So, I thought I'd start a little blog here about my path down the Rosting Road, as it were. If you haven't read my profile, you should know that I've been a barista for 18 years, on and off - but mostly on. I've also been in managment, helped open shops, worked at solo owner/operator hole-in-the-wall shops, worked the conventions, run trainings, been in barista competitions, worked for masters of the craft - as well as a few fools - but have always been at arms length around the roasting process. I understand it, on the most basic level at this point. If you're a barista with a few years under your belt, maybe you'll understand my analogy here a bit more fully; that roasting coffee is like pulling shots. It is really, really easy to put coffee in the thing, pack it down, click the other thing over here, and out comes the espresso. But that does not make you a barista, oh no. It is so much more about subtlety, and tiny, tiny variations rippling through the constant repitition, and getting a feel for the 'nature' of the espresso. How will the weather effect things? How about the burrs; when were they changed last? Is the temperature on my machine stable? A long, long list follows, and you are constantly dialing in to stay in The Zone to keep your shots pouring sweet.Well, roasting seems to be the same idea - at least here at Herkimer. When the Probat was installed, there was a digital timer/display/programmable thingy on the control panel, which I thought made sense: keep your roasts and everything consistent, right? Well, imagine my surprise when they ripped that out, and where LEDs once blinked and booped, there is now a rather utilitarian LED temperature display, and that's it.Scott Richardson is our roaster, and has been doing it as long as I've been a barista - which he's done as well, with the additional skill-set of being in the repair and maintenance field of machines, grinders, etc. I'm finding that his 'feel' for roasting is much like my 'feel' for pulling shots. I hold automatic espresso machines with distain in the same way as he did with the fancy computer controlled Probat roaster. Coffee is hands-on, and can only really settle in with lots of experience. I'll continue to wrestle with my inadequacy issues around SO MANY DIFFERENT BEANS and hopefully bear in mind my own thoughts here; it'll come with time.I'll try to keep this updated as I learn, and maybe you can see what it's like to go from a master barista to an apprentice bean-cooker.
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So, it begins. I am officially training to ride a bicycle across the country. Is there anyone with any experience in this with a word of advice on how to best go about it?I'm thinking about long rides. 20 miles per day one week. 25 the next. 30 the next. etc. until I reach about 60. I think if I can work up to 60 miles per day and maintain that pace until August I'll be sufficiently prepared to devote entire days to riding.Moreover, I'm going to work with the good people at Ben's Bikes in Athens to build a sweet touring ride.So, that's all I've got. Ideas welcome.
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Posted by Matt Milletto on January 7, 2009 at 12:16pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nuova Simonelli Extends Manufacturer’s Warranty to 2 Years
FERNDALE, Wash. (January 7, 2009) – Nuova Distribution USA, LLC is pleased to announce it will offer its customers the industry's longest warranty. Starting in 2009, all new Nuova Simonelli espresso equipment will carry a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty. In addition to the 2-year manufacturer’s warranty, Nuova Distribution USA, LLC has a lifetime warranty on boilers in all of its espresso machines. This is a result of Nuova Simonelli's continual improvement processes which have allowed the company to produce the industry's most reliable and best performing espresso equipment.
About Nuova Simonelli
Nuova Simonelli is an industry leader in the production of high quality commercial espresso machines and related equipment. Nuova Simonelli has been manufacturing espresso machines in Italy since 1936, and today has a worldwide reputation for reliability, dependability, and innovation. In addition to commercial espresso machines, Nuova Simonelli produces grinders, home and office espresso machines. For more information, please visit http://www.nuovasimonelli.it.
About Nuova Distribution USA, LLC
Nuova Distribution USA, LLC is the Nuova Simonelli North American sales and technical services office, based in the state of Washington. It is a direct contact point for American and Canadian clients, and guarantees North American customers both assistance and daily deliveries. For more information, please visit http://www.nuovadistribution.com.
Contact
Kyle Belmondo
Nuova Distribution USA, LLC
6940 Salashan Parkway, Bldg A
Ferndale, WA 98248
Phone: (360) 366-2226
Fax: (360) 366-4015
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Posted by Matt Milletto on January 7, 2009 at 11:04am
Coffee Talk just came out with their State of the Industry issue, and there is an article about Barista Exchange and social media/networking and the coffee industry. I could not find an online version but am embedding the article here in this blog post.
