with its own rostery in house! It is really fascinating and has lots of feel to it. Nice coffee equipment well knowledgeable staff and the coffee is fantastic. There is a little trick though, this place is really hard to find, windows are not labeled at all and there is absolutely no signs outside, so its really easy to walk past. It’s a really strange philosophy to employ as a shop owner, however this espresso bar rates right at the top of the weekly coffee consumption in Oslo.

Java (Niels Juels gate 70) is a really awesome espresso bar. This shop is owned by the same guys that own Java so once again no signs on the windows, so be very observant looking for this place. I myself walked right past it. As soon as you walk in you see 2 eye catching things. First thing is a custom painted La Marzocco linea which is fantastic to look at and the second things you see is the clover! I was really excited to see the clover as not many people have them in Europe, not to mention using it in an espresso bar. The clover sits far away on the back bench and looks very lonely. Unfortunately for the clover it gets very little use if any. The wall of single origins is great it really is too bad that people in Oslo are not drinking drip coffee.

The coffee is roasted “inhouse” at the java location as the owners are the same, the espresso is also great and staff jump around from place to place, so the skills and quality are there.

One more place definitely worth going to is United Bakeries (Bogstadveien at Majorstua), it’s a brand new store with 2 x four group FB70 and a big inhouse roaster with a spectacular cupping room, with latest and greatest. The shop is more of a museum of new and old coffee machines. On the back wall they have a whole lot of different coffee gadgets and its really interesting. The coffee itself wasn’t as good as the other place I went to but more or less drinkable!

You will notice that 5 out of 6 coffee shops roast their own coffee … that is amazing!!! There must be such a competition going on between micro-rosteries that’s why the coffee standard in Oslo is extremely high. This city was amazing and the people have a great palate for true espresso. I guess you could compare Oslo to Seattle except in Oslo baristi are more focused and professional in a sense that they treat their job more like a privilege, I respect that very much. If you are serious about your coffee you cannot go past Oslo!

One perfect day ...

2007-08-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Today I got a chance to visit David Haugaard at his roasting facility! It was a lot of fun watching David roast different blends and see the whole process from the side :) It is amazing how much care and love he puts into every single step, no wonder they call him the best in the business! The roasting facility is really well planed out to the very fine detail, even the water sprinklers in case of fire emergency in the pipes! Green coffee is nicely stored in divided chambers and sucked through the pipes into a PROBAT roaster, all good fun I must say! Also got a chance to play around with a BG5 upstairs in the cupping room and bought an evasolo as a present for myself ...

so like i said ... one perfect day!

Espresso Cupping with Tim Wendelboe

2007-08-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

Visited: 08/08/07

Tim had just come back from WBC in Tokyo and has brought over 2 bags of roasted coffee with him. Paul Bassett - Signature Blend and Counter Culture – Tuscano so we paced them out along side Tim’s espresso blend.

Paul Bassett - Signature Blend

Tim quickly rushed over to his LaMarzocco GS3 and started to pull shots. The machine was tuned to 93C. Once everything was set to go Paul Bassett signature blend was up first. I reviewed this blend not long ago and was anxious to compare my tasting notes to the ones I had made earlier in my blog. The obvious difference was the place where the beans were roasted. The PB blend that I reviewed was roasted in Adelaide and the one that Tim brought over was roasted in one of the PB stores in Japan.

This particular bag was roasted in Japan on the 29th of July so was 11 days from roast, visually the coffee looked great with rich oils that have come through. The roast itself was a little darker as to the one Tony D’Angelo roasts in Adelaide. The beans smelt fantastic, very distinct caramel aroma was just mind-captivating. Everyone in the room was anticipating something very special. The blend itself is designed for a ristretto with coffee packed right up to the 18g line, so Tim pulled a few longer shots to get more of an espresso feel to it, still having to updose but not as much as they do in Japan. The coffee was noticeably different to what I have reviewed earlier last year, not too sure if the selection of beans has changed however the robusta bean was still present perhape 5% to 7% to give the coffee more body and hold the crema a little better.

