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Love Letter to my ex-cafe.

Posted by Janelle on January 31, 2009 at 12:45pm

I've missed you. I've missed my Linea, my tamper that got destroyed by that Liberace barista with all the rings. I've missed making those maccs, too. I've missed Ted throwing hot quakers at me.It was really great to see you again, Kean Coffee. I broke up with you more than three months ago- and i'm so glad we're still good friends. I hope you find everything you need (especially some decent Roburs; if anyone deserves them in the high-volume world, it's you).So, here's to great friends in far away places.Cheers.

Seems that we are moving along....slowly.

Posted by Barbara Adams on January 29, 2009 at 9:23am

Our Realtor has found some interesting leads for locations. Let me tell you: the prices have dropped dramatically to purchase a business. Location lease prices are down. It starting to seem like a favorable time to enter the market. As long as you have enough cash for operating capital to survive this slope.

A stroll in the country

Posted by Alun Evans on January 28, 2009 at 7:14pm

Its this time of year I love the most. Its always hot in Indonesia, but where I live the months of December through until the end of February are the monsoon months. The rain is tropically heavy, although not strictly the monsoon you see in movies (or in reality on the subcontinent). It rains here for about 2 hours everyday. Sometimes in the morning, sometimes the afternoon. Sometimes you strike it lucky and it rains both in the morning and the afternoon.Anyway yesterday, on the spur of the moment I decided to jump on the motorbike and head up into the hills and kampungs just behind our roastery. With the rains is comes the anticipation of ripening coffee. The flowers have long gone and big, green coffee cherries laden the trees and slowly ripen during the rains. Most of the coffee near me is robusta, we dont use any of this, but the thrill of heading up into the villages and seeing them intertwined with coffee trees reminds me of all the things I love about Indonesia. The way coffee is part of these villagers life, along with rice and a range of fruit crops.The ride up the valley and into the hills on the bike is invigorating. Puddles of dirty rain water lie in deep potholes across the access roads. Kids playing in clean white school uniforms yell the obligatory “Hello Meester” as I drive by. Hi-fives along the way, a quick breakfast of pisang goreng (fried banana) and a slow wind up the valleys and into the damp, cool hills.Its great to be up here and even nicer to be in the villages where they know me by name. I park the bike and hike up the winding track that takes me into the robusta villages of this area. Below me rice padi are being planted. Most of the young men are down on the terraces, knee deep in mud. The clouds are low and dipping into the river valleys. Moist and cool.Everything is so green. Actually it never ceases to amaze me that there are so many shades of a colour that at home was just one green- dairy cow/rugby green. Here there are 1000 shades of green just in a rice field alone. Greens, blues, reds. They are all colors you see saturated around you in the agricultural landscape of this country.After about 45 minutes of walking, I am covered in red mud and clay. The red tiled roofs of the village I am most familiar with in this area are poking out of the forest ahead. Soon I am being greeted like a long lost friend. Its perhaps 4 months since I was last here and I am filled in on all the news and gossip. Who has died, babies being born, who has run off with who... all the good natured banter you find in villages, towns and cities anywhere on the globe. One young man wants to know what has happened to “Cewek Francais itu”, the glamourous French-Canadian Journalist I brought up to the village the year before.I settle in to one of the warung for a a coffee. This is freshly roasted robusta from last crop season. I am not a huge fan of robusta, but when villages roast fresh its not a bad drink. Even though its cool the coffee warms me just nicely. I smell of sweet cloves and tobacco, everyone around me has been smoking kretek cigarette (the clove and tobacco variety that are popular all over the country). Saying my goodbyes I trek up onto the ridge that offers spectacular views of the rice fields and bubbling river far below. I have farmer friends I call in on. We talk about coffee. We talk about the weather. Most interestingly we talk about the new President of the USA. The new hope that Americans have with the change that is Obama is also being felt in this tiny rural piece of Java.The cloud suddenly drops like a stone. The moisture that has been blown off the Java Sea rushes across the shallow plain that separates the volcanoes from the ocean and slowly tries to climb over the peaks and find its way to the Indian Ocean not far away. Today it fails and decides to let everything go on us. The rain is torrential. Soon the stony tracks that lead to the village are torrents of muddy water, spilling down the slopes either side into the rivers and streams.The house I am in has a broad, deep veranda. We (myself and 9 members of the family) sit out on bamboo chairs and stools and watch the rain falling heavy and pregnant on the coffee trees outside. Far below I can see the farmers continue planting rice, oblivious to the deluge around them. A couple of water buffalo pulling a broad plough through the muddy fields look up in unison at the rain, annoyed and puzzled by its sudden arrival. More coffee is served, sweetened with Javanese cane sugar to help ward off the flu that the rain could bring.It rains for about an hour. The intensity varies and the sun even tries to break through at one point. I can complain. There is work to be done later, but up here with no cellular signal, I am forced to relax and to enjoy what can only be described as a form of paradise. As suddenly as the rain arrived, it has gone and a deep blue sky opens up wide and high behind the peaks. I say thanks and begin the trudge back down to the road where I have left my motorbike. The air is thicker now, more humid and the sweetness of the steam evaporating off the soil brings out the cicadas and crickets.These people lead a simple but pleasant life. High above the plains and far from the smog and intensity of Jakarta, the roots of village life and indeed Indonesian coffee run strong and deep.© Alun Evans, January 2009

