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Scott survives...and passes... the WBC certification workshop

Posted by scott conary on December 22, 2008 at 6:38pm

Scott just completed the World Barista Championship Judges Certification course/workshop over the past weekend in Long Beach, California.Along with 3 other USBC Committee members (Lani Peterson, Holly Bastin & Rob Tuttle), he became 1 of only 12 judges that passed (7 from U.S.) and is now Certified to judge the World Barista Championship held this April 2009 in Atlanta, GA. Thirty judges participated in the two-day course and it was no easy task.Just to get the "technical judge only" monkey off of his back (he has done both sensory and Head judging too you know....anyway.), Scott decided to attempt to certify as a Sensory judge (you had to pick one or the other...which he didn't want to do, but hey, 2 days was enough for now...).Scott now done talking in the third person.

Three days to go. . .

Posted by Steve MacDowall on December 22, 2008 at 9:10am

If you count today, we have three days until we head off to Toronto. Beverly and Liz are so excited but for me I'm worried about the snow and the 18 hour drive.I'm sitting in my home office drinking a very stong mug of coffee my Daughter Liz just made. Looking out the window we have a very bad snow storm. The wind is really blowing and the snow ever since last night just keeps coming down. When will it stop we just don't know. Some people in the area are without power. Not a good thing at all.

Snow in Portland

Posted by Matt Milletto on December 21, 2008 at 1:33pm

This has been the worst storm we have had in over a decade, and it doesn't look like it will get better until late next week. After a night of trivial pursuit and apple brandy toddys, we slept under a foot of blankets last night, hoping that we would wake up with power as many in Portland are without. Got the chains on the xTerra and we slid down the street to get a hearty breakfast and to pick up some supplies. Plan to spend the day watching the Seahawks game and making Irish coffees. :) My co-worker and trainer at ABC's, Jared Mockli has been stuck on an Amtrak train since 8pm last night, on his way up to Seattle to see the Seahawks play ... currently he is still on the train and it is ironically stopped right next to the stadium. Feel bad for the guy, what a mess. A huge tree fell on our neighbors house last night and we are supposed to get more freezing rain this evening. Keeping fingers crossed. I realize the weather is pretty bad across the US and I hope every one is safe and warm. - Matt

Our one year anniversary

Posted by Brady on December 21, 2008 at 4:30am

The Coffee Garden just celebrated our 1-year anniversary yesterday. Hard to believe that it has only been a year, it seems like we've been open nearly forever. Funny how anniversaries usually lead to reflection, looking back on everything that has happened.I'd like to thank everyone here in the bX community. I've learned quite a bit and gotten some great ideas from discussions here. Our store has benefited greatly from this community, and I appreciate it. Thank you.Even though we've passed a critical milestone and are still standing, we have lots of challenges ahead. We need to continue to grow and expand our customer base while retaining our existing customers. We need to increase profitability without impacting our very high quality standards. I'd like to continue educating our customers about good coffee. I'd also like to see us grow our sales of whole beans, pressed-to-order coffee, traditional beverages, and for-here coffees. I have some strategies in mind to accomplish these, and will probably be bouncing some of them off of you here in the community in the coming weeks.Once again, thanks to everyone here. Here's hoping that your holiday season is in full swing, and continues to be strong past the new year.

Has Kris Mon II finally arrived in Indonesia...??

