https://coffeeforum.org.au/ Tue, 23 Feb 2021 11:11:53 +0000 en Social — Coffee Forum https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/6454/mice-melbourne-2019 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 12:22:36 +0000 Social admin 6454@/discussions
Decided to put this in the 'Social' board in case a group of you want to take the opportunity to use it as a 'meet up' point in Melb!

A]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/6446/seasons-greetings Sun, 23 Dec 2018 13:55:48 +0000 Social admin 6446@/discussions
Will start another thread about any ideas anyone want to submit for the forum for the New Year under a different board, but we welcome new ideas...

cheers
A]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/6415/social-gathering-perth Mon, 06 Aug 2018 19:12:42 +0000 Social bu1073 6415@/discussions https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/6022/coffee-photography-pour-brew-shots-latte-art Thu, 12 Nov 2015 10:31:25 +0000 Social admin 6022@/discussions https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/6023/coffee-photography-cafe-shots Thu, 12 Nov 2015 10:32:55 +0000 Social admin 6023@/discussions https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/6015/the-case-for-bad-coffee-by-keith-pandolfi Sun, 01 Nov 2015 14:36:52 +0000 Social Brett H 6015@/discussions
The Case for Bad Coffee by Keith Pandolfi

Standing at my kitchen counter, I measure out two teaspoons of Maxwell House instant coffee into my favorite mug, pour in 12 ounces of hot water from a tea kettle, and stir for a moment. I look toward the automatic drip maker to my left and feel a pang of sympathy for its cold carafe that once gurgled and steamed each morning with the best coffee money could buy. On top of the refrigerator, my old friend the French press has gathered dust. When I notice a dead housefly decomposing inside it, I wonder what the hell has happened to me.

I wasn't always like this. I used to spend silly amounts of money on sturdy brown bags of whole-bean, single origin, locally roasted coffee at the gourmet market down the street. I would scowl after sipping an inadequately poured espresso shot pulled by an inexperienced barista if the taste was a little too bitter, the crema a little too thin. I waited fifteen minutes in the morning for a pour-over at a coffee house in my old neighborhood of Fort Greene, Brooklyn. When I spent a semester in Italy during my senior year in college, I made sure to follow local customs—to never order a cappuccino after 10 a.m., to stand with confidence at the local cafe counter as I downed my umpteenth espresso of the day, perfectly paired with a rum-soaked baba or, in most cases, a cigarette.

For a time, coffee wasn't just my passion, it was my livelihood. In my 20s, I managed a coffee shop in a tony Cincinnati neighborhood where we played Yo La Tengo on the stereo in the morning and Miles Davis at night. When Starbucks came to town in the mid '90s, I signed on as an assistant manager, and remained in that position until I was 28 years old. I watched with little shame as my friends became lawyers and business owners, journalists and chemists. I was proud of the fact that I knew my ginger-bready Ethiopian Sidamos from my rummy Ethiopian Harrars. I knew that it took 19 seconds to pull the perfect espresso shot. For a while, I considered entering a Starbucks training program that would allow me to open a location of my own. I wanted coffee—really good coffee—to be my life.

But lately, something has changed. Lately, I've been reacting to fancy coffee the same way a child reacts to an accidental sip of red wine mistaken for grape juice. I don't know when it happened, but I've devolved into an unexpected love affair with bad coffee. It's not just instant coffee that I hanker for each morning, either, it's any subpar coffee I can get my hands on. (As I write this, I am a sipping a watery cup of java from an old pancake house down the street from my office in Little Italy.) Instead of that fancy market in my neighborhood, I've begun perusing the coffee aisle of my local Ideal Supermarket like I once did the cereal aisles of my youth. I'm delighted by the big, red jars of Folgers, the yellow Chock-full-o-Nuts, the sky blue cans of Maxwell House.

