Talking Espresso and Great Coffee

Just goofing around Vimeo this weekend, I happened across a video: Espresso, Intelligentsia.

When I showed it to friends and family… you knew who was a person who enjoyed an espresso vs who could take or leave a cup of coffee. Those that were in the casual crowd made comments like, “isn’t that just an ad?”. The enthusiasts got it… a video presenting a person who truly enjoys the art of making a fine espresso. A presentation of the art behind pulling a shot of espresso… you can almost smell it’s aroma in the video. My compliments to the videographer!

In a recent press release, Starbucks announced that, beginning at the tail end of August, it is releasing Galápagos San Cristóbal (a “medium-bolded” coffee), the first in a series of premium single-origin coffees called “Starbucks Reserves.”  Throughout the fall, Aged Sulawesi Kalosi, Fair Trade Nicaragua Corcasan, Brazil Sul de Minas Peaberry, and El Salvador Montecarlos Estate Pacamra will follow Galápagos San Cristóbal.  According to this fact sheet, Galápagos San Cristóbal is “a rare coffee from the unique subtropical climate in the Galápagos Islands that produces a limited amount of coffee each year.” Baristas brew Galápagos San Cristóbal via the pour over method or with a Clover coffee maker (Clover machines are currently available in more than 60 Starbucks stores, with more to come throughout the year).  Both methods will enhance and enliven the coffee’s rich and complex flavor over traditional drip brewing.

Starting August 31, if you’re fortunate enough to live in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, D.C., Boston, Seattle, Portland (Oregon), Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta, or Miami, you will be able to purchase Galápagos San Cristóbal in-store for an immediate fix or whole-bean by the half pound. The suggested retail price for a half-pound of these ultra-premium beans is $12.50; $2.95 will get you a freshly brewed Tall.  For comparison, 11 oz of Starbucks’ Natural Fusion flavored coffee comes in at $8.95 and the old standby Caffè Verona runs $10.95 a pound.

If you’re not lucky enough to live in those areas, you can purchase (as of August 17) the 8 oz bag online at www.starbucksstore.com.  On August 28, participating Starbucks Reserve stores will host special tasting events.

No advanced word as to whether Starbucks Reserve will see an incarnation as a VIA instant coffee drink, but with the increasing popularity of VIA and Starbucks’ willingness to innovate by continuing to expand VIA options (VIA Iced), don’t rule it out.

A bit off subject from our normal ‘quality coffee’ posts, but who’s to say these don’t make a nice cup of espresso?

Several Sports Car manufactures have put their names on espresso machines over the last few years. I have not been able to find much data on if they actually own any of the assembly line, design or just found something they liked to endorse. Either way, if you can’t afford the cars or can and want to be reminded of the quality in your garage when you have your coffee… grab one of these.

Another site has a nice list of the many they found. Below is two of the offerings, from Ferrari and BMW.

I was setting out to do a post on a set of Bodum Bistro mugs that where given to me for my recent birthday. They are double walled coffee mugs so they act as a insulator to keep drinks warm or cold. For me, I have a tendancy to drink through my drip coffee quickly since I like it warm to hot. When it cools down it is less of a pleasure drink. I’m sure I’m not the only one, but maybe…

If you have not had the pleasure of a glass coffee mug, there is entertainment value beyond the termal features. For drip coffee, there is quite a show as you add a bit of cream and it works it’s way around the cup, mixing with the dark coffee. Like a Lava Lamp, every showing is different. I attempted to get a image of this and kept ending up with a reflection of my camera. I will post up something when I get it right.

For now, here is a image I grabbed from the provider’s site so you can see it is truly a mug.

I was given a pair of the 15 oz version (Bodum Bistro Double-Wall Insulated Glass Café Latte Mug). They insulate well enough to keep the coffee inside warm while the outside of the mug is cool enough to hold without using the handle. A nice side feature I noticed from a site also reviewing the mugs is that you don’t need to use a coaster since the double wall of glass prevents condensation. Not that I ever sit my coffee around the house but that might be important to some folks. Another item is that while these glass mugs do insulate very well, they are glass so they break easier than a thicker mug.

Now, onto a bit of fun I found while looking for the above image. The folks at Beautiful Life have a post of 25 Creative and Original Mugs. Be prepared when you make the jump, this is a nice showing of mugs. Which means they have a sprinkling of ‘tea’ mugs in there too. It’s a fun collection to see, whether it makes you coffee taste any better or not is another matter.

Yes, we have seen plenty of infographics on coffee and the varieties of coffee drinks. Some are cool and some are… well, not. This one is on the fun and cool side.

The graphic, created by the folks at Plaid, is more for the average joe coffee drinker but would be very nice to see in every coffee house around the US. Not many folks know what is in a drink they see on the board or they order something they heard about only to find out that it contains something they don’t like.

Small corner of the master “A guide to the complex world of coffee” works:

The Plaid Blog mentions they may be doing a print soon so check in there from time to time if you want something more than the gif they are providing.

