A Very Special Barista

This is truly an extraordinary of story of someone born with a defect but, through opportunity and training, she was able to work as a trained barista at Em and Jerri’s Coffee Company. Written by Gina Palandri of Espresso Partners.

I had the pleasure of meeting Em about a month ago, after she was referred to us by Kevin Kapaun of Specialty Java, a local Minnesota roaster. Em came to Espresso Partners’ Minnesota training facility, accompanied by her job coach Jerri Reisner, and her mother Tami. This would be their first barista training, and would unknowingly end as one of my most rewarding.

Em was born with a congenital birth defect, called Agenesis of the Corpus Collosum. The corpus collosum is the fibrous tissue that connects the two hemispheres of the brain. It is basically the “train station”, where all of the electrical impulses of the brain pass through. When Em was born, her parents were told to institutionalize her, as she would not be able to walk, talk, sit up, or function in general. It was soon learned, that repetition and routine were the keys to assist Em in her every day functions and tasks.

Em’s parents, long time small business owners in their town, along with some other members of the community, decided  that the town  needed a coffee house. The town’s economy was ripe, for a new small business that would allow people to have a great place to meet, as well as a place to have an awesome cup of coffee. They decided that this could be an amazing opportunity for Em, who most recently was employed by the Goodwill Industries in Independence, IA, to become a barista and an entrepreneur.  Jerri Reisner, Em’s job coach was to be a partner in this venture.

Em has two job coaches, who have worked with her and supported her, in this new adventure into the galaxy of the coffee community. She is getting assistance from Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation, and the State of Iowa Work Force Development has taken a special interest in Em. They have contracted with the University of Iowa to film her, as they are doing a documentary on self-employment for adults with special needs.

When we began, I had no idea what a barista training program for special needs young adults, would entail. But as we moved forward, a lot of great tools were thought up. Utilizing the automatic and efficient design of the La Marzocco Swift grinder, we placed bright orange dots of paint to help line up the portafilter with the grinder collar. Similar dots were also used on the groups of a La Marzocco Linea.

Audible clues, like an almost “growl”, were emphasized to teach the tightness of the portafilter when it is properly placed firmly in the group head. Using the automatic, volumetric touch pads on the Linea, we created a system that matched each drink size to a particular button.

Initially, Em’s parents were a little nervous about her steaming milk. But after coming up with a tight procedure of milk sounds, smaller frothing pitchers, and larger faced thermometers, we practiced and practiced until she finally nailed it. Fabulous flash cards were designed by Em’s job coach Jerri Reisner, with pictures, the “words” and descriptions.  The great flash cards are used for memorization.  Some day, I imagine that latte art will be a possibility.

Currently, the staff at the coffee house includes Em, her two job coaches, and a few other special needs young adults. One of the great benefits to her staff is that they are all paid minimum wage, instead of the $1.50- $5.00 that they could possibly be making at other employment opportunities in town.

After leaving there last week after another on site training, I saw Em making mochas, lattes, and pouring coffee.  I left Em & Jerri’s Coffee Company realizing that anything is possible on this planet earth.

Follow Em on Facebook @Em and Jerri’s Coffee Company

Intelligentsia @ NADA Art Fair

NADA (New Art Dealers Alliance, that is) Art Fair was held recently in Miami Beach and Intelligentsia to pair spectacular coffee with spectacular art. WBC Champion Stephen Morrissey, USBC Champion Michael Phillips, and David Latourell were there to pull shots from two classic semi-auto La Marzocco Lineas and to provide entertainment. More pictures on David’s Flickr.

SF Coffee Scene*

*Well, due to limitations in my travels last week (Thanksgiving), this is only partially representative of the city, not of greater SF or the Bay Area, which I hope to fully document someday.

SF is HOT! For coffee, that is. Roasters there are certainly bringin’ it with their coffees and their visions for the Third Wave (or Fourth Wave, for that matter).

Justin pulling shots on Four Barrel's double Mistral

Take Four Barrel, for example. Ask the people there about what coffee most excites them right now and, to my surprise (and initial horror), they said DECAF! Now, I’m philosophically opposed to decaf and the only good decaf I’ve had was a decaf espresso from Verve a couple years ago. To my pleasant surprise, Four Barrel’s decaf espresso was amazing! Of the beans used in their decaf is the Ethiopia Mordecofe, a coffee hand picked by them for decaffeination (as opposed to coffees picked by decaffeination companies). Mordecofe is offered three ways at Four Barrel – decaffeinated, washed, and natural (highly recommended!).

