Coffee Mayhem

I had big plans for hot sauce. I dribble the stuff on everything I eat, so I have four different kinds in my fridge. A nice idea, I thought, would be to try the whole series of sauces in coffee, then have a post comparing them all, with an intricate rating system to help you, dear reader, choose the perfect hot sauce for your morning beverage.

Here is how those plans got derailed.

Assplosion was a lovely gift from my family. It’s not a great hot sauce; it’s spicy enough, but hadn’t really lived up to its name. Still, I had to try it first, to start this series with a “bang.”

The only coffee I had ready was chocolate-hazelnut flavoured. And you know how chocolate with chili in it is all the rage these days? I thought I’d enhance the chocolate with some Fry’s cocoa and go for that idea in drink form.

I’ve been watching Dexter a lot lately, which makes red drips remind me of blood. That was probably the first sign this wouldn’t turn out well.

When it was all mixed up, the smell was … alarming. It literally hurt my nose a bit, with the combination of bitter cocoa and noxious spice. Ah, but I had to try tasting it anyway. For you, dear reader. All for you.

All I could taste was the Assplosion. I only put a few drops in, but it overwhelmed the coffee, hazelnut, and chocolate such that all they did was add some bitterness and enhance the illusion that I was drinking poison. Or ass.

I want to give other hot sauces a chance. Maybe it’d be better with regular coffee and no chocolate. Maybe there is a sauce out there that can contribute to the pleasant coffee / spice balance I experienced with curry coffee. But I can’t bring myself to try any more; not any time soon.

Plus, I’m starting to feel a rumbling down below.

Be the first to like this post.

View the original article here

St. Paul Wicked? Grind Roasted Harley Davidson Coffee

St. Paul Harley-Davidson? Wicked? Grind Roasted Coffee Unique blend with 100% Arabica Coffee Medium Roast Harley Davidson Coffee Model Number GUA07 This coffee has passion and attitude Not available for shipping outside of USA

Summary
Are you a Harley-Davidson owner? Then you need this to go with your Harley. St. Paul Harley-Davidson? Wicked? Grind Roasted Coffee. 100% Arabica beans have been blended in this exclusive coffee. Medium roasted blend that has passion and attitude, just like yours for your Harley.

Related Products
Zippo Harley-Davidson Full Face Bolts Lighter.
Satin chrome finished lighter with HD bar & shield logo on black carbon fiber look background. Harley Davison Fleece Blanket Men's Skull 3-in-1 Cotton Jacket.
The jacket and vest each have two zipper hand-warmer pockets. The jacket is 100% cotton canvas with polyester/twill lining. The removable hooded vest lining is cotton/polyester fleece. Harley Davidson Skull Cooler--NEW for 2009.
Ripstop polyester insulated cooler with zipper top lid, zipper front pocket, and adjustable shoulder strap. Cooler holds up to twelve beverage cans. Embroidered Harley-Davidson? skull graphic on front. Measures 8 3/4" x 7" x 10 3/4". 99355-09V Antique Medallion Skull Dial 76A11 Bulova Mens Watch.
BAD TO THE BONE. Try our skull medallion Bulova for a bad-to-the-bone look. The silver dial says it all. All stainless-steel case, screw-down back, fold over buckle and lock, and water resistant. All new and all Harley. For an edgy look, this is the one you want. Backed by Bulova's 2-Year Warranty. Harley-Davidson? Bike Wash Kit.
Bike Wash Kit includes the essentials required to clean your bike. Sunwash? Concentrated Cleaner, Bug Remover spray, Wash Mitt, Soft Detailing Pad, Soft Drying Towel, and Microfiber Detailing Cloth. Coffee ReviewsCoffee/Tea/Kitchen Appliance Product Reviews
Cappuccino | Coffee Growing Countries | Coffee of the Month Clubs | Coffee Substitute | Flavored Coffees | Frappes | Harley Davidson Coffee | History by Country | Iced Coffees | Instant Coffees | Keurig K-Cups | Lattes | Low Acid Coffees | Mocha Coffees | Refillable Coffee Pods | Smoothie Drinks | Tassimo T-Discs

If you would like to provide feedback, write a page, provide a review, ask a question, etc., please fill in the form below.

View the original article here

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Write Your Comments & Reviews Here. [ ? ] Close Help

Entering your comment or review is easy to do. Just type!...

Your comment or review will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story.

TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

Upload 1-4 Pictures or Graphics (optional) [ ? ] Close Help

Do you have a picture to add? Great! Click the button and find it on your computer. Then select it.

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)

View the original article here

Oh just look how cute these are:

Little gingerbread houses perched on a mug! The smell alone would probably enhance the flavour of coffee in that mug, but I don’t think anyone would be too disappointed if the house got soggy and fell in. Gingerbread lattes have been my drink of choice for keeping warm through the snowstorms around here.

