The Americano: the barometer for judging any coffee shop or espresso bar

An artisan coffee shop or espresso bar should be able execute an exceptional Americano.  And if not, can they execute anything properly?

You think it would just be all about the espresso, and it is -- to a point. I've known top-notch places that have great espresso, and fail miserably when it comes time to make an Americano. A failed Americano is the result of either improperly roasted espresso, under or over-extracted espresso, bad drink building basics, non-caring barista (it's not a sexy drink), non-caring ownership, or all the above. The Americano is a foundation drink. There are no excuses for poor execution.

The Americano, the quicker, fresher alternative to batch-brewed coffee is a drink that should be easy to execute, and reveals what standards a coffee shop or espresso bar actually has as compared to those that they claim to have. The recipe is simple: espresso brewed directly into the hot water, which is already residing in the cup.

“What about espresso first, and then add water?” No.

“Or maybe pull shots into shot glasses or some funky pitcher looking thingamajig and then pour over the water?” Again, that would be a “No.”

But for the Americano to work, your water should never be hotter than your espresso. Water temperature, relative to brew temperature, altitude, etc. should be as high as 165 F (74 C) or less (ours is at 156  F) for the best results. Once the espresso exits the group head, it has already dropped several degrees by the time it hits the water. Another thing is -  your espresso, and the resultant Americano needs to have body and texture. The proper amount of lipids and oils are necessary for good crema density, texture, and mouthfeel. Without them, result is the same as a weakly brewed cup of coffee. A thin, watery, espresso-like concoction is not an Americano. It's just a bad drink.

There are many new places that have come about in recent years - both in our fair city, and across the globe, and the Americano, much like the Emperor's new clothes, reveals all -- and it isn't pretty.

So for all you current and prospective shop owners, barista, and coffee-beverage lovers of all types – If you can't make a tasty Americano, an honest to goodness “That's good!” Americano, then you might want to examine everything you are doing. Yep, it's that important.

The Siphon Bar

We are just finishing our second week with the siphon bar at caffe d'bolla and the results are starting to come in.



The Siphon Bar has created a lot of new conversation about the coffee and the brewing method. I believe that this is the best way for extracting the dynamic varietal flavors out of the coffee.



Clean and dynamic
brewed above shimmering light
coffee perfection.

New Coffees at the caffe

New Coffees at caffe d'bolla!

*Costa Rica El Puente "Caturra Miel"
* Panama Golden Peaberry
* Guatemala Finca San Jose
* Sumatra "Blue Batak" Tabarita Peaberry
* Ethiopia Koratie DP Organic
*Columbia Antioquia - Jardin Cerulean Warbler

Kenya AA Nyeri Kiamaina *Tasting Notes*

John Says...

Today I tested a batch of the new Kenya AA Nyeri Kiamaina.

This batch was roasted to a City Roast at 9:00 AM this morning.
Testing was done at 6:00 PM.

I brewed several batches in the Siphon brewer, and even on day one, the flavors are coming through. Peach and maybe a hint of floral apricot in the aroma. Peach and lemon up front, with the peach dominating as the cup cools. A sweet and balanced finish of peach and honey.

I found this coffee to be exceptionally clean, even by my radical standards. It's truly a magnificent coffee and creates a cup you will long remember.

Pursuing Perfection with Panama: Siphon Techniques

John says...

Today I am testing the Panama Carmen Estate
This coffee was roasted 9 days ago at a City roast.


Test 1:
Grind at 4 notches above espresso grind on Mazzer Mini.
9 grams coffee, 5 ounces water.
Coffee in. Water Boil and up. Stir to saturate grounds and distribute heat evenly.
Brew 40 seconds.
Heat off.
Stir Rapidly.
Cool and drink.

Test 2:
Grind at 2 notches above espresso grind on Mazzer Mini.
9 grams coffee, 5 ounces water.
Coffee in. Water Boil and up. Stir to saturate grounds and distribute heat evenly.
Brew 40 seconds.
Heat off.
Stir Rapidly.
Cool and drink.

Results.

This coffee being roasted a hair lighter, my suspicions were found to be true.

Test 1 was a balanced peach/vanilla with very subtle, yet sweet citrus notes.
As the cup progressed the citrus became more defined, but surrounded by an essence of vanilla.

Test 2 had more separation up front in the cup. Strong Peach notes with a bright citrus aftertaste. As the cup cooled, the vanilla came out and began to mingle with the peach.

The finish in Test 1 was sweet light citrus.
The finish in Test 2 was a bright citrus with the slightest hint of vanilla.

What does this tell me?

It's obvious that even with a small adjustment, there is a direct correlation between roast level and grind. And it is the balancing of the sweet, citrus, and more rounded, or even spice notes that are where the technique comes into play.

Tomorrow I will use the same method on the Papua New Guinea Peaberry, which has a lot of spice and tea notes.

more to come...

Revisiting Rwanda - Siphon techniques

Today I am testing the Rwanda Kinunu.
This coffee was roasted 6 days ago at a City+ roast.


Test 1:
Grind at 4 notches above espresso grind on Mazzer Mini.
9 grams coffee, 5 ounces water.
Coffee in. Water Boil and up. Stir to saturate grounds and distribute heat evenly.
Brew 40 seconds.
Heat off.
Stir Rapidly.
Cool and drink.