New crop coffee from the up and coming little know Indonesian Island of Flores. From the region Mangarai featuring volcanic soil and natural resources to sustain without disrupting their environment, plentiful water, shade canopy, high elevation, etc.Acid - 5Body - 8Texture - soft, juicy fresh squeezed citrus fruit.Flavors - At the crust break pine, loam, tinderbox spice, cherry and blackfruit acid with hints of moist tree bark.When hot sweet caramel, fresh snap peas off the vine, moist soil and bark with mild dark chocolate.Offhot juicy and mouthwateringly round, the snap pea fades replaced by smooth caramel and dark cocoa in the soft earthy indonesian texture.Finish of spicy dark chocolate, slightly dry but still round and juicy.Available both in the cafe and online.
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Getting the word out to all - follows (below) an email I received today from La Marzocco in Firenze... Thought this was a nice thought and a kind acknowledgment to Piero who has done so much for "our" espresso based world...
(Matt last year with Piero @ the Marzocco Factory)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dear La Marzocco family members & Friends/Cari Amici,On Wednesday, January 14, 2009 Piero Bambi will be celebrating his 75th birthday.Il mercoledì 14 gennaio Piero Bambi compierà 75 anni.As an exceptional surprise, all of us at La Marzocco believe that Piero would appreciate receiving birthday cards from around the world and therefore invite you to take the time to mail one at soonest. At the same, you are more than welcome to forward this message to anyone you know who may enjoy sending a card as well.Come sorpresa singolare, crediamo che Piero apprezzerebbe ricevere i biglietti di auguri da tutte le parti del mondo e quindi Vi invitiamo ad inviarne uno tramite posta quanto prima. Allo stesso tempo, siete pregati di girare questa mail a tutti coloro che crediate conoscano Piero e che sarebbero lieti di inviarne uno.Mr. Piero Bambic/o La Marzocco srlvia Bolognese 6850010 Pian di San Bartolo (Florence)ItalyOn behalf of La Marzocco, thank you for your consideration.A nome di tutti, grazie per la Vs. gentile partecipazione.Sincerely/Cordialmente,Mary DiamondLa Marzocco SrlVia Bolognese 6850010 Pian di San Bartolo (Firenze) ItalyTEL: +39 055 401390-3 int. 33FAX +39 055 4026359mary@lamarzocco.comwww.lamarzocco.com
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yes! i used BE to scout down a decent coffe in cape town. surprisingly, there were only TWO in all of Africa listed on BE.Cafe Mozart did not dissapoint. I tasted a very smooth cup of java indeed. The notes were very subtle with a distinct nuttiness to it. the vibe at Cafe Mozart is devine. we sat under tree shaded patio. the building itself is very understated but with great character. the service was very friendly and laid back.the owner, john, is a british ex-pat. he is a trained chef and has been living in south africa for a little over two years. when we sat at our table he was just chillaxing at the table next to ours, having a conversation with another man (another ex-pat from new zealand). they were both sampling some wine.after our meal we introduced ourselves and they gladly and warmly invited us to have a sit. my wife and i had one of the most pleasant afternoons in cape town just chillaxing with the proprietor of cafe mozart. he was very engaging and charming. we talked shop. we talked coffee.it was really nice to feel that, even on the other side of the world, i could find something in common in the most uncommon place.if ever you are in cape town, cafe mozart must be your coffee destination. their web advert says, "the best coffee in cape town....end of story". well, before you get to the end of the story, make sure you find the whole story; starting with the double espresso!thanks john for your warm hospitality....
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that was a fast two weeks - wow we just got into Moncton 10:14pm Monday Jan. 5, 2009 - and I have tomorrow off to catch up on all my email, it's still downloading.
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Posted by Matt Milletto on January 5, 2009 at 12:39pm
Congratulations Urnex Brands, a bX partner on the news of your selection for the WBC! Check out there Barista Exchange profile and say hi.
January 2, 2009 (Yonkers, NY) -- Today, Urnex Brands, Inc. / Puro Caff Group announced that it has been selected as the “Official Cleaning Products Sponsor” of the World Barista Championship (“WBC”) for 2009 - 2011. Both Cafiza® Brand and Puro Caff® Brand Espresso Machine Cleaning products were tested and proven to meet the exacting technical standards required by the WBC.
