In the school of traditional thought concerning espresso, there seems to be a consistent focus on primary characteristics that attribute to the quality of espresso extraction. Undoubtedly, two primary factors in espresso quality are the equipment and the the person using the equipment. Needless to say, a high caliber machine only produces quality espresso when used by a well-trained, well skilled, and knowledgeable barista and vice versa. This seems to be common sense in our line of work. We see it mimicked in many other lines of work. Tiger Woods doesn't use cheap clubs when he's playing the masters, and a brand new Taylor Presenter acoustic guitar in the hands of an amateur musician does little to cover up their lack of mastery as they fumble around the fret board. While it seems to be a common understanding that the tools and the hands play an equally critical role in coffee, I can't help but wonder if there is a slight imbalance these days.We all know about the "demise" of Clover as a prevalent way to advance brewing methods. It was met with speculation from the beginning, yet it was relatively quickly established as a premier way to brew coffees. I even found myself tripping over my gaping jaw the first time I saw one of these sleek, sexy little machines in action at Intelligentsia a few years ago. The extraction characteristics were unique and fresh to the palate, and there was a certain amount of mystique to the cup. I often pondered after that interaction what coffees familiar to me might taste if they were "Clovered". I really don't find anything wrong with this, except that my perception of the coffee was based more on the novelty of the brewing method rather than the merit of the coffee independent of the hype that a 10,000 dollar, cutting edge brewing machine it was prepared on. I was far more enamored with the technology than the coffee quality. And I don't think that I stood alone in jumping on the wagon. Most of the magazines that I have been reading prior to this spring have been plastered with pictures of high end coffee bars sporting these expensive little brewers, sitting center stage on the front counter right next to the espresso machine. And I don't believe the equipment obsession is confined to Clover.We are all familiar with names like Synesso and La Marzocco. I would say that, of all the machines I have worked on preparing coffee, they are clearly the most consistent at producing the highest caliber of espresso that I have prepared. They are great machines with a wild amount of technology and thought to the barista's work infused into their design and general usability. However, I have encountered a certain level unwillingness to wander outside these machines when preparing espresso. In competing the GLRBC and USBC, I found many people completely unfamiliar with anything other than dual boiler machines. Many people had no concept of or ability to make adjustments for equipment that is less than ideal to create quality extractions. People marveled that, while I was competing, I was also not using a Robur as my primary grinder for competition. It was then that I began to wonder what, by definition, is a "skilled barista".Taking into account that there are many people who have less opportunity to play with all types of equipment than I do, I understand some of the wariness of people working on only top, cutting edge equipment to prepare their coffee on other equipment. But how much should we rely on a machine to define our coffee? Is it fair to say that we can only experience it correctly when we have the next greatest brewing/espresso machine? In no way do I want to undermine the pursuit of clarity and quality in our craft, but I do want to question what our primary focus is when assessing what we are doing as a coffee community to affect the overall quality of our craft. In reading "A Code" last week on Barista Exchange, the question was raised, "Should we give input to shops we visit who need help?" The most consistent answer was focused on growing the industry through teaching people the craft of the barista. Right now, Starbucks is communicating to our culture that coffee is only exclusive when it's brewed on a special machine. They are trying to quiet a whole culture of quality by communicating to people that the machine always wins. This is part of why super automatics have become so prevalent in chains; there is a false hope in machines that does not factor in the very artistic component of our culinary world. We could have machines make our coffee, our music, and our art, but without the heart and soul behind these things there is no emotional connection.Forgive me if I am nearsighted, but I appreciate the changes beginning in shops like Stumptown and Zoka who are going back to pour over stations and French presses. I appreciate hearing about people like Aaron Duckworth that require all their baristas in training pull fifty shots at 14 grams exact dose from sight and feel before getting on the bar. I really appreciate the wisdom of my coffee mentor who simply says, "A good barista is one who understand their equipment and can use whatever equipment is laid before them to create quality coffee extractions." Let's continue to grow in emphasizing the the high standards of skill in preparation so that people who are not in this enclave of culinary world will take note of our abilities as masters of an art form. And, most of all, let our effort be toward using both our hands and equipment in a way that the coffee speaks for itself.
