Talking Espresso and Great Coffee

If you missed it, this morning the Today show let us know in their Drink This Not That segment, many flavoried coffee drinks where covered. The guest speaker was the author of Eat This, Not That! 2011: Thousands of easy food swaps .

As you would expect… big drinks with lots of syrups and whole milk is like eating a lot of candy. Well, calories wise, it isn’t the best thing for you. Before folks get really excited, what we comparing the calories against? If a person has a drip coffee and four donuts, they could have skipped the crumbs and just had a tasty drink. All fun aside, it is an eye opener on how the calories count up. Here is the info from the show… I had to type fast!

Starbucks
Peppermint Mocha Latte whole milk
700 calories

Starbucks
Cafe Mocha Skim Milk
220 calories

Dunkin Donuts
Large Gingerbread Latte
440 calories (= 4.5 of their “Sprinkle The Cheer donuts”)

Dunkin Donuts
Medium Gingerbread Latte
170 calories

Panera Bread Peppermint Hot Chocolate
610 calories

Panera Bread 10 oz Hot Chocolate
270 calories

McDonald’s
Large Frappe Carmel
680 calories

McDonald’s
Non-Fat Carmel Cappuccino
190 calories

Starbucks
Vente Eggnog latte with whole Milk
630 calories

If you want to see the video of the actual show bit, take a look on their TODAY Holiday Guide Web page.

Buzzing by the local Starbucks, we knew the holiday season was upon us as the Christmas Blend was available! If your new to the Christmas Blend, you might want to give it a try if you like slightly stronger coffee without the burnt taste and without the afterburn most often found with the stronger day coffees.

Starbucks describes it as: Multi-Region Blends, Tasting – Sweet, spicy, herbal.
The normal bags of the regular Christmas beans are available. Normally, we enjoy for the month to two months, then they are not available anymore and you can only drink ‘older’ beans. This year, Starbucks has added a Espresso bean version.

And finally, for us folks on the go, a VIA version. Yes, for the first time we can have a cup of the Christmas Blend even when a bean grinder isn’t available. We are normally talking about what a little speciality coffee shop can do better than the big chains, but in this case we are really happy we can take our seasonal coffee with us.

illy has introduced a new single cup coffee/espresso maker that is a nice piece of art. It looks like a little red table and a dispenser popping up out of the back right corner.

In reality there is a power button and heat status lights along the top. The upper part of the ‘dispenser’ opens to accept the new illy coffee capsules. Below the coffee head the ‘table top’ lowers so a variety of cup sizes can be used. Water has a drawer of it’s own on the right side of the unit. Used coffee capsules eject into a back area holder to dispose of later.

As single cup makers go, the Y1 iperEspresso Machine is average for the more complex machines at $295 (US). It is possible to get this fine looking machine for only $125 (US). If you order online and agree to sign up for a coffee delivery service you get this more than 50% discount. A new ‘Lungo’ roast has been added to the Medium, Bold and Decaffeinated options. The delivery times for the service can be weekly up to monthly. You may want to read the rules, but it appears that you only have to take one round of capsule deliveries before your allowed to cancel so your not locked into a long term agreement for deliveries. That said, where else will you get the new style capsules (outlined below)?

“Now, for a limited time, the striking and compact Francis Francis Y1 iperEspresso machine is OFFERED FOR JUST $125 (value of $295) plus a $12.95 handling fee. Simply purchase a minimum of 2 cans of iperEspresso capsules with your machine, and we’ll continue to send you convenient deliveries of 2 or more cans of capsules on the delivery schedule you choose. There’s no commitment. You can change or cancel your coffee deliveries any time after your first shipment.”

The coffee packets that illy has been using (below) are called the ESE Pods. These have been manufactured by other coffee providers. We use these all the time in our hand pump espresso gadget. They come in a variety of strengths and since different brands there are different tastes and quality.

New for the iperEspresso machine is the “iperEspresso Capsules’. These are only being manufactured by illy in three types: Medium, Dark and Decaffeinated (Lungo just added as this was being typed). The special feature of these new capsules is that all of the brewing happens inside of it so the fluids never touch the machine. Hot water is pushed in, steeping happens, the fluid goes into a second area of the capsule then pushed out to your cup. The illy site has a nice little video of how this all works (the site doesn’t allow direct linking to the video, go here and look for the little video camera icon half way down the page on the left side). The capsule below is upside down from how it goes into the machine. The pricing on the illy site is showing a pair of 21 capsule containers are $32 (US).

Last night there was a NESCAFE’ coffee commercial on TV. I barely glanced up from my computer as it went sped through a whirl of cold and coffee drink images. Until I saw a flash of what looked like a very artistic coffee maker. I was reaching for the remote to rewind back to see what must be an artist concept when several more coffee makers where flashed up making dark rich coffee. Artist concepts? Future product? Did they steal something from a art college?

I spent a while looking around for the commercial online. Visiting the NESCAFE’ Instant Coffee site resulted in nothing. Not giving up, I clicked through the different areas of the site till I happened upon a link to the NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto™” site. There I found the four bits of cool fun art to sit on the kitchen counter which I can request a cup of coffee from too.

I have several different brands of machines that use pucks, discs and cups of pre-packaged coffee. Each machine does something better than the other and the coffee choices vary from one brand to another as well. All are black and silver plastic with a see through plastic area to hold water.

