My Espresso Journey

the local terrorist

2007-06-20T19:13:00.001Z

troy
Originally uploaded by Scott_uwc.

wanted dead or alive! warning, razor sharp teeth have severed every hand in sight. This otherwise harmless creature is a major distraction to making quality coffee and pouring latte art.

Isn't he lovely though!

Cafetiere is a woman's drink!

2007-05-28T08:38:00.001Z

Home set-up
Originally uploaded by Scott_uwc.

I'm not being sexist, i cam across a cool article on the British Coffee Association's website that places the history of coffee on a timeline. The cafetiere was invented by a woman called Elizabeth Dakin in 1841! Also the germans were the first to culturally embed after noon coffee into daily life. They coined it "KaffeKlatch." Meant as a derogatory term to when referring to the chat women have during their afternoon coffee.

Check out the time line. It's pretty cool.

Wholelattelove.com

2007-05-27T21:14:00.001Z

Rosetta videoed for comp
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I am trying to record something to enter, this is the first attempt. Thankfully there's still two weeks to practice!

My New Puppy

2007-05-27T12:45:00.001Z

My new puppy Troy
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Here's a wee photo of my new puppy. He's a pedigree German Shepherd and comes from a family of show dog's. His grandfather is twice world champion show dog and his father is currently winning every local and national show he's being entered in.

His name is Troy and he is 7 weeks old on monday. He is primarily a pet but if his training goes well I may decide to continue into show training with him and enter him in some shows. With his family history i will definately be breeding him in the future.

I will post more photos of him as he get's older. I can't wait for his first coat change when i'll actually see the true proportions of black and tan in his coat.

Dark specking Rosetta

2007-05-26T09:06:00.001Z

Dark specking Rosetta
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Daddy's back!

2007-05-25T22:30:00.001Z

Ristretto Cup with rosetta
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

So on thursday night Mark and Greg from Ristretto Coffee gave me and a few other guys the opportunity to play with some cool toys at their Roastery. I hadn't actually made an espresso based coffee since last october let alone pour latte art. That's one of my best from the night pictured.

Mark, Greg and Brian all poured their first latte art and another guy Peter was pouring consistently all night too. The art wasn't the only thing going on though. The guys planned a cupping session with several of the beans they stock. See their Store for details. I had never cupped before and was amazed by the difference in aromas and flavours that you miss in a brewed coffee. They also roasted some Guatamalan San Francisco coffeee for cafetiere/filter, i love watching coffee roast, especially the cooling down part, it's amazing how much chaf comes off the beans! We were talked into making "Chaff Tea" as it's apparently a delicacy in some regions. Would rather drink my own urine personally, at least it would have a coffee essence to it!!!

The planned 2 hour night went on for about 5 hours and we left the roastery after midnight absolutely wired! I had very little sleep and then my new puppy was up howling from 5am!!!

Good news is that i was so happy being back behind an espresso machine that i have gotten one for home again! I have done the inevitable and got another Gaggia Cubika as i enjoyed my last one and also got a Gaggia MM burr grinder. The machines we used last night were a Rancilio Epoca, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky grinder, Fracino 1 group commercial with Anfim grinder and there was also a 2 group commercial machine that i can't remember the name of but is used in Costa Coffee. I really want a Rancilio Silvia and Rocky with base unit. After using both I know what i am missing with the gaggia but i will have it all in good time!!!

Thanks again guys for a great night! I believe we all had a blast, it's great to be back on track with quality coffee again!

Cheers

Good News!!!

2007-05-12T10:17:00.001Z

HPIM1489
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I'm currently bidding on a Gran Gaggia on ebay, so may get this show back on the road soon! I took a real depressed view on coffee cos my plan took a nose dive after not being able to find real quality cafe's here. Generic 'decent,' with an ok atmosphere is as good as it gets. Hopefully i'll be back pulling Ristretto's fine blend as ristrettos sooner rather than later.

I'm actually going down to RistrettoCoffee's roastery for a coffee evening, so very excited about learning more about roasting and getting to play with a few bits and bobs. If i'm allowed i'll take camera and get some photos of art / shots, whatever goes on...

A Disclaimer, an Introduction and a small rant...

2006-10-11T15:08:00.000Z

<--AS explained here my journey has taken a new direction. Starting in the next post. The post below contains only my personal views and experiences. I have chosen not to name our previous supplier in this post. My goal for this blog is to expose and explore coffee culture in Northern Ireland based on my experiences and hope to begin by reviewing and evaluating more of the scene here, from roasters/suppliers to cafes and their staff. It is amazing to find a roaster/supplier that is willing to work so closely with a customer to provide a great service and a great product, when so many are content to settle for one or the other. Some cafe's here set out to be the best but only end up being better than the worst due to a poor attitude, average suppliers, a desire to expand rather than improve, a lack of knowledge or ability to implement it and lastly under trained 'baristas' that also lack personality and ambition. It will take everyone involved in the industry to try and banish the view that coffee is a convenience food or that "coffee is just coffee."

Let's collectively welcome our customers to coffee's third wave from an industry made up of speciality roasters, cafe owners and highly trained baristas so that mediocrity is eventually wiped out (by the best roasters, trainers and staff being employed by all independent cafes and by global banishing of super auto's, dumbasses and green mermaids.) :-) I can but dream...

Todays main post is below, enjoy!

Ristretto: The Art of Coffee

2006-10-11T14:36:00.000Z

Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Two posts in one day! Arn't you lucky!!!

Well, I have been working at an Espresso/Juice bar called Tonic for the last 3 months and from I stepped in the door (or gap in the counter) I have been intent on changing the coffee supplier from a mediocre one to the best in the UK (in my opinion, although i have not tried all other offerings, i understand there are others that may be great but will explain my biased view in a moment!)

They are called RistrettoCoffee and are located in Banbridge in Northern Ireland, so they are fairly local to me. Like Tonic they are a fairly new enterprise and are intent on raising the bar for coffee in Northern Ireland. Unlike the bigger roasters here Ristretto can provide a unique service to their commercial customers. They can tweak and create a specific blend for a location to suit the demands/tastes of the customers and the staff. For example Mark, one of the owners of Ristretto, knew that i really liked their signature blend found on their website as i used to order it for home but when we got to talking about a blend for the location we agreed that a unique blend for us would give us the edge over local competitors. So between our shared views on how the blends performed as straight shots, milk based drinks and americanos; and Marks roasting expertise, we sampled a few different variations of their signature blend, until we decided which one was the right one! I won't go into the specifics of the blend as it is classified information!!! lol :-)

It has the right mix of fruitiness (sharp citrus and sweet berry jam-like flavours and mouthfeel when pulled as a ristretto), warmth (sort of peppery in a cappuccino) and a chocolatey nuttiness that i can't really place (would hazard at milk chocolate with an almond after taste, particularly in the back of my nose.) It is something I am extremely pround of being a part of creating by giving feedback (my own, staff and customers) to Mark and also something he is happy with, as I seem to remember him telling me that he thinks that it might be the best blend he has made yet. Thankfully Ristretto use a computer system that holds all their roast profiles on, so that they can continue to produce the same great but unique blends for all their customers. Like George Foreman did with the lean mean fat grilling machine, I put my name on it. Or rather jokingly Mark labelled all of our last batch Scott's Blend! I was honoured and amused. My staff our also amused as they think my head is big enough!!!

Our last suppliers beans weren't bad but they just tasted like generic "coffee," both as a shot and as a cappa. Like most places it was a mass produced, over roasted mediocre blend. (I won't name the supplier here as it would be somewhat unprofessional of me, nor will i mention their refusal to let me sample any of their other blends or the number of bad beans i used to pick out from each bag of beans or the two weeks and numerous phone calls it took to acquire a product guide and pricelist from them... arrrgghh! I hate bad service).

To get to the point, i think Ristretto are second to none in the UK and would highly recommend that you check out their website at WWW.RISTRETTOCOFFEE.COM or go straight to their ONLINE STORE and indulge yourself in their range of speciality coffees or even a new Espresso Machine (Northern Ireland customers only, Mainland UK see Drury Tea & Coffee for rancilio equipment), i mean who doesn't need a Rancilio Silvia and Rocky set? (unless you already have one...)

In Other News: I sold all my home equipment last week and am now saving for a silvia & rocky combo, from ristretto of course! Good things come to those who wait... It's ok though, i'm kept busy at work and being a mentor for the new owner of my equipment, his last set-up was a steam toy and a blade grinder, he now has a pump and burrs, has ordered his first batch of ristretto beans and is waiting on a Reg Barber Tamper! What an upgrade!

Anyway i hope that was enough of an update for now.
Take Care
Scott

and more...

2006-08-21T11:11:00.000Z

and more...
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Takeaway latte art

2006-08-09T20:25:00.000Z

Takeaway latte art
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

New job is going well. Trying to change bean suplier. will update when i'm not so drunk!

Attempt at a tulip

2006-08-09T20:24:00.000Z

Attempt at a tulip
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Attempt at art in take-away cup

2006-06-25T17:14:00.000Z

Attempt at art in take-away cup
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

As i am hoping to implement latte art in my new job i thought i tmight be a good idea to practice it before I start. Here is the result. Crap! I wil need a lot more practice to get it up to my usual standard. http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/espresso/latteart/121020?LastView=1151183680&Page=62 follow this link to see some real take away art from artigiano. God i'm jealous.

Who will start making bowl shaped take away cups????????

Heart

2006-06-25T17:10:00.000Z

Heart
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Rosetta

2006-06-25T17:09:00.000Z

Rosetta
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

When one door closes...

2006-06-19T16:55:00.000Z

Another opens! As Subway grows I have found myself having increasing stress and moral disagreements with the franchise. So, in 4 weeks i will commence employment with a new employer. Tonic is a relativly new company that specialises in fresh juice, espresso based coffee and the branch i will be managing also makes crepes. I am very excited to be moving to a place of work that will hopefully be less stressful than Subway and more fun as I will enjoy doing what I'm doing, i don't think making crepes will be just as easy as it looks... But i'm more than ready for a new challenge. The idea of not using a super auto every day to produce mediocre "espresso" based drinks is probably the most appealing aspect of the job. I am one step closer to having my own place!!

I will talk more about the job once i start and hopefull ywill be able to get photos up of the equipment and a more detailed description of it.

Off to the gym now.
Scott

To celebrate my new job I practiced my latte art when i got in...

Rosetta and paper

2006-06-08T17:03:00.000Z

Rosetta and paper
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I saw the link on coffeegeek to the latte art competition on whole latte love and really liked the idea of the picture taken of the latte on a paper. I couldn't get decent light in my kitchen in the afternoon so had to use a flash. I don't like pictures with the flash as the crema looks paler than it actually is but the art does stand out better.

I leave early tomorrow morning to head to dublin for the weekend. There are two major concerts on. One headlined by Guns n Roses on friday night and one headlined by METALLICA!!!! on sunday night. It's going to be one hell of a weekend! I am sooooo excited, mainly because i'm getting some well deserved time off work but I thought be years before i could see metallica live but no, i will be there in 3 days! WOOHHOOOO!!!

I will hopefully have some photos from that to post when i get back. I bought a juicer the other day and will post some pictures of it soon too. It is amazing having fresh fruit juice everyday, it does make you feel really good.

Anyway, i'm off to have the best weekend of my life! I hope everyone is getting the weather we are getting here, it's awesome!

Scott

More art

2006-06-04T14:32:00.000Z

HPIM1505
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

My latest post is below these pictures.

Scott

HPIM1500

2006-06-04T14:31:00.001Z

HPIM1500
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

HPIM1486

2006-06-04T14:31:00.000Z

HPIM1486
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Back at it!

2006-06-04T14:30:00.000Z

HPIM1489
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

So i'm actually still alive! Life has been so hectic recently i haven't had time to even think about turning my Gaggia on but i have just received a free sample of beans from my neighbours in the food court where my store is located. They are being pestered by a roaster trying to convince them to switch over to them. They hadn't actually tried the beans they kept sending so i volunteered my services to let them know what the beans were like. They were fabulous.