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Digging two new single origin coffees as both press and espresso:Guatemala “La Virgen”Acid: 6Body: 7Texture: Carbonated, milk chocolate.Flavor: Spicy sweet seed fruits like cherry, strawberry and blackberry reminiscent of Harrar coffee from Ethiopia. Tinder box spices, with a milky cocoa body. Sparkly start with smooth sweet finish. Fairly simple and direct in flavor and presence, not huge but not small either. Intriguing departure from the normal Guatemalan profile of Huehuetenango or Antigua.La Virgen is grown at an elevation of 1200 meters in San Marcos, a municipality of Tajumulco.Kenya AA TassiaAcid: 6Body: 9Texture: Buttery and juicy.Flavor: When hot tomato soup and fresh (thai) basil pop out, followed by coconut and beef stew. The acid is citrus, lime and orange. A cinnamon flavor comes out as well giving it an almost cola like vibe. Lots of layers, very complex and deep.The Tassia Estate is located in a tropical savanna climate, with red loam (acidic) soil. The coffee is wet processed and sun dried on raised beds. Grown at an elevation of 1500 meters using shade grown Sysbania and Gravellia trees of which 80% were planted in the 1940’s. Tassia Estate registered as a private limited company in 1950 and operates the farm on a 5 year crop rotation cycle.
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That's right.This past holiday weekend saw the closing of a Starbucks right around the corner from us at Temple. We've heard reports this is in part of their 600 shop closings, but lets face the fact: Temple is the reason. Superior drinks, service, and levels of barista hotness. The Green Goddess aint got shit on us.
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We purchased the Bodum Santos Electric from my friend Shannon at Coffee and Crema of Greenville, SC.We took this with us along with our Kitchenaid ProLine Grinder and we have just had a ball with this Bodum. It makes a clean cup, but I do miss the body of a French Press. We have really enjoyed the Ethiopian Yirg Shannon sold us, it just wreaks of blue berries.Our little vacation to the mountains of South West Virginia (Jonesville, VA) has been fruitful. We have educated the masses on extremely fantastic coffees. Everybody just stares at our Bodum Santos!
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Hey e'erbodyYou should definately check out the "RIDE ON!!" event we at Temple, in conjunction with Barefoot, are doing. Its going to be hella sweet, and so awesome you'll probably have to change you pants a few times. Yeah. Do it.Plus, we can get burritos.jawesome.-bza
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Posted by: Steve HawthorneFrom a city that has always known how to work hard comes a coffee that works as hard as you do. Milwaukee Blend is a well-crafted combination of strength, balance, and dark-roasted flavor that yields a great tasting, rock solid cup of coffee, time after time. As strong as the bricks that built our city, Milwaukee Blend will give you the fuel to start your day and the muscle to finish your work.Milwaukee Blend is a new product that hit our stores on Wednesday. This blend pays tribute to the great city that we have called home for the last 15 years. We hope to rotate the labels that represent this blend to highlight different aspects of our city that make Milwaukee a unique and great place to live.Label No. One- Corner Bars & TavernsCorner bars and taverns have formed the backbone of Milwaukee s social life since the mid-1800 s. Home town breweries such as Pabst, Miller, Schlitz and Blatz have been brewing beer for over 150 years. With all of this beer brewing there must be places for the local folks to enjoy it. Thus why our local neighborhood taverns had been established. Some date all the way back to 1850 and its doors still remain open to Milwaukee s people. As diverse as our city is, you will always stumble upon a corner bar or tavern no matter what neighborhood you are in
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15 miles from here a new Starbucks opened a few months ago. It's a drive-thru/walk-up/stand-alone shop in the parking lot of an existing strip mall. There had been a small and successful independent in the main portion of the complex that sold just prior to the Starbucks' opening. There's also a Tim Horton's (big Cdn chain) across the street.Last night I went in to the old shop to see how things were going. The new owner was there by himself cleaning up behind the counter. I asked for a double Americano.He shot the espresso into a decanter because his small cups (he sells 12oz, 16oz and 20oz) don't fit beneath his machine's group heads, then he poured it into my cup and topped it with hot water. All three