Ben Kaminsky of Ritual Coffee in SF speaks the truth about top-end specialty coffee shops and why those of us who specialize in single-origin coffees and promote manual brewing have a love-hate relationship with lattes.
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Try Halloween Without Hershey's
There are an estimated quarter million children under age 14 working cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast. An estimated 10% of whom are classified as 'forced labor' or slaves. Figures from various reporting agencies may put those numbers higher or lower, but the fact is, there's a problem, both with potentially harmful child labor and definitely harmful child slavery.
It's a problem that's been discussed ad naseum but without solid progress. In 2001, Senators Tom Harkin and Eliot Engel drafted a measure which would become known as the Cocoa Protocol. It was agreed to by the major players in the cocoa industry, including Hershey's, Nestle, Mars, Kraft, Cadbury, Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill, among others.
Ten years after the protocal was signed, of that group it can be argued that only Cadbury shows significant progress in doing something about the problem. Others have made some progress.
And one company seemingly hasn't done much of anything: Hershey's.
Bacon
Saw this and just had to share.
What's Goin' On
- Hey there... if you're looking for our physical store, we closed as of November 15, 2011. The space is under new ownership as Orbis Caffe, still serving delicious coffee and food with great service. We hope you'll give them a try. For info on Melanie and Rich, follow @aldo_mel or @richwesterfield or visit accidentalroaster.com.
Aldo's Slideshow Recent Posts
Coffee How To's
- Chemex Guide (with dancing)
From Jared Truby of Verve (with assist from Chris Baca) - Siphon/Vac Pot
Posts related to vac pot/siphon brewing with videos and detailed instructions from the Barismo boys - Aeropress
Top 3 winning methods from 2009 Aeropress championships. - Turkish Coffee
Many ways to make Kahvesi, but this vid is closest to our method. - Press Pot Brewing
From 2007 WBC Champion James Hoffman - Chemex Brewing
From 2007 WBC Champion James Hoffman
Advancing the Coffee Culture
- Coffee Kids
A charity we support that improves the quality of life for children in coffee-growing regions around the world. - CoffeeGeek
Reviews on gadgetry and techniques for the home brewing enthusiast. - Coffee Review
Connosieur Ken David and friends review and rate various coffees, including offerings served at Aldo Coffee Company from Intelligentsia Cofee Roasters like the fabulous espresso blend Black Cat. - Coffee Research
What do you want to know about coffee? - Portafilter.net
The geekiest of coffee geeks aspire to extract the absolute perfect cup. - Tea Guide
Directory of shops serving quality teas. - Espresso Map
A map that pinpoints the best espresso joints in the US and Canada as determined by the site's author and professional peer reviews. - Barismo
Jamie Van Schyndel and friends dissect anything and everything coffee and tea related from beans and leaves to technique and equipment in pursuit of perfection. - Pittsburgh Area Coffee Association
Jake Liefer of Beaver Falls Coffee & Tea built a blog aggregator and community site for local baristas. - In Season Coffee
No coffee served after its time. - Sweet Maria's
The ultimate source for green coffee for home roasters. Tom's knowledge of coffee is encyclopaedic. - twitchy
Liz Clayton's blog is the ET of coffee. - Intelligentsia LA
Group blog from Intelligentsia's Silver Lake and Venice baristas and roasters. - Accidental Roaster
Adventures of a barista/cafe owner on becoming a coffee roaster. - Bitter Press
Jess from Intelligentsia uses science to explain things.
Heroes & Legends
- Murky Coffee (NoVa)
Retailer (non-roaster) who's one of the best indie shops on the East Coast. Features selection of top roasters and pulls only ristrettos. No drip - Americanos and press pots only. - Stumptown (Portland, OR)
Along with Intelligentsia, probably the most acclaimed coffee roaster in the US. A certifiable Coffee Mecca that's turned Portland into the quality coffee capital of the Pacific Northwest. - Espresso Vivace (Seattle)
David Schomer is widely acknowledged as a perfectionist. Espresso Vivace is home to his science and art. - Intelligentsia (Chicago)
Our coffee source and one of the most highly acclaimed roasters in US. Taught us most everything we know (although we think they're still holding back some secrets). - Joe The Art of Coffee (NYC)
Preposterous name, but consistently ranked among top espresso joints in New York, which has to mean something, no? - Caffe Vittoria (Boston)
OK, maybe it's not the best espresso in Boston. But Vittoria is a great North End experience. A riot of noise, cappuccino, cannoli and sambuca. This is Rich's dream joint. Except with better coffee. - Blue Bottle (SF)
Beans microroasted fresh daily and whatever doesn't sell today is tossed. Has raised the bar for every other joint in the Bay Area. - Peets (Berkeley/SF)
Alfred Peet is often called "the grandfather of the specialty coffee industry". Started in 1966, Peets continues to have a loyal following, despite tons of regional competition. - George Howell's Terroir (Boston)
George's Coffee Connection was specialty coffee in New England for years. Then he sold out to the dark empire. Now he's back with Terroir, identifying and promoting single source coffees. No stores yet, only whole bean sales. - The Roasterie (Kansas City)
Reginal powerhouse coffee buyer, roaster, trainer and local retail chain in KC, Missouri. - Ninth St. Espresso (NYC)
King of espresso on Manhattan's Lower East Side. - Gimme! Coffee (Ithaca/NYC)
Gimme! was among the first Eastern shops to rival the best in the PNW. Born in Ithaca, they're now in Brooklyn, Chelsea Market and LES. - Simon's (Boston)
Cambridge, MA, used to be home to Jaime VanSchyndel, barista provocateur. Not sure if they're still what they were when Jaime was on bar, but it's likely still the best cup in Boston. - Caffe Artigiano (Vancouver, BC)
Two time Canadian Barista Champ Sammy Piccolo and his roaster brother Vince have put Artigiano in the heads of espresso geeks worldwide. They cornered the market on 2005 Brazil CoE Santa Ines to ensure their proper place on the quality map. - Ritual Coffee (SF)
Ask for Gabe or Baca. Lines usually out the door. For good reason. - Cafe Grumpy (NYC)
In the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn and now with a Lower West Side storefront. Top equipment and beans from Ecco and Counter Culture. - Octane (Atlanta)
Hotlanta's cool kids of coffee, led by M'lissa. Great skills, great training, great coffee. - Alterra (Milwaukee)
One of our favorite macchiatos was served here. Scott and Justin rock. The espresso stands up to milk like few others. - Zoka (Seattle)
One of the largest and best macroroasters in the Pacific Northwest. Numerous barista champions worked on bar for Zoka.
Local Talent
Local Conversation Starters
Press
- Trib: Coffee Canvas
- Pop City: Raising the Bar On Coffee
- P-G: Belle Wins 2008 MARBC
- P-G: Aldo Places Three Finalists in 2007 MARBC
- P-G: Belle's First USBC (2006)
- P-G: Washington Road = Fun for Foodies
- Pittsburgh Magazine: Best Baristas in Pittsburgh
- Road to the Super Cup
- P-G on Our Bicerin
- I Heart PGH Visits Aldo
Muses
- Chris Brogan
Fun guy, busy guy, usually in Pgh for PodCamp. Chris is the best at distilling high-tech social media concepts for use in low-tech businesses. - Seth Godin
There are a lot of big thinkers out there. Seth may not be the biggest, but he's the best at crystallizing big ideas into actionable agendas. - Hugh McLeod
Been following Hugh since the early days of blogs. He called us one of his first global microbrands. We call him a revolutionary genius.
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