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Permalink Reply by Jesse -D-> on February 1, 2009 at 8:22am

I asked our QC guy about this and he said he thought he knew of someone in San Fran using oak. ANyone else hear about this?

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Permalink Reply by Al Sterling on February 1, 2009 at 9:07am

Jesse... Maybe this is the answer to your "San Francisco based wood roaster"........ One of my first visits to a wholesale equipment dealer and roaster was in Oakland, CA at Mr. Espresso. The website name is no surprise: www.mrespresso.com I see their machines and beans throughout the Bay Area, but as with most larger coffee distributors, and at least at the client's locations that I've visited, the specialty coffee retailers don't appear to be well trained, if at all, in the equipment nor the extraction process. The last Mr. Espresso setup I saw was at San Fran. Int. Airport in the International terminal. The bartender at the terminal bar and deli was the barista. (why am I not surprised?)

I've tasted Mr. Espresso's extractions at their showroom in the Oakland Marina district, and it was OK, but I couldn't detect any "wood roasted flavors." On their website, they say; "Roasting over Oak Wood Mr. Espresso's blends are known for their complexity and wonderful aroma, without the harsh bitterness of other roasting processes." That's fine, but if you have coffee mechanics, in place of trained baristas, preparing your coffee, I doubt anyone will ever get the benefits from that wonderful aroma..... unless they're talking about the coffee roasted only for drip? My question would be, can a large commercial operation really get the flavor subtlties to pass down to the end user? And in reference to Sue Harnly's reply, I know Charles Weber at Coffee Wholesalers in Eugene, but don't know Pecori Roasters, unless it's the roaster a couple doors down in the same building as Charles?

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Permalink Reply by Velton Ross on February 1, 2009 at 9:32am

I'm pretty sure you're referring to Mr. Espresso out of Oakland; they've been roasting with oak for a very long time, and are well-established in the bay area. I spent a week visiting their facilities back in '92, and was very impressed at that time with their knowledge and helpfulness. After that, I managed a coffee shop in Hawaii that used their coffee, and though that was a long time ago, I remember that their espresso had beautiful crema and a very smooth flavor profile. This smoothness probably owes to the fact that they use a very long roast profile (about 23 min. a batch) at lower temps, and though the acidity is pretty much minimalized, I don't recall it ever appearing "baked". Would like to try it again now, as it's been over a decade since I've had it...

Jesse -D-> said:

I asked our QC guy about this and he said he thought he knew of someone in San Fran using oak. ANyone else hear about this?

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Permalink Reply by Al Sterling on February 1, 2009 at 10:55am

Velton....... I'm pretty sure it is Mr. Espresso. I'd like to add that I'm not faulting Mr. Espresso's roasting methods or the quality of their blends. It very well could be, and probably is, a very good product. My issue is with the lack of training and level of expertise at the retailing end. The weak link in the chain is the person preparing their coffee. I've met the family, their sales people and some of the staff. It's a very professional group, and their love for coffee is unasailable. I guess I'm more venting than anything, as most of what I encounter at the retail level is incompetence, or even more dissappointing, inconsistency. Someone recommends a cafe. I go. And the day and hour I'm there, some novice button pusher is making my drink. This seems to be the reality of specialty coffee, if not all retailing, now. I do believe that this will eventually change. For me, and unless I go back to their facility in Oakland and have them take the time to prepare their finest, I'll never know from their customers what effect their wood roasting has on their coffees. Training at the retail level, in my opinion, is a business decision that the coffee distributor has to make. Do they work on their distribution or quality........... or figure a way to do both?

Velton Ross said:

I'm pretty sure you're referring to Mr. Espresso out of Oakland; they've been roasting with oak for a very long time, and are well-established in the bay area. I spent a week visiting their facilities back in '92, and was very impressed at that time with their knowledge and helpfulness. After that, I managed a coffee shop in Hawaii that used their coffee, and though that was a long time ago, I remember that their espresso had beautiful crema and a very smooth flavor profile. This smoothness probably owes to the fact that they use a very long roast profile (about 23 min. a batch) at lower temps, and though the acidity is pretty much minimalized, I don't recall it ever appearing "baked". Would like to try it again now, as it's been over a decade since I've had it...

Jesse -D-> said:

I asked our QC guy about this and he said he thought he knew of someone in San Fran using oak. ANyone else hear about this?

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