Four Barrel has recently reopened their back alley bar, this time with a built in bar instead of a cart. The idea is to offer a more limited but more personable approach to customers that come through the alley. It will be operated by their head trainers and/or baristas in training from their wholesale accounts. It’s a terrific concept and I’ve had amazing shots in the back bar.

Down the street on Valencia is Ritual. The cafe is busy busy BUSY (which is a good thing)! Soon they’ll move the roaster and green bean storage to revert the area back to dining room style seating for a more intimate setting. On the coffee side, they’ve recently started offering Panama Esmeralda in special handmade packaging (very cool cardboard and spray paint!), just in time for the Holidays.

Blue Bottle's cafe (with their Mechanical Paddle Linea) and roastery in Oakland. Note the warm Californian sun. How we so need it in Seattle.

Hop on the BART to Oakland and there is Blue Bottle’s new roastery and a small cafe. The place is spectacularly clean (by that I mean clean and clean/sharp looking). In addition to the standard roasting/packaging area for coffees, office, and tech/training room, there is a cool presentation room, a full kitcken/bakery (they make killer chocolate chip cookies and $9 waffles), and a see through cupping room. If it wasn’t for the coffee equipment, the place might be mistaken for an art gallery.

Mechanical Paddle Linea at work at Blue Bottle's BUSY cafe at SF Fisherman's Terminal.

Back to SF side of the Bay at the Ferry Building (a touristy place for foodies) is one of Blue Bottle’s cafes, a very busy one at that. Featuring a Mechanical Paddle Linea as their main production machine, each espresso shot is expertly soft pre-infused for a nicely rounded, rich taste. With the Mechanical Paddle, the barista has more control (with variable pressure) over the soft pre-infusion process and thus requires a very well trained barista to continuously pull shots while there are a dozen people waiting in line.

Perhaps one of the most exciting up and coming roaster is Sightglass, just south of

Jerad and Ally of Sightglass. Pulling shots on their Slayer. Construction is afoot behind the wall of canvas.

Market in downtown. While their new roastery and cafe is still under construction, they are selling drinks on their cart to the passerby. Currently offering Verve coffee until their own roaster goes live (hopefully sometime later this month), they make fantastically prepared drinks every single time. With a huge space, a beautifully designed bar, and an u-shaped balcony seating area overlooking everything, this will be one of the most awe-inspiring coffee destinations for some time. If you go, be sure to try their mocha, which uses a specially sourced chocolate. It’s literally a chocolate cherry bomb.

We Have Moved!

Effective November 30, 2009, La Marzocco USA has moved back to Ballard! (LM USA, previously known as Espresso Specialists, Inc./ESI, was a long time resident of Ballard)

Ballard, a northerly neighborhood of downtown Seattle known for its inebriated vikings, ginormous condo projects, and terrific traffic to anywhere, was recently listed by Men’s Journal as one of the top neighborhoods in the country. Now in the coffee world, it will now be known as one of the top places to buy espresso machines. Our new address is:

La Marzocco USA
1553 NW Ballard Way
Seattle, WA 98107

Google Maps link

We are now:

• 0.4 miles from Caffe Fiore on Leary
• 0.3 miles from King’s Hardware and Tractor Tavern
• 0.2 miles from Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.
• Across the street from the old Ballard Brothel

We are still in the midst of settling in at the moment so please excuse any inconveniences you may encounter. On the plus side, you can get fresh microbrews just a block down the street.

Happy Thanksgiving!

By the way, we will be closed on Thursday, Nov 26 and Friday, Nov 27, in observance of the Holiday.

Dragon Latte Art!

Whoa.

New Website!

We finally have a new website up! Check out http://www.lamarzoccousa.com.

• Product info and PDF brochures
• Featured La Marzocco technologies
• Customization options “LM Works”
• Technical documents e.g. user guides, parts diagrams, installation guides
• Contact information

Is Grind Particle Size the Elephant in the Room?

With the proliferation of new or revitalized coffee (e.g. pourover, vac pots, Chemex, press pot, etc.) and espresso (soft preinfusion, pressure manipulation) brew methods, one can now enjoy a wide array of taste profiles on the same coffee prepared in different ways. In conjunction with innovations in green coffee supply chain, this is even more relevant. However, there appears to be a lack of standardized preparation methodologies and standardized assessments (both qualitative and quantitative) for these popular brewing methods. This has led to a wide degree of differences among common industry practices and resulting cup qualities.  One of these variables is grind particle size.

