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tapping pitchers

sooo... i know that tapping the milk when you are done steaming seperates the milk and microfoam, but with a good swirl doesn't it adequately mix it in again to make it velvety smooth?



Someone told me that I should be able to make foam so perfectly that you don't have to tap it or swirl it before you pour. Is that true? I don't recall if I've ever seen anyone NOT tap the pitcher. Is that a goal I should aspire to? anyway...I'm just learning to do latte art and stuff, so any help with… Continue

Added by Noelle on March 16, 2008 at 10:04pm — 4 Comments

St. Patrick's Eve

'Twas the night before St. Pat's Day and all the through the house,
Just one creature was stirring, the wee Guinness mouse.
All the pint glasses were on the bar top with care,
In the hopes that St. Patrick soon would be there!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Added by Troy Reynard on March 16, 2008 at 4:50pm — No Comments

Tips for a Cure, Contributing to Race for a Cure to Breast Cancer

So, I had my first fund raiser at my little coffee bar, I challenged my customers to raise money for the Race for a Cure, to cure breast cancer. I matched the first $100 dollars of tips raised we raised a total of $233.00. It was an easy way to give back as well as a great way to connect with my customers. Many of them came up and told me their stories and thanked me for doing a little bit to build awareness and to give back to the community.



On a side note the event also increased… Continue

Added by James "Cosmo" Cramer on March 15, 2008 at 11:00pm — 2 Comments

Meeting "The Hoff" and today's cupping for joy.

First, let me say James Hoffmann is every bit a champion as his title establishes him. What a great guy to educate people about coffee, I mean, really. A nice guy, very personable, with the ability to guide you in the ways of espresso without you even knowing it. Bloody brilliant, I say. I went along with most of our small coffee company, and we were all impressed with the whole thing. It was great to hear him talk of his ride to the top, and to be able to see him work his espresso magic right… Continue

Added by Jason Dominy on March 14, 2008 at 6:30pm — 1 Comment

ratemyrosetta.com

Greetings Coffee Crusaders! Just found this site called ratemyrosetta.com thought you'd all like to check it out! If you have already I'm sorry, just new to this entire network that I never knew existed!

Added by Nicely on March 14, 2008 at 12:42pm — 1 Comment

Simple Description of Coffee Plantation in China

In China, there are three places where coffee can be planted. One is Yunnan, where they plant arabica beans; The second one is Hainan, where they plant only robusta beans. The third one is Taiwan, no idea what they have. Suppose that they have only robusta beans, due to the low atitude.



The arabica beans of Yunnan is tasted great, in drip coffee. It is not good for espresso. The beans from Hainan is not good for drip coffee, but maybe good for some blends of espresso or drip coffee.… Continue

Added by Peter Tam on March 14, 2008 at 8:13am — 3 Comments

GLRBC

In Milwaukee with Patty. Ready to represent the Sota and Kopplin's here as the only out of region competitor. Will post blogs as the event proceeds. For now it's time for me to prepare. Patty and I are going to rock out the "4th Machine" here in the next little bit. Fair thee well.

Added by Andrew Milstead on March 14, 2008 at 7:57am — 2 Comments

Fair Trade Paper - cuz you asked

Here is my paper... because apparently there were some who wanted to read it. I want to say that because of the class requirements, the draft is pretty superficial, but all the sources that I used were sooooo good and in-depth. Anyway, hope you learn something :)



Fair Trade 1









Running Head: FAIR TRADE









Fair Trade: The Revolution

Noelle Connolly

Eastern Washington University





March 2008



Fair… Continue

Added by Noelle on March 13, 2008 at 3:58pm — 1 Comment

Does the size of coffee beans matter?

I would like to discuss how many of you have ever ask about this issue. It is easy to become confused with the variety of coffees available based on size grades. Usually, the grade depends on the percentage of coffee that remains in a specific sieve. For example, Supremo coffee must be 95% above 17 screen and 5 % between 16 and 14 screens.



The preparation of many lots of coffees based on the size of the beans have two main reasons; the… Continue

Added by Andres Castro on March 12, 2008 at 1:56pm — No Comments

Point-of-Origin Tours in Wall Street

Well, not really on Wall Street, but The Wall Street Journal featured an article on point-of-origin tours on March 11*. "Tours to Fair-Trade Farms Help Coffee Sellers Spread Word" tells about tours to coffee producing regions being conducted by various coffee companies. The article really hits on the transformative nature of these trips. When you have a chance to visit the… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on March 12, 2008 at 11:33am — No Comments

20th Anniversary Celebration Tickets Available

The year 2008 marks two decades of Coffee Kids helping coffee-farming families create vibrant communities. Celebrate with us at our anniversary dinner on May 3rd at the 2008 SCAA Conference in Minneapolis, Minn.