Here is how to make your own precariously perched gingerbread houses, and thanks @nataliese for tweeting about this.

Be the first to like this post.

View the original article here

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Fresh Brews is the (semi-) weekly round up everything going on in the coffee blogosphere. I never know what I’m going to find as I’m reading through out the week and I share some of my favorite stories with you. Enjoy!

The Coffee Adventures: Brewed Over Ice: Does Iced Coffee Taste The Same As Hot?
I don’t know where you are, but it’s pretty hot here in Florida and I’ve heard that parts of the country are even hotter. Luckily, we have Jamie who is helping us out with some experiments in iced coffee.

Coffee Nate: Healthy Coffee Scam!
Nate is back with a fun video about the so-called healthy coffees. I think Nate and I feel exactly the same about them!

Cheap Flights: A Viennese Coffee Crawl
Cheap Flights isn’t exactly the first site that I think of when I think coffee, however apparently they know a thing or two about coffee in Vienna. I would love to take a vacation there and spend some quality time getting to know the Melange, Fiaker and a few of the other drinks.

Caffination: CaffiNation 494: Heater
Make sure you check out the latest podcast over at Caffination. For the coffee geeks, there’s a few stories about coffee (including one from some site called Daily Shot Of Coffee), however my favorite article this week was on the technology side. Listen to the story “A bright idea to bring light into poor family homes.”

—

Photo by kennymatic.

Related posts: No, I Don’t Want To Try Your Healthy Coffee Or Reserve My Cup No, I don’t want to try your health, magic or...Fresh Brews: Eating Your Caffeine, Stumptown “Sells Out” And More I hope everyone had a great weekend, filled with lots...Fresh Brews: Coffee Mafia, Raising Certification Standards And More Every week, I try to do a round up of...Safe Ice Cube Trays for Iced Coffee Ice cubes, plastic & coffee Occasionally I like to drink...Fresh Brews: Coffee Tasting, Retired Coffee Makers And More! Over the past few weeks, maybe even months things have...

View the original article here

In Venezuela, talk about Specialty Coffee is to talk like a Chinese. In a country where there are so many ways to drink coffee from a study not of the menu but as a product of the mind of the drinker, there is awareness of the term Barista, Coffee Roaster or origin coffee. Here, is known as the coffee boy, the guy who prepares the coffee. Period. We love coffee, we are high consumers of it, many of our meetings begin and end over a cup of coffee. But usually it is prepared by a person who has been trained to manage the coffee machine not coffee itself.

Five years ago began my concern for the coffee, I felt there was something else there in that beverage that we learn to drink since we were children and decided to start reading, studying and trying to understand, always via Internet – what was all this world that keep me wondering as a fan of UFO´s always searching for a contact of the third kind.

In our country, with few exceptions, is generally believed that the ultimate in coffee is Starbucks, anyone who travels abroad aims to go and buy a frappuccino and take a photo with the logo of the famous mermaid. And so far will be the world’s best coffee. Without question!

In the United States and most European countries, coffee is taken for granted, but the truth is not everyone knows the meaning of Specialty Coffee. They do not know they are lucky enough to go to any of those wonderful places that sell coffee and get a coffee origin of Sumatra, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Ethiopia, organic or not organic, decaf and regular, or even an exquisite and surprising Geisha whose taste in mouth confuses you to think if you are drinking tea or coffee or both at the same time, without wanting to offend the palate of coffee tasting experts.

Each country feels coffee in its own way, depending on their culture, for example in the USA, they like to drink it with milk, cream, accompanied with syrups, muffins and cakes of different flavors, while in Europe they drink more black, cut and almost no sugar, strong and with a gulp. Even China, dedicated mostly to the consumption of tea and not coffee, due to its recent opening to the entry of franchises and the entry of Starbucks at least in Beijing (a city I visited in August 2009) shows a growing interest in its young population who makes meetings of friends around a steaming cup of coffee as a symbol of progression and development into the future. Not to mention of course Latin American countries like Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, top producers and exporters of green coffee who have learned to create an entire industry based on excellence and quality. But unfortunately in our country for government regulations we can not import any of this origin coffee, so sad. In our country, consumers meet, talk, fight when making the order, change the menu asking you to remove or add other ingredients, calling coffee a “conlechito” clear, light brown, dark brown, Guayoyo, bottle, that you can not order in anyplace but here. But almost no one, very few, ask for a espresso or a double espresso, less! When this happens those around turns around and says: What? How can you drink this coffee? It’s not that not happens, it just is not common. They do not know the incredible experience that occurs in the taste buds when you take a properly prepared espresso, that feeling where you can feel the caffeine and other acids present in coffee, to try to determine if it has fruit flavors, whether sweet or if it has some species. They do not know the feeling in the roof of the mouth long after you’ve drunk your cup that leaves you wanting to come back and drink another. It’s another thing!

