WBC announces espresso machine and grinder sponsors

I will leave this with you for the Labor Day Weekend, here in the states.  OMG, this is ridicules.

Read up on this over at Andrew Hetzel’s site, as I don’t have time to get all the sources and everything and do a “full report.”  Looks like he did a great job, anyway.

Excerpt:

LONDON (August 29, 2008) – The world’s top baristas will test their coffee making skills in competition using the Nuova Simonelli Aurelia espresso machine and MAHLKÖNIG K30 espresso grinders at World Barista Championship events in 2009 – 2011.

Look, I am one to proclaim the following about both of the brands:

• Nuova Simonelli – Every single place, without any exception, I go and see these machines has the worst coffee one can imagine.  Especially their grinders.  IMHO, these are the machines people buy when they can’t or won’t afford for a real piece of equipment.
• MAHLKÖNIG – I know of two places that uses this in their bar and they do a great job.  I honestly don’t know anything more than that.  It doesn’t bother me at all one way or another  on the grinder.  MAHLKÖNIG or the current sponsor the Compak K-10.

Now that I have pissed everybody off, I am off on holiday.  G’day!

Ethiopian Korate – Crema Roasters

It is about time somebody other than me has written about this stellar coffee and more importantly this stellar roaster!  If Mark Prince would get a pound of this stuff he wouldn’t talk about Esmeralda nearly as much.

Be careful, he is like me,  Chemically Imbalanced!

The Espresso Quest

Espresso Quest

I think this book would be fantastic.  I belive the best thing for me to do is get the thing.  Insurator (what a name) is an Aussie who is just in love with espresso and coffee.  He is a buyer, consultant and works closely with the COE and such.  He is the one that made the $150-+ bid on the Hacienda La Esmeralda last year.

It is a bit expensive, but I imagine that it is well worth the price, in the long run.  Check it out on Amazon and the book’s website.

Excerpt:

“My scientific approach to espresso came from my training. I learned to carefully and laboriously weigh and set a commercial grinder to dispense a precise weight of coffee grinds, accurate down to a
tenth of a gram. What I have since come to realize is that the trouble with this method is that different roast colors and blends will have different densities. So, once the grinder is set for a particular roast,
it will need to be reset for one that varies even by a couple of points on an Agtron spectrophotometer scale. (A spectrophotometer, which measures roast color, is as essential to good coffee roasting as
a thermometer.)
“What I have found during my extensive experimentation, is that beans that look exactly the same
to the naked eye, can taste extremely diff erent depending on how those beans have been roasted. The
spread of difference between the color reading of the outside of the bean and the coffee inside, is also
critical to good flavor development and can only be measured accurately with a spectrophotometer.
I also learned during my scientific training that the speed at which the lever on the side of the
grinder is pulled will vary the amount of coffee that drops into the porta-fi lter. This too will vary
according to the coarseness or fineness of the coffee grinds. Dosing by weight rather than volume
reveals a lack of understanding of the ‘coffee press,’ which is absolutely necessary in order to make
a succulent espresso. This small, but important element, can make the brewing of espresso coff ee
a very inexact, frustrating, and elusive science.”

Wow, I knew that! LOL  Well, at least I “figured” it!

More blithering about aweful espresso. It is making me physically ill

Remember my post about Mickey’s Pastries in Goldsboro taking an add out in the paper for an experienced barista?  Well, what a bunch of crapola.

Look, gloves off.  I have been nice the past few weeks about going into places and getting espresso, capps and coffee that just sucks.  It would be different if I was going into a Starbucks or some cracked up truckstop, but I am going into places that should know better, but they don’t. After reading a post on the Barista Exchange entitled “you serve bad espresso…..an you should be ashamed…..igot razors in my car if you want” and then replying, I am just sick of bad espresso and coffee.  It isn’t that bad when it is some cracked up joint that doesn’t care (or doesn’t have a history of caring) for the products they sell, they just want to sell’em (like a convenience store: no reason to care if the coffee sucks or not).  But, it is sick, absolutely gut wrenching, when you go into a place historically renown nationwide as being a stalwart and essence of quality.  Mickey’s Pastry has two people that are Certified Master Baker’s, which it is a rarity to have two CMBs on staff.  She has been in Cooking Light Magazine and I have read the article.  There are only a few CMBs in the United States, period.

