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Silvia & VBM Super Domobar & Elektra MC a Leva

RANCILIO SILVIABought my first espresso machine "Rancilio Silvia" in 1999. Really it changed my life! This machine looks great, feels great and easy to maintain. The RVS looks are great and certainly my best investment. Equipment was great but I still wasn't able to get the right coffee nor the perfect grinding! After several try outs asking local shops to grind coffee for the Silvia, each time it looked like beach sand...putting that in my piston made me do an espresso look a like in 1 second! Of course it tasted like sh.. So they forced me to buy a decent grinder. Since they don't come cheap I decided to search on our local Ebay for a proper 2nd hand grinder...and I found a 200 Euro ECM Best. After cleaning this baby coffee became like something I hardly tasted before hmmmmmm. The Silvia is great but still you have a huge temp problem so I bought a PID kit. Also I wasn't satisfied with the steam wand...I replaced it. This helped me a lot finding the right moves making "frothed milk" (English?). Latte Art...please give me another 2 years..I am still a wannabee.VIBIEMME SUPER DOMOBAR 1997This setting kept me quiet for a few years until I found a VBM Super Domobar in a bag for 130 Euro's (Ebay).....This was my chance to a better world and I bought it, knowing the HX boiler was rupted and some parts missing. The guy bought it a long time ago as a restoration project but never had the time to really make it happen. He renovated the E-61 group but that was it. Finding a new boiler was not that difficult but the price was....380 Euro's!!! Luckily the importer still had a used boiler, black coated back panel, RVS external water reservoir and a drip tray (these parts were already missing when buying) for 140 Euro!.I resprayed the frame and started putting it all together. After 4 times driving to the VBM importer and spending some more money I finally am a proud VBM owner..what a BEAST!!I love it, reservoir is massive (where the water goes inside), driptray enough (where unused water goes in), temperature stability magnificant, looks; it's the best classic available with E-61.It's my best friend in the morning, waiting for me to come down and prepare old school cappuccino..including Latte Art.ELEKTRA MICRO CASA A LEVA S1 1983Last Sunday I had a party at home, a friend of mine starred at my equipment (3 espresso machines) and noticed my machine o'fobia. He told me he travelled the world and while visiting Milano he bought a 83' "Elektra Micro Casa a Leva", since he doesn't have any space at home to put it he decided to give it te ME??!! He's CRAZY (Positive way). So I had to be polite and say yes :-). Wouw this is a whole different experience. I am still trying to find the right settings....FRANKENSTEIN'S COFFEE ROASTER 1958About a few month ago I spotted this great industrial machine for sale online. Assuming it was a vintage Coffee Roaster I called its owner fully excited. I overwhelmed the kind gentlemen with questions which none of them could be answered. The only way for me to get all my questions answered is to visit its proud owner in Rotterdam. Drove down to Rotterdam into a small neighbourhood arisen from industrial zone surrounding it. The house was tiny but sweet and to my surprise it had a great tropical garden, something you would not imagine in Holland and certainly not in Rotterdam.Kids running around in front of me I found my way to the garden where his wife was enjoying her tea. She offered me coffee and that's something I can't decline...later on I should have after tasting this horrible Senseo...shame on you Philips, live is not only about turnover!Enjoying there tiny garden 24 C, sitting on a floating terrace which was placed on top of a artificial swamp which they never managed to turn into normal circumstances, I sipped my coffee and listened to there story on how they got the roaster.They explained me they bought the house from a biologist who moved to an elder house, he sold the house with full attic. The current owners started cleaning his mess and came across this beauty which later on got a nickname "Frankensteiner" by my Kazakh friend Aidar.They found it but never knew what it was, a friend of theirs recognized it and informed them it was an old coffee roaster, since they are not coffee lovers they decided to put it for sale online.Luckily I was well informed and after a superficial research prior to my visit I found out the following info:Frankensteiner Roaster (Emmericher Machinenfabrik von Gimborn (PROBAT) sample roaster type PR III E 500 M which was sold to the company ROT. V. VEBERO in Rotterdam in 1958. 500gr Sample roasterThis enabled me to tell them more about it and slowly they got the drift why I my eyes where gazing at this machine. They got enthusiastic and said yes to my invitation to come to Amsterdam to roast and taste a real coffee...I have been using it for a while and it's a rich experience to roast yourself. I am getting a better understanding of the roasting process. The grassy smell which vaporizes is amazing and along the roasting process it gets more dry and Smokey....difficult to explain.Testing all kinds of beans in several roasting stages gives different flavours in a cup, if you want to know more visit me. That’s it for now ;-)
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Drip