dose espreso, London

Posted by heminui on January 28, 2009 at 12:03pm

Chekkit. Here's some pics from my new place, dose espressohttp://tinyurl.com/dh8zybmy site is http://www.dose-espresso.comIf anyone is interested, I'm also active on twitter (dose_espresso) and have a facebook page too that I update that frequently. There's just too many forums/blogs/social networking sites for a busy man to keep up with!James (heminui)

A Focused Approach for Tough Economic Times(syndicated)

Posted by Jason Haeger on January 28, 2009 at 12:02pm

(via)A Focused Approach for Tough Economic TimesOne consultant/trainer's perspective on ways to keep your specialty coffee retailer afloat. (by me)___________________________________________________

As the recession continues to loom overhead, and even progress further down, it has probably become obvious to many that the sale of higher priced ticket items are on the decline as more people try to economize by sticking with the less-expensive brewed options.While this may seem on the surface to be a negative hit to retailers, it does not have to be so.When recessions hit, the smart investors start buying up stock, taking over other companies, and the likes as have been seen recently, as well as what happened in the Great Depression of the 30's. SOMEONE stands to profit from it. The trick is learning how to work it to your advantage as well.In the world of coffee retail, many many people have worked their tails off trying to educate their customers, trying to get them to try new coffees, trying to push the COFFEE, rather than the 'recipe'. Consider the retail phenomenon we're seeing as a golden ticket of opportunity. If you show your customers that your shop is trustworthy, and is looking out for their best interests, you can survive, and even thrive.Roasting companies are doing pretty well in these times. That's been the word from the roasters I have asked about it, and I'm assuming that goes for most others as well, assuming they are doing a decent job with their coffees.How can a retailer profit from this? Sell more whole-bean coffees, offer different brew methods, hold free classes for consumers, and offer affordable brew-at-home equipment in your stores.Brewing up batches of coffee is awfully convenient, but when the rush slows in the late morning and into the afternoon, how much of it gets thrown out? If the answer is "none", is it because it's not being refreshed with fresh brews, or is it because it's being sold? If the answer sounds something like the first of those two, then it's time to change something.If you have been reading Texas Coffee People for awhile, you may remember our piece about Bottomless Coffee, and why it may not be such a great idea afterall. If you have read that piece, then what you've just read may sound like a repeat of information. It is. more...___________________________________________________The best stuff is much further down. I don't personally feel like it's a good idea to syndicate something this long in its entirety, so click through if you're interested in read more

Indonique is on Twitter

Posted by George on January 28, 2009 at 9:52am

Hey guys:Please follow our tweets on Twitter at www.twitter.com/indonique. We're determined to fund a school for girls in India this year!

GOOD MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by angela payne on January 28, 2009 at 4:17am