Posted by Alun Evans on December 20, 2008 at 5:17pm

Firstly I should explain that "Kris Mon" is not an aged Reggae Star from Jamaica, but rather is the Indonesian Idyom for "krisis Monetary" (or I guess 'recession' in English). I was here through Kris Mon I. That was the Asian economic crisis that crippled Southeast Asia from 1997 through until around 2001. It was bad. Many people lost their lives here in Indonesia, and there was a change in government with President Soeharto standing down after 32 years at the helm of this huge country.This time around things could be potentially worse. In 1997 the crisis gripped South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Those 4 countries took ov average 5 years to recover back to 1997 levels. The rest of Asia bounced back quicker, thanks mainly to the strength of the economies in Europe and USA. We all know how things are in USA, but until very recently signs of crisis have not been evident in Indonesia.Signs things were changing emerged in October, when the rupiah dropped against the US$ some 30% almost overnight. A few months earlier foreign goods started to have problems entering Indonesia. Ostensibly this was due to changes in import regulations, in reality it mirrored what happened in 1997 with protection of local manufacturers taking precedent over imports.In recent days a few more visable signs have emerged to the eyes of the veteran observer. I went for dinner at the Novotel Bogor, not far from our home. We have been eating here for years and normally Saturday night is BBQ buffet night with a rich selection of beef, Prawns, Shrimp, Red Snapper, Squid and a selection of other goodies. Anyway dinner this time consisted of a selection of choices that numbered on 1 hand. No BBQ. It sounds a small thing, but having lived through 1 economic crisis, I can see the signs of another on the horizon. Novotel is part of one of the worlds largest Hotel Groups, Accor Group. They are based in France and having read a bit about their outlook on the web after the meagre dinner, I guess this is a result of severe belt tightening.Other signs more directly affect our business here. Big corportates such as Citigroup and BHP Billiton have decimated their expatriate numbers almost overnight. There is yet again an exodus of expatriates out of the country.Of course to date the average Indonesian has not noticed a crisis is developing like a Tsunami offshore. Malls are breakneck busy with shoppers, consumer spending is roaring along unchecked. Like what happened in 97 when the crisis hits here I am afraid things could get ugly. It will for sure slow down retail here.

Urnex Brands Named Official Cleaning Product Sponsor for WBC

Posted by Matt Milletto on December 19, 2008 at 11:09am

Just received this release from Andrew. Urnex, also an official Barista Exchange Partner, has been named the Official WBC Cleaning Product Sponsor. Thanks Urnex Brands, Inc. for your support for the specialty coffee industry! - Matt Urnex / Puro Caff Named World Barista Championship Cleaning Product Sponsor LONG BEACH, Calif. (December 19, 2008) - The World Barista Championship (WBC) has selected Urnex Brands Inc. / Puro Caff Group as the competition's official Cleaning Product Sponsor for 2009 - 2011. Once every 3 years, leading coffee industry suppliers vie for the prestigious opportunity to have their products featured as the official tools used by national barista champions at the annual World Barista Championship. All candidates considered for sponsorship must meet exacting technical standards set and tested by the WBC, but only one supplier from each category may be named an official sponsor. At the next World Barista Championship this April in Atlanta, barista champions representing over 56 countries will compete for the title of world's top coffee maker in front of a live audience of several hundred spectators and thousands of online viewers. About Urnex Brands / Puro Caff Urnex Brands, Inc. / Puro Caff Group 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. Urnex Brands, Inc. proudly offers 10 NSF certified products, including 5 listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute. For more information, please visit http://www.urnex.com About the World Barista Championship Jointly owned and operated by the Specialty Coffee Associations of America (SCAA) and Europe (SCAE), the World Barista Championship is the world's premier competitive coffee making event. The first WBC competition took place in Monte Carlo in October 2000 and has since held annual competitions Miami, Oslo, Boston, Trieste, Seattle, Berne, Tokyo and Copenhagen. The organization's next event will be held in Atlanta, Georgia U.S.A., April 16-19, 2009 in conjunction with the 2009 SCAA Annual Symposium and Exposition. For more information, please visit http://www.worldbaristachampionship.com.

Silvia & VBM Super Domobar & Elektra MC a Leva

Posted by BeanMeUp on December 19, 2008 at 7:55am

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 ;-)

My list so far for my Toronto Trip (any more coffee houses or esprsso bars?)

Posted by Steve MacDowall on December 18, 2008 at 8:47am

from Von Flores1 - Bisogno - 61 Sherbourne Street at Adelaide Street East in Toronto, Ontario, Canada2 - Dark Horse Espresso Bar - 682 Queen St. E., Toronto (queen and broadview)3 - Broadview Espresso - 817 Broadview Ave. (broadview and danforth)4 - The Common - 1071 College Street (college and dufferin).If you can please add to my list. Thanks!

cafe in china

Posted by cafe sweets on December 18, 2008 at 5:00am

for my job, as the editor to cafe-sweets china, the 1st and no.1 brand media in cafe-sweets in main china, i visit diffirent city always. i visit a lot of cafe and barrist and ower of cafe.i would like sharing the imfomation with you

Hula daddy/ "!SWEET SWEET KONA!"