portafilter handles were sitting on the drain tray.I asked if he'd mind some input into making better drinks than his new competitor, he said yup so I offered advice on preserving the crema and I told him the proven methods of tamping. Then we went through adjusting the grinder, steaming milk (all he had was skim) and we scratched the surface of latte art - which will be difficult for him when he's decanting single shots into the bottom of a 20oz cup.People will patronize the perceived underdog but only if they're getting at least an equivelant drink and service as the chains. With a few excellent exceptions, individual shops don't have much of an impact on the chains. I feel an obligation to help out guys like this. It sucks that the landowner offered Starbucks space in the same complex as the independent. It sucks that he dosen't know how to make espresso drinks. I just want to help the dude make it, I want him to live his dream of running a little cafe. I also want better espresso when I'm in his part of town!What's The Code? I guess The Code is to help out if you can make a difference...And if your help is welcome, of course.
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So, I'd like to ride my bicycle all the way from Athens, GA to Seattle, Washington and back stopping along the way at numerous coffee-minded locales.Ideally, I'd find work at some of these places for several days to a week.While there, my hosts and I would exchange bits of our respective wisdom and know how. The goal is to tear down barriers that have been created by geography or overly-capitalist drives and to bring the focus at our businesses back to relationships in our coffee community.Essentially, I'm looking to expand my mind, exhaust my body, and encourage a continent-wide, face-to-face, free exchange of ideas with baristas, shops, roasters and all sorts.Is there anyone out there who might have a spot behind their bar or roaster for me while I make my journey across this great continent?
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Bikini Baristas.Really, they exist. Sadly, it is sweeping the nation. And yeah, they actually wear bikinis...Sometimes less than that. Some have opted to wear bikini bottoms with a scarf that tries,to no avail, to hide their nipples. Not only are these girls demoralizing women in general, but they are doing it at the expence of the Nectar of the Gods. Bikini Baristas are located at the coffee shop Coffee Nation in Salem Oregon. They have opened a company, Bikini Coffee Co. which is working on spreading the business to California, Washington, and our own NYC. Protest, anyone?
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Posted by Wilson Hines on June 26, 2008 at 11:06am
Today, we sat around enjoying Espresso LaForza from Counter Culture Coffee. My wife and I were joined by a family and church friend. Her two boys and my two girls enjoyed cappuccinos from the Faema S87 two group and as I prepared for my weekly journey to the North East U.S we pressed some Kenya Kangocho, also from CCC.Being from a rural area it is hard to find people you can have an intelligent conversation with about coffee. For those of you who work in the industry, and therefore more than likely have co-workers and clientèle who are passionate with you, consider yourself blessed.
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24th June. we had 3rd Tokyo Barista Jam & Latteart Competition @ Cafe & Restaurant Asuka!!!
About 30 baristas gathered from many coffee shops and coffee industrys.
I feel the Network of barisas in Tokyo spreading little by little...There are more photo of this event (http://www.flickr.com/photos/masahi0024/sets/72157605790738578/)
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My favorite metaphysical image from Leaper by Geoffrey Wood
The parable of the coffee shop shows that the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man who goes into a coffee shop and orders an espresso.As the man talks across the counter, the coffee guy makes his coffee ands sets the cup and saucer on the counter between them. But the man doesn't drink it; he keeps talking, so the coffee gets cold, useless. The coffee guy pours it out and pulls another, sets it up. The man still can't stop talking. The next one goes bad too. So the coffee guy throws that one out too, makes another. And this goes on see?You may think you are the coffee guy in the parable, but your not -- you're the espresso. (It's like that in parables.) You're not for you. You're some one else's beverage. And God, the coffee guy, he's going to keep remaking you again and again, as many times as it takes until you are drinkable. God's pulling the shots, and he's got standards.If God changes you, you'd better change.