Throughout the evening we will reflect on the achievements and challenges of the last 20 years, look ahead to the future, and acknowledge those who have stood by us and our partners in the work. Speakers will include Coffee Kids Founder Bill Fishbein, Executive… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on March 12, 2008 at 9:00am — No Comments

I win!!!!!!!




CRAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Added by Dan Griffin on March 11, 2008 at 11:37pm — 3 Comments

Was the MANE Jam a dream?

Nearly a week since it began, it seems so unreal to me, all these great coffee minds bringing their knowledge to the average workaday barista and shop owner. My highlights include:



The organizational help of Gerra Harrigan and the entire New Harvest Crew.



The support of Counter Culture, sponsorship-wise and the talents of their staff.



The AMAZING keynote by Jon Lewis. Time spent and ideas shared with Jon Lewis.



Peter G. showing everyone the face of… Continue

Added by Troy Reynard on March 11, 2008 at 6:57pm — 2 Comments

Coffee Kids’ 20th Anniversary Dinner, May 3rd

Coffee Kids’ 20th Anniversary Dinner, Saturday, May 3rd from 7:30 pm to 9:30, Minneapolis



Coffee Kids’ will commemorate two decades of helping coffee-farming families improve the quality of their lives at a special anniversary celebration. All coffee professionals and fanatics are invited to join the festivities on Saturday, May 3rd from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the Minneapolis Convention Center. With live entertainment provided by Putumayo World Music, a cocktail reception, a… Continue

Added by Matt Milletto on March 11, 2008 at 12:39pm — No Comments

Upcoming Trade Shows


Northwest Food Service Show - April 27-28, 2008
Seattle, WA
Booth # 929


SCAA - May 3-5, 2008
Minneapolis, MN
Booth #'s 932-934


World Tea Expo - May 30-June 1, 2008
Las Vegas, NV
Booth # 719


Coffee Fest - September 12-14, 2008
Seattle, WA
Booth #'s 1105-1107

Added by Mike Spence on March 11, 2008 at 12:30pm — 1 Comment

Barista Exchange Featured on SlashFood.com


Found a cool write up on Barista Exchange on the called "social networking for the coffee-obsessed".

Check it out!

Added by Matt Milletto on March 11, 2008 at 10:18am — No Comments

Frozen Coffee Drinks and Smoothies

I have been trying to avoid this for a long time but the day has come. We need a blender and we need to get set up with frozen drink mixes. When we were in Bozeman, we pretty much could get away with Italian Soda and iced coffee drinks. Here in Oklahoma, not so much.



So, I really like what Caffe D'Amore is doing with the new Bellagio line of frozen drink mixes and I think that is probably what we are going to use. We also need fruit smoothy… Continue

Added by Jason Duncan on March 11, 2008 at 6:04am — 13 Comments

Road Trip

I just got back from India. What an amazing place. A family of four rides on one single motor bike with the mother side-saddle. I saw some fantastic coffee estates. And tried some great coffees. I had an Indian Civet Cat coffee and a MONKEY COFFEE! The monkeys bite the cherries off the coffee trees and unlike the Civet cats, they spit out the parchment coffee. It makes it much harder to pick up because the beans are lying around on the ground individually whereas the Civet cat coffee stays in… Continue

Added by Instaurator on March 10, 2008 at 7:21pm — 1 Comment

Let the Games Begin!

As Mike mentioned last month, Alterra Coffee will be hosting the 2008 Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition (GLRBC) this weekend, March 13-16, at the P.H. Dye Building, 320 E. Buffalo Street, in the Third Ward. With some of the best baristas from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio pitted against each other, it should be a very tasty… Continue

Added by Mary Dally-Muenzmaier on March 10, 2008 at 3:15pm — No Comments

Coffee Pirates!

Yo ho! Avast ye Baristas. We be mercenaries for coffee quality. Our quest: study our map and seek out the best coffees, prepare creative concoctions, and present our elixirs and libations with personality and flair! Savvy?



Coffee Pirates be on a recruitment quest to find more Pirates to join our crew....



We seek to break with tradition

We want to be our own coffee specialists

We question the status quo

We want to promote and celebrate quality

We desire… Continue

Added by Spencer on March 10, 2008 at 10:39am — No Comments

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