Posted by mike cubbage on December 17, 2008 at 8:52pm

Hula DaddySo finally I feel connected in the coffee world again. I no longer feel so distant and lost. Hula Daddy coffee of Holualua submitted a natural processed coffee (Kona Sweet, light roast) to the folks at coffee review and receivedan amazing 97 out of 100 point score. linkHolualua is directly east of me. Just up the mountain. I have driven by the tasting room of Hula Daddy a few times. Who was to know that they had put into works a combination of love, care, creativity and technique that would bring about such an amazing cup.The secret ingredient behind the score is perhaps roastmaster Miguel Meza former owner and founder of Paradise roasters in Ramsey, NM. I had the pleasure of chatting with Miguel. It was so nice to talk coffee again, I could have stayed all day. Miguel is like a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. He says he likes to study research papers on coffee varietals and is looking to start experimenting with various varieties here on the big island. He belives in the coffees of Hawaii and seems to have the vision and knowledge to put Hawaii back in the coffee scene.Hula Daddy already has an award winning coffee winning the peoples choice "cream of the crop" award at last years Kona Coffee Festival with their Hula Daddy Extra Fancy. The 100 percent Kona Private Reserve was the highest scoring Kona coffee reviewed on coffeereview.com in 2008, scoring 90 out of 100 points (roaster Meza). But it is the Kona Sweet Light Roast that has again and for the first time in a long while, drawn the attention of the coffee world back to the Island.Hulla Daddy decided to try a natural processed, dried in the fruit coffee. To be partial I would like to say "about time" and I hope this starts a new trend for the coffees of Hawaii. Hawaiians processed using the wet method tend to be lacking in fruit and body. They seem to demand a darker roast to bring out depth in the cup. Using a natural process, I feel adds not only depth and sweetness but also allows for a lighter roast that favors the fruit and floral flavors in the cup. (me being partial and biased)It is not a simple task applying the natural process to the coffees here on the Island. It is virtually impossible to dry the whole cherry in and around the area in which they were picked. It seems like the weather anywhere over 500ft is unpredictable at best, but tends to be on the wet side. To dry, coffee must be brought down closer to the coast. The weather shifts towards the end of the harvesting season (Dec/Jan) which brings even more moisture to the entire region.Kona Sweet is a reflection of a huge amount of care (in picking, sorting, processing ...) love and dedication. I hope Meza can continue to applyhimself here on the Island in sourcing and roasting and developing a better educated coffee world.

Long day ends on high note

Posted by Mike McGinness on December 17, 2008 at 6:12pm

Stopped by the local donut baker 5:30 on the way in to pre-open the café, Wednesday's are "donut day". Still bake scratch muffins and scones of course, hence pre-open.'Bout noon switched hats from café shift to roaster. Started out ho-hum run of the mill stuff for couple accounts and shelf before switching to high end SO's for shelf going into Christmas. Won't hit the entire run down but man the aroma from the tryer on some of the batches makes the long days worth it, particularly the Idido Misty Valley and Panama Esmeralda. Post roast bean munch too of course. Just wrapped up bagging, leaving roaster clean up for tomorrow morning. Close to dead beat but in a good way...

going to Toronto

Posted by Steve MacDowall on December 17, 2008 at 4:29am

I will be going with my Family to Toronto / I'm off to Toronto for two weeks - 18 hours by car from Moncton, NB to Toronto, Ont. We head off on Dec 25 early in the morning and we will be staying over the first night in Montmagny Quebec at L'Oiseliere.I'm really looking forward to spending some time in Toronto downtown area. I'll be taking a lot of photos for sure.looking to visit as many coffee houses along the way. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Sorrento....

