A supermarket close to where I work has a couple of blends for sale as whole beans (bag with one-way valve). One of them is "Lavazza Crema e Aroma". I had noticed it a couple of times while shopping, but hadn't tried it because it was expensive (179 kr/kg), but when Audun told me he likes it a lot, I decided to literally give it a shot. It was quite pleasant and easy to work with. Rich and powerful enough to give a satisfying cappa and nice as espresso as well, even though some people probably will prefer to add some sugar. I was surprised by this since I have not been impressed by some of their other blends, like for instance the Lavazza rosso. Fun to try, but too expensive to buy often.
The Imex CR-100 roaster I ordered last week has arrived in Norway, but needs to go through some customs handling by the norwegian postal service. I got a letter today with a form to fill out with some personal information etc. I returned that form today, but I guess it will take some days before I get my package. My guess is next thursday. Customs handling of packages is really frustrating here in Norway and expensive too. If you want the postal service to do it, it costs 150 kroner (1 euro = 8.5 kroner). 70 if you do the customs handling yourself through an internet service, but that is too much work to save 80 kroner. Sigh, well this didn't come as a surprise.
Have a nice weekend.
7/31/2004 03:17:00 PM
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Picture of prototype for new Rancilio Siliva model (as shown during a trade show in 2003). The best picture I've seen yet. I found it in a recent coffeegeek discussion forum thread. Temperato (norwegian distributor) posted a picture of it too in november 2003.
Personally I don't like the look of it, but maybe it looks better in person? I think the original silvia design is pretty nice in every way and I think it would be better to build upon that, improving it and adding features. 7/28/2004 10:48:00 AM
Besides espresso, I'm really into photography. Yesterday I was surfing around, looking for interesting sites. Using about.com 's phtography section as a venture point, I came across a couple of essays that deal with the way some people put a lot of emphasis on their cameras and lenses, to a point where they actually take fewer pictures, preferring to spend almost all their available spare time researching new gear and discussing it ad nauseum in various discussion forums. Ken Rockwell puts it this way in the opening of one of his essays:
"Your equipment DOES NOT affect the quality of your image. The less time and effort you spend worrying about your equipment the more time and effort you will be able to spend creating great images. The right equipment just makes it easier, faster or more convenient for you to get the results you need."
Ken Rockwell is a funny guy that often says things tongue-in-cheek, but I like his general thoughts on this subject. Many of the legendary photographers used equipment that can't even be compared to what we have available today, and a lot of the pictures are poor technically (grain, sharpness etc), but they have subject matter that is engaging and appealing. They could basically have been taken with any kind of equipment, cheap or expensive, hightech or basic.
So, why am I writing about it here on this espresso blog. Well, because I feel some of this is also seen in our espresso scene. People who use all their time and money to research machines, grams, pressure, PID etc. etc. They get so caught up in the technology and the discussions around it, that they get uncertain if they've got the right equipment, if their espresso drinks don't turn out the way they want because the equipment they've got isn't top notch. I've been there myself many times.
Brewing more espresso, trying different blends and coffees, learning to roast at home, talking to knowledgable people and generally learning is probably a better route to getting the coffee one wants. Once you get for instance a Rancilio Siliva and a Rocky you've basically got brewing equipment that can rival commercial equipment in drink quality. Our own champ Tim W. for instance, tells me that he has gotten some excellent shots from his silvia, and that he thinks the steam is top notch. Getting a HX machine is more a matter of it being easier and more convenient to do the same.
Still, I think this process of researching and discussing gear is pretty natural and fun to most people, and that it is a kind of learning process since you read and learn about coffee and espresso in general while doing it. I guess my main point is that many people feel insecure about the equipment they've got because the discussion forums (i.e coffeegeek forums) are so focused on the process of finding the perfect machine and grinder, believing that this is the key to perfect espresso. They get caught up in getting the right tamper, temp surfing or installing a PID, buying a la marzocco portafilter, upgrading machine and grinder yet again etc.) instead of relaxing and enjoying the coffee, learning to get the most out of what equipment they've got. It takes time to get to know the machine and grinder, and how to use it to get the best out of the coffee and blends you use.
I've registered my Atom feed on www.feedburner.com and set it up as a "smart feed". This means that this address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/gauperaa will automatically detect and feed your reader the format (Atom or a flavour of RSS) it needs. It probably works in Opera.
7/23/2004 12:30:00 PM
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Thanks go out to Tim for pointing out that the WBC homepage has been updated with more pictures from this year's championship, and that the nordic barista cup has put up a new website.
7/22/2004 10:45:00 PM
Hehe, I just ordered one. I love impulse buying. Turns out that I only have to pay danish tax and that the postage is 165 kroner (postoppkrav). All in all around 1400 norwegian crowns. I am buying it not because I believe the roast will improve that much, but because I get chaff collection and automated cooling cycle. Sweet.
7/22/2004 05:10:00 PM
Cool, I just discovered that a dealer in Denmark sells the Imex CR-100 roaster! It looks like a nice roaster, but I've read some reviews where people have reported failing units. Personally I wouldn't buy it without the possibility of getting a replacement unit if it fails. I've sent them an e-mail to enquire about postage, guarantee etc.