So, with the CMB background I would figure that Melanie Daniels (CMB) and Mickey’s Pastries would take the same care and effort and funnel that into espresso and coffee.  Of course I know there is a learning curve.  Of course I understand that it will not be perfect at first.  But, there are few essentials I truly figured they would have taken care of first and foremost.

I walked in and a young lady came up to the counter asking if she could help me.  I asked “Did you fill the barista position?”  She said, “What is that?”  And I pointed to the LM Linea.  She said, “Oh, no, Melanie does it.”  So, I said, “I can order an espresso then?”  She replied, “Yes.”

Melanie came out about two minutes later never making eye contact, never saying “hi.”  She ground the shot, never wiping the portafilter after coming out of the group and tamped it with an RB.  Never flushing the Linea.  Pulled the shot which “went blond” immediately and poured in about 12 seconds.  That Espresso Toscano was just literally massacred.  Then, to completely finish whacking any tendons that may have been holding the skull to the upper vertebrae she poured it into a Styrofoam cup.  Yeah, that is right…Styrofoam, not even a paper cup.  Because she didn’t bleed the temperature off of the machine it was surely boiling and I didn’t taste a thing but hot, muddy water.

After she pulled it, she never looked at me and put it up on the counter, starting to walk off I said, “Hey, Melanie!  Have you had a hard time finding a barista?  I saw your ad in the paper.”  She finally made eye contact with me and said the following twice, “No, we really don’t have a need.”  She then, turned about face and walked off.  Weird.  Just weird.

So, what did a walk in on here?  A tax write off?  I know she had at least $7,000 (if used) if not $12,000 (if new) worth of equipment.

Melanie, if your reading this?  Don’t get mad, get better.  Get some cups from espressoparts.com and find out as much about Espresso Toscano and coffee, how precious it is and how hard people work to make it spectacular, as you found out about the rest of your fantastic products in your bakery.  That bench with the coffee equipment is a black eye in that shop.  It is just as bad as having tray after tray of baked goods in your display and then on the end having some cakes that a three year old made with mommy. Another thing, about the equipment, there hardly any better equipment that can be purchased; There are a couple machines better and a few grinders better, but they are rarely chosen.  You have a La Marzocco Linea, a Mazzer Super Jolly and a Reg Barber Tamper.  You have the tools of about 80% (my number) of  the best professionals in the world.  Whether it is Murky Coffee in D.C, Octane in ATL, and the list just goes on and on, the LM Linea and the Mazzer SJ are the workhorses of fantastic coffee the world over.

And I am going to ask a serious question here: Where in HADES is Counter Culture Coffee here?  All that talk about espresso, coffee integrity and sustainability and all that.  Look guys, her whole bean on the shelf was roasted in mid-June.  I know you trained her, I could tell she had some practice.  But, what gives?  Are things so bad your salesmen have to talk people into purchasing the equipment that have no education in coffee, no compass to work off of regarding quality?  I know you sold her the drip blend for the walk-ins for years and that is fantastic.  It probably should have stayed right there.  I wonder how long it took you to talk her into the idea of buying $7k to $12k of equipment (or was it a write off).  You (CCC & Melanie) may say “is this any of your business?”  Yes, yes it is.  It becomes my business when I see somebody continuing the thought process in their customer’s mind that espresso is nasty and cappuccinos and lattes need two shots of syrup to hide the coffee.

I am just tired of seeing the same senario over and over and over with no “letting up.”  And on top of that, this time they dropped it right in my backyard.  I sit here looking at places where I would DIE to setup shop and create a fantastic product and atmosphere for people.  I sit here with no money and nobody with to develop a business.  Mrs. Daniels and CCC, if you desire, call me, write me, respond here or whatever.  Just Google me and get my address and phone number.  I am not hard at all to find.  Now, rip me.  Respond here and tell me what you were thinking.  Defend yourself.  Or just blow steam off on me.  Call me the idiot.  Call me the “coffee snob.”  Or you could call me (or somebody) up and ask for some advice.  You DO have a market.  And you CAN “have a need.”

