Cabin Fever

Stir crazy is in the air… Kyle (the competitor) is raving mad, Nick (Griffith) is being coy about something, Nick (Barnett) has gone AWOL, and poor Sean (our warehouse guru from Chicago) is cowering in the corner, scared. Neither Sean nor the rest of us have any idea that Kyle is about to do the run-through that nightmares are made of!

Espresso:

 

1) Kyle has to remake his second set of shots.

 

2) For some reason Kyle is not practicing with 6 cups, so he re-serves espresso in the dirty ones.

 

3) He falters during the introduction of his sig drink speech.

 

4) He forgets to tell the judges how to drink his espresso.

 

Cappuccino:

 

1) Disaster hits as his steam wand covers his bench in water.

 

2) The drinks have good definition but come out a little on the thin side.

 

3) A key ingredient in his sig drink is not dispensed correctly.

 

Signature Drink:

 

1) The second set of shots pours from one side of the spout, defying gravity for almost the whole time.

 

2) He doesn’t have not enough time to remake his espresso.

 

3) The device to help pour his sig drink ends up being more of a hindrance then an aid.

 

4) Kyle forgets to his spare cloth to wipe up drips from his “pouring aid”.

 

5) He runs out of time before he gets to add his final ingredient in his sig drink.

 

 

Maybe the good luck charm that I set on the end of the judges’ table is not so lucky after all. (No, it couldn’t be that.)

So with all that said and done, we have learnt from his mistakes, and we have worked out: how to dispense his sig drink better and cleaner, how to get around the gravity-defying espresso, how to make sure that the ingredients in his sig drink will work for him, how to allow more time in case he needs to re-pull shots, and how to iron out some kinks in our grinder. All this while working on his speech and mannerisms.

Now to do another run through!

Visitors, Proverbial Red Carpets, and What Makes Specialty Coffee Great

May 19, 2008

 

OK, I had every intention of posting every day of training but yesterday we had some very special visitors drop by which foiled my plans. So instead of writing, Kyle and I rolled out the red carpet for our friends Chris Owens and M’lissa Muckerman (who people might recognize from the cover of the latest Barista Magazine). I shouldn’t forget our friend Tonx and Intelligentsia’s Nick Griffith as well as Russell, a new mate from Australia who is running a cafe in Sydney.

 

 

 

This was a great opportunity to do a run-through in front of some very experienced people. As it happens, Chris actually judged Kyle in the semi-finals of the USBC, so what better person than him to give some sound advice?

 

Now Kyle still has some bits and pieces missing from his routine (like some of the wood work that he is getting hand-made), so I asked the crew to really think about overall impressions rather then anything technical. We set up our camcorder on the tripod and with an imaginary red button Kyle started his run-through. 15 minutes later we all ripped in to him… in a constructive manner, of course.

 

We got some fantastic feedback from everyone involved, so I really want to give a big “thanks” to all who joined in! I really believe that this is what competition is about: sharing ideas and innovation and the coming together over coffee. I like to think that most of us are in the Specialty Coffee industry because our passion drives us and this was really the case today.

 

Today (Sunday) we are here again writing out Kyle’s speech, waiting for our dishwasher to wash all the wares. (It did not turn on last night for some strange reason.) So to inspire ourselves, we are listening to the 2006 WBC podcast on portifilter.net. Klaus Thomsen really nailed his performance with no hesitation, no um’s and er’s. I just wish I had of been there to witness it.

 

Thanks again to all who were here yesterday!

 

Deaton

1st stumble through

After a long night of getting most of Kyle’s gear in some sort of recognizable order, we decided to have our first run-though. Now, it’s easy to think that this might just be a breeze as he is already well-rehearsed, but due to the fact that we are changing things up, we could more appropriately call this a “stumble-through”.

