I’m usually perplexed as what to write when I start a new website, blog, homepage, or the like. Thus, instead of permitting my thoughts to meander around, I will hone them in and focus them on all things coffee.You see, working at Starbucks presents the simultaneous blessing and curse of working with the public. It offers a venue for great conversations, connections, and networking. However, it also makes this barista vulnerable to many conjectures about something he’s devoted a year and a half to perfecting. It also opens the door to many questions and answers such as, “I didn’t order a grande latte!!!” “Well, that’s not your drink then.”Real life scenario (let’s suppose the customer’s name is Sam):BaristaJim is making several drinks one moderately busy afternoon and places a fresh drink on the handoff platform.BaristaJim: “Are you waiting for a caramel macchiato,sir?”Sam: “Yes.”B: “Well, here you go!”S: “Ok, thanks.”*Sam briefly leaves, takes a sip, then returns*S: “Is this a caramel macchiato?”B: “Yes, sir, it is.”*Sam looks a little shocked and places the drink back on the handoff platform. A few more seconds go by and I inquire as to what Sam is waiting for.*S: “I’m waiting for a caramel macchiato.”B: “Well, that’s it right there.” (Pointing to the same drink)S: “Oh, ok. Thanks!”More stories, taste reviews, and reports strange happenings to come.
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I recently took a trip to Georgetown to take a look at another side of what's coming up in "specialty coffee."The trip? To Slayer Espresso.A review I wrote WhyNotCoffee.wordpress.comRead more…
Wrapped up Itasca - it was wet but a great camping trip. Currently on Day 1 of Breezy Point. Just wrapped up dinner on the deck, mini putt golf at the Pirate's Cove followed by go-carting. Glad to have that out of the way.Wife is reading books to the boys right now at 10:30. I can't remember the last time they were in bed before 10 and they are 4 and 7 years old. Grandma and Grandpa were in town for the birth of their fourth of four girl cousins so they've been up late (no boys and we're pretty sure there won't be anymore cousins). Anyway, getting the pontoon for fishing and swimming tomorrow. Hope the weather holds, it was just about a perfect day weather wise today.Another post soon - probably about fishing and swimming tomorrow. Miss my dog who is currently at Camp Bow Wow for $40 a night. Think after this post I'll check the doggie cam and see what he's up to.
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We are thinking about putting a coffee concession stand at out Towns annual celebration. Does anyone know a contact close to NYC for renting a movable unit specifically for coffee? Or do you have any suggestions or comments... we haven't done this before......Thanks
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SEE ORIGINAL POSTING, INCLUDING PHOTOS, AT THE CROP TO CUP BLOG HERE.Coffee Processing/Handling Techniques (at origin) Play out in the CupLessons from cuppings of six different Uganda Bugisu coffeesby Taylor Mork, Crop to Cup Coffee Co. (Brooklyn, NY)Yesterday at Crop to Cup Brooklyn we had an eye opening and tasty coffee cupping. The goal was to re-cup a set of 6 new crop coffee samples that we recently received from two sources in the Bugisu region of Uganda. We had cupped them last Friday, off a nice sample roast created by no other than NYC coffee fave Daniel Humphries. We cupped roughly 24 hours after roasting. JD and his team from Oslo Coffee and a few other friends joined us, and we definitely got a good read on the options. We all settled on what we thought were the best coffees.Yesterday, our goal was to reevaluate these six samples (when you’re buying 20-40 tons of the stuff, you want to be sure!), and try them on an even lighter roast, with new sets of taste buds. Luckily coffee fanatics Neil and Anne from TampTamp jumped at the chance (offer of free beer afterwards did NOT influence their decision to join), and our own Brooklyn team – me, Fernando and Jeanne – and some friends/neighbors at Greenspaces were there to help dig in (with spoons).The coffees yesterday were cupped about 27 hours after roasting (so not much different from the previous set), semi-blind by me and blind by all others. I knew which three were from which exporter, but I did not know how each exporter’s 3 were arranged. The other cuppers simply knew that there were 6 Uganda Bugisu coffees on the table. In the end, we all settled on the same 3 coffees as “good” (all from one exporter), and we also all settled on which of those 3 were “very good” and “awesome.”What made yesterday so much more interesting was that – after the cupping – I busted out the laptop and read aloud emails from our export partners explaining each coffee’s origin and processing style. I had not done this last Friday because I knew I was going to re-cup these coffees, and I didn’t want to influence later taste evaluations.So here’s what happened. I won’t go into much detail about the specific tastes we got from the good, better and best coffees, because I really want to focus on processing and handling here.The coffees that all came from one export partner – let’s call them Exporter A – did not cup well. The main details I received about their coffees were the sizes/grades. We received coffees of A, AA and PB sizes. All three cupped poorly on Friday night, and again yesterday. We found a gem (amazing dark blueberry) in one cup (of three) of the AA on Friday night, but the other 2 of 3 were not