Test 2:
Grind at 2 notches above espresso grind on Mazzer Mini.
9 grams coffee, 5 ounces water.
Coffee in. Water Boil and up. Stir to saturate grounds and distribute heat evenly.
Brew 40 seconds.
Heat off.
Stir Rapidly.
Cool and drink.

Results.

Both the aromatics and coffee on Test 1 were slightly sweeter. A little more fruit and citrus note.

In the middle of the cup, Test 2 tasted more complex. It was a collection of flavors coming together vs. a layered effect of lighter and brighter vs. wood and nut/spice.

The finish in Test 1 was superior.

Preliminary Conclusion:
Do same test on Panama Carmen Estate and see if the results are similar, or is the method entirely coffee dependant?

Stay tuned...

Aches and Pains of Customer Coffee Transition

Most coffee and espresso served is the United States is bitter, stale, over-roasted, unflavorful dreck. In order to make this bitter, unflavorful swill palatable, you need to add sugar to it, but this presents a problem for the growing number of quality oriented shops.

Adding sugar to the latte, or God forbid a cappuccino or macchiatto upsets the flavor balance of the espresso and the drink. Each roaster logs many hours of sourcing the proper beans, blending, roasting and tasting in order to create an espresso that works wonderfully alone, with milk, or both. Tweaking the roast to pull out the proper amount of sweetness, or wonderfully flavored acidity, which becomes smooth and sweet in milk... these all become corrupted, and honestly become over-sweetened if marred with sugar. And this all goes back to the habitual pour and stir, as a defense mechanism of the bitter brew consumed at most caffe.

Taste, drink, enjoy the subtleties of flavor that dance across your tongue and linger quizzically in your mouth. Do not treat such fine brew as the commoner's beverage. Rejoice at the coffee splendor you are about to partake.

Honestly, it is an offense to everyone in the chain. So for the thousands of coffee shops that serve horrendous bitter swill or under-extracted, over-roasted, old and stale espresso; please tell your customers, "it isn't this bad everywhere."

Come. Taste. Enjoy.

Three New Beans at caffe d'bolla

Three new coffees in!

Brazil Fazenda Esperanca:
This wonderful coffee was #1 at Brazil's Cup of Excellence in 2007. It has previously placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th. This Yellow Bourbon, grown at 1500 meters, is a rare gem in Brazilian coffee. Sweet floral and caramel aroma, tangerine and honey in the cup.

Kenya AA Nyeri - Kiamaina:
A fantastic coffee from the Nyeri district in Kenya. Crystalline clear flavors permeate this wondrous brew. Peach nectar throughout the cup with hints of warm honey, lemon and spice in the finish.

Nicaragua Limoncillo Java Longberry:
This coffee, from the Limoncillo Estate, is 100% Java.
Sweet smokey nut flavors with soft hints of lemon cookies in the cup.

Panama!

I roasted a new batch of Panama Carmen Estate to a light City roast.
Floral, tangerine/peach and vanilla as it cools.

Experimenting with a radical espresso blend of Panama Carmen Estate and an excellent Kenyan from the Nyeri district.
So far the results are promising.

Online Orders Are Coming!

Orders have started coming in on our online store.

Plenty of fresh roasted coffee and espresso to go around.

A Corny Story

A girl came into our caffe this afternoon.
"I want the siphon coffee... the Guatemala."
I hadn't seen her before, so I asked if someone had sent her.
She says "yes" and she's read about us online.

After finishing her coffee she stops to thank me for the cup, and starts talking about the flavors and how she could taste them in the different parts of her mouth. She starts to ask me about which espresso I would recommend, and says, "Yea, I'm in from Iowa and my friend said I had to come here and have the siphon and bring back some espresso." Apparently he's a CoffeeGeek Podcast listener and is always looking for great coffee.

So "friend in Iowa", I hope you enjoy the espresso,
and Thanks.

Testing Rwanda Kinunu Bourbon

I roasted a new coffee for the siphon coffee this morning. It's a 100% Bourbon from Rwanda. I haven't had Rwandan coffee before, but this is very good. It has some Kenyan elements coupled with African spice notes, somewhere between a good Sidamo and a Ugandan coffee.

At a City roast, this particular coffee has some really nice light sweet citrus flavors, and some lingering --- {side note, the cappuccino I'm having right now is fan-fucking-tastic}-- clove and sweet spice notes.

Testing new coffees is great.

I'm looking over...

...too many posts about Clover.

I see the whole Clover flap as "much ado about nothing". For those who consider themselves Third Wave or artisan or just about the coffee...
We've all positioned ourselves ahead of Starbucks of this world and it's a shame that some believe we need to "rediscover" our coffee roots. Isn't daily discovery and exploration of coffee what we preach. Whether you brew with press or Chemex or siphon or Melitta or even Clover...just keep doing what you're doing. And if you haven't been doing it, what are you waiting for?

Killer B espresso

I've been toying with the idea for another espresso, and I decided to be traditionally untraditional. I've selected three excellent Brazilian coffees from the Cerrado Region, and roasted each separately at different levels, and then combined post roast.

Lots of smooth body. Complex chocolate, nut and spice notes, with a hint of cherry and pulped fruit.

Great in cappuccino.

Available in pound or half pound.

An Bean-O-Riffic Extravaganza

I'm awaiting a shipment of five new coffees this week. I'm particularly looking forward to a Sumatran "Batak" peaberry. So stay tuned and I'll be posting some new offerings on our caffe website as well.