oh geez

so apparently the WBC machine sponsor for 2009 is nuova simonelli and the aurelia model is the one we will be using at the mid-atlantic barista competition this year, which will take place february 7-9th at the cranberry marriott. dang. i test drove that machine last time i was in atlanta. i liked the shots that it pulled but i hated the steam action. it is a lever that can be pulled out all the way for full steam pressure or half way to control your pressure a bit more, but the lever can be a bit erradic and i think that when nerves take over, i will have a tendency to lose control of the steam pressure and make a huge huge mess. i am getting nervous and wonder if there is a way to practice using this machine and not alienate the shops that have one. is that possible? who even has one of these in pittsburgh? i have no clue. perhaps some obscure shop in the north hills that no one ever goes to, well off the beaten path.
my plan: i already have my sig drinks worked out ( a smidge different than the previous stated recipe on this here blog). i was planning on flying out to the west in january to do a little hands on with some folks out there, who definitely have an aurelia. so i'll just gear my "hands on" to be more "competition on".
the aurelia is a good machine but i am kind of shocked to see that lamarzocco is not the sponsor. i've been hearing some good shit about them recently, mostly about their relationship with intelligentsia, which is totally sick, what they are doing together.
more to come on my illicit love affair with intelligentsia.

the rumor mill

rumor has it gthat the mid-atlantic barista championships will be held in pittsburgh this year. joy. guess who's hosting it? kiva han.
better them than us.
expect the shop to be kicking it into high gear for PR and hosting meet and greets and the like. it's gonna be stellar.
i'm so pumped for this to happen already.

what?

i read this post on the roboto project board this afternoon. it kind of blew my mind that people come to the shop that are cool and are associated with roboto in any way.

http://board.nevertellmetheodds.org/t.php?id=78233&r=27

just sayin'.... if you are into coffee, come here and try the ethiopia sidamo. that shit is the jam! it is a washed organic coffee from ethiopia. pretty rare, my friends.some dried fruit and lemon zest notes along with sort of a carmel aroma. when i brew this it reminds me of my dad's house and also the renowned coffee shop in my hometown, betty's tea rooms.

also, if you are a barista, contemplate this: the 'spro down in chi-town, october 2nd. you in?
i'll be organizing some events in october. a latte art throwdown and a few cuppings. i'll keep this updated to let all y'all know.

random note

last night, when we were riding our bikes through east liberty, we ran into someone my friend knew. this person, that we ran into, is a reputable chef in pittsburgh. for serious. has had articles written about him and shit. so he's working on a new project, that as he was describing it, i realized parallels my own hopes and dreams for owning a business. this guy is going to do something fucking awesome. there is no way that this guy will not succeed. soul food in east liberty. done right. with veggie options. and community involvement. i hope he puts in an espresso bar too and lets me be guest barista. i am so psyched for this guy. and his food which is phenomenal.or so i've heard. i've never been able to afford it.=(

unhappiness is......

really wanting a cappuccino and not wanting to have to go to work to get a proper one.
i am DONE with going to the shop around the corner to get coffee on my days off. it is horrible and i am currently alternating typing with scraping my tongue, to get that disgusting flavor out of my mouthhole.
i could go to the strip to get coffee from matt @ la prima or from luke @ 21st st. but then i have a huge hill to conquer on my way home.... boo to that too!
i am undercaffeinated an not too pleased about it.

signature drinks

so every barista that competes on a regional level knows about the terror of having to create a signature beverage and be judged on how good it tastes, smells, texture ,etc. the signature beverage is a drink that has at least one shot of espresso, and has ingredients that enhance the flavor profile of the espresso, and really embodies a barista's passion for coffee. last year, i made a drink that was not unlike a macchiato. at the base of a 3 oz glass, i mixed raw cocoa and heavy cream, then poured a shot of 'spro on top, then topped that with some milk foam made with milk that had been infused with cherries and orange zest. i thought it really brought out the qualities of the espresso blend that i was using. but i didnt score high on creativity. but from looking at my scoresheets, judges seemed to enjoy the drink and my explanation, but not creative enough. damn shawty. i thought that my drink was the jam (though it had ALOT of prep). so after competition, i went back to the drawing board. i really wanted to embody the great sweet citrus quality of the 'spro. i also wanted to highlight the coffee and it's origins and it's quality. so, i decided to use ingredients that are grown between the tropics of cancer and capricorn for my drink. that included alot of tropical fruits, cane sugar, limes, coconuts, macadamia nuts. so why not use all of those?
yesterday, i made my first run of sig bevs for the people i was working with at the shop. first, i rimmed a glass with lime and dipped it into raw cane sugar, then some coconut milk in the bottom of the glass with a shot of 'spro over it and finished with a drop of macadamia nut oil. it was pretty damn good. a bit too sweet perhaps, buti'm going to tweak it until i'm ready to present it again. but overall, i think this may be the path i choose for highlighting my espresso at the next regionals.
i'm also thinking of including some other ingredients such as mango and nutmeg, perhaps cocoa and also cayenne(???)
until next time.......