This makes it available to special blog reader software and as a dynamic content feed on other sites.
I don't know that much about this stuff, it is all pretty new to me, but I believe that in my case Blogger basically puts the content of my blog into XML format. The DTD that is used is in accordance to an industry standard (RSS, Atom etc.) that software and other sites can read. Please correct me if I am wrong.
If you have special software installed you guys can read the latest content from several blogs, news sources etc. in the same place. Sort of like the good old internet news if you know what that is. Cool if you read lots of blogs since you don't have to load up all the individual sites to manually check for new content. Personally I think it is a lot more fun to visit the sites themselves though, but I can of course see the value of storing content in xml format in addition to html/css. XML is a lot more versatile and flexible.
Thanks go out to Asbjørn for requesting the feed. Btw, he mentioned "Sharpreader" as a piece of software you can use to read RSS/Atom feeds. Another possibility is the free online rocket rss reader.
7/21/2004 11:02:00 PM
Monday, July 19, 2004
Some insane latte art pictures at the Caffe Artigiano website. Click "the caffe". I also like the short interviews with employees and customers.
I've been having some uneventful days, just trying to get a solid amount of rest after working a lot with a project at work. Nothing much has happened coffeewise either, except from trying some espresso blends with the popper coffee and playing around with the single filter that came with the Euro2000 junior. It turns out that I can produce a nice single using the same grind as the double if I use about 12 grams of coffee in the single filter. The extraction is very nice and steady. I really like both the double and single filter that came with the machine. Earlier I've just ignored them, believing that the only path to espresso heaven has been through the use of LM and Rancilio double filters. Turns out that the E2K filters are just as good and the puck falls out in one piece each and every time.
The popper espresso I did turned out quite nice. It didn't seem very promising when I tried some the day after, but after leaving it for 3-4 days it was nice. All the gases and carbonic acid from too fresh coffee can be almost offensive.
I haven't been roasting much lately since I've had so much preroasted coffee laying around from the trip to Italy. Most of it has been rubbish so I now I don't have much left :).
Last night I fired up the modified popper and did some roasting, quickly filling my kitchen with smoke and chaff and making the passing neighbours curious to what I was doing. I actually have a neighbour who works for "the norwegian coffee association". She asked me some months ago if I was roasting at home. She had noticed the nice smell :)
I had just received some "Mysore special" robusta from Sigurd (Stavanger kaffebrenneri), so I figured I should aim for an espresso blend with a costa rica as base, some robusta (10-15%) and ethiopia sidamo and guatemala il injerto to add some interesting notes. I am not sure if the costa rican will work as a base, but it was the only thing I could think of at the moment. I have some brazil cachoeira, but I have not been happy about that one earlier.
The kitchen smells lovely from the degassing coffee. I am fighting the urge to try them right away. Maybe I'll try a shot tonight after 24hrs degassing. I guess it would be best to wait another day, but it is hard :).
Btw, I bought a soda siphon last weekend to make "on demand mineral water". It basically works like this: fill with water, attach top, insert CO2 clip into a cap, attach the cap to the top part and turn it until the CO2 gas is released and is forced into the water. You then shake it violently to mix it well with the water. Cool gadget.
If you live in Oslo you can pick one up at 25% off in the "Glassmagasinet" store. Normal price is 599 kroner. Go to the kitchen gear department in the cellar and then turn left and walk into the adjoining section. They have the siphons displayed at the top of the shelf behind the counter. 7/15/2004 01:38:00 PM
I've had a pretty nice weekend. On friday at noon I went to Stockfleths Lille Grensen to taste Tim Wendelboe's speciality drink, the "Tiramisu a la Tim". It was really good, even better than the one I tasted during the nationals in Trondheim. He has made it fruitier and more flavorful in general, and lighter. Certainly partly due to the superb australian espresso he uses in it, "Mountain top". I got a double shot with that, and then another one. It was maybe about 11am-12am then and I had already drunk a double cappa and a double espresso during breakfast. In total I had downed about 8 shots of espresso and the day hadn't even fully started!.
While I was there I asked if Tim could demonstrate the technique I call the "stockfleths move" and let me tape it. He was ok with that and I made a clip that I have uploaded for your viewing pleasure. The aspect ratio of the finished movie isn't like it is supposed to be because I didn't manage to figure out how to output a .wmv movie in 240*320 instead of 320*240. Notice how he doesn't spill any grounds while doing the technique, and the small amount of coffee that has to be swiped off since he (because of his routine and experience) knows exactly how much that is needed. Tim commented on his technique in norwegian, but somehow the mike on my digicam didn't work when I did the clip. Oh, well, you english speaking guys wouldn't have understood it anyway :).
A bit queasy from all the espresso on a relatively empty stomach, I said goodbye to Tim and Bernt and took the train to my brother Anders in Halden. Previously I have given him my old Silvia and he has paired it up with a rocky b&w model. We made some really nice shots with the mountain top coffee I had brought. A superb single origin espresso. A bit expensive (65,- / 250g), but definitely worth it. Go and buy some if you live in Oslo, before their stock runs out. Anders's knock box was quickly filled with nice pucks.
