My fellow coffee drinkers, as you know I am attending CoffeeCon 2013 in May. This day long university of coffee lectures, labs, demonstrations, and samplings is a rarity for the general public. Normally coffee gatherings are for those in the industry. I believe this is the only one for coffee lovers like you and me.
CoffeeCon has invited me to be one the bloggers to cover the event, and I am honored to do it. I will be able to report on the events of the day. I will have access to the presenters and will interview them. All of this will be reported on this blog, and I will guest blog on CoffeeCon's website.
Keep your eyes open, as I will be giving away tickets to CoffeeCon. Details will follow.
I am thrilled to do this, and am looking forward to the day. You can check out the other bloggers who will also be there - http://www.coffee-con.com/bloggers/
If you aren't able to attend, I encourage you to look at the schedule of classes and speakers on the CoffeeCon website, and if there is a question you want me to ask, let me know, and I will ask it.
http://www.coffee-con.com
Charlie
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Today's Cup of Coffee March 6, 2013
Today I have had two different cups of coffee I want to write about. The first is from my friend Kris, a home roaster. She has given me a Peruvian Organic that I am very excited about. The second is Starbucks Tribute Blend.
The Peruvian Organic is a strong coffee. No worries, this one won't slap you in the face. It will wake you up in the morning. I had some yesterday as well, and I wanted to be sure I tasted what I tasted, so I had another cup today. Same taste.... this is a strong coffee, but with a bright taste, like I might find in a lighter roast. I detected some floral hints(Mark didn't taste it, but I did). For a moment, I thought there was a citrus flavor to it. It almost reminded me of an Orange Blossom Honey. There is a sweetness to this coffee, that I don't often find with darker roasts.
Starbucks has their Tribute Blend. This was created to celebrate their 40th anniversary, but this is not their Anniversary Blend. This is billed as one of their bold roasts, but is reminds me more of a medium roast. This is a blend of Eithiopian, New Guinea and Columbian coffee. I am betting the Columbian gives it the more medium roast taste. There is a an herbal quality to the coffee, but it is not a savory experience. They say there is a dark cherry taste, but I don't find it. I like this coffee, and if they replaced this for the horrible Pike's Blend, I would be a much happier camper.
Two good coffees, but I'll take the home roast any day.
Charlie
The Peruvian Organic is a strong coffee. No worries, this one won't slap you in the face. It will wake you up in the morning. I had some yesterday as well, and I wanted to be sure I tasted what I tasted, so I had another cup today. Same taste.... this is a strong coffee, but with a bright taste, like I might find in a lighter roast. I detected some floral hints(Mark didn't taste it, but I did). For a moment, I thought there was a citrus flavor to it. It almost reminded me of an Orange Blossom Honey. There is a sweetness to this coffee, that I don't often find with darker roasts.
Starbucks has their Tribute Blend. This was created to celebrate their 40th anniversary, but this is not their Anniversary Blend. This is billed as one of their bold roasts, but is reminds me more of a medium roast. This is a blend of Eithiopian, New Guinea and Columbian coffee. I am betting the Columbian gives it the more medium roast taste. There is a an herbal quality to the coffee, but it is not a savory experience. They say there is a dark cherry taste, but I don't find it. I like this coffee, and if they replaced this for the horrible Pike's Blend, I would be a much happier camper.
Two good coffees, but I'll take the home roast any day.
Charlie
Monday, March 4, 2013
Rating a Coffee House
Recently Zagat released their report on "the hottest coffee shops around the country." Anytime there is a list, I understand it's subjective. In determining the ratings for these establishments, Zagat uses the following formula, "The reviews in this guide are based on public opinion surveys. The ratings reflect the average scores given by the survey participants, who voted on each establishment." The coffee houses are rated on Food, Decor and Service. The highest score you can get in each category is 30 points. Of course....my question is why aren't they basing the ratings on coffee?
Seven lucky cities got to have their coffee houses judged. Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. were all picked. No offense to those cities listed, but may I ask why Seattle and Portland were left off the list?
As I was reading the booklet, I paid close attention to the Chicago listings. Since I used to live there, I was eager to see what the folks at Zagat thought.