The worst part of this new-found obsession is that it isn't even an affectation. I don't drink cheap coffee to be different. I don't boast of my love for Cafe Bustelo, which has become the PBR of the bearded Brooklyn set. I usually buy Maxwell House. There is nothing cool about Maxwell House.

Maybe it all started a few months ago when I found myself paying $18 for a pound of what turned out to be so-so coffee beans from a new roaster in my neighborhood. It was one of those moments when I could actually imagine my cranky diner-coffee-swilling Irish grandfather rising from the grave and saying, "You know what, kid? You're an idiot."

It's more than just money, though. I'm as tired of waiting 15 minutes for my morning caffeine fix as I am waiting the same amount of time for my whiskey, Madeira, cardamom, and pimento bitters cocktail at my local bar. I am tired of pour-overs and French presses, Chemexes and Aeropresses. "How would you like that brewed?" is a question I never want to hear again.

But perhaps my newfound allegiance to the House of Maxwell is that I simply prefer it over the expensive stuff (which, don't get me wrong, I still occasionally enjoy). Cheap coffee is one of America's most unsung comfort foods. It's as warming and familiar as a homemade lasagna or a 6-hour stew. It tastes of midnight diners and Tom Waits songs; ice cream and cigarettes with a dash of Swiss Miss. It makes me remember the best cup of coffee I ever had. Even though there was never just one best cup: there were hundreds.

The best cup of coffee I ever had was the leftover swig of overly cream-and-sugared Taster's Choice my father would always leave in his mug when he departed for work each morning (I would come downstairs in my pajamas and down it like a shot when I was just nine years old). It was the Folgers my father and I drank out of Styrofoam cups five years later while attending his Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in a church basement off a suburban commercial strip.

The best cup of coffee I ever had was the dirty Viennese blend my teenage friends and I would sip out of chipped ceramic mugs at a cafe near the University of Cincinnati while smoking clove cigarettes and listening to Sisters of Mercy Records, imagining what it would be like to be older than we were. The best cup of coffee was the one I enjoyed alone each morning during my freshman year at Ohio State, huddled in the back of a Rax restaurant reading the college paper and dealing with the onset of an anxiety disorder that would never quite be cured.

Then again, maybe the best cup of coffee I ever had was the one I drank in high school, right after my mother married a man named Ted.

Ted was short and portly and vulgar and gruff. Unlike my father, a dapper Italian and gifted home-cook who had a fondness for Strauss waltzes and old Platters records, Ted prefered polyester shirts, chain restaurants, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. He was a coffee and cigarettes kind of guy who liked to sit in window seats and watch the world go by. He grew up in a rough neighborhood, had an eighth-grade education, was a Korean War vet, and owned the largest blueprint company in Ohio. He wore a big gold bracelet with the word "Ted" spelled out in diamonds.

The two of us had nothing in common, but my mother would often send us out to pick up food for dinner at the local Perkins or Frisch's Big Boy. "Let's get a cup of coffee while we wait," he would always say with a sparkle in his eye as we arrived at our chain of choice. "We'll sit back and relax. Sure, just relax a little bit." But it was never just "a cup" of coffee—it was always three, and sometimes four. The idea of being stuck with Ted at booth or a counter stool made my head spin. We would be there for at least an hour as he talked about things I couldn't even pretend to understand—the blueprint industry, the stock market, the wisdom of the Republican party.

Ted drank his coffee black and I remember being self conscious as I peeled the lids off at least three plastic containers of half-and-half and stirred a second packet of Domino sugar into my mug. Eventually, though, I started to enjoy those little coffee sessions of ours. I learned that Blue Chip stocks were always a better bet; that you should pay for everything with cash; that Loretta Lynn's voice was the stuff of heaven; that George H.W. Bush wasn't as bad as he seemed.

