Aldo Coffee Company

Labels and Espresso

We've swapped out Hairbender from our guest espresso grinder and replaced it with La Verdad Colombia Monserrate for the time being (Black Cat is still in the other grinders). 

There are a couple of reasons for this.  One is that we want to work with the Monserrate as espresso since we're making a significant commitment to that coffee in all brew forms.  It's going to be our only Colombian coffee for the season.

Second, is that we've reached a point where it's actually painful to discuss Hairbender with folks asking about our espresso offerings.  Unlike everything else we sell, Hairbender is an opaque coffee.  We can't answer specific questions about its origin because all we know is some comes from Africa, some from the Americas, some from Indonesia. And that's not good enough.

We've experimented making espresso with many of the coffees we sell as drip/pourover.  Some work, some don't.  The Monserrate works.  Mike Marquard of Kaldi's in St. Louis used it in his competition espresso at the recent USBC and took sixth place overall.  It's certainly brighter than Black Cat, but in a good way.  As we learn more about it through working with it daily, we're confident we can build a following.

You can help us with this.  We've put some guidelines on the new labels for brewing as espresso.  These guidelines are what works for us currently in the shop on the Linea.  Your results may vary based on your home machine.  We'd appreciate your feedback on what parameters you're using to find your sweet spot.

The Lunch Conundrum

It's herb and vegetable planting time.  And we were thinking about what to plant this year in the patio boxes and our little 6 sq ft farm at the base of the back stairs.

Panini was always in the plan for Aldo Coffee.  We loved the idea of a variety of small, seasonal sandwiches like those that are ubiquitous in Italy.  That's why panini is on the front window decals.

We had used our trips to Italy and favorite places like 'Ino as inspiration for what we'd offer (forgetting that both examples also sell wine).

As is often the case, what we thought would be interesting and delicious didn't sell very well.  There was a ton of waste created trying to come up with a menu that interested both us and you.  And even with the current menu, it's not really profitable.  Our margins are tiny for the amount of work and expense that goes into panini.

La Verdad: Starting At the Top

We've been selling La Verdad coffee at the shop since November.  Abdel uses it over at KousKous (although most everyone orders his amazing mint tea, so we're talking about maybe a pound a week over there).

But other than a half dozen trial bags gifted to a handful some of coffeeshops with whom we're friends, our little half a block of Washington Road has been about the entire distribution area for Rich's roasting operation. 

We haven't been actively seeking accounts until we had some marketing materials and a working web site (with online ordering) and other infrastructure in place.  We're still working on that while we continue to roast.

So it's with a combination of gratitude and a healthy anxiety that we announce our first real customer for La Verdad.

It's only the most highly anticipated restaurant opening in Pittsburgh, perhaps ever.  No pressure there.

Kevin will be using Bodum Chambord press pots for service - chosen for their timeless style (and feet!) and the cup quality.  They'll be the 16oz variety, enough for two 8oz cups.  There will be a dedicated water tower and grinder.  We'll be providing training in addition to the coffee (we're still debating whether to skim the grounds).  There will not be espresso, as explained here.  And no decaf.  It's all about taste and texture.

We started this process well over a year ago, as if anyone needed more proof of Kevin's attention to detail (and if you're wondering, we both agreed that the Cafe Solos were logistically impractical given the expected number of cups brewed and served nightly).

It's a honor to be the featured coffee at Salt of the Earth.  Like most everyone else, we're really looking forward to the restaurant's projected June opening.  We were fortunate enough to get to a couple of Kevin's guerilla dinners and his amazing parking lot barbecue last year. 

We know the food will be amazing.  And in talking about service, there was no mistaking that we both know La Verdad coffee will often be the last taste of the evening lingering on diners' palates. 

Thank you Kevin for having the trust in us to deliver on that challenge. 

Thoughts On What Barista Competitions Mean to Us

Intelligentsia Chicago's Mike Phillips repeated at US Barista Champion, winning Sunday's finals with a score of 701.  He won out over five other top baristas, two from Intelligentsia LA, two from Verve in Santa Cruz, CA and one from Kaldi's in St. Louis.

First off, congrats to Mike as while there are many great baristas out there, it would be hard to argue against Mike's skills, understanding of coffee and dedication to the craft, all of which were on display this weekend.

