Hello ERACE IE, long time no blog.  Emily here, Chris only managed to get as far as a title for this installment!  A few weeks ago, on the 12th of October, we gathered at my house to celebrate The Maestro’s birthday.  I ordered some delicious Counter Culture (we wanted to try an East Coast Roaster) for the occasion – Espresso Aficionado and Finca Mauritania.  We had a delightful time brewing up some Aeropress and espresso, eating cupcakes (Chris ate seven), and drinking the DELICIOUS Coffee Porter Sarah brought.  Thanks to all who showed up!

On August 6th fifteen revolutionaries gathered not in a rec-room per se , but in a warehouse. Not to teach, but to learn. Not to talk, but to listen. We gathered in Upland, in a haven of green beans and fresh roasted goodness (for now we’ll ignore the occasional “snicker-doodle” bags of flavored coffee) — to learn the art of espresso extraction, the nuances of Milk texturing and free pour Latte Art, and to practice taste bud acrobatics in the gastronomic gymnasium of “the cupping table”. Some were more experienced than others, but all were eager, and as Mike Perry guided us around his roasteria a kind of expectation and wonderment spread through our collective mind– coffee could introduce us to culinary and cultural adventures previously reserved exclusively, in our minds anyway, to the likes of Anthony Bourdain.

New club member and coffee enthusiast Frankee Torres came with a few coffee friends from the OC.

We cupped four coffees with Mike Perry including La Esmeralda and a Sumatra that tasted like vegetables (in a surprisingly good way) .

We learned about Latte Art and Espresso Extraction from Heather Perry.

We learned not to ask Jon Dodson to take our picture.

Until next time…

…VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN!!!!!!!

…VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN!!!!!!!

The night started later than our usual meetings, which are typically at 5, and it ended a little earlier than most meetings, which is anywhere from 10 to 2 a.m. But this had to be one the best meetings we’ve had in a long time and it was more fun than a Barrel of monkeys, which if anyone has tried is disturbingly fun. We all sat around a gigantic marble table while our host Mike Perry, owner and roaster of Coffee Klatch, gave us a great presentation on how coffee is grown, processed, roasted, and eventually sipped by loyal customers. Here are some shots of Mike in action:

If these pictures don’t make sense, don’t worry, we had no clue what he was doing either… Just kidding, in fact Mike was showing us how to properly smell the coffee and get a good sip for our cupping demonstration.  He showed us how to score the coffee and give it some good descriptors so that we could accurately interpret the coffee for ourselves. We all had these really cool cupping forms which he got from The Coffee Geek and they were extremely easy to use. After the presentation we all got to go to the next room and take a stab at cupping coffee.

This was really a great experience and we all had an absolute blast doing it. Here is a quick explanation of how the whole process works.

Tools of the Trade

• First pour the grinds into one of the cups

• Shake and smell the coffee to rate the fragrance

• Then you pour hot water until it reaches the brim of the cup

• Fill your spoon glass a little more than halfway so you don’t cross contaminate flavors

• Take a spoon and push some of the top layer  away to get the full aroma

• Scoop off the top layer and dispose

• Take your spoon and fill it halfway and suck in the coffee, which gets it all around your mouth

• Enjoy and rate the taste, aroma, acidity, mouth feel and anything else you’d like to add

That pretty much sums up what we got to do on Wednesday. It was a real treat to have Mike with us and he was a great host, speaker/presenter, and an all around nice guy. Everyone out there should check out his coffee and pick up a pound or two for yourselves. His website’s store is located right here Klatch Coffee Webstore. But heck if your in the area why not stop by his store in Rancho Cucamonga or San Dimas and get to see the coffee up close and in person. His coffee definitely gets our seal of approval and we think anyone out there who enjoys a good cup of java should check it out.

With that said, we will see ya next week kids.

Bon Soir Mon Amis.

P.S. For all of you who care about the matter, most, if not all, of Mikes Coffee’s are either Fair or Direct trade which gives a good wage to the farmer and provides them with adequate living standards and plenty to eat. It’s just the right thing to do.