Today is a hard day for the espresso and me. Together we try so hard.The grinder broke. Therefore we stopped or went to fast. What trials we've had today. Now it is cold and we don't can't handle all this change at the same time. Weak and weeping, trickle down.
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Barista = bartender? So, we need spirits.

I am writing my book as a manual, for baristas, so it should include the knowledge about spirits and cocktails.I am learning while I am reading and writing. When I am getting to know it, what do I expect to know about? Should I found the similar situation for this part of the world? Or, it is different.Anyway, let us see and expect.I have got the Bible, in Chinese edition, and it really help. But, the real situation has to be found later.Anybody interested in it?
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Northwest Food Service Show

Excited to say I spent the last two days on the "sales side" of the espresso bar at this show. (Only a total of an hour this time making drinks) I always find it amazing to get feedback from the good folks we see once a year. They are the familiar faces of the food and beverage industry that are patient enough to wait among potential customers and coffee fans for a short latte or cap. We surely shine at this show, which is such a great compliment to all the other fabulous vendors providing the exchange of conversation, support and leads. (listen to me, I'm in sales).This week prior to the show I spent some time pulling shots with one of my favorite barista owners Sebastian Simch at Seattle Coffee Works. He is one of the most beautiful coffee people I have had the privilege of meeting in the past few years. We sampled one of his latest creations. The name is escaping me at this early hour but the taste is so memorable. Sebastian has captured lemons, grapefruit, apples, earthy vanilla's and bitters in this SCW recipe. Unbelievable experience, really!I better turn in. I will keep this blog posted for a few beverages I am playing around with...anybody know where I can get some liquid nitrogen?
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20th Anniversary Reflections: David Abedon

Throughout the year of 2008, Coffee Kids will occasionally post comments from important figures in our history and how they helped shape the organization. In this entry, David Abedon, a co-founder of the organization, chronicles the beginning of Coffee Kids when he helped Bill Fishbein plan his trip to Guatemala to visit coffee-farming families in the late '80s. Abedon is a professor in the Natural Resources Science Department in the College of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. He currently serves on Coffee Kids board of directors.

abedon.jpg"In the 80s I applied for a sabbatical leave from URI and stayed at Brown University in the School for Portuguese and Brazilian Studies.

"In order to get to Brown, I would walk from my house through Wickendon Street to the east side of Providence to Brown. I would stop at Bill's store, the Coffee Exchange, for some muffins on my way to work and on my way back and that's when we started to discuss coffee and poverty.

"So when Bill told me he was going down to Guatemala, I said, 'What are you going to do when you get there? Who are you going to see?' And Bill said, 'Well, I don't know. I just have to go.'
"So we looked at the schedule and started to set things up.
"I called up Partners for the Americas and Bill and I figured out a way for him to visit some of these coffee regions and so he came back and said, 'We gotta' do something.'

"I said, 'What?' He said, 'I don't know, what?'

"Sometime along when we were starting to figure things out and we'd started to do some fundraisers, I invited Dean Cycon and he and Bill hit it off and Coffee Kids mushroomed from there."

