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Fair Trade Month

Posted by Stone Creek Coffee Roasters on October 1, 2008 at 6:30am

Posted by: Steve HawthorneCan anyone tell me what happened to September? It seems like it just got here and now here we are in October...anyway...October is Fair Trade Month! Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.We are also proud that our great city of Milwaukee is America's first Fair Trade City. There are a lot of great things happening in Milwaukee to promote Fair Trade Certified products and fair trade practices. You can learn more at the Milwaukee Fair Trade Coalition website. You can also help to support Fair Trade by purchasing Fair Trade Certified products. Check out our line of Fair Trade Coffees.Drink Fair Trade...and of course, Sip Slowly.

What the customers actually think - focus group responses to questions of quality, value and skill

Posted by Bel Townsend on October 1, 2008 at 3:22am

I have been asking lots of people what they think "high quality" coffee is. The following quotes are from professional Baristas, coffee shop owners and other industry specialists from Barista Exchange."coffee made from a barista, so he can have the best blend but if he dont know how to grind and dose or he or she are overheating milk, whats the point of 'best beans'?""For me everything start in the coffee bean. At least for my country coffee is an art. We want the best quality all the time, not every once or sometimes. For instance Bell I can have a SHB, and everything has been taking care as planned but if I do the handpicking a day after or a day before , the taste will be different. Or even when we roast the coffee, you can have a SHB or a specialty superb coffee, but if we mess up in the roasting, that's it. An entire year of harvest to the garbage indeed.""1M: select green beans2M: roast3M: blend4M: grind5M: brewingNothing esprecial, but none of them can be missed.""Quality coffee goes along with quality buyers, and quality roasters, and quality shops with (more than likely) quality management and baristas. It's almost safe to say it's in good hands. But as with anything in coffee, it can EASILY be mishandled and ruined along annnny of those steps.""The greatness is in the bean already, I want only to present as much as possible of the bean's potential in my customer's cup. Not to understate the role of the barista - coaxing out this potential is not easy, and doing it well seems to be the exception, not the rule. I think if everybody in the chain, from the plant to the cup, shares the same philosophy, you'll have true quality.""Making something drinkable from lousy ingredients does not strike me as "creating quality". It is a useful skill to posses, but I don't think you can create quality by artfully masking defects."That said, I have also been asking customers in both chain coffee shops (Caffe Nero, Esquires and Coffee Revolution) and independent shops (The Voodoo Cafe, Coffee@Elliots and Gusto Italiano) what their views on coffee quality are - and the differences are quite apparent!"erm, it doesn't taste like crap?""and Elliots - I like itbut its not really what I'd call quality coffee. It's just put cupunder, push button, there you go, there's your coffee, no skill!""good service - so, politness, the coffee not overdone or whatever, not taking too long to be served. All that stuff. And, yeah to be in clean stuff and everything. That's always nice. And, like, essential really.""Freshly roasted beans(of a good quality), properly brewed.""Low quality coffee isvery acidic, it's got things other than coffee in it. I've no idea ofquality comparisons cos I don't take much notice. I don't know wherethis stuff comes from, but I like the way it's made here.""Tasty. A certain thickness. Itkinda warms me, warms the innermost caverns of your soul. It's verybeautiful.""well you must realise,I'm not the coffee aficionado, I'm very much the layman. Neophyte asit were. it'sjust shy of £2 and yeah I enjoy it, it's the coffee, it's theenvironment, it's happy associations.""You've gotta say FairTrade haven't you. I feel really guilty coming in here if it's notfair trade. Organic would be good too.""It should have theconsistency of mud. The best coffee I've ever tasted was Turkishcoffee and you could practically turn it upside down without itpouring out. It's really thick and you know you're probably going tofeel like a lie down afterwards. Until you're actually lying down andyou can feel your heart pounding.""A bit fluffy, but: itdepends who makes it. You know it does make a difference.""I mean the thingwith like, having this kind of a market where there are a lot of bigchains, they are trying to advertise having the same thing at everyone of their stores – there's probably too much in who makes it tobe able to say that. I mean, I don't generally like African coffees,I much prefer Latin American ones and so I'll notice the difference,and how well it's been tamped and how strong it is and things likethat, so you can't really say, one shop over another."Since I am also posting this on Barista Exchange, I'm including some customer views on other aspects of coffee-shop life that the cafe owners and baristas may find interesting....On Latte Art:"It's nice but it takesway longer for them to do it so I'm just 'give me a drink, I want tosit down' you know...""I don't think muchabout presentation – it's completely off the loop for me. If theyput a pretty pattern on, then you're only going to stir it up anywaybefore you start drinking it.""Yeah, the wholething about foam – it belongs there but like, I only just feel likeI'm messing something up. I like Ugly food, ugly drinks, you know,""it's muchmore the taste I think.">I don't particularlycare what it looks like - I don't drink lattes so I don't know aboutlatte art. I'd rather they didn't bother with the little chocolateson the side though! You can have it!""