Coffee for the NESCAFE’ Dolce Gusto line is more specialized than others since it is limited to their own. Most other quick coffee makers have done deals with a variety of other coffee producers so their line stretchs across many customer’s needs. By allowing others to package coffee, you get more choices but less control on what the customer has. NESCAFE’

From their FAQ:

NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto™ is a new coffee machine with a proprietary one portion capsule that produces high quality coffee-shop style beverages including Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato and Lungo (traditional cup of coffee). The machines will be available in black, red, and cream. NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto is a joint venture between Nestlé® and KRUPS® and is aimed exclusively toward the at-home consumer. This 15 bar system uses pressure similar to coffee house machines. The coffee that is used in the capsules is made of premium 100% Arabica pure coffee beans.

Retail pricing:

NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto™ Piccolo – $89-$99
NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto™ Melody™ 2 – $129
NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto™ Circolo™ – $149
NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto™ Creativa™ – $169

The flavors available cover hot to cold, mild to strong:

• House Blend / Caffè Americano
• Caffè Lungo
• Caffè Lungo Decaffeinato
• Cappuccino
• Cappuccino Skinny
• Cappuccino Ice
• Chococino
• Dark Roast / Caffè Grande Intenso
• Espresso
• Latte Macchiato
• Mocha
• Nestea® Peach Iced Tea
• Vanilla Latte Macchiato

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.

Nestle is recalling 100g jars of Nescafe Alta Rica, Alta Rica Decaff, Cap Colombie, Suraya & Espresso. Due to the possibility of small pieces of glass in the jars. Customers should be expecting refunds. The company reports that the recall shouldn’t be needed for any other products.

The recall is getting news all around the world, which really shows how far reaching the product is. The Times Live – South Africa, CBC - Canada, Arab News, Irish Independent,  and the Voice of Russia.  There doesn’t seem to be any mention of a particular bar code, ID coded or expiration date to limit down which are OK and which are not.

A email alerted me to check out a espresso maker being shown at the Gulfood 2010, Dubai International Convention. The opening blurb from the convention post states what I was to find:

Coffee Planet LLC the region’s leading provider of automated self-serve espresso systems has launched the Concordia “Integrated Beverage System 6+” (IBS6+) – the fastest commercial espresso system available on the market.

I’m sure if your a coffee fan like me, your first reaction was… how could could a coffee possibly be if it is being processed so fast?!

If you believe the press info, Coffee Planet has it all figured out. They use fresh ground beans to produce the shots. They state that a important part of the process is the unique way they heat and foam the milk. The company president mentions that the machine was 5 years in the creation so they have created a system that offers fast espresso drinks, even at a lower noise level than other options.

Has automation finally hit the level of our favorite barista manual fine tuning? Personally, I’ll wait to try a few drinks Coffee Planet produces before I make a strong statement. Who knows…

For more info on Coffee Planet, Hotelier Middle East did a nice interview that I found enlightening for folks not in the area that Coffee Planet serves.

As I travel about the world, usually for work, I try to stop and smell the local coffees. Taking time to visit as many local coffee spots I can fit into my buzzing about, drinking the coffee and enjoying the atmosphere.

If you have a location, I would love to hear from you. For locations that will be in my near travel plans, I will drop by for an interview if you have the time. If your off my beaten path and I can’t convince the folks controlling the money here, then we can do the interview over the phone.

I will post those interviews here so others in your area or traveling to your part of the globe will think of you to enjoy what you have to offer. I am not looking for money, this is all about providing a service to help spread the word that there is wonderful coffee choices outside of the big names!

Take a moment to go to the About page on this site and send me info about you, who I should contact for an interview and a few fun facts. Some questions I would like to ask that would be interesting to others:

What makes your spot unique
What is your competition
Is there a particular brand of beans you use
Do you offer chairs, casual chairs, booths
Do you sell non-coffee products
Do you invite artists visual or audio
Do you have something your known for
What made you want to open the location
Are you a stand alone location or in a ‘mall’
Do you do more espresso or premium drinks

I was reminded recently that not ‘everything’ is best done from a Web page. Sometimes, the personal touch of a human interaction can get you further. For myself, and perhaps readers of this blog, there are many options to get training in making a better espresso or coffee drink. No one is complaining about my current creations but you can always learn a new trick or more info behind the ‘why’ of a process.

Classes and tools can be great for someone just looking into pulling their own drinks at home. Get a espresso machine for Christmas?

I have added a new page (link in the right column or Click here to jump) to show many offerings for classes. They can be for getting better at home to folks looking to start a new Espresso Spot and want their Baristas trained. There are options to have training at your location, at a school, on a DVD and even for your iPhone. Take a look if your ever thinking about fine turning your skills.

I just found that there was a Latte and Espresso drink competition recently in Dallas. A local lady, Teresa Gubbins, was chosen to help judge the cups of dark joy. She wrote a nice post about her adventure. After reading the fun she had, I researched and found there was another major global competition for Baristas. I need to see if next year’s competition will be a possible vacation spot.

For the local event: Sherri and Danny Johns of Portland-based (my old stomping grounds) WholeCup Coffee conduct barista competitions at trade shows around the world. On Sunday, June 28th, they hosted the Ultimate Barista Challenge competition at the Southwest Foodservice Expo, a three-day trade show for the restaurant biz at the Dallas Convention Center which continued through Monday and Tuesday.

Sunday’s competition drew six baristas from Texas and beyond who prepared three espresso-based drinks: 1. macchiato, 2. latte, and 3. specialty drink creation. Danny emceed and Sherri supervised the judging, with a panel that included coffee experts Heather and Jay Kurima, and the author. Catch her whole adventure here…

For the big global competition, you can go to World Barista Championship who just finished their 2009 event in Atlanta. 52 Baristas competed for the award, with Gwilym Davies from the United Kingdom. I’m not sure if that plays into next year’s event, but it will be in the United Kingdom.