Hey, everyone, just wanted to let you know that I have nailed down the date for the screening of A Perfect Cappuccino. The other details are still a little sketchy but I will keep you posted on this blog and on facebook. Right now, the only thing certain is that the movie will be shown on April 14th.I can probably show it as early as 5 or as late as 8. Somewhere in between these two times is what you can expect.Also, I'm trying to acquire a good espresso machine for a cappuccino throwdown to be held at the theatre the same night. If this can't be worked out, we'll take the party to Red Eye. But I think it won't be a problem.I hope to see everyone there.
Read more…
A few months ago the shop that I work at has been bought out by people who live down the street from the old owners. As soon as they took over, they started fixing things that needed to be fixed for a long time.After a while of fixing things, I think that the new owners realized just how much work it would be for them to completely fix the store. They also have not had any sort of coffee shop experience and know nothing about what it is like to work behind the counter. (The previous owners worked at least once a week behind the counters for 15 years).I find that even though a lot of the baristas still care about coffee, the newer people are having a hard time getting into it. With the old owners it was easy because they loved coffee and loved learning anything that they could about it. That sort of attitude rubbed off on us and everyone that was new to the business. The baristas were happy and that kept the customers coming.At the moment, the new owners are really only concerned about fixing up the store and making more money in return for what they have spent fixing it. To do that, they have switched out a lot of what I loved about the store. The food is from sysco instead of being made at a small shop somewhere (which is what we had ALWAYS done). They have changed things around that make things very inconvenient for the staff and customers so that they can max their profits.Hopefully, all of this won't be forever. At the moment, I am having a very hard time trying to deal with the added stress of someone that I am working for being really stressed out. I have never seen my manager as stressed in her life either. Going to work used to be a lot of fun for me and now I get stressed out and a little sad every time I have to wake up for work.I would really hate to see the company turn into something that people aren't going to like. It is hard to talk to stressed out owners about coffee and how to make it when that isn't what they want to hear. (At least, not at the moment..i hope.) The way that they treat the employees is a little too close to corporate businesses. They tend to not tell the staff anything that they need and get after the managers when they have a problem. I have worked for a corporate business once before and hated it.I guess I just had to vent a little bit. I don't want to dislike this change. Maybe it is time to move on to another shop?
Read more…
I thank you all for your comments on my $.25 a cup issue. If I am ever near where ya'll have invited me, trust me, I'll be there. We need an emblem of some sort to signify who is on the Barista Exchange. A big BE on the door, A small BE somewhere in the store... Something to signify who we are. Let's think about it. Bigger things have started with much less reason. Ask Bill Gates. LOLYes I understand the economy is going here and there and prices always go up.But, It gets me when I walk into a 7-11 or quicky mart or wherever, and I have to ask someone to point out the "normal" coffee.My best ones are the texaco, that is $.50, your cup daily and "free on friday". Also the 7-11 that is free on mondays.I ain't a cheapo. I just like a good cup of "normal" coffee at a decent price. I don't mind at all paying for it. I just do not want to pay for all them other blended things they are selling. If it's been setting in the pot for half a day, it's got character...
Read more…
today Iam very happy,I made my (first)nice ,very nice heart in a cup,I made a most tasting and sweet espressos...the coffee was perfect,a litlle more roasted that usually but the texture was a heaven!!!TODOS JUNTOS PARA EL CAFFE!
Read more…
I've become quite enamored with Batista exchange. All of my previous attempts at social networking via web sites have stagnated and died due to apathy. This site however continues to facinate me much as coffee continues to. I can honestly say that I've learned more about the nuance of pulling a shot of espresso than in years of trial and error. There is also the people. Here I'm likely to meet intellegent individuals of passionate reason guided interest rather than the common social networking hipster sceenster shallow consumptave... Yeah I'm a little bitter I guess. Anyway I think bx is one of the greatest resorces availabe to the specialty coffee comunity and the perfect remedy to my social networking malaise.
