We got a lot of great response from the other thread titled "Going Green in Your Coffee House" and I wanted to follow up with a Part 2 post. I thought it may be helpful to list some products that promote eco friendly buying practices in a coffee house setting.
Compostable White Hot Cups with World Art ... Here in Portland, I have seen a lot of coffee bars switching to compostable paper cups. I have also heard different reviews from baristas and roasters on which are the best. There are the Eco-Products Hot and Cold cups, made using a PLA plastic inner lining, these paper hot cups are fully compostable. Espresso Parts has a full line up of Eco-Friendly cups, lids, and more to check out. Eco-Products' compostable/biodegradable COLD cups are clear and are made from an annually renewable resource--corn! With the same look and feel as clear plastic cups, these compostable biodegradable corn cups contain NatureWorks PLA, and environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The cups are odorless and completely non-allergenic. These products are designed to compost in a commercial facility in 45-60 days.
Cafetto has an Organic Espresso Machine Cleaner called EVO. Cafetto EVO is OMRI listed as complying with the USDA National Organic Program requirements and BFA registered as complying with the requirements of the Australian Organic Standard.
I know that this cleaner is popular in Australia, and I was curious how many people here in US are using it, or if anyone has any feedback? I see on their site that both Cuvee Coffee and Coffee Klatch are distributors.
Another brand of Eco-Friendly cups that I have seen at the EcoTainer from Intl. Paper. They have a in depth FAQ on their site about the cups. It seems to be very similar to the compostable cups. I encourage all of you to check with your local coffee roaster if they can provide you with an eco-friendly option. Show them there is a demand for this.
Another topic discussed was Composting Coffee Grounds in your garden. We like to save the grounds from our training classes at ABC's and my wife and I use them at home. Here is a link on How To ... and another link I found on Peets Coffee and Tea website, that talks about using Coffee and Tea Residues.
It is great to see people on this site sharing these types of experience, and maybe with some work we can develop an easy system for really Greening coffee shops around the U.S. Feel free to post other ideas/products below that may be helpful. I remember in the last Green post many people were asking about products and for any feedback. Thanks! (next blog post ... organic milk, coming soon).
- Matt
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Recently, I am in Guangzhou to develop the local market for the Barista Training of Kaffa Cafe. Our Barista Training Centre was established at the beginning of 2007.Now, I am training some students. Yesterday, they told me that the cafes, which I suggested them to go to see if they need more baristas or not, are almost all closed. Only few of them, which they did not go, was not known yet.For Beijing, the situation is almost the same, or a bit of better. Most cafes are kept alive mostly by more investment, not their income. If the owners are not able to invest more, they have to be closed.All those facts told me that, the quality of coffee drinks can be a kernal elements of a cafe. Although, people do not quite understand it, mainly for the reason that they do not know the difference between a well made coffee and not well made ones. It can be very big, from tasty to awful.A Fiction Story.Many people believe that, most or almost all local people (clients) do not know the tastes of coffee drinks, and therefore, they would accept what they get from the cafes. But, the fact is, people may not know the reason of those bad coffee drinks was from the preparation of the cafes, but they simply learnt that ocffee is never tasty, so they won't drink coffee, or very seldom to drink coffee any more. That is the real fact that happened locally in China.*$s not able to do it, Illy not able to do it, none except few cafes with a little profits.In Beijing (Peking), almost two brands of cafes can be successful. One is the Pass By Bar, and the other is Scrupting Time, which have horrible espresso made of Illy beans for years. They got continuously training from Illy, but the result, as confirmed by their boss in front of me, it is not drinkable.Few others can be survived due to the location where there are enough people who do need somewhere to stay, like new XiuShui, where one can find a cafe of Lavazza, and SPR, a local brand of chained cafes. But, clients can find their sulotion by ordering only beer or coke. So, some of cafes may also change from prof machines to small super-auto, or even totally removed.It is sad, only simply the fact in China.Except *$s, none of other international brands can be survived, at least in Beijing. I know some of them are still there, but the way to keep them alive is simply money, their more and more investment. they all know it very well by themselves, for sure.For our trainees' cafes, the business became more and more hard because more and more people believe that coffee drinks can never be good tasted. So, we have to find other ways to let them try our coffee. that is the first step, and also the hardest step. But, in any case, we have to do it, and finally, we made it.
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Many of you may have also seen this in the newsletter that was sent out yesterday, but I wanted to officially post about it as well.