But I’m surprised how many people outside my country every day show a big interest not only to know who is that person who will prepare their coffee and how he/she does it but also care about the origin of the coffee they are drinking.

They do not know how lucky they are to do so. So, next time you drink an espresso either from a country not even know where it is geographically or what its language is, taste slowly and admire the coffee grown thousands of miles away from your home, produced under high quality standards and roasted by people who care doing the exact term that allows the beans only provide the best of itself, take enough time to savor it as you would treat an old friend who has traveled a long way just to sit at your side. And after that, be happy, thanks God.

—

Maria Esther Lopez is a lawyer born and raised in Venezuela, passionate coffee lover, studying for Barista and everything about the coffee world at every place where she can travel, SCAA member.

Photo by zedworks.

Related posts: Next Stop: Colombia With Community Coffee The Drink: Community Coffee Private Reserve Colombia Type: Whole Bean...Coffee Adventures Around the World This is a guest post by Marina Pliatsikas. Learn more...Fresh Brews: Coffee Tasting Party, Starbucks Prices Going Up & More You never know what is going to happen next in...Win The Ultimate Single Serve Coffee Prize Pack I love coffee and I have a feeling that you...No, I Don’t Want To Try Your Healthy Coffee Or Reserve My Cup No, I don’t want to try your health, magic or...

View the original article here

This blog has been sluggish lately. Updating once a month is better than nothing, but it could use a pick-me-up for more frequent posts. I have discovered something that’ll give the blog just the jolt it needs: a lack of caffeine.

See, I’ve been doing a full time job lately, and that takes up time. Specifically, it takes up mornings, which is when I tend to drink coffee. I can’t exactly be pouring gravy into the office coffee machine, so work really puts a limit on my experimentation. I can’t pick up slack during my evenings either, because the caffeine would keep me up all night and make those gravy-free mornings even more miserable.

But wait, what about caffeine-free coffee?

I’ve never drank coffee for the caffeine. Other than keeping me from sleeping, I don’t feel any effects of the stuff; my body seems immune to perkiness enhancement. I might as well remove the caffeine and add the possibility of late-night experimentation.

It limits which kinds of coffee I can have, but have you seen this blog? It’s more about what goes into the coffee than the coffee itself. I think I’ll find enough variety.

Hey, what about you? Do you drink coffee for the caffeine, the flavour, or both?

Be the first to like this post.

View the original article here

Let’s take a look at a few coffee creations that will melt your face and make you feel like a real man (even if you are a woman).

First, blogfriend Brian Raymond pointed me to this Satanic coffee from Geekologie:

I can only assume the barista sweetened it with the blood of infants and added the milk of murderous cows for colour, yet still referred to it as black coffee.

Next, in this old post of mine about butter in coffee, a commenter named Nathan linked to this article about HOW TO MAKE YOUR COFFEE BULLETPROOF. Spoiler alert: you put butter in it.

I’ve done this a few times before. Butter Chicken Coffee Minus Chicken was not too shabby, but Cafe Benedict caused involuntary convulsions. This David Asprey fellow recommends unsalted butter, which would probably be bearably delicious.

He also goes a bit further, claiming that this coffee provides “level energy” for 6 hours, “programs the body” to burn fat, and will “make you feel Bulletproof” (yes, with a capital B). These claims seem to come from the “I made this shit up because it sounds cool” school of nutrition rather than, you know, science, but hey, whatever it takes to justify chugging butter. I wouldn’t recommend testing the Bulletproof claim, however. Placebos don’t work so good against bullets.

I’m working on some, um, interesting coffee creations. I will be back to write about them when I have time. By the way, buying stuff from the PWTIC store or leaving a tip, on that sidebar to the right there, would really inspire me to hurry my butt up. Hiiint.

See also: Optimum Biopower Xtreme Coffee.

Be the first to like this post.

View the original article here

After having a delicious dinner at a little mom-and-pop Vietnamese restaurant, a friend of mine ordered some Vietnamese coffee. I took a single sip and I was sold on the concept: strong, fine-ground coffee brewed in an individual French drip filter, right into a mug with condensed milk at the bottom. I vowed to make it at home first chance I got.

Of course, I don’t have a French drip filter, nor the type of coffee they used. I made do by grinding my grocery store brand coffee extra fine, using a lot of it in a French press (hey, it’s still French), then slowly stirring it into a mug with condensed milk.

The main thing here is the sweetened condensed milk. It’s different than dumping a crapload of cream and sugar in the coffee; more caramelly, and thicker in texture. Even with regular coffee, it’s a new way to cream and sweeten it in a tasty new way.

I like to put a lot of condensed milk so it’s sweet as candy in a base of bitter coffee, but (obviously) I like bold flavours. It may not be true Vietnamese coffee, but I highly recommend giving the stuff a try.

Be the first to like this post.