They are very smooth with a strong milk chocolate taste. I made a few lattes a with them and they were amazing. Imagine drinking Thorntons toffee. (not to easy for a north american but brits should understand.) It felt like drinking syrup. The I was surprised at how easily i could pour art into it, not only cos i haven't poured in nearly 6 to 8 weeks, but because of the thick viscosity of the espresso.

More Pictures will follow this post, although you have probably seen them before this...

2 out of 3 ain't bad!

2006-03-14T20:02:00.000Z

Ritual Flag
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Before I arrived here (San Francisco) I was aware of two reputed cafes: Cafe Organica and Ritual. Jon soon informed me of another, Bluebottle, whether or not it is a cafe, espresso bar, or a stand i'm not sure but it was cool.

Cafe Organica was top of list to visit so we jumped on a bus as soon as I got up on Saturday morning to head across town, but we were left disappointed by the door being locked and Jon was puzzled that they were closed. We tried again on Sunday and then on Monday there was a note on the door explaining the location was closed for renovations until further notice. I hope they will be open before I fly home next monday as Jon and Peter have both said how great it is. I hear they walked away with a third place in the western regional barista championships and Eton is keen to share his passion with everyone, this to me is an important quality for all third wave cafes.

We could have gone round the corner for some Starbies consistent super-auto cappa's with loads of chocolate or toffee syrup drizzled over but instead we jumped on another bus which took us to Ritual. Check out the flag! The first two visits to Ritual impressed me. Particularly the ambience. This place is kicking! The drum and bass music they have been playing kicks ass and the difficulty in finding seating added to the intensity of the experience. This place feels alive. We ordered double 8oz cappas which were topped with some fine art. I think the beans were extremely fresh as there was a predominant sour edge and lots of fairly large CO2 bubbles. On the second visit the cappas were fairly similar except the negatives were lessened and i could taste more of an almond-like praline. We started todays visit with two short double 8oz cappas and were sort of disappointed as they didn't seem up to the standard they had been on previous days. The almond flavour was present but not as strong, we both felt the shots had some serious channeling. Jons was sour and extremely bland tasting while mine had an almond molasses thing going on, sort of burnt molasses... Not that the art really matters but the attempt on my cappa showed apathy for the drink, it was clear the foam was too dense but instead of going for a monk head or something a rosetta was attempted and left as a wobbly blob. If the shot had been better the art wouldn't have mattered but it was generally a poor drink.

After the cappas we had two double espressos which i asked to be pulled ritretto. Mine came out and looked great, just over 1 oz with awesome specking, Jon's came out at over 2oz and the crema looked quite pale compared to mine. I wasn't ovefrly impressed on the whole with my shot. Despite being ristretto the mouthfeel was pretty thin. There was no predominant flavour other than it felt like i was drinking Jasmine tea...

We finished on macchiatos which had the almond praline edge to them again. they were decent. In general i think this place is awesome, mainly due to the atmosphere, it is never quiet. The first two experiences were topped with great drinks and art. The owner of the cafe was pulling shots on the first two days and I suppose it is reassuring to know that they do take what they do seriously, if my staff back home weren't making sandwiched as good as i can though, i would retrain them, and I am constantly giving feedback. I will be back here though despite being disappointed by todays inconsistency. A place should never be judged on one poor day.

I didn't plan on writing so much so i will post about Bluebottle in the near future, it's cool!

I haven't been this high on caffeine in months wooooohoooooo!!!!!!

Off to Stan Fran's disco!

2006-03-09T15:06:00.000Z

latte art in sink
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

So this picture describes where my attention to coffee has been lately. Mainly due to my strict gym routine. I have been on various supplements that go along with my mass building program at the gym. Fortunately this workout will finish over the next few weeks and i will be on a cutting up program which introduces more cardio for weight loss etc. Luckily during this time i will be allowed to consume as much caffeine as i desire!!!

I will be starting the caffeine consumption early though. I am jetting over to San Francisco in the morning to visit my good friend Jon, who is studying out there at the San Francisco Art Institute. I have just finished packing and am off to book my taxi to the airport. i can't wait, a holiday is a welcome event after working 55 hours a week for the last 9 months with no breaks.

I hope everyone else is enjoying the appearance of spring!
Scott

And another...

2006-01-10T16:20:00.000Z

rosetta
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

So this seems to be turning into latte art central for me but i can't help it. I am just very happy with the progress i have been making recently. I do wonder what it takes to get more than 11 leaves though. I sem to be stumped at about 10 usually. Albeit all the leaves are hollow and well defined as i have shown but i see others with 20 leaves and want to do that. Will I lose the hollow leaves?

Anyway, i have started home roasting again with my favourite beans. Monsooned Indian Malabar and Ethiopian Djimah. The Djimah was roasted to a light roast and the indian was closer to a medium roast. I actually roasted the malabar for almost 14 minutes and it still wasn't quite a medium roast. They both tasted great, the djimah had the same amazing creamy mouthfeel it had before and a dense spicy taste, perhaps like a weak black pepper. The malabar had properties of a chicken tikka masala, like drinking a carmelic mix of traditional indian spices, hints of cumin were noticable.

Any thoughts on latte art would be appreciated. I hope everyone had a great New yaer, mine was partially taken up with attending an road traffic accident that involved my cousin. A speeding mercedes decided to play target practice with him as he pullled on to the main road on his scooter. Thankfully he was fine, no thanks to standing for over an hour and a half waiting on the police to arrive, which they didn't. The merceds didn't stop either. There are some bastards out there!

Take Care
Scott

One for me.

2005-12-30T17:41:00.000Z

christmas morning latte
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

My christmas morning latte.

I had a great christmas. My mum got me a nice set of 6 espresso cups and saucers. Will post a pic of them soon.

All my gifts were either alcohol or coffee related. I think that is scary but cool. I work to much so am off to the gym to liven myself up before watching American History X.

Happy new year everyone!
Scott

Very Merry Christmas!

2005-12-30T17:38:00.000Z

christmas eve latte
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

On christmas eve i made a latte for my mum's friend (despite one of her gifts to me being starbucks espresso chistmas blend that was roasted in septe,ber...as said the bag!) The beans i used were fresh from clements and the rosetta was an absolute stunner i think/ i poured really slowly to let her see how i did it as she got an espresso machine for christmas and dhasn't really got to grips with it yet. My best advice for free pouring is definately pour slower than you think you need to.

i think we realised this ages ago didn't we pete? I used to try and get more leaves by pouring faster, guess it's the opposite pour slow but more oscillations. Check out the hollow leaves!

Will post my own xmas morning latte next.

Scott

Espresso Nirvana

2005-12-16T17:23:00.000Z

espressonirvana
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

If you haven't already read Mark Princes latest article about Espresso Nirvana on coffeegeek.com. it's about the constantly changing dynamic of coffee/espresso and his perception on the god shot or whether or not we can actually reach espresso nirvana. It shares many opinions i have had for a long time now. I would suffice to say that nirvana or the god shot would be doing the best you can to produce the best shot of espresso you can given your circumstances, such as equipment, beans, grinders, water or whatever. We used some dodgy gear eh Pete? and we did get some very tastey 'espresso'/coffee at the time. That was nirvana despite us being able to produce a much superior product now. Which is todays nirvana i guess.

Check it out, he explains a lot more than i can in a short space here.

Have a merry jolly christmas if i don't post before then again!
Scott

Here's one i made earlier

2005-11-15T01:54:00.000Z

Fav Rosetta
Originally uploaded by espresso_lover.

It is 2am and i don;t knwo why i am awake but luckily i was and got to speak to jon for a while. I remembered i had set up a flickr account for jon months (like 7) ago and had uploaded some of my stuff on to it as it had reached my limiti n my account at the time. Anyway, can't remember if i posted this one and could not be bothered looking again but i just think it is one of my best and is one of my favourites that i personally have poured.

Enjoy, i'm off to bed!

Scott

Ain't she pretty?

2005-11-13T20:14:00.000Z

pop-tall-pearl
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I was in a store the other day and saw a popcorn popper on sale and thought to myself: home roasting again i perhaps? Oh yes. So i bought it. The i sat online for a further 6 or 7 hours and ended up purchasing 7 types of green beans, a new tamper (pictured right) from Reg Barber, and also a Dualit burr coffee grinder. The beans are :

1 x Green Has Bean Premium Espresso Blend (ref PRE3) per 250g Bag £1.90
1 x Green Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (ref YIR3) per 250g Bag £1.90
1 x Green Kenya Wathenge Estate (ref WAT3) per 250g Bag £2.10
1 x Green Kenya Thagu Estate AA (ref THU3) per 250g Bag £2.00
1 x Green Ethiopian Djimmah (ref ETDJ3)per 250g bag £1.80
1 x Green Indian Monsoon Malabar (ref MOO3) per 250g Bag £1.75
1 x Green Sumatra Mandheling (ref SMA3) per 250g Bag £1.75

I got a small batch of different types to try a variety before i invest more money for bigger bags of them. Particularly beans like the sumatran. I have previously only ever had a dark roasted sumatran bean and have found i wasn't overly fond of the dark carbonic earthy notes but am willing to give it another go roasting it to different degrees myself.

The grinder is a Dualit burr grinder and is the equivilent piece of kit that starbucks sell as their barista athena grinder at a much higher price to accompany their saeco home machines. It won't be a mazzer but it is a good and long overdue step into the world of burr grinders. I will not be using it until my Reg Barber tamper arrives. Thus my home setup will be as complete as my finances will allow for the time being.

I am trying to find my own place. My desires to turn my kitchen into a fully fledged home roastery and cafe have not been embraced by the family. So it is time to look into the world of renting some form of flat/apartment/maisonette/house. Some of my friends here have just taken that step with great results. I can't wait. It will be a brothel of roasting, grinding and brewing, of loud music varying from rock to indie to emo to opera. My bed will be a sofa and the interior something similar to that of caffe fantastico...well maybe a splash of paint wouldn't go a miss but you get the drift. The plans are still in the works but when i do find a place i will let you know.

As for now Top Gear, possibly the greatest car show in the world ever, has just started a new series and i am off to enjoy before flicking over to watch Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers. Will post pics of the grinder soon.

Cheers
Scott

Contrary to my last post...

2005-10-29T17:26:00.000Z

Today I crashed my motorbike. For the first time in over two months i have some time to re-analyse where i am in life. I have not used my computer for weeks and after sifting through many emails have decided it is time to come back out of my shell and communicate with everyone i have lost contact with. I do owe you all a huge apology.

Life is tough, an given the fact that i have not been using my gaggia i lack one of my favourite pastimes. I have joined the gym and now that my right arm is in a significant amount of pain i will have to pass going to the gym for a few days at least. I have been obsessed with getting into shape and am doing well, have been at the gym at least three or four times a week, for the last four weeks, for hours on end. It is great to have that physical outlet in my life again, since leaving Pearson the gym is one of the things in life i miss most. Just wish Jon was here for the mental coaching that went so well with an energetic workout in the gym. It has been a great forum for catching up with my younger cousing who i haven't really seen for a few years.

We need to give our views on what Pearson College needs of a new director and am struggling to find motivation and sensibility in my thoughts. It is vital for the college that all of our alumni do give feedback to the questions we have been provided with. Although it is a time consuming exercise, for those of us that work more hours in a week than is possibly humane...

Hopefully coming into the darker days and the colder weather I will get the machine back on and post some coffee related items. I will give a full run of the new super automatic machine we got for subway. It has removed all of my previous disapointments with the type of machine. It is a Black & White machine that shares its group head with the new starbucks series of super autos, but i can assure you it out shines every single machine i have come in contact with along the way and have been told by my company director that it is putting out the best results out of the six machines we just invested 20,000 pounds in for our stores. Mainly due to my persistent tampering with all its settings to get as much from our beans as is possible.

Enough from me now, i hope everyone is doing well, drop me a line and let me know how you are, either here or email me: scott.uwc@gmail.com

Happy Halloween
Scott

Still living!

2005-09-23T15:44:00.000Z

latte for pal
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Haven't posted in a while due to working shed loads of hours in my store! Nothing really coffee related to discuss other than the fact that my Super automatic machine in work got removed today. Bad news is that it is being replaced by another 'better' one! To enable us to continue serving coffee i took my drip machine down and my grinder. Must say, the coffee is better!