It has been great to see the membership on Barista Exchange grow, and I am thrilled that people are using the site to connect with so many others in the industry. During the month of April, we will be having a contest to see who can invite, (and sign up) the most friends. I will be posting more about this in a blog soon. Basically we can track how many people you invite, and how many sign up from your invites. The winner will get a copy of Training with Champions on DVD, a $49.95 value. I want to start having little fun competitions each month so if you have any ideas, email me
Next month I am hoping to also have an essay contest with a super secret cool prize ...
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Hello - please see the link to an article that I wrote for the Michigan Restaurant Association for thier magazine MICHIGAN RESTAURATEUR:Trends in Coffee: Quality is Back in FashionThe article is in the April issue. I welcome your comments and feedback.
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Apart for them buying the coffee (which pays for the coffees, rent, utilities, my paycheck, and sometimes they may even tip), what else do they do?I know for a fact we try to put some (I am an at beast eager to say mine is meager) latte art on their drinks, which they just cap it, chug it, and give us a near look in the eye like they even noticed it was coffee.Why is there art? I like art, I am an artist (not a latte artist, mind you), but i can draw stick figures, and round circle like things. I can even write pretty."p-r-e-t-t-y"see, talented is as talented does.I appreciate the appreciator, so, when a customer comes and shows they are an enthusiast, it makes me smile a bit. Adds a bit of pride to the day full of the others.happy is the day when the buzz buzz of the joe is zubb-zubbin.(forgive, I just read a Dr Seuss book)
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Starbucks has a lot of controversy, especially within the professional coffee world, and I understand that fully. I'm often looked down upon by both professionals and by Starbucks baristas alike because I worked for a licensed (almost like a franchise but not quite) Starbucks store. So I'm writing this blog to clear up what my purpose is for working at such a place, and my plans for the future.First off, my paychecks are signed by the Kroger owned company Fred Meyer, a Northwestern grocery store. Starbucks monitors my kiosk to ensure that we meet the Starbucks standard, under the agreement that Fred Meyer may sell Starbucks Coffee with their name. So anything Starbucks decides to do with their company does not necessarily affect me, but often does. I realize a lot of you are professional baristas, competing and working for the niftiest coffee shops around, but you must understand this: Starbucks baristas hate licensed store baristas. It's the silliest thing; the misconception that licensed stores do not receive the same training. Oh contrare, we receive the exact same training, but just like any other store, it gets heavily diluted and information gets lost as it's passed over time. All in all, I'm generally looked down upon by everyone, but honestly, for no real reason.I love coffee, I love tea. This is my first coffee job and it has really made me see that. I decided a while back that I wanted to spend my life working with coffee. I also wrote a life plan of sorts a few months ago with career, family, and educational objectives and it revolves around coffee and family. I've been crawling the internet for information, joining websites like this, subscribing to trade magazines and saving for classes and events. It all works up to my ultimate coffee goals, competing and owning a shop, which I agree, is far off from where I'm standing. So, why don't I find a job that will take me farther?I work part time, 20 hours a week, and go to school to get my bachelors in business full time. On top of that and my family, I don't have a lot of free time. Working where I do allows me to be around coffee (and people I love, like my crew and regulars), without worrying about not putting enough time into my craft, it's low maintenance. Which is good for now, so I can focus and finish school. Not to mention my benefits; full health, dental and vision, frequent raises, and full union coverage. I also get discounts up to 20% on home, electronics, apparel and even 10% on groceries. This is perfect on a $750/mo budget.So please, and I'm not assuming you are, do not treat me like a mindless idiot who thinks that pushing a button is what a barista is and does. I grasp the concept, and I try to learn more every day. I even purchased my own home set up (which turned out to be a peice of crap, but hey) to try to venture out. I know I have a lot to learn, but I think I deserve a little respect.Everyone I've met on here has turned out to be wonderful, and I thank you all. I just wanted to share a few of my thoughts, and I thought this would be a good place for it. I'm positive I'm not the only person in the world that is in this position. I want to thank anyone who took the time to read this.
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A huge congrats to all who were involved in this past weekends Western Regional Barista Competition. I have already heard from many people in attendance that it was one of the best barista events to date!
A big round of applause for all of the competitors, and for the top three:
1st Place, Chris Baca, Ritual Coffee Roasters
2nd Place, Kyle Glanville, Intelligentsia Coffee Roasters
3rd Place, Heather Perry, Coffee Klatch Roasters
Remember to check out the Pacific Bay Coffee website for detailed coverage.
