Aldo Coffee Company

Fun at Farmers@Firehouse

Yesterday we had the front and center 'demo tent' at the Farmers@Firehouse market on Penn (between 22nd and 23rd). 

F@F is one of (if not the) most popular and highly trafficked farmers markets in Pittsburgh.  And we were quite the busy baristas.

It's quite a different scene from the store in Mt. Lebanon.  People are generally there for locally grown, fresh and organic produce.  They're interested in the origins of their food and love to ask questions and converse about details.  While no coffee sold in the US is locally grown (unless you're in Hawai'i), the coffee we were serving is, at least, locally roasted. And nobody is better prepared to talk about coffee than Frank (at left).

F@F shoppers are looking for flavorful, sustainable foods and we're happy to provide coffee to fit the bill.  Yesterday we had two different roasts of our La Verdad Colombia Monserrate. The medium roast was ground fresh and brewed in Abid Clever drippers.  The dark roast was brewed in press pots. And we also offered the medium roast as an iced coffee, using a slow drip concentrate we'd made Friday at the shop.  While we were offering brewed cups for free yesterday, we sold several bags of La Verdad whole bean coffee in both 8oz and 12oz bags. (Brewed cups will be $3 starting next week).

Additionally we had a couple dozen of Melanie's enormous chocolate chip cookies and our vegan blueberry muffins.  We'll be adding one or two more breakfast-style offerings next week.

A few regular customers happened by and were surprised (and happy) to see us.  But the majority of folks weren't familiar with what we've been doing in the South Hills for 5-1/2 years.  It was fun for us to get to meet and talk to a hundred or so folks new the Aldo experience and to serve them some incredible coffee.

Now at Farmers@Firehouse Saturday Mornings

We'll be making coffee down in the Strip each Saturday morning from now until October.

Farmers@Firehouse is one of the city's more popular farmer's markets.  It's in the parking lot next to the Firehouse Lounge on Penn between 22nd and 23rd.

We'll be brewing sustainably-grown relationship coffees from La Verdad as well as offering some of Melanie's baked goods. We're working on iced coffee as well for the coming weeks.

It's a great match for us - the market's regular shoppers have a keen respect for freshness and flavor, which is precisely what we provide with our coffees.

This Saturday we'll be right up front in the demo tent.  After this week we'll have a regular spot toward the back of the market.  If you're in the Strip on Saturday morning, come by and visit.

Direct Trade vs. direct trade vs. Relationship coffee: How we view it.

We know what Direct Trade means when we refer to it.  Locally, we also know what it means when 21st Street, Tazza d'Oro, Blue Horse, Voluto, Big Dog or Espresso a Mano refer to it.

At each of the above coffeehouses, direct trade means that the roasters have been at the farms working with the growers on production and processing techniques to produce superior quality coffees.  Their coffees pass numerous quality control tests and deserve a higher price than commodity or Fair Trade coffees. In many cases these direct trade projects represent commitments to a farm/co-op partnership that will last for years.

Intelligentsia, Stumptown, Counter Culture Coffee, 49th Parallel and Verve - the roasters used by the shops mentioned above - each have their own definitions of what direct trade means, but all of them include active involvement with the farmer at origin in their definition.

However, we don't always know what "direct trade" means when someone else refers to it.

The Espresso Gospel According to Matthew

The Atlantic published a story on 'traditional espresso' authored by Giorgio Milos, a barista trainer from Trieste and former Illy employee.

In the story, Giorgio laments how the American coffee scene has ignored the traditional recipes and methods of classic Italian espresso.  He alludes to many American shops making superconcentrated drinks that "aren't really espresso".

Naturally, you wouldn't expect such assertions to go unchallenged.  And of the dozens of commenters, it was Matthew who really nailed the differences in espresso between the two countries, but also the traditions, cultures and history to explain how those differences came to pass.

Well done, Matthew. 

Giorgio's article is not completely without merit. We will agree on a couple of things. One, the job of 'barista' in Italy is a legitimate career choice with serious occupational training.  Two, the odds of getting a passable espresso in any cafe in Italy far surpasses those odds in the US.  No argument that there are simply too many awful cafes in this country with no idea how to pull a decent espresso shot. 