Posted by Alun Evans on December 16, 2008 at 6:03pm

My last trip through Venice, a couple of years ago, was also in the month of November. My memories of the once powerful city-state were of brilliant blue skies, and coldness reverberating like heavy sound off the stone walls that line the narrow lanes. Cold. It was Cold last time and cold this time as we spent the night wrapped up warm waiting for the train to Naples.With three in the travelling party, two of us decided it was wise to reduce our luggage down to one suitcase. The third member of the group was more intent on sucking his thumb, and indulging in warm milk. We had chosen a hotel not far from the station. However hauling a 38kg bag to put into storage I realised close was just not close enough. We spent the evening before the trip scouting cafes and enjoying some local food and (of course) vino rosso!The Fast train from Venice to Naples was a sleek “Euro-star” model. The seating configuration had us sitting in fours, facing each other. Elijah took a dislike to a gentleman to our right, but fortunately fell in love with a young, somewhat dotting teenage girl who decided to the horror of her boyfriend that she wanted half a dozen Elijahs once they got married! (Elijah is our 1 year old!) The trip tooki us through a late Autumn countryside, the snowy mountains to the north shadowing the yellowing grape vines that literally blanket the countryside.The train WAS fast. We flashed through Ferrara, Padova, Bologna and Firenze (Florence). The countryside was so different to that of lush, 1000 shades of green Indonesia. Yellow, golds, reds, orange, blues and greens like patchwork laid out either side of the tracks.On occasions either Arlini or I made trips down the swaying carriages to the diner cart. The coffee on offer was a Lavazza Blend, podded and served in paper Chef Express cups. It was perhaps the most disappointing coffee encountered on the trip. The train briefly stopped in Rome, before hurtling off through the valleys Southwestward, towards Naples. The carriage was warm and cozy, it was a pleasant and highly recommended way to travel. As the AerItalia national airline was on strike, the train was full.We pulled into Naples Station around 5pm. It was already dark and Naples reputation for crime around the railway station area was lurking at the back of our minds. We quickly grabbed the bag (big bag mind you) and worked our way, baby in tow, to the station which sends trains up the coast to Sorrento. The plan was to spend 3 nights in that town. It was a place I had always wanted to visit, and a elderly gentleman from there was one of the main reasons I actually got my start in coffee (its a long story... those of you have heard it are stiffling a yawn, so will spare writing more here).The trip by train Naples to Sorrento cost 3.20 Euro each. I dont know why I remember this, but I do clearly recall the 1 hour trip went by slowly. Most of the stations close to Naples were so heavily graffiti-ed that I was depressed at the sight. Tagging and graffiti art that could have been found in some of the gloomiest inner city ghettos anyhere in the world, for some reason I was surprised to find so much here. The stations went by slowly, some 30 plus before we reached Sorrento.Sorrento is at the end of the Circumvesuvios commuter train line. The train servicing this popular tourist route was perhaps the oldest commuter train I have been in since leaving NZ. It rattled and shook, the hard plastic seats digging into fleshy bits of the body with venom. After an hour in this rattling steel coffin we were relieved when the train passed through “Piano Sorrento” and came to a halt at Sorrento Central Station. It was dark and cold outside and we had no idea of how to get to the place we were staying. To compound the problems of exhaustion and a screaming baby, I had left the telephone number of the Bed and Breakfast in the 38kg monster bag, now snuggly tucked away in the warm depths of Santa Lucia Station in Venice. We made our way towards the Piazza Tazzo about 500m from the station. My Lonely Planet said there was a Post Office there and they would surely have a telephone nook with the number of the place we were booked into.The wind was whipping around us, cold and mean, blowing off the Bay of Naples with real purpose. We made the Post Office and I was relieved to see what appeared to be a family on Duty. The mother and father were tucked behind some primitive perspex security screen, the son 9all 2 metres of him) was stacking volumes of Naples Telephone books with one meaty hand. Their English language skills were about as advanced as my Italian, so it took some while to communicate I was after “Villa Monica”. It took even more time to find the place apparently did not exist. There were Villa everything else, but no Monica. In despair, with Elijah screaming loudly, I spied an open IBM thinkpad behind the screen. As I moved around to have a look if it was on, the son stepped deftly between me and the door, slipped inside and bolted it. He gave me a steely steer...there was no way I was going to be allowed in to do a search for Villa Monica.Actually the Internet WAS the way I discovered Villa Monica B&B. The 105 reviews on the website were so good that I would have been foolish not to have booked the place. The owner, Pasquale, had confirmed my booking well in advance and been very accommodating in changing at short notice. He even promised us the “Sorrento Room” and to pick us up at the station on arrival. Just call he said. The problem, as mentioned, were all the details on everything were in Venice.As things seemingly could not get any worse, Elijah began chucking up warm milk all over the Post Office floor. It came out chunk and in spurts, disgusting. The mother, taking pity on the “bambino” came out to help Arlini, I took the opportunity to step inside and persuade dad to let me do a quick search on Google. The son was furious, but once I had a foot inside his perspex kingdom, I was home and hosed. Within seconds I had found “Villa Monica” and the Postmaster, embarrassed because he had not realised it was THAT Monica, obliged by ringing Pasquale. Strangely he (Pasquale) was not expecting my call. “A booking for tonight...are you sure?” he asked. From memory I recited my booking information, confounding him with the details of the emails we had exchanged. “I am so sorry, we only have a small room available, but I can give you the 'Sorrento Room' tomorrow night”. Although disappointed I was relieved the ordeal was nearing an end. We waited on the edge of the square and about 15 minutes later Pasquale swept up beside us in his big SUV. We were bundled in and made our way up the hill behind Sorrento. Pasquale was so apologetic I felt sorry for him. He was speaking, gesturing while guiding the big car with precision through gaps that most drivers would struggle to make, certainly at the speeds were going.It ended up that Villa Monica was perfect. The view from the balcony across the Bay to Naples was a million dollar spectacular, even through the mist and buffeting winds of that first night. Snug and warm, we were all asleep with in minutes. (to be continued....)