I'm going out tonight to see a few local bands playing in a venue in belfast. Can't wait, should be a great night out. Can't get too hammered cos i'm working tomorrrow, my friend starts at 8am though so i can get a little bit more wasted than he!

will take digicam and try and get some pics of the local music scene here. My friends band is awesome. Hopefully they'll be playing the venue i'm going to tonight in the next few months once their reputation grows.

Scott

the link..

2005-08-30T19:35:00.000Z

forgot to give the link to the blog of the israli soldier. Here it is:

http://sadzi.blogspot.com/

First flying heart

2005-08-28T14:32:00.000Z

First flying heart
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Poured my first flying heart in a hot choc for wee sis as well. Came across a blog today whilst hopping about. It is worth having a look at from time to time. It only started today by a 19 yr old israli soldier. He is sharing his experience, but can only update every 17 days or so. Check it out, should be an interesting insight into the region.

Heart or Rosetta?

2005-08-28T14:31:00.000Z

Heart or Rosetta?
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

A pour from a few days ago. It tasted as good as it looks!

Latte and Hot Chocolate 'Macchiato'...

2005-08-21T23:25:00.000Z

Latte and Hot Chocolate Macchiato...
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Here's a latte made with 'stolen' (not by me) beans. Check out the dark, dense crema lining the cup!

The smaller 4oz cup in the foreground of the picture is the hot chocolate 'macchiato.' i don't know if the term macchiato can be applied. I am of the opinion that it means to be with a touch of milk, but am unsure of whether it only aplies to espresso or not. Does macchiato means espresso with a touch of milk or is it an espresso macchiato that encorporates both?

Enough late night rambling but come on, art in a 4 oz hot chocolate...that's impressive! ha ha ha

Scott

On the topic of hot chocolate

2005-08-21T23:16:00.000Z

Rosetta in Hot Chocolate
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I made this hot chocolate for my little sister the other day. She's only five and keeps asking for a shooting star...(suggestions???) I was thrilled with this one though. I am becoming border line consistent with pouring a heart on top of my rosettas! It was made with a Cadburys powder mix hot chocolate which explains the "specking" (read: lumps of powder!) on top. This was in the 8 oz. Starbucks cappa cup I got at CanWest Mall in Victoria. Silly girl there tried to charge me $17.90 for the cup and saucer when it said quite clearly Cup and saucer set for $8.95. She thought it was $8.95 for the cup and then a further $8.95 for the saucer! Anyway it has proven to be an amazing shape for latte art. This hot chocolate mix has also proven great as it is a drinking chocolate rather than a hot chocolate...if that makes any difference? Basically instead of granules it is a very fine powder and actually creates more of a 'crema' on top as you can see in the picture. This is probably the best definition i've had with this method of making hot chocolate.

It got me thinking...if this powder is producing a crema like top making it more like espresso than a granule formula...how will it hold up in different sizes. Is it possible to make a Hot Chocolate 'Macchiato?' The results will be posted next.

Nicky: Surely for me to be deemed unfair with my words I would have had to have been attacking your capabilities. I have re-read the last post and think it is quite clear that the person I am blaming/am slightly irrate with is the supposed best barista in the UK. Surely he should be aware of the importance of changing your grind setting during the day with the changing climate in store, to ensure that you are extracting the optimum level of flavour and arome from each shot of espresso you make. It could be 2 shots a day or 200 a day, but surely it is only fair that each and every customer gets as much as those beans have to offer, which take my word for it, is a whole lot more. The answer to the stolen bean question is yes and the results were phenomenol. The initial shot of espresso i got absolutely blew me away. It poured like honey and had a thick creamy mouthfeel. The actual flavours that shone through were of anise, praline/caramel and nutmeg with a tangy citrus lime after thought (like those Colombian San Augustin Single Origin Peter + Jon). I couldn't believe it! The beans are incredible. I would love to know where they came from.

If you have any pictures of your own latte art nicky and would like them posted here, you can email them to me. My address is scott.uwc@gmail.com I would love to see it. I hope you still don't think i'm being unfair...my thoughts are criticising the fact that whe I was in canada i went out with friends for the day and we hit some cool cafes and the espresso was of a quality we will probably always strive to achieve but here i can make better at home so why would I want to go to a cafe? Why should I spend my money on something that has been left as a guessing game in someones hands rather than taught as an art and craft that it should be and that it is. Lets face it 1.20 is a lot of money for 2oz of crap isn't it? But for 2oz. of pleasure that is prepared out of enjoyment, enthusiasm and strving for the best it really isn't. I hope my points are clear on this.

Next post with hot chocolate macchiato coming right up!

Scott

Shot pt 3

2005-08-17T10:19:00.000Z

Shot pt 3
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

The end at 25 seconds. It was with clements house espresso blend.

It actually tasted better thatn when they make it. I think they have the same problem as the juice bar beside the subway I was in for a while there. The problme being that the barista's (or people using the machine as I would be inclined to call them...) do not understand the importance of a fine grind and merely just assume that whatever comes out is right... Not the fault of the people but surely with clement having the number one and two baristas in the UK they could train their staff to adjust the grind occasionally. Apparently the staff of Tonic (the juice bar) were trained by one of the clements guys which I find disappointing as they seem to have been left alone, the only time the grind setting changes I believe is when they move it accidently when cleaning it! As amusing as this is, it just irritates me that I feel I could have explained and trained the staff better. I hope Nicky gets to grips with latte art as i feel this would increase the coffee sales for the store which is primarily a juice bar.

Enough of my ranting though. It's only cos i care and get frustrated when i get better results at home than in cafes...

Scott

Shot pt 2

2005-08-17T10:13:00.000Z

Shot pt 2
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

At 20 seconds...about to end

Shot pt 1

2005-08-17T10:12:00.000Z

Shot pt 1
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

The beginning...

This mornings attempt

2005-08-17T10:08:00.000Z

This mornings attempt
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I got my weekly inventory completed early this week and so I came home for a latte before rturning to work at 12pm. This is the results with beans from Clements.

I like the hollow leaves. I then decided as i was ahead of schedule that I would pull a shot and take some pics since i haven't done that in a few months. I will post the results in a second.

Well done Nicky, just keep watching video's and reading the milk frothing guide or the latte art section of it and you'll get it. That's what me and pete did! Albeit actually learning from someone is easier as I am sure Jon can vouch for. Thankfully as of today I am permanently in my store again. I was covering for another manager in a shopping centre location as she was on her honeymoon in Paris. It is a good store to work in but I am very happy to be back in my own palace though.

Oh well off to work I go!

Scott

Todays attempt

2005-08-10T15:49:00.000Z

Rosetta
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Thought i'd give this latte art thing a go again. It's been a few days since i've had time but I think i can still do it.

Here is my tea time latte. Sorry about the sarcasm before, I am rather bitter that I had to pull a second shot as the first was horrible, thus the milk went bubbly and tried to seperate and the usual hassle! The result not being too shabby though, it was a little on the cool side regards temperature.

The second shot was worth the wait though. It came through as a very nice one ounce ristretto, crema a little scarce due to the age of the beans, but hey I don't have enough spare time just yet to get fully going in terms of fresh beans etc all the time. It will make me appreciate getting them a lot more.

My bike is off the road until tomorrow. :-( It is getting a new exhaust as well as a puncture repaired and the stand is also getting welded. That comes with a hefty price tag of 155 pounds! ($348.75 cdn) I am not amused but hey, it needs to be done! The new exhaust will be a power pipe instead of a standard one. Apparently it is cheaper but it actually increases performance also. That should give me a top end of about 55mph and a faster acceleration. WooHoo!!!

Can't Wait
Later
Scott

I now have a digital Camera!

2005-08-07T17:02:00.000Z

Latte
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

It is a lovely little 4.0 megapixel HP Photosmart M22. Rhe quality og the pictures is fantastic. This is my first latte made since it's arrival. I don't think it is a great rosetta but after the amount of Jack Daniels and other concoctions at the after party of the wedding I was at yesterday I am prepared to accept it as a good attempt.

I got my first flat tyre today! How annoying...I kept feeling like the back end of my bike was pushing out and spinning as i turned out of corners and low and behold i had a flat! Only I would notice that AFTER buying my chinese! It wasn't too cold by the time I got home!

I have tracked down a copy of Star Wars II Attack Of The Clones. Borrowed it from a friend and will be watching it tonight once I get back from the hospital. My Great Uncle has been taken in with a brain hemorage (spelling?) and suspected stroke... But I am thoroughly excited about the movie. it is the only one in the series I haven't seen yet!

My throat infection has just cleared up. It lasted a very painful week but after my alchol yesterday it must have been killed off.

As of tomorrow I am the manager of another store while the manager is on her honeymoon! It is bigger than mine but hopefully won't be too much more difficult.

That's all for now. I will be taking advantage of my new camera and should have more coffee pics coming soon. Let's try and get thsi thing back to having some form of coffee undertone at least!

Cheers
Scott

Scotty's got a brand new bike!

2005-08-04T22:49:00.000Z

MBK ew 50 stunt
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

So here it is: My first motorbike/moped/thing...

It is 50cc's of pure driving pleasure, with a top speed of somewhere in the realm of 52mph! When asked what i thought of it my response was "That has to be the ugliest thing I have ever laid my eyes on!" It seems to have a lot missing when beside other mopeds but that is because it is a stunt model. It is lighter and i dare say faster, it definately accelerates quicker. I am just glad I have wheels to get me from a to b until i can afford a 125cc! I need transport urgently as I am managing another store whilst the manager is on her honeymoon. The wedding is on Satureday and I am going!!! It is the first wedding i will have been to and I am very excited! I don't have waterproofs and it was raining to donight once i finished work. Suffice to say i am sitting in very wet jeans and am very tired after working all day and then taking myself out in the rain for a 1.5 hour drive in the rain with a viral throat infection.

off to bed: goodnight! Might be getting a digi cam soon and will swing back to latte etc with my new gaggia!

See you all later
Scott

Low and behold

2005-07-26T20:23:00.000Z

Rosetta
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

So I bought a webcam that has a 1.3 megapixel resolution (great for a webcam, crap as a digicam) but it is better than nothing! So here is one of my first rosettas that i took a picture of. Quality isn't great but you can see the seven leaf beauty with it's hollow leaves in the dark crema from the seemingly fresh store bought beans.

I went to Clements Cafe today, a cafe that would be compared similarly to Artigiano in Canada. Their espresso isn't bad. Two of their barista's came first and second in the UK's barista Championship. They have interpretted this as: Clements Cafe- Offically the best coffee in the UK. I thought it would mean two of their baristas are the best in the UK, as oppossed to their 7 stores producing the best coffee in the UK. Anyone any suggestions on how to interpret having won first and second in a barista championship? Surely it is about the barista more than the cafe they work for. I decided to buy some of their beans and as everything here is in grams i bought 2x250gm bags. They offered to grind it for me and i figured it would be a more consistent grind than my blade grinder so i tried to explain to the female barista that i have a home espresso machine and she couoldn't comprehend what i was talking about. I then pointed at their three group and said; "it's something like this except only has one group head." To which she says; " is it one with the handle you push up and twist?" I say "Yes the same as what you are doing here except it's a wee bit smaller." (getting very irritated at this point!) I said "it'll probably need to be a little courser than you grind here but not much." She then discusses with a colleague that they would grind it on setting ten which is what they use for Moka Pots. They asked me if this would be fine and i say it will need to be finer than that but courset than what they use. Then she tells me she'll just do it on setting ten and chats and laughs about it with her friends. "it'll work fine" she says and fires ahead on setting ten- for MOKA POTS! I say " do whatever you think after all, what would I know about coffee..." I take a seat after that and await my double espresso and the one i ordered my friend. A male barista brought over the shots and looked at me queerly as i inspected mine. I suspected channeling as the shot smelled and tasted sour, it also lacked the depth of colour and mouthfeel of previous visits. This was confirmed when i got home and made on similar with obvious channeling upon puck inspection. When the girl brought over my 500gms of coffee, with a price tag of $16 cdn (7 GBP), she proceeded to inform me that it will be better the slower the water comes through, and should take about 22 seconds to fill a cup. I sincerely pity the next amateur that goes there to seek advice. What size should this cup be? 2oz/8oz?