Sitting at Ted's funeral a few years ago, I remembered the little phrases he would use every time we went out on those suburban hunting and gathering missions. When a waitress asked us how we were doing, his response was always, "If I was any better I'd be twins." His parting words to the cashier were always, "Take no wooden nickels and buy your own Cokes." After we buried him with full military honors, I honored him by going alone to one of the old Perkins we used to frequent and drank not one, but three cups of coffee.

I don't have memories of such bonding experiences taking place over a flat white at a Manhattan coffee shop or a $5 cup of nitro iced coffee at a Brooklyn cafe. High-end coffee doesn't usually lend itself to such moments. Instead, it's something to be fussed over and praised; you talk more about its origin and its roaster, its flavor notes and its brewing method than you talk to the person you're enjoying it with. Bad coffee is the stuff you make a full pot of on the weekends just in case some friends stop by. It's what you sip when you're alone at the mechanic's shop getting your oil change, thinking about where your life has taken you; what you nurse as you wait for a loved one to get through a tough surgery. It's the Sanka you share with an elderly great aunt while listening to her tell stories you've heard a thousand times before. Bad coffee is there for you. It is bottomless. It is perfect.

I found this on Serious Eats and thought you all might enjoy it: http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/10/the-case-for-bad-coffee.html

Don't hesitate to comment below :thumb:
]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5977/the-coffee-experience-moore-park-sydney Wed, 02 Sep 2015 16:23:16 +0000 Social admin 5977@/discussions ]

here's a bit of guff from the press release:
"Technology and demonstrations will be all the rage on day one of the show, with Mavam, the new under the counter espresso machine making its Australian debut at the Sensory Lab brew bar, powered by Huhtamaki and Service Sphere. Hands-on demonstration of the Aurelia Easy Cream technology and Turbo Foamer will be available at Espresso Mechanics’ stand, as well as cold press demonstrations and samples from Pomeroy Equipment, and a Project Origin cupping session with World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic of Ona Coffee from 3pm – 4pm.

If it’s the thrills and spills of barista competitions you’re hanging out to see, then Thursday is a great day to attend. ASCA will host the heats of the Regional Coffee Championships, uniting Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales baristas to compete together. Baristas from across the East Coast will have the opportunity to represent their state in the Barista, Latte Art, Brewers Cup, and Cup Tasting Championships.

If education is more your thing, delve deep into the DNA of coffee and barista techniques via the Danes Specialty Coffee Institute, which is hosting Specialty Coffee Association of America certified classes. The sessions will run from 3 – 5 September and will cover topics including espresso and milk steaming fundamentals, essential elements of espresso, instructor development programs, and how to grind, dose, tamp, and extract.

Note, there is an entry fee; to see the complete events schedule visit thecoffeeexperience.com.au/visitors/event-schedule/
]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5922/best-coffee-at-cafe-domobar Fri, 26 Jun 2015 23:34:36 +0000 Social GeekKopi 5922@/discussions
I offered to make her a coffee but she was hesitant at the start. She probably though I had a Nespresso ([emoji61]🏻Sue!) or a Jura auto.

I also managed to pull off a nice rippled love heart.

The beans I used were the espresso blend from mycuppa combined with Jersey milk.

As soon as she had her first sip she complimented the coffee and said it was the best she's had in a long time. She said I could be a barista as she was surprised of the quality of the drink. [emoji41][emoji38][emoji108]

It was my feel good moment and a check and balance for me that I am on the ball with respect to quality.

Made my day!



]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5918/fun-stuff-not-coffee-related Thu, 25 Jun 2015 10:25:37 +0000 Social admin 5918@/discussions
"The Washington Post asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by changing only one letter and supply a new definition:

[li]

Foreploy: any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid[/li]
[li]Sarchasm: the gulf between the author of sarcastic wit, and the person who doesn't get it[/li]
[li]re-intarnation: coming back to life as a hillbilly[/li]
[li]Hipatitis: terminal coolness[/li]
[li]Inoculatte: to take coffee intravenously when you are running late[/li]


have got a few more for those who also appreciate this sort of humour...]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5664/a-visit-to-cosmic-couples-roastery Sun, 11 Jan 2015 16:39:39 +0000 Social Lacehim 5664@/discussions
We had a great time, watched the master at work on the silver streak, and I learnt a lot about roasting that I didn't know!  Chester then made us quite a few coffees on the Slayer and I had a lovely cold brew.  Total newbie when it comes to cold brews me, and I found it very refreshing!  Can't wait to try it at home!  I'm still coming down from all the caffeine though!