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, I AM NEW TO BARISTA EXCHANGE SO I THOUGHT I WOULD GET ON AND INTRODUCE MYSELF TO EVERYONE, MY NAME IS ANGIE AND I AM 39 YEARS YOUNG. I AM FROM KOKOMO INDIANA BETTER KNOWN AS STOP LIGHT CITY OR BFE AS I HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CALL IT. I HAVE THREE KIDS, TWO ARE GROWN AND ON THERE OWN AND I HAVE A 15 YEAR OLD AT HOME. (HE THINKS HE IS 30) I HAVE ONE GRANDSON WHO IS TWO. I TOOK A BUYOUT FROM MY JOB AFTER 15 YEARS A COUPLE YEARS AGO FOR HEALTH REASONS, I WORKED IN A LARGE AUTOMOTIVE COMPANY AND I AM ALLERGIC TO OIL SO IT WAS REALLY TAKING A TOLL ON MY LUNGS SO I GOT OUT WHILE THE GETTIN WAS GOOD. THEN I WENT TO THE ACADEMY AND BECAME A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER IN A LARGE PRISON, I WORKED THERE UNTIL I MET MY HUSBAND AND WHEN WE GOT MARRIED HE WASNT HAPPY ABOUT ME WORKING IN THERE SO HE ASKED ME TO GIVE IT UP AND I DID. IT IS HARD STAYING HOME AFTER WORKING FOR SO MANY YEARS. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF, BUT I ALWAYS FIND SOMETHING. I AM GETTING READY TO START SCHOOL FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SO THAT WILL KEEP ME BUSY. WELL BUSY FOR 4 YEARS ANYWAY. I AM NOT IN THE COFFEE INDUSTRY, BUT I LOVE COFFEE AND GOOD COVERSATION OVER COFFEE. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING NEW FRIENDS AND GETTING TO KNOW YOU SO IF YOUR INTERESTED IN GETTING TO KNOW ME YOU KNOW HOW TO CONTACT ME. THANKS FOR THE TWO FRIEND INVITES I ALREADY GOT, I APPRECIATE IT AND LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING TO YOU.HAVE A GOOD DAY AND TRY AND STAY WARM IF ITS COLD WHERE YOU ARE LIKE IT IS HERE. WE HAVE ABOUT 10 INCHES OF SNOW AND ITS STILL SNOWING. HUGS, ANGIE

Coffee Exchange

Posted by Dave Green on January 28, 2009 at 3:27am

Starbucks UK has some fantastic coffees, However not the full selection available across the Starbucks range. If anybody working for Starbucks elsewhere in the world would like to swap markouts I would be more than happy to talk to u :D

Tuscany Coffee Greenway is Reopen!

Posted by Greenway Barista on January 27, 2009 at 6:00pm

finally back in the game, after a 5 month rebuild hiatus. catering kept me occupied but glad to be back on the bar!

SCAA Announces 2009 Nominees for Board of Directors

Posted by Mike Ferguson on January 27, 2009 at 10:00am

January 27, 2009The SCAA Board of Directors has approved the following slate of nominees, selected by the nominating committee, for election to the board of directors. The election will be conducted March 2 – March 31, 2009.OFFICERSTim O'Connor for Second Vice President - Allied Member (Pacific Espresso)Shawn Hamilton for Secretary/Treasurer – Roaster Member (Java City)NOTE: The Second Vice President will Become Vice President on May 1, 2010, and president of the board on May 1, 2011.DIRECTORSEllie Matuszak for Director – Allied Member (Coffee Solutions)Ellen Rogers for Director – Coffee Retailer Member (Dunkin’ Donuts)Nathalie Gabbay for Director – Importer Member (RGC Coffee, Inc.)Price Peterson for Director – Producer Member (Hacienda Esmeralda/Panama)Max Quirin for Director – Producer Association Member (ANACAFE)25 Signatures Due on February 25, 2009, for Petition Candidates to be Placed on BallotIndividuals who wish to be considered by the membership for election to the board, but who were not selected through the nominating committee process, may submit a signature petition to be placed on the ballot. The SCAA Bylaws currently state:"Section 11: (d) Additional nominees may be proposed through a petition process. Should any member be proposed by petition, the petition must contain a minimum of twenty-five (25) signatures from eligible voting members. The petition shall be submitted at least thirty (30) days prior to the mailing of the ballots. All nominees qualified under the Bylaws and receiving the required number of signatures will be placed on the ballot. All candidates will be given equal access to promote their candidacy through membership mailings and by access to the membership lists."In this current election year, PETITIONS ARE DUE TO SCAA HEADQUARTERS ON FEBRUARY 25, 2009. Also due on February 25, 2009 are biographies/statements and photos from all nominees, whether selected through petition or by the nominating committee. Photographs and statements from the candidates are optional, but all nominees are encouraged to submit a 500 word biographical and vision statement. Photos and statements will be printed in an online ballot book for members to review before voting. Please note that all 25 signatures submitted by petition candidates must be from current SCAA members in voting categories and only one signature per member company is allowed. Associate and individual members of SCAA are not voting members. Please contact Mansi Chokshi at mchokshi at scaa dot org or (562) 624-4100, if you have any questions or need assistance with the petition process.

