it's my island

Aida’s Grand Reserve

// December 8th, 2006 // 9 Comments » // Culinary, Interests

[Counter Culture Coffee](http://www.counterculturecoffee.com) has stepped up to the plate again with their new limited offering, El Salvador Grand Reserve Peaberry aka [Aida’s Grand Reserve](http://www.counterculturecoffee.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=61&category_id=3&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=72). This coffee was hotly debated in our cupping room and has since spread across vines; [Phil](http://onion-bean.blogspot.com/2006/11/aidas-grand-reserve.html), & [Jon](http://www.peacelovecoffee.com/blog/?p=63) are on board, as well it looks like [Murky](http://www.murkycoffee.com/2006/11/updates.html), 3 Cups, Pheasant Creek and a few others might actually have this darling on tap. That is if you’re ready for the new price ceiling of $45 a bag, that would break down to relatively 5.60 for a cup of coffee.

There are a lot of questions when you start delving into coffee. Most people don’t understand the sacrifice to the land and to the people for that .59c cup of joe at the gas station. Then again most people don’t understand their own local food chain, getting them to understand a foreign one is an even greater challenge. I asked [PeterG](http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciordia/72139376/) to help me understand what is going on here. I can be sold on ideas, I love new ideas! Here are a few choice selections from our conversation:

>Aida sorted peaberries from her three farms, which happen to be the three most desirable farms in El Salvador, from the coffee buyer’s perspective. Because she has a direct and very open relationship with her buyers, she approached us for input on what she should do with this coffee: i.e. submit it to the cup of excellence, offer it at private auction, etc.

>[…] Remember, the last time Aida’s farms saw auction they set records for the most ever paid for coffee (Kilimanjaro in 2003) and was the first-ever time a coffee producer had two coffees finish in the finals of a Cup of Excellence (also 2003). In contrast to the Petersons’ Esmeralda, Aida has shied away from the flashy auctions, and instead opted for direct, transparent, and committed transactions. Putting this coffee out to bid just was not consistent with that philosophy.

>[…] coffees at this level are about nuance rather than flash.

Peter and I agree on a lot. We want the coffee growers to feel like they can grow, can flourish, evolve without the bastardizing megaconglomerates taking whatever they want from the land and paying the individual less than sustainable. We also know that coffee in it’s next form is in it’s infancy. We are just now coming to terms with genetic impacts beyond anything our forefathers ever knew. It’s an exciting time to be in coffee as long as the world holds together.

What does this cup offer us beyond my notes below? It’s exactly what you want in a cup, just enough brightness, a smoothness paralleled only by other fantastic coffees, a stability that you’d expect from an award winning coffee. There are a myriad of little subtle notes that require a little inversion to meditate on. It really is a beautiful assembly roasted by artisans.

To me it’s a great step in the continued growth of the specialty community. To my father who drinks Folgers pods I doubt I will be able to get him to consider this a viable alternative. However the continued exposure I and others bring to these gems in an ocean of mediocrity it is my hope that we can continue to strive for that higher bar as humanists and nurturing better products out of the environment.

Cupping Notes

Fragrance

* Dried Fruit
* Lavender
* Peach Fuzz
* Milk Chocolate

Aroma

* Leather
* Tea like
* Green Grape Skin
* Cashew

On Break

* Plum
* Wet Soil

Brightness

* 5:10
* 6:10
* Snappy

Flavor

* Cashew / Macadamia
* Caramel Sauce

* Pear or Grape Skin
* Cardamom

Body

* Nice Coating
* Expected
* Round

Aftertaste

* Clean Finish
* Light Cling
* Very Stable

Weekend Catchup

// May 2nd, 2006 // 4 Comments » // Culinary, On the Radar

It’s been a rather busy couple days for us. Those who watch the feed always get a drop on those who just read due to my [flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciordia/) influx.

The roundup. My G5 died the weekend before last and for a couple hundred canon offered to do an upgrade. With Robin’s blessing (heh) we moved up to the [Canon Pro1](http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonpro1/). It has it’s own issues like everyone else but being a Canon owner I have a pretty good read for what my expectations were and it’s being met [well](http://www.flickr.com/photos/search/text:pro1+tests/sort:relevance/ “Flickr Pro1 Test Series Search”). If I don’t get my broken cam back in the mail today though I’m going to be the winner of a nice additional bill.

Marshall Park on Saturday was host to an Earth Day event. The weather in the park was fantastic. The Dietz came in to town to hang out with us. We signed petitions, learned about rallies, bought some creamed honey, were educated on bio-solar-gray-and-green initiatives. Before I left I was approached by a nice lady asking if I was their photographer. Sorry, John Q. Public here, but I’ll gladly let you have access to my shots. In the future if you.. [plug plug]

Off again! The [Charlotte Flickr Meet](http://www.flickr.com/groups/62158993@N00/) was also being hosted this day at Jitterz around the University area. Leaving my map at home I used my keen sense of directions to get fully turned around and backassward showing up not early to help with any setup but just a little after start. Being the first meeting we only had a handful of people but they were enthusiastic and from many different walks of life with a keen sense of photography as a uniting force. I think the group has some potential in learning from each other. In the [future](http://www.flickr.com/groups/62158993@N00/discuss/72057594120603810/) we’ll probably have workshops and special interest groups that can be signed up for. Good stuff.