When I pulled my first shot channeling was not the word! With a fairly hefty tamp my espresso cup was filled in 13 seconds! I new it would be too course but not 11 seconds off target! So it turns out i ended up throwing the grounds into my blade grinder for a 9 second buzz anyway! Very disappointing considering this is apparently the best cafe outlet in the UK! Perhaps i'm just being a little critical but at that price i am practically devastated!

As i sit and finish off tonights latte whilst listening to The Postal Service I feel quite nostalgic. A common soundtrack to my room for the last few months of being at Pearson. A place where I would consume many a latte in the company of other coffee enthuiasts and veyr close friends. I miss you all a lot right now! I have three words: Skype, Skype, Skype.

Off to read a little more of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It is fabulous!

Scott

Update

2005-07-11T07:33:00.000Z

Still as busy as ever but it is just incredible to be starting my day with a latte again. I pulled some shots yesterday to work on them and I pulled three consecutive shots of 1 3/4 oz. in 24/25 seconds and then i went for my first ristretto which saw my little shots glass fill to two oz with pure crema in 25 seconds. Once the crema settled it looked and tasted like the perfect ristretto, given the beans I am using...They are store bought, but are so much better than the beans *$'s gave me. Fresher!

Off to find an air conditioner for Subway. I passed out in work yesterday as it was too hot.

Today is a holiday here. It is the celebration of the battle of the boyne. It was the river in Dublin where the brits came to win the war with the savages of ireland to gain ownership over the land. All the Unionist areas (Protestant or British) will be having huge Bonfires. Most people just get drunk and go to bed or fight rather than celebrate its true meaning. There is a heavy paramilitary presence at the bonfires, which can detract from the fun of the evening.

Bye
Scott

Budding barista back in business!

2005-07-08T14:59:00.000Z

cubika
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Today was a rather expensive venture into Belfast city. I came home with a juicer, a toaster, a kettle, a drip coffee machine and last but not least a Gaggia Cubika (left). I wanted better but had to settle for this for a few months. It was a £129 purchase (300CDN). I also had to settle for a starbies blade grinder, whic proved wise as they threw in half a pound of free beans. Gaggia gave me some pods, which were horrible. I didn't think they could be soooo bad but they truely were. I proceeded to grind my own and try again. First shot: horrible channeling. Grind way to course 14seconds for 3 oz. Gave it to my friend that i have told will be converted to coffee loving. He also recieved a full cup rosetta. He loved it as it didn't taste bitter, but was nice and creamy (full fat milk). I told him it was crap espresso but it didn't matter to him. Mediocrity will be the death of me in this country! (As if parimilitarism wasn't enough, people want to self destruct!

I proceeded to try again. I ground for longer and low and behold got a very nice 2oz. in 24 seconds. This was topped with a heart.

Frothing on the Cubika is very nice. I made perfect milk both times, the art just flowed on top effortlessly. Can't wait to get a digital camera at some point to start uploading pics again!

For now I am going to set up my new PC. This should keepo me busy for a few hours! It will be well worht it though.

Hope you are well wherever you might be!
Scott

Busy Times

2005-06-27T22:26:00.000Z

Fav Rosetta
Originally uploaded by espresso_lover.

I apologise for not posting in a while, I have been so busy it is unreal. In the last four days I have worked an 18 hour, a 12 hour and a 10 hour shift with a saturday to spend time with my wee sis.

I have been increasing coffee sales a little and am trying to convert some of our early morning black coffee drinkers to cappa's and latte's. It is fun pouring art into subway take-away cups. Customers here don't realise it is intentional, so when i pour hearts and that for a guy I don't actually get weird looks!

Tomorrow is a day off but I have the starngest feeling I'll spend at least 4 hours at work!

I hope you are all doing well, and arn't stressed and going gray as I am! (Pearson People:) Drop me a line and let me know what you're up to; scott.uwc@gmail.com or anyone else for that matter!

Posts will be very irregular until I get my espresso machine and digicam. I am getting a new PC next week or the week after. It is very sweeet! Can't wait, next friday is Pay Day!

Bye for now,
Scott

On the topic of Affagato's...

2005-06-17T15:48:00.000Z

Affagato
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Here's a reminder of times past Alex. A true Pearson reminder with a caf spoon and an east house chair as the framing elements.

Lisa, I may take you up on your offer!

Cheers
Scott

Peters Blog

2005-06-16T23:16:00.000Z

As it will be a while before I am back onto the topic of espresso related quests I have been informed of another quest. Peter Van de Reep, my good friend and former roommate at Pearson has started a blog detailing his new job as a barista and espresso developer at a new spot in Calgary.

http://pullingshots.blogspot.com

Read it, Just read it. (bad attempt at using a Michael Jackson line as a form of protest at his being let off for molesting young boys. Off topic in a big way and I wish this lovely man peace and happiness even though he feels soo bad that he has been taken advantage off like this and has vowed to never let young boys sleep in his bed again so that he isn't taken advantage of. What a strong character Mr. Jackson is...)

Views on Jacko's current life are welcomed here. What could be better than a debate on the black boy that became a white woman.

Not very P.C. I do apologise...
Scott

The Girl at the juice bar...true story!

2005-06-14T22:34:00.000Z

Messy but full cup! (almost...)
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

As many of my close friends are aware, I love stuff. I am fairly wise yet whne it comes to being a consumer I am slightly addicted: no thanks to Peter, I believe we fostered each others habit for buying random crap for the sake of it...Now I am in debt, quite a lot actually on my credit card. Not too nice. I am in so much that I have taken to getting into debt with non-tangible items. Things such as promises. I know what you are thinking. "What the hell is he talking about?"

Well, when I arrived home I started work a day early in a different store to help out and get in some practice before taking on my own Subway store. I was extremely happy to find an espresso and Juice bar beside this other store. This is where Nicky (Juice bar girl) comes into the equation. She just commented on my last entry about how her latte art is coming along. It's a pity she's not a drinker and can't totally appreciate her craft. The people in her juice bar were taught by the N. Ireland Barista Champion, or something like that. His knowledge seems impotent given the fact that they were told they could hold the portafilter in their hand whilst tamping; how the hell do you get 30lbs pressure doing this I don't know.

Anyway, I mentioned latte art to nicky and she was dead keen on learning how to do it. And as I am sure you are all aware was only to keen to help. We were so busy in Subway the next day it totally slipped my mind so with speedy apologies and a gift of a java sleeve from mirage and one of Sam Jones' new cards I had to leave to go home. She checked out my blog and various other recommended reads such as the milk frothing guide and says she can do the 'squiggly thing,' I assume she means the Rosetta Leaf. (I apologise if this sounds like I am making fun of you, I assure I am not. Well...perhaps at the squiggly thing comment...)

I want a machine so bad it is not even funny. I got MR. Ebay to refund my purchase of the Gaggia Espresso as I couldn't be bothered waiting any longer. Need to start shopping again soon! It might just be one big shop of green beans, roaster, machine and grinder together sometime in August/September. I find myself looking everywhere I go for espresso gear. I love my french press though. It is getting me through my dark days at the moment.

Confident women freak me out, we from the emerald isle are reknowned for being naturally flirtatious. This mixed with confident in an attractive female barista shocked the pants off me, after living in close proximity with the same good friends for so long. Nicky scared me. I am in debt for a promise of a latte art lesson. Something harder to repay than a cash deposit for my credit card. I sincerely apologise and hope to make it down some day. Preferably a quiet day when your boss isn't in. I can do latte art in take away cups. Did a rosetta and a heart for me and my boss today. We were both satisfied with the improvement the milk makes given that the espresso comes from a super automatic.

Took me a while to get to the point on the title of this one.

I am having lots of fun in my new role. I got my company phone and a pay rise alreay.

Going to bed now as I start work in seven hours.
Scott

Got myself a wee french press

2005-06-07T16:00:00.000Z

Tastebud positions
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

After over a week of searching I finally got myself and 8-cup french press from Tesco's today. It is great. My headache shifted within seconds! I was also impressed with the quality of the coffee given the fact that it was pre-ground store bought beans, the press wasn't that expensive and I've been out of the loop for a while now. But at least I have something now to focus my attention on. The coffee itself had very strong almond notes which was pleasant and the sludge level was minimal.

I like this pic of the tongue. I let my friend Joel try some of the coffee and his initial reaction was, "arrgh this is really bitter, i can feel it in the back of my mouth." He is not a coffee drinker but I can see potential here. I'll wait until I get a machine and intorduce him to a nice wet cappa or 16oz. latte and get him into espresso the long way.

I showed my mum my blog yesterday and the video's that myself and others have made. She is convinced she'll be able to do latte art and wants to try when I get a machine. She doesn't drink coffee, so i guess i'll either be drinking lots of coffee or throwing lots away.

It's disappointing to return to a place where coffee is STILL somewhere between it's first and second wave. Starbies is becoming a more common site with about 3-5 stores here now. I was in one last week and got a decent extra shot caramel macchiato as it is the only thing semi palatable available. Someone with my accent faking an italian twang when pronouncing macchiato is horrible.

I've just finished drafting the agenda for our staff meeting tonight. 10 items...should be faster than a village meeting at least. (Pearson Joke so don't worry if ya don't get it!)

I miss and love all you Pearson People. Phone calls are in order soon. There is a distinct lack of warm human contact i my life.

Speak to you all soon.
Scott

The Last night

2005-05-30T17:45:00.000Z

Cafe Bonanza
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

This was it. The last night of our Pearson College Coffee Shop. As I steam milk with the tempermental krups Peter is pulling shots. Meanwhile Sam was sitting in the corner sipping a macchi. We managed to raise over $40 on coffee sales alone for student aid. This is quite the feat given that our latte's are $1.75 and and espresso is $1.

I am at home now and my latest quest is as the store-manager of a Subway store in my home town. I had worked there last summer and apllied for the job a few months ago. I have been working in another store for the last two days as it is busier than mine it will get me into the swing of Sandwich artistry faster. It certainly has! This store is inside one of the busiest malls in Northern Ireland. My store will serve between 140-200 customers in a day which I hope to expand on. The stores also have super automatic espresso machines that brew an entire latte/cappa themselves. They do have a steam wand which I am hoping to take advantage of. If i can tweek with the grind on the machine in my store. Weird news is that we will be getting a smaller machine: the new starbucks super auto. My opinion will be shared soon.

It's nice to be home. Sure I miss the other muskateers but there is something about home that quenches my thirst. A sort of familiarity that is hard to come by anywhere else. A street I can walk down and know almost everyone that I walk past or that drives by. The excitement is also killing me for when I return to Canada whether it be for a holiday or to stay. Hopefully we can do a roadtrip to San Fran next year to see Jon. Peter, Alex and I. Lets see what the future has to hold.

Peter is now a barista!!! Can't wait to hear his stories. Mine will come in the form of home machines and super autos unfortunately and i'll try and see how far the espresso culture/scene had developed in Northern Ireland.

Brain Cramp...
Tomorrow I have a managers meeting at 9am which means I need to leave at 7am to get to the bosses office.

Scott

Holy Cow

2005-05-25T07:00:00.000Z

The craziest night ever...

We were able to open the cafe one last time before departing for home on thursday!!! We had a total of 28 customers, well 29 if you include Sam Jones, yes that right...the owner of 2% JaZz! Sam Donated 2lbs of fresh beans and came for the night to pull a few and drink a few! Insane! Ok enough of the exclaimation marks already I hear you cry.

So we opened at 9pm with a pound and a half of the 2% house blend and 1/2 pound of Mexican malinal. It all went very well. We did have some serious issues with the machines though. One was having trouble pushing out shots after the 20th (some were a bit oily, a problem Andre has been having with his Silvia recently) and the other startes steaming clockwise and producing super dry foam even though i was doing everything the same! We still managed to pull of art in every cup and Tara, our syrup loving regular, clained tonight was the best she's had from us yet.

To cut a long story short Rita, our brazilian friend, came with her digicam and took a few pics for us so i'll post some soon. Have been gone for a few days finishing off exams and packing up to leave.

Sam: thanks for coming, it was an absolute blast! I will upload and e-mail you the pictures from tonight. I'm liking the weblog also, looking forward to following your life, although a little disturbed that you may be posting your secret bedroom footage... wtf!