good, telling us that this is a mixed lot with inconsistent quality. I don’t want great coffee only 1 in 3 mornings of my life, and I don’t want only 1 in 3 customers happy! The PB and A did not impress us much on Friday, but also didn’t put us off so much that we didn’t think a later cupping could yield good results. In a nutshell, we weren’t overly excited about these beans from Exporter A, but we also wanted to give them a second chance.On yesterday’s lighter roast cupping of Exporter A’s coffees, we lost any positivity remaining from Friday. They were not just “not great,” but were unfortunately just “pretty bad.” Although their dry aromas gave off some nice cinnamon and chocolate, they tasted dirty, baggy, grassy (not in a good way) and just plain flat. Anne picked out a lot of notes of underripe beans.Exporter B’s three coffees (all single-A grade), on the other hand, gave us a refreshing whiff of “clean!” Wow, was it a nice change. The first (let’s call it coffee #4) had a nice sweet dry aroma, a good clean cup, with good body and acidity, sweet and slightly fruity – a great coffee that would impress many coffee drinkers. The second of Exporter B’s (coffee #5) – our top favorite overall – had beautiful orange currant tones, very pleasant medium-high acidity, lovely juiciness, and great balance. Best of all, it was bright, but not too bright – i.e. it’s not going to scare away the large portion of the coffee community that loves a hint of bright oranges, but still needs a good thick cup of chocolaty joe . Anne was brimming with excitement for having picked out the cultivar: Bourbon SL-28. That girl knows what she’s talking about when it comes to coffee, and this was a perfect example of what great coffee SL-28 trees can produce. The third (coffee #6) was good, although a bit confusing because of its slight inconsistencies (2 of 3 cups were consistent and good, and 1 of 3 cups was amazing – dark fruity, blueberry, plum-like).So, what makes these coffees taste so good and bad?Coffees 1-3, from Exporter A (a large regional cooperative): From this exporter, we received grade information (A, AA, PB) and information that the coffee is hand pulped, washed and dried at the homes/farms of members of “primary societies” (which are members of the larger regional cooperative, in this case the exporter). This coffee is bought from all over the Bugisu region where the coop’s primary societies reside (not just bought from select regions). It is then all mixed together without regard to quality or select regions. I am not aware what types of drying systems and transport are provided by the coop to the farmers, but since it all comes from such a large region, it is safe to assume that some is dried properly and blessed with adequate transport to get it down the mountain before it rots, while some is not dried properly (not on raised beds) and left to sit in inadequate storage facilities. When the coffee comes into the hands of the coop/exporter it is all in dry parchment form, i.e. too late to tell what sort of underripe, ripe and overripe beans went in, impossible to tell which microregions and altitudes of Bugisu the beans came from, too late to tell which beans had waited too long between harvest and depulping+washing and thus molded. Those defects definitely came through in the cup. The coffee is a big batch of coffee from all over the large Bugisu region (up to 40 miles long and 5 miles wide) (here, see the Western side of Mt. Elgon, stretching from Kapchorwa down to Bomwege), collected by the coop/exporter then hulled and separated according to size. Even though the factory that hulls and sorts their coffee is top-notch, hulling and sorting is a relatively straightforward process and isn’t the stage of the coffee process where the most damage can be done.Coffees 4-6 (Exporter B): Coffee 4 is from farmer groups (Producer Organizations, i.e. “POs”) in six specific microregions in Uganda. These farmer groups have all been provided with reliable hand pulpers, drying systems and transport. Although quality can be compromised when you have hundreds of different farmers all pulping, drying and storing their own coffee before selling to the exporter, they are at least starting out on the right foot through proper training and equipment. Coffee 5 – our favorite from the cupping – is from four specific “washing stations” whose operations are controlled by the exporter and supported by quite a bit of investment (one is the set of 2 buildings and 4 white tanks to the left of the road right before it is covered by clouds, here). I used to work at the company managing these stations in Uganda (a different company than who manages them now), and I know the effort and money it takes to keep these running, and the amazing quality that they can produce. Farmers of Coffee 5 bring their just-harvested coffee cherries to the washing station, where underripes and overripes can be refused, and the pulping, washing, fermenting and drying processes can all be closely monitored and controlled for consistency, with high-quality equipment, running water and adequate space. Coffee 6 – the one that was very tasty but slightly inconsistent – was a blend of the two – i.e. half from farmer groups with hand pulpers, and half from washing stations.Sure, we all know that coffee (wet-processed coffee, at least) usually tastes best when farmers are able to bring their freshly harvested cherries to washing stations. We also know that when farmers don’t have a washing station around but still want to produce