As expected espresso was very dense and rich - full of crema that held for a very long time, due to its roast profile and selection of beans. The smell reflected the taste; distinct toasted nuts on the smell carried and lingered on the palate. The last drops were an explosion of blueberries mellowing out into sweet acidity with hints of dark chocolate. This espresso was all about mouthfeel and lingering aftertaste, very velvety with great depth and complexity right through to the last drop

Counter Culture - Tuscano Espresso Belnd

I believe that I have come through this blend in NYC at 9th street espresso. I am pretty sure they use Tuscano. There was something not right about this coffee, might have been to do with the fact that it had to travel to Japan from the USA and then a long journey to Norway. It might have been checked into heavy luggage on the way to Japan and could have been ruined from temperature changes, it was 3 weeks from its roast so should have been ok.

It was nothing to what I tasted in NYC very fruity and grassy on the smell and the teste was rubbery with sharp acidic edge that wasn’t very plesant. The crema dicepated almost straight away, so I am sure it wasn’t the best example of Counter Culture coffee, but that’s ok I’ve seen the best of it in NYC so by all means I am not doubting its capabilities. Too bad it didn’t shine through on the day!

Tim Wendelboe - Espresso Blend

This coffee was 3 days from its roast and was still very fresh, so it didn’t come out at its best but never the less was outstanding. You will notice the breakdown is right there on the bad. Tim has no secrets from anyone – what you see is what you get! He told me that he is still learning so has plenty to share and plenty to learn from others. Just by looking at the lable you can tell that this blend was designed for espresso, to add the natural acidic note to the coffee. The beakdown of sweet brazil is only 42% so I wasn’t expecting a very sweet or full bodied coffee.

The coffee was very lightly roasted with slight oils showing. Due to freshness the crema was pretty bright in colour and had dissipated very quickly. The coffee was very grassy and smokey as it was a little too young, showing distinct notes of berry acidity. Overall the espresso was very delicate and well balanced with great though and complexity throughout the cup.

The stand out of the day was PB signature blend, this coffee is all about the mouthfeel and a large spectrum of different flavours. I also loved the rich crema that held for a very long time, excellent!

My second favourite was Tims espresso blend and my least favourite out of the 3 was counter culture blend.

London Espresso Run

2007-08-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

Visited: 02/07/07

LONDON

Before I jump into the espresso side of things I would like to give you a little bit of history about London and its coffee. I have spoken to one of the roasters from Monmouth and she told me a lot of great things that I didn’t know before.

Well, the local coffee monopoly is held by a company called Mercanta they import green beans. One of their loyal clients who also happen to be a roaster are called Monmouth. The selection of roasted beans is vast in single origins and few blends for espresso. Basically from what I’ve been told Londoners are use to freshly brewed coffee and Monmouth has been doing that for years and years before putting an espresso machine into their store. So a typical Londoner has a palate for a single origin cup of coffee that they can always get at Monmouth for example. The espresso market is starting to grow through out London. Unfortunately only a handful of places will serve you a great cup and the winners are …. haha

My London favourite would have to go to a place called Flat White (17 Berwick St. SOHO) This place is ran by a guy called Cam, he moved from New Zealand to open this shop. From what I’ve been told Cam was trained by Paul Bassett back in the day and it really shows from endless collapsing and generous coffee dosing that Flat White employ.

