Coffee of Late

Our Breville is not working properly. We seem to have a leak at the bottom of the machine. As a result, we have been making our morning coffee with the French Press. To be honest the French Press does two things for us.

First it saves on coffee. We tend not to waste coffee when making it in the French Press. Sometimes we make a pot of coffee, and then toss out the left over. Not so with the press. We make just enough to drink, and then we clean the beaker and are done.

Second, and more importantly, it tastes better. There is a stronger, fresher taste to the French Press than the Breville. I still would like our coffee maker to work, but it is good to know we have a terrific back up.

Charlie

Tips

Yesterday we were at a local eatery(name withheld to protect the not so innocent). The waitress was horrible. She was never pleasant. The food my partner ordered was undercooked, so when he sent it back, the food she brought back looked burnt. Then there was the scowl on her face. I get it though, she may have had a bad day, or was in a grumpy mood, or was just being herself. Every day I work with the public. Do I have my less than stellar days? I do, but I always put my best face on for the public, because they deserve good service.

When I went to pay the bill, my partner told me to leave .75 as a tip. I did. The cashier said, ".75?" I nodded, "Yeah, the service was pretty bad." She laughed. As we walked out, we heard her giggling, and telling others about the low tip. Note to self....do not go back to that restaurant.

How does this relate to coffee? Baristas work very hard, do not get a ton of money, so tips are key to their income. Now before you think I am going to tell you to tip at all costs - I'm not. Tips to me are earned, they are NEVER a given, nor are they intended to be. A tip is a reward for good service.

In a coffee house, here is how I tip. If I ordered a coffee, and all the person did was pour a spigot of coffee into a cup - no tip. I know, heartless, but really nothing extraordinary has been done. If the coffee is more involved, like a french press or Chemex, I tip. This is more labor intensive, and I can actually talk to the barista. Espresso drinks get a tip, because again, there is a skill and labor involved. If the barista has been extra nice....a lithe extra tip-wise.

Tips for me start at 10%. I hear you all yelling about it, but that is my base. Again, tips are earned, you want a better tip, you provide the better service.

A big faux pas, and this has happened to me, if the server or barista mentions a tip or the tip jar....no tip. I think that's rude. I see the jar. I don't need to be pointed to it. I also don't need to be told, "Hey don't forget to tip us." My response to that should have been, "Why did you do something amazing?" If I did that though, I would be that asshole guy. Come to think of it, I bet there's a certain server from yesterday who already thinks that.

Charlie

Gourmet Coffee?

I am usually dubious when an eatery claims to have gourmet coffee. Restaurants usually pay little attention to their coffee. Afterall, they want you to eat and leave, so the next folks can come in and sit and have some food.

What I don't like though is when a well established restaurant uses a good coffee company, and doesn't know how to make coffee. Every now and then my friend George tells me about how he has had Intelligentsia Coffee at a restaurant, and it was bad. I believe it was bad, because it has happened to me.

Let's say you have a wonderful dinner at well known restaurant, and now it's time for dessert and coffee. I typically am excited to see a coffee company I know mentioned on the menu, or by the server. Then I have the coffee, and I wonder, "What the Hell happened?"

What happened is you didn't get the coffee at its source. Let's say you go to your local fine coffee house. Those people are trained to understand the coffee they roast, how to properly brew it, and serve it.

When you go to the fancy restaurant, they have put ground versions of the fine coffee into a brewer, let it brew, and then it sits there. As coffee sits, the oils get all separated, and the wonderful taste that was there at the initial point of brewing is gone. What's left is a mere shell of what the coffee should taste like.

If this kind of coffee were a musical, it would be the Carrie Underwood "Sound of Music" and not the Julie Andrews version.

If you know all of this going into dessert, then the expectations are a bit lower. Better yet, after dinner, go to the local coffee house, and have a nice cup of java with a pastry from there. You'll have a better coffee experience.

Charlie

Charge by Attitude

Today I was reading through some news stories, and I came across one which I think is an inspired idea. A cafe owner in France put up this sign in his store....

The nicer you are to the server, the lower your price. All you have to say is, "Hello, a coffee please," and you are charged less.

The cafe owner insists the sign is a joke, but I bet there is a barista or three, that wouldn't mind doing this.

Charlie

More Holiday Coffees

As I drink more coffee, and as the holidays approach, I want to talk about two more coffees which I am enjoying, which would make wonderful gifts to the coffee lovers in your life.

First up is Hullbaloo Holiday Blend by Metropolis Coffee. Yesterday I mentioned one of their usual blends as a gift idea. Today I talk about their special blend for this time of year. Hullabaloo is a blend of Central and South American coffees with Ethiopian coffee. The combination makes for a strong and absolutely delicious cup of coffee. This is something you would serve your guests at your holiday party. There is a strong cocoa flavor, without it being sweet. There is a definite nuttiness to it. www.metropoliscoffee for more info, and to order a pound.