The first place listed is Cafecito. It is a Cuban themed establishment, and the grading was as follows: Food - 23, Decor- 11, Service 18. The reviews weigh heavily on the food, but the coffee is described as "out of this world." I have to say that doesn't seem like a great score. And it tells me nothing about the coffee really.
Zagat gives Intelligentsia and Julius Meinl nice ratings, but nothing jumps out to me about what the coffee is like. Uncommon Grounds gets the best rating of the Chicago establishments; however, not once is the coffee mentioned.
To be honest I didn't read the other cities. I felt a bit disgusted with what I had already read. If you are reviewing coffee houses, by golly, review the coffee. Yes, I think decor plays a role. If you want to talk about food, that's ok. I want to know what the coffee is like, and how the service is.
If you want to read something which really details coffee establishments, and can answer your true coffee questions I suggest reading "Left Coast Roast" by Hanna Neuschwander. She gives excellent detail of the coffees these places roast and/or serve.
Zagat also provides a list of the "Eight Destination Coffee Meccas"
Seattle
Vienna
Rome
Oslo
Sao Paulo
Addis Ababa
Kailua-Kona
Melbourne
I was happy to see I had visited half of the cities in my lifetime. I can say Seattle, Vienna, Roma and Kona all have wonderful coffee houses. Again I might ask - where is Portland?
As I said reviews are subjective, but in the end, if you can't review the coffee, then what's the point of reviewing the establishment?
Charlie
Seven lucky cities got to have their coffee houses judged. Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. were all picked. No offense to those cities listed, but may I ask why Seattle and Portland were left off the list?
As I was reading the booklet, I paid close attention to the Chicago listings. Since I used to live there, I was eager to see what the folks at Zagat thought.
The first place listed is Cafecito. It is a Cuban themed establishment, and the grading was as follows: Food - 23, Decor- 11, Service 18. The reviews weigh heavily on the food, but the coffee is described as "out of this world." I have to say that doesn't seem like a great score. And it tells me nothing about the coffee really.
Zagat gives Intelligentsia and Julius Meinl nice ratings, but nothing jumps out to me about what the coffee is like. Uncommon Grounds gets the best rating of the Chicago establishments; however, not once is the coffee mentioned.
To be honest I didn't read the other cities. I felt a bit disgusted with what I had already read. If you are reviewing coffee houses, by golly, review the coffee. Yes, I think decor plays a role. If you want to talk about food, that's ok. I want to know what the coffee is like, and how the service is.
If you want to read something which really details coffee establishments, and can answer your true coffee questions I suggest reading "Left Coast Roast" by Hanna Neuschwander. She gives excellent detail of the coffees these places roast and/or serve.
Zagat also provides a list of the "Eight Destination Coffee Meccas"
Seattle
Vienna
Rome
Oslo
Sao Paulo
Addis Ababa
Kailua-Kona
Melbourne
I was happy to see I had visited half of the cities in my lifetime. I can say Seattle, Vienna, Roma and Kona all have wonderful coffee houses. Again I might ask - where is Portland?
As I said reviews are subjective, but in the end, if you can't review the coffee, then what's the point of reviewing the establishment?
Charlie
Friday, March 1, 2013
CoffeeCON 2013
How many of you have heard about ComicCon? This is the annual love fest of all things fantasy and sci-fi. Usually it involves people dressed as anything in the George Lucas or Gene Rodenberry universes. Coffee Geeks, you have your convention now- CoffeeCON!
Fans of the Java and all things coffee will gather on May 4 in Warrenville, IL for a day of demonstrations, lectures, cuppings, and more information than you can imagine. Here are some of the classes which will be in session that day:
Pour Over Methods
Chemex Brewing Lab
The Importance of Correct Grinding
How to Host a Cupping Party
Turkish Coffee Preparation
There will be special guests. One of the guests is George Howell, a pioneer in the specialty coffee world, will present a coffee tasting lab, which is designed to better educate us on what truly goes into a quality cup of coffee. Howell opened the Coffee Connection at Harvard in the 1970s, and really created the specialty coffee genre. Among other things he created the Frappuccino. He sold his business to Starbucks, and has since created the George Howell Coffee Company.
CoffeeCon is an event for anyone who loves coffee. Whether you are a seasoned coffee geek, or someone who craves more than instant coffee, this is for you. Right now registration is $10. Come on....what a deal.