Lastly I have to give praise to the good old Rancilio Silvia. A beautiful machine that never seizes to surprise me with its abilities. I highly recommend it. The importer and distributor in Norway is Temperato (Alexander and Pia von der Lippe). Supernice people that give great service.
PS! I recommend downloading the video clips (right click and "save as") before viewing them. They are optimized for 340kbps streaming, so they may be too jerky if you try to stream with a slow line. 7/11/2004 11:10:00 PM
Sweeet. I just got my new computer up and running. I've gone from an old PIII mainboard running an overclocked celeron 1.3ghz, old pc100 ram etc, to an amd athlon xp2800, abit nf7-s system with 512MB. I'm loving it. Can't wait to try some games and photoshop with this crazy system (well, compared to my old one anyway). I will be visiting my brother this weekend so there won't be many updates, if any. I will try to take some pictures tomorrow when Tim makes his speciality drink at Stockfleth's Lille Grensen. Going to post those on sunday. Have a nice weekend and be sure to drink too much coffee. 7/10/2004 12:28:00 AM
Mountain top coffee have their own website too. 7/08/2004 11:59:00 AM
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Tim and his fellow baristi will serve his speciality drink "Tiramisu" this saturday from 10 am at the Lille Grensen location. Don't miss it. 7/07/2004 10:59:00 PM
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
"The Hottop experience", article / review of the popular home roaster. According to a comment on the first page, a UK based importer (Hasbean) is ready to ship 230v versions to the european countries. 7/06/2004 11:50:00 PM
I have for some time been toying with the idea of buying a small roaster (1-2 kg capacity) together with other enthusiasts. Buying a share in the roaster would give a person access to using it and to buy green beans from a small stock.
Wouldn't that be pretty cool ? We would learn how to use and service a gas powered roaster and get fresh roasted coffee. I think it would be a great way to get to know each other better too.
So what would we need :
- a small roaster, gas powered (for example a turkish "Has Garanti" roaster that stavanger kaffebrenneri imports)
- some place to use it where there is sufficient ventilation and little chance of annoying neighbours with the smoke and odour
- I guess at least 10 coffeegeeks to get the share price down to something tolerable, and I guess this is the big challenge
Meanwhile I'll continue roasting with my poppers. I have 3 kg ottolina classica on the way. The last classic batch was the best home roasted classica yet. Don't you agree Anders?
I'll definitely look into buying a Hearthware I-Roast or a Hottop if a dealer can be found here in Scandinavia.
7/06/2004 09:53:00 PM
Monday, July 05, 2004
I was not the only taking pictures while we were in Italy. Here are some of Bernt Natvig's pictures. I've written some commentaries to each of them.
Bernt took a lot of pictures, something like 3-400 I think. 7/05/2004 09:55:00 PM
Sunday, July 04, 2004
I am having a kind of laid back sunday. Not much happening, so I decided to make a small movie clip showing a technique that is used by many norwegian baristi. I am calling it "the stockfleths move", since all the people working there do it. I believe the technique was originally invented by Tim Wendelboe (WBC champ 2004).
I am not sure if I am doing it exactly the way it is supposed to be done (Tim: feel free to comment), but the effect of distributing the coffee evenly round the edges of the filter is there. Basically what you do is overfill the filter, then in a circular motion make a mound in the middle that you swipe off. In addition I like to swipe a little back and forth to be absolutely sure that there are no places where there is less coffee (that can lead to pitting at the edges). After I began using these techniques I never got pitting/channeling anymore.
Now I am going to step out into the sun and find a nice place to sit in the shade and read Dan Brown's book "The da vinci code" (highly recommended btw!). 7/04/2004 01:44:00 PM
It really strikes me how cosy and homely many of the north american coffee bars look. I would love to hang out in one of those big chairs! (photo #96). Here in the nordic countries we have a thing for minimalistic design. It can be superb when done right, taking care to balance the minimalistic and organic, but often you get this sterile and inpersonal feeling.
And Hines, wow, that looks like hanging out at a friends house (a coffee nut - friend's house), and I bet it feels like that too! I just *have to* visit that place sometime. 7/04/2004 10:46:00 AM
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Here's another video that my friend Bernt Natvig took while we were in Trieste. It shows Luigi Lupi pouring some latte art. First a heart and then something that looks like Bronwen's design. I love the smile at the end of the clip. It sort of sums up why we all like to do latte art :). 7/03/2004 11:49:00 PM
Bernt gave me the raw files from his Canon G5. I fired up windows movie maker in Windows XP and got everything done very easily. Credits, fade in and out, volume etc. I LOVE this program! It is so obvious that microsoft cares about usability and do extensive usability testing during their software development process. I work with usability myself so I get a kick out of easy to use programs like these. It is so nice when everything feels natural and one gets things done without any effort.
I have one with latte art - pouring as well, but I won't post that until tomorrow. Now I've got to eat my pizza which is almost cold after me getting caught up with easy and fun video editing.
I wish you all a nice weekend with good coffee! 7/02/2004 09:27:00 PM