My second recommendation is Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gelena Abaya Natural from I Have a Bean Coffee. I wrote on the mission of this coffee company earlier in the year. They strive to help those coming out of prison with a job and a purpose, all while roasting excellent coffee. Their founder and master roaster Pete Leonard is dedicated to more than a mission, he wants to roast the very best coffee.

Their Yirgacheffe is very tea like. It's a very smooth cup of coffee, without feeling too mellow. This is the kind of coffee you might want in the afternoon. Just enough to get you through the day, but not feeling like you are wired. If you need to discover a great coffee, and a great coffee roaster, I recommend I Have a Bean.

To order some coffee for the holidays go to www.ihaveabean.com

More holiday ideas to come.

Charlie

Back in Time for the Holidays

There are times the world gets in the way from what you want to do. That has been the last few months of my life, so if anyone out there is still reading this blog, I apologize. I am back, I have things to talk about, and am going to be more diligent in my blogging. Just in time for Christmas!

Today I want to talk about some coffees which I think are great gifts for people for Christmas, and one that isn't.

Dark Matter Coffee: Warm November Rain - This is a wonderful blend, I got try drink a few weeks ago, and it has stayed with me. If a coffee can be strong and mellow at the same time this is it. There is a smoky attitude to this coffee I like a lot! Dark Matter says there is dark chocolate and hints of grapefruit in it. No doubt this contributes to strong and mellowness I experienced. This is a limited coffee.... www.darkmattercoffee.com to order some.

Metropolis Coffee: La Cordillera Blend FTO. This is a coffee I am sure I have written about before, if not, shame on me. This is not a limited or special blend, but this is a special coffee for Metropolis. The roasters tell you that there is pecan and toffee hints in this rich cup of coffee. Oh yes, but I detect an almost maple aftertaste. This is a coffee you want with a nice Christmas breakfast. Pass the bacon please! This is one of my all time favorites from Metropolis, and you should try it too. www.metropoliscoffee.com .

Starbucks: Christmas Blend. This is the one I will encourage you not to give people this year. In the past I have enjoyed the Christmas Blend, but not this year. As is Starbucks stock and trade, they roast a little too long. Sometimes they can get away with it, other times...not so much. This is not a great coffee. Heck, it isn't even a good coffee. It's decent, but don't your loved ones deserve more than a decent cup? What bothers me most about it, is the stale taste. It tastes like they roasted it in May, and it's coming out now. Some of you may ask, is it fair to compare a small batch roaster to a mega roaster like Starbucks? My blog....so yes.

To be fair, I have had the Christmas Blend in Starbucks, and it tastes better than what I am buying and drinking at home. Who knows maybe they have the fresher beans.

Over the coming days, I will highlight some other great gift ideas.

Good to be back....I missed you.

Charlie

Welcome Back: Trader Joe's Limited Encounter

Yes, I am back to posting. I took a bit of a hiatus, but am ready to post some more. Hope everyone is doing well, and enjoying some good coffee.

This morning I headed to the local Trader Joe's to get some coffee. For store coffee, I think they are about the best around. Is it fresh? No, but I like what they have. As I was figuring out which beans to select, a store employee asked me if I had questions about the coffee. I told her I was just trying to figure out which to get, but I was good.

She decided to tell me about the Tanzanian Peaberry, which I've had, and it's tasty. She pointed out it's a limited edition, which is why it's on sale(I smirked inside). They had a Nicaraguan coffee I hadn't tried, and I asked her about that. "Well it's ok if you like ok coffee, but the Peaberry is great because it's limited," she said.

She proceeded to tell me what a peaberry is. She explained to me that when they open up the coffee, there are little peas, which makes it a better coffee. Just so I was clear, and to be a bit snarky, I said, "You don't mean peas like green peas?" "No, those are vegetable peas, these are coffee peas, and they're limited." Ah....I see. I got the peaberry, and as usual like it. It's limited you know(of course they have it every week in the store, so there may be a different definition of what limited is).

Next, I headed to the register. The guy was very nice, as he was sipping his coffee and ringing me up. He reminded me this was limited(I get it). He asked if I ever used a K-Cup. I told him my thoughts, and he nodded his head. He agreed that really good coffee would not be made like that. "What you really need to do, " he said, "is to spend the extra money, like pay a good $30 for a Mr. Coffee, that way you get good coffee."

I mean really what do you say to that. I told him he might like to try a french press. "Oh I have one," he said, "I just have to have a cup of coffee before I make it, because it takes so long to do the press thing." Oh and that coffee he likes to have prior to his french press? A Dunking Donuts K-Cup.

I said nothing more, but "Thanks" and off I went.

You know that Tanzanian Peaberry is good....and it's limited.

Charlie