For whatever reason, coffee grind particle size has not been “as” fiercely discussed in the spotlight as many other topics e.g. PID, much less a common conclusion. Yet, appropriate grind size can be the limiting factor to a quality beverage. There are no grind size standards or protocol for various brew methods set forth by leading industry groups (though there is a brief grind size specification on SCAA’s cupping protocol). Worst of all, the grind size markings on any grinder are inconsistent (grinders among same brand or even in the same model), non-standardized, and non-transferable. Further, the markings become even less relevant as the burrs wear down over its lifespan.

There are Rotaps and other sieve shakers available for the purpose of grind particle size and distribution analysis. Unfortunately, they are inherently expensive, bulky/heavy, and prohibitive in wider adoption (they’re meant for labs).

Coffee grind sizer

Alas, there is the Coffee Grind Sizer. This mini Rotap first made its quiet debut a few years back but, for whatever reason, never made a splash. The beauty of this product are its relative cheap price tag and portability. Exporting refined brewing parameters from the roasting/cupping lab to retail environments can be done with exactness and ease.

To use, pop open the cap and fill it with coffee, then shake it like a rainstick (dancing to music might help). You will end up with coffee grinds separated by size in 5 compartments. Such particle size distribution by weight profile can be used to, for example, compare grinder consistency, burr wear, standardize brew parameters, etc.

More post(s) on usage and applications of the coffee grind sizer will come in the near future. In the meantime, if you have an extra $200, check out one of these and see what you can come up with.

New Mikes!

 

That’s Mikes x2!

Yes folks, we now have 2 sales managers representing La Marzocco USA. Chances are good that you already know them as they have been with us back in the ESI and Franke days – Mike Lanz and Michael DelGatto.

The ever caffeinated and energetic Mike Lanz  has been in the business since 1986, with ESI since 1992, and, until recently, LA Mill. Mike handles sales and customer relations west of the Mississippi. Cup Ethiopian coffees with him and he’ll spend 20 minutes jumping over how it tastes like fruit loops.

Michael DelGatto has been in the business for 20 years. He has been on the roasting/retailing side as well as the equipment side of the business. Michael covers the eastern half of the U.S. Call him up for the latest lowdown on one of the hottest markets for specialty coffee (NYC) and his expert opinion on gourmet foods, as well as a dose of his NY accent.

Prof. John Blackwell, Coffea Arabica Machina 101: PID, Part 1

This was dug up from the classic archives of Prof. John Blackwell, coffea arabica machina extraordinaire. An interesting read for those not familiar with or can use a refresher on the messy mechanics of how a PID controller works.

===========

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PID AND THERMOSTATIC CONTROL SYSTEMS

by John Blackwell

In an espresso machine we have an electric heating element in water and we are trying to control a given setpoint (maximum achieved temperature).

The THERMOSTAT is an electromechanical switch trying to control the on/off cycle of the heating element in water. The thermostat can turn off the heating element at the exact setpoint, but the heating element is still hot (it can not cool instantly) and continues to heat the water causing a temperature raise above the ideal setpoint (the problem). So what to do? Position the setpoint lower so it turns off sooner then rises to the desired maximum. Oh great now, at least the water did not get too hot but it has to cool down to the lower setpoint before it will turn on. The best we can do now is to have a thermostat with a very narrow bandwidth (the difference between on and off setpoints) and hope for the best in our cycle of heating and cooling.

PID can be described as a set of rules with which precisely regulates a closed loop control system. In our heating element in water example, the PID predicts when to control the on/off setpoint, making corrections so the heating element does not under or over shoot the desired temperature.

How PID works without the math? Closed loop control system means a method in which a real time measurement of the process being controlled is constantly fed back to the controlling device to ensure that the value which is desire is, in fact, being realized. The mission of the controlling device is to make the measured value, known as the process variable, equal to the desired value, usually known as the setpoint. The best way to accomplish this task is to use the control algorithm known as PID.

In its basic form, PID involves three mathematical control functions working together. The most important of these, Proportional control (the P), determines the magnitude of the difference between the setpoint and the process variable (known as the error), and then applies appropriate proportional changes to the control variable to eliminate the error. Integral control (the I) examines the offset of the setpoint and the process variable over time and corrects it when necessary. Derivative control (the D) monitors the rate of change of the process variable and makes changes to the output variable to accommodate unusual changes.

Each of the three control functions is governed by a user defined parameter. These parameters can be adjusted to optimize the precision of control. The process of determining the values of these parameters is know as PID Tuning, or BIG MATH!!