Espresso Lab Microroasters

New release, Los Lajones, Panama...

2011-11-11T11:55:00.003+02:00

We were excited to release our new crop offerings from Panama last week. A perennial favorite, Los Lajones hits us again with a predominant fruity flavor and meticulous processing, leading to a “clean” natural coffee.

Having had the opportunity to meet Graciano Cruz, the man behind Los Lajones, earlier in the year at the Nordic Barista Cup, we spoke about his new projects in Central America and also got further insight into this years harvest and how it progressed.

On the cupping table, this coffee is different from last year as it seems a little more balanced and in someway easier to roast. The tropical fruit notes are a little more muted, with present ripe fruit and citric orange freshness.

There are those who profess that naturals are inferior in quality, but again carefully processed, there are examples of quality “clean” natural coffees. Another element to consider about naturals is their impact on the environment, or lack thereof.

The fermentation process that occurs in washed coffees, and the amount of water consumed to process coffee in this method have harmful environmental repercussions. The water cannot be reused unless treated. There are also harmful carbon dioxide emissions that arise from using mechanical dryers, or similar.

Normally in natural processing, the berry flesh is reused as fertilizer, hence avoiding the farmer the need to purchase expensive pesticides and fertilizers.

This is certainly not a declaration that all farmers should start to process coffee naturally, but I think a little more open mindset should be had with naturals. Yes, there will never be as clean as washed coffees and the acidity is a little more muted, but they do offer a different type of coffee.

It goes without saying that not all naturals are processed equal. In order to achieve great results, meticulous picking and sorting has to be undertaken.

New release, Don K, Panama...

2011-11-11T11:51:00.002+02:00

In addition to our juicy Los Lajones, we had the opportunity in securing a limited lot of Don Kotowa. Kotowa Don K placed 5th in the 2011 Best of Panama competition, and it represents the highest ranking, non-geisha variety in Panama.

The Kotowa Farms are located on a ridge of mountains, which benefit from a microclimate ideal for coffee cultivation. Coffee has been processing coffee here since as early as 1913, by Alexander Duncan MacIntyre.

Now into their 4th generation, they process the coffee in the same traditional way, with a few new interesting techniques. Every year during the harvest, the ripest cherries are selected and then pulped using mountain spring water. The coffee is also sundried on raised African beds in cool, dry climate.

The farms have a reputation for sustainability and traceability. The idea is to protect the surrounding forests and prevent the decline in the natural environment.

This particular lot underwent a new process for the farm, one that allowed the cherries to ripen on the tree until they were almost purple, and prune like. In this method, you do loose some of the cherries due to them falling to the ground, but what you do gain is a sweet, light and elegant coffee.

I guess this technique can be compared to the Late Harvest method that winemakers use.

The end result is a coffee that is superb, balanced with a smooth mouth feel and tea like tannin finish. The fruit-like flavors of stone fruit, pear and soft lime is offering a complex coffee showcasing the best of Panama.

Operation Cherry Red...

2011-11-11T11:49:00.002+02:00

For those that have bought and tasted some of our Ethiopian coffees, you will notice that we have for some time offered coffee from a project called, Operation Cherry Red.

Operation Cherry Red (OCR) is a small-scale quality project to inspire Ethiopian producers to make the best possible quality washed, pulped natural, natural and trial coffees.

Before harvest time farmers/producers are invited to participate and produce micro-lots with only 100% red ripe cherries, carefully hand selected several times.

Assistance is made for pre-finance, new hardware and knowledge.

A big premium is given if the quality of the actual coffee arriving in Addis Ababa passes the quality standard on the cupping-tables.

This year the minimum score to be listed as OCR was set at 88 points. A lot of effort is made to preserve this beautiful quality by monitoring fast and safe transport, timely and proper processing.

As no two coffees are processed the same, our choice of Kebado Dara natural and Odoo Shakiso washed are contrasting examples of how two Ethiopian coffees can taste different largely due to their different processing methods.

Whereby the Odoo Shakiso is clean, crisp and offers a sweet, bright fruity flavor, the Kebado Dara is a little deeper, full-bodied and less vibrant, with more ripe fruit, gingerbread flavors. Almost like comparing a crisp Chardonnay to a deep Cabernet.