Using 2 x two group Linea – Mazzer combination baristi are very familiar with equipment and use all the right extraction methods. They use Monmouth espresso blend which is a medium roast consisting of 100% arabica, the espresso or rather ristreatto is very complex in flavours. The fruity, slightly rubbery smell really reflects in the cup. The last drops of the espresso are the best part very interesting acidic almost nectar like sweetness is mind-blowing really. Staff at Flat White are really friendly and Cam is a top bloke who is willing to talk to ya for hours and hours. Their latte art is on the money most of the time and great consistency all round makes this espresso bar what it is. Oh and did I mention they serve flat whites haha.

espresso price: £1.70GBP expensive right ?? that’s about $3.4USD

Monmouth Coffee Co. (27 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden) really is a coffee shop, their prime market is in selling beans. The specialise in drip coffee making, they use melitta cups with filters so the coffee is freshly ground and hot water is poured over the top, hard to get it wrong, that’s the beautiful thing about melitta drip cups. They have a variety of different single origins and even throw in seasonal specials and to rotate their stock they do a brew of the day, so the customer gets to try something different every single day. A really cool concept. They employ the same idea at both of their locations, the other shop is in Borough Market (2 Park Street, Borough). Both of the shops are worth visiting, I recommend experiencing a few different single origins through the filter before moving on to espresso, you will like it believe me!

Ok espresso side of things … from what I’ve gathered espresso for Monmouth is almost like a sidekick. They only have espresso machines because the clientele has developed a palate for it, however as I am told they much rather not even have espresso all together. Both shops have Linea machines and Mazzer grinders. Sadly there wasn’t a single barista working in the shop that had passion or knowledge about espresso, so the shots were very average, coffee would gush out and you get an overextracted shot of coffee every time. Deep inside though you can sense the fruity light acidic notes just like at Flat White. It really is amazing how much of a difference you get between flat white and Monmouth espresso wise.

One thing I didn’t like about Monmouth is that they leave their coffee exposed to the air all the time, the coffee that they sell behind the counter sits in massive plastic buckets. Would be nice to see them seal all the coffee after roasting for freshness sake.

espresso price: £1.00GBP Much cheaper than Flat White, Filter coffee i believe is £2.00GBP

Bar Italia (22 Frith St, SOHO) a very traditional Italian espresso bar, with cool 3 group piston machine with very Italian philosophy. These guys have been there since 1946. I make you coffee like my great great uncle Mario use to make it in Milano and you are gonna like it! So of cause the coffee is imported from Italy, the shots are gushing out and the end result is sub par. But hey … go there for experience, great atmosphere and nice Italian pastry.

There is one more espresso bar that I would like to mention, sadly after a month of living in London I never went there. It is called Climpson & Sons (67 Broadway Market, Hackney) and I hear great things about it. The owner use to work for Flat White so I am guessing expect a similar cup, but don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself.

Airbrushing Mazzer Major

2007-08-12T14:21:00.001-07:00

Airbrushing Mazzer Major

I always wanted to make a blog about my little grinder do, but its been too long since I’ve done it so I didn’t have the motivation to blog it up. Its about time I get it out of the way, I guess I need to thank Tim Wendelboe for a tiny bit of encouragement. This one is for you Tim .. haha

Ok so here is the story … I bought a Mazzer Major grinder on e-bay, it was cheap so it turned out a good deal overall. When this grinder got to me; it was in a pretty bad shape. You could tell straight away that it has been used an abused on so many different levels. The guy that actually sold it to me hasn’t even cleared out the left over grounds of coffee. The grinder mechanism was in good comdition but the blades were worn out. So here I am cleaning it with a compressor and everything. I decided to restore the grinder completely, this is what I did to it:

Airbrush designs:

I wanted to do something special on the grinder, something simple. Many people recommended patterns such as flames or tribal art, but I wanted it unique. After all its not a car. So it came down to two conclusions: pink panther or pac-man. Both were pretty easy to sketch in illustrator and very original. I decided to go with pac-man as I had more flexibility to come up with my own design and really make it complicated and interesting all the way around. But then still why pac-man?!?! Well every one knows it and has played it on Atari so why not …? Here you can see my illustrator sketches of the mock maze which was later lightly modified by my airbrush artist.

Taking the beast apart:

As you see the grinder body has lots of chips and dents and its not the prettiest thing to look at either.