For more information on the history of Coffee Kids, download our latest newsletter (PDF 1.9MB).
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No Man Can Serve Two (or Three) Masters

Time and time again, when I talk to people about coffee business strategy it seems the top priority is speed. "I want the customer to be able to be in and out in 90 seconds or less," and the like seem to have somehow become the goal to strive for in regards to customer service.Fine. Good. Quick service is hard to look down on, but is that all there is to it? Of course not!Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that speed isn't a noble practice. I'm saying that it shouldn't take a back seat to quality.I know, I know. This is said time and time again. "The horse is not only dead, it ceases to exist." Yes, right. I know. Hear me out.You have to start with one or the other. Yeah, sure, you can have fast quality, but they are never equals. I don't care what the business plan or mission statement says. I don't care what the manager or CEO says. They are NEVER equals.Imagine, if you will, a store that wants to franchise. They want to serve the best quality possible. For this reason, they are installing super automatic espresso machines. Counter-intuitive? Why? This means that service will be fast, and the quality will be consistent.. right?Well... yes and no. Already, we've seen another variable enter into the equation. Consistency.So now we have to choose between: Speed. Quality. Consistency.Yes, those three little words that are cause for much planning, much strategy, and much debate over their importance.The thing is, people always say, "well, they're all important", and the more advanced version, "Quality is the most important, but the others are definitely high on our list." That last one sounds great... on paper.The problem is that too many times people will say things like that, but when push comes to shove, if there is a bottleneck line out the door, and the shot didn't come out quite right, a lot of people will serve it anyway. It'll be covered in milk anyway, right?Herein lies the dilemma. We need more than a mantra. We need more than a concept. We need a philosophical framework for how to implement these words accurately and correctly in a cognitive manner.Actions follow thought, so in order to perform right action, we must first practice right thought. As we've already seen, words tend to be kind of cheap. Mantras and slogans show their age and get stale. They are impermanent solutions to a fundamental philosophical problem within our industry as a whole.As it is, time and time again I hear and preach that one should focus on a few things, and do those few things well. Time and time again, the word comes up with great emphasis. Focus.Just as we must crawl before we can walk (and walk before we can run), we must begin begin by focusing on only one element before we can learn to successfully implement the others.I propose the same thing than any reader of this blog would state to be their primary focus of the three priorities listed. Focus on Quality.Start by perfecting espresso preparation and milk frothing techniques. Back to basics. Practice. Taste. Analyze. Troubleshoot. Repeat. Do this time and time again until the analysis yields consistent results, and troubleshooting becomes unnecessary.And there, we've made our first adaptational merger of priorities. We began with quality. Now, we have adapted consistency to the primary objective.They are not equals. Consistency is an add on. Like a six-speed transmission on a base model coupe.It's nice, but not the core of what you intend.Now that the fundamental skill set is in place, how do we beat the clock to get from point A to point B in our slightly improved automobile? We speed it up.Now, speeding things up doesn't mean dropping the transmission. You certainly can't speed up with no fundamental with which to increase your speed. If you sacrifice the primary objective, the entire structure falls apart, and we are no longer in the upper echelon of product prestige.Imagine the quickness not as a physical speed, but as an efficiency. We're going to replace the conventional oil with full-on synthetic. We're going to replace the air filter for easier breathing(inhale). We're going to use some GM Syncromesh in the gearbox, and we're going to (slightly) increase the diameter of our exhaust tubing, again, for easier breathing (exhale).We have not added anything. We have only removed obstacles that make existing power more easily accessible. We haven't sped things up. We've only made the work flow more efficient. The result, as the car will attest to, is better efficiency, and more speed(power)."Work smarter, not harder".. again. We don't need mantras. However, if you were to take the analogy just given and condense it into one sentence, that would be it. I just feel that such verbalizations are too general and really don't drive the point home effectively enough.So now we have adapted NOTHING to our Primary Objective other than consistency(from earlier). We've just streamlined the operations a bit. Simple. This is not in the hands of the barista. This is in the hands of the general manager, bar manager, shop owner, whoever is solely responsible for the general layout of things behind the bar.Now that everything is primed, this little sporty coupe is ready to hit the Autobahn.It doesn't take much effort to speed things up a bit at this point. If it's truly challenging, then I would suspect that you didn't succeed in optimizing your work station's work flow efficiency.(Maybe you used the wrong sized exhaust tubing. Maybe your air filter is dirty. Maybe you're still trying to cheap out by using conventional oil.)In skilled hands, speeding up the pace means just doing the normal tasks in a slightly accelerated pace. Generally, this is more related to efficiency than actual velocity and acceleration of physical movements.And thus, we have adapted Speed to the Primary Objective.If you'll notice, neither consistency nor speed will stand on their own if quality truly is the high priority. Both are merely an adaptation to what is already present: a concentrated and intense focus on quality.But if a bad shot is pulled, you don't ditch the foundation. You don't throw away the car. You throw away the offensive shot and start over. Just like making a U-turn under the highway overpass.Think of it as a molecule. Quality has a couple of smaller atoms. The first one is consistency. Consistency has a smaller atom attached to it as well. It's called speed.Originally found at CoffeeAspirations.
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"Free" wifi password software for coffeehouses

