Two different experiences, two blocks apart

We decided that a Sunday afternoon coffee was the order. So we set off to try out Bunker in Milton.
Unfortunately that seems to be a weekday thing and all we got was some closed doors. So, what to do?
I start heading for Urban Grind, I know I'll get a good cup there. Laurene says that we really should go somewhere else and try them out. Ok I'll give, so we look up on my Beanhunter app to see what is local and rated highly.
Rating at a whopping 9.8 was a little place in Paddington called the Little Patisserie. With such a high raging it has to rock our socks off right? Wrong. It would seem that the critic who gave it such a high score has very low standards.

The cafe was not busy. A young Couple placed there order just before mine and went to sit down. After placing my order for two takeaway coffees I went for a short wander down the road to give her time to prep the first order and mine.

When I got back, the table was still bare and so I sat, to wait.

Finally she emerged with their order and went back in to create my much anticipated coffee.

Still I wait.

Eventually I get my coffees and banana bread and head back to the car. When I get there I open my cup to check the crema and have a sniff of it's aroma. There is none of either. Bum baarm.

There is nothing of the sort to be found. The black viscous liquid before me is bitter and burnt and lacking anything I want to taste from my espresso. Yuck. No seriously, yuck!! Rate a coffee that highly and you expect something good. Right. Now I know that one rating does not make for a good cafe. And even the banana bread was stale. She did ask me if i wanted it toasted but she should have stressed, IT NEEDS TO BE TOASTED!

Ok so the good points, the staff member was friendly and cheerful and the cafe looks like it would be nice to sit and enjoy a drink on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Young and funky, very new Paddington. I guess the sweets would also be nice on Friday when they are delivered.

So what do we do now. Both of our coffees and our snack are indigestible. Crap.

Laurene then says she heard about a little place further up the road on her Facebook from A Friend Told Me So. Check them out and friend or like them. It is another honest and reliable source of info for us Coffee Snobs.

So we pour out the crap and go and buy another coffee from "Hamptons".
From the outside you may not even realize they are a cafe. It is in the old Paddington and Flowers cafe building that I worked in, many years ago now. So it was a fond remembering as I tread those boards again. Only this time as a customer.

It is a giftware store with a cafe / restaurant at the back. Nicely decorated and quite busy. The manager or owner was very open and friendly and was keen to serve. He promptly took me order and even asked how much of the Doppio I wanted in my cup. Props. Nice to know that I would get what I asked for.

I went to see the awesome view, best part about the place that I remember.

The barista was focused and making all the right moves that I could see and promptly made my order. No banana bread this time but the coffee was there in a matter of moments even though the cafe was bustling with customers.

I returned to the car and within seconds we knew we had a winner. The smell was amazing. The crema was thick and smelt wondrous. The taste was a true sensation. Full of bitter sweet fruits ad rich caramels. Delightful.

I had to ask what coffee they used before I left because there is no signage around. They use St Ali from Melbourne. The menu looks great too. I'll be going back.

www.hamtonshomeliving.com.au


"Life is too short for bad coffee."

Chase the rider

A quick stop on the way to a wedding shoot and so we slip by the Chase the Rider in Jindalee. The place is pumping for a tiny hole in the wall style cafe.
We wait for a reasonable amount of time and the service is also acceptable.
I'm am happy with my coffee all be it served in a 12oz cup. 30mls is a cup that size just seems a bit of a let down. But it was well made and had the desired affect.

Let's go shoot wedding guests! ;)



"Life is too short for bad coffee."

Three Girls Skipping...

Three Girls Skipping is on Honour Avenue in Graceville. You wouldn't know it from the outside because there are no signs, anywhere. I had to walk past it to even see if they sold coffee.
Fortunately they do.

The friendly staff joked with me when I asked the name of the store saying it was a big secret. Don't tell anyone. Then they flipped that and said tell everyone. I said that would all depend on the coffee.

The cup was:
Genovese coffee made on a Wega.
Aromatic.
Great crema that hung around.
Bright flavour almost fruity.
Soft yet very satisfying coffee.

I will defiantly go back there because I have to try one of the awesome looking deserts they have on display in the cabinets. One I know my wife will love. The coffee was delicate and I know she will love that too.

If I had to have one point to critique them on it would be the cleanliness of the machine. For one of the first customers of the day the machine looked a bit grubby. You have to look after the machine for it to look after us. The bottom of my cup was a bit messy and it transferred to my hands. Other than that small point, I would rate them much higher than there closest competition.