“Tonight judges, um, erm we will be tasting a coffee from, um erm, an area just out side of, um erm…” You get the picture. Now even though this was quite the run-through, it’s great to get it out and now have a place to move forward from. Kyle definitely needs to immerse himself in his coffee, geography, story and the whole meat and veggies without forgetting the taste. It’s our goal to know the coffee so well that we will both be dreaming about it.

What are the key points that we want the judges to get and how can he be assured they are getting them? Coming up with lists of descriptors, correcting posture and eye contact… the list really does go on and on. Kyle needs to be able to take, not only the judges, but the audience as well on a culinary journey just like, say, Jamie Oliver (the Naked Chef) does.

The week is over but our weekend has just started. With our day-to-day jobs put to rest for 48 hours, our competition work is just about to start.

Looking at the clock through tired eyes

Looking at the Clock through Tired Eyes

May 16, 2008

 

Well, here we are again in the training room at Intelli LA, and it feels
late already as Kyle and I both have been at work since 7am doing our
day-to-day jobs. What time is it now? 10:10pm? That feeling of being tired
to the very bone creeps back, but this time there is a different energy.
This must be what James Hoffman felt like preparing for the WBC last year,
and I am sure he and Stephen Morrissey are in the exact same boat again this
year!

 

Today after some long logistical meetings we are really just doing a
re-grouping of sorts. Kyle has taken the all too familiar trip up to Crate &
Barrel after realizing that all of his equipment was damaged on the trip
home from Minneapolis. He has made some incredible purchases and has
definitely improved on his USBC performance equipment.

We are in talks with some old contacts of mine in Europe to see if and how
they could help us out in the next few weeks. I won’t go into too much
detail as nothing is confirmed, but if we can pull it off, the help will go
a long, long way! Distractingly, a constant buzzing in the background of our
1960’s Dolly Madison ice cream maker is only slightly drowned out by Kyle’s
search for a new sound track. The ice cream and music are only some of the
changes and a lot of people have already started to ask: “Why make any
changes to your performance?” To which Kyle replies: “I like to keep it
fresh and interesting.”

Well, I will keep it short as I now have to go and watch his run through and
we have a lot to improve on as the judges correctly pointed out in his score
sheets. I will try and do a running blog as we go further into our training.

 

Tootles!

Minneapolis to WBC!

Just wanted to say congratulations to my work mate and mate, Kyle Glanville for taking out the USBC with one of the highest scores to date. A lazy 803 saw the kid be crowned in front of a couple of hundred peaple and lord only knows how many online viewers.

So if you had of asked me only 5 weeks ago if I was going to go to Copenhagen I would of answered a deflated, no, I can’t afford it… At this point Kyle Glanville had asked me to be his coach for the WRBC and I have to be honest I am not really sure why, but still gladly accepted his invite. I guess after the WRBC in Berkley he realised not only did he have to step his routine up but he need someone to iron his shirts and table cloths while he slept…

All the Intellicrew from both sides of the country were fantastic and the support they showed for each other was just fantastic to be a part of. Nick was so polished in the finals that there were people betting on him to win and I will say I was really disappointed that he came in 5th but we can’t have them all I guess.

(Shar getting her hair done in the hotel room and back stage after all is said and done)

I can’t wait to see all my old buddies over in Europe it will just be fantastic after such a long time! We have so much to organise between now and then its just mind blowing and almost too full on to think about. I guess I will carry a note pad with me everywhere we go and just keep writing down ideas as they pop up!

We have bought some training tools to help in Kyles run up to the WBC a very use full tool that not only will help us criteque but also document Kyles progress. So in the near future keep an eye out for my updates and what nots, some of it should be interesting. 

On a personal note I also got to judge at the event, I was very excited and very nervous all at once as, unlike in Berkley all I had to do was sensory. I had some fantastic coffees come across my palate and out of the guys and girls that I judge I would have to say that Chris Deferio’s was the best. Even though he did not make into the finals I know that his sensory score would have been high.