View the original article here

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Mike

Pretty great, but even better if you’re familiar with this.

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Mike

Another good event from the good folks at RBC. The circumstances are sad but the cause is just. More info is available at sprudge.com/tag/yesequal.

View the original article here

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

I managed to get a few days with a copy of Modernist Cuisine, the absolute tome of modern cooking and culinary pursuits involving science and art. The entire breadth of the books are extremely enticing (I'd buy the books in a heartbeat if I could afford them), but I also naturally gravitated towards the Coffee chapter to use as a basis for review and for gauging just how thorough the books are in all aspects of culinary cuisine. I have a theory you see: if coffee is given nary a second look (be it in restaurants, in mass media, in journalistic media, or in food books), it causes questions about how that particular venue or literature handles other aspects of what they cover.

With that thought in mind, I delved into the Coffee chapter in Modernist Cuisine with gusto and anticipation.

Structure of the Coffee Chapter

50 pages are dedicated to the subject of coffee in all its main forms in Modernist Cuisine. There are several pages full of vibrant photography, and even more pages with visual step by step instructions, trouble shooting and the like. Some pages are meaty with text, others are with visuals, and still others feature more of an artistic layout.

The pages breakdown this way:

Introduction to Coffee, Coffee Basics. 8 pages that cover the basics of coffee, how to store, decaffeinated coffee processes, stages of roasting coffee, causes-coffee (Fair Trade, etc), and (ugh) Kopi Luwak, which gets its own call out box.
Brewing Coffee, 8 pages that cover introductory brewing principles, cupping coffee, the ExtractMojo (natch, for a sciencey book), types of brewed coffee from drip to press to siphon to pourover to aeropress to cold extraction, and one page is about cooking with coffee, including a recipe for coffee butter.
Espresso which (thankfully) gets 32 pages of love and dedication. Covers some history, espresso in Italy, a nice side story about the "God Shot", 3 pages about grinders and grinding, the evolution of shots (and spouts), how to dose, how to tamp, why water is important, info about chopped portafilters, brewing temperatures, a step by step how to photo essay, information on crema and a troubleshooting guide. Then there's 6 pages that are milk focused (covered below), and the section rounds up with information and visual guides on achieving consistency. Towards the end of the chapter, there is some talk about Seattle's espresso scene, and the latest in espresso, including pressure profiling machines and the Synesso.
Milk. 6 pages within the espresso section. Covers basics of milk steaming with a visual how to, the art of coffee with milk, discussion on types of foam, a guide to drink types, and a 2 page layout on pouring latte art.
Last Page is a photo of Synesso's half-exposed 3 group Cyncra espresso machine with detailed explanations of what goes into the works. That's pretty comprehensive. So how deep and how real did Modernist Cuisine get with their Coffee Chapter? Did they cover just a few aspects of the coolest (or most trendy) things in coffee and espresso today, or did they take more of a long view on it all?

Modernist Cuisine Coffee Chapter - Introductory Section

Right away, I was intrigued by the opening paragraphs because this is how the chapter starts:

"Dining at a fine restaurant is such a special experience because so much attention is given to the smallest details of the meal: carefully chosen ingredients, artful dishes, sublime wines, classy cocktails, artisanal breads, refined cheeses.

Then comes the coffee, so often an after-thought -- more like a generic commodity than a gastronomic event?that many people don?t even realize what a transcendent experience the beverage can provide.

This is true even at Michelin three-star restaurants. These pinnacles of the culinary arts boast the finest food in the world, proffer encyclopedic wine lists, and go to every extreme to offer the best dining that money can buy. Yet a typical Michelin three-star restaurant serves coffee that wouldn?t meet the standards of an ordinary street vendor in Seattle."

Damn. This is starting off good. This argument has been made by so many people striving to make coffee better to a broader audience for so, so long. For it it to lead off the opening of the coffee chapter in one of the most hyped and anticipated cook books of all time... this is a good start.

The section continues giving a waxed poetic introduction to the joys of culinary coffee. It touches on the "young turks" of coffee today who are picking up the mantel from the pioneers and trailblazers. The section then smoothly moves onto describing in short form the cherry to bean road, types of processing, and covers the basics of roasting. The information is rich, and just brief enough that it shouldn't bore most foodies, chefs, sommeliers etc. that may pick up a copy. But, though it is brief, everything is bang on correct in terms of quality coffee doctrine, and even the most seasoned coffee pro will either learn a thing or two from the first section, or at least refresh their memory about some definitive coffee facts.

A bit of a downer in this section of the Coffee chapter is the dedication to a half page on Kopi Luwak. I know, I know, everyone deep inside the specialty coffee industry is sick to death of it, but everyone else in food, (but not into coffee so much) probably wants to know more.