Third Wave Coffee, a Conversion :: Intermission Thoughts

Nope, I haven’t even started to write part 2.  Why? Thanks for asking.  I have seen some things just in the past week, primarily in the past 48 hours, that makes my freak’n skin crawl.

I am talking about things that have nothing to do with anything but “Third Wave Coffee” people (or so they believe they are 3W).  I am still contemplating how to write part 2 and to be honest, some of the responses to Part 1 is making me rethink some things.

I am still converted, but saving faith is the easiest part.  The next step is living faith.

Double Shot’s Latte Art Competition $$$

Double Shot Cafe Latte Art Competition

$185!   Why not $200 or $150?

Anyway, take a look at this latte art competition sign they made.  Look at the dang picture of that latte art.  How in the world?

Mt. Victory Coffee and Tea

About a month ago, I was driving through a little town that I blaze right through very often when I am running produce back and forth from North Carolina to Michigan.  The town is Mount Victory, OH.  The little town has a website that is not your normal “home page” for a town, either.  To be honest, I just about hate, almost any “small town website” out there, including my own home town.  But, M.V has a nice site with some great information about the town.

Most importantly, the website is currently featuring the newest member of the business community.  It’s name: Mount Victory Coffee & Tea.

When I was blazing through for the first time in about a year I almost locked up the 18 brake drums on that truck at the stop light, even with the “green light” blaring at me and several trucks right behind me.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing: A coffee shop in the absolute middle of no where!

So, after about a month, I finally was able to drive through during business hours and I pulled over to the right across the street from the shop.  It is the old downtown type of building in small town mid-west America!  The building is a fantastic old antique shop that the new owners spent over a year tearing up so they could build up.  I wish I had pictures, but my HTC  Touch phone, for some reason, was malfunctioning on me.

Immediatly I met the owner, Jerry Salyer.  He had a local friend in their and they were just chatting and I came in desirous of espresso and capps.  I quickly looked around, very warey to get a look at the equipment and how well it was taken care of  before I ordered.  Sometimes I go in small places like this and the best thing to do is kindly ask for a Coke and walk out the door after paying! LOL!  But, Jerry had a brand new Rancilio two group machine and a Mazzer Super Jolly grinder.  Everything was extremely clean.  The Fetco system was brand new.  Everything was brand new.

I quickly asked about his roaster (Jerry, don’t hurt me, but I can’t remember the roaster) and I had never heard of them.  But, the espresso he provided me was rich, a bit dark for my taste, but it surely had some Sumatra there, as it had a bite.  There was a hint of chocalate as well, trying to round the roast off a bit.

I was impressed! But, I became more impressed with Jerry as time went along.  We talked about his desire: “To make the best, the very best, coffee and espresso in the area.”  I think “area’ is the key word.  If that is the desire, he has that tied right up, as there isn’t anything like his shop in over 100 miles, easily.  But, if you take “area” to be a vast large area of several hundred miles, he may have some competition in the up state, Columbus, and Cincinatti.  But, that is OK!  I like the attitude and at the rate he is going he can actually have the best coffee in the state.

He spent time at Coffee Fest ATL a short time ago and went to every lecture  he could and his partner and girlfriend did the same.  Every lecture dealing with anything, they were there.  He told me that it was his life’s goal to do this shop and now they are on there way.

No, there is no Latte art.  No Jerry didn’t even know what “Third Wave” meant.  And he doesn’t have any tatoos, that I could see.  But, Jerry is as Third Wave as you can be at this stage and as we talked about Third Wave principles and concepts, it was clear that Jerry has the same desires and wishes as we do.

Mount Victory Coffee & Tea is going to be just fine.  And, when in season, I am making my trips up and down that area (like in the morning!)  I can’t wait to stop by and have some espresso and capps with Jerry and the folks in Mount Victory, OH.