In response to being named the “Official Cleaning Products Sponsor” President, Joshua Dick, said, “We are honored to have been selected to be involved with this exciting and entertaining event. The energy and enthusiasm displayed by competitors from around the world is unparalleled. The WBC is at the forefront of advancing the art of the Barista and simultaneously introducing the world to coffee excellence.”
The 2009 World Barista Competition featuring competitors from 56 countries will take place April 16-19 during the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 21st annual Symposium and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia.
Urnex Brands, Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of specialty cleaning products and accessories for the coffee and espresso industry. Founded in 1936, the company manufactures and distributes its products to more than 50 countries around the world. Urnex Brands, Inc. is proud to offer a portfolio that includes 11 NSF certified products and 5 that are OMRI Listed (Organic Materials Review Institute) products. For more information, please feel free to contact Urnex Brands, Inc. by telephone at +1.800.222.2826, or via email to info@urnex.com. Contact: Amy Gross
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Posted by Jason Dominy on January 4, 2009 at 2:21pm
Well, I finally got a chance to spend the day in my old coffee stomping grounds Athens, Georgia, this past weekend. It was honestly good to have extra time to really see the new coffee scene there. I had met a couple of guys off here that I knew were in coffee there, and was excited to see what they had going on nowadays. I wasn't disappointed, and was really pleasantly surprised. I visited a couple of shops I had been to before, of course Jittery Joes, and Walker's Coffee and Bar (or whatever it's called now. I know it as where Blue Sky Coffee used to be, the best coffeehouse I have ever been in to this day.) The two new shops I was able to visit were Two Story Coffee in Five Points, and Red Eye in the Bottleworks complex. I had met both Zech White and Dave Delchamps on here, and it was cool to meet them in real life. Two very cool shops doing really cool stuff.First off, Two Story Coffee.
A great coffeehouse a mere block away from the classic Five Points Jittery Joes. The shop inside was impeccable, warm, and full of cool little talk/work cavities I love. The bar, really nice layout. Nice menu, clean, purist, and no brewer, all french press or pourover. Nice Aurelia and Mythos combo. Baristas were all really cool, as were the owners who happened in as I was there. I had a pourover of their Costa, and it was a nice clean, buttery, smooth cup, just as I had envisioned. Dave Delchamps was super cool, and really passionate about coffee and espresso, which I think is rad. He thinks he may compete in the SERBC, and to that, I raise a glass of Cheers!Now, onto Red Eye Coffee, off Prince Avenue.
Red Eye is a great new shop in Athens. Has a very minimalist feel, reminds me of Albina Press in Portland. Shop is nice, good seating, and nice size. Bar is cool, Aurelia and Super Jollys. Gregg, the owner was really cool, as was a bX regular Zech White. They do Chemex and french press, and also have a real basic, purist menu. It's good to see these kinda shops popping up in the Southeast. Coffee and Crema in Greenville, SC is another example of a great shop like this. I had a latte that was perfect. Another great shop. Both shops left me rejuvenated at the coffee scene there, and in the Southeast overall. It also encouraged me to keep on the path of spreading this love for good coffee and espresso, to helping more of these shops open up, and for making other shops better. If you get a chance to go through Athens, I highly recommend both of these shops.
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I live in papeete tahiti. I love coffee. Unfortunatly here there is nowhere you can buy a decent cup of coffee.i decided to open my own joint, but I have no idea what machine to buy, la cimbali, lamarzocco, astoria...Being far away from any tech support I cannot firgure out what to get.Any suggestions?