One thing I kind of call question to however on the Kopi Luwak callout: the book talks about how the acids in the civet cat's stomach break down some proteins in the green coffee, and they leach out during the digestion process. These proteins normally contribute to excessive bitters in roasted coffee (so the book claims) so their removal through the digestion process results in more natural sweetness from the resulting roasted coffee.

I kind of call BS on that. I think that's a Kopi Luwak marketer feeding information. If I can explain a bit further.

First, the bean comes out of the civet cat in all sorts of stages within the cat's scat: some still have partial bits of undigested cherry; many more still have the mucilage (inner skin) attached, which is a protective barrier for the bean during its relatively short time inside the civet cat. I'm fairly confident that most, if not all the acid action happens to the outer coatings of the coffee bean (mucilage, pulp, skin) and very little to the inner depths of the dense green bean.

Secondly, though the book emphasises how much proteins contribute to bitterness in coffee, there's scant mention of caffeine, which is literally one of the most bitter substances in found in nature. That said, yes there are proteins, lipids and other elements within a roasted coffee bean that contribute to bitterness. Hell, the roast profile contributes to bitterness. To say the cat-shit method of "producing" green coffee results in a smoother cup is just marketing drivel.

This is a nit-pick, and not at all indicative of the entire chapter's correctness, but I would have felt better if they said something like "Kopi Luwak is a fad / gimmick coffee, and not worth your time even discussing".

On to better things, there's so much to like in this first section of the Coffee chapter in Modernist Cuisine. Little things like how a sidebar is used to blast apart the myth that "espresso" is not a type of bean or a specific type of roast. Fair Trade is covered quite, ahem, fairly (to everyone save for Fair Trade marketers and TransFair) by outlining its origins and how it has moved into more of a marketing gimmick. Direct Trade is touched upon (a good thing), perhaps leaving the reader hungry for a bit more (not so good).

Storing coffee is covered, and ends with the words: "...coffee should be ground immediately before brewing. We prefer not to store ground coffee." Love it.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this section was how the author(s) went about pounding home some truths while obliterating certain myths about coffee. Case in point: "strong coffee". They tackle this with sage, wise words in the brewing section, and find a way to clearly blow apart the myth that strong coffee requires dark roasted coffee. They also tackle the confusion consumers have with bitter vs. strong. You'll have to buy the book to see how they wordsmithed this up, but trust me, it's good.

I only wish they had taken on "bold" as well.

This section, along with all the sections in the Coffee Chapter, is filled with quite awesome photography. There is an excellent "Stages of Roasting Coffee" visual that covers from green to a full french roast and it is one of the most accurate colour photo representations I have ever seen on this particular subject.

Modernist Cuisine Coffee Chapter - Brewing Coffee

This section of the Coffee chapter really starts to get into the meat of what good coffee is about, and it does so with bam! a cupping how to (and explanation) and double bam! a two page spread on the ExtractMojo and a how to on using a brewing control chart. They ain't dicking around here. This is some serious science of coffee to digest.

The George Howell school of sciencey coffee is in full effect here. From the brewing chart page:

"...experts agree that for a balanced taste, the extraction should pull 18% -- 22% of total soluble materials (by weight) from the grounds into the water. If this extraction percentage (also called solubles yield) is less than 18%, the coffee tastes sour and astringent, if over 22% the coffee tastes bitter."

This is absolutely current, state of the art thinking. Getting this kind of information into the heads of forward thinking chefs, culinary experts, and foodies is awesome.  And I may have to pause here. This review (and reading the Chapter) is making me want to have a well-crafted coffee, something fierce. Perhaps thats as much a testament as anything as to how good this book's coverage of coffee is.

Okay, back now, and leafing through the rest of the coffee section shows a lot of well grounded, well supported information on what goes into the act (art) of brewing coffee. All the major brewing methods are discussed, from drip to pour over (treated separately - yay!) from press pot to siphon brewing. Very thankfully, percolator brewing is ignored, save for perhaps a sideways nod to it when "cowboy coffee" is casually mentioned.

Siphon coffee is covered with some nice visuals. Given how siphon produces coffee and its rank amongst some of our best coffee professionals, I would have liked to see a bit more exploration of the method, but it is definitely covered adequately.

One thing that is perhaps missing from the actual coffee brewing section of the Coffee chapter is the grinder - or emphasis on it. Sure, it is mentioned here and there, and sure, later on in the espresso section, grinding gets star billing with lots of mentions, descriptions and photos, but it is perhaps too much de-emphasised in the non espresso part of this chapter.

That's a shame because, well, I'm in the school of thought that the grinder is almost as important to press pot and manual pour over brewing as it is to espresso. It's all about particle sizes and especially about the fines produced. I want to highlight - grinding is covered somewhat in the non espresso section, but also kind of brushed off as not being terribly important.

The coffee section of the Coffee chapter (how awkward is that statement?) finishes off with a bit about cooking -- where I learned some new things -- covering using fats or alcohol to extract from roasted coffee, and even a recipe.