I tried, I really did. I tried to be the cool independent coffeehouse that turned the other cheek when someone came in and used my free wifi for HOURS without buying a single item. I'm not sure if it's the current economic situation or what but recently there have been tons of freeloaders coming in and just taking up space that paying customers would normally use. So I've finally decided to put a password on net usage so only customers can use it for free. Anyone know of a good software package or anything else that might help set this up? Thanks and keep rockn' bx.
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Barista Exchange Opportunity in Puerto Rico

Hello baristas! My friend and past ABC School graduate has a very successful coffee business in Puerto Rico. She is opening her second coffee bar and is looking for a barista to come and spend 3 days or so on site with her and her staff. Here is the email she sent to me in regards to the exchange. Feel free to email her for more info, could be a really fun experience. - Matt Here is a picture of Enid (far right) and her staff:

Hi Matt: This is Enid Guerra from Puerto Rico. I took the Barista training couple years ago. I hope you remember me. I have a tiny but beautiful EspressoBar. In May we will have two years in the business. One of the best decisions was to take the course with you in Portland. I fell in love with coffee and I am living the dream. We have the best coffee in Puerto Rico. (you will have to believe me unless you want to stop by...). I am opening my second store soon. I know José Arreola since I am a National Judge for the WBC for the second year in a row. He is by far the most charismatic person I have ever met. The first WBC Judge Training was conducted in my Bar. One of my Baristas was third in the National Competition (this year). Another of my female Baristas was fourth. It was their first year competing so I was happy with the results. I am also highly involved with the Puerto Rico Barista Association. The reason I am writing is to know if you know a Barista that would like to spend three days in Puerto Rico. We are looking for someone that would like to come and spend part of the day in the bar with my Baristas so they could experience people with their same passion and dedication. There are not too many Baristas in Puerto Rico and honestly my Baristas sometimes feel they are alone. You know, I am the boss, it is not the same. In terms of payment we can agree in some type of payment. I am honestly looking at this as an exchange instead of a job. We can provide transportation and we can pay a nice Hotel. Also we will pay for all the meals and can agree in extra cash for personal expenses. We can also visit some of the best coffee "haciendas" in the island. Please let me know if you know someone that could be interested. Best regards, Enid 787-349-4561 email: baristaespressobar at onelinkpr.net
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Toronto, ON (April 9, 2008) Coffee enthusiasts from across Canada will be gathering to watch some of the country’s best baristas (espresso machine operators) at the 2008 Canadian Regional Barista Championships. Four regional competitions to be held in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver have been announced beginning with the Prairies Regional Barista Championship in Calgary on May 24 & 25, 2008. Masters of the espresso machine from around the country will be competing for the coveted title of Barista Champion in each region. Each competitor must prepare and serve 12 separate espresso beverages: 4 espresso, 4 cappuccinos, and 4 "signature" drinks of their own creation. Competitors have only fifteen minutes to prepare all twelve drinks and are judged on various elements including station cleanliness, taste, beverage presentation, technical skills and total impression by a distinguished panel of judges. A few weeks later, the Eastern Regional Barista Championship will take place in Montreal on June 9 & 10, 2008, followed by the Central Regional Barista Championship on July 18 & 19, 2008 at the Queen Elizabeth Building, CNE in Toronto and the Western Regional Barista Championship on August 15 & 16, 2008 in Vancouver, BC. The first place, second and third place winners of each competition will secure a place at the Canadian Barista Championship to be held October 21 & 22, 2008 at the Canadian Coffee & Tea Show in Montreal. The eventual winner of the championship will represent Canada in the World Barista Championship (WBC) in Atlanta, USA in 2009. Spectators are encouraged to visit the displays of the event’s sponsors and sample some of the newest coffee and tea products on the market. All the competitors will receive some great prizes for participating as well as valuable experience. The events are open to the public and admission is by donation to the CoffeeKids charity, helping families build a better life in coffee growing countries. In conjunction with the events, the Canadian Barista & Coffee Academy will also offer hand-on barista training for those new to the industry or those who want to perfect their skills. As the premier regional event in Canada, organizers are encouraging baristas from cafes and restaurants to sign up. The Canadian Barista Championship is endorsed by the Coffee Association of Canada and the WBC. The regionals’ host sponsors include Espuccino Imports, Espresso Mali, Zuccarini and ECM Espresso. Additional sponsors of the event are Gerhards, Monin, Oregon Chai, Ghiradelli, Jet Smoothies, Pacific Soy, Cappuccino King, Coag, and Toi, Moi & Café. Krups is the Canadian Barista Championship’s Host sponsor. For information and to register, visit the website www.canadianbaristachampionship.com or call Vida Radovanovic (416) 784-5210.
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PPR_a.jpg