Mouthfeel & coffee…

2011-10-04T15:54:00.003+02:00

A topic that is not often focused upon in coffee is overall mouthfeel. Yes there are descriptors such as smooth, silky, dry, astringent, but do we often actually think about this when drinking coffee and what causes this.

For sometime now we have made it our single purpose to refine our coffee to offer a total velvet-like mouthfeel. This has been a long process in experimentation in airflow and how we can manipulate it to offer such a tactile sensation in the mouth.

This created a dilemma. Do we want clarity of cup with a smooth finish or a full-bodied coffee with slight astringency and overall dryness?

Old harvest coffees tend to loose moisture and when roasting such coffees, they will tend to have a more pronounced woody-like roasty bite, hence more dryness. Funny enough, these are the coffees more entry-level coffee drinkers are used to. A current crop coffee will have a much softer finish and obviously more sweetness and vitality.

Granted in espresso, a thin coffee is often not looked upon as having a positive attribute, but certainly a fresh lively sweet vibrant flavourful coffee trumps a dull full-bodied coffee.

So the conclusion, are we so fixated with maximum strength that we are over looking the overall sensation it does in our mouth. Over roasted coffees never have positive tactile sensations, however a finely roasted coffee will offer a lingering vibrant aftertaste that is smooth and pleasant.

VST precision baskets...

2011-07-06T12:06:00.005+02:00

A year ago when I attended the Nordic Barista Cup, Vince Fedele from VST Inc gave a presentation on a program he had been working with, in conjunction with La Marzocco, producing precision filter baskets.

It was surprising to see how our current stock of filter baskets were being affected during extraction. Vince explained that fabrication of the baskets were flawed and at times certain holes were not being punched through, causing uneven extraction, and an unbalanced shot.

The VST precision filter baskets are manufactured with zero defects and deliver consistent extraction performance. This is confirmed with each filter basket being delivered with a filter imaging system that grades the overall quality. If it does not pass, the filters are not sold.

The immediate effects of the craftsmanship are automatically visible. The coffee extracted differently, causing us to go finer in the grind, and the flavours showed up more balanced and sweeter.

We will have to explore more into maximizing the extraction, but can support the hype behind this product. As the saying goes… The difference is in the details.

Image courtesy of VST Inc.

Los Lajones, Panama...

2011-05-30T14:41:00.002+02:00

It’s not often you get the opportunity to dance around like a lunatic when you secure a great lot of coffee. This is what happened last year when we secured a limited number of bags of Los Lajones Natural from Panama.

I tasted this coffee a few years ago in Norway and made it clear that if it ever came my way, we would purchase it. Albeit being rather expensive, this is worth its weight in (black) gold. It’s not a coffee that fits a particular stereotype, but hey, that’s what we’re about. Finding coffees that are unique and have a style of their own.

So what makes this coffee so unique? Well the farmer Graciano Cruz is a guy that is committed to the environment and also implementing new techniques to process his coffees, such as only using Honey and Natural methods. This results in almost no water usage during processing, thus protecting one of the Earth’s most treasured resources, water.

The effects of these processes produces a cup profile that is sweeter, and due to his thoroughness, a clean cup. Normally naturally processed coffees cup a little dusty. The following are our cupping notes on this coffee.

Floral fruity aroma, full body, medium acidity, dark chocolate, blueberry, tropical fruit, papaya, mango flavours.

I am describing this coffee as tropical fruit in a cup. As a standalone this is a stellar cup in any brew method, but stands out as Aeropress. We are currently using 20% of this coffee in our Seasonal Blend, which is giving the espresso a nice fruity bite.

Coffees like these are rare to find worldwide and we feel privileged to showcase the best Graciano Cruz produces.

New organic blend Esp015…

2011-05-22T11:55:00.003+02:00

On Saturday we showcased our other new espresso blend Esp015, which is our blend based on two organically grown coffees.

The espresso blend is a straightforward combination of two stellar coffees; the award winning Serra do Bone, Brazil and the sweet tasting Adado, Ethiopia from the famed Misty Valley in Yirgacheffe.

Esp015
Organic
80% Serra do Bone, Brazil
20% Adado, Ethiopia

The flavour profile is a unique combination of caramel, praline, tangerine, ginger, lemon, mint, blackcurrant, woodland flavours.