The SCAA show that the comp was on was great I had the chance to meet for the first time Bridget and Justin from St Ali www.stali.com.au in Melbourne. They were telling me about the woes they are having with the importers there now that they are starting to bring in there own coffees. Also my old mate Reuben from Mecca www.meccaespresso.com(bad web site guys, where’s that creative flare that I know you have who have just installed a vintage probat in Sydney that looks fantastic.

I found it refreshing to have some younger Aussie’s around to hear what has been going on in Australia, these three are really going to be the movers and shakers. They are really wanting to develope and shake up the industry back home and they are already succeeding! I wish them the best and I will be leaning on them if I get kicked out of America.

Other then that we are up and roasting and we getting more and more work loaded onto us every week, its a great change to just sitting around talking about coffee. Though my poor girlfriend Julia is not happy with the new hours but she is a tough Kiwi and is standing by me through this transition.

That’s it for now have a look at the new Mystral that we have to play with…

 

SCAA Longbeach, Gas and Clover

 

 Well today had KC, Steven and myself head of to SCAA head quarters long beach to do some sample roasting on there STA electric roaster. As we still have no gas on yet in LA and we need to actually roast and buy coffees, over the next few weeks Steven and I will take the drive down to LB for our spot buying samples.

Today had us roasting decaf coffees from all over so we can cup tomorrow morning before our health inspection at 2pm. I kinda dread putting decafs on the cupping table I just hope we find some “jems” as we need to make some numbers up.

I got to meet Joseph again who I had met in Nicaragua at Remecafe in Managua, it was nice that he recalled the meeting even though its been almost 2 years. The training room itself is pretty cool with lots of toys to play with and ample of room. I look forward to sitting th Q graders there soon.

We have a date for the gas to be turned on here in LA and we have even booked Marty to come out and fire the roaster up. I was supposed to be going to Berkley for the Western Regional Barista Competition but there is no way I would miss the controlled burn that Marty will be doing. Also Geoff Watts will be in town for a couple of weeks and that means there will be some serious drinking to be had!!

On other news I know that everyone has heard about the sale of Clover to Starbucks, its smart business and I wish the kids at Clover all the best. As for what it means for us back in OZ and everywhere else only time will tell. In the mean time we all just need to stay focused on the business of selling outstanding, fresh coffees and not rest our morals on marketing appeal of equipment.

Interesting times…

The Flat White, for my American fellows.

Almost every week at Intelligentsia’s coffee bar in LA we seem to get the odd Aussie or the even odder American who has just returned from Australia, ask for a flat white. Now this was all Ok as I explained to my fellow workers, that its a 6 oz coffee with espresso, steamed milk and 5 Mils of textured foam on top (or a wet cappuccino for any travellers to the states).

Now this was working fine till we had an American with an Aussie in tow come in and ask for a flat white. When he received the above coffee as I have described, the American (apparently) flipped out and proclaimed that this beverage was not a Flat White and that his friend was an Australian and he could tell you that it is a 12 oz coffee!!!

Now I feel I have to explain, the coffee culture that is in Australia at present,  still offers (as with most countries) all sizes 6oz through to 12 oz, sorry no 16 oz coffees down under. Whether it be a cappuccino, flat white or an americano (long black). So maybe to the uneducated yank and his Aussie hand bag, they had only been going to truck stops and petrol stations back home, where 12oz flat whites are expected.

The flat white exists only because, even the most respected and revered espresso bars in Oz still put Chocolate powder on their traditional cappuccinos (which they still offer in all sizes). Now feel free to object but is not a traditional cappuccino served in a 5 to 6oz cup and has no chocolate powder on top which would only aid in disguising the coffee nuances through milk? I love that Intelli LA only offer a 6 oz cappuccino and that’s it, full stop, no chocolate powder, no large sizes, no more questions. This is how a flat white should be as well.

