Phoenix Coffee's downtown location . . .

. . . is open, finally. I'll even say it was worth the wait. Located on the ground floor of the building on the southwest corner of E. 9th and Superior (I think it used to be the Raymond James building, now it may be Key something--the way buildings change names around here it's best to just stick with addresses or directions--it's just south of the courtyard along E. 9th), this mini-chain runs what I think are some of the best coffeshops in the City. The competent, if sometimes quirky, baristas know what they're doing and are glad to fill the customer in on the details. There's even nice indoor and outdoor seating areas to enjoy their fine extractions. Currently they're running a happy hour where anyone can get a free shot of espresso between 2 and 3 pm. Really, no strings attached.

And if that's not enough, they also have a (somewhat out of date) website and a barista run blog. I stole the above picture from the website.

Between Phoenix and The Market Cafe this little "financial district" is really coming along.

All this plus the wonderful happenings on E. 4th . . . it's almost too much to bear. Now if some people would just move here . . . .

France's 35 Hour Workweek Rears Its Head

But first, wtf The Economist?

Starbucks v McDonald's
Coffee wars
Jan 10th 2008
Starbucks ousts its boss and brings back its founder as a new threat emerges
[Click on the link (which works as of the posting of this entry) for the article.]

Come on Economist, get your own titles. Wankers. (Regardless, can you think of two less sympathetic companies?)

Enough about that. Pictured above are scrambled eggs (with smoked salmon, goat cheese, and chives), wheat toast, orange juice, and coffee (with some sugar and cream behind the press). This entry is about the French Press, the other stuff is just window dressing.

I'll admit that I didn't use the finest or freshest beans for the Press, but they weren't garbage or ancient either. As for technique, I'm confident that I can operate a plunger, and one of my college jobs required me to spend a lot of time with the device.

Compared to the previous Coffee Wars (the real Coffee Wars) entries, there was no comparison, and for this espresso drinker, the liquid from the Press just didn't hold up. Despite a relatively short brewing time, there were more notes of bitterness and other less pleasant flavors here than with the other methods. It wasn't that it was bad, because the infusion was perfectly enjoyable (especially with a touch of sugar and cream--and for an article on the French and cream, please see here), but it was no moka pot. And really, who can compete with Vietnam's cha phe sua da?

Still, there will always be a place for the Press in my life, at least until I break down and purchase a drip machine. It's nice for two small cups of coffee, and with good, fresh beans the result can be pretty good, particularly when one is looking to enjoy a full size cup of hot coffee.

Coffee War Update

Apparently Japan wants in:

At Last, a $20,000 Cup of Coffee
By OLIVER SCHWANER-ALBRIGHT
Published: January 23, 2008
Together, two high-end coffee makers may signal the resurgence of brewing among the most obsessive coffee enthusiasts.

Click on the link for the NYT article. I think you'll agree that the title is misleading.

And in other NYT news, please enjoy the following (I found the link here):

Tuna Fish Stories: The Candidates Spin the Sushi
By CLYDE HABERMAN
Published: January 25, 2008
Presidential candidates addressed the news that high levels of mercury were found in tuna sushi sold in Manhattan stores and restaurants.

An Unlikely Combatant

In a seemingly ironic turn of events the Sinhalese Buddhists have engaged on a second front and entered the Coffee Wars, but on their own terms. Once quite the coffee producer, Sri Lanka is now better known for its one-time-namesake tea.

Here we have Dimbula Broken Orange Pekoe, described on the back of the package as "a tea that will give you a bright flavoury cup with milk at breakfast or tea time." The "Dimbula Valley[,] which is around 5000 feet above sea level, produces flavoury teas during the first quarter of the year when the weather is dry and cold." I added some cream post picture, but from what I gather powdered milk may have been more authentic. The pictured sugar made it in the mug too.

There's something nice about a tea with appellation labeling, which I imagine if I was more of a tea drinker I'd find is not too rare. This cup was very enjoyable, as would be most things with heavy cream and sugar. Still, the tea held up, and was indeed "bright" and "flavoury." And while there hasn't been a coffee entry in a while , that's just a result of a workday coffee habit (Who needs a French press with perfectly serviceable shots of espresso abound?).

Overall a good entry from the island nation. There will be more cups in the future.

As for being a slacker at posting, I'll work on that--it's been busy and hopefully will continue to be for a bit longer.

The Italians Enter the Fray

The Moka Pot (worth shopping around for). Here's some history.