For more information go to.....
www.coffee-con.com
I am looking forward to going!
Charlie
Fans of the Java and all things coffee will gather on May 4 in Warrenville, IL for a day of demonstrations, lectures, cuppings, and more information than you can imagine. Here are some of the classes which will be in session that day:
Pour Over Methods
Chemex Brewing Lab
The Importance of Correct Grinding
How to Host a Cupping Party
Turkish Coffee Preparation
There will be special guests. One of the guests is George Howell, a pioneer in the specialty coffee world, will present a coffee tasting lab, which is designed to better educate us on what truly goes into a quality cup of coffee. Howell opened the Coffee Connection at Harvard in the 1970s, and really created the specialty coffee genre. Among other things he created the Frappuccino. He sold his business to Starbucks, and has since created the George Howell Coffee Company.
CoffeeCon is an event for anyone who loves coffee. Whether you are a seasoned coffee geek, or someone who craves more than instant coffee, this is for you. Right now registration is $10. Come on....what a deal.
For more information go to.....
www.coffee-con.com
I am looking forward to going!
Charlie
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Coffee Prices and Columbia
You may not have heard about this, but there has been a strike in Columbia for a couple of weeks now by coffee farmers demanding better prices for their Arabica beans. Arabica beans are the higher quality beans most of us drink everyday in our cups. Robusta is seen as an inferior bean. The problem is what farmers are being paid for coffee.
From a recent Financial Times article:
Arabica prices have plunged in the past 18 months are are fluctuating around $1.40 per pound. That compares with the unusually high 2011 average of about $2.55 a pound, and $1.76 a pound last year.
To off set the lower prices, the Columbian government has subsidized the coffee industry. Farmers are paid around $266 per sack of coffee. A sack of coffee equals approximately 132 pounds of coffee. According to The Columbian Coffee Growers Federation it costs $366 a sack to produce the coffee. If true, that is a significant hardship for coffee growers.
Let's think about this for a moment. Let's say you go to Intelligentsia Coffee and buy a 12oz (.75pounds) bag of coffee for $18. You just paid $18 for not even a full pound of coffee. The farmer is being paid on average $1.40 a pound for coffee.
Now I understand the coffee has to be transported to the U.S., housed, shipped, roasted and marketed. Seems to me though, a fairer price needs to be negotiated with the farmer. We know that fair trade has made some headway in this, but obviously it isn't enough.
Now there have been violent outbusts in Columbia with protestors and farmers. The strike will be ending this week, but what will have been gained by it. By reporting this, I hope more people will really think about what is going into their cup of coffee.
Charlie
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Today's Cup of Coffee 2/26/2013
What do Cher, Moonstruck and a cup of Bolivian coffee have in common? Well that is what today’s cup of the day will explain. Today’s cup is roasted courtesy of my friend Kris. Kris homes roasts using beans from Sweet Maria’s. Her roaster is a Gene Cafe drum roaster. This week she roasted several coffees for us. Today’s coffee was Boliva Buena Vista Organic Colonia Villa Rosario.
Charlie
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Today's Cup of Coffee 2/20/2013
This morning we are drinking a Bolivan Fair Trade coffee from Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's coffee is roasted by Mountanos Brothers Coffee Co. in California. Their coffee usually comes in vacuum sealed canisters. When you pull the freshness seal off....the smell is wonderful.
We brewed a pot of coffee, and put our usual soy creamer/splenda combo into it. So how is it? This is a coffee we have liked. There is a smoothness to it, and there are hints of caramel to the coffee. This is not a very light roast. The can says medium roast, but I believe it to be a bit darker than the average medium roast. There was no burnt flavor to the coffee, which tells me that it wasn't over-roasted.
A can of the coffee is $6.99. For that price this is a nice coffee. We enjoyed it.
Charlie
We brewed a pot of coffee, and put our usual soy creamer/splenda combo into it. So how is it? This is a coffee we have liked. There is a smoothness to it, and there are hints of caramel to the coffee. This is not a very light roast. The can says medium roast, but I believe it to be a bit darker than the average medium roast. There was no burnt flavor to the coffee, which tells me that it wasn't over-roasted.
A can of the coffee is $6.99. For that price this is a nice coffee. We enjoyed it.
Charlie
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