This tale starts out like most others. We meet our adventurers in a dark alleyway drinking the elixir of the gods:

This concoction they call espresso would near force the intrepid connoisseurs to embark on another journey to lands they had already been to before. One man from the lands of the pyramids declared they conquer the lands of Waters upon Silver, which was one piece of land joined to the deserts of Lost Angels. From the ranks of many, two answered the call for they had been joined together by the laws of man in holy matrimony. The time and place was set to the dawning of the weeks end and this is when the story truly begins…

First the 3 adventurers set out to meet a well known friend who could provide the travelers with much needed Elixir:

This yielded much wealth to the travellers and they succeeded in acquiring the plentiful and much needed life-giving liquid from the 49th parallel of Middle Earth:

For 2 of the 24 hours of one day they stayed there gathering strength and substances after which they embarked to their true Mecca…Intelligentsia. Upon arrival the clan was met with a beast of a line to purvey the manna of the gods, but they soon vanquished it with the blessing of patience and bathroom breaks. Once they had acquired the liquids and baked goods they sat to feast and be merry:

The one adventurer from the pyramids exclaimed “This Americano is the best I have tried as of yet!”

Which was met with great joy from the other two. After the feast was done they walked out of the tavern and stumbled upon The Cheese Store of Silver Lake. Which offered up some of the finest cheeses known to man. The adventurers dined upon Blue, Cheddar, Robiola, Chocolate Stout, and a cheese which was supposed to taste like Red Leicster:

The feast was pronounced delicious by the travelers and to their surprised a well known figure appeared before them and began to talk. It was an actor from a television show the three were all fans of. The actor is known as Cutty on the show House. (All fancy talk aside we met Cutty and she was freaking cool because she actually talked to us first not the other way around but she didn’t want her picture taken which was understood by all of us so she let us take pictures of her dog which was alright with us)

Cutty's(from House) Dog

After the feast they all decided to travel to the Paupers Elixir Hut, a.k.a. Lamills Coffee shop, but they were all sadly disappointed by the service and overall quality of the elixir. The Chef Heroine of this tale decided to embark on a chocolate journey but was sadly disappointed when the chocolates were not what she had meant to acquire and in fact they had run out of the one she wanted which prompted the shop to not acquire any money from her on behalf of the chocolate. The adventurers were then brought the coffee elixirs which were honestly the most disgusting things they had had in a long time. The “micro foam” was lacking seriously and their specialty drink “Coffee and a Jelly Donut” literally made the adventurers sick to their stomachs. (Once again all fancy talk aside, Lamills was horrible and we were treated very very very rudely and they acted like we didnt matter and were treated so. In fact after Emily got the wrong chocolates and was then told not to pay for them but then charged for them. So we tell the waitress this and she goes off and the manager comes over and basically makes us explain ourselves when it was HER employees that screwed up and gave her the wrong product several times. None of us will ever be back and honestly, its so freaking pretentious in there that no one should go in there. Go to Intelligentsia instead, its cheaper and the people are alot nicer.)

Coffee and a Jelly Donut, This thing causes Stomach Aches. No lie.

Finally the adventurers embarked onwards to home with bellies full of goodness and cheese. The french would declare this a “Bon Jour” but we just called it Saturday. Bon Chance in all your coffee endeavors, Bon Chance.

We first met up at our normal meeting place but soon departed to Redlands to meet up with Mike Colston and visit Augies once more. Chris decided to purchase this lovely ensemble:

TRES CHIC

After we left the very fancy store where Chris got his clothes, better known as K-Mart, we finally arrived at Augies where we were very warmly welcomed by Mike and crew. Coffee purchasing was underway now and we started off with some sandwiches and delicious espresso:

After the heavenly drinks, Mike, Emily and Justin thought it would be a great idea for me and Chris to go head to head and do Coffee Bombs, basically its 12oz of milk that you drop a shot of espresso into and chug. I was none too excited about that…..

Alas, the competition went on and Chris was crowned victor.