"Life is too short for bad coffee."

Location:Glenwood St,Chelmer,Australia

Some helpful tips

Coffee making tips
For Bellissimo Coffee
By Stefan Cooper-Fox

The right Grind:
Coffee is best ground fresh and ground specifically for the coffee process you are using.
Eg. Plunger grind for use in a plunger only.

Store bought pre ground coffee is only uitable for stovetop and drip filter style coffee. This will never yield effective results from a domestic coffee machine.

Coffee storage:
Airtight container in a cool dry place. Use coffee at room temperature.
Refrigeration is only recommended for longterm storage of coffee and once it is taken out of the fridge it stays out.



Coffee styles at home...

Plunger:

One scoop of coffee per cup.

Tips:
Add a small amount of water to pot to warm and prime the pot.
Add coffee to water and stir - this prevents the ground coffee from being scalded by the water. Do not re boil the kettle.
Fill the pot with hot water and allow pot to sit until Colour preference is obtained, then slowly plunge coffee filter.
Pour to serve.
Coffee in the plunger will continue to extract if left in the pot. If you want to drink it later at the same strenght we recommend you pour it into a separate container to prevent over extraction.

Taste:
This can be a more subtle flavour if not let sit for too long. Very little oils are released in this process.
Character of coffee is revealed.

Stovetop: Cafeteria, Mukka

Fill the filter with coffee every time. Half pots cannot be made without a filter splitter.

Put size indicates number of espresso shots it can make.
Eg. 4 Tazze = 4 Espresso shots.

Tips:
Water in bottom chamber to just under the steam release valve.
Coffee level in filter, little to no tamping.
Do not tamp hard. Pressure will be too much.
Always wipe the rim and seal before screwing closed.
Low to medium heat. Handle away from the heat source.
Percolate until air is released then remove from heat. Pot will continue to percolate off the heat.

Taste:
Flavour will be fuller and more syrupy and intense than that of the plunger as it draws out more of the oils from the ground coffee

Syphon:

Coffee ground for filter works well here.

Tips:
One scoope per cup.
Start with heated water in the bottom chamber.
Insert top chamber to create a good seal.
Ensure filter is in place, add ground coffee to the too chamber.
Light flame under the bottom chamber. Ensure flame it not too large.
Wait until water has risen to the top chamber and stir gently until all coffe is wet.
Wait until all water has risen and bubbles are showing in top chamber.
Remove flame.
Bottom chamber will create a vacuum and draw coffee back into bottom chamber through the filter.
Carefully remove the top chamber and pour coffee into cups.

Taste:
More intense flavour than plunger. Enhanced flavour profiles. Some oils will be extracted in this process.

I hope this helps you make a better coffee at home.
Thanks to Mark from Bellissimo for getting me to put this on paper and get it out of my head.

Stefan


- Life is way to short for bad coffee.

Honor Espresso

With it's prime location opposite the Graceville train station and on a corner, this place caught my eye as soon as we moved to the area. I thought I Really have to go there! So on one of my first trips to the train station on morning on my way to work I swung by for a Double to go... The place looks well finished and there is a nice assortment of biscuits and muffins on the counter. The staff looked a little under the pump as there seems to be a strong cyclist cult there each morning. I ordered my Doppio and stood back to watch. The flow seemed a bit out that morning and I had to ask if my coffee was coming because my train was due. I got my shots and rushed to the train.

I made it.

My coffee was, less than a success. It had very little aroma and the taste was ordinary. Not bad as such. Just mot exceptional. I just wrote it of as a bad day for them and decided to try again later. It is my local cafe after all.

Today I missed my first train. No big deal as I had time. So round two for Honour Espresso. Still a small gang of cyclists gather out front but no where near as busy. And I opt for a have here coffee so I can sit on there funky city style benches in the sun.

The wait is not long and the crema looks good. The shot, for a double Espresso looks more like a doppio restretto. The aroma is non existent. How I do not know. And the flavour again is just ordinary. Not undrinkable but just not satisfying. Obviously they are doing some thing right because there is always customers there. Or maybe it is exactly half way on the cyclist route. Maybe I should try a milk based coffee and it will be better or maybe I should take my wife and see what she says.

Everything else gets a big tick.

Let's face it, I do Honour espresso, everyday.



"Life is too short for bad coffee."