Lastly and really deserving it’s own post I’ve been an espresso madman. Besides draining a bag of Tuscano in two days I’ve been trying to dial around [Counter Culture’s](http://www.counterculturecoffee.com) Ethiopian Sidamo. I’ve gone through a series of taste tests adjusting boiler temps along the way. (10m delay between shots) These numbers are not brew head temps so their relevance is vague. Once I’m done playing (and today is another play day) I’ll switch to the scace and figure out where others might want to reproduce it at. Until then here’s my latest info.

* 119.3’c = Good, little too bright, comfortable mouthfeel.
+sugar = cherries cherries cherries (on the verge of medicinal)

* 119.6’c = Acidity down, Brightness down, More pear skin or plum.
+sugar = dark fruit, mebbe good in milk but something doesn’t appeal to me.

* 119.0’c = med. brightness & acidity, low tartness, smooth, maybe cashew?
+sweet = much too tart. confusing. I don’t understand how its taken such a different tact with sugar but it has.

Who needs to slow down? Psha.. next!

Continued Espresso Work

// March 7th, 2006 // 3 Comments » // In my Kitchen, On the Radar

I keep thinking of the book [Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060958324/sr=8-2/qid=1141778747/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-5463207-1573560?%5Fencoding=UTF8) as I work on this project. Everything people create is a form of communication. They tell you what they think of the state of things. They let you know what they think of you and maybe some of themself. Sometimes you can see that there is appreciation, others you can tell when they don’t care. Of course the message gets confused along the way so all you really pull back with is generalities and some meta concepts. Fun stuff none the less to think upon next time you go peering into your every day objects whether it’s a book passage or an engine.

The NS Oscar has been a fun project thus far and I have to say I’m right on schedule of where I hoped I’d be on the learning curve. Talking with good people like glepore, Jack Denver, & Dan Kehn have helped get me on the right path. The wealth of knowledge through the google groups window into [alt.coffee](http://groups.google.com/group/alt.coffee) as well as [Home-Barista](http://www.home-barista), and [Coffee Geek](http://www.coffeegeek.com) nearly broke my brain a few times trying to grok.

Gladly, the first steps have gone well. The expansion valve was not open and the machine rated around 15 bar, about 217 psi. That’s been taken down to 9.5 +/- bar. The boiler was producing first shot temperatures at 200f but then successive shots went down to around 198f. Twisting on the Sirai Pstat the machine rests at 204f, but after flushing hits right about 202f. This is around where Lydia at [CCC](http://www.counterculturecoffee) said the roasters profiled the Tuscano blend.

At this point I can touch the real espresso that Counter Culture is offering the public. The changes from my old settings to these are remarkable not in the dramatic change, but in the amount of subtle shifts all around. Sensory communication is a difficult thing to talk to people about because our words are made up from our own maps. Tuscano to me has recieved a new clarity. A certain fog of war has lifted leaving clear paths to caramel, dark chocolate, vanilla, malt. It reminds me so much of a healthy stout as a shot. Real well rounded.

At this point the machine is controllable to an extent and feeling that it has gone well adding a PID is the next order of business. Dialing in a temp through large twists of the pstat is not something you want to do regularly. This adds another curve of learning due to locations of components, electrical, a lot of things to remove/move, and more pieces to hunt for. So far I’ve got another T, spades, splitters, wirer, the [Auber](http://www.auberins.com/ PID, 25A SSR, & their RTD, as well as a head overstocked with new knowledge. Glepore is sending me a compression sleeve (thanks!), and I need to find a vac breaker. We’re not quite sure if the RTD is going to work. It might be too small. If that falls through its only time in ordering the right one from [Omega](http://www.omega.com). I also have to figure out how this is going to look in the end and will probably work with a project box & get it attached to the side of the unit. Coming together though piece by piece.

Once this is all in place I’ll log and show a realistic picture of how the HX works in the Oscar. Right now I’m just [toying](http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciordia/107926185/) around.

-a

New York, Espresso, Eats, et al

// December 2nd, 2005 // Comments Off // Cafes, Excursions, On the Radar

I’ve been absent, lost in New York. No not really, it was Robin’s 27th birthday and we were there for her grandmothers 85th. This was our best trip to New York yet. While we hammed it up on Long Island (Hicksville) with the family half the time, the other half was spent travelling for good espresso, eats, and a show.

_Never leave home with out it_. No not [AMEX](http://www.americanexpress.com), Coffee. You just never know where you’re gonna get a good cup. We brought a few pounds of [Counter Culture Coffee](http://www.counterculturecoffee.com) with us to share and live off of. We were all a bit curious if airport security would like it, guess us having it in NY says they didn’t mind. Bill kept it in their studio-hotel room and dished us grounds or brought us coffee to go in the morning. What a guy.