(Having just Googledit) I think it's pretty mint. If it's done right that is. I once wentto get a coffee, and the guy who served me (who seems to think he'sthe coffee king...) says "I've left you something on top."So i looked at my fresh coffee, then back at him saying "Youspat in my foam?!" I think it was meant to be modern art of somedescription, but it did look more like something from the recesses ofhis lungs.""I LOVE THEM. Haha, Iwent to Costa in Darlo once and they did this lovely star pattern inmy mates Latte which was so nice. She didn't even ask, he just did,it was niceeeee. I took a pic of it, they're so cool. But erm, yeah Ilike them, it makes you feel like you've spent money on somethinggood but once the pattern goes away you feel a bit sad."I'm not too bothered about that."It's good, but I don'treally care if they don't."On why they go to coffee shops:"Mostly with coffeeshops...it depends where I'm going. I go to Esquires for the coffee,I probably come here because other people wanted to come here, a lotof the time when I go to a coffee shop is determined by other peoplesuggesting it more than my personal preference.""As a rule I don'tgo to chain coffee shops for the coffee. Like in here, it's not thecoffee, I guess the atmosphere, but I mainly get pulled in by otherpeople, and it's in a convenient location.""Decent tea, nice food,nice people. I want somewhere I can sit, and enjoy myself even if Idon't know anyone there. It's always nice.""I like the place tohave a buzz about it - i hate silent coffee shops because i thinkthey're places for talking, and you can't do that if the place issilent - it just feels oppressive.""I tend to go to Coffee@ Elliots cos they don't pretend to be Italian and you can go inthere and say “I'll have a large black coffee please and you'll geta Large Black Coffee. No bloody Frenchy americano or whatever it is.""It's like ahabit – it's the going in and sitting down, not the coffee itself. I think I'm justlazy. By the time I've walked all the way in to town, I just want tosit down somewhere. Coffee just comes with it!""I go out to cafésfairly regularly, for good coffee. I come in here probably once aweek at least, cos the coffee is very good. I avoid Starbucks andCosta, Starbucks cos it's shit, Costa cos it's too expensive.""I do go to coffeeshops, for lunches generally, um, for Cake. Definitely Cake. I'm notsure beverages come in to it too much! I tend to go for moreaccessible places. Where in particular? Where my friends happen tobe. Again, places located around where I live in Broomhill, or in theUnion area. If I happen to be in town shopping then it might be thatI'll pop in somewhere and get a piece of cake. And a drink to go withthat."And finally, on value for money:"Total rip off.""It's why I don'tusually go to chains, cos I find they generally charge more thanlike, more independent ones.""They don't paytheir staff that well either, as far as I know.""I assume you arebuying the ceramic as well, so I usually take that with me!""The prices have gone upand the cups have got smaller!! This is now £1.95 and the cupis smaller than the ones you used to get for £1.60! It issmaller! I swear it!""They are just trying to sell you the brand though aren't they? The atmosphere! You are paying forcoffee but you're also paying for a pleasant environment to sit in.""I think, in here youcan expect it to be reasonably expensive, just by the appearance ofthe place, If you like thatsetting then you'd pay for it, I mean for me, I just like the safas""It's probably about 10pisn't it? The fact that they're giving it away... I mean, you can'tbuy ten cakes and get a free cake, can you? Or juice or anything, soit must be the cheapest thing.Rachel: Well I've seenpeople in here give them away to their friends and so on so theycan't be that expensive.""You know, theysay that, like, people don't like things if they are cheap, like theythink they're not good. We've all had the wool pulled over on us, inthat this is better than filter coffee or something.""It's justmarketing though, isn't it?""i think that espressosare a rip-off, but i wouldn't have it any other way. A coffee shoponce tried to give me my money's worth of a espresso - a cappuccinomug filled to the top with double espresso; but it just felt wrong.""I actually think theyare [good value for money], cause they give you a variety of things and are veryprofessional about it all - plus the service is nice and fast. It'sgroovyThat will do for now - but there is plenty more. And I have another group scheduled for tomorrow. I will add my thoughts in soon when I've had a chance to digest it all. Until then, please feel free to add your comments and suggestions! All feedback very welcome!