Now, ask for a Flat White in Ireland or in most parts of the UK you will find yourself drinking a cafe au lait, which for my Aussie readers (Mum) is a filtered coffee with steamed milk added.

 I look forward to the day when I can go home, ask for a cappuccino and get a TRADITIONAL cappuccino at any of the espresso bars that I walk into. Till then, when I am back home its flat whites and espresso’s (or to some, short blacks) and most likely no filter option unless I’m at a pertrol station (gas station)…

Agtron, Reno, Navada, Intelligentsia and as usual playing catch up

I am not sure why I seem to do this to myself but I always seem to be playing catch up with my blog. I have wanted to post this ages ago but had some issues with my camera and the small but extremely annoying fact that I still don’t own a computer… So I am going to post what i had written quite some time ago, so come with me for a trip down memory lane. 

 

Well the last two days saw KC O’Keefe, Kyle Glanville, Steven Lee and myself in Reno to attend the kinetic function roasting course by Carl Staub. I really had no idea what we were installed for other then KC continually saying to be ready for a brain storm.  It was just amazing and I have learnt so much, Carl had some very interesting theory’s on how to roast and set the green bean up during roast, with the right foundations so we can get the most, in-particular, sweetness out of the cup.

The guy who was teaching the course was a true Renaissance man who had his fingers in everything. He was a large American that used to carry a pistol but now just drives around in either his Ferrari or “town” twin turbo Porche.

 

He took us out to dinner and bought us some amazing wines as he has been studying wine for twenty years also. The hotel that we stayed in was hilarious and very Vegas in style with a casino that was opened for 24hours a day. Mirrors and fluorescent lights were everywhere and with no view of outside it was a touch full on. Reno itself is in the desert and is surrounded by snow capped mountains so I am itching to get some skiing in soon.

 

the course was so detail and I do want to write more about it but for now I will write the first paragraph out of the manual.

The key Chemistry Basics of Roasting.

Many thermal/ chemical reactions occur during the roasting process, decarboxylation of quinic acid moiety, fractionization, isomerization, polymerization and complex sugar reactions. The principal thermally reactive componements are monosaccharides and sucrose, chlorogenic acids, free amino acids, and trigonelline. Both aravinose and calactose of polysaccharides are split off and the basic sulfur containing and hydroxyamino acids decompose. Carbohydrates both polymerize and degrade, liberating thermally unstable monosccharides decomposing 15-35% of the polysaccharides, depending on the degree of roast.

If I can I might try and go through at least the one meaning of each term used in the above paragraph as it would be a great study tool for my self… We’ll see.

After a full day of lectures the second day was a lot more hands on and we actually got to roast using his Agtron SRS-II system. Actually putting his theories his roasters were pimped out with Altimeters flight computers, ribbon burners that sounded like a small jet aircraft taking off when they wined into life.

Kyle Glanville, me, Geoff Watts, Steven Lee and KC O’Keefe 

Other news is we are we passed our final inspections out at the roast works we have health inspections to pass then we will be waiting for the gas to be turned on. Once that’s done we’ll get Marty out here to fire up the roaster, then she’s full steam ahead!

I will also be heading up to Berkley for the barista comps where I will sit the Judges accreditation course and hopfully judge.

I should not forget to mention that Julia has finally landed in LA, I’ve bought an old BMW, have a bike and am growing a beard so I can feel more like Stephen Morrissey who is out here visiting as I type.

We had Paul from Mecca, Sydney, Mark from St Ali, Melbourne and Mike out here visiting just two weeks ago. It was bloody great to have some fellow Aussie’s out here and have the Americans out numbered in the cupping room for once! haha!

I think that is it for the moment I know that is so much that i have done since the 20th of December but this post would just get to long in tooth!

Till next time!