Article featuring myself and others here in Chapel Hill

Posted by Erik Karlsson on January 27, 2009 at 3:03am

http://www.dailytarheel.com/news/city/brewing_competition

going out this morning

Posted by Steve MacDowall on January 27, 2009 at 1:12am

I got up at 5am after a late night with my grand daughter who was staying over - she would not go to sleep. She is only 3 years old; Shannon - the first thing I did was make coffee. The first sips are the best.I also want to visit a new Café that opened up in town, if we have the time this morning.The weather: -21°C this morning in Moncton going up to -11°C this afternoon with blue sky and lots of sun.

A few thoughts

Posted by Cherie on January 26, 2009 at 11:43am

Let's see...I don't have a lot of coffee related topics to blog about, but I can talk about what I'm up to.Lately I've been super busy. I'm in the begining of a school semster where I am taking double the credit hours that I'm used to, still working about 30 hours at the shop (which has come to include the fun open and close split shifts,) still setting aside time to work in the a/v area of my church, and somewhere still finding time to do things like sleep.At first the new crazy pace of life was knocking me out, but I think I am slowly getting used to it.Things are good at the shop, not counting the slow down in business which I think everyone is feeling right now. I currently have a good group of barista's that know their stuff and are handling shifts on their own now. (I think last time I blogged I mentioned all the training I was doing.) There are still a couple of girls that need some work before they are allowed to serve drinks to the customers, but it'll happen. Guess a trainers work is never done.Recently the person that comes from our roaster to do periodic in-house training came. Overall he seemed pleased with the level of training I've been able to give our staff, which I take as a complament. :)Despite my hectic pace I've been thinking a lot about the level of training I give to others and how I really want to gain some more taining for myself so I can up the level for my trainees. How to go about this I haven't a clue yet, but hey.And as a random thought, there really needs to be mini barista and coffee schools across the country, not just in Portland.Anyway, that's pretty much where my life is at right now. Sprinkle on some smiles over the upcoming coffee fest in Chicago and that fills out the picture. So with that, I think I'm done.Until my next blog - which might be in a few months from the looks of it.Cherie

just got off the phone

Posted by Steve MacDowall on January 26, 2009 at 11:32am

I just got off the phone to a friend, Bob. He was in Toronto the same time I was - he got down to the Green Beanery but I missed it. He pick up 20 pounds of green beans, this is just for his home. Oh well we can't do everything.

Thots on Espresso

Posted by Anthony Epp on January 26, 2009 at 10:34am

How to Affect the Taste of an EspressoAs I’m coming up on getting into more training, I’ve been thinking a lot about the different ways a barista can affect the taste of a shot.For the time being I’m going to leave out the temperature and pressure adjustments as I don’t have the privilege of working on a machine with those controls. For now my thinking revolves around: Grind, Dose, Tamp & Brew Time.For a cafe setting I am going with the argument there is going to be a set & standard ‘shop way’ of pulling shots for the 12oz and larger milk drinks. I would apply that same standard to demitasse drinks as well after factoring the baristas familiarity with the customer. The may be a difference in the way a single or a double is pulled as there needs to be enough espresso to provide a certain level of coffee flavor in order to pull through the bigger milk drinks. I don’t see this as a problem as those that are getting espressos are going to appreciate the slight difference in the shot from day today and often times look for that.I’m for consistency if I’m for anything in a cafe setting as the number one reason I hear from my regulars as they travel is that they go to Starbux because they know what they are going to get, not necessarily because they like what they are going to get. A lot of independent shops have not been extremely focused on stressing quality or worried too much about maintaining a certain level of consistent quality so people are never really sure as to what thy are going to get when they go into an indie shop they have never been in before.So the espresso has been chosen, and the desired taste/flavor profile has been decided upon. For the moment let’s assume that is 20g @ 20sec at a volume of 1 oz. Everything is set and in place and humming along and then something changes and the shots are no longer quite as sexy as they were at opening. How does one go about correcting the problem? Because of the training I have received, I am immediately say to change the grind to get things back in line. Now I don’t mind the occasional glass of Cool-Aide, but how long am I going to continue to let myself be drowned by it?Is changing the grind the best way to go about bringing the “flavor profile” back in alignment?Do the 4 things mentioned above, that a barista has direct & immediate control over, have different things in the flavor profile that they control. For example: Does the Tamp cave the most direct control over the amount of “cocoa” tasted in the shot, the Dose the Fruits, the Grind the Spice, and Brew Time the Citrus?Does one change several at once, or take a more scientific/methodical approach to things? Making the grind finer, barring nothing else changing, will increase the shot time, but so will any of the other 3 factors. But in what ways do they affect it. While this hypothetical shot is somehow running short, how has the taste been affected? If everything is the same except for the citrus/acidity angle, but not the time factor or any of the other flavors. How is this best corrected?Or,, the shots are running long. Conventional thought would say to make the grind coarser. But what would happen if the Tamp was lightened or even the dose lightened up?How would one go about determining things like this if they are even measurable.Am I even making any sense? Or should I just have another whiskey and go to bed?