a story about mushy pucks......

so as we all know, a soggy puck is a sure sign of overextraction with espresso.
the snobbery in pittsburgh has reached a whole new low when a local fave barista is nicknamed "mushy pucks" by other local coffeeshop workers. i kind of love it though.
what's a mean nickname that you have for a rival barista or someone who you hate to see on the GB5/synesso/linea on saturday mornings, just wasting espresso like there's no tomorrow?

piss off the barista in twenty seconds flat

i try to not get so pissed off when i'm behind the bar but there are some things that really cannot be helped.
#1 saying "i'll just have......( insert complicated drink order here)..... to go"
yeah. there is no "just" about a triple short decaf mocha dry cappuccino. there is nothing simple and staright forward about that drink order. don't say it. also dont say "gimme". i really detest rudeness. say please, thank you and tip your barista. and when i ask you how you are, dont reply with your drink order. i may not be ready to take your order and i'm just being nice. you'll have to repeat your order when i ask "what can i get for you?".
#2 customers expecting table service when there are 4 people behind the bar but a line of twenty.
do not ever expect table service. anywhere. take a moment and observe. is the barista calling out orders as they are completed? are customers waiting for their drinks close to the counter? if they are, do as they do. and do not expect the barista to drop everything to make your order before everyone elses. despite what you may think, there is a ryhme and a reason and a line of drink orders that need to be done before we can get you your grande skinny decaf latte.
#3 ordering $39.93 worth of pastries and drinks, paying with two twenties and saying "keep the change."
on average baristas, make minimum wage. a seven cent tip split 4 ways is not only insulting, but totally degrading.
you say, get a higher paying job. we say, fuck you we like our jobs, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS TIP AT LEAST %10 ON POURED COFFEE, 20 % ON ESPRESSO.
#4 not knowing your order and expecting the person behind the counter who has never waited on you to know what your "usual" is.
#5 changing your order 3 times after you have paid and the drink ticket is in the queue to be made while the barista "on bar" is making twenty drinks. trying to order directly from the person "on bar" when they are in the middle of steaming milk and concentrating on getting all those drinks out fast. it's the equivalent of walking into the kitchen of a restaurant to order directly from the head chef.dont fucking do it.

REMEMBER: A BARISTA IS A SKILLED CRAFTSPERSON, NOT A DISHWASHER, NOT A WAITSTAFF, NOT A TABLE BUSSER.

snobbery 101

you have got to love coffee.
i mean, it is liquid gold. it has such variety, such pizazz. what is not to love? from diner coffee at 3am to the double ristretto you get on your way to the office, it all has it's good qualities.
i am by no means an expert. i am a coffee slinger at a shop here in the iron city. i train new hires in the art and craft of espresso. i enjoy talking about coffee with people who dont care about half the shit that comes out of my mouth. i dont care that all they want to hear is how much it costs. i just want to show off my coffee knowledge. it's pretty much the only thing that seperates me from a dishwasher or a line cook.
i love coffee. did i mention that?
i had my first cup at 6 years old. it was fucking gross over roasted french roast made in a french press. the shit my dad likes.i liked the bitterness. i started working in coffee when i was in highschool. i was a manager at the coffee bar in the gourmet grocery store in my hometown. it was fucking miserable work but i got to use counter culture coffee, based out of my hometown, for the first time. it was my first experience with specialty coffee and i really liked what i saw. nevertheless, i was fired from that job because i was still in high school and couldnt commit to a 40 hour work week.
imagine that.
i've worked with counter culture coffee a few more times in the last ten years, however, it is batdorf & bronson's coffee that really gets me. i love their single origins, especially the ethiopian coffees. i also really love intelligentsia's single origins. i like their black cat espresso, but i think it tends to taste ashy when it is even a second over extracted.
there will be more to come, my dear afficianados. there will be more. but now i must go into the fray and educate the IRL masses on good coffee.