Then the pager when off!   Chester got called away and left C-Man and I to our own devices!  He's a brave man!  We had a play on the Slayer and we actually got a few nice coffees out of it (which is amazing seeing as we had no idea what the hell we were doing), and I roasted up some MM with my KKTO and attempted to use some of the knowledge that Chester tried to teach me!

All up a great morning, and it was great to meet Chester and put a face to the name.

Thanks Chester for the invite, and I hope the little coffee tree finds a spot there.  Maybe one day you'll get some beans off it!

Hope C-Man survived my driving without too many nerves.  I couldn't figure out the stupid one way bridge Chester.  According to the bloke behind me I was being too polite by letting the queue of traffic backed up on the other side across.  Oh well we survived.

Here's a few photos.  Chester and I are shy! lol. 

C-Man at the controls


The roaster


The set up!  Nice!  Wish I had a shed like this!


One of many pours from the Slayer


It's what's in the cup that counts!

Grinders


Cold Brew


Chester's lovely dog kept us company


Cheers,

Lacehim]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5656/chat-session Fri, 09 Jan 2015 22:20:00 +0000 Social Lacehim 5656@/discussions
Chat has been pretty empty of late.  I thought maybe we could organise a time to be online, in chat at the same time for a group coffee chit chat.  What do you think?

It would be like having a social without leaving your chair.

Would anyone be interested?  We could grab a coffee, and get chatting.  At least you would be guaranteed an audience. ]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5609/bar9-jamdown-2014 Sat, 13 Dec 2014 18:44:45 +0000 Social adelaidecoffee 5609@/discussions
Craft beers (no bogan beers) and plenty of coffee and good times during the evening.

Couple of pics from all the action.




]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5489/rozelle-explosion-help-needed Sat, 06 Sep 2014 11:13:16 +0000 Social Kelsey 5489@/discussions
I'm down in Sydney again on one of my regular work trips. When I'm here, I stay in Rozelle (across the road from the Sackville, on Darling St). Thursday morning 4am, we were woken by a massive blast that destroyed a convenience store and killed three - less than 100 metres from where I stay with my friends.

Darling St Rozelle is an amazing community, it's one of my favourite places in the world and has a vibrant and caring community - one that's been utterly gutted by the events of the week. All the businesses along Darling St in the area are shuttered and anyone who had perishable stock has lost it. People have lost homes and livelihoods.

A close friend owns Penny Lane, a cafe and wine bar just two doors down from the explosion. Like everyone else, they haven't been let back into the area since the explosion and it's unlikely that anything will re-open in the next 5 - 7 days.

My friends are trying to organise some community action - a street fair, fete, anything to help the local community recover.

What I'm looking for is to see if anyone has a commercial grade coffee machine and grinder that my friends could borrow to run an ad-hoc cafe for a few days? Preferably a gas-fired machine (they might have to operate on the street), but really anything that could work for that sort of application would be great.

Please get in touch if there's anything you can do to help out with any short term equipment loans. They may need beans, but their supplier will probably sort them out.

Thanks all!]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5369/brisbane-catch-up Fri, 27 Jun 2014 23:00:39 +0000 Social QM0996 5369@/discussions
Michael hinted that he would like another catchup at some stage...

I would also like to support this, and would suggest end of August / September as teh weather should be a bit nicer for a gathering...