Okay, so I like the fact that their stores have taken on a new "Coffee-centric" appearance. I like the fact that the big bags of this blend have a roast date. The signature on the bag is for God knows what, and it doesn't do a thing for me.All of the huge bags I saw of this stuff (is it just me, or does their 5lb. bag look 1/3 larger than most others?) had a roast date of April 11th. Today is the 23rd, so the coffee should be reasonably fresh.Initial taste was carbon, wood, earth, and a little bit of an intense sweetness that I couldn't quite place.We kept hitting the short cup time and time again trying to place it. Trying to figure out where this coffee came from, and what exactly they screwed up. (this is subjective, of course, and it must be stated that I am calibrated primarily to light and/or medium roasts)The carbon taste. Obviously, the roast level is much darker than I care for. This flavor dominated.The sweetness was present, but fleeting. It seemed that it lasted for only two seconds before it vanished and the dark roastiness was all that remained.I've often found that adding just a little sugar can help inherent flavors to find a spring-board and make themselves known. So.. back to the condiment bar we went (the coffee and I). Just a little bit of sugar, mix it in.Okay, now for more tasting. A little sweeter, but there's now a bit of a mustiness. I couldn't help but think that it reminded me of post-crop green. I don't know why. This doesn't make sense considering the volume that Starbucks goes through. I wouldn't think they would even have the time to hold onto green coffee for long enough for that to be a factor, but maybe I'm wrong, or maybe this batch was just really badly stored somewhere along the way. Or maybe the reposa period was poorly executed. Whatever the reason, the green tasted to be of sub-standard quality, and I know it's not because Starbucks likes to buy bad green.After deciding to let the cup cool for awhile (this, after having added the sugar), we taste again. Two distinct fruit flavors. Banana. Peach.Of course, the carbon was still there from the scorched bean, and sure, the starchiness effect from the banana tells me that the coffee was internally underdeveloped. (i.e. - roasted too quickly) But this coffee had potential.There are times when I think I understand the Starbucks method of doing things, but there are other times, such as this one, when I really don't understand at all how roasting a what could have otherwise been a really good coffee in such a way that destroys the quality cup characteristics.Pike Place Roast is far from "the best cup of coffee I'll ever have had", as I have better on an almost daily basis. Best cup of coffee? Far from it. It benefits well from a healthy dose of half & half and sugar. For the average drip drinker, that's a good quality to have. For me, it falls short, yet again, of what could have been a great tool for educating consumers.It's a marketing gimmick, and nothing more.