But, in our opinion, the better cafes in the US offer a better espresso experience than anywhere in Italy.  

We also wonder what Giorgio's opinion is of Sant' Eustachio's espresso with its infamous stiff crema?  Given Sant' Eustachio is arguably Italy's most famous espresso bar, is what they serve "really" espresso given Giorgio's parameters of tradition?

I'll Have French Toast During the Renaissance...

Appears our humble shop plays a pivotal role in local author Gwen Cready's latest novel, "Flirting With Forever", billed as a "time travel romance". 

There's a free espresso waiting for whomever replies first in the comment section with an explanation of the headline reference.

This Week's Coffee Shipment

The good news is that the Stumptown coffees will be in on Thursday as usual.

The bad news is that we totally spaced our Intelligentsia order this week.  Thus we will not be receiving any on Thursday.  We're trying to see if we can get some Black Cat in for Friday, but we missed the order deadline for today. 

We do still have Black Cat for retail, which will is only a week off roast - it'll get better next few days.  We also have a little Brazil Serra do Bone and Bolivia Anjilinaka.  But we won't be getting any additional retail bags in until next week.

We will have plenty of Hairbender and more of the dark roast La Verdad Colombia Monserrate which also makes a dynamite espresso.

Apologies for any inconvenience to those of you who anxiously wait for our usual Thursday coffee shipments to arrive.

Closing 5pm Today (Friday, May 7)

Closing an hour early as we'll heading be up to Voluto Coffee for tonight's latte art throwdown. 

Apologies for any inconvenience.

When In Amsterdam...

Flipping through the usual blogs we read, we found this photo taken Monday at the new Stumptown store in Amsterdam.

And who would that tall, distinguished gent be engaging the barista?

Why it's none other than Sonja's hubby, Grant.

Grant said he enjoyed being part of opening day and was duly impressed not only with the coffee but with the design. The entire bar is decorated in blackboard surface.

If you're in Amsterdam this summer, stop in.

Desayuno Especial para Cinco de Mayo: Churros y Cafe de Olla

Dos churros y un taza (12oz) de cafe de olla: $3.50, el impuesto incluyó.

Esta oferta disponible de 7:30a-10:00a o hasta que nos quedamos sin.

Finnish Drink More Coffee Than Americans, Remain Thinner, Blonder

Having a Starbucks on every corner only means we Americans drink a lot of milk and sugary syrups, not coffee.

The US ranks a paltry 16th in per capita coffee consumption. 

Finland tops the list with an astounding 608.2 litres of coffee per person annually.  That's 7.04 eight-ounce cups daily. 

Figures below are per capita consumption in litres (cups) and world ranking for productivity per person.

1. Finland: 608.2 (7.04) 14

2. Norway: 322.6 (3.74) 6

3. Denmark: 180.6 (2.09) 8

4. Germany: 145.9 (1.69) 16

5. Slovakia: 144.6 (1.68) 33

6. Czech Republic: 142.8 (1.65) 32

7. Sweden: 139 (1.62) 20

8. United: Kingdom: 134.7 (1.56) 21

9. Canada: 125.6 (1.45) 10

10. Greece: 116.2 (1.35) 24

11. Slovenia: 110.9 (1.28) 27

12. Poland: 107.3 (1.24) 35

13. Australia: 107.2 (1.24) 12

14. Belgium: 106.4 (1.23) 5

15. Costa Rica: 105.9 (1.23) n/a

16. U.S. 105.9 (1.23) 2

We imagine the only reason Finland doesn't have a higher productivity rate is because of the sheer number of coffee breaks ;-)

It's also worth noting that a 2007 study showed Luxembourg (which is #1 in productivity) consumed 38% more coffee than even Finland (9.71 cups!), but was not included in the Business Week figures.

And really, are we gonna stand for Canada beating us?

Not to mention, all 15 of those countries are significantly thinner than we are.