Location:Oxley Rd,Chelmer,Australia

Me doing my thing...

- Life is way to short for bad coffee.

Single verses Blends

This may not be news to many of you but Single origin coffees are on the rise. They are running strong in Melbourne and have been for awhile but the trend is forging ahead here in Brisbane. It makes me very happy to hear this. Although I do love my blends it is nice to experience the true nature of a bean in all it's glory.

I began this journey working for Jasper coffee and really missed it on my return to Bris. Now that I work at Bellissimo I have this desire satisfied again.

The major difference is that a blend has been created. A single is just that, one single region and it can be nothing else. (dependent on the roast of course)

When you create a blend you begin with either a single origin or an ideal flavour and then you add to it create you desired experience. This can be anything from three to eight different regional beans. Talk about multicultural!! These beans would never come together in any other way. Ethiopian and Brazil with a small percentage of PNG. Wow. They are not exactly neighbors.

You get the idea.

A single is unique. It is only influenced but the soil and climate of the region it is grown. How high it is. How much rain it received. How it is harvested and dried. All of this effects the final product. And that being said, a harvest one year may be completely different from the next.

We are after all talking about an organic product.

One mistake many people make is to expect the same flavour experience from a single as to that of a blend. You will rarely find a single origin that gives you a similar experience.

My advice to you is that you get out there and try different single origin coffees from different roasters. You might find the one that really tweaks your fancy. I can still remember the Cuban Altura Lavada I had at Jasper quite a while ago now, but the memory still lingers on. Yes, it was that good. Better even than the Wallenford Estate Jamaican Blue. I know right. In my opinion only and only for my taste. You might disagree.

But you will never know if you don't explore.

"Life is too short for bad coffee."

Toby to the rescue...

Delayed blog entry

Sydney. Early flight with one side of the family in tow. Grumpy.

After way too long the air staff offer the coffee option. What? Come on Qantas get you act together.

Get to our first destination and they offer an espresso. Sure I'll try anything at this point. Its 10:30 and my caffeine demon is still not happy.
I get why looks to be a good shot of coffee. But the first sip reveals I have been duped. It singes the tip of my tongue and kills of some of my precious taste buds. I wait. Then finish it out of respect for my hosts.

Still not right.

We are now traveling to our next commitment when out of the corner of my eye I see Toby's Estate.

I almost slam on the breaks and power slide into a parking spot I'm that excited. I have heard very good things about this company and that the quality is exceptional. I was not disappointed.



The Corner Cafe. I forget the area because I was so focused on the coffee. I look about and I am quickly impressed by what I see. Tiny little cafe but the seats are full and they look like they really know what they are doing.

Several lovely Asian ladies running the show and a beautiful Novo Simonelli machine shining away. I was getting my hopes up even more.

My espresso was Devine.




"Life is too short for bad coffee."

D&D

Dandilion & Driftwood. Highly praised by it's reputation. Is the bar set too high?

Nope.

The place was a buzz and it was hard to even get a table. Lucky for me my guest got there early. A very simple but stylish back courtyard that you could miss if you did not know it was there.

I asked for the stronger flavour for my long mac and the owner offered the Driftwood blend. It came to me in a nice glass and the crema looked a little darker than usual. There was even a little more milk than I would expect for a mac. But it was by no means an inferior coffee. So much so I had another! I would have loved to spend the time and have a chemex or Syphon but I had work to do. Training to arrange.

All in all my experience was exceptional.

I would highly recommend that you pay a visit.


"Life is too short for bad coffee."

Bravo Belissimo!

The next big adventure I have been having is with Belissimo coffee. They are a small boutique roaster in the Valley near James St markets. I stumbled across them a few blog entries ago and when the Blue Skies started to grey I approached them. They have welcomed me into the family with open arms. I feel like I have been here for months not just days.

They have a strong following with the locals here and they are really very busy for a new to the scene coffee company.

The house blend, Emporio, is an award winning medium roast that is a great crowd pleaser. But there are quite a few other options depending on your taste buds. Strong Italian or a choice of the seasonal single origins available. Start with one and work your way around the range.

The most important thing here is the coffee. Not how rich they are or any other fluff. Food is simple but tasty and the sweets are delicious.

Come in and I will make you a wicked cup. Promise.




And if you are wanting to learn coffee or improve your coffee making skills... WATCH THIS SPACE,


- Life is way to short for bad coffee.