Business is booming!

Posted by Greener Groundz on December 16, 2008 at 6:13am

The holidays have proven to be very hectic. Our online shopping cart is up and running - finally! Our orders have also picked up and our deliveries to Bread & Bagels, our local coffee shop, have been steady. A nice way to round out the year. Visit us at http://www.greenergroundz.com!

The power of smart copywriting (Coffee)

Posted by Steve MacDowall on December 16, 2008 at 5:30am

I just finished reading Seth's Blog on copywriting and he uses Coffee as his theme.

one of the four m's missing

Posted by Von Flores on December 16, 2008 at 3:00am

alas, after one week in gordon's bay, i found a cafe -- albeit in a department store -- with a very respectable machine ( la marzocco linea three group) and a very sound pair of mazzer grinders. i was ready to take a chance on the miscela (third m) but as i sat and observed the barista's techniques my expectations slowly sank with my energy and enthusiasm levels.why? why does it have to be that something has to fall short of pulling a good cup of espresso? the ignorance is almost unforgiveable. it is the one that is the most accessible to any cafe -- the blend is a personal taste, the grinder can be pricy. the machine can certainly be out of reach for some. all one needs to do is go on the internet and find an ocean, indeed a universe full of information from extration time to blends from cat poop!!i ordered my espresso (short) with great anticipation. this anticipation slowly drowned as observed the person behind the machine perform her espresso preparation.i didn't even hear the whir of the grinder. before i could figure out what the person was trying to do my espresso was in front of me. the so called crema was pale, thin and very sad lookiing on top of some black sludge sitting inside a very sad looki cup. i took a deep breath and -- hope against hope -- i wanted this espresso to taste half decent. it wasn't. it was, as it appeared, sad, bitter, sour, et al. it was for a fleeting moment a transport back to my nightmarish experience of tasting starbucks.WHY?! it is so sad to see such a good machine put to such wasteful use by ignorants!On the upside, the experience really made me home (machine)sick for my GB5.

Coffee Saturday

Posted by tom on December 15, 2008 at 8:58pm

Gray and drowsy Saturday, what better to do than drive a few hundred miles and drink more coffee than your body can physically tolerate. This trip presented itself by way of much need leisure. A couple of the Alliance World Coffee boys got together and decided that I needed an escape from the day-to-day, and that we all needed to make happen a much talked about coffee tour to the City of Wind. A mildly last minute decision led to mildly detailed plans for the trip. Only one goal was on our mind: Drive and Drink Coffee. The loosely held plan: Experience the flagship of Intelligentsia, the Broadway store, and on the way check out the progress of Greyhouse Coffee in West Lafayette, IN.