Upgraditis? Are you a sufferer of this painful problem?

I have a poll up on Home Barista asking the big question.  Some humorous results and replies.  Please participate!

Third Wave Coffee, a Conversion :: Part 1

Subtitle: First Wave, Second Wave, 2.5 Wave and Third Wave.

I intend on defining the Third Wave concept, adding some personal points to the definition and giving my experience with Third Wave.

Third Wave.  That just sounds cool, doesn’t it?  I guess the first time I heard of  the concept called “Third Wave” it must have been on the Portafilter.Net Podcast.  What is Third Wave?  The theory was first proposed by Trish Skeie of Zoka Coffee and I think the best summary of it that I can find is

“Her theory goes like this. The “First Wave of Coffee” was the post-World War II era, a time when coffee was simply consumed, not enjoyed. The war forced the production of quick, easy foods and instant coffee reigned supreme.

“The “Second Wave of Coffee” started in the late 1960’s with the birth of companies like Pete’s and then Starbucks. Specialty grade Arabica coffees began replacing lower grade Robustas as cutting-edge roasters and baristas gained appreciation for the nuances of different roasts and origins.

I would like to add here that I think that the second wave is also probably best described as a “selfish wave.”  A wave of wanting to be identified with a brand.  For example, not starting with, but surely popularly inserted into the Mike Myers movie called “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)“, Hollywood started placing $B in movies and TV spots all the time.  A practice which goes on to this day.  Even when they either can’t get the “rights” or get paid for it via product placement, studios regularly will take a cup with a $Buxy style logo on it and put a heat sleeve around the cup and stick that cup in a actor’s hands in front of the camera.  Thus, American’s, especially, follow the stars and therefore people want to be identified with pop culture.  I think it is safe to say Starbucks was a big part of “Pop Culture” in the United States for the past 10 or so years.

Here I will add “a wave;” or better called a ripple:  Two and a Half Wave (2.5 Wave).    These are the “coffee shops,” bakers, deli’s, restaurants and other various businesses who are trying their best to whore off of the crest of the Second Wave.  Who have no desire for coffee, may not even drink the stuff, and could care less about any thing we would consider “best practices.” Their coffee is usually, gush, worst than Dunkin, Starbucks, or anything else decidedly Second Wave.

“Fast forward to 2007 and we find ourselves here in the “Third Wave of Coffee”. According to Trish, it’s the evolution of coffee drinkers toward a deeper appreciation for the uniqueness of different coffees. Today it is quite common for customers to ask for a certain country of origin (Ethiopian, Sumtran, etc) when ordering their coffee. Here at our Coffee Bar, many of our customers know the name of the farming co-op that grows their favorite coffee along with the roast profile and other unique attributes of the bean.”

——source:
Jody Treter. (2007). Bean Activist: Third Wavers, Decommodification of Coffee, Retrieved 08/18/08, from source.

Here is a walk on Google regarding Third Wave and it is very much worth reading from several sites and blogs on this topic.

To put it simply, Third Wave coffee is the love and appreciation of coffee.  Whatever benifits the coffee as a final product and what is in the coffee’s best interest is at the heart of Third Wave coffee.  Everything and everybody involved every step of the way is centered on the coffee; Not a barista, a roaster,  not money, not a company, not an individual, not a farmer, broker or real estate agent is more important than the coffee that fills a cup at the end of the chain.  To me, that is Third wave coffee.

So, what is the fuss?  I really don’t know.  I listened to all of the pf.net podcast and one thing I could garner was is the fact that Jay Caragay (pf.net co-host) was always thinking the concept was b.s.  The problem with that podcast is you never know when one of the host, or both, are b.sing.  So, he may well have been fully behind the concept, but calling b.s for the fun of the show.  There is a couple podcast where Trish is on the air with the guys and at least one podcast that has Third Wave actually part of the debate of the show.  BTW, Trish had a blog on Zoka and I read her post regarding T.W, BTW I can’t find her blog,  at all – even through Google.