When the debauchery was over we decided to take the party out to the alley-wayand fill the air with good conversations, coffee, beer, and tobacco. Emily and Chris actually got some pipes and we all got to look like British Railway Tycoons:

Throughout the night we made plans to go the culinary mecca, pay for Mike to be in the barista competition and visit England once more.

All in all the night started like this:

And ended like this:

This last Wednesday was a change of pace for the revolutionaries. We met at Augie’s Coffeehouse in Redlands to have espresso drinks (pulled by ERACE member and Augie’s employee Mike Colston), and a few accompanying sweets. I simply don’t get to post food pictures here often enough, so here are some lemon-lavender madeleines:

Or how about some triple-chocolate biscotti dipped in a capp? — heaven!:

Augie’s is such a funky, down-to-earth joint — always full of hip locals and good conversation. Here’s a little glimpse of the interior:

Mike treated us to his Black & Tan creation — a crazy concoction whose contents are still a bit of a mystery to me. Jason definitely enjoyed it:

Other highlights included an introduction to the Coffee Carbomb, getting to meet the Colston Clan, and contributing a little ERACE IE touch to the napkin wall art behind the bar. Good times! We hope to hold another meeting at Augie’s in the future — and hopefully more of you can join us (Redlands isn’t that far away, it just seems that way!). Until then…

VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN, MIS AMIGOS!

JONES COFFEE ROASTERS, 537 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA

Jones Coffee Roasters in Pasadena was our first stop. The humble facade outside cleverly conceals the space within–a space with a bustling central bar, pallets of beans stacked up next to a churning roaster, and enough coffee and espresso related doo-dads and thingamabobs lining the walls and shelves you feel like you are in a museum. This place makes you happy.

So the vibes are cool, but how is the ‘spro, you ask? Well, our first round was somewhat below expectations. In fact it wasn’t until the owner, Chuck, appeared and had his training barista help us that we got good shots. I must admit, that fact makes me somewhat apprehensive about the quality I would get should I return sans entourage. My advice? Bring your friends and act as geeky as possible–and make sure you look around for this guy:

Chuck Jones–owner/roaster, and one of the most enthusiastic and generous coffee folks I’ve met in quite a while. He was stoked to share his current plans and future projects with us, as well as tales big and small of his many adventures. He genuinely cares about his business, and wants to share his passion with you. I am seriously anxious to work out going down to the Jones farm in Antigua, Guatemala someday–ERACE holiday, anyone?

Oh, and one more thing about Jones–the place will be even cooler once Chuck polishes this baby up and puts her on the bar (or sells her to me so she doesn’t look so sad…hmm…):

INTELLIGENTSIA, 3922 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

Our next stop was Intelligentsia in the uber-chic Silver Lake. A Chicago import, Intelligentsia has had to work for my love. They are in a super-hip area and have a world-class bar with a sleek design (serious time and money went into this place)–but I always feel like they have a bit too much of that assembly-line operation (a la that mermaid place whose existence we all ignore–albeit with MUCH better product). But if you want a good ‘spro fast and without the fuss (but with all the glamour), this is your place. They also have a small complement of top-notch pastries (go early for those) and a large outdoor patio with misters (perfect for sitting and reading for hours). Next door is The Cheese Store of Silver Lake, and down the road is a super-hip raw eatery called Cru. Take a day to visit this block of L.A. and you, too, can be a super-hip Los Angelino.

CHOKE, 4157 Normal Ave., Los Angeles, CA

Just a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Sunset Boulevard, was our next stop, Choke Motorcycles (& Espresso). If I owned the Vespa I’ve always wanted, Choke would be my new home. Espresso and motorcycles in one place–unfamiliar concept but it works. Chris had one word to say about his macchiato: nirvana. My shot was good, but it was the groovy, funky atmosphere and decor that sold me; like the stir sticks and sugar packets in old oil cans:

The bar was fantastic; check out the vintage setup:

The barista wishes to remain unpublished, but he’s a great guy who knows his stuff–a motorcycle shop worth checking out even if you don’t own a bike!