We now have one more regional competition in Ithaca, NY ... the NERBC coming up, hosted by Gimme! Coffee. Good luck to all and see you all in MN at the USBC.
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First entry in to the Blog. Actually first entry in to a blog ever. Im not much of a Internet nerd but due to this Coffee Version of Myspace. I think I will spend more time at a computer with a cup of coffee in hand. I am currently drinking Borogrove Ethiopian Yirg and am loving it. I brew all of my coffee in a DeLonghi Moka Pot and grind fresh in a 16 setting grinder. I think this is as close as I can get to having the best quality cup of coffee with the least priced equipment possible. I would love to look in to getting an Espresso Machine soon but those are a little spendy. And I would have to find more space in my condo to put my kitchen sink. Cause who needs that when you have an Espresso Machine.My passion for coffee grows each 8 hour day working for Farmer Brothers. Not cause they have good coffe or anything. But because I look forward to getting back to the kind of Coffee I was drinking at New Harmony Cafe in Clearwater Florida. At New Harmony we featured our own Batch Roasted coffee by Joe Davis. And we also sold it wholesale to cafe's and resturants around the Southern portion of the country.We had the opp to cup up some of the best coffees in the world and had the chance to put them on our shelves and teach the public that there is more to coffee than that "Grande Caramel Soy Mocha with Whip and Chocolate Sauce" that they order at all of their favorite smoothie spots called Starbucks. And I am sure that is why we are all in this industry. Our goal is to teach the next door neighbor, the cafe down the street, the mail man, and anyone else who is willing to listen that coffee is an agricultural product and should be cared for and be appreciated as much as anything else they enjoy to consume.I know for me I really enjoy to bring in Coffee's from Specialty Roasters in the area to Farmer Brothers and brew them up for the managers to try. Not to tell them how much there coffee sucks.. But to show them that there is a huge culture out there that is striving to be the best and that we are not in competition with them. I love to show them that coffee can taste good, and different from the next coffee you put in your cup. I believe they are starting to appreciate what I have been showing them and they are also branching out to purchase coffee from these places to take home and enjoy on the weekends. This is what makes me smile. Knowing that they are no longer afraid of what else is out there.. but becoming aware of what else is out there and knowing that there is a reason that the sales stats have dropped in the past 10 years. They arent dropping because the Sales Reps for Farmer Bros arent doing a good job. But there are alot of Roasters in Seattle and surrounding areas that offer Spectacular Specialty Coffee and the Public is becoming more aware of this and are not buying on price as much as they are quality these days.Well todays venting is going to come to a close for this mid morning coffee break. But more to come as my passion becomes stronger with every cup of Specialty Coffee I drink.
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Posted by Matt Milletto on March 28, 2008 at 11:12am
Taken from an article from todays New York Times ... Zander Nosler writes:
“Our decision to become part of Starbucks wasn’t easy but I’m happy with how things have turned out on every level. I truly believe this is our best chance to change the coffee industry for the better and that is a great opportunity to have. We didn’t know what the response would be to our decision – we expected there would be some sadness, some frustration and some concern. And there was. But what surprised us was that along with that sadness was an overwhelming amount of support. Sometimes in the same email or same phone call, or even the same sentence, our friends at cafes and roasters also expressed excitement for us. Excitement to see our little company get so much attention. Excitement for what this partnership means for the industry.”
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Posted by Matt Milletto on March 28, 2008 at 10:30am
It has been a while but we did another Bellissimo Podcast yesterday, and Bruce decided to do it on ... drum roll ... Barista Exchange :)
After you listen to the PF.net podcast, feel free to check it out, it's 20 minutes on bX and what I have planned for the future ... Click here to listen to the Bellissimo Podcast.
Enjoy!