Panama (Part 2): The Realization Sets In

Posted by Chris DeMarse on October 1, 2008 at 3:09am

I'd like to fancy myself an adventurous sort of person. Most of my hobbies include rock climbing, snow and wake boarding; things considered "extreme" by many. Yet, nothing feels quite so extreme or unknown in it's possible adventure than going to a Central American country that I know little about in terms of language, culture, or geography and pursuing a whirlwind, country-wide buffet of sights and adventures. I am really not sure how or what we have gotten ourselves into this. Here are some things that might make the trip exceptionally interesting:1. I know very little spanish. VERY little. I took Spanish one in High School my senior year because I didn't feel like doing any hard work. This poses a problem for me in a country where 90% of the people are not fluent in English. I know critical questions like, "Donde esta el bano (where is the bathroom)" or "cuanto cuesta la cebollas (how much are the onions?)" but I highly doubt being able to carry on any significant conversations with the native people.2. There are two primary seasons in Panama; Dry and Rainy. It's rainy season. I am told by reliable sources that one minute could be sunny and clear and literally within minutes a deluge could ensue. We are traveling by backpack throughout the country as it is obviously the most reasonable for mobility. My wife and I have legit GoLite hiking packs and brand new raincoats (Thank you REI for Labor Day sales). However, I don't know how much of a beating my pack will take with the rain before it starts turning my bag full of clothes and my camera into a bath tub.3. Transportation is a bit different than what I'm used to in small town America. While we are doing some flying, we are also going to have to take a bus and maybe a taxi to get from David to Panama and from there to Bocas Del Toro. Boquete is not really directly accessible by flight, so a half hour bus ride is necessary. I am assuming that we will be driving on mountain passes with dozens of other people on what some might characterize as dirt path type roads. This is a little nerve racking. I read a blog post about traveling from Boquete that said, "Be very careful on your drive to Bocas from Boquete. The roads are deteriorating to the point where you might lose an axel if you are not careful." Great. One of our friends and co-travelers, Emily, said that we can "get someone to drive us to Bocas for a hundred bucks". It sounds like high price, glorified hitch hiking.4. We thought we would only need some Malaria medicine to make our innoculations complete for this trip. A trip to the doctors proved to be a bit disheartening. Yellow fever, hepatitis A, malaria, rabies, and many other blood/water borne pathogens are waiting to greet us in Panama if we are not adequately prepared. I plan to bring really strong insect repellent and hope that I'm not struck by "Montezuma's Revenge".Nevertheless, we will soldier on. I cannot wait to explore the infinite biodiversity and exciting adventure that awaits for us. Will we have to bribe the police? Will we see the famed Hacienda La Esmaralda? Will I find that my Spanish is just enough to make me offensive and dangerous? Only time will tell.

Marketing and Ideas....