Modernist Cuisine Coffee Chapter - Espresso

The fact that espresso and all that surrounds it gets almost 3/4 of the Modernist Cuisine Coffee chapter warms my heart. Espresso's been getting a lot of beat downs lately as the current trend is towards (re)discovering pour over, press, drip, siphon, but you wouldn't know that by reading these books. Makes sense too, since these books are beyond sciencey and espresso preparation is the most demanding, most exact, and most frustrating way to brew coffee.

I could easily type another 2,000 words talking about the espresso section in these books but instead, I just want to focus on a few things.

First of all, the scope seems to be just right for the books' target audience. It gets incredibly in-depth on a lot of issues and circumstances surrounding espresso preparation, from particle distribution techniques (good!) to what temperature you should stop foaming milk and start just heating it (better!). Grind is super highlighted, as it should be. Tamping is given its due as well. Latte art gets lots of glossy coverage, which makes sense for the visual appeal (this is also a visual set of books, as well as being all sciencey). There's even a breakdown (possibly slightly controversial) of what types of shots use how much coffee and produce how much brewed beverage.

The espresso section is definitely Seattle-heavy. A lot of the measurements, philosophies and produced items have a Seattle slant. David Schomer is mentioned multiple times and even gets a call out section. Very due, since Schomer is in many aspects the godfather of the North American espresso scene and often doesn't get enough recognition from the current core of "young turks".

That said, there are plenty of nods to the global espresso scene. There's some nice info on how espresso exists in Italy, and some minor historical context. Several dosing techniques are described, including ones originating in other parts of the world.

The espresso section covers a lot about how great espresso occurs, and the tools to achieve it. Water is covered in a small but info-packed callout. Temperature control is heavily emphasised and given its rightful due in terms of making great extractions. They detail the nifty trick of segmenting shots of espresso to taste the beverage in parts. Crema is covered well, and detailed explanations as to why it exists are covered.

The chopped portafilter (they call it crotchless, and I really, really wish they hadn't) gets lots of coverage as well, though perhaps it would have been nice to give a nod to the originators of it (Chris Davidson and others at Zoka back in 2004). That said, besides Schomer, few folks are actually recognized by name in the Chapter (one exception out of several is John Weiss, when his prolonged dosing and leveling technique is described).

New technologies are discussed, including some coverage of pressure profiling and the new machines on the scene capable of doing it. Preinfusion, pump pressures, troubleshooting (with pictures) - it's all there, and as mentioned before - a heap of information, but just about right for the target audience for these books. There's no mention of temperature profiling, but I guess since that's the future of espresso and not the present, makes sense.

If I can nitpick, it's just on a few things. I don't agree with how much emphasis some of the "grooming" techniques got - I think most of that could have been pulled, and more emphasis on the grinder in the non-espresso sections could have been added. There's also a lot of emphasis on automatic or clicker tampers (though the best clicking tamper - the Espro model - isn't shown or mentioned).

And then we come to a call out that seemed a bit strange to me. It is a three-photo series talking about perhaps (my emphasis, not theirs) using a medical tool -- a dental vibrating platform -- to level and settle a portafilter. This just seems wrong to me, based on advice and discussions and experiments and more that I've had over the years. In 2003, I asked Dr. Illy why couldn't we use a martini shaker to level and compact a bed of coffee in a portafilter, and his simple answer to me was (paraphrasing), "oh no, that would redistribute the fines to the bottom and damage extraction ability".

In archaeology techniques, hypersonic shaking of particles (say, for instance, sand) will create a platform within a vessel of particles going from finest to coarsest in even levels. The same would probably happen to ground coffee, and there's some theory as to why that is bad.

When brewing, the top of the bed of the espresso "puck" of coffee is impacted with enormous pressure - 135psi or higher. But the bed itself eats up and dissipates that pressure. By the time the liquid is at the bottom of the puck (about 1cm lower from its starting point), it is pretty much at normal pressure, relying only on gravity (with perhaps some minor boosts) to continue falling.

When you agitate the coffee-filled portafilter on a high-vibration device, it's possible that all the finest fines will rapidly fall to the bottom of the basket. Water has more difficulty passing these fines. In addition, its possible you're losing some additional extraction ability because instead of having these finest fines distributed throughout the bed of coffee (and thus causing more friction and interaction as pressurized water is slamming the grinds), these fines are all sitting near the bottom and just compacting into a more solid wall.

I could go on, but it just seemed this was not the greatest suggestion for settling a dosed bed of coffee in a portafilter.

Okay. So there were a few more contentious things in the espresso section, but frankly, they are all subject to bias and subjective interpretation. Instead, let's end coverage of this section with some of the better things.