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Crisis in coffee... or crisis in Tea?In 10 years working with coffee growers around Indonesia, I have spent very little time in the tea plantations that carpet the highlands of Java. I have always assumed that as most of these are run by the Government or businessmen, then they would be more developed (in terms of infrastructure) than the thousands of small hold coffee growing villages around Indonesia. Indeed my visits in the past to tea plantations have always been to the accessible Government Estates such as Gunung Mas in West Java. This plantation is well run, has tidy housing, a nice school and clean and well stocked health center.This New Year I decided to spend time in the interior of Java, at a town up in the cold and misty clouds that blow across Java from the Indian Ocean to the Java Sea. This town is, well, isolated. Food is rice or noodles. Water is boiled, not bottled. This is about as isolated as you can find in the worlds most populated Island.The backbone of the community here is a tea plantation. This was once a Dutch administered Estate, but after Independence was taken over by a local businessman who's family has owned it ever since. The town, at the base of the valley, was built in the 1800's to support the Estate up on the ridge. My plan was to spend some time here with my family, who (to be honest) were not to impressed being away from the New Years Eve fireworks displays of the bigger cities, but were somewhat thankful for the fresh air, the cool breeze and the back to nature approach (well... maybe my words, not theirs!)Anyway, having wandered the archipelago and seen coffee smallholders from Takengon to Toraja, Sidikalang to Sumbawa, I consider myself to be pretty knowledgable about the living conditions of the coffee farmers of this country. Generally, although I know this is not true in other countries, farmers here live in clean and well ordered communities. However...The Tea Plantation was very different, well maybe I would substitute "different" for "disturbing". The housing here was rudimentary Nissan Hut type lodging built before the war...World War 2 that is, not the Iraq war! The roofing was rusty and the weatherboards leaking and damp. The strip housing was for the pickers, and sometimes there were several families sharing 2 small rooms. The better housing, on the hills, was used by the formen.Tea is by design normally grown in plantations, not 5-10 trees at a time, in backyards, like coffee is around Indonesia. The need to house the pickers is part and parcel of Estate Management. I supose back in the Dutch Colonial days the housing and facilites would have been pretty good. However, I think it is pretty clear that the private ownership of this particular facility has meant very little investment in the people and facilities here.The workers on the plantation were a very happy lot, no complaints. However I did notice a lot of the kids were not well, and (by Indonesian standards) thin.Tea in Indonesia is not regulated. Tea leaves are sold by auction to brokers acting on behalf of companies such as Twinings and Liptons. The auctions are for leaves that have been graded. Often the buyer will then instruct the plantation of how to "finish" the tea... drying degree, packaging etc. The plantation we visited had no drying and finishing facilities. The leaves trucked to the nearest big facility about 25km from here.
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You bet we make it for her. $5.55 thank-you, see you tomorrow! She knows we only pull (nekkid) doubles so it'll be a ristretto not single. Comes in almost every day on her way home. Get this, she's cute and slim. Must have a way high metabolism! Today she added a 12oz caramel wc with whip for a friend and a bag-o-beans to go with the espresso machine she got for Christmas. Darn rights I'll make an on the way home dessert beverage with a touch of espresso for her, $19.85 total today's stop.I certainly wouldn't drink it, but I will certainly make whatever the customer wants if I can. Customers like her keep the doors open and helped me make yet another payroll today on time. Doors open 14 months and payroll always on time. (Except for me of course, don't get paid squat yet...) Talk all you want about staying true to the bean and the like, if the doors don't stay open no can do.Yeah it's the customer that orders traditional espresso beverages, especially a straight shot, that gets the blood racing. But it's the foo-foo majority that enable the much fewer purists to enjoy the good stuff.
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I didn't get to the cafes that I wanted to but I did get some a few places because of family. But I did have some bad stuff too. More soon. We are up in Meaford at the moment.
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Posted by Matt Milletto on December 31, 2008 at 9:04am
Hi all bXers! The close of this year is upon us, and I wanted to say thanks to all of you who have helped build this site into such a great community. I did not know what to expect when I started the site just one year ago, and am so excited about hoe it has evolved and what's in store ahead.
I want to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a successful 2009.
Peace,
Matt
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We got into Toronto Friday night around 8:30. On Saturday John and I went to Newmarket about 30 min. from his home and visited Chapters with a Starbucks in it. It was the best coffee I've had in three days. The coffee on the trip was so bad that we just gave up. Over the next few days I will try to get out for a great mug of java.
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So im doing a bit of a promotion on my hot drinks, my food sales are very good but i would like to make a bigger impression on the drinks sales, I put this donwn to not being allowed to be a speciality cafe in the retail outlet i am in, therefore i cannot really say i do coffee! No wonder starbucks are so big!Anyway I done a buy one get one free promo on hot drinks!What was starbucks reaction? 0- send a mamber of staff out to pull my posters down! Thats competition for ya!!!!over and out!HAPPY CHRISTMAS
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