Comments / Feedback ?]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5321/mice-melbourne-15-18th-may Mon, 12 May 2014 11:25:59 +0000 Social admin 5321@/discussions
A]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5242/brisbane-coffee-weekend-rna-grounds Wed, 12 Mar 2014 12:07:15 +0000 Social QM0996 5242@/discussions
Come Saturday March 15th 2014, Cafe Biz will shine their bright lights on the stellar city of Brisbane for the very first time.
We are so very excited that Queensland Coffee Community and our AASCA QLD State Championships are to be partnered up with such an industry forward event.  Hosting a barrage of Local and National hospitality and industry greats, alongside QLD]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5150/sunday-with-old-grumpy-and-coffee-toys Mon, 06 Jan 2014 22:12:17 +0000 Social C-man 5150@/discussions
What a great guy, he drove out of  his way to help me out bringing all his  portable gear.
( Pharos grinder and Rossa espresso maker)

I expected a step up with the bigger burr grinder and there was, mostly with much,much better mouth feel, creamy smooth flat whites on my machine using my same  beans that I know well.

We ground up a shot that looked like a spectacular god shot on the nakid using my S24, but alas the shot was, although perfectly extracted had a burnt taste to it.  This is most likely why we could not get the fruit notes I  was looking for on my machine  with his  grinder.

The big surprise came however when he pulled shots on the Rossa, that crazy thing wound out the cleanest sweetest shots I have ever tasted with Zero bitterness. It was easy to pick out the fruit notes and it Put my S24 to shame. He did not do it every time but could do it once he dialed in my beans.

I have sense turned down the boiler pressure to lower the temp at the brew head on the  S24 I checked it roughly just using a milk  thermo and got 96+ deg. Now after winding the pressurestat down 3 times I get about 93 deg.  Haven't had time to test more shots yet.

If we had more time I would  have loved to grind one with my Rosco for his Rossa that would have  told me more about my grinder.

I think he has a great combo for manual shot brewing, would  be hard to beat with any machine, just a bit of a fiddle factor.

so the journey continues.







]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5220/any-cremas-gracing-beangreens-warehouse-open-day Sun, 23 Feb 2014 12:05:16 +0000 Social cosmic_couple22 5220@/discussions
Just wondering which Crema  members are going to Brendans warehouse opening on Saturday afternoon.

Good opportunity to put a couple of names to faces. Amanda and I will be there with bells on.

Hmmmm how to identify a Crema member,  oohh they will be the ones with jute sacks with a bean donations accepted sign attached  :D.

Chester]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/5180/a-kiwi-made-espresso-machine-with-a-difference Tue, 21 Jan 2014 20:32:00 +0000 Social Frank Beanie 5180@/discussions
there is an interesting auction going on over in Kiwiland.
Appearantly some clever Kiwi built an espresso machine a long time ago and is now selling it:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=686869058

Kind of reminds me of the movie where a Kiwi guy took his old Indian motorcycle over to America to break the speed record... ]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/3857/sunday-roasting-at-lachims-place Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:09:12 +0000 Social C-man 3857@/discussions
the first batch had a rolling smoking crack going off like a Chinese new year even after dumping it!

we were not so lucky pulling shots on the Quickmill, just was not the day for it I guess, never dialed in the grind.

Michael did make a legend Latte with some Panama beans he had, it was the best Latte I have ever had,

he did the milk flawlessly, the latte was seamless as if the milk and coffee were fused as one liquid, even when I set it down and came back to it 5-10 min later there was no separation at all, it was just so smooth and silky, really delicious.

I don't know how Michael stays so humble? 

I f had a machine like his, my head would be the size of his boiler!