LAMILL, 1636 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Lamill–our last stop of the day, and a more pretentious coffee bar setup you will never see. The equipment is state of the art, the decor is almost stifling, the menu is a novel (I was in heaven!). I expected an equally ostentatious display from the staff. Amazingly, however, Lamill’s was one of most hospitable stops we made! Add to that, the ‘spro was quite delicious–the shots came on a bit harsh, but had the most lingering and delicious caramel aftertaste I have ever experienced. Jason had a capp and said the milk cut that initial bite–perhaps tweaking the blend in future could alter the bite for those of us who prefer straight shots. The head barista, Ryan Palmer, (who had moved to California literally the day before) was particularly gracious and accommodating. His knowledge on the Lamill selection was weak (I’m sure he’s an old hand there now), but his knowledge of the bean was not. He was kind enough to bring us a siphon pot of the El Salvador La Montana–Cup of Excellence #1.

Our only complaint was that we could not finish the pot–at this point in the afternoon the three remaining revolutionaries were beginning to feel a bit over-stimulated. The siphon was excellent, though, notes of rose and almond with milk-chocolate undertones–more akin to sipping a fine tea than to the way us revolutionaries normally brew our beans. A great experience, though, and such great people!

Well that was a brief summary of our grand adventures–I hope more of you can join us when we have our next adventure! Until then…

VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN, MIS AMIGOS!

…and that’s as far as the Maestro got in his blog post…so here I go again, picking up his slack p

Thanks to everyone who stopped by last Wednesday to participate in an insane amount of Blue Bottle espresso tasting!  We tried the four espresso blends offered by Blue Bottle, and Mike Colston brought some beans as well!  We didn’t even get to the Urth Cafe beans!  I never thought there could be such a thing as too much coffee…

Some highlights, you ask?  Well with two espresso machines, two grinders, and a refrigerator all plugged into the same outlet we managed to trip the breaker about half a dozen times.  This resulted in significant delays and some rather innovative grinding of the Finca Matalapa from the ceiling fan outlet:

Technical difficulties resolved, we had some satisfied revolutionaries:

Mike Colston poured me a BEAUTIFUL capp with my homemade almond milk:

And Chris showed us all that he really is the ultimate fashion guru:

If you are interested, I have included the descriptions of the Blue Bottle blends from their website, along with ERACE tasting notes for your perusal.  Verdict on the Blue Bottle?  The Temescal was the hands-down favorite, but the roastings as a whole were something of a let-down.  We are taking suggestions for the next espresso blend tasting–just email with ideas (emhartop@gmail.com).  Also email if you are not yet part of our mailing list–you will receive updates on meetings, etc.–and lastly, be sure to email if you are interested in our first ever ERACE field trip taking place this Wednesday, June 18th!!

Espresso Temescal 

If we were to commission a sonnet for one of our blends, the Espresso Temescal would be the hands-down choice for this honor. It is complex, poetic, finicky – if you make coffee in your garrett, loft studio, Pied-a-terre, atelier…this is your blend. A medium roast that is a fairly intricate blend of coffees from Sumatra, Costa Rica, Mexico and Ethiopia, the Espresso Temescal reigns supreme in the Mokka pot. It also pulls a fascinating shot on a lot of espresso machines. 

ERACE notes: buttery aftertaste; some plums, berries, raisins, and overripe cherries; almond and cocoa undertones; very finicky (every shot seemed fascinatingly different!)

Hayes Valley Espresso 

This espresso is quite a departure for us here at the BBCC, but it’s working out quite spectacularly on the majestic La Marzocco at our Kiosk on Linden Street. As opposed to the other espressi we offer, this is more of an – American-style – espresso – darker, lower-toned, no brightness, plenty of chocolate – thick and rich at 192 degrees at the portafilter – with an engaging complexity as a straight shot. The shots are gorgeous: achingly heavy with voluptuous red-brown crema, and the silky, somewhat dangerous-looking viscosity of a power-steering stop-leak product cone used on our coffee roaster’s (now departed) heroically battered 1983 Peugeot. In milk, it tastes like chocolate ovaltine, and holds its own from the daintiest 3oz Macciato to our towering 12oz caffee latte. 

