Aldo Coffee Company

About That Help Wanted Sign

It does say "Experienced".

Same with the Craigslist ad.

You'd be replacing an excellent barista who's been here for several years and is now looking to change careers.  It's not a summer job.  It's not for a trainee with no prior coffee experience.  You've got to be able to hit the ground running and have a good idea how things work in a busy coffeehouse.

We might make one exception - we'll consider someone who's cooked in a fine dining establishment even without experience.  That person can help out in additional ways.

It's Time to Get Over Ourselves

We're getting a bit sick and tired of some of our own.

Without naming names, we've seen a growing trend of barista arrogance over on Twitter resulting is some absurd exchanges.  A coffee question gets asked and sometimes answered appropriately.  But increasingly replies to questions come back not with answers, but with opinions that the subject matter being referenced isn't worthy of discussion.  Even though it's about how to brew coffee.

Or that the person cannot answer the question because it was posed using volume measurements instead of weight.  As if 10 ounces of 200F water in Pittsburgh weighs significantly more or less than 10 oz of 200F water in New York or Los Angeles?  It's immaterial to the question.

Or that some delicate sensibilities are offended by an abbreviated slang term for espresso.  We've yet to encounter a restauranteur who runs in from the kitchen to chide a customer who requests "mayo" instead of "mayonnaise".

So get over yourselves.  There are bigger issues we should be together on if we want people to take coffee more seriously. 

Among these is the assertion that high quality coffee should cost $3.00, $4.00 or $5.00 a cup.  We've always agreed with that in principle.  Coffee prices to the consumer haven't changed much in the past decade or two compared to other comestibles.  Coffee farmers need to make more if we don't want to see quality coffee-growing land plowed over and replanted with bananas or whatever.

But if we're not paying several dollars more ourselves for wholesale coffee or adding significant labor costs in the preparation, how can we justify a $5.00 cup?

The Geoff Watts Interview

While Geoff Watts was in town this week he gave an interview with Brandon Wallace of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.

So if you missed Geoff's talk Wednesday night, the interview covers much of the same ground.

Geoff gets into the nuts and bolts of why Direct Trade is the best model for purchasing coffee and how it's the only model that truly benefits both coffee growers and consumers.

It's a half hour well spent.  Take a listen.

Coffee Tasting: Touching Base With Customer Palates

Last Saturday's "Coffee 101" class was another interesting touchstone in our own continuing education.

Usually, when we do a "101" tasting, the participants are a mixed group without stated preferences for a given coffee, more often than not associating coffee with a brand rather than an origin.

Saturday's group of seven (a mom and son, a young couple, Belle and a friend, and a recent transplant from the West Coast) came with definite preferences on which coffees they enjoyed as well as preferred brew methods.

And to a person (except Belle), those preferences were for darker roasts and deep toned Sumatrans.

A Different Wine Analogy

The coffee industry has tried to use the wine market as a model for some time.  The concept being that it wasn't that long ago Americans had little sophistication in buying wine.  In little more than a generation, we went from buying jug wines classified by red or white to becoming knowledgeable about grape varietals, producers and terroir.

Of course some wine bloggers would suggest that the reality of the wine industry's progress in creating sophisticated markets is somewhat overblown.

But this post isn't about that wine analogy.  Rather, it's a personal story about a bad wine experience.

Central American Season Starts This Week

The first Central Americans of the new 2009-2010 harvest are shipping this week.  We've just ordered some El Salvadors from Intelligentsia.

Happy days for those of you who've spent the winter months missing the snappy acidity of Central American coffees. Yes, Spring is here.

The new El Salvador Finca Matalapa Puerto Zapa will arriving at Aldo Coffee on Thursday (12oz retail bag = $13.25).  We'll also be trying out a half-dozen bags of El Salvador Finca Matalapa Peaberry (12oz = $16.25).

Both coffees are Direct Trade and can also be purchased by the cup as an Abid pourover or press pot brew.

About Those Off-Menu Items...

There are a lot of people who follow the coffee community social media sites (although apparently only six of them live in Mt. Lebanon).

Lately there has been a lot of talk on social media channels about espresso drinks called "cortado" and "Gibraltar". And a few people come in here and order them, so we try to accommodate those folks rather than say 'we can't make them.  We have an 'off-menu'' sheet for staff explaining each drink we know is being discussed out there.  Cortados, flat whites, piccolo lattes, Gibraltars, topped-up macchiatos (the ones with latte art instead of the traditional dollop).

Here's the thing.  Some of these drinks are glassware-specific.  We already have glassware up the wazoo and have no intention of adding more.

Little Glass Houses for You and Me

Next time you're out eating with a barista from a respected cafe, pay attention to what they do at the table.

Do they ask for a recommendation of what's good?  Or do they order a la Sally?

Do they let the chef's work stand on its own?  Or do they add salt before tasting their meal?  Or smother their frites in ketchup before trying one?

If their cafe markets itself as a champion of sustainability, are they ordering an endangered fish?  Does that dessert they're enjoying contain chocolate from the Ivory Coast?

The NYT on Decaf - It's Getting Better

As someone who's been fighting GERD for 20 years, I've long been interested in a better tasting decaf.  When coffee is part of your daily job, you drink a LOT of caffeine.  Finding a good decaf to enjoy away from the job would be a godsend.

Today's article in the New York Times suggests those decaf coffees are already starting to appear or will be soon.  A focus on tasty decaf is indeed long overdue.

First Pittsburgh Coffee Society Cupping Here on Friday 7pm

The newly formed Pittsburgh Coffee Society was established to get coffee professionals and die-hard enthusiasts together under one roof in order that we can collectively improve our professional skills.

The PCS will be hosting cuppings, triangulations and other palate development exercises here and at other coffeehouses in the region.

Any and all coffee and/or food/beverage professionals are invited to attend.  It's free of charge, although donations for supplies are appreciated.

This week's cupping will feature at least three coffees - a Colombian, a Burundi and either a Rwanda or PNG. We may also do a triangulation depending on how many are coming.

If you're interested in attending, please comment below or drop us an email (aldo@this site domain).