Square Mile Coffee Roasters

Posted by nik orosi on January 26, 2009 at 10:30am

You all know them but once again, imagine a firm with 3 coffee world champions, 2007 World Cup Tasting Champion Anette Moldvaer, 2007 World Barista Champion James Hoffmann and 2008 World Barista Champion Stephen Morrissey...dream firm! And guess what, i have their coffee to taste...I know that some of you have tasted their coffee, im just afraid of opening the bags and start to enjoy. Is that normal?

it's very cold out

Posted by Steve MacDowall on January 26, 2009 at 5:31am

oh boy it is cold out -26°C (-14 Fahrenheit) this morning in Moncton going up to -20°C (-4 Fahrenheit) but we have blue sky and lots of sun - I'm so happy to have had a wonderful hot mug of coffee this morning.

Australian Open 5 days to go.

Posted by Zoe Delany on January 24, 2009 at 9:02pm

Well with just 5 days to go until I strut my stuff on the stage for the open round of the Australian Barista Championships, I am starting to wonder if I am either too organized or something very vital has been forgotten. My grinder and equipment have all been sent on a pallet to Queensland, all we have to do is lug about 30kg of coffee up with us on the flight ( not quite as much as we took to Denmark for Dave's world gig).After finishing second in the Victorian Comp, I'm really hoping to do a comfortable performance as I did on that day. I have some really exciting coffee and a couple of new tricks up my sleeve. It is going to be tough though, I think if I can get in the Semi's I would feel really relieved.

The truth

Posted by Sara Louise on January 24, 2009 at 6:31am

God, I love LA.

I ate 8 oranges

Posted by Rita Kaminsky on January 22, 2009 at 9:08pm

If I were a character in Willy Wonka, my name would be Clementine.This afternoon I had some friends over for coffee and delights. I had a pretty good idea what coffees I wanted, but I started my day with a cupping at the Stumptown Annex for extra ideas. Megan set up a beautiful, bright table: Costa Rica, Panama Don Pachi, El Salvador Kilimanjaro, and Kenya Gaturiri. It was also an exceptional experience because there were only 3 cuppers! I was only familiar with the Kenyan coffee from work and was super amped to pick out my coffees. All were great, but as always the Kilimanjaro really stood out. I must admit that this is not my favorite crop, but still an exceptional experience. Complex. Deep. Rich. Ripe fruit flavors. Great acidity. Like a nice dry red. That said, I bought a bag of Panama Don Pachi (planned) and Colombia El Placer (on Liam's recommendation).Next I hopped over to Zupan's for some oranges. Citrus flavors are often used to describe coffees and I have been anxious to expand my cupping vocabulary. The store clerk stared curiously as I scribbled the names of tangelos and mandarins. I studied, smelled, and squeezed till I was confident in my choices and sure the manager was following me.On my way back to North side, I put together the rest of my menu. I entertain best with themes and chose foods that reminded me of coffee. Waking up reminds me of coffee. Coffee reminds me of breakfast. Breakfast reminds me of eggs, bacon, and oj. Bingo! I ended up serving deviled eggs, dates wrapped in bacon, baked brie with pears, and plain cake donuts. I stopped at New Season's for the food and picked out 5 more varieties of citrus. I probably could have brought home 10 more types of oranges, but please!In conclusion, the afternoon was a success. I love my friends and I love coffee and I love food. A few hours ago I sat down with all the left over citrus and began munching. I logged physical characteristics, how ripe I thought it was, how it peeled, flavors, smells, textures and aftertaste. I'm using a 1 to 10 scale to help me determine acidity, sweetness, and tartness. Some seemed too ripe, which is no fault of the fruit, so I may end up excluding them from the project, but I have one more of each varietal to try. Admittedly, I am feeling overwhelmed with the sheer volume of fruit I have consumed for research and have decided to extend this project further. I would like to visit a few other grocers, as well as reevaluate my picking skills. I'll let you guys know how it goes. So far the Murcott Tangerine RULES!!!PS: Thanks to Rachael for grinding 1/2lb coffee in the Ol' Peugeot!Satsuma Mandarin OrangeOrlando TangeloMinneola TangeloHoneybell TangerineBlood OrangeMurcott TangerinePage TangerineNaval OrangeMeyer Lemon

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