ERACE Notes: Creamy consistency, a hint of red wine + chocolate, touch of spice, Milk Chocolate and Malty–much like Ovaltine or Whoppers

Retrofit Espresso 

Named after the upcoming terrorist-proofing of the bay Bridge Bart tube, this espresso is a sweet and simple delight. Not particularly demanding of the barista, the retrofit is a balanced and mild espresso: the most Italian tasting of any we currently serve. We serve this coffee every Tuesday and Saturday in our little kiosk at the west side of the Ferry Building. Generally, we serve on day four or five, up-dose moderately, and pull one ounce doubles at a leisurely 30 seconds. This is not an espresso for big milk drinks. Lovers of tall milky drinks might scratch their heads in disappointed confusion wondering where their coffee is. But if you know that a macchiato does not have carmel in it, this could be your espresso. 

ERACE Notes: Creamy with a caramel finish, pear (or so Chris claimed–but when we brought pears back and sampled them we decided he was crazy!), dark chocolate, nuttiness (walnuts?), balanced

Roman Espresso 

A bit of a hothouse flower, the Roman Espresso can turn on you in an instant if one of a dozen or so brewing parameters are not to its liking. Generally, it likes lower brewing temperatures (approximately 184 at the portafilter), and slower extraction times. In the right machine, it is a crema bomb, pouring oceans of the red/brown frothy stuff into your unsuspecting demitasse. When all is well, the result is a sweet, carmelly, fruity medium-bodied espresso that takes modest amounts of milk in the most delightful way. As pleasant as it is, after a couple of years of tweaking and fine-tuning, it doesn’t much resemble the espresso enjoyed in Rome any more, but we’re not about to shell out another twelve bucks for a new rubber stamp when we have a perfectly good one right here. 

ERACE Notes: Like a cherry cordial, very smooth, plum, like a salsa dance on the tongue (Haha, there he goes again…), citrus, fruity, tastes like Italian orange soft drink

VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN, MIS AMIGOS!

The third meeting of ERACE, IE was quite a success. We had a number of members stop by (Thanks Jason, Cliff, Laura, Sarah, William, Mac, Simon, Kurt, Jim, and Jeff!–and of course Chris and Justin!) over the course of the evening. It was great to see so many of you! The focus of the evening was on Caffe Luxxe espresso blends (aka renamed Espresso Vivace blends). We had both the A Cappela (Dolce) blend and the Tetra Rossa (Vita) blend:

Both blends were fantastic (I’m a huge Vivace fan, though, so I needed no convincing!). We tried straight shots, capps, Aero-pressed, and used a Vacu-pot. Unfortunately, the second tasting of the evening was supposed to be Urth Cafe’s two espresso blends–but we had been duped into buying OLD beans (long story). I have since had a word with Urth Cafe and I received some very fresh, very tasty smelling beans that we will try THIS week!

The pours were fantastic, but by far the highlight of the evening was the debut of a future espresso SUPERSTAR…here he is beaming with pride over his very first pour… Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…William!!!

Yes, this young man actually handpulled a couple of very nice pours on the Gaggia. Not only did he pull the shots:

But he hand-tamped them as well:

Look for him in regional competitions starting Spring of 2021! He’s shooting for the WBC by 2025, we wish him the best of luck–he’s off to a great start!

The rest of the evening was filled with the usual fiddling about with our machines and grinders, and things got really interesting when Chris attempted some blind portafilter improvisation:

We all hope he gets a blind disk soon so we aren’t subjected to an evening full of portafilter abuse again in the future! )

Well I’ll keep this blog short–but please stop by this week for the meeting! We are starting at 5:00 pm when we will begin with the Blue Bottle blends. We will also sample the Urth Cafe blends and discuss the upcoming field trip! Simon and Justin highly recommend stopping by:

VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN, MIS AMIGOS!