10:00 a.m.

Steep two 8-cup presses... fill a carafe... grab a mug... hit the road.

11:30 a.m.

After a quick hour-and-a-half on the road, the five of us pile out of the car with much anticipation to experience the Greyhouse in the midst of this gray day.

Greyhouse CoffeeWe stumble upon the corner shop with it's brown painted wood paneling, large windows, and dark awnings. Greyhouse Coffee is situated on the corner of State Street & Northwestern Avenue in West Lafayette, Indiana. The eclectic 'boardwalk' area lets you know that you're in a neighborhood that is right on the edge of the Purdue University campus.Walking inside I am stunned to see one of the most aesthetically beautiful cafe's I have yet to see. Exposed brick everywhere, beautiful wood floors, bold dark colors contrasted with soft light colors, dark wood trim and chairs with soft wood tables, huge windows that hug all the way around the corner store. The bar area is enclosed by Gelato & pastry cases along with a rustic looking poured concrete counter top that is glossed over with what looks like some sort of epoxy. The kitchen area, which is right next to the bar is fully enclosed, save an order pick-up window that is set off by an exposed piano that is seamed into the wall. The cafe seating is a wide open area, with leather sofa chairs, bar-style seating along the front windows, and plenty of tables and chairs to accommodate the large university crowd. The cafe unfolds a little more as you walk towards the back where you find a silent study room with enclosed glass walls and doors. Every fine detail of the cafe is immaculately pieced together to give Greyhouse a great "touchable" up-scale feel.

The visual appeal is only a small part of what made our Greyhouse visit so great. Much of the joy came from their apparent passion to deliver quality on every level of what they offered. To start, they serve only pressed coffee... not a drip brewer in sight, only a Fetco water tower for steeping some great coffee in their numerous 12-Cup presses. (On a side note, they also have a second hot water system that sits at a higher temp for their wonderful hot teas.) The pressed coffees sit in airpots along their unique and beautiful drip brew bar area.Time to start. First, 'A small mug, thank you'... and I'm pouring myself some of our Kenya AA Ichimara. I'm not sure if your cafe can have a bigger critic of your coffee than the person who roasts that coffee for you, and I'm happy to say that this was the best representation I've had of our Kenya away from the roasting facility; oranges and a sweet red wine acidity... hands down my favorite. Second, the true test of a barista, a cappuccino. Now if you can fault Greyhouse for one thing, it's that they don't have a $10,000+ espresso machine sitting on their bar, however, wherever the equipment may lack, their baristas surely makes up. Jessica poured me a lovely capp with some art that made me feel ashamed about my poor attempts. Looks were not deceiving either, sweet buttery milk paired our espresso made for a superb cappuccino; dark cocoa creaminess.Quality for Greyhouse only starts with the coffee. They also serve some great teas, pastries, and Gelato... did I also mention fresh made crepes? You can tell the man who operates the joint is a culinary freak, there are more creative and delicious crepe creations than I could even begin to list. Also, did I mention homemade syrups? Only a few select offerings, including vanilla bean, cinnamon, and our last drink before we hit the door 'Dr. Strangelove'. The Dr. Strangelove syrup is an orange infused simple syrup with clove and cinnamon spices, and when poured in a latte gives the beverage a light tea taste with a soft sweetness and some clove spice in the aftertaste... really a tasty and unique beverage.

2:30 p.m.

Thank the Greyhouse Crew for a wonderful afternoon... walk out on coffee cloud 9... hit the road.

3:30 p.m.

After an ecstatic hour of coffee buzz and some Greyhouse kudos contemplation... we're all down and out in a caffeine crash.

4:30 p.m.

Jonesin' for coffee we take the Lake Shore drive toward North Broadway. The Windy City does not disappoint with miserable weather... gray has turned dark, dry has turned wet, calm has turned windy, drowsy has turned suicidal. Parking comes close and easy then we're fast paced into the door for some Intelligent coffee.