- Matt
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From Hunt Valley, MD. Another long-awaited PF-Podcast, and we hope it's worth the wait.- What Is Peter Giuliano Thinking About Today When Hanging Out With Geoff Watts And What Is HE Thinking About Today?- SCAA Board of Directors Nominees Marty Curtis and Al Liu,- and the long-awaited rant from Caragay on the Clover-Starbucks deal. Hope it doesn't disappoint!1 hour 49 minutes and 27 seconds - MP3 format, 50.2 MBSee Portafilter.net for more information, to download, or subscribe to the podcast.Read more…
Wishing you all could be here! For those of you that can't we'll have live blogging, with play by plays some some folks you know in the industry and some you may not know - besides and behind the scenes stuff too. Look for it at www.wrbc2008.com- photos too. Just in case of problems there go to www.pacifcbaycoffee.com - and add your two cents!Kerry & John Laird & the crew at Pacific Bay Coffee Co. & Micro-Roastery
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(Peter Tam, Kaffa Café)After years of learning and understanding about coffee, we had formed our own understanding, or even we call it coffee theory. Although we cannot be sure if it can be called a full established theory or not, we do have our own understanding about coffee, espresso, and many things related.Recently, we heard about a speech about coffee, specially about espresso, who is famous in the science of coffee and world coffee industry. We do not mean to offend neither to be rude to the expert, but we would let people know what we think about coffee and its science, in our mind.There are several points , which I would discuss here, with you, all the readers of this article. If anything wrong, you can let us have your comments and opinions, which are mostly appreciated.Let’s start.Question 1) Is it possible to know coffee well in terms of analytical chemistry?It is mainly described in a book about espresso and its chemical analysis for its tastes and brewing results. Although one can find out some of the components in espresso drinks, it is almost impossible to understood beans, as it is a kind of organic material and so complex as any other organic materials. As general understanding, I suppose, no organic materials can be well understood in terms of analytical chemistry in details of its components and deep into its molecule structure.I had no experience of other industries, but know something about the Chinese traditional medicines, they are mainly herbs, minerals, entrails, and so on, all are organic materials. The complex of Chinese medicines is more complex due to the organic structure of the human’s body and their organs. As one may know that, the traditional way of preparing Chinese medicines is boiling in a crock or similar. It tastes bitter, some of them are very bitter. I is the reason why very young people never like it, and Chinese people used to say that, good medicine tastes bitter and good advice is harsh to the ear.Suppose we had found some tastes is composed of mainly something at ratio of 50% or more, can we be sure of its key influence or not? It is well known in organic chemical industry that the influence of a “catalyzer” is very important and even the key of the right results of a chemical reaction.As in modern Chinese medical industry, people try to concentrate the Chinese traditional medicines and get 70%, 80%, or more of the components, and drop the most part of the water and very few (in ratios) of others, the results are usually in much loose of the effects, if not all. In fact, they loose all effects for most of those examples. It can be a reference for us, as we are trying to understand of coffee, another organic material.Question 2) The deeper the roast, the more the beans loose its tastes!“The deeper the roast, the more the beans loose its tastes!”, yes, it sounds quite right and even great. But, we can also think of it in another way. Try to smell the green beans, and you can be sure that it does not have any smell like coffee. The smell of coffee only comes after the beans are roasted to certain level, so as its tastes. Considering the complex of smells and tastes of coffee, we can suppose that their smells and tastes comes out more or less at different level of roast. If they are much more “over” roasted, some of the smells and tastes can be killed.But, what is the standards? We can only find it by experiments, I suppose. Based on our general understanding about coffee and Coffee Science, we can never get it in terms of analytical chemistry protocols. We can generally speaking about over- and under- roasted, reference to the “standards”, but we do not really know the “standards”, the reference point.Question 3) Water temperature for brewing coffeeAs he said, to brewing drip coffee, one use boiling water, but for espresso, they use only water heated to 88℃ or 90℃. It is simply not true, so we can be sure as any body else.People well know that, one can never use boiling water to brew coffee. Otherwise, the coffee grounds will be burnt. For any brewing tools around the world, whether drip coffee or even Arabic coffee, they are designed not to make the water boiled.As one of the very simple example, one can use the hot water from the espresso machines to brew the coffee in a French press. Does it leave more flavors or not? Surely not. The difference between drip coffee and espresso is the water pressure, not the water temperature, or to say the combined results of water temperature and water pressure.Question 4) Does it work to lengthen the lasting time of after-taste by pressurizing the beans, and why?I would like to know any research work and the paper to discuss about such a result.It is Kaffa Café(3/27/2008)
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Posted by: Steve HawthorneAs could probably guess, we LOVE coffee! You could also probably guess that there is an entire world of people out there that love it too. From May 2-5, coffee lovers from all over the world will converge upon Minneapolis, MN for the Specialty Coffeee Association of America's 20th Annual Conference and Exhibition. This event is a trade show for coffee industry profesionals and enthusiasts. More than 500 exhibitors will showcase the latest and most innovative products and services in the industry. The show will also be the venue for the 2008 United States Barista Championship.Stone Creek Coffee will be exhibiting our wholesale products and services at this show. Our booth number is 1825, and we would love to see you there! If you are in the coffee business, or are considering entering it, you should really consider attending this show. Learn more about this event, or register at the SCAA's Website. Hopefully we'll see you there!