With each passing year, it becomes more apparent to us that we're not in a position to ever be amongst the six finalists.  That might have been possible three or four years ago had we made it a priority (albeit still a long-shot), but it's all but inconceivable today.  Belle's 2008 USBC semi-finals appearance (20th place) might be the best we ever achieve.

Housekeeping Notes

We're admittedly a bit melancholy this week.  It's been kind of a rotten week all around. 

First off, timing couldn't have been worse for us getting out to the SCAA Conference/USBC in Anaheim.  Other projects and commitments are keeping us home.  So we're living it vicariously through tweets and streams.  We might have to go to London to make up for our staying home this week  ;-)

Second - and the most obvious - are the sidewalks being dug up in front of the store.  Is there anything more disruptive?  First, the mess outside inconveniences people from wanting to get in here, then once you're inside, the noise from the jackhammers makes for a less than appealing stay. 

Happily, the sidewalk repairs appear to be just about finished.

Our Sexy Foam Tribute Made It In

Happy 5th Anniversary Barista Magazine.  Thanks for all you've done for our industry Sarah and Ken!

We're hoping our little tribute to Lem Butler (a.k.a. "Sexy Foam") provides a bit of luck for him at the USBC competition this weekend.

To read the full 5th Anniversary issue, click here.

Might Have to Go to Moderated Comments

We're getting a couple of spam comments daily from jerks trying to get link goodness to their real estate scams.  These people should DIAF.

Maybe it'll stop, but that's probably over optimistic.  We'd hate having to moderate - the more obstacles we put up, the fewer "real" comments we get, but the spammers have tools to defeat anything it seems, so they'll always get through unless we review everything first.

Bella Carmona Guatemala - Is It Single Origin?

Sometimes we get as confused as you do about coffee terminology.

The Bella Carmona that arrived Thursday is our first of the season from Guatemala (for an explanation why it harvests earlier than Huehuetenagos, click here).  It's a classic sweet, floral, bright and refreshing Guatemalan, perfect for all-day drinking.

There's no question the coffee-drinking world is loving discovering unique single origin coffees and how the flavors differ from region to region.  What is confusing is just what "single origin" means.

Some roasters, looking to capitalize on the trend toward single origins, have co-opted the term to mean any coffee from a particular country.  This could mean blends from farms several hundred miles apart, processed at different mills with different fermentation times and other processing inconsistencies.

Some roasters refer to single origin as being from a specific region within a country, say Yirgacheffe or Huehuetenanago.

Some roasters refer to single origin as beans collected from numerous farms or coops but all using the same mill for processing at the same time.  By definition, this would imply all the farms are geographically near each other.

And some refer to single origin as being from a single farm, which may also be called "single estate".

Just so you're familiar with where we're coming from when we talk about single origin coffees at Aldo Coffee, we tend to use the "one processor" definition, and pretty much all the coffees we sell fall into that category or the 'single estate' definition.

(UPDATE - read Phil's comment below for more insight into the single origin debate).

The more you know...

Getting In Before the Rush...

After not much thought, I (Rich) am announcing I'll be competing in the 2011 MARBC.

It'll be at least two roasts of the same coffee, probably the La Verdad Colombia Monserrate if the quality is as good as this year's.  The sig drink will be a double-shot Americano.  And if I'm fortunate enough to make finals, the sig will be a two-shot cappuccino (possibly with coffee-infused milk).  That's it.  No molecular gastronomy this time. No fruits or veggies.  Just coffee and maybe some moo juice.

The placesettings will be the same cups and spoons we use in the bar.  And the tablecloth will be the old 2008 MARBC murkycoffee banner that we'll (finally) be taking down shortly.

I actually do really want to place in the finals so I'll have a spot in Houston at the nationals where I can slide in a bit of commentary about how the SCAA is a bunch of idiots for moving their 2011 conference out of Pittsburgh and going to Texas.

No, we haven't forgotten about that.  Nor forgiven :-)

Open Easter 8:30a-1:00p

Like anyone needed to ask?

Chocolate covered Peeps for 40 cents.  White chocolate-covered strawberries with citrus sugar for a bit more than that.  Bring the family and get dessert out of the way early.