really good coffee, then they can produce awesome stuff if provided with the proper hand-pulping and small-scale drying equipment, training, relationships and quality control to keep out coffee from poorly performing regions. We also know that bulk coffee, such as jumbled bunches of simply “Ugandan” or “Bugisu” coffee collected blindly throughout the region without regard to the many different valleys, altitudes and processing limitations of farmers in this massive region – will taste uninteresting and dirty. At best, the latter will taste “different” – different from an Ethiopian, from a Colombian or from a Papau New Guinea coffee. But what’s the point of different if it doesn’t taste great?!But how often do we – coffee drinkers – get to see all of these rules play out on one table? What made this coffee cupping so interesting and educational is that we had the opportunity to really see and taste all in one place what “rules” most of us simply take to be true. It is not often that we get to put six different Uganda Bugisu coffees on the table, taste such stark quality differences, then match the tastes – both good and bad – to specific processing styles and rules.Even better, we found a few coffees that we can’t wait to import! Come soon we’ll have 20-40 tons of this stuff pulling up on a ship at the port of Newark. Now can you guess which one(s)…and tell me why?!
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I'm Andrew 20 year old from the Philippines , a graduate of BS Hotel and Restaurant Management in De La Salle University - Dasmariñas . In the years of my study i dont really enjoy my chosen course , sometimes i dont listen to my professors and when i try to listen it just like my mind dont want to absorb the knowledge from it :)) LOL ! . i dont know how to cook when we are in the laboratory i am just a dishwasher or sometimes a marketer . ARGH but i know how to serve the foods . when i take my on the job training in a restaurant in Tagaytay . my first position is a waiter . good thing i know something about my position but i just dont enjoy it . i know in myself that i am wanting something then when i read about coffee or barista i just feel good . when i take my ojt in a cruise ship i interview a barista who is a Filipino too . we exchange thoughts . he tells me that barista is a cool job i agreed to him because i see it in his face and i watch him while he serve coffee's to his guest . from that day i always wanted to be a barista . then i see this site about coffee's and barista i immediately sign up :) .I hope someone here will be my friend and share some tips or knowledge about coffees and barista .thanks for reading . :)
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Its about 2:05 am here in collingwoodand i decided that its time for a double short americanoThis is my first blog... Ever, my facebook just has dust on itI want to make this a daily blog dont know if anyone will actualy read itbut atleast I can kill some time.. this is what happens when im notat work for a couple days. but i would assume like every otherbarista that we make daily visits to our cafes multipule times in a day3 times for me today but that includes the time i booked today topractice for the Barista competition. My first EVER im excited and nervousalso up against my amazing co-workers i have no clue what to say while ipresent im almost to the point that i think that i will just wing itbut maybe i can make up the greatest backround story everto make it more intresting just tell them how ive been to every countryand had more coffee then the amount of people they have met or somthingreally dumb like that. By the Way if some one is reading this send me some tipsfor the competion it would be so helpfulso thanks for reading or whateverill think of a cool sign off later...stay classy san diego?
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i just finished the install of Michael Elvin's 'Elvinator' and I am so impressed! Just a little piece of plastic in between the doser lever plate and the chute changes everything. On top of a good cleaning, its like I have a new Mazzer! Sure, a little mucking about and scrubbing after getting the doser removed is always messy, but a clean grinder is a better performing one. My counter is cleaner, and my barista are already freaking out! I highly recommend this mod to anyone who works with a Mazzer grinder. All in all, the total time for removing the doser, cleaning and installing was about an hour, but I had a bunch of buildup. All the while, I was reminded of my days in the shop of Espresso Parts, dismantling grinders and the smell of rancid grounds, but once you break through the buildup and start reassembly, it is so rewarding to see a clean grinder with a new addition ready to make your day easier.Thank you Michael Elvin!! This is one of the most needed mods for this brand of grinder.I am a happy barista!ART
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were more popular at the New York Fancy Food Show than coffee. Tea and chocolate are both projecting more of a premium image than coffee at that food show. Chocolate in particular touting single origins, even single estates -- copying what coffee has been doing for years
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and I noticed that Italian espresso roasters are making a big effort to break into the US. And some of their espressos are awesome. They have names like Esse Cafe, Cafe Sant Eustache, Cafe Makimbo, and a bunch of names we've never heard of until now.