Cleaning a machine is hyper-emphasised and detailed. This is radically important, especially in books that chefs, restaurant owners, sommeliers, lead bartenders and more will buy. If there's one thing that restaurants drop the ball on even more than coffee, it's keeping espresso machines in their restaurants and bars clean.

And my favourite thing out of the entire espresso section? The God shot (a term born out of the alt.coffee crew in the late 1990s) is given a waxy poetic call out article which was simply awesome.

Concluding thoughts on Modernist Cuisine

This is a mind blowing book in so many aspects. In the course of this review I could not help but read a good chunk of the books for hours and hours and hours; yet still, I only barely skimmed the surface.

Michael Ruhlman reviewed Modernist Cuisine for the New York Times, and at one point he stated:

"I was left wondering how a book could be mind-crushingly boring, eye-bulgingly riveting, edifying, infuriating, frustrating, fascinating, all in the same moment. Every time I tore myself away from these stunning pages to emerge for air, I had to shake my head so hard my cheeks made Looney Tunes noises."

When I was reading (skimming, diving into, submersed in) other parts of the books, I felt that way and then some.

When I was reading the Coffee Chapter, not as much; but perhaps that is because coffee and espresso is a subject near and dear to me. However, I did get a good sense that a) the coverage was deep, and b) the stuff covered was honest. By and large, the chapter held a good balance between current trends and the long view on coffee and espresso development. The important things were almost always heavily emphasised, but since this is a geek out book, a lot of things that didn't require as much attention got almost as much play.

The photos are stunning. Absolutely stunning. Unlike other sections of the books, Coffee never got the use an abrasive water-jet cutter or electrical discharge machining system to chop up the appliances or tools used in coffee or espresso. Perhaps that's because our industry has already done those things with chopped portafilters and the half-exposed Synesso machine. Still, it would have been cool if Modernist Cuisine decided to do their own take on Illy's transparent portafilter, but maybe they will for the 2nd edition.

All in all, coffee is very well handled in this tome. Coffee is respected, revered and romanticised throughout parts of this chapter. It has the scientific method bashed the crap out of it in spades. It is geeky. It is sciencey. It is romantic. It is beautiful.

Based on how Modernist Cuisine covers coffee, I feel quite confident that all other aspects of the culinary world are covered just as well, if not more so in this tome. Is this series of books worth $500, $600? Of course that depends on who you are and what value you put on this kind of organized, centralised information. But given the scope and range and depth involved, I'd say $600 is a bargain for Modernist Cuisine.

If you wish to buy Modernist Cuisine, the best prices are probably at Amazon.com (CG affiliate link).

Tweet

View the original article here

Officina Rancilio Museum Visit On my first full day in Milano, I was very pleased and honoured to be invited out to the small town of Parabiago where Rancilio, the famous Italian espresso machine manufacturer had their original factory. This wasn't a tour of the factory -- that would come later -- but instead, was a private tour of something that is the Rancilio family's pride and joy: the Officina Rancilio Museum.

This museum is the product primarily of Luca Rancilio, the grandson of Rancilio's founder. You can tell within just a few moments of meeting Luca that he has a serious passion for the history of his family's business. He gave me a private tour of the museum and as he discussed each machine, you could tell he had not only intimate knowledge of the machines and the family history, but he also relished in it.

Rancilio started this project about 8 years ago. The family had several historical machines in their possession, but Luca went on the hunt for more, and was able to find (and restore) some amazingly rare models of Rancilio machines. He estimates that in Rancilio's pre-World War II era, the company was only building machines in the single digits every month, so finding versions of these machines today is incredibly difficult.

Rancilio was able to track down what he believes is the first machine his grandfather (Roberto Rancilio) built for commercial sale, and it is in the museum, along with another machine from 1927. There were machines from all eras up until the 1970s inside, showing a wide range of technology and design styles through the decades.

It's important to note that this museum is housed in a building located in the exact same part of Parabiago that the original Rancilio Factory was located. That building was torn down many years ago, and a new multiple-use building (offices, residential, etc) was built in its place. Though very modern, the building does evoke memories of the old factory.

The Officina Rancilio museum is not open to the public, but can definitely be visited upon appointment. It is in Parabiago, which is about 30-40 minutes outside of Milan by car (also accessible by train) and trust me, well worth the visit. If you are interested in checking out the museum, contact Rancilio in Italy for more information.

Still can't get enough of the museum? Additional outtake pictures are now up on CoffeeGeek's Flickr pages.

Tweet Reports From the Road Column ArchivesColumn Description
One of the more popular pieces of content on the CoffeeGeek website are the reports from major trade shows. We cover shows like no other media source does - giving first hand intimate and frank reports that give you the real scoop on what's going on, from a consumer and a coffee lover's true perspective.