Hi,I'm back on BE, JOY. Glad to see how it's grown. I'll see just how much time I can spare, given LiveJournal, Last.FM, Goodreads, GreenCoffeeBuyingClub (I'm FinerGrind on all) take up.Hope to be in Yemen later this year looking for variatels and heirloom coffees.Here is what I'm roasting:Uganda Bugisu AA (2005-2006 Crop)Bolivia Cafe Kantati, Villanueva FarmEthiopia Organic Idido Misty Valley DP Oct '07 (Sweet Marias)Ethiopia Idido Misty valleyEthiopia Harrar Bagersh - Vournas CCEl Salvador Cup of Excellence, 1st Place Finisher La MontañaGuatemala Cup of Excellence 2nd Place, 2007San Jose OcañaMountain Thunder Estate XF, very high elevation KonaOrganic Panama Ngabe-Bukle ComarcaKona Mountain Estate Kona Fancy"Panama Crop of Gold #3 Elida Estate Familia LamastusCosta Rica CoE #5 Rodolfo Boillat Silva - Finca CarrizalPNGHigh grade Eth 3# samplers, Best of Panama#1 Amaro Gayo NaturalLot#13 Idido Teramed WP Yirgacheffe#19 Maunier Estate
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Posted by anders aasen on June 17, 2008 at 11:31pm
My life is a turbulent one, working 30 hours shift on two dfferent places and going around the clock, other days i dont have to get up at all. what then pulls me out of bed? I will tell you, it's Kaffebonna, the longing for a great espresso made by Good baristas, it is great.I don't know what to do without coffee in my everyday life. I like it alot.
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Thats right.Yours Truly will be mashin down I-80 to go hang out with my favorite group: Bay Area coffee cats!!I hope to include you all in this trip, but since I have the car for a limited time (stolen from the woman), it will be tight. Ritual's (all THREE), Pac Bay, Blue Bottle's, 4th Barrels, and those every tasty 'Footers are on my list. I expect you all to be prepared with the following:1. whiskey (read: Jameson. If you bring JB, I'll be very unhappy2. s.o. shots3. Some skateboards, cuz we're going to mash in SF on those f'ers.Anyway, I'll be seeing you soon.-The BZA
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Juana Sisimite is an artisan project instructor working with Coffee Kids' partner Association for Sustainable Development of Paraxaj (ADESPA) on their Technical Work Training Program. Sisimite is teaching 26 women from the community of Paraxaj how to create 'fajas' or decorated belts that women in the region use as part of their traditional dress. This artisan project is part of ADESPA's larger goal to create economic options in the coffee-farming community of Paraxaj.
"I learned this work watching other women who dedicated themselves to this activity in the community of Patzicia and since it the work appealed to me, I decided I wanted to learn. In the beginning it was hard because no one was teaching me and so the only way to learn was to put the needle in the beads and begin with a line that took me almost a week. I was the first in my familiy to learn this work and afterward I taught my sisters, now we all do this work.
"Now we are teaching all of these women. I told them to take advantage o the opportunity to learn because you can make money in this business. We deliver our products to three places in the town of Chimaltenango, and in the festival season they sell very well. The type of embroidery varies depending on the community, each place has its own colors. For example, in some places the colors of red are used a lot and they don't use white, but this changes according to town and traditional dress.
"The 'fajas' we make can be sold at an average price of Q125 ($17); and to the public in the store sthey sell at about Q150 ($20). The materials to do this work are expensive and we buy them in the town of Patcizia which is about a half-hour away.
"I am single , but when I have my children, I'm going to teach them everything because my mother liked to work a lot and she made many things. She didn't know how to do this work, but we learned other things with her such as weaving and embroidery and other types of clothes."
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