Starbucks.Logo.Original.jpg

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Asian Barista Championship 2008

Finalists for ABC 2008:(in no particular order)Australia - Mr. Scott CallaghanKoreaMalaysiaNew Zealand - Mr. Carl SaraTaiwanI got to the competition area late, so I didn't get to see the announcement for the finalists. My apologies for not getting the Korea and Malaysia barista's names.I got to see Scott's performance and it was great. He was obviously one of the favorites, and competing at centre table show-cased his presentation skills immensely. He attempted 4 different milk art for his capps - heart, rosetta, double hearts and double rosetta. His table was crowded with photographers! I couldn't get a shot of any of his drinks. His signature beverage had elements of orange juice, star anise, reduced rose syrup, ginger and was meant to be an after-meal beverage, layered in flavor and complexity. i thought he quite cleverly bent the rules by combining the OJ and something else in the blender, without any ice though, and effectively made a "blended freestyle espresso-based beverage." I don't remember reading any rules that states it needs to be an ice-blended beverage...More tomorow. Sorry I couldn't live-blog a la zacharyzachary style. It's my first industry event and I was busy checking the floor out.Later..
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NEW StoneWood website ready!

The new website for StoneWood Coffee & Tea Co. is finally up and online. Please take a minute to check it out and let me know what you think. Go to www.stonewoodcoffee.com Thanks and keep brewing!Espresso Suscitatio Spiritus,David
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2008 SCAA Conference Official Live Blog

We've assembled a team for an unprecedented SCAA pilot project: live blogging the SCAA Conference in Minneapolis.Team members:Nick Cho, loser podcaster and coffeeshop ownerZachary and Katie from zacharyzachary.comTravis, a video-production specialist who made the murky training videosErin Meister, of Joe the Art of Coffee, as well as BIYNYC, Time Out NY and BUST Magazine... and Meet The Press Pot blogand a certain barista from the UK 8)Highlights:- LIVE ONLINE VIDEO of the USBC, in addition to backstage videos, and ongoing blog coverage- Video highlights of Coffee of the Year competition- video highlights from the show floor, skill-building workshops, seminars, etc.- blog-coverage from ALL OVER Conference- full-video of keynote address- interviews galore- and more!Gotta throw in a quick acknowledgement to Zachary and Katie for their pioneering work last year at the WBC, and Mark Prince of CoffeeGeek.com for having provided the best coverage of the SCAA Conference each year. We hope this new SCAA project will build on that work and provide more than a taste of the SCAA Conference experience to everyone who logs in.Stay tuned for more info! URL coming soon!
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So I was at a party Saturday night for a friends engagement and I had the pleasure of meeting Clark who, after some copious amounts of wine and great food, overheard that I was in the coffee business. We started talking as he mentioned he and his friends had a new coffee concept/cocktail recipe, and have started a new drinking trend revolution across the US. When Clark first told me about the Whynatte I didn't really take him seriously, as you can imagine, but the more I think about it, I am dying to try one. Jagermeister and a great latte ... two of my favorite things. :) I developed quite a relationship with Jager when I lived in Italy, back when currency was Lire, and the dollar was incredibly strong, I would pick up a bottle of Jager and sip it with friends before going out for the evening. Anyway, I wanted to welcome both Clark and Jesse from the Whynatte crew to bX! Already in the works ... having a bX meet up and incorporating this drink into the debauchery. First thing I thought of was the latte bong clip from Seattle after looking at their site. So it may be a bit crazy but who's down for Whynatte's in MN? I can only imagine one would tasted oh so sweet when prepared by Baca or another USBC competitor! :)
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Dear Providence, You will love the coffee!

In an old warehouse building nestled on the Providence/Pawtucket line a group of coffee folks got together to drink some Narragannsett beer, pull shots, cup and talk coffee. The first RI based coffee jam (to our knowledge) but certainly not the last. From the state who claims coffee milk as the official state drink comes the beginning of a coffee revolution.

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