It seemed like the war was over after the Vietnamese fired the first shot a few posts ago, but this entry opened things back up. I was introduced to the Moka Pot several years ago, and with it Lavazza preground coffee (gasp!) packaged in bricks. Lavazza has changed things up a bit since then as far as their offerings go, but it's enough to mention that I had been devoted to the bricks in black packaging and that this is the first time I tried the blue/red brick. I don't know whether it's the new blend, or simply opening up a fresh brick (I don't use the Moka Pot nearly enough, so sometimes the preground leftovers from the brick sit around in the back of the fridge for a bit too long), but this stuff was great, incredibly smooth with a natural sweetness and a strength that will likely take care of me for the rest of the day.

As for technique, I filled the base of the Pot up to the line that's in there and filled the filter with grounds that I barely tapped down and smoothed over. The assembled Pot then went on the stove over pretty good heat, and once the coffee started filling the upper chamber I turned the heat down a bit. The Pot was removed from the stove once brewing stopped (If the coffee boils in the Pot it's not so good.). After pouring the coffee into the mug I added a little sugar--very little was necessary with the Lavazza.

Not true espresso, but very good strong coffee. For the time being, I'm leaving pulling shots to the pros. But for home use this little machine is perfect, even if it is a little bit of a pain to clean it up.

I had high expectations for Italy, and they were exceeded here. Next we'll see what the French have to offer.

Any thoughts on this design?

First The Atlantic Monthly and Now The Economist?

I like espresso, but it seems that these Clover machines are all the rage these days. While I'd love to try a cup from it, I don't plan on going out of my way to do so anytime soon.

Here's the referenced article:

Move over, espresso
Nov 15th 2007 SAN FRANCISCO
A new machine could reshape the speciality-coffee business

As for the picture, it came from here. The Atlantic Monthly article can be found a few posts ago. And the title of this post is not totally accurate--The Economist article came first, I think.

A Dutch contender

Here's a picture from the Technivorm website. Unfortunately, budget and aesthetic constraints prevent The CFT from actually obtaining and testing a Technivorm machine. This very Dutch looking machine does get rave reviews, and after looking at the picture of their factory on the website, maybe they've just got their own style over there. And with a tradition that produced Bosh, Rembrandt, and Van Gough, perhaps they're a bit ahead of their time, even if it does look like they got stuck in 1988.

Technivorm is the brand that Corby Kummer of The Atlantic Monthly recommends in The Magic Brewing Machine (Dec. 2007). Here's the video, but I'll warn you, it kind of takes the romanticism out of the article to see a wired Kummer chatting with a coffee legend. I much prefer Arno on espresso, here. But I'm partial to West Coast coffee.

Also, I know I should save this for Germany's coffee war entry, but in the spirit of the Dutch language being broken German, and the Dutch tendency to note that some people "look so Dutch that they look German," here's a little Bach:



For an English translation of Coffee Cantata, go here.

Special thanks to Prof. Rocke at Case Western Reserve University for bringing the Cantata, and the Melitta Cup of Joe, to my attention.

"The man in the black pajamas, Dude."

Worthy fuckin' adversary." Sorry for the profanity, and the possible racial offensiveness, but it's a quote, and who doesn't love The Big Lebowski?

Needless to say, this is Vietnam's entry into the Coffee Wars. Here a link for brewing directions. As for supplies, if you're in the Cleveland area the filter set (around $4), two choices of coffee (Cafe Du Monde and Trung Nguyen), and a few options for sweetened condensed milk (but surprisingly not the Eagle Brand that the aficionados seem to prefer) can be found at the market located next door to Minh Anh (5428 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH). If you're curious about why Cafe Du Monde is considered by some to be authentic, I invite you to visit Cafe Du Monde at the French Market in New Orleans, or just consider which immigrant populations would be most attracted to Louisiana's shrimping industry. Minh Anh makes a good Vietnamese coffee, but I think #1 Pho (3120 Superior Ave, Cleveland) makes an even better one.

It's an easy drink to make at home. Regarding taste, think of it as the best frappuccino ever, and it gets you, or at least me, wired. This was a strong entry, not shocking taking into account the French influences in Vietnamese food and culture. In fact, as I'm drinking the coffee and typing this entry, I'm munching on a crusty baguette (from Vera's Bakery at the West Side Market) with brie and watching In Julia's [Child's] Kitchen with Master Chefs (the name of show on the website is different--who needs the Food Network?).

This is going to be a tough one to top. Up next, Italy.

The Coffee Wars Are Coming

Will Vietnam's single pot filter prevail over their one-time French occupier's press? What about the Italian little man and his stovetop espresso? Germany's Melitta? Will history repeat itself with the Melitta easily overtaking the press while simultaneously paying no attention to the little man? The political implications of this battle are tremendous. Results forthcoming.