Read more…
New crop from the Brazilian Highlands of Carmo de Minas is in.Tasty stuff with lots of layers. The acidity is uncharacteristically muted in this high altitude example from Fazenda Marimbondo. Instead of the sweet cherry-lemonade vibe it has an interesting "candy in the cup" thing going on. Almond Roca comes to mind. Notes as follows...Acid 6.5Body 7.5Texture 8Flavors - At the grind hazelnut, almond, toffee and chocolote. Hint of orange citrus acid, not prevalent but there. When wet lemon/orange, toffee, caramel and an insane amount of nuttiness. Almond Roca, Ferraro Rocher, completely candy-like! The cup stays remarkably consistant through all heat levels (low acid presence) and shows toffee, caramel, hazelnut, roasted almond, and root beer. The slight acid stays sweetly mellow, more orange than lemon (compared to aroma note). Nice syrupy velvet body.Available at both cafes and some of our wholesale clients' shops. You can order online at herkimercoffee.com or send me a note with your location and i'll tell you if you are close to one.Cheers,Scott
Read more…
Drinking an after dinner Aloha Hills Americano. Very nice rich Kona! In truth I haven't drunk that much of it been so off into other coffees. Like Panama Esmeralda Gesha 4 or 5 times a week first cup of the morning for months. But I've been ignoring Kona for long enough to really appreciate it's smooth rich balance again. I drank so much Kona for so many years kind of became "normal" and somewhat became ho-hum losing it's appeal. But not this cup. All deep, rich and smooth with a delicate vibrant dance on the palate, yum!Just thought I'd mention it:-)
Read more…
Whatever happened to regular ole Cowboy Coffee? $.25 a cup, Hot, black, and strong enough to float a horse shoe in. Now we're talking about my taste in coffee. When ya wanna spice it up, put a little sugar in it. To make it really wild, put honey.A
Read more…
Posted by Jason Duncan on March 21, 2009 at 4:29am
So, we have not had any problems with our portafilters on any of our Nuova Simonelli espresso machines in the past but we just bought 2 new machines and the trouble began.When we put the double spouts on each portafilter, they turn past center and end up being sideways (shot classes would be front and back and not side to side).Before I tell you what I have tried, do you have any suggestions? It is about to drive me mad.Also, before I get tons of posts about using naked portafilters in stead - we have thought about it but because we do catering and at times use small (8 oz cups), we need to be able to do singles.Thanks for your help!
Read more…
I am opening a new cafe in Ontario Canada in a few months time and I am looking for your opinions on the best machines for the money. I have only worked on the La Marzocco so something similar to that is what I lean towards. Do I need to buy a brand new machine? I expect my cafe will only do moderate numbers but the location has potential. If I'm only serving 150 - 200 customers a day do you think a 2-group will suffice?Bev
Read more…
The next shipment of coffee is well on it's way, should arrive Wednesday. 38,000 lbs of el Salvador's finest. Man it's going to be a busy couple of weeks. The way good news is that our mill hired this guy jorge (hor-hey) who is the second higest ranked cupper in the world right now, and some of the lots on this next container are getting scores in the mid 90's! We'll also get some more naturals and some traditionaly washed coffees. All and all I'm pretty stoked.Well wish us luck and resiliant backs.
Read more…
Posted by CoffeeJunkie on March 20, 2009 at 5:50am
Jitterz in the NewsWell, Kaye B. in my own made-up news...close enough. I’ve got a new coffee blog. Dig it at: Confessions of A CoffeeJunkie. Browse around and check out some of the links to great coffee while you are there! To copy and paste the link into your browser: http://confessionsofacoffeejunkie.wordpress.comWhat's Roasting? Toasted Cinnamon and Wild Berries!I fell in love with El Salvador’s coffee from this past fall. Thankfully, El Salvador Organic Finca Mauritania had a rather large crop, so I bought loads of it! I experimented a little on this roast. I tried it at different levels to sample different taste characteristics. And if we all remember correctly, Jitterz Café’s Christmas Soirée brought us this very floral coffee with a bit natural spice: toasted cinnamon. Turns out the darker the roast, the less explosion of that incredibly smooth cinnamon taste. So let’s leave this one at City+ (a medium intensity).I am discovering that more of the coffees I taste are beginning to leave me speechless. I had read about the Ethiopia Organic WP Kebado - quoted as being “thrilling.” So I ordered some for myself and roasted it at City+. The first time I tasted it, I was at work. I had just placed a business call, and the person on the other end had answered. I left them hanging…I had merely gotten a whiff of the coffee as I lifted it to my mouth. The aroma alone was exhilarating! Lemony citrus scents took over my nose, and induced slight salivation; but I had to force myself back to the task at hand, or at least momentarily…THE PHONE CALL! I made it quick and hung up FAST!The last time I tasted coffee with flavor this intense was months ago and it was only a sample of the Kenyan Peaberry (a peaberry is a rare type of coffee bean; instead of splitting into two flat berries as we commonly know it, the cherry forms one oval-shaped berry/bean, therefore giving it a highly intensified explosion of flavor). Since I had prepared the Ethiopia Kebado in my french press, I thought it would be ok if I played coffee connoisseur for a few minutes. Slurp…GUZZLE (wait, I’m not supposed to guzzle, but I did). Roll to the back of my tongue….MMMMM!! The aftertaste was very pleasing and still very flavorful. Light honey, wild berries, lemony citrus all in one cup, and as it cools it’s something reminiscent of a light summer drink to complete your day of sandy beaches and flip-flops. Good to the last drop!
Read more…
We got a new machine! Long over due, but well worth the wait. After attending the NERBC with my boss, it was obvious that we could use some new equipment. Happily we decided on the simonelli used at competition, and i am glad to say that all employees and costumers are very satisfied with the decision. I thought I used to get excited when someone ordered anything espresso related, but that was nothing compared to what I feel now, pure love!