Yogurt is one of those food items that has never really caught on with me. From time to time I will have a berry one as a snack but it isn’t part of my regular meal plan. It can be interesting to see all the flavors available though. Why have just Strawberry when you could have Strawberry and Banana… or Strawberry, Banana and Blueberries. Each one on the shelf is just more flavors mixed in than the previous. Until I hit the end of the row, there was Coffee Flavored. Just Coffee and Yogurt. I just had to know.

You have to be a drip coffee lover to like Yoplait’s coffee flavored yogurt. It has a rather strong coffee flavor with an aftertaste you would expect from drinking a cup of coffee. Of course, there is the weirdness to a coffee flavor to something with the consistency of yogurt. The coffee flavoring doesn’t completely hide the yogurt flavor. An unusual mix of flavors, I can imagine this has a very limited market of either lovers or haters. It isn’t the flavor that someone will buy a second time if they didn’t like it. Personally, it wont be my first grab since I enjoy more than just the flavor of coffee from my cup of coffee. But, sure, I’ll buy it again.

While this ‘treat’ is 99% fat free, it isn’t free of calories. 170 calories isn’t ‘no calories’ but it is definitely on the low side of your options for an afternoon snack. Those afternoons when you want the flavor of coffee but aren’t worried about the ‘stay awake’ of your afternoon cup.

Brandy has gotten her hands on the Starbucks Iced VIA, here are her thoughts!

I was so excited to read that Starbucks now has Iced VIA! I order frappuccinos and iced coffee year-round, even if it’s 26 degrees outside. You can make regular Starbucks VIA® iced, but you have to be patient (which I’m not).

At first sight, mixing Starbucks VIA® Iced Coffee in the cold water made me a little nervous. Initially, a film surfaces while you stir and I wasn’t so sure it was going to dissolve, after all. I should’ve had more faith in Starbucks! The directions say to start with the cold water first; I disagree. It works much better if you pour the mix in the cup first and the water on top. Stirring with a spoon took longer than I’d hoped to dissolve the grounds. (Did I mention I’m impatient?) However, shaking the mixture in an enclosed container (like the VIA Shaker Tumbler, which comes complete with measurements on the side) works much more efficiently. Another trick (while not ideal if you’re truly “on-the-go”) is to use two cups and pour the coffee from one to another until it’s fully dissolved. Once dissolved, just add ice & you’re good to go! VIA comes lightly sweetened, but I prefer to add sugar and milk (and occasionally a little chocolate syrup for an iced mocha). And, the taste? Iced VIA does not disappoint. Each packet makes 16 oz. of coffee. A 5-pack box costs $5.95, but Starbucks and Starbucks.com are currently issuing $1 instant coupons, for a total of $4.95 per box.

There are a lot of really, er… interesting coffee pot designs that we all know will never make it to our local supplier. Every now and then there is a design that is simple and really should get a manufacturer’s attention. Sadly, this one looks and works in concept very well but will get missed by the masses.

There is nothing new here in the science of coffee making. In fact, there are makers on the market that look similar. This ‘gravity defying’ coffee maker by Lina Fischer would look great in the middle of the table when coffee drinkers come together. The Yanko Design site has this posted on their Form Beyond Function Web site. Hmmm…. think someone should tell IKEA about this design?

Randy Krum and his CoolInfographics site is well known for digging up fun Infographics all sorts of subjects. Many of the graphics on his site he did himself, including The Caffeine Poster.

He has taken the time to research and create a graphic that takes us through the many popular drinks that contain Caffeine (excluding Tea). Colas, drip coffee, Starbucks, Einstein Bros, the Energy Drinks and many more top brands. As well, Randy noted key items in the chart, like coffee half life in the human body is 4.9 hours and ‘the jitters’ set in at 300mg of caffeine.

Fun for this particular poster is that he took the time to do a ‘Making-of. It covers how he collected data, what software he used to build the infographic and even his notes in his moleskin along the way. I enjoyed his parts on where the data came from and his first few attempts at the graphic till he got it just right. I would say he had a winner here. Maybe there will be enough interest for him to end up doing a poster, which he mentions is under consideration. Also under consideration is looking over this poster before you buy your next drink now that you have the facts.

Doing so many meetings at a variety of coffee houses around the world, I see and hear folks order some interesting combinations of drinks. Most get to the point that I’m not sure why they have coffee in the mix, they end up with a super sweet drink to push down the coffee taste. I appriciate everyone has their own tastes. That is why when I saw the below, I just had to mention it. The folks back at the office will try it when our order gets in, just because they will try ‘anything’ bacon.

In full disclosure, I heard about the coffee from visiting one of my advertisers over on the right. Just looking around at what was different, and this option really hit me as ‘different’.

Even though they list the name as Maple Bacon flavored, I’m wondering if it will be less sweet than adding syrups in the finished drip coffee. More of a flavor ‘with’ the coffee rather than over the top.

Watch for a review here. Maybe some face shots if folks really love it or… they don’t. They loved the Mint Chocolate I brought in last week from the same folks, but this might be a stretch. Fun!