Coffee Calender

Have a look at this beautifully designed coffee calender. Perfect for a coffee lover's christmas.

http://www.thecoffeecalendar.com/

The coffee's in the back seat!

Can you believe my wife got upset when I used her beloved 1968 Mercedes to transport a few bags of green coffee?! (Land Rover off the road). I thought what was her's was mine!

Big Red Cups

It's almost a month since I posted as I've been focussed on planning for a new retail opportunitites for Melbourne. We've just installed a machine in at a new Spanish takeaway outlet called SOL in Collins Street Melbourne. Naturally they required cups so I paid a visit to our supplier and discovered he had brilliant tomato red cappuccino cups in stock. These have never been available before today and are the thick walled cafe cups. Let me know if you'd like a set of 6 for your machine while stock lasts.

Best mail delivery times for coffee

Recently some customers have given some honest comment on the inconsistency of delivery times so I'd thought I'd give some feedback. In the past we used to give end of Tuesday as the cut-off time for next day or day after arrival of your order. As I've got a little slack in my old age I've neglected to explain that any orders after Tuesday end bring us closer to the weekend which may hold up an order and also require newly roasted coffee to fill the order. If prompt and consitent delivery is important to you could I suggest you try and place your order on a Monday or before Tuesday end. Naturally we will always endevour to get mid and late week orders out as quickly as possible but the odds will be greater of the time stretching out.

Cocoa and chocolate - the real thing

The weathers gone cold which means hot chocolate sales will start to the rise. We carry three different cocoas - Brazil, Ivory Coast and French which are mixed with pure icing sugar to make drinking chocolate. If you've never compared drinking chocolate from the supermarket you'll be amazed by the difference. We supply in 400g and 2kg bags and you can use for chocolate in the cup or to make magnicent chocolate sauce by simply adding hot water to your consistancy and stiring. Beware you will want to eat straight from the cup!

Water quality and coffee machines

As I service machines for customers I'm noticing the quality of water declining. Probably as a result of the drought and increased chemical load in the water supply. Particularly in the older inner areas of Melbourne I'm seeing copper stain in water tanks. My recommendation is to buy a Brita filter jug and filter your tap water. They cost approx $25 for jug and $12 for filter. If the investment keeps your machine free of nasties it can only save you money over time.

Find the man between the coffee beans.

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in 3 seconds that your right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and one minute, then your right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the man between one minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes your right half of your brain is a mess, and the only advice is to look more for these types of exercises to make that part of the brainstronger. The man really is there.

In fact, once you find him, you cannot miss him afterwards!

New Product - Presso

Espresso coffee without a machine. Have a look....you'll be amazed. Stock arriving soon.

http://www.pressoaustralia.com/coffee-tips.html

here's some video from youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fntodFgah9Q&mode=related&search=

Water filters

If you've ever wondered whether a water filter between your coffee machine and the main supply was worth it have look at the filter above. The green sediment on the outside is copper! The water in the cartridge was the same green colour which suggested the filter was definately worth the installation but we needed to change it more often. With water restrictions in place in our city (Melbourne) and low catchment levels one can only imagine what chemicals are being added to supply "clean" water from the tap. I hope the water in your home is cleaner that the supply in this building! If you're worried I would recommend filtering the whole house and not just the coffee machine.

Ethiopia - Espresso machines from Mortar shells

Here's a great story from Reuters of an Ethiopian inventor who builds espresso machines from spent mortar shells found in the field.

http://www.reuters.com/article/email/idUSL1443239220070315

Atomic web link

If Atomics drive you crazy with desire here's a great website from one of our NZ cousins.....

http://www.wave.co.nz/~atomic/index.html

Bodum Antigua Grinder

We been selling the Bodum Antigua through our retail outlet for over a year. This is a grinder which offers all the features that many haven't over the years. I ran timed espresso tests with the ECM Giotto and was satisfied with it's ability to grind at a demanding fineness.

Stainless steel body
Timer switch to avoid

Good sized clear plastic hopper holding approx 300gms
Removable grounds cannister to transfer to dispense into machine or Plunger
Simple to adjust hopper

This grinder has been out of stock for the past 6 months which has disappointed many. I have just been informed by Bodum's distributor that stock is now available. Grab one while you can.

Coffee Review - Costa Rica Terrazu

When God stops for a coffee he drinks Costa Rica!

Costa Ricans drink more than twice the amount of coffee consumed in Italy!

When coffee lovers die they want to wake up in Costa Rica.

A tiny country inhabited by only 3 million people of which about fifty tend more than one hundred thousand hectares of coffee. Over seventy per cent of production comes from the mountains whose altitudes range from one thousand to seventeen hundred meters above sea level.
Costa Rica enjoys the best possible growing conditions for growing superb coffee. High altitude, temperate climate, cool nights and rich volcanic soil. Access to two ocean ports and support from a commercial orientated government has helped position Costa Rica as one of the worlds premium coffee countries where, by edict, only the Arabica varieties may be planted.

Of the seven regions where coffee is grown at altitude we sell Terrazu - grown between 1200 and 1700 meters above sea level this origin can be best described (by me) as malty, clean and pure, tangy, winey, balanced but full flavour with light body and density, exquisite.
Some coffee lovers recoil at the thought of Cost Rica being drunk as anything but black but the complexity of the flavour is enhanced by a touch of milk or cream.