Find out how to submit your story

Quick Jump Home Page Opinions    Karen Hamilton    Mark Prince    George Sabados    Paul Pratt    Mark Prince    Liz Clayton    Arthur Wynne    The Interview    BGA Files    Contests    Professionally Speaking    The Ethical Bean    Road Reports    Newbie Revelations    The Cafe Stage Consumer Reviews    Consumer Espresso    Prosumer / Pro Espresso    Grinders    Coffee Makers    Vac Pots & Others    Roasters, Accessories & Misc CoffeeGeek Reviews    Detailed Reviews    First Looks    QuickShot Reviews Guides & How Tos    Milk Frothing Guide    Cupping for Beginners    Espresso Machine Buying Guide Resources    CoffeeGeek FAQ    New and Noteworthy    News Items    Press Releases    Copyright Information    Privacy Policies    Terms and Conditions    Current Advertisers Forums    Espresso    Coffee    Articles    Members    Regional

View the original article here

In the town of Parabiago, Italy, Rancilio is a longstanding family business. Roberto Rancilio opened his first espresso machine factory in what was not much more than a shed, in Parabiago where he started building a few machines each month. Prior to the Second World War, the business was humble, small, and personal: primarily Roberto working on the machines, developing a few new looks and designs, and keeping everything extremely hands on.

After the war, Rancilio started to really grow as a company. The factory expanded and expanded on its original location near the centre of the sleepy town, until finally business became so big it was time to move and build a new factory: a factory ready for what the future held.

The new Rancilio factory was built just outside of Parabiago, and it is quite big. Big enough that it composes three large buildings: the main factory itself, the administration and showroom offices, and a large social centre / training facility / mega cafe and restaurant for all the Rancilio staff. This is no small operation any longer.

But it is still very much a family run business, and a business were every employee is treated like members of the family. One example is lunch - the workers all have access to some amazing food in the Rancilio cafeteria. I know because we ate there one day, and the food offerings were fantastic - and all for the price of one euro. There is a soccer pitch. There are frequent company benefits, parties, celebrations. Every worker we saw there seemed to really enjoy their work.

As for the factory itself, it is pretty much state of the art when it comes to the manufacturing of espresso machines, yet is still very much hands on. These are definitely hand-built machines (no robots here, save for the ones that control the stock of parts). There is a research and development lab with 10 employees. There is a genuine assembly line with machines on rollers / conveyors. There are countless testing stations along the way for checking and rechecking everything from leaks to electrical problems. There is a torture chamber for machines that we saw in action, where a random machine off the assembly line is made to do things no ordinary machine in a caffe will have to do in 10 lifetimes. There is a great sense of order and flow in the factory that shows Rancilio makes a quality product. The factory can also work quickly - their record day is 112 machines (commercial only) built, which is a phenomenal number when you consider all the work involved and the handbuilt nature.

In our walking tour of the factory, we saw just about everything, and Rancilio's representative, Vittorio Bonissi (our guide and Rancilio's Methods & Standards manager) was extremely open about everything. Nothing was off the record or too sensitive to photograph.

I was also surprised at the number of machines Rancilio builds. They manufactured around 17,000 commercial machines last year, and a mind-blowing 22,000 Rancilio Silvias (counted outside of their commercial production). Those are both extremely huge numbers: think about this - the average commercial machine price is in the $7,500-$9,000 range, and they made 17,000+ of them!

I came away from the tour extremely impressed with how this company started 3 generations ago with Roberto Rancilio and still run today by the Rancilio family, manages to build nearly 40,000 commercial and domestic espresso machines each year.

Anyone in the business of coffee can arrange a visit to the Rancilio Factory. Even competitors, including La Marzocco people have visited in the past. If you would like to arrange a visit, visit their contact page fill out some details and the company should get back to you.

Tweet Reports From the Road Column ArchivesColumn Description
One of the more popular pieces of content on the CoffeeGeek website are the reports from major trade shows. We cover shows like no other media source does - giving first hand intimate and frank reports that give you the real scoop on what's going on, from a consumer and a coffee lover's true perspective.

Find out how to submit your story

Quick Jump Home Page Opinions    Karen Hamilton    Mark Prince    George Sabados    Paul Pratt    Mark Prince    Liz Clayton    Arthur Wynne    The Interview    BGA Files    Contests    Professionally Speaking    The Ethical Bean    Road Reports    Newbie Revelations    The Cafe Stage Consumer Reviews    Consumer Espresso    Prosumer / Pro Espresso    Grinders    Coffee Makers    Vac Pots & Others    Roasters, Accessories & Misc CoffeeGeek Reviews    Detailed Reviews    First Looks    QuickShot Reviews Guides & How Tos    Milk Frothing Guide    Cupping for Beginners    Espresso Machine Buying Guide Resources    CoffeeGeek FAQ    New and Noteworthy    News Items    Press Releases    Copyright Information    Privacy Policies    Terms and Conditions    Current Advertisers Forums    Espresso    Coffee    Articles    Members    Regional

View the original article here