First steps first … I stripped the grinder completely and unwired everything. Taking the coil way a pain in the ass, I didn’t follow any internet instructions but someone recommended putting it in the over for the metal to expand and that way the could slips out with slight force. So if you ever get around to taking it out, you might wanna do that …

Laying coats:

I needed to sand little chips and imperfections over for the paint to be nice and even. So I put 3 coats of undercoat and sanded all the imperfections, on the last photo you can see that everything is smooth and ready to be painted black! Be sure to air spray everything, you will get a nice even result through out the project. I did 3 coats of black paint, I actually used a matt car paint to give it a more sexy appeal. The whole thing will be clear-coated at the end so plenty of smoothness … just wait and see.

The airbrushing:

From here I took it over to my airbrush artist. I have given him all my illustrator vector designs so he was able to cut out stencil and get the job done, he has personally told me that it’s the craziest smallest project he has ever seen. He even requested photos which I believe are on his website. This guy has never heard or seen a coffee grinder in his life so for him it was a challenge to paint around the sides and making it look shmick! As you can see everything turned out according to plan. On one of the photos you can see my new-bodied beast sucking up 80kg of coffee to season the new blades.

I hope you had fun browsing through photos and if you have any further questions please let me know … I am always open to tips and help so shoot …

I guess I will take this opportunity to thank a few people, it is indeed an impossible task getting this done on your own so here it goes.

Dan thanks for helping me take everything apart and then putting it back together, your shed is indeed a goldmind haha and don’t worry about the clicker wheel, I got a new one :)

Sammy, my best buddy – we sprayed and we sprayed … got it all done in the end, cheers for your help mate

Guys at the airbrushing studio … you guys rocked did an awesome job!

Tony D’Angelo thanks for providing me with a ton of robusta to season my blades

And last but not least Tim Wendelboe for poking my motivation with a stick

Comments anyone??

Toronto

2007-07-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

Visited: 08/06/07

After spending over a week in Seattle I made my way to Toronto. Having done my crafty research on places to visit I had a pretty slim list. Actually only two places that conducted my list; Dark Horse espresso bar and Bulldog coffee but there were more you just have to know people.

I made it to Bulldog Espresso Bar (88 Granby Street) first, they have an old La San Marco machine there which is running way too hot … the extraction was way too inconsistent but the coffee was drinkable but not so great. There in the shop I met Amber Fox … a very passionate barista with a natural latte art skills. Amber organised a little coffee people gathering at Matt Lee’s house but that’s a whole another blog … so for my “must to visit place” will have to go to Bulldog in first place. Ever since I’ve been there, they actually re-decorated the front bar, they have a website and you can find some photos on there, look much nicer than it did before. http://www.bulldogtoronto.com/

Mercury Organic Espresso Bar (915 Queen St) would have to come 2nd for me … the coffee that I got was surprisingly good .. although running an Elektra machine the extraction was decent.

Very close third is Dark Horse (682 Queen Street East) a very communist like decorations give it a very interesting vibe. The coffee was nothing special, they have an Elektra machine also.

Another place might be worth visiting is Cherry Bomb (67 Roncesvalles Avenue), it’s a very small shop with no toilet and Toronto has a rule, if you don’t have a toilet you cant have ceramic cups. So your poorly extracted espresso shot will swim in a paper cup. But don’t worry there is a track bike on the wall to keep you company, you can feel very safe under it!

The main reason these shops don’t use better coffee machine is because there is noone to service them. The local roasters are good to an extent but will not go out of their way to make specialized roasts. The only option might be to import intelligentsia but it will be a very costly process, however there is a distributor in Toronto and his name is Matt Lee, did I mention he has a 2 group synesso at his house??? The main reason that I didn’t spend more time on the Toronto blog is because there is a very good article in the june/july 2007 issue of the barista magazine that basically thumbs it all up … get the magazine I strongly recommend reading the article.