Not as sweet as our current seasonal blend, but certainly robust and refreshing, considering the soft citric flavours that come through. There is a very present minty aftertaste that tends to linger, even when drinking this espresso blend with milk, which I am not a fan of. There is a saying here at the roastery – Milk is for babies, as coined by our colleague Lydia, whom is pregnant... :)

Anyway, what ever your preference, with or without milk, this is great addition to our espresso blend portfolio.

Traceability - crop year…

2011-05-22T11:23:00.005+02:00

It’s no secret that we’re big on traceability of all our coffees. We like to know about our coffee and also give due credit to the farmers and the practises they put into processing their coffee.

However in the coffee industry worldwide, there has been little or no traceability into the harvest years. Are you buying past crop coffee, or is the coffee you drinking the freshest harvest to date.

It goes without saying that buying or drinking coffee, or any fruit for that matter, in season makes a big difference. Have you ever had strawberries out of season, probably grown in a greenhouse, they taste bland and devoid of any sweetness or juiciness.

Well that is the same with coffee. Consuming coffee that is closest to the harvest date will deliver a coffee that has vitality, full of interesting flavours. Consume a coffee that is past crop or older and you will possibly taste something akin to woody cardboard, lacking any sweetness or fruitlike flavour.

To allow for further traceability in our coffees, we have started to print the harvest years on all our coffees. This allows the consumer the ability to understand which coffees are at their prime. As a practise, we do not sell coffee that is 1 year after the harvest date. We try carefully to order just the right amount to take us into the next harvest cycle.

I guess to get an idea, lets breakdown when we can expect our coffees to be released. This is based on the fact that we are always one month behind the rest of the world due to geographical location.

At the start of the year (March/April) we normally anticipate the Brazilian coffees. A few months on (May/June) the early harvest Central American coffees are released. That leads us to the Kenyan and Ethiopian (June/July) coffees, followed by late harvest Centrals (July/August).

There are certainly changes every year as to when the coffees are shipped, largely due to how the weather progressed, how the coffees were traded, etc. However, a better understanding as to when the best coffees are at their prime, will allow us to understand why coffee starts to change profile after a few months.

Anyone that starts to question why some roasts are inconsistent have yet to explore the natural diversity of fresh versus old crop. If you’re buying coffee from a roaster that is selling you old crop coffee, then I can guarantee you the flavour profile will always stay consistent. However, if you’re buying coffee from a roaster seeking fresh seasonal crops, the chances are that you will experience a wide array of flavours as the month’s progress.

So, demand more of your roaster and start probing. Ask questions and soon enough you will start to understand the finer complexities of coffee and how best to enjoy it.

New seasonal blend Esp014...

2011-05-15T11:44:00.003+02:00

After finally receiving our new crop harvest (2010/11) of Serra do Bone, Brazil, we took to working on our new incarnation of the seasonal blend and released it for the first time this past Saturday.

Using the Serra do Bone, Brazil as a base we added a super fruity naturally processed Los Lajones, Panama and a washed Odoo Shakiso, Ethiopia to the mix. The result is a complex range of mostly tropical fruit sweetness.

Esp014
60% Serra do Bone, Brazil
20% Los Lajones, Panama
20% Odoo Shakiso, Ethiopia

Tasting notes: Fruity floral aroma, complex chocolate, blueberry, ripe fruit, pineapple, blood orange, papaya, dried fig flavours with a lively acidity and lingering finish.

Over the coming days/weeks we will be getting to know the new blend a little more and as always be fine tuning the profiles to maximize the sweetness of each cup. This is certainly a sweet tasting espresso and for anyone that thinks espresso is bitter and lacks sweetness, this is certainly going to change perceptions.

We will also soon be releasing each of these blend components as Single Origin/Estate coffees. All three coffees are stellar additions to our already exciting coffee portfolio.

The daily grind...

2011-04-03T11:40:00.004+02:00

When we talk to people about coffee we often emphasis that getting your grind correct, is the difference between an average or stellar cup. Small adjustments can take a coffee from a thin and bitter one, to a full-bodied sweet cup.