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An article in the Oregonian today about how Stumptown will stop using Clovers to brew coffee in their retail stores by Friday.
"We've never purchased parts or service from Starbucks in the past, and we're not going to start now," said Matt Lounsbury, Stumptown's director of operations, who said the company's two stores with Clovers would stop using them by Friday.
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Posted by Matt Milletto on March 25, 2008 at 10:30am
Not sure if anyone else out there has picked up a TORR tamper, but I wanted to share with you this cool new product. I received my new Zebra Wood TORR tamper from TerraKeramik last week. It is their newest offering since their great line of "competition" quality ceramic capp and espresso cups.
I must say the tamper is a true work of art, it fits my hand similar to the beloved espresso craft tamper I have been using, and has that nice convex subtle ridge around that fits the thumb. It is also slightly convex which I do like as well. It has a good weight to it and is well balanced and from reading on their website, "Each tamper is handcrafted with attention to detail in numerous manual steps that results in a first-class fit and finish. To feel comfortable in the hand, the wood handles are sanded and polished to produce a smooth, lustrous surface. The steel pistons are finished with a satin, soft brushed surface that resists fingerprints and smudges. The black-lasered TORR logo on the stainless steel piston adds a touch of class."
The price tag is about what you would expect for a tamper of this quality, and there are a couple different prices for the different wood. They seem to be a great option for the uber barista who can afford one, similar to a classic car you take out on the weekends maybe ... or a shiny daily driver for a pro : )
- Matt
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I just wanted to share my collection of well over 500 barista/coffee video with you:http://baristavideo.magnify.net/Have a look and see what you think. If you like,you can add to my collection.
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Compostable White Hot Cups with World Art ... Here in Portland, I have seen a lot of coffee bars switching to compostable paper cups. I have also heard different reviews from baristas and roasters on which are the best. There are the Eco-Products Hot and Cold cups, made using a PLA plastic inner lining, these paper hot cups are fully compostable. Espresso Parts has a full line up of Eco-Friendly cups, lids, and more to check out. Eco-Products' compostable/biodegradable COLD cups are clear and are made from an annually renewable resource--corn! With the same look and feel as clear plastic cups, these compostable biodegradable corn cups contain NatureWorks PLA, and environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The cups are odorless and completely non-allergenic. These products are designed to compost in a commercial facility in 45-60 days.
Cafetto has an Organic Espresso Machine Cleaner called EVO. Cafetto EVO is OMRI listed as complying with the USDA National Organic Program requirements and BFA registered as complying with the requirements of the Australian Organic Standard.
I know that this cleaner is popular in Australia, and I was curious how many people here in US are using it, or if anyone has any feedback? I see on their site that both Cuvee Coffee and Coffee Klatch are distributors.
Another brand of Eco-Friendly cups that I have seen at the EcoTainer from Intl. Paper. They have a in depth FAQ on their site about the cups. It seems to be very similar to the compostable cups. I encourage all of you to check with your local coffee roaster if they can provide you with an eco-friendly option. Show them there is a demand for this.
Another topic discussed was Composting Coffee Grounds in your garden. We like to save the grounds from our training classes at ABC's and my wife and I use them at home. Here is a link on How To ... and another link I found on Peets Coffee and Tea website, that talks about using Coffee and Tea Residues.
It is great to see people on this site sharing these types of experience, and maybe with some work we can develop an easy system for really Greening coffee shops around the U.S. Feel free to post other ideas/products below that may be helpful. I remember in the last Green post many people were asking about products and for any feedback. Thanks! (next blog post ... organic milk, coming soon).
- Matt
From Hunt Valley, MD. Another long-awaited PF-Podcast, and we hope it's worth the wait.- What Is Peter Giuliano Thinking About Today When Hanging Out With Geoff Watts And What Is HE Thinking About Today?- SCAA Board of Directors Nominees 
An 
Not sure if anyone else out there has picked up a TORR tamper, but I wanted to share with you this cool new product. I received my new Zebra Wood 