The Age Melbourne Magazine Top 100 cafes

askthecoffeeguy

Well folks I'm pleased to announce that my cafe, Foxy Brown Espresso - located in Northcote - has made that grade and we're included in the forthcoming edition which is due out this coming Friday, the 24th January, 2012

Dont know too much about it as yet (apart from having had confirmation from the Editor of our inclusion) - but I believe it has something to do with 'The Coffee Army" (whatever that is!) and is a special insert accompanying the mag on the day!

Dont want to jump the gun just yet (as I dont know what the article says) - but if the publicity is good - well, that can only be an added boon for business!

Anyway - assuming that its a favourable writeup - its certainly a timely and welcome shot in the arm and a boon for any cafe that puts quality first ahead of quantity - and a great accolade for my dedicated and wonderful staff

Stay tuned,

Pat

Beanz

If you Google "Coffee Army" some information comes up. The reviewing process was conducted over six months and involved 150 reviewers who visited 1000 cafes and conducted 3000 seperate tastings.

askthecoffeeguy

Cool I'll look it up!

FreshCoffee2

And a great accolade for the captain at the helm. Congratulations Pat 😉 (PS you meant 24th Feb not Jan?)

Beanz

The results are out http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/going-going-bean-auction-rooms-toast-of-the-roast-20120221-1tlte.html#ixzz1n3JEMHvt

askthecoffeeguy

yep, read it - thanks - cant wait for the hard copy to come out we're working overtime behind the scenes in the cafe in preparation of the anticipated rush that that a run on of positive publicity in The Age can bring

Koffee_Kosmo

Congrats on being considered Pat :thumb: And although have never gone there - congrats to the first place Auction Rooms KK

askthecoffeeguy

Yep - auction rooms is an amazing environment - congrats to all who made the grade and I'm sure it will provide a welcome shot in the arm for a struggling retail sector

Brett_H

Congratulations Pat! A wonderful testiment to your vision and execution!

UNM

Ok, read through the coffee army handbook (Still pissed off I missed out on the recruitment process due to our overseas trip - could have been fun.). quotes: Any barista doing latte art in a takeaway cup needs to get over themselves Great coffee is three parts grower, six parts roaster and one part barista Your thoughts? Q: Anyone been to Chosen Bean in Ferntree Gully?

askthecoffeeguy

UNM wrote:

Any barista doing latte art in a takeaway cup needs to get over themselves Great coffee is three parts grower, six parts roaster and one part barista Your thoughts?

I cant tell you how many 'pretty' coffees I've had that tasted like s***! As to one part barista - what a joke! Coffee is surely the only product I know that can be and often is completely stuffed by the 'end user' - doesn't matter how good the bean is or how well it's roasted - if its made on a machine that runs too hot, or hasn't been well maintained, or if the group head is not purged between extractions, or the handle wiped out with a dry cloth, or stored properly, or used at the appropriate date post roast, or ground to order, or dosed properly, or tamped correctly, or served in a preheated cup, with the milk textured correctly (and not reheated), and served with a 'decent' milk (not the rubbish that most places use) - well, these are only some of the variables that can be stuffed up by the barista - so I would say that they have a considerable impact upon the end product It's not like a bottle of wine where you open it up and pour a glass (ok I know there are considerable other variables involved here as well - but they're much more manageable and harder to stuff up) - the barista can and often does completely ruin what would otherwise be a perfectly respectable beverage To my mind some consideration and respect should also be given to the farmer (or farmers) who grew the beans in the first place - the climate and other growing conditions that impact upon the bean, the processing and treatment of same - and the sustainability or otherwise of the harvest - not to mention the lifestyle and living conditions of those who grew and produced it - 'from crop to cup' as the saying inevitable goes...

blanyon

Those quotes did annoy me a bit, it is always difficult to factor in the importance of the supply chain to the finished product. They left out the machinery too! As for the takeaway cup comment, well that leaves me to only practice on my coffee at home. What a stupid comment! If I want to make art on any coffee I should be allowed and not told to get over myself. Sometimes I do it for me and not to try and impress mr joe public who seem to be blinded by pretty pictures. (end rant) Well done to the age for trying a different process to recognize the organizations pushing the boundaries of coffee. I have a weekend planned for melb in June I look forward to dropping in on a few while I am there. Brett Why do readers of these articles in papers and mags feel the need to resort to name calling when they don't like the outcome/tone/direction of the writer. Is this just restricted to specialty coffee or are people just getting annoyed that they are being told they don't know everything?

mycuppa

UNM wrote:

Ok, read through the coffee army handbook (Still pissed off I missed out on the recruitment process due to our overseas trip - could have been fun.). quotes: Any barista doing latte art in a takeaway cup needs to get over themselves Great coffee is three parts grower, six parts roaster and one part barista Your thoughts? Q: Anyone been to Chosen Bean in Ferntree Gully?

One of our customers also got a great rap in the Review. It's a private label blend. 4 parts farmer, 3 parts roaster and 3 parts barista. Despite all the rubbish that is posted in forums about the differences in equipment being so dramatic, I think the machinery factor is less important these days as the standard is quite high and it really comes down to the operator, so I tend to bundle the equipment and the barista as the same weighting. The number of people who now think a cafe is rated on the brand of espresso machine installed should really get over themselves. When considering farmer, you need to consider the roaster as it is the roaster who picks the farmer, not the other way round.........so perhaps in hindsight the roaster weighting has more relevance. Chosen Bean - yes of course. My good mate Steve Coster owns that cafe. His coffee is roasted on a Geisen.

UNM

moto coffee wrote:

Well done to the age for trying a different process to recognize the organizations pushing the boundaries of coffee. I have a weekend planned for melb in June I look forward to dropping in on a few while I am there.

So is Donut King in Greensborough one of the places you'll visit? I'd seriously like to know if they are any good, or if that was a reviewer that doesn't know their coffee. No reason they can't be turning out good coffee, just slightly unusual to see them there (Degani in South Morang was another odd one).

mycuppa wrote:

The number of people who now think a cafe is rated on the brand of espresso machine installed should really get over themselves. Chosen Bean - yes of course. My good mate Steve Coster owns that cafe. His coffee is roasted on a Geisen.

Machine is important for marketing purposes - many people will visit a cafe because they see the shiny La Marzocco from outside. Can also help attract baristi if you are recruiting. I agree that it has relatively little effect on the coffee quality though. Will nip in to Chosen Bean when I am passing. Not too far out of my way. Who woulda thought good coffee was available in Mountain Gate S/C?