Cheers
Scott

Latte- try La-Tayy...

2005-05-18T17:58:00.000Z

la-tayy...
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I am back! I stayed with my host family for a long weekend to see them before going home next week. (Host families are families in the surrounding community that host students from Pearson during periods that may be times when we need a break from school life or if we need somewhere to stay during holidays when making an international trip home would prove expensive. I think I got the best of the bunch with my host family although my host mum might say I'm biased for saying that!)

Being gone for the four days has meant; wait for it... no espresso machines/good espresso for that time! I know it sure is heart breaking... i did have one espresso at a place in Sidney which was terrible. It was listed a regular or medium in the menu which proved confusing to the "barista" there. As was expected it was a 5oz overextracted drink in a 10oz cylindrical mug. Disappointing as they had lots of illy espresso cups on top of the machine. Another Point of Interest was that they bought bags of Java Club coffee, $8 for 2lbs and were filling up their bulk bins with it and selling it as Columbian Supremo for $2.49 per 100gms. A sign of quality...

Peter roasted some beans over the weekend with today being their prime. He did some malabar and bolivian. Today I am roasting up the last of my Panama Garrido Volcancito and my Organic Timor. The last week is going to be a caffeine fuelled emotional roller coaster of goodbyes and celebration of exams finishing. It will be difficult saying goodbye after living so closely with the same 200 people for a year, one hundred for both years. Living so closely together has developed friendships i would say are harder to come by anywhere else. It will be a painful time but hopefully we become more determined to ensure a lasting friendship that involves visits long before our ten year reunion!

Jon finishes his exams in half an hour and a tradition here is to jump into Peddar bay after you finish the last one so I am off to watch the jump.

Scott

Here it is

2005-05-16T01:21:00.000Z

new style...
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Here's a not so good photo of the latte art style I've been trying out. After liking Master Barista Luigi Lupis swirl/sideways art in the video rfom Treiste that Thomas has on his blog, i've tried making it a little different. We've all tried rosettas and hearts but after seeing that there are more forces of physics capable of acting inside the cup, I wanted to take advantage of it. The whole thing is done with only one pour, from the swirl then turning the pitcher in and pouring the heart. The aim is to have the swirl big enought to frame the heart. I have another couple of pictures taken on a better camera which i'll post during the week.

Off to play a game of scrabble. It's gonna hurt using my brain again but here goes...

Scott

New adventures

2005-05-14T06:47:00.000Z

Shot with oogles of crema
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

As Jon's art is progressing so well I've decided to 'leaf' the rosettas to him for a while. I on the other hand have embarked on a Luigi Lupi influnced adventure into this sideways style swirl art. A picture should follow this post. I am very excited as it has actually been working!

The last few days have been great. I am down to only one exam left on the 23rd May giving me lots of free time over the next week. I have been cracking on through the beans from 2% Jazz and Caffe Fantastico. A task I am sure no-one else would enjoy...I mean who else would actually wnat to drink short espresso like the one in photo from sundried mexican malinal. This bean has given us quite a shock. On Jordans recommendations I bought 100gms of Malinal and 100gms of the same bean which was processed differently with a sundried method. The difference is unreal. The malinal typifies other experinces with malinal but the sundried is an amazing opposing contrast. With bright oranges notes and a caramel undertone, it's like drinking a Teryy's Chocolate orange only with british chocolate, which is much better than north american, but I guess I am totally biased in this view. What do think Joe?

The fun began tonight with training Stephania from New Brunswick and Chiara from Italy to run the Student Cafe next year. I am sure they will be brilliant, both familiar with a home machine and Chiara noticed a grind was slightly coarse which more than impressed us! Can't wait for more training sessions with them, hopefully I'll get some good photos of there work over the next two week to post.

Later
Scott

(I seem to have the side of Joe's head in the photo, don't know how that happens. I'm sorry I have stopped my photography course, seem to be slcking when looking through the lens!)

Gizoogle

2005-05-12T05:30:00.000Z

Rosetta w/ 2% Jazz beans
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I'm wondering if I'd be right in saying that pouring art into dense crema is harder. It really seems to be. This is the results of pouring into a sweet 1oz ristretto made from 2% Jazz beans. Or is it the fact that the espresso is more 'syrupey' when it is a ristretto? I'm confused. there was a question like this on CoffeeGeek a while back but the site is down at the moment so I can't search for it.

On a different note, more related to the title of this post: This is a must for everyone with a sense of humour:

Go to Gizoogle and type in your favourite website. Gizoogle then translates it into talk from tha hood, if ya gettin' me!

It hilarious...
Scott

Spontaneous

2005-05-09T02:52:00.000Z

eerie outline rosetta
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Peter was off campus at his uncle's new place for the weekend and I felt like opening our student cafe. So on Saturday night I did; with Jon pulling the shots and myself on milk. We had our busiest night of the year so far. We had 25 customers! in just over an hour! it was so insane, all we could dream of was how much nicer it will be when we have a grinder that pumps out the same grind every time, a machine that doesn't keep stopping for the boiler to come on, and a machine that has a steam wand longer than 1 inch that has variable steam speed and takes less than 2 minutes to steam! Something more like a two group Synesso Syncra would be ideal. We used 6 litres of milk, usually we only go through about 4! We had about 20 lattes, 3 mochas and 1 americano and 1 americano misto.

I will post a series of pictures detailing our equipment, I find what we use quite amusing when we look at our results! The picture is of a latte I made for Ferdinand from Greenland before we opened for a last minute practice.

Off to play water polo!
Scott

Friday 6th May 2005...Awesome!

2005-05-07T22:03:00.000Z

Rosetta
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Everytime I have gone on a quest for real (non-home made) espresso I usually end up at the Keating Cafe, by force of habit. As Jimmy left on Wednesday though we were not sure if the cafe would be open or not so planned not to go up.

I grabbed a quick double at a place brewing Torini Lamborghini on Fort St beside the HSBC bank, can't remeber the name but was impressed when I was asked whether I wanted my shot long or short and if I wanted it to go. I chose short and to stay naturally, but was puzzled when she looked at a standard 2oz. espresso cup and didn't think it would fit. She decided to pull into a 6oz. Lamborghini cup. I took the 3 oz. she gave me and I sat down. The espresso was terrible and it was clear she didn't really know what she was doing so we proceded to talk about cups and cup sizes. I really like the cappa cup she gave and want one but for cappas not doubles!!!

I met up woth Peter and Jon after the bank and we started the day at Buon Amici's on the other side of the bay. We walked for a long time and were happy to walk in to a nice relaxed atmosphere, with cool chairs and a barista that didn't ask us what a ristretto was when we asked. the results were disappointing though. The 3 shots varied from 1 3/4 oz. to 2 1/2oz, with varying levels of grounds deposited in the bottom of each cup. Overall the espresso had an intial bakers chocolate taste, with leguminous cabbagey mid-tones and a heavy charred but caramelly aftertaste. Not bad although I think the espresso may have been better for a latte.

After a decade of walking we reached 2% Jazz, and Sam was working! Before we had even placed our order he had started making a little something, called a Granita (not sure how to spell it!). It was divine! To sum it up, it was grated frozen espresso, whipped cream, some grated chocolate and grated frozen strawberry. Then we all had doubles all round. As usual they were amazing. A total explosion on the tongue, as Sam was explaining to me how he has 5 different beans to cover the five different taste buds in your mouth and boy they do! Jon then had a latte, which was poured by Andrew. I think it was one of the best latte's I have ever tasted! The crema was rich and dark, contrasted with a beautiful little six leaf rosetta. I had to have one! So I ordered one which Sam took over the making of. To my astonishment, out came the 12 oz. martini glass. "This cannot be my latte..." I thought. It was. I watched as Sam poured the espresso from the little stainless steel jug into the martini glass, then watched as the first rosetta was poured in the left hand side of the glass. He then proceeded to pour a second on the right hand side, and finished with a little heart between the two. If there was ever a moment I wished I had my camera, this was it! All I could think was DZAMN!!!

We also ate luch at 2%, and found out that Sam goes in every morning to make the food himself. It was amazing. I had some vienese flat bread topped with pate, fresh vegetables, shrimp, asparagus and cheese, not sure what kind of cheese. Jon had a vegetarian panini and Peter had an italian baguette sandwich.

We said our good-byes and headed up to Caffe Fantastico, the main branch where they roast the coffee. As we approach we see a silver Ford Focus with Saskatchewan plates. "Could that be Jimmy's car?" we asked each other. We walk in and low and behold there's Jimmy and Jordan. HEY! Turns out Jordan has been working there full time for two weeks now. Congrats on the new Job! We ordered doubles all round, which Jordan covered generously. unfortunately he wasn't on the bar! The espresso sadly wasn't up to the usual standard though, the shots tasted very sour like there was some channeling. We didn't hang around too long unfortunately as it was quite busy so we bought beans and left. It cool to see Jimmy and Jordan again. Jimmy is off home to Saskatchewan tomorrow, with a stop off on the way for a new grinder, looking forward to hearing the results of it.

Finished the day with buying a macchiato cup from Value village, and having a total of 1/2lb of 2% percent espresso blend, 100gms of Causeway Fantastico blend and 100gms each of mexican malinal and Sundried Malinal.

What an amazing day it was! We have just finished playing around with all the new beans. Jon's Colombian San Agustin from Fantastico has some amazing lime flavours. Pictures should follow soon.

Scott

Awesome Day

2005-05-07T01:49:00.000Z

Jon Rosetta
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Today was so good I'm going to sit down and plan what I actually want to say for a change. Went on an espresso binge in Victoria with Jon and Peter. Will leave you with a picture of one of Jon's best so far and I'm off to think, plus Flickr is about to go down now for a while.

Scott

Progress

2005-05-04T00:19:00.000Z

Heart
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Jon has made amazing progress with pouring latte art. After about 5 days of about 2/3 lattes per day he has mastered it. It shows the difference actually having someone teach you how to do it makes. It has taken Peter and I months trying only to get Jon doing it in days!

If I can get the pics off the camera later I'll post his latest which is soooo much better than the one I put up on friday. Well done Jon!

I had my first exam; Math! It went surprisingly well, although we'll find out in July...

Teme has been practicing his art as well, making good progress. It's a lot harder trying to get it on your own. I am extremely jealous of your machine and grinder set up, it is beautiful!

Off for tea (dinner)
Scott

Making movies!

2005-05-02T23:45:00.000Z

Made a video of this one
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

As it is exam season I should probably be studying, but with all this stress I find I need a creative outlet. This started at 1:30am this morning when Jon came by and we thought it might be a good idea to have a decaf latte. Jon then decided I should film a whole pour rather than just the end result. As I don't have web space at the moment I cannot post the pour but the final result is pictured here.

Since then I have slept and woken up and elaborated on the video, going through a series of rosettas, from the first one that looks easy to others that proved to be quite difficult, finishing with a heart I poured about 20 minutes ago, again for Tara from India. It was good espresso for it as well, red crema from medium roast Level Ground Colombian.

It was great fun and has helped Jon heaps in his quest for latte art. He is now pouring hollow leaf rosettas after only 4 days! Unreal!

Does anyone know where I can either get web space? (cheap or FREE?) Or would anyone be able to host it somewhere I can link to? It would be greatly appreciated.

With half an hour until dinner I feel I really should study! Procrastination is EVIL! off now to read other blogs, i'll study after dinner, before I play water-polo at 8pm!

Scott

Grinder; grr!

2005-05-01T22:44:00.000Z

Fav Rosetta
Originally uploaded by espresso_lover.

I think we have reached about as far as we can with the equipment we have. We grind with a blade grinder, make espresso in a machine that has no means of existence anwhere else (and has a group head sitting at a 45 degree angle) and steam with a Krups Nova with a 1/2 inch steam arm. Talk about a challenge! Due to being poor students we have also resorted to using Java Club beans ($8.50 for 2lb bag!) now that our home roasting has slowed due to lack of beans. Now it is onyl 4 weeks until I return home to my Gaggia Espresso. I can't wait as it will be back to square one more thanlikely with regards to steaming! I'll also have to find out what size the portafilter basket is before going home so that I can hopefully get a Reg Barber tamper while I am here. To top it all off I will need a grinder as espresso joints are few and far between in Northern Ireland, at the moment... So I guess i'll have to try and pick up a cheap Gaggai MDF before getting home as well, another ebay venture no doubt!