Posted by Steve on September 30, 2008 at 5:04pm

Recently I was beginning to think about all the advertising and marketing I wanted to do once I open my shop but I also realized that I should consult with the experts. I'm not so sure how much or where at I should generate $$ to make this feasible in my business plan. Futhermore, I will have bi-weekly, monthly and quarterly events that will definitely get the word out but I'd love to hear more from the experts.

SCAA announces membership mixer and Latte Art Showcase

Posted by Mike Ferguson on September 29, 2008 at 6:42am

SCAA has announced a membership mixer and Latte Art Showcase Saturday, October 4, 2008, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at:Tiara Cafe127 E Ninth St.Los Angeles, CA 90015http://www.tiara-cafe.comRSVP to Mansi Chokshi at(562) 624-4100 or email to mansi at SCAA .orgMembership mixer will feature a Latte Art showcase, hosted by event sponsor, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Everyone is invited.For more information regarding this event and other upcoming events, visit the SCAA website at http://www.scaa.org.

Vancouver, BC. Part 1

Posted by Matthew on September 29, 2008 at 6:20am

Tradegy.The beginning of last Augest, some co-workers and I decided to take a trip up to Vancouver to tour the Coffee industry, hang out, and do Canada things. Its rough that things don't always work out how you want...We left Seattle around 7:00 PM Friday night. Five of us packed into a two door Subaru. The sense of togetherness was great...a little too much. We arrived at the boarder around 9:15ish. We love national security and things of that nature. After searching the car for a little over an hour, we restart our journy and realize that much to our dismay, they re-organized most of the car! And, in the process, took Alex's keys. We still haven't found them.The next day we started our adventures off at Cafe Artigiano on Hornby, home of the mythical 5 GROUPHEAD LINEA! The coffee was decent, and we were all impressed that for the hour that we lingered there, there was a constant line 13 people deep! Way to go, guys!From there we headed off to Brad Ford's Wicked Cafe. We got some juicy shots of Black Cat pulled by the manager, Arthur. We sat in the rain. We talked with Brad and Arthur about their new cafe on Hornby, which should be opening soon! If your in Vancouver, check it out. These guys know what their doing, not to mention have great tattoos.We lunched at a Persian deli on Commercial, and continued our search at Re-Entry Cafe. We were greated with Espresso Vivaces Vita blend. Your never too far from home, I guess.From here we visited 49ths Cafe on Fourth. O dear...O dear. Imagine walking into a cafe designed by the coolest people in the world. And then synchronize all the colour with blue and brown. Then be served Epic off a hot Mistral(that apparently has cut everyone on staff at least once, don't know how I know that...). And also imagine you have a million dollars. That makes it a little more fun. Here we met Conrad, the V-neck loving barista who rang us up and put on old time country music. We like Conrad. We Love Conrad, actully. Conrad has a sweet Soma(I think...), 48x17. He told us to hit up Elysian room right around the corner, so we did...The Elysian Room is Coffee-God Alistair Durie's brain child. Located in a smallish storefront location next to a rug store(?), movie theatre, and BMW dealership(who was having a bar-b-que...), The Elysian Room offers some tastey 49th Parallel coffees in a chill-ass enviroment. Think single orgin Brazil pulled into a brown FAC's that tatstes like coffee cake melted into a cup. Wow. Also, think lime green Synesso.Wow...To sum up the evening, we watched some wackey firework compatition and then got jumped. Nothing to major.After a recovery/good nights sleep at the Grand Trunk Hostel, we rolled our wagons out to Origins Roasters on Granville Island. This is the remenace of Hines Public Market Cafe in Seattle, including an all-star line up of John Sanders and freinds. We cupped some awsome coffees roasted on their old-ass probat, and played around with inovative new gadgets, like the auto adjusting doser. And we got some sweet pins to take home. I totally dig the pins.That night we dined with my hero and man crush, Mark Prince. We snuck some bottles of Punt E Mes up for Mark, and in turn, he took us out for sushi. Barrent and Coltair(?) Jones came along, and the evening was as good as you could picture it. Mark and I had a heart to heart about stretching. This is one thing I never, ever, ever thought I would do.The next day we visited the 49th roastery in Burnaby. We cupped a few Ethiopians, a Kenya, and the Colombia La Planada with Lindsy and Vince. Sammy showed me around the Renegade roasers(5 kilo and 60 kilo). Beautiful machines. I FINALLY figured out what Agtrons are actully doing. We watched Coltairs compatiton routine, and sampled his drinks. They absolutley sucked. Just kidding. He is on fire. Keep it up, Coltair(?)!On the way home we hit up Edwin at Onyx in Bellingham. Edwin is amazing. He is setting up an awsome cupping/training facility with killer ideas. We talked for hours. Unfortunatly, I had to close that night, so we made a mad dash back for Seattle where we ended our journey.In Conclusion:check out the-Elysian Room-49th Parallel-Wicked-Mink ChocolateWe learned:don't-get jumped-pull knives on drunk guys who want to hurt you-back into a corner and let them surround you and your freinds-let them hit your co-workersI guess it wasn't too much of a tradegy...Stay tuned for Chapter 2, The Return.Expect our car to get broken into and Marks Punt E Mes to get stolen, along with hundreds of rare Japaneese psycidalia and Spanish disco CD's!!-Matt