Guatemala Antigua

Guatemalan coffees are some of the most amazing fragrant and aromatic coffees in the world. The natural shade and jungle of the Guatemalan highlands are the perfect environment for the bourbon botanical variety of arabica.
The highlands produce several of the world’s finest and most distinctive coffees including Antigua. Named after the austerely beautiful colonial city: Guatemala Antigua, this is a coffee that offers a complex flavour including smoke, spice, occasionally chocolate with acidity ranging from bright to powerful.
Antigua is Guatemala’s oldest and most famous coffee, grown by peasants organised into mill cooperatives producing meticulous quality. The Lake Atitlan cooperatives practice coffee production at the ultimate end of environmental correctness: organically grown in a dense, bird-friendly shade** canopy of native forest.
Antigua is one of the highest grade of Guatemala coffee classified as Strictly Hard Bean (SHB). The regionally designated coffees (Antigua, Atitlan, Cobán, etc) are tasted and approved as meeting flavor profile criteria established for these regions by ANACAFE, the Guatemalan coffee association.
The overiding aroma of Guatamalan coffee when ground is roast lamb! Even with as little as ten percent in a blend the distinctive aroma can be detected. The start to the palate is full not very complex but quickly moves into the aromatic and exceptional body of this coffee. The acidity is medium and balanced at the darker roast colours and the finish is mouth filling and it has a rich syrup-like chocolate character to it, the finish leaves the palate full, satisfied and creamy. As a drip and plunger coffee it develops a stronger acidity and a cleaner finish but the body character is not as pronounced.
It is also very well suited to blend and create an outstanding plunge/filter
coffee on its own.
ENJOY!

credits to Scott Bennett , HA Bennett
"Shade-grown" coffee is a method by which coffee is grown. It can apply to commercial or specialty coffee, but is found more frequently in specialty coffee production. Shade grown coffee is grown under a canopy of shade trees, which provide habitat for birds and other species, enrich and conserve soil, and in many cases decrease the need for chemical inputs. Shade-grown coffee thereby contributes to protection of natural habitats and tropical forest conservation in countries where coffee is produced.

Cafe Cubano (for ECM Giotto owners)

One fine day a lady (originally from Argentina) came into the roasthouse and requested a Cafe Cubano. We had Cuban coffee roasted so she showed me how to make one. In Cuba the barista will add half a tspn of sugar to the ground coffee when loading the portafilter. The extraction gives a deep, sweet and intense espresso as a result of the sugar caramelising and blending with the coffee.

You could try this with any coffee type and achieve the same enjoyable experience.

Coffee Select Review - Indian Monsooned Malobar

Centuries ago, when coffee beans were transported from Asia to Europe in sailing ships, purely by accident a new coffee taste was discovered. Monsoon winds and high moisture levels below deck caused the beans to swell during their voyages across the sea, causing them to change colour and acquire a uniquely distinctive flavour.

Today, a handful of producers on the West Coast of Southern India with special open sided warehouses for ‘monsooning’ recreate the atmosphere of sending the beans across the sea. Raw, green beans harvested from December to February are spread across the floor of these special warehouses, where moisture laden monsoon winds circulate around the coffee beans as the storms roll in from June to September.

This process dramatically increases the aging process - the beans turn pale yellow in color and swell in size, reducing their acidity. As the acidity levels drop, the beans take on a mellowed but consistent, musty flavour and impart a heavy syrupy flatness reminiscent of aged coffees.
These ‘speciality’ coffees are predominantly used in blends to impart richness and body to fresher, more acidic full flavoured coffees.

Both Arabica and Robusta cherries (unwashed coffees) are used for the preparation of monsooned coffees. However, better quality beans make a significant difference to the final product. Monsooned beans are traditionally only available for shipment from September to March. The annual production in India ranges between 3,500 and 5,000 tonnes depending on that year’s general coffee production.

International demand for monsooned coffee has increased dramatically over the last few years. The monsooned style of coffee is extremely popular in Scandinavian countries, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, USA and Japan.

Pan Forte

Baby Pan Forte. For those who are unfamiliar with Pan Forte it's a long life bread/cake full of nuts/fruit spice all mixed and baked to give an intense taste combination perfect to eat with a coffee. (that's the short description). Anyway the best way to experience is to buy, taste and enjoy. You know we've always been driven by a pursuit of the highest quality and this product is made inhouse. It contains many of the products sold through our shop including Almonds, hazelnuts, figs, raisins ...............

Perfect for Christmas or all year around. Price $11.95ea (12cm).

Coffee Select Reviews - Timor Maubesse

East Timor (newly named Timor-Leste) Maubesse
Timor Maubesse is a sweet coffee with remarkable complexity. Starting with the aroma which has distinct leathery and winey notes to the cup, where the wine tones deepen and give a smoky edge. Certified as organic, Maubesse is considered to be full-bodied with subtle spice. A natural acid helps to provide a smooth balance.
This beautiful jade green coffee is grown by small holding growers in central Timor who bring their crop down from mountain gardens to be processed in the town of Maubesse (3000ft above sea level). Maubesse is the higher-altitude coffee and the brighter of the other Timorese coffee, Aifu so most prefer it. Since independence the co-operatively owned Timorese coffee processing plants have invested in new facilities, wet-processing equipment and improved standards of receiving and sorting only red, ripe cherry. Maubese coffee is also a favourite as a dark roast. You’ll find velvety, syrupy smooth body and smokey toasted nut sweetness in the cup. If you like dark roasted Sumatra coffee, this coffee will most likely become one of your favourites.