Thanks Michael, can't wait to try the low cafe Brazilian we roasted!]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/3764/coffee-alchemy-friday-dec-14 Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:51:08 +0000 Social Kelsey 3764@/discussions
Not sure web as yet, will update tomorrow.]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/3609/espresso-bar-launch Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:12:31 +0000 Social MTP 3609@/discussions We have just opened up the new Espresso Bar inside our homewares shop in Annandale.  Tomorrow morning (Saturday 10th) Paul Bassett will be making free coffees alongside our very talented barista Travis Ashton, from 9am]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/3194/sunshine-coast-social Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:49:11 +0000 Social Lacehim 3194@/discussions
Time: TBA,  but looking at Monday or Tuesday next week 30th or 31st.]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/3482/latte-art-smack-down-brisbane Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:06:33 +0000 Social System 3482@/discussions
Friday, October 19, 2012 6:00pm


1st prize $450 silver chef
2nd prize $200 barista kit QCMS
3rd prize $100 Espresso components


Judges


Jean-Paul Sutton (3 Times National Finalist)
Matt Troughton (Qld Barista Champian 2012)
Josh Russell (Smackdown Winner)


email jia @ venezianocoffee . com . au
to enter $2 entry fee


Bar and BBQ




[color=rgb(59, 89, 152)]Veneziano[/color]

369 Montague, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4101
[color=rgb(59, 89, 152)]View Map[/color]]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/3180/kelsey-is-a-proud-new-dad Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:39:59 +0000 Social System 3180@/discussions

Congrats and please pass on teh best wishes for the Lady that did the hard work.


PS. How many coffees did you have during the process ?]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/3139/thanks-mr-amp-mrs-lacehim Sat, 14 Jul 2012 17:45:17 +0000 Social Kelsey 3139@/discussions
The pizzas were phenomenal, the company great, the venue relaxing and the hosts out did themselves.

THANK YOU.]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/2202/qld-coffee-culture-gathering Mon, 10 Oct 2011 01:09:41 +0000 Social System 2202@/discussions TIME:  At this stage looks like end of November / very early December ?  ( Or we go early  and forget Brett  :D )


PLACE: TBD 


A:  My Place is an option


OR


B:  I can have a chat to the power's  to be at the V's.  Maybe I can talk JP and others (Their Head Roaster) into making an appearance and even giving one and all, a brief update on their recent adventures including the famous "Brisbane HighSchool School Barista Championships".


OR


C:  GreanBean  or  ?????????


WHO SHOULD ATTEND:  Qld Sponsor's of Crema  and other interested parties 




COMMUNICATIONS:  Crema / FB / Twitter  and word of mouth.


The only two issue that come to hand;  Identifying NUMBERS and  if not at a coffee establishment,  then the supply of raw product and food may be a concern.











]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/2948/laundry-sessions Mon, 14 May 2012 15:10:47 +0000 Social cafelawyer 2948@/discussions Free cafe startup workshop for baristas looking to strike out on their own.
Its free and theres no selling involved. Its at the Ducale Laundry in Potts Point.
Lease negotiation techniques, rental benchmarks and sales projections for new cafes.
Its a good head start for aspiring cafe owners.
First Laundry Session is at 3.30pm, Monday 4 June 2012
www.laundrysessions.eventbrite.com.au
Cheers and beers [/size]]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/2939/quick-melbourne-coffee-trip Fri, 11 May 2012 10:20:53 +0000 Social beanflying 2939@/discussions
Chocky Croissant went down well with the other party but would have preferred it washed down with a little doggychino foam  ::) Gratuitous Naked Bag Rubs and Pats from the customers were also approved of being the pat tart that he is.

More as it unfolds  ]]> https://coffeeforum.org.au/discussion/2918/mice-and-melbourne-this-weekend Wed, 02 May 2012 21:32:43 +0000 Social beanflying 2918@/discussions

Camera batteries will be charged so there should be some pics for those not attending.

More info here http://internationalcoffeeexpo.com/ or follow them on
Twitter here for current updates http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCQQFjAA&url=http://twitter.com/#!/melbcoffeeexpo&ei=HhuhT7SQO46tiQfcl5nTBA&usg=AFQjCNEO69xqmGBKEzvxFVM6hYomeXRGaQ]]>