I have stuff to sell

Posted by Clark Tabb on September 28, 2008 at 2:30pm

I have come into owner ship of several cases of Dr. Smoothe brand smoothe mix, i have the following flavorsTropical ParadisePear peach apricotLime O RitaForbidden FruitGrape BananaI'm selling this by the bottle at 10.00 USd a bottle.

Man Challenge

Posted by Slipshot on September 28, 2008 at 12:01pm

Oh my 'lanta.So the baristas here at Hardbacks are a bunch of goofs. We have so much fun with one another its ridiculous.We have blender battles to see who can make a better smoothie faster (i cheat and click off their blenders lol)We play the letter game (A to Z of whatever; animals, cities just random crap like that)The best thing so far was when i was challenged to our favorite game. Plainly called "Categories". Simple.So Amanda comes up and yells out "styles of ladies underwear". I asked her what the loser had to do. We ended up making a sewer sludge that the loser had to drink. What's pathetic is that i won and she had to drink that shit. GAG!!!But the real she got me back about an hour later. I was raggin on her about how i (A man) knew more about ladies underwear than she :)She finally just got fed up with it and shouted "MAN CHALLENGE!!!".....of course now that she said that i had to accept or be called a pussy for the rest of the day.So she brewed up a double shot....and then let it sit for about a minute..... then she told me to drink it.So i slammed that shit and wow.... EWWW!!! i just gagged and laughed with everyone.Good times.Until Next Time....( Slipshot )

How do you forget the coffee!!!!