Before going I will haev to do a last minute run up to 2% Jazz and the Keating Cafe to get some beans to take back with me to keep me going until I evaluate the scene back in Belfast.

I have got a job to return to, should give me something to talk about next time. I'm off to make the most out of being familiar with Peter's machines and make some more art!

Later
Scott

Peter's best! (so far..)

2005-04-30T06:03:00.000Z

Peter's best! (so far..)
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Check this out, our resident ristretto master has just completed the work of art! Cool s*** dude!!!

Scott

Jon's first art!

2005-04-30T05:40:00.000Z

Jon's first art!
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I was having problems with the page, as this section was way on down the page. Thanks to a computer genius from Slovakia the problem is now solved making life a lot nicer for everyone. It was only a problem if you run Internet Explorer so if you weren't having a problem viewing the page abd haven't a clue what I am talking about, don't worry about it.

More to the point;
My final exams start on Tuesday, with math! I should really be studying but for the last day and a half of my study break i've been showing Jon how to pour latte art. The result is opposite. This was only his third attempt, as I speak he has just completed his 4th, with a similar result. Check out the hollow leaves! Only problem is that he forgets to put the back of the cup down leading to an over flowing cup.

Continued commentary:

NEWS JUST IN:
Peter has just poured his best rosetta ever! WOW! We are in the middle of a latte art PARTY!!! If he lets me put up a pic I will, beautiful! this new startbucks cup is working wonders.

The things we create here at Pearson to kill a friday night. Our 1st Year music students also put on a concert tonight and it was awesome. Most of it was composed by them with a few modified Beatles and Bare Naked Ladies tunes!

Joe is up on the podium for art now, then it's me again. We all agree that espresso is what makes the drink but we killing some time and having mega fun coaching each others art. Joe just got his first rosetta too!!! I'm off for a decaf myself!

Take it easy and remember: latte art is only the icing on the cake, we had a girl from india ask us if she came for a coffee would het a 'fancy design?' My response was 'Yes and it'll also be a much better coffee than our cafeteria will supply!' She didn't understand but was overjoyed when I gave her a heart in a 7oz cappa.

Scott

Affagato è una caffè con gelato...

2005-04-28T05:49:00.000Z

Affagato
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

This is my favourite dessert drink so far. What went in? Here goes:

Pre-heat glass and sprinkle on a dusting of Premium European (Belgian) dark chocolate. Apply the thinest coating of quality maple syrup. Place a small conical scoop of vanilla ice cream (Shady Creek organic Vanilla bean) in the centre and then cover with a 1&1/4 oz Organic Timor ristretto. I call it: 'Paradiso in una tazza!' (Heaven in a cup)

In theory it is simply a modified affagato, but in reality a lot of time and effort went into finding flavours that would truely compliment the espresso rather than mask it. After trying an affagato at Geir's place about 6 weeks ago I have fallen in love with them. The timor is our favourite bean at the moment. We will not mix it with anything else as it is soooo good as a single origin, roasted to a full city. It is buttery, spicy, chocolatey and has incredible body and a beautiful mouthfeel. It is everything we have come to expect from a blend of Ethiopian Djima, Panama Garrido Volcancido and Monsooned Malabar, except it is only timor at a full city roast. Totally unreal.

The cafe was a blast last night. We tried to boost sales by giving customers a chance to win a free latte. We had seventeen orders which kept us busy for the hour and our two lucky winners were Nayantara Jain (Tara) from India and Mikael from Sweden. Tara is a coffee lover but unfortunately even after agreeing that lattes are great without adding anything, still took B52 in her drink last night. Due to lack of other things to sell we only made about $65. The coffee's of choice were Level Ground Light Roast Bolivian, Med Roast Peruvian and Med Roast Colombian. Our favourite was the colombian, however we lost half a pound during an unfortunate accident involving a shelf, but we were tempted to keep them for an 'Angry Barista' next week!

One last note on the Affagato: The ice cream was free from our cafeteria, the glass was fifty cents from a thrift store, the maple syrup was found in one of our vans and the european dark chocolate was a gift from my host family. Other than the espresso and chocolate, everything else was run of the mill and I highly recommend using good maple syrup and better ice cream. As for glasses and cups; sometimes the best is sitting in front of you if you can lower your sights! (i.e. either have the nerve to look in a thrift store or even visit *$'s!) The Italian translations are courtesy of Caterina Brandmayr a second year Pearson student from Italy.

Hope you are all enjoying the fabulous weather we have in BC right now! Take it easy!

Scott

Joy

2005-04-25T20:30:00.000Z

Rosetta
Originally uploaded by espresso_lover.

I almost feel bad posting twice in one day but as I haven't really posted for a week, i think it's ok. This another latte from Saturday. I feel really good that I have been able to reach a good level of consistency with art as I can now put some real focus on raising the bar for my espresso quality.

I'm off to the store soon to get some beans for the cafe, probably level ground, i think we'll try some of their light roasted stuff this time, will update with what I get later.

Scott

Double Purpose

2005-04-25T19:30:00.000Z

Rosetta
Originally uploaded by espresso_lover.

This post started out by trying to put down my thoughts about the waves coffee has seen over the last hundred years but I don't think it can be put any better than Jimmy has put it on his blog. We really need to show consumers what they are missing by approaching coffee as something that needs to have hazelnet syrup and chocolate power added before they even try it. There is still a majority that have the same drink that gets modified the same way at the same time every day. The challenge being possed is one that the 4th wave barista i.e. Geir, Sam, Jimmy and other passionate baristas out there must face. Mainly educating customers to know what they can expect from a latte that doesn't involve spooned dry bubbles on top. Helping consumers understand what goes in to preparing a cup, from growing to drinking. People still think wine is complex! Once they begin to understand coffee they'll see how simple it really is and how important it is becoming to have ambassadors for coffee, much like a sommalier. (is this how you spell it???)

The point I guess i'm trying to make is that we are in a very exciting period at the moment, and need to be the driving force to lift the bar of customer expectations. I'm no pro-barista yet but on the small scale Peter and I run our staudent cafe on a tuesday night and we still have mochas and other sweet options but when a customers asks us for a recommendation i'll say a latte every time and usually encourage customers to go for a latte no matter how much extra money we could make from mochas. I am looking forward to being a barista in the 'real world' and my plans for life involve having my own cafe. I have a lot of learning to do before then but I have not spoken to one barista yet, no matter how pro I conceive them, that thinks they have no more learning to do. This constant learning curve excites me for the future. Both mine and the furture of the coffee industry.

The other purpose of this post was to put out a thank-you to companies like Starbucks, as they have done a great job in getting customers as far as 'specialty' coffee. Now we need to go to the next step. Starbucks will always exist, they do some things well. I tried one of there new drinking chocolate things the other day (Chantico, I think) and it was divine. I also bought a cup from them (pictured above with a rosetta I poured this morning). It is a very good cup, maybe over pricied but my art has improved 10-fold just with the use of this cup. More pictures will follow soon.

So to close this overly long post I'll say it is important to life the bar and push our limits when trying to educate the consumer. However we need to maintain realistic expectations and try not to get into a comparitive cycle of criticizing other companies that may choose not to follow. Who knows, Starbucks may pick up it's act and follow us in our espresso journey for the betterment of the planet!

So here's to my new cup and saucer! (They are pure white and only say starbucks on the bottom!) And to the future of coffee and educated customers and hopefully an even more cohesive and supportive generation of baristas!

Scott

Apologies if this seems idealistic and incoherant! I'm finding it hard to put what I think into words, and i'm really happy with my new cup so i'm feeling kinda bad for being anti-*$'s!

Life...

2005-04-20T22:24:00.000Z

pitcher heart and fresh beans
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I don't know about you but the weather here at the moment is just phenomenal! It is a clear day and is 17 degrees! It feels like i'm in the tropics! There is so much out there to be appreciated, from light and heat from the sun to home roasted beans and iced mochas. I have really stepped away from the idea of dessert coffees but right now I think an iced mocha is the absolute bomb. We have made quite a few recently and they are sooo satisfying.

With the whole WBC going on and the Danes taking the show by storm I have found a determination to up my own standard here at home. I haven't not poured art for over a week which is a very satisfying level of consistency. My home roasting is coming along very well and is surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it. I had a scare yesterday when the popper stopped working after I did a batch of Malabar but it was ok again once it cooled, rather than a fuse the machine must run on some thermal control system.

The latest thing going through our minds though is the concept of a signature drink. I want to get some photos of some of the ideas we're playing around with, some based on other drinks out there tailored to my taste and some we are trying to devise ourselves. One is in a 3oz. martini glass which is coming along nicely, you'll have to wait for details and pics! Hang on to your hats!

As for today: Life is great, the weather is amazing, Jon completed the Boston Marathon in 3hrs 12mins which is an amazing accomplishment. He was the only under 20yr old male to qualify for this years 42km race and he finished before people with lower qualifying time passing around about 2500 other participants that were supposedly 'better' and finishing in the top 1100 people. Absolutely incredible- well done Jon!!! He also brought us back coffee from a cafe there (can't remember name), an italian roast which is there house blend. It is extremely dark but is really great as a latte. As espresso it is very carbony but it has fabulous nutty mid-tones and a caramel after taste. He'll probably be round for an after dinner latte.

Our french teacher lives on campus and she's coming up tonight for a coffee as well. She loves espresso based drinks and really enjoys watching the art being poured. Hope I don't disappoint.

I guess that's all for now, I should let my mum know to expect a gaggia in the mail over the next few days!

Cheers
Scott

My new wee machiney

2005-04-18T02:16:00.000Z

Here is my latest ebay purchase:

I snapped up the bid at the last minute and only payed 37GBP for it. The going rate for a new one is somewhere between 200 and 300 GBP ($450CDN). It's a real gamble though as mentioned before bedcause I will not get to see or use it until the 27th of May when I return home. It seems to be in good condition and all working, and if it is crap I'll sell it again on ebay!

Features:
• Commercial chrome plated brass portafilter handle
• Commercial Brew Group
• 17.5 Bar Pump and 1425 Watt Boiler
• Thermoset Plastic Housing
• 64 oz Reservoir Capacity
• Improved Turbo Frother (to be modified!!!)
• Coffee Pod Ready (won't be used for though...)
• Cup Warmer

I'm really looking forward to using it, besides the plastic housing I don't think I have any complaints about it. I have been looking through the EspressoParts catalogue and have finall realised what I'm getting myself into financially. The cost sure mounts up! Let's say in the next 6/7 months I upgrade machine and grinder to the silvia & rocky combination, thats about $1000, then I'll need some tampers, $150, then a knock box, PID, tamp station, bigger frothing pitchers, measuring glasses, nice demitasse, etc etc. The list never ends! I'm sure the bank manager will love my credit card!

On a different note, everyone who's anyone seems to be at the SCAA and WBA in Seattle this weekend. Looks like a blast, I wish I had have been able to get over but with not being Canadian I would have needed a Visa... next year the WBA is in Switzerland I think so hopefully I can get to it then!

It's 7:30pm, that must mean it's latte time!
Scott

The Cafe

2005-04-17T05:49:00.000Z

One of the problems we have from running a cafe one night a week is that we require our 'customers' to bring their own mug. Not only does this increase the pressure of trying to pour art into every cup, it means varying amounts of milk and needing to have some of our own cups available for those that forget thie own cups. The latest conquest was one guy from Quebec who brought a thermos mug with him. We were tempted to try and make him hang around and use one of our cups but then decided to give it a go, after all JonR10 has proven it possible! The result:

And a very shocked and satisfied customer.

Other news: I currently have a bid on a Gaggia Espresso. I really like the retro 70's look. If I can get it cheap it means I'll have a decent machine ready to use as soon as I get home to Northern Ireland at the end of May. During which time I'll be saving crazily to invest in a Rancilio Silvia . This machine is basically a commercial machine in a domestic package. The design is of simple beauty with the polished chrome and brushed stainless steel combination. Of course I'll also need a grinder during all this! I'm hoping to pick up a Gaggia MDF while I save for a Rancilio Rocky grinder. I think a Mazzer might be a little extravagent!