We learned through [Victrola](http://www.victrolacoffee.net/) that they were supporting a new outfit called [Cafe Grumpy](http://www.cafegrumpy.com/) that had both their espresso _AND_ was using the second [Synesso Cyncra](http://www.synesso.com/) on the East Coast. I had to visit. Had to. I don’t know when I’ll get up to [Murky Coffee](http://www.murkycoffee.com/) to hang with Nick and their babies so this was a golden opportunity. When we got there the owners Chris & Caroline, and friends, warmly greeted us and gave us the tour of their growing establishment. They have a very warm long space which will serve their gallery/studio crowd well. Even being admittedly short on experience to coffee they had been trained by some very knowledgeable folk who must have done a great job because the four cappa’s we orderd we’re _faaaaantastic_. They then graciously allowed me behind the counter to monkey around on their cyncra which was a beautiful stainless steel battle tank of a machine. I even got to pull a few shots and build my own cappuccino which to my chagrin was on time and tasted great. I really look forward to having one of these in the shop. Chris and Caroline are great owners. They knew that there wasn’t enough quality coffee and they are bringing it on strong to the Brooklyn area. I look forward to watching them grow and hopefully they’ll come down for the SCAA.

On other coffee fronts we came with the recommendation, and were further encouraged by the Grumpies to visit [9th Street Espresso](http://www.ninthstreetespresso.com/) in the Village. After some plotting we found our way there and enjoyed breakfast crossiants as well as a few cappuccino and macchiato. These guys rock it out as well using a pretty red Faema E61 machine. Their espresso was of the darker varietals giving me thoughts of dark brown sugar, molasses, roasty goodness. Trying not to forget to pick up things from places I like, I grabbed a t-shirt and gave many thanks to the barista. I add my voice to those before me; if you are in the area check these guys out as well. You will not be dissapointed.

We had some good eats this round as well. We printed up some lists of places near Time Square & Broadway, as well as a few celebrity chef places to try and check out. We ended up eating at Mama Foo’s, a nice fusion of asian foods. We pigged out with Robin’s sister & husband, Melinda & Jason. Their food was very good. Perfect portions and great ingredients made these dishes stand out. Imbibing a few bottles of sake for winter protection we were out of there right before our tables next reservation was called.

The celebrity restaurant we visited was Mario Battalli’s Casa Mono. A very tiny place near Union Square that served food tapas style. We worked on building a nice little meal out of pumpkin & goatcheese croquets, mussels w/ angelhair & chorizo, skirt steak served on a pimento sauce topped with carmelized red onions and a little plate of roasted artichoke hearts. Absolutly phenomenal. We left with our bellies not overstuffed but our palate sure was. The dancing of flavors brought out by their top-shelf chefs still makes my mouth water. It’s a little pricy but everyone deserves this kind of stuff every once and a while and for Robin’s birthday, fugettaboutit.

Our last thing we booked in advance was Beauty and the Beast. The Ciordia family is very connected to our long time friends the Browns. Their daughter Ashley is currently playing Belle on broadway and we just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see someone we knew on stage. She did not dissapoint either. With a voice that makes your skin tingle; she put on a beautiful display. We’ll be seeing a lot out of her I’m sure. The play as a whole was great as well. Somehow I had escaped ever seeing the Disney movie and only really knew the fable.

Walking the streets of New York, riding the train out through the island I am always awestruck by how many souls live in this place. Everyone needs to get to NYC some time to grasp what it is to have so many people so close together. It makes for an amazing dynamic experience.

-a

Quickies.. Wassaap

// August 26th, 2005 // Comments Off // On the Radar

The kitchen job went bust.. long story short the people who we paid to insure proper measurements measured wrong. This caused a 6” gap in the counter which basically shut down forward progress on installing a kitchen. Of course the old counter had been removed prior to learning this therefore finagling was involved. In the end our excellent contractor Vicki got us the ok to destroy the wrong counter and she dropped out sink back into it. Plumbed and ready we have a floating counter with nothing sealed or fully mounted waiting till Sept. 2nd when the new one gets dropped off. I’m glad it’s been resolved but some of this turned into finger pointing. Home Depot pointed a finger at Vicky questioning her ability to do her job, as if anyone else could make a magical 6 inches of counter grow, or the people who should have measured right pointing at air as if they had anyone who was more responsible.

Please.. if you screw up, just accept it.. Accept it, tell me about it, and lets move forward. Don’t be a child. Let’s put our energies to better use, else you lose face with me, and that is something hard to get back.

On the up, and I mean happy day, Friday was a [Counter Culture Coffee](http://www.counterculturecoffee.com) cupping. We had a few local [Coffee Geeks](http://www.coffeegeek.com) step out as well as a shop owner, some [Octane Coffee](http://www.octanecoffee.com) folks, and Robin’s parents made it too. As always we had a great time. Karen & Bill had never cupped before so this gave them an opportunity to once again fine tune their tastebuds and seek what had been sitting their all along. Fun stuff. We also spent some time chatting with Daryn over more shop things.

Carrying that over we’re trucking on the shop front. Space is in final lease, patio possibilities looming, bank re-engaging, getting quotes on everything from signage to cheese, networking, you name it we’re getting involved with it.

Life is crazy and I’m glad to be along for the ride.

-a