I’ve had this sitting in my wordpress for ages…

Mecca 2

As promised here is another cafe or should I say espresso bar review from Sydney. Mecca 2, not its official name as its only just opened up and there are no signs to been seen anywhere. Still they are using Mecca’s of King streets fine espresso blend roasted in Adelaide, and they have the same relaxed feel to the bar as the Mecca boys on King street. They are located on George street in circular quays right on the corner as you head towards the train station (sorry I don’t have the actual address).

Notably this bar has pulled the industry big weights in and running the place is Scott Callaghan who you might know as the Aussie barista champ, World latte art champ 06 and he came 9th in the worlds this year. Along side him they have pulled James, James formally from allpress was the first barista in Australia to set up and promote the Clover. There is one more bloke running the place but for the love of god I can’t place his name at the moment, I know that he has been around for years and is quite particular about his coffee. He actually has a digital thermometer set up next to his steam arm so he gets the milk spot on, it works for him so who am I to say anything. They, like the original Mecca are using Scott’s leveling tools with the aim to get each coffee exactly the same.

James testing his work

I had a really nice espresso there is was a thick shot with smooth flavors and lush body so all in all even though they are complaining about the la Marzocco GB5 not being set up right. They use a Robur grinder and a swift, the swift is used for take aways only. I have over heard that Mecca feel they can make the compromise with the swift because takeaway coffees have so much milk in them. I think the largest take away coffee they have is a 12 ounce cup so at least there not using 16 ounce cups like one place I used to work at.

They are in an open area so they do cop the full brunt of the elements but as far as an out door setting goes you’d be hard pressed to find a better set up.

I wish them all the best!!!

Oh here are some shots of the coffee I roasted in Chicago that made its way back to Mecca on King street.

Now I know that I did say that I was going to do a post on some other cafes that i was going to in Sydney but there was a hiccup. When I was at one cafe and took a photo of the doorway i got told off and could hear a barista yelling to his manager ” Hey! There is a dude out there taking photo’s” with that I stopped and asked, what am i not allowed to take photo’s? An angry no came back at me.

I was wondering why they would be this aggressive when I was outside of the cafe and only taking a photo of the front door. Its not as if they had re-invented the wheel with their design and bar layout.

I emailed two other roasters to which i got no reply so I began to think why is there this guarded/ angry culture within the Australian coffee industry? Is it just Australia’s tall poppy syndrome which we are famed for? After talking to one of my peers about the issue we came up with the idea that because of the two largest green wholesalers control of supply chain and the fact that Australia is almost 100% espresso based. The only way that a cafe or roaster can really set itself apart from anyone else, is not through their coffee but through branding and cafe design.

Without interesting micro lots and direct trade filter coffees you have to wonder what they are to do. Even if they do find an interesting coffee that would be ideal for filter they roast to a bloody espresso style so the coffee looses out to roast. Are the subtle differences that exist in an espresso blend enough to win over majority of the consumers? How does a roaster or the cafe win “them” (average Joe Blow) over and make them come back for more? The same way that large, undrinkable coffee brands make big business, they have rely on branding, latte art and bar/ cafe design. So thats why I think I got the aggressive “you can’t take photo’s here”, my reply to that is, get over yourself you’ve done nothing new and exciting, grrrr!

Now after saying that there are Australian companies out there that are all for sharing and invite you into their world, you’ll just have to tread lightly till you find them. Good luck!

Look out Hollywood!

Really sorry I have not been updating my blog of late I have chosen to stay silent over the past month as I have been in Chicago working out the nuts and bolts of my stay in LA…

 That’s right I am of to LA and will be joining the kids from Intelligentsia as one of two Roasters and Quality Control Specialists! I have been in talks with Intelligentsia since Feb this year and have quite literaly been living out of a back pack the whole time. I am pinching myself as I can’t really believe that this opportunity is happening to a small town country boy from Australia.

In my last few days in Sydney I am going to try and do one last cafe tour and post it for all to see whats going on in my neck of the woods.

 Take care

 Deaton

 Oh sorry for the lack of photo’s this computer is not recognising my camera…