Posted by Slipshot on September 28, 2008 at 11:50am

Okay, so we just opened the new Hardback Cafe not even a week ago and so far it's going smoothly. We've had a fairly steady flow of customers and our beginning and "intermediate" baristas (including myself) are doing pretty damn good.During our training a while ago (i assume this is the same with any coffee shop) we've gotten pretty close to one another already....except for like one person.There is one barista that is just bugging the shit out of everyone ALREADY! (let's remember, VERY new cafe, VERY new staff. Open 1 week.)He makes good coffee most of the time, but he doesn't wash his dishes, he stands around instead of helping the other barista with their drinks and he is sssslllllllooooooooooowwwwww!!!!!The biggest problem i have with him so far, and this will change, is that he doesn't follow our cafe's specific coffee recipe process. He thinks he can brew like he did at Starbucks........ WTF man. Do we look like a fuckin 'Bucks? We have different beans, different powders, different syrups, different sauces, and let's not forget.... DIFFERENT MACHINES.We have our own way of doing things just like any other coffee shop. Break away from what you think you know and adapt, man. Golly Gee. :)So, i got to the cafe (as a customer) and they were short as help. I'm just coming in to chill and have a brew before job #2 starts, but i ended up helping anyway cuz i like the cafe to go smoothly....and i LOVE BEING A BARISTA. This kid thinks he knows everything. He handles customers well, but chats a little too long for the most part. So when they finally got another barista in to work i ordered a very simple drink to make (especially considering we have super automatic Frankes). So tell me if any of you would have trouble making this:Breve white chocolate, Rasberry Mocha. Double shot. Ristretto.I was pretty excited about this drink. lol, It's pretty yummy from our place....when made properly.My boss comes in for some scheduling stuff so we sit down and start to chit chat, joke around, that kinda thing. I took a drink of my seemingly delicious coffee...... It tastes like piss water! DECEPTION!!! lolI could not even sense a hint of espresso in that friggin cup. So i assumed this guy forgot my shots. So then i assumed he didn't know how to make a decent steamer, let alone a cup of coffee. I was pissed!!! How do you forget the coffee! Lame....My boss was not impressed. Neither was i.Even though i may sound like i'm bitching an moaning about something as miniscule as this, i hope you don't take it like that. I actually find this to be quite hilarious. And you should too. I bet this happens all the friggin time to all of you.Please feel free to share some of your stories. I'm always looking for conversational fodder.Until Next Time....- The Best of Brews to you all -( Slipshot )

Amateur mistakes

Posted by Neo on September 28, 2008 at 5:47am

I have been playing with my cotton filter and hand grinder for , approximately, 1.5 years. At first, things went well, lovely aftertaste, aroma and etc. Then suddenly one day all the good things disappeared. Yeah in one single day!I thought it was the beans so I talked to my roaster whether the sudden change is related to the beans or not. For sure the beans were fine because some casual cuppings were done and the cups were absolutely tasty.We then came to a conclusion that it could be 1) water temp which I kept constant, 2)grind which I kept constant, 3) brew time which I thought it's okay. I played with water temp for quite a long time since I had the experience of getting strange coffee because of wrong temperatures. Alright, I get overextracted and underextracted cups and it seemed that there were no intermediate cup profiles!One day, I heard my roaster saying that for cotton filter, the grind should be 1notch finer than what I had been using. I adjusted the coarseness and I got some slightly stronger cups but they were nowhere close to what I had at first. I keep trying and trying for maybe 9 months or, perhaps, 1 year (doh!) .If you can withstand the boredom of this post and have not closed your browser, you might say, ' Hey dumbhead, you never checked your brewing time!'Indeed, I never measured the time precisely and it was not too long ago that I knew 0.5g of grounds can have serious effects on the final cup. Last week I decided to measure it seriously with a stopwatch and I was absolutely shocked. I always thought that the brewing time was pretty much okay, i.e. 3mins 160ml . Heck no! It took 2mins only to finish one brew, which is WAY TOO FAST. I then use the finest adjustment on my hand grinder and it took 2min 20 sec. Nope, not ideal and the cup sucked.I reluctantly put my hands on my super jolly to grind much finer. I never used SJ for filter coffee since I hope to use a 'cooler' grinding method so more aromas can be preserved. I managed to get a 3min brew after 2 or 3 trials and the cup was pretty good. Although there are more things to experiment but at least now I know why all different parameter changes never worked! The grinder is already too old and cannot do the job well. That means I need to buy one more hand grinder.Lesson learned: Check parameters precisely, counting in heart is way too stupid.Yes, filter coffee is less demanding than espresso, but it doesn't mean you can do it casuallyHappy Brewing!P.S: I hope my grammar is not too broken :P

Peanut Butter Bliss Latte Recipe; Peanut Butter Latte

Posted by javaqueen on September 28, 2008 at 4:00am

Peanut Butter Bliss Latte Recipe; Peanut Butter Latte2 shots illy Espresso3/4 oz Monin Flavoring Syrup; Peanut Butter1/2 oz Monin Caramel SauceSteamed MilkAdd espresso, Monin Peanut Butter and Monin Caramel Sauce to cup and stir well.Fill with steamed milk.Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of Monin Caramel Sauce

