Aldo Coffee Company

Advanced Cupping This Saturday: Triangulation and Defects

This Saturday's free public coffee cupping will feature two things we haven't yet done in a public cupping.  And there are still seats available!

Back to (Coffee) School...

For fans and students of coffee and espresso, fall educational opportunies await at Aldo Coffee:

• Free Coffee Cupping/Tasting on September 6
• Barista Skills class on Septmber 17th
• Latte Art class on  October 1

These classes can fill-up early, so be sure you don't miss out.   Read here for more information and registration details.

Saturday Advanced Cupping Class - Still Two Seats Open SOLD OUT

This Saturday at 1pm we're doing another free Advanced Cupping Class.  These classes are designed for coffee connosiuers and foodies to experience finer nuances in selected brews.

Belle will be featuring four coffees:  Two versions of Colombia Tres Santos, one just roasted this week from new crop and one from a microlot of last year's crop which has been vacuum packed for the past year to determine at what level freshness can be preserved.  We haven't even tasted the latter yet, so we're excited to see how it performs against the new crop.  We will also have two grades of Honduras La Tortuga, one roasted for blending, the other as straight-up single origin coffee.

It's bound to be educational, so if coffee is your thing, don't miss this.  To reserve one of the remaining seats for Saturday, call us at 412.563.1220 or drop an email (use the link to the left above the Google box). Sorry - sold out!  For future class dates, click here.

Barista Training - From Basic to Pro

The verdict on last night's Barista Skills 101 class: "Much more than I expected!"

We had four folks in for the class, two of whom will shortly be opening new shops in the area, and two who simply want to achieve professional results on their home rigs. 

Belle and John took the four through the elements of defining and evaluating coffee for espresso, preparation, brewing methodology, grinders and traditional drinks.  Everyone got time on the Linea and a greater appreciation for the trade.

Our next Barista Skills 101 class will be held September 17.  We also have a Professional Barista Skills class on August 13 for those who've been through the 101 class or who are already working as a barista and wish to improve their skills and understanding of the business.

For more information on all classes held at Aldo Coffee, click here.

Advanced Cupping Class this Saturday 1pm

This month's advanced cupping class subject is Central America.  We'll be cupping the following coffees:

Los Inmortales Finca Matalapa (El Salvador)
El Machete (Panama)
Los Delirios (Nicaragua)

Our advanced cupping sessions take your taste buds well beyond our Cupping 101 classes.  In advanced cupping we generally look at a specific region or country and will focus more on flavor nuances related to the types of processing or bean varietals.  While terroir remains important, tasters should not expect the stark flavor variances found in a Cupping 101 comparison between say, a Sumatra and a Brazil or Ethopian coffee.  Saturday's session will be a challenge to your palate.

One question we'll ask our tasters this week is to identify which of the coffees is most characteristic of a classic Zinfandel, a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc.  However, you don't need to know wine to enjoy this culinary tasting experience.

To reserve a spot, email us or tell your barista to reserve a spot next time you're in this week.  The cupping will start at 1pm Saturday and last around an hour.  There are eight seats available.  First come first served.

More Pittsburgh Baristas Enter the Competitive Ring

Our travel team was up at Tazza d'Oro last night for a night of practice with Pittsburgh's newest entries into the world of barista competitions.

Braden and Emily of long-time bastion of quality coffee and community Tazza d'Oro in Highland Park will be joining Belle, Sonja and John in DC next month at the Mid-Atlantic Barista Competitions.  Tazza d'Oro graciously agreed to let us work out on their shiny new La Marzocco GB5, which just happens to be the machine used at the competition.

If only we had a sixth, Pittsburgh could sweep the thing.  That would show the SCAA a thing or two about sticking it to the City (more on that in a later post).  So Matt, if you're out there reading this, your town needs you - we know you're ready for it!

Owner Amy Enrico has a lot of confidence in her staff, all of whom have recently been certified by their roaster, Batdorf & Bronson.  Amy also told us that Braden was extremely fast on bar.  As you can see by the photo... he's so fast he's a blur!

We also need to find a local home brewer so we can make us some of these tasty things, except with Black Cat.   Care to volunteer?

We'll be praticing together a couple more times prior to the competitions at Coffee Fest, which begin February 15.

Free Public Tasting Class This Saturday, 2pm

We'll be hosting a public coffee tasting class this Saturday, November 10 at 2:00pm. 

The tasting is FREE, however, we ask that you pre-register with us* as class size is limited. 
We will be serving Los Delirios Direct Trade from Nicaragua and the Chema auction lot from Kenya.  Both are wonderful examples of what's possible from each growing region.  You will be asked to take notes on the aromas and flavors you experience from serving until the coffee cools**.

We expect to also have a third coffee to compare these two against.  Bring a clean palate and enjoy the experience.

If you are interested in other types of coffee education, let us know - we have classes happening regularly for professionals, home baristas and coffee lovers.

*Please include a phone # we can contact you at on Friday/Saturday.  We will confirm your participation prior to the tasting.  Please do not register unless you know you will be able to attend.  Thank you.

**Just in case... we remind everyone that the coffee is served black and only black.

Espresso Training for Restaurants, Cafes and Bars Now Available

After months of preparation and fine tuning our own skills we recently took on our first training client, Simpatico Espresso, a kiosk owned by Ward Payne, who hails from the Seattle area.  Simpatico is located downtown in the Regional Enterprise Tower on Sixth.  Belle and Melanie did the training.  By the end of our first session, both of Simpatico's baristi were pulling consistently decent shots and steaming good milcrofoam and cappuccino milk.

Ward has stated his commitment to serving quality espresso.  Stop by Simpatico for a good quality straight espresso, cappuccino, macchiato or Americano.

Like many local coffeehouses, Simpatico uses La Prima as their roaster.  We like Ward's color choices for his labels and bags - that copper/bronze is a nice color and the labels are snappy.

If your restuarant, cafe or business serves espresso and you'd like to learn how to generate more revenue from your existing espresso/cappuccino service, give us a call, 412.563.1220 or drop an email at aldo (the @ sign) aldocoffee (dot) com.