r e . a l i t y – Page 21

December 19, 2007
by ray
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Transcend Organic Espresso Blend

Picked up a half pound of this espresso blend from Transcend on Saturday…

The roasting date was the 14th, so I decided to hold off a couple days before trying it out. I think that the shots are too foamy and seem to pull fast with a really fresh roast. Seemed to make it a little trickier to dial in the grind as well.

When I put the beans into the grinder, I started it up, and quickly dialed the grind down to about 3.5 on the Cimbali’s scale. Looked great, and after a good solid tamp (really not sure how many pounds of tamping pressure that I’m applying), I pulled the first shot. Had just over 2oz in about 28 seconds – perfect! Great looking crema, and a delicious smell. Taste? VERY NICE! I think that I like the mellower flavor better than the deeper roasted flavor of St. City’s “Amazing Espresso”. Lots of chocolaty flavor and no bitterness at all.

In an Americano (my usual 22oz mug, with 2 double shots, approx. 3/4′s full), I enjoyed the flavor more than those that I’ve been getting from 3 Banana’s, which are made using Intelligentsia’s Black Cat blend.

I also preferred this blend over Transcend’s House Espresso – more chocolaty, and smoother overall. Definitely be picking up more of this one!

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December 7, 2007
by ray
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Caffeinated Wish List

There are a few accessories that I think that I’m going to add to our kitchen’s coffee centre.

A brush – to please the wife and keep the area a little tidier. The La Cimbali grinder is very nice, but the doser has a tendency to through the grounds around a bit.
Microfibre dish towels – I’m either reaching around for the paper towels, or the nearest dish towel to wipe the portafilter in preparation for the second shot in the morning (Americano’s, with 2 double shots are what kickstarts me every morning). Hopefully I can find some coffee colored ones :^)
Another 20oz. stainless steel steaming pitcher. The one I have is good, but I’m still having troubles pouring any latte art (I think my microfoam is good – so it must be the pitcher ;^)

I wouldn’t mind getting a vac pot either – something like a Yama brew pot with the sphere’s – they add some more entertainment to the coffee making process, and apparently make excellent coffee. Just something to add more variety to the diet of espresso based drinks

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December 2, 2007
by ray
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The Caffeine Machine

This mod has been around a while – but still looks good! Maybe I’ll have to give this a whirl, but perhaps with a twist – like a Bodum Santos or Yama vac pot ;^)

PCApex.com – The Caffeine Machine

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December 1, 2007
by ray
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St. City Roaster’s

Picked up some more “Amazing Espresso” from St. City today. I enjoyed Transcend’s espresso, but I think that I prefer the overall darker roast of St. City’s blend.

I also picked up an El Salvador coffee that Paul highly recommended… will give it a spin tomorrow after the grinder is empty…

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November 30, 2007
by ray
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My Coffee Nirvana

Not quite sure what caused it – but at some point over the last few years I began to care about coffee a just a little bit more. I think that part of the cause was an old Braun drip coffee maker that I just got tired of. The coffee was never nice and hot after it was made – and the thermal plate just cooked any life out of the coffee shortly after it was brewed anyway.

What came next? Well, it was a Google search actually. The first of many – and I began researching coffee makers to replace the tired old Braun. I discovered sites like coffeegeek.com, and home-barista.com – and thought that it would be nice to have a shiny new espresso machine – but I was trying to keep it real – and just replace the drip coffee maker.

My criteria became more refined after some of my research – a thermal carafe was #1 – no more heat plate. The Technivorm was a tough to find unit in Canada at the time – and the next best brewer from what I was able to determine was actually a Starbucks machine. So off to Starbucks I went – and shortly thereafter, I came home with a Starbucks Aroma Grande – a very nice looking 12 cup brewer.

During my research, I began learning more about the importance of fresh roasted beans, and grind quality. I had also found a reference to a small roaster in St. Albert – St. City Roasters. I visited their shop, which happened to be pretty close to my parents place – and so began a weekly pilgrimage for fresh beans…
Continue Reading →

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November 26, 2007
by ray
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The Internet Enabled Coffee Machine

This would be great at the office – to make sure that there’s a fresh pot when you want! Now if they could come up with an espresso machine….
o2m8 home of the WebBrick – Internet Enabled Coffee Machine

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November 25, 2007
by ray
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Crema! A Sign of Good Espresso, or a Symptom of Bad Espresso

The Espresso Pages from Sweet Maria’s: Crema! A Sign of Good Espresso, or a Symptom of Bad Espresso

Been thinking that my shots are little on the thin side – although most seem to provide me with the 2oz shot in the 25-30 second range.

The two coffee’s I picked up this weekend at Transcend are roasted a little lighter than those that I’ve been getting at St. City, and they tend to finish a little quicker as well…closer to 20sec, and a crema that collapses pretty fast. The shot to the left shows how much the crema dropped after only 10 or 15 seconds. I had set the grind a little finer, and also tamped it harder as well.

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November 24, 2007
by ray
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transcend coffee: Esmeralda Special Available

transcend coffee: Esmeralda Special Available – $42.50

I just heard of this roaster last night – and it’s not too far from home at all. Popped over to Transcend today – my timing was pretty good, as I seemed to beat the rush – a pretty busy place! Enjoyed talking coffee with them for a little while as I enjoyed my mug of Clover brewed Esmeralda Special.

This is their house espresso – a very tasty espresso that I enjoyed as soon as I got home. I think that I need to dial in the grind a bit on their espresso blend, as the shots came a little fast, but the flavour was still very good. I got a nice crema, although it seemed to collapse more quickly than the crema that I’ve been getting using St. City’s “Amazing Espresso” blend, or with Black Cat. However, I think that I had the grind better tuned for them.

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