Coffee Nudge Recipe a la Torani Coffee Syrups

Posted by javaqueen on September 27, 2008 at 8:14pm

Coffee Nudge a la ToraniIngredients:1/2 oz. (1 Tbsp.) Torani Creme de Cacao syrup1/4 oz. (1 1/2 tsp.) Torani Coffee Flavoring syrup1/4 oz. (1 1/2 tsp.) Torani Mandarin Orange syrup3/4 cup brewed Torrefazione coffeeTorani flavored whipped cream, for toppingInstructions:Combine ingredients in a footed coffee glass. Stir gently. Top with Torani Creme de Cacao flavored Whipped Cream and dust with nutmeg. Serving/Yield: 1-12oz.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe; Jack-O'-Latte Recipe

Posted by javaqueen on September 27, 2008 at 3:10pm

Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe2 Shots Espresso - hot from your espresso machines1/14 oz Pumpkin Spice Flavoring Syrup: Monin Flavored Coffee SyrupsSteamed MilkAdd espresso and Monin Pumpkin Spice to cup and stir well.Fill with steamed milk.Top with whipped cream and dust with pumpkin spice or nutmeg

Caramel Apple Latte Recipe: Fall Festival Latte For Halloween

Posted by javaqueen on September 27, 2008 at 2:00pm

Caramel Apple Latte Recipe2 Shots illy Espresso1 1/4 oz. Monin Flavoring Syrup; Monin Caramell Apple Flavoring SyrupSteamed MilkAdd espresso and Monin Caramel Apple to cup and stir well.Fill with steamed milk.Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of Monin Caramel SauceIf Monin Caramel Apple is not available, proportionatly combine Monin Apple and Monin Caramel syrups for substituion

Ethiopia Sidamo...

Posted by scott@herkimercoffee.com on September 25, 2008 at 7:55am

New Single Origin Coffee available! Ethiopian Sidamo, a washed coffee with some really nice if not slightly out of the norm character.Most striking is it's similarity to a late harvest dessert white wine. Refreshing and sweet green grape flavors in a nicely powdered sugar in honey texture. Slightly percieved grape peel as well. The finish reminds me of a nice dry chablis. Roasted to keep the sweetness prominant and the acid light and in balance with the sugary texture. Unusually low acid for a washed sidamo, but very pleasing. The texture adds nicely to the medium body as well.

victrola cupping

Posted by Drew Woods on September 24, 2008 at 8:28am

finca vista hermosai think only the second time i've had it, actually, but that is a mistake to be corrected. lots of milk chocolate, totally reminiscent of my hometown huehue.production yirgclassic earl grey, with a discernible and nice tartness on the finisha couple of earthy sidamo samplesboth of these had a lot of plainly obvious variation in bean size, and the lack of cleanliness was discernable in the cup. which is, you know, kind of how it goes. i am by no means a natural hater, but they were a bit musty.a costa ricanum, uh... i forgot. sorry. i'm out of practice.2 el salvador samples (one peaberry)both were bright and lemony, but the non-peaberry was particularly good as it combined that with some chocolate notes resulting in a more balanced profile. a well balanced combination of lemon zest and dark chocolate, which i'm not sure conveys what i'm trying to say very well, but it was rad. hopefully they'll be able to put it into production.and something else i'm forgetting.it was really cool to have some pre-production samples on the table. reminds me of the halcyon portland days when i was an annex rat and jim would do mid-day QC cuppings he was gracious enough to let me in on, on occasion.thanks to perry for running the show and sarah jane for pulling me a killer deuce of streamline afterwards.

CK Staff Presents in Nicaragua

Posted by Coffee Kids on September 24, 2008 at 5:28am

From September 1-4, 2008, Coffee Kids’ program staff attended Ramacafé 2008 in Manauga, Nicaragua. More than 300 participants from 16 countries (mostly from Central America) attended the event. Coffee Kids presents at Ramacafe

Since 2004, Ramacafé has gathered scholars, producers, roasters, specialists, cooperatives and organizations involved in the coffee industry and coffee culture to share and discuss the future of the industry. This year, José Luis Zárate, Coffee Kids’ international program director, was invited to participate in an education panel on the first day of conference.During the session, José Luis Zárate stressed the importance of community-based projects that respond to the needs of people in coffee-growing regions. Zárate’s presentation gave Coffee Kids’ staff the opportunity to meet various cooperatives and organizations from Central America that are interested in helping coffee-farming families.