So, not willing to “commit” to the concept of Third Wave I reluctantly would talk about it amongst baristas, roasters, and other coffee lovers.  I just didn’t feel comfortable, in fact, I felt awkward.  As much as I love coffee, and even though I have a two group Faema in my house running off of 220v and plumbed in, plus a professional food grade Mazzer Mini, a professional grade EspressoCraft tamper and can pour latte art (read “trying”) I still don’t fit in with baristi.  So, therefore I don’t feel comfortable talking with them about Third Wave concepts.

Imagine John Riley talking smack about espresso.

When I go to Octane in ATL, (and guys don’t take this wrong) I don’t fit in at all.  I know it may be because I am the only one there that is just sitting there talking about coffee.  It also could be that I probably intimidate the “daylights” out of everybody because I just pulled up across the street with a 80,000 lbs truck!  “What is that trashy truck driver doing walking over here?”  Everybody else is buzzing around talking about all sorts of crap and the ONLY thing we have in common is the Toscano in the grinder and in the cup.  Every coffee establishment I go to that is decidedly Third Wave I feel like I am freaking people out when I start talking about coffee in a dedicated, knowledgeable fashion.  Sometimes they slow down at whatever they are doing, listen a little, and look at me funny.  All I probably have said at this point is “Wow, the chocolate notes in this espresso is rather prominent.  Kind of Brazilian in nature.  Almost has a Sumatran kind of ‘zing’ to it, dontcha think?”  By this time, the poor barista is thinking of calling the manager up as if I was a customer with a gun! Just think of John C. Reilly (Step Brothers the movie) or even Jack Black (All sorts of stupid stuff) walking in and talking like that?  You would stare too.

When I introduced myself at Coffee & Crema to Shannon, said, “Hi, my name is Wilson Hines, I am a “coffee geek.”  Shannon smiled and quickly stuck his hand out.  I didn’t know how else to introduce myself, I figured he needed to know I had high expectations, as geeks do.  We have been friends ever since!  Oh man, Shannon and I have had some crazy coffee discussions.  We even refer to the pf.net podcast like Bible verses, LOL!  Such as, “According to PF podcast 52 Jay said……”  I don’t know why Shannon and I mixed so well together, but we did.  But, when I packed the family in the car and went to both Murky locations in D.C I had a mixed bag of descriptor!  We went to Arlington first and they thought I had lost my mind dragging a wife and two kids 220 miles for a shot of espresso and a couple of capps.  What can I say, I wanted to see the place!  When I pulled up at the Pennsylvania Ave location they already knew we were on the way!  They welcomed us warmly.  It was odd, one place thought we were crazy and the other place was like Shannon’s reception, we really had a good time at the Penn Ave location.  I bet Liz pulled twenty shots of different grind settings.  We were trying everything in and out of “the book.”

Out of the remainder of places I have been, I have had more of the “odd” look than the “excited to see somebody who cares look.”

I still think we have a long, long, long ways to go in educating our baristas, even at a Third Wave shop like Octane, Open Eye, Coffee & Crema or anywhere else, and I am not so sure if we will ever get to the point the Third Wave concept envisions.  The fact of the matter is you must have employees.  The second matter of fact is you can’t do but so much to ensure those employees are truly in love with the product.  You can have certifications, mandatory training at a roaster or in-house, or any other method you want, but at the end of the day, you still have got to hire somebody and that somebody you have probably doesn’t come home at the end of the day after pulling shots to sit at the computer “learning lingo,” working Barista Exchange, and posting or whatever on Coffee Geek or Home Barista.   In fact, I think BE has had a good and effective impact on getting the Average Joe Barista online and communicating with others.  And lets face it, BE is decidedly Third Wave!  One thing I don’t buy about the Third Wave concept and I don’t know if this is a perceived idea of mine or a perceived idea of the industry; But, there is an idea that you have to be a screaming liberal, tree hugging, tattooed to death (tastefully or not), Bush hating, “rent a protester” that you would only imagine at a G8 Summit Protest!  Trust me, I am none of these.  I am not the guy on the opposite end of that rope either!

But, I am naturally a Third Wave coffee enthusiast and convert.