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Well, its no secret that the summer months are considered by most in retail to be the lean months so here we are well under way. So far, at least through June, it looks like we will still have our doors open for the fall and consequent holiday season which is an encouragement. But it is not nearly enough just to lay in a fetal position and wait for the holidays, action is more essential now than ever during the year (I am preaching mostly to myself here). I just read an article in the current issue of "Success" magazine that compared success to chopping down a really large tree. It said, metaphorically, that if you go out into the Forrest every week and take 5 strong swings with an ax at the largest tree, eventually it will come down. Now despite the sad mental image of a proud old tree being brought down, the metaphor works for me. It says to me, make a plan to do at a minimum 5 key things every week that promotes, strengthens and moves my business forward, eventually the break through will come as a cumulative result, just don't quit, don't give up and throw in the towel, unless its one of your really, really dirty, stained, old, ragged holes all in it bar towels, then maybe throw that in the recycle bin and make one of your steps this week to go all out and buy a few new ones so that the new customers don't have to wonder if you wiped out the portafilter you used to make their cafe americano with that disgusting towel. I have only been "officially" in the biz for 5 years or so, and I clearly remember having the attitude that there was this one big, mythical, mystical "thing" that I needed to have happen that would break my business wide open and success would come flooding in unstoppable. But I realize now that success is not a singular big "thing" that tips the balance but rather a cumulative bunch of little things, like grains of sand in a bag. One by itself is something but just barely, however throw several shovels full of very small grains into the bag and now it has substance. OK, back to the 5 key, stratigis things/actions. What would you submit as your immediate "5 things", or if you can't come up with 5 at the moment what would your 3 be or even 1?? Please share.
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During the COFFEENA Fair in Cologne / Germany the first World Championship of Cezve Ibrik was hold. We are talking about coffees to be prepared like the Turkish or Greek way of doing it (roasting, brewing and serving). 10 participants took part at this championship. They had 12 minutes to show the judges drinks prepared in this way, 2 of them without any additives, 2 with spices and sugar and 2 signature drinks. The classification was:Champion - Christina Koumpouni - Greece2nd Classified - Reinhard Grebien - Austria3rd Classified - Aysin Aydogdu - United Kingdomwww.iecafe.com
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Another World Championship organized during the fair COFFEENA in Cologen / Germany was the one for Coffee in Good Spirits. 23 participants took part at this Championship and the best 6th of them arrived to the final round. The final classification ended up as follows:Champ - Marta Piigli de EstoniaSubchampion - Edmund Buston UK3rd classification - Francesco Corona - Italy4th classification - Morten Vestenaa - Denmark5th classification - Sandra Daniela Stucki - Switzerland6th classification - Arno Schmeil - Germany
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On Sunday the 28th of June the 6th Edition of the World Cup Tasters Championship was celebrated during the COFEENA fair in Cologne / Germany. More than 30 participants took part. A first round had to be organized as wells as a semifinal - the best 4 arrived to the final. Really a big success for this competition. The final classification ended up as follows:Champion - Valentina Kazachkova of Russia - all 8 coffees were right within the time of 7:37Supchamp - Bart van Sanden of Belgium - 7 right out off 8 within the time of 3:083rd one - Eijiro Goto of Japan - 7 right out off 8 within the time of 5:254th one - Ben Kaminsky of United States - 7 right out off 8 within the time of 6:33The Spanish Champion - Marisa Baque Delas - ended up 28 "tasting" 4 coffees Ok out off 8 within a time of 2:28.