The first day of the conference featured topics such as coffee certification, production and commercialization, as well as the health benefits of coffee, sustainability and education.Zárate and International Program Coordinator José Carlos Leónalso visited Finca La Virgen, a coffee plantation in the state of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. During the visit, Zárate and León saw a clinic constructed by the finca that provides free medical care and medicine for the employees of La Virgen and people in the nearby communities. The finca has also constructed a school for local children and an eco-hostel to capitalize on the popularity of point-of-origin tours.

Barista Champ Champions Coffee Farmers

Posted by Coffee Kids on September 24, 2008 at 5:25am

What a great way start a Monday. When I arrived last Monday, I had a message of good news and glad tidings from Sarah Allen at Barista Magazine.

This past weekend (Sept. 12-14) Hiroshi Sawada, owner of Caffe Milk Art in Japan, competed in the Millrock Latte Art Championship and took first prize in one of the most challenging competitions to date, besting 39 of the best latte artists in the world. He has competed in numerous barista competitions traveling around the world to display his craft, but this is the first time he won. Sawada was awarded a check for $5,000 for his efforts.Following the award ceremony Sawada tracked down Sarah Allen and said that he wanted to donate all of his prize money to Coffee Kids. All of us at Coffee Kids are humbled by Hiroshi's generosity and grateful for his help in improving the lives of coffee-farming families.Congratulations on your win, Hiroshi and thank you!The competition was presented by Barista Magazine, Nuova Simonelli and Dillanos Coffee.

How 2 Make Money In The Coffee Industry

Posted by BaristaOnDutY on September 22, 2008 at 3:00pm

I figured, I would write my thoughts on making money in the coffee industry. I have worked for several coffee shops, I have also worked my own coffee concession. I roast beans by pan, yes it's work, but it's also fulfilling, however the question is am I making money? Well honestly I would have to say no, why because although I work for myself I'm glued to the bean, and with that I can't go out and enjoy the coffee scene the way I would like to. Now knowing what I want to do, it's a matter of doing it, I feel now that in order to make money, I'm gonna have to network more, I believe that if I can connect with just 2 like minded individuals we could take over the entire coffee scene, yeah like Starbucks did, I want to see just how long it takes me to make what I consider money in the coffee industry. Right now I have the freedom, just not the money to travel and coffee the way I like.It is my belief that in a year I should be able to travel as I wish, if I apply myself.I market my products to individuals as well companies, anyone with info or leads on how I should go about being more effective, my business depends on word of mouth.Any and all words of wisdom appreciated.Until next time here, I'm your BaristOnDutY.

Bad news

Posted by Cherie on September 22, 2008 at 8:46am

I recently had my hopes for joining in a barista competition dashed. In talking things over with the owner of the shop I work at, I've come to realize that I will have to either do some major fund-raising/sponsor-begging, or sit out yet another year. And due to the energy that the former will require, I'm leaning towards sitting out.I'm not happy about giving that up, but with my life going in so many directions at once, I am content to keep my coffee world as calm as possible for right now.With that being said, I know I am still going to attend Coffee Fest Chicago this year, and I am going to try to work it out to get to the 'Spro down in Chi' Town. So at least I still have a few things to look forward to.On another note: I had a co-worker laugh at me for using the slang term "Spro" the other day. He had never heard such a thing, and it seemed quite funny to him - and he actaully said he didn't like it! To each their own I guess. I use that term and a few other coffee slang terms when I am talking to co-workers and customers and I've never had someone mention a distaste for them...at least not to my face. Anyway, just a bit of randomness for ya.Cherie

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