Read more…
This blog is dedicated to fellow barista who have unfortunately encountered those customers. Now I dont mean the usual teenage annoyances or the mom who had a bad day or the old man who feels the world owes him special service for his infinite wisdom... I mean the strange habited folk who feel the need to grace the public with their habits that should be kept within the walls of their home.First lets talk about one saturday morning gentleman. The usual routine is greet, order, serve. Seems simple enough.... but while I naturally turned the grinder on to make his delicious espresso beverage, a familiar sound could be heard above the sharpened burrs.... dose dose CLIP dose CLIP dose CLIP CLIP etc... Yes. This man was clipping his fingernails.... I'm sorry but ten awkwardly crescent shaped piece of finger is not a sufficient tip. seriously. please do not do this at the counter.Next, let me tell you about the mid twenties male who walked into our restroom with his plate of panini sandwich. I've seen people bring their computers along their toilet adventure, which is semi understandable... shits expensive, got to keep a look out. Even though I always assume they are watching porn. But a sandwich? Dont walk out casually chomping and expect me not to give a face in disgust knowing fully that the same hand you hold your food is also the hand you used to wipe your ass less than two seconds prior.....ok ok ok. This one is my favorite. So we have this frail old woman who regularly visits the shop. She is very fairytale like... Looks like the witch in the gingerbread house. She always wears black and has a distinct wrinkled face that seems to move on its own depending on which wretched mood shes in. The best part is she uses a scooter wheelchair to get herself around town. She whips around our shop full speed dodging tables and chairs and has come quite close to running over several customers including little children.... She insists that everything is brought to her and will mosy around the shop on her own two feet with absolute ease while following the baristas around demanding ice water. She has been by far the hardest customer to please... Something is always wrong.... not enough ice in her water, too much salad on her plate, the coffee is not hot enough, too little butter packets delivered with her scone, etc etc etc . . . Wherever she stations herself in the shop, she finds someway to create the biggest mess of crumbs and napkins and beverage possible. She leaves as epically as she enters and will ram into the front door at a speed captain james T kirk would be proud of... We have had to "unfortunately" blacklist her from the sheep and she is no longer welcome due to repeated damage to shop property... She doesnt understand why she is no longer allowed back, but since then we've seen her scooter on by glaring malevolently into the shop... I'm just waiting for the plagues to hit now.I will update later when I have more time and more stories, but please, feel free to share your stories as well... I need to know that my city isnt the only one spawning individuals with a rare case of tactless stupidity.kthnx ^_^
Read more…
Posted by Nutley Stylz on March 18, 2009 at 4:11am
When did this site go from a site for specialty coffee industry professionals to a social network of susie posting photos of her cat and betty posting photos of her boyfriend? What's the point?
Read more…
The exectutives of the shop I've been managing for a year have refused a different coffee than dillanos since I've started. However, recently showing them how much money we could make and save by roasting our own in store has changed their minds. They've left it up to me to find the roaster and source of beans. I want to go direct trade with farms so we skip the political fair trade issue and give more money back to the farmers. Does anyone have ANY suggestions for me or resources?!
Read more…
Posted by Chris Hooton on March 17, 2009 at 1:00pm
I did some more work today on my old single group Grindmaster Espressimo machine. The Espressimo heats the group head with a heating element that encircles the top of the group. Mine went out as heating elements like to do. So instead of buy a new calrod element for about 30 bucks (though I didn't think it would be that cheap), I decided to heat it with steam - more like an E61. I simply extended the copper tubing that went to the vacuum breaker valve and routed through the cavity in the group head that used to be occupied by the heating element. This involved only one part, some tubing, so it was simple in conception, but getting it in there required the moving lines and taking the group apart.The other project I did with it was to add a cold water mixture to the americano spout. My hot water comes out boiling and sputtering. To control this and dial in the temperature, I spliced the cold water line and the hot water line to the spout interrupting the flow with a stop cock valve. This way I can control the flow of cold water into the mixture.The only snafu was that the hot water line coming from the boiler cracked and we nearly had to take everything apart to replace the heating exchange coil. We managed to jury rig it tolerably enough.The mods are all done for now. Someday I plan to replace my boiler pressure gauge with a dual manometer.
Read more…
A complete well maintained coffee cart for sale. I am changing direction in my life and business. I am selling everything you need to start your espresso business. I have started Javart Studio in Bellevue Washington 4-1/2 years ago. I am leaving the Coffee Business for a while and concentrating in art and printing business. I have a fully equipped, well maintained coffee cart for sale. I like to sell the whole set up if I can. Call me for more information- 425-269-4326Coffee Cart is including:Built in refrigerator- new and over sized water tank- new water pump- 4 5 gallons water tanks - one 7-1/2 gal water disposal tank. Built in sink - custom built marble top bar- 2 groups La Sanmarco espresso machine- 1 Mazzer grinder and one heavy duty grinder- over sized knock box- and lots of milk pitchers and other accessories.
Read more…