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On Sunday the 28th of June the 6th Edition of the World Cup Tasters Championship was celebrated during the COFEENA fair in Cologne / Germany. More than 30 participants took part. A first round had to be organized as well as a semifinal - the best 4 arrived to the final. Really a big success for this competition. The final classification ended up as follows:Champion - Valentina Kazachkova of Russia - all 8 coffees were right within the time of 7:37Supchamp - Bart van Sanden of Belgium - 7 right out off 8 within the time of 3:083rd one - Eijiro Goto of Japan - 7 right out off 8 within the time of 5:254th one - Ben Kaminsky of United States - 7 right out off 8 within the time of 6:33The Spanish Champion - Marisa Baque Delas - ended up 28 "tasting" 4 coffees Ok out off 8 within a time of 2:28.
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Ok...So this event was Fantastic! I am so glad I showed up for this, for so many reasons. First and foremost, I got to meet a bunch of amazing people who are passionate about great coffee, pouring excellent drinks, and the turnout for just spectating was so cool! Out of the 30 people who participated, I finished 4th overall!! My friend and staff member, Gabbie competed also, and sadly, she did not go as far as I did, BUT, we made a good showing, bringing a posse with us for support. As far as I'm concerned, it was the best event I have attended in a LONG TIME!Along with the throwdown, I have made new friends, and built some new inroads with other barista in the Oly/Seattle area, and to me, that is more fun and more rewarding than just making awesome drinks for cash. (the cash would have been nice too... ;) but I did walk away with a couple new friends, and a set of four cups. Not bad. Its late, I have to ride 6 hours home tomorrow...so its off to bed,Night!ART
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Below is a great little write-up that my older brother published on his social media blog about the way one of my previous e-newsletters was structured. What a great complement from one of the social media’s innovators. In brackets is his social media comments on my e-newsletter.[I just got this email newsletter from my brother’s cafe. He has no formal training in integrated marketing communications, but bloody hell, he’s doing a good job at it. I’ve made some notes below on why it’s such a great newsletter. Have a read…]Hey everyone,It’s been a week or two since our last update and it is definitely time for a new business of the week.[Regular updates are great, especially if they add value to the readers]In about 20 minutes, we are going to be changing our single origin roast to a Colombian Supremo. This Smooth and mellow bean has been roasted a bit darker this week and it is giving off this amazing caramelized citrus flavour. Usually a fairly acidic coffee, roasting this a bit further has given it that sweet caramel that it needed and the mouth feel is thick and delicious! One espresso wasn’t enough and I fear that I’ll have too many while trying to chase that flavour again.[Bang, straight up you can tell this guy loves his coffee, so you trust his opinion, and there's something timely right at the top to keep regular readers interested. News in a newsletter, fancy that.]For the coffee adventurists, I have got my hands on a blend called ‘The mother of all coffees’. This is packed full of a wickedly strong Robusta and it is going to knock your socks off! If you feel like a big perk to your morning, come in and ask for some. It won’t be available to the public but I will let you in on my private stash! :) I just spent a week in Melbourne and I’m proud to say that the coffee we are getting roasted for us is well up there with some of the countries finest. I dragged my girlfriend around the cities laneways in an espresso nirvana and found some great little eateries; if you are heading down that way soon, drop in and ask me where to get lost in the city, you won’t be disappointed.[Helpful, personal; this is value. This guy actually cares about you and your love of coffee. You won't find this level of personalisation at a Starbucks]This week’s Business card winner is Linda McKewin from Style Magazines. Linda needs to contact either by email, in person or by phone to claim her 5 FREE DRINKS. Remember, you need to read these emails to be in the running for the free drinks and if you have ever placed your card in the draw or if you receive these emails, you are still in the running to win them for yourself.[What a great touch - promoting the business that wins your lucky business card draw to your whole mailing list. It's a win-win situation and a real incentive to enter.]This months Trivia night is this Thursday night and it is booked out already. We had an amazing response after the last one and were booked out two weeks ago. If you want to be involved in July’s event, then get in touch with us soon and book your team of four.[Trivia nights are lesson one in Cafe Marketing 101, clearly it's working too, turning a usually slow night into a packed event. This isn't a desperate plea for someone to come, it's a genuine word of advice that you'd better book early]Ok, I’ll let you get back to work now, Remember though to sign up to our twitter page for daily specials on coffee and food.[A Cafe on Twitter isn't anything new, but Dave is doing it particularly well, offering daily specials for those who stay tuned. He tells me it's working really well too - the Twitter followers feel like they're part of a special tribe]Cheers,Dave Granfield [owner]Follow Matt’s Marketing blog here to find out the current trends and the upcoming social media updates to hit the world.
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