That's all for now. My Birthday was great fun and the weather is on the turn. There is a Coffee God and I'm off to worship him! (sorry if that offends!)

Scott

Rosetta

2005-04-15T03:45:00.000Z

Rosetta
Originally uploaded by Boston_Jon.

Jon came by for a coffee yesterday and I was more than happy to oblige. This was the outcome. The response was: "It looks so good, I don't think I can drink it!" I responded Sam Jones style; "Well I could make you an ugly one and you can drink it!" Watching it happen was a great feeling. Jon is off to Boston on saturday to run the marathon on monday! Good Luck Jonny boy! He was the only runner under 20yrs old in Canada to qualify for the Boston.

We had the cafe last night instead of Tuesday and still cracked over $100. Not bad eh? Every cup had art and we had a few customers comment on how are standards just keep going up. We even converted one customer to straight espresso!

Side note: Big Thank-You from Peter and I to Sam Jones of 2% Jazz for donating 1/2 pound of his in house espresso blend to the cafe, via Joe. Thanks Sam!

Tomorrow is my 19th birthday, so i'll be legal in B.C.! WooHoo! Guess I'll be celebrating Pearson College style at midnight tonight!

Bye for now
Scott

Crema

2005-04-12T20:18:00.000Z

Yummy
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

After pulling many an espresso shot sans crema, we discovered that it is related to how freshly the beans were roasted. For example, the less time between the beans being roast and being used the more crema you should have.

This doesn't answer my question though of: "What is Crema?"

So Google said Crema is...

This picture was of a shot from home roasted Organic Timor. Home roasting, we are finding is producing soooo much more crema than beans we buy else where. We have even had really dark red crema. Not bad when the total investment is under $100.

Yesterday I went on an espresso tour of Victoria with Jordan and Alex. We started at Mocambo, which was not a very pleasing experience, went on to Mirage, then Caffe Fantastico then 2% Jazz. We then caught the bus up to The Keating Cafe and met Jimmy and at one point there were 6 of us CoffeeGeeks in the cafe.

Soon I will explain why my espresso photos only have espresso coming out one hole and describe my experience at Mocambo. Thanks to Jimmy, Jordan, Alex and Peter (who cycled up to meet us at Keating!) for a great day. I was sooo coffee'd out I bought a pound of Level Ground De-caf on the return journey, for a night-cap!

Cheers
Scott

A Moment of Sacrilige

2005-04-10T21:03:00.000Z

Heart
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

This is the little tea cup that I have fallen in love with. How could I not, it is bright yellow with golden oriental dragons all over it, and has a matching saucer! It is a similar shape to the cups that Artigiano use for their lattes except it's a lot smaller. Look at this heart and tell me it's not worht using. This is not even the best heart I have done in this cup either, which brings me back tro my digital camera issue! Thanks to Joe for the use of his. I am really enjoying doing hearts at the moment, there are a lot of females here that appreciate coffee made by me and Pete. So, a heart usually makes a bigger impact than a Rosetta would.

I visited Mirage Coffee yesterday as I wanted to see for myself the image that had been portrayed about the place. I was very impressed with the place. It looked good. The two Elektras looked incredible, the art work was sweet, and the music, colours, atmosphere were just great. All to be topped of with very nice latte art. I know what you're thinking now: What about the coffee/espresso. Well, I didn't actually have an espresso, as I was recommended not to, but the latte was pretty good. There definate chocolate tones throughout and the heart was pretty good, Jon got a pretty decent rosetta as well.

I went back later to visit Jordan in his humble shot preparing abode. Had another latte with Peter and Joe. Mine was the only one without art! I was very disappointed as my goal of being there was to get an idea of the image the cafe is trying to portray. the respect here is for the art not for the espresso beneath. Jordan preapred our shots in the after noon and mine was definately better than my first that day, mainly because Jordan seemed to care so much more for the espresso and how it is responsible for creating the good drink, not the art!

On the topic of art I'm off to practice mine now. One of our cook's just gave me some coffee from a place called Peet's Coffee in Berkley California. It is a very nice dark roast blend.

Scott

Black Cat

2005-04-09T05:38:00.000Z

yum, black cat
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Intelligensia Black Cat has been regarded as one of the better espresso blends out there. I was more than happy to recieve half a pound as a gift from a pal from Vancouver. Over easter break he returned to his home in vancouver and visited Artigiano, as one opened on his block recently.

I was quite impressed but was surpised at how bitter it actually was. There were definate chocolate flavours and toffee/praline midtones with underlying hints of clove, anise and tangerine? A very well rounded espresso that was smooth as a ristretto, despite the bitterness. I say bitter but I think tangy/tart may describe it better.

The photo is clearly two bags of Black Cat and my newly acquired tea cup. (6oz. Latte cup!!!) I will upload some nice art pics soon in the little
cup.

Scott

Espresso Tasting

2005-04-08T06:23:00.000Z

Malabar Gold ristretto
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

It's official, espresso is my favourite beverage in the world! The espresso tasting was indeed a success! Hooray for success!

To kick start Peter ground up some Monsooned Malabar Gold, Med Roast. This is a picture of the initial ristretto from it. It was absolutely divine. I found it really smooth with initial hints of chocolate, crisp toffee midtones and a sharp clove finish. Through-out there was a lingering spiciness which we had expected from the bean. We did indeed use the SCAA Tasting Wheel.

Life is good. I am on a roll with latte art again, it has been a few weeks since my last un-artted (invented word!) latte. Hearts are coming along really well, thanks to Joe's camera I'll be able to share some nice images soon. I really like a well executed heart. Rosetta's are by far the king of latte art but a well done heart is a great way to express my love for coffee I find. (Emotional moment!)

Images shall follow in the near future. I'm off to prepare for our big show tomoroow. Pearson puts on a show every year called One World. A cultural demonstration of the many nationalities represented at the college. We are usually sold out with about 1500 people attending each show (we do 3 in total). I am the backstage manager and am performing in three act's, Joe is the assistant backstage manager and is in two acts. Life is busy but good. Espresso keeps our heart's beating! Yay for Espresso!

I'm very happy,
Stay Tuned
Scott

New Sections

2005-04-07T21:16:00.000Z

With the help of Peter's html skills and some numb-chuk skills I have just added a links section below the archive section on the left side of the page. Other blogs, sites and videos of latte art.

Today: Espresso tasting session commences in 15 minutes so off I go to get high on caffeine! Hooray! (Details will come later)

Scott

Espresso Tasting

2005-04-06T20:19:00.000Z

tastewheel2
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Tomorrow is the big day. Yes that's right we WILL have an afternoon of espresso tasting, accompanied by the SCAA flavour wheel. I have roasted some Medium Panamanian and a Dark to try the difference in the roasts and have a med/dark Timor. Peter has roasted up some Monsooned Malabar gold to a medium as well. It is going to be sooo good. It's so difficult trying not to use the fresh stuff, deep breathi g and giving it time to degas!

Hoping to do a coffee shop tour on monday as we have the day off school. Hopefully we can hit Caffe Fantastico then 2% Jazz ending the day in my favourite place: The Keating Cafe! Anyone from outside Victoria I thoroughly recommend you go to everyone of these places at some point, you are missing out if you don't. It should be me, Joe and hopefully Peter will be coming this time too!

The Cafe went pretty well last night. We opened late and still made a fair few latte's. My moment of glory was pouring a beautiful heart into a cup while I was still steaming milk for the next one, which was also a nice heart in a cylindrical mug. Marika in aussieland can pour two rosettas at the same time, but she is a professional! Maybe I can still give it a go thought!

I'll try and get some pics up from the espresso tasting tomorrow and of some recent latte art. I have been playing around with Luigi's style and got a full cup of swirls which I etched into a nice flower pattern, sooo much fun!

Glad to see Jimmy's back on-line! Yippee!

Cheers for now
Scott

Jimmy and John...

2005-04-03T06:40:00.001Z

Jimmy and John...
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Where do you start when talking about pro-athlete's and pro-barista's, eh? Let's see, Jimmy is a pro-cyclist and barista. John is an olympic gold medalist and a barista/cafe owner. It definately seems that coffee and sports go hand in hand. Caffeine is a drug that enhances peformance, both alertness and endurance. But is this the reason these guys are so into coffee?

Short answer is NO! Coffee for the purist like Jimmy or even myself is more than just a pick-me-up. It is and has become a way of life, a hobby, a passion and a learning experience. I doubt I will ever know everything there is to know or even as much as Jimmy, John and Geir do but hey, does that mean I should give up? Again, NO! From short visits up to Keating I have learned the difference a Naked PF makes, how to properly sanitize a cup, different art pouring techniques, how important it is to belive what you taste and also how important it is to never give up when you want to acheive something. Is it the athlete in these guys that makes them compete to be better or the passion for coffee and everything it entails that makes them want to improve? Clearly it is their love for coffee.

In a single cup you can taste anything from chocolate and toffee to tobacco and carbon to jasmine and cabbage. Change the roast, grind setting, water temperature and tamp pressure on the same bean and you can experience something totally different! It is just amazing. Very rarely do I have trouble speaking but my brain is fried due to information overload. It is a passion that I am very glad I have found and am very greatful to these people for helping me continue to develop it.

On Jimmy's advice I headed up to Caffe Fantastico today and bought 1kg of unroasted Panamanian and 595gm of Timor. I roasted the Timor to a medium tonight, the girl in the caffe said she remembers it being buttery. Yum, can't wait to try it!

Sounds like a cupping session is neccessary in the near future, what do you think Pete, Joe, Jon?

Cheers for now.
Scott

Side note

2005-04-03T06:40:00.000Z

It is John on the left and Jimmy on the right!

Scott

Keating Cafe; Panini and Espresso Bar

2005-04-02T07:12:00.000Z

Keating Cafe; Panini and Espresso Bar
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

This is the road sign for The Keating Cafe; Panini and Espresso Bar. I really like the logo, simple but really effective.

Unfortunately it was not an April fool's joke, Jimmy could not update his site as his laptop has actually packed in. Thanks to Geir for sharing it with us. It's amazing how dependent I have become with Jimmy's site. Each day get's funnier, interesting and informative! Excellent job Jimmy and can't wait until you are back up and running again!

I have been given the most beautiful little tea cup from the French teacher at Pearson, Domonique Hamel. It is most amazing or pouring latte art, today was by far one of my best rosetta days in a long time. It is about 6 ounces in size, yellow and covered in gold oriental dragons. It's shape is amazing! Once I get a nice pic of it I'll get it up! Apparently I'm being sacreligious by using it for coffee as it is fine bone china that was made in England but hey, one must be resourceful in these quests for good latte art! Wouldn't you agree?

Gotta go, I have a modicum of e-mail to reply to. Life's good, there are lambs in the farmers field which means spring is definately here!

Scott

My first crotchless attempt!

2005-03-31T23:12:00.000Z

Scott coffee 002
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Easter monday is a day that will remain with me forever. The day I learned what difference is made by having a crothchless/naked/bottomless portafilter. Jimmy let me come round and try my hand at the 3-group Rancilio they operate at the Keating Cafe. Under the watchful eye of John, Geir's business partner, I prepared and pulled a shot of Mexican Malinal. (The coffee of choice at John's other cafe) I was totally amazed not only at the amount of crema, the colours, the tiger striping, the specking, how much more impressive the mouthfeel is but at the fact that my distribution was so even. It was so weird and challenging to go from a 48mm portafilter to a 58mm and to get it right was a very rewarding feeling. Jimmy took me through the flavour wheel and helped me vocalise what I could taste. This is a great step for espresso tasting. It made the few days a lot more interesting in terms of espresso. I haven't even considered making a latte since Monday.

I'll post my latte attempt next. Sorry about the flash in this pic, they used to have a light behind the counter which made watching the shots easy but Jimmy blew that one up when flushing the portafilter. A story that is not mine to tell, apparently it was like gunshot. Wish I had have been there when it happened; it would have felt like home!

Cheers
Scott

Check this out...