Intelligentsia BroadwayThe outside of the store doesn't blatantly make itself known to passerbys, but for the seeking eye it is not a hard find. Through the push "I" door you walk into a place made and designed for the pursuit of coffee perfection. Meet FB/70, Clover, Chemex coffeemakers, the best roasted coffee in the Mid-West, and the top barista in the Great Lakes Region... literally.Peering around you get the visual of well done ambiance. Well placed track lighting gives the room a dimmed feel, silvery gray painted ceilings, stainless steel bar that wraps around the left side of the cafe, some cozy seating along with ample table spaces, bar-style seating along the front window and right side of the store, soft green stucco-looking walls, and some crafty little art pieces. Let's be honest, I could care less if there were literally holes in the wall and the rest of the room plain white... I'm here to experience the current pinnacle of the progressive coffee world.Let's get started. First things first, a cup of a rare micro-lot... scratch that... a Chemex of Kenya Ndaroini Auction Lot, and a cappuccino while the coffee infuses, thank you. Slide down the bar, meet your barista... Michael Phillips, a gentleman and a coffee wizard. Mike pours me a beautiful cappuccino and I couldn't be in a better mood. The capp is great; the citric crema suspended wonderfully in the foam, the perfect texture, milk chocolate and an overall harmoniously amazing cup. Just as I'm finishing up my cappuccino the Chemex arrives, and to my surprise, a second Chemex arrives as well. Little did I know that one of my fellow road-trippers had it out with another Intelli barista and ordered a Chemex of the Rwanda Zirikana. Wash the palate and prepare for a glorious ride. I hit the Kenya first; sweet berries, punchy acidity, and a pie crusty finish. No hesitation before I'm into the Rwanda; a myriad of spice in the aroma, sweet ground cocoa, ripe acidity, and again a myriad of spice in the finish. After some conversation and a run down the block to feed the parking meter, we're ready for more. Someone goes for the Clover while I'm off for some whole bean purchases. I had to bring back something for everyone to experience back home, so I grabbed some Black Cat Classic to spro down back home, along with some of their Guatemala Itzamna to press as well. Of course I couldn't leave the store before trying a double of Black Cat Classic since the Black Cat Project has taken over. The double was great; dark brown sugar, lime acidity, sweet and salty finish. I was buzzing six ways to Sunday when we walked back out into ice rain, and we were on our way.

6:00 p.m.

Stop for food, wind down from Intelligentsia coffee mania, make the next move.

7:00 p.m.

Pull up to The Coffee Studio for another wonderful visit. (Read my previous blog post for a review that should suffice.)

8:30 p.m.

On the road back home, rewinding the day, soaking in Coffee Saturday.

one week without my la marzie

Posted by Von Flores on December 15, 2008 at 12:47am

i've been in cape town one week and i've yet to find a good espresso!!!!!! aaarrrrrggghhhhh.specifically, i'm in gordon's bay/strand area, which is east of cape town (about 40 minutes). most of the cafes don't know a thing about proper espresso. they leave the portafilter sitting on the counter, for crying out loud! i can understand why a starbucks would do well in places like this. for the love of pete! it doesn't take much to give care in making good coffee! pleeeease! can somebody help me find a half decent cafe in this part of the world?

Coffee Purse.

Posted by Alexa Baehr on December 12, 2008 at 11:14pm

Hello Everyone,I've been really busy working and attempting to start up my own business from home.. It's actually going pretty good!I make purses and handbags out of the jute coffee bags that green coffee is shipped in.You can find my Coffee Purses retailing exclusively at Trabant Coffee & Chai in Seattle, as well as at my new ONLINE SHOP ON ETSY!Click on the link below, buy something, and tell your friends!

~ XOXOXO ~

coffee, coffee and more coffee

Posted by Steve MacDowall on December 12, 2008 at 11:29am

I was up at 5am and working by 6 in my home office. I made my self a wonderful mug of coffee with my Frence press then around 6:30 my wife made a pot and brought me in another rather large mug of hot black coffee. I just kept working and talking - Then around 10:30 my daughter made more and brought me in a mug. My lunch time I felt I had a little too much coffee for the morning.It was so nice that they thought of me and served me.

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Note: this page contains paid content.