Next…”Two and a Half Wave,” what is going wrong and what we have got to do about it.

Furthering the NYC Debate: Escape from NYC

Thanks to Barista Mag

I guess we will have to wait and see…..

Barista Mag titled their article “Escape to New York.”  Me personally, I hope their right, but I think the “from” is probably going to be more accurate.

Search for the Best Mocha Latte In the World

That is the title of the site and I must say a rather good site.  It is the expidites of Nathan Slabaugh, a professional trombonist for a travelling circuis.  Like me, he gets the chance to get into some fascinating places…just trying to find a good cup of coffee!  He has a podcast and I must say I am impressed with the whole deal.  He carries a little notebook Cataloguing every experience. I have thought about doing that, but I don’t do it because I just figure I would forget it a couple of times and then wind up throwing it away!

A Roasting Stampede Headed Towards NYC

EDIT: This post is “in response,” so to speak, to this NYT article.  I knew I had forgotten something…

Stampede: A stampede is an act of mass impulse among herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd (or crowd) collectively begins running with no clear direction or purpose.

Wikipedia. (2008). Stampede: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Retrieved August 13,2008, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stampede.    (Kinda crazy, I have been reading about bibliography citations lately).

Trust me.  I am for properly sourced, quality, fresh roasted coffee like the next guy.  For crying out loud, I have misjudged my coffee supplies and I ran out today; Thus I am sitting here drinking a press pot of Starbucks Ethiopian Sidamo purchased yesterday from a $B chain store.  I feel like I could have prepared some Folgers and received the same results.  (BTW, off topic, but anybody follow that link?  Notice the ™ on the coffee name?  I wonder what could be going on with that?  Is it Starbuck’s Trade Mark or Ethiopia’s?)

So, we are all for fantastic coffee, right?  With the following names now throwing their hat into the roasting ring in N.Y.C, wouldn’t seem almost like a stampede; Doesn’t it almost seem to be over-saturation?  (Gush, I said over-saturation and NYC in the same sentence). Stumptown, Counter Culture Coffee, Ecco, Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle Coffee Company, Brownstone Beans, Café Grumpy, Abraço Espresso, and finally Ken Nye, owner of Ninth Street Espresso all wanting to roast in NYC and within the next 12 months.

Every single one mentioned talked about “signing leases” and moving right in to a facility.  Has anybody heard the portafilter podcast with Ken Nye of Ninth Street talking about just how hard it is to get a lease under $125 a square FOOT!  I must say that is the best podcast I have ever heard in my life, on any topic, and I have replayed it probably six times.  If I recall correctly, he made the comment “…most people from other towns come here and look around and scout it out and put a calculator to it and just go home.”  (Not a direct quote, but that was close).  I know I haven’t started a single coffee shop, and I haven’t even been to a coffee shop in N.Y.C.  Something I have had on a my “bucket list” for a couple years now.   Amazingly I was in Newark, NJ (10 miles from any coffee house in the City) probably 25 times from January to July this year and I couldn’t get across the Hudson to do accomplish the mission.  After he made those remarks, Ken also was asked “So, what is it going to take for more shops to open in New York City?”  And Ken came back with “A realestate collapse.”  I am telling you Ken is “the man” when it comes to the coffee business, IMHO. He is my A-Rod!  I have a Ninth Street Coffee Logo as my desktop image on my laptop.  He is just “doing the business” like I would want to do  the business.  No syrups, no 20 oz (or 16s either), no take out espresso, no…, no…., no…..  Just, NO!  They are the real Coffee Nazi’s of NYC and probably the East Coast.

So, was there a “realestate collapse” in NYC?  I don’t know, I imagine the nationwide realestate collapse, which has generally speaking been atrributed to family homes, isn’t scratching NYC.

Finally, my question is this: I know NYC is HURGE!  But, is there enough specialty coffee houses (don’t read here some crappy place that fills the doser up in the morning and doses out of it until it is empty!) in NYC to justify that many roasters?  Right now, I think I can say “no.”  Maybe they know something I don’t.  They probably do!