2005-03-29T07:34:00.000Z

Scott coffee 005
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Today I ended up at the work place of Master Barista Jimmy Oneschuk. What a great day! After tring some single origin Mexican Malinal Jimmy let me try my hand at the Rancilio 3 group they have up there! WOW! Talk about an amazing crotchless experience! (glad my mum doesn't read this page, she would be thoroughly confused!) Compared to the normal standard of my espresso, this was awesome. Nothing on Jimmy's but hey, I only work at home!

This pic is of a latte he poured for my host family's son Peter. (Sadly not my roommate Peter, hopefully he can come up some time too though.)

Still totally high on caffeine, probably dehydrated so I'm gonna go to bed now!

Hope everyone had a great easter and gained 20lbs due to excessive chocolate consumption or beer drinking! I will post my feeble attempts from today later on.

Cheers
Scott

Gaggia MDF grinder

2005-03-28T00:06:00.000Z

Gaggia MDF grinder
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

The grinder of choice at the moment is the Gaggia MDF. This will be the weapon until I can reasonably afford a Mazzer or anything else that can be highly recommended. Spec:

Disc/burr Grinder
100 watt
Doser
35 settings

It seems to be pretty good and I have only heard reasonale to very good reviews. Any feedback out there would be greatly appreciated. I really like how it looks as well as the cost at under $400, and it produces a very consistent grind. I am sure it will be great for one of the gaggia machines and if I upgrade machine later to something like a Silvia then I wiil upgrade the grinder as well.

Peter roasted some malabar on saturday night, not sure how far he went as I am off campus but we had great results at light/med roast with it so I think we are waiting util day three of degasing which is tuesday before consuming! Can't wait!

Scott

The other one

2005-03-27T05:16:00.000Z

cubika
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

SO the other machine I am looking at is the gaggia cubika. Here's the spec:

Traditional Frother
Side Filling removable Water Tank
Aluminium Alloy Filter Holder
750 Watt Power
15 bar Pump
Large Cup Warmer
Brushed Stainless Steel Body

It has a smaller boiler than the Carezza, and has an aluminium filter holder as opposed to a brass one. However the body is metal making it a bit more sturdy. It also looks a hell of a lot better and proably doesn't make espresso much differently to the Carezza. Plus I won't need to modify the steam wand. Any thoughts would be welcomed or other recommended machines that would be less than $700 or 350pounds!

Gonna go here just watched a sad movie now i'm off to watch a thriller!
Cheers
Scott

The Carezza

2005-03-26T03:45:00.000Z

carezza
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

This is one of the machines I have been looking at as being my first espresso machine that I will have at home.

The run down:
Brass Chrome Plated Filter Holder
1425W Boiler
No Cup warmer
Plastic Body
A traditional frother, (that I would need to modify)
Side load water tank

It has better inner workings than some machines by gaggia but the casing is plastic which really puts me off, however this will not be the machine I have for the rest of my life so the long term benefits arn't all that important.

My other option is the cubika. WHich I'll talk about tomorrow.

The Keating Kafe is opening on Monday, I can't wait to get down there!!! Hopefully I'm still up here to visit. Maybe Jimmy will have made some progress on his latest quest for a new espresso blend that I can get the low down on...(what beans? why? choice of roast? process of mixing? aah there are so many questions...) I may be running a risk with Ninja Barista Oneschuk so if I don't return, it's because I got a "JUDO CHOP, Baby yeah!"

Stay tuned
Scott

I gotta get me one of these!

2005-03-25T05:39:00.000Z

Reg Barber Tamper
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

What a weapon! Jimmy's collection is ever growing and diversifying into every colour of the rainbow. I need to decide on my potential machine purchase for when I get home so that I can get a reggie tamper!

I'll discuss my two favourite options for machines over the next few days!

Cheers
Scott

Funny Stuff

2005-03-25T05:13:00.000Z

Today has been packed with funniness. (If that's a word!) I opened Jimmy Oneschuk's site ( http://espressolab.ca/ ) to read that I am a "Krups Master", the kind words set me off in a fit of the giggles as I have a long way to go tp produce anything close to Jimmy's! After this I got further accpetences to universities, to be topped off with a job offer from Subway, as the Store Manager! Possibilities are endless! Should I go to Uni? Should I not? Well I have accepted the offer and start on the 29th of May, 3 days after returning home to NI from Pearson!!! The benefits is that I have accpeted the Job for a year so if I decide I want to go to uni I can go next year, I don't see any major urgency.

The main factor is... when I go home and work I can buy a really nice espresso machine! Investment is key, as I don't want to be scrimping and saving during uni for this obsession when I can fund it before so that I survuve.

Peter and Jon have gone off with a larger group for a 19-23km run in Tofino. I hope they have a great time. Hopefully Jon will bring back some very nice pictures with his DigiCam that I can share here. he is a very talented photographer.

I feel the need for a double right now and feel inspried after watching numerous latter art vid's and learning about Stockfleth's move. I'll decide if it's latte or double time when I see the shot!

Scott

Under Pressure

2005-03-23T22:55:00.000Z

Life is getting busier and busier as the days go on. So I have taken three minutes to update and have a break from life. If it isn't the heavy worload from being at Pearson it's the childishness of some of our departments that really aggravate people. Take our maintenance department for example. A student played a joke on them so they cut down a swing that was built on to a tree by students. They claimed it was damaging the tree but it hadn't even succeeded in cutting the bark full circle! There's nothing worse than environmentalism that is uneducated and naive!

I've just finished reocrding my CD for my IB music. It contains 8 songs, one of which I wrote. I am doing Voice for my IB, after hearing myself on CD I can't understand why anyone would want to listen! People keep telling me I can sing, but I would argue differently... maybe someone can throw in an opinion either way...

A group of girls performed some of the Vagina Monologues here on Sunday. A very moving and humorous series of exerpts! Congratulations to them for producing such an amazing performance.

The Cafe was a blast last night. We started out with one of the machines packing in. SO we had our one for espresso and the other one we used for steaming stopped steaming. It turned out to be a line blockage which Peter tended to while I tried to keep up with demands for our coffee, which might I add is impressing some Italian students at the college. Students that are accustomed to quality, I love customer feedback! Anyway, the steam wand got repaired and is even better than when Pete got the machine! Steaming time has gone from nearly 3 minutes to about 30-45 seconds. It seems comparitivly hard to control and we were getting rather big bubbles, but after a few tries we're back pouring art again.

Gonna go here, should have some new latte art pics soon.
The sun is splitting the trees here, I hope it's like this everywhere and you can all enjoy!
Scott

Human for Sale...

2005-03-23T04:20:00.000Z

Apprently there are places to go if you want to know how much you are worth, if you were to sell yourself today. Here are my results from this rather amusing quest for self worth:

I am worth $2,217,562.00 on HumanForSale.com

Cafe tonight again!!! I've printed out a flavour wheel for our customers to try and use, can't wait to see what crazy tastes come out of tonight as we are using Kicking Horse Grizzly Claw and Three Sisters blends.

Scott

Heart

2005-03-19T21:25:00.000Z

heart
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

I poured this heart on Tuesday for a friend at our cafe. The picture is a bit blurry cos I forgot the macro function! oops...

The Cafe

2005-03-19T21:24:00.000Z

student store/cafe
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

This is our Student Store/ Cafe. It was created years ago by students to give students an option of being able to buy some form of food in the evenings and the profits would all lgo to student aid. This year Peter and I added to the store by introducing a Cafe on Tuesday nights. Our profits are even higher on the nights we open as the profit margin for a pound of coffee is huge. These are Peter's two espresso machines. The blue one is used for the espresso as it does not have a presurrized portafiler and the black one is used for steam, so if Peter does the espresso I do the milk and art and vice versa.

Scott

The Mountains of Mourne

2005-03-19T21:08:00.000Z

One of the most beautiful places in the whole of Ireland is the Mourne Mountain range:

I'm not sure how they came about being where they are but one thing is for certain; they need an espresso bar in he vacinity. Who knows what the future might hold.

I plan to roast some Malabar today, it's been a while from I've roasted my own. Hopefully I can hold out till monday before using it! Photos from the cafe will follow.

Scott

Me holding some freshly roasted Bolivian

2005-03-18T22:00:00.000Z

Me holding some freshly roasted ethiopian
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

One of my first tries with home roasting, these are Bolivian beans that I took just short of a dark roast. I think freshly roasted beans are possibly the one of the most beautiful objects in the world. They are so shiny with the oils and they make nice "snap, crackle and pop" sounds like rice cripsies as Jimmy put it and they smell incredible. A new delicousy could be BBQ Coffee bean burgers... just a thought!

Scott

Peter holding fresh roasted beans

2005-03-18T21:52:00.000Z

peter holding fresh roasted beans
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

These are some beans about 3 minutes after Peter had roasted them, I believe they are Ethiopian.

Watch out Luigi...

2005-03-15T21:16:00.000Z

luigi style
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

About two weeks ago I got some cocoa as I had just found out Mr Lupi's secret. (Call me dumb but I had thought the dark patches on his crema was just specking!) So after a few tries this is the result.

We are opening our Cafe tonight again! WooHoo!!! Can't wait, hopefully we'll have another great ristretto pulling, latte art pouring session! I just hope I remember to take my camera.

I have some nice shot's I've justu uploaded of the beans I have home-roasted over the last couple of week, I'll throw one or two up soon.

Look out for the results of tonights cafe...
Scott

Rosetta

2005-03-12T18:54:00.000Z

Rosetta
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

This is one that I poured at my host families place a few eeks ago. I really like it when you pour a rosetta or heart but you know you will never do the same one again, no matter how similar they all are. I really like the slight almost S-shaped kink in this one.

My Best Heart

2005-03-12T18:52:00.000Z

best heart ever
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

Apologies for the crappy picture but this is a heart I poured for a dutch gguy on Tuesday night at our cafe. He was touched and told me he loved me too! Crazy dutch: "he's from holland isn't that weird!" (Sorry couldn't resist an Austin Powers moment!)

Nasty and Nice

2005-03-12T18:19:00.000Z

Salsa dancing is sooo much fun. I can barely move my legs today but thats fine. You can't beat hip swinging with members of the opposite sex from all around the world! After speaking spanish for about 7 hours I feel a lot more confident but I still don't feel any more pprepared for my orals next week!

We started off by going to Los Taquitos (The small tacos) for dinner. I had tortillas con Bisteck (Steak Tortillas.) It was very god. We then left for the mall when Joe, Ashwin, Felipe and I headed staight for McDonalds where Joe kindly offered a Hot Fudge Sundae, Yum! We then decided to go to Serious Coffee as it is better than *$'s and Blenz. However I left extremely disappointed. The last time I was there I had some very enjoyable espresso poured by a guy from London (England not Ontario!) But this time what I got was a double eXpresso poured into a TAKE-AWAY CUP! It was the most unreal experience. I was almost angry but could only feel pity for the girl after she conseutively gave me then Joe our EXpresso's. Poor girl couldn't even read the menu properly! I can only ask myself: "How would Serious Coffeee be today if Geir Oglend (the creator) hadn't sold it?"

Oh well, setting that aside we went to the Salsa Palace on Broad St. which was very entertaining. There were all kinds of people here from Pro's to absolute beginners. After much toe stepping, hip banging and knocking other couples out of the way I retired back to Pearson arriving shortly after midnight then crashed. A great night despite only being allowed to communicate in Spanish and feeling guilty every time I burst into English.

So my english teacher has decided that he won't lend us his blade grinder, for various reasons, and we are stuck with 3 batches of beans that are in day 4 and 5 after roasting. I hope he changes his mind soon! I haen't really poured anything worth showing recently anyway. But I'll post some pics across from flickr in another post.

Scott

This is the Giants Causeway in N. Ireland. Myths say that it was created by giants that wanted to walk across to Scotland but in actual fact it is a volcanic formation of thousands of rocks that are all perfect hexagons. Very Cool!

God Shot

2005-03-12T00:03:00.000Z

God Shot
Originally uploaded by i_got_art.

This is the God Shot from Wednesday's Monsooned Malabar Gold. (Courtesy of Master Barista Jimmy Oneschuk!) It was definately the best shot of espresso I have made at home. Thie was at 21 second, I stopped at 25. Not really sure why it only comes out one hole though!

Scott