We recently took possession of the “mother” of all grinders, the Robur E from Mazzer and for a few weeks now have been getting to know this beast. Considered one of the best in the industry, this conical burr grinder delivers exactly what you want, when you want it.

I am not going into too much detail into the pros and cons of this grinder, but rather focus on what it does to the taste of the coffee.

Firstly, the Robur E manages to grind a much more compact coffee, one that actually clumps rather easily. We’re no big fans of clumping, but rather prefer a looser grind to allow for a lighter more vibrant feeling in the mouth. A tighter grind actually gives you more fullness and less clarity of flavours.

The fullness in the mouth was rather positive when making milk based drinks as the full- bodied nature of the coffee gave you a nice rounded feeling in the mouth, coupled with the creamy texture of the milk.

In extracting espresso, the more compact grind delivered longer extraction times. Hence, the shots ran slower, meaning more concentrated flavours and a general fatness.

On our other grinder, the Major E, which uses flat burrs, we find the coffee to be a little lighter in body and we dose shorter shots, avoiding a thin coffee. The Major E does however extract a more vibrant lively shot, with a heightened acidity. This is a good thing, but again, we dose something in between a ristretto and standard shot to balance out the mouthfeel.

I guess in retrospect, the better the grinder, the more ability you have to experiment with flavours and more importantly mouth feel. Also, better understanding of taste and tactile reaction of coffee in your mouth, allows for maximum use of your equipment.

So next time you pick up a bag of pre-ground coffee, think about the fact that you have now just lost about +25% of the flavour already even before you have started brewing the coffee. Buying pre-ground coffee is compromising the coffees quality.

As the saying goes, spend double the amount of money on your grinder rather than your brewer. But again, a small compact Hario hand held conical grinder actually delivers amazing results for such a basic machine that does not break the bank, under R500.

Happy grinding…

Coffee prices and where we heading...

2011-03-06T13:32:00.004+02:00

There has been a lot of talk about current coffee prices being at a 14yr high and that we’re in for a rocky road ahead. I thought it would be a good idea to talk about this a little as we have to start to get used to the idea that the “good old days” are soon to come to an end.

There are a variety of factors pushing the coffee prices up. One of them being climate change, and how the footprint of ideal growing locations is getting smaller, the other is higher demand from emerging countries. There is also speculation from commodity investors trading more in coffee due to insecurity in other sectors.

So I pose the question. When the oil price goes up, which it seems to go up all the time when the world has a hiccup, we see an automatic price adjustment at the pump. When the coffee prices go up, we do not see the same adjustments in what we pay for a cup of coffee. Why is this? Are we happy to just push the farmer to produce cheaper coffee, or should we not give them incentives to produce better coffee and demand better prices from the consumer?

I think we should get prepared to pay on average R25.00 – R30.00 per cup of coffee in the coming years. We are not saying this because we want to make more money. We are saying this because the reality of coffee prices are soon hitting our shores.

The prices we are paying for coffee from last year is up, maybe not 100% up as in the commodity market, but at least 25% up in specialty grade. There has been already talk of Kenyan coffee selling at astronomical prices this year due to a lower yield.

As emerging markets like Brazil, Colombia, India, China, etc start to drink more of their own product, there is less to send around the world, thus demand outstripping supply.

So there are two outcomes to emerge. I see possibly commodity roasters feeling the pinch and start looking around the world for cheaper coffee. Possibly an increase in Robusta production or lesser known countries in Asia coming to the fore. There is even talk of China producing coffee. This results in even poorer coffee flooding the market.

The other outcome is that the specialty market becomes even more specialized. Small roasters worldwide will continue to support quality farmers and buy coffee irrespective of price. This can only be achieved if the consumer starts to identify the difference between commodity and specialty coffee.

I guess in conclusion, we should try to release the shackles off the coffee industry and stop treating it as a commodity product, or at least separate the two. We take great care in sourcing our coffee, and paying just prices for the hard work the farmers put in.

I am sure along the way when coffee prices are adjusted, we will loose customers, but that is common in all sectors of any industry. What we will continue to strive for is educating the consumer as to why our coffee costs more and the actual value you get, considering the great care it has gone through to reach its final destination.

Water...

2011-01-23T12:52:00.001+02:00

It is not often we get to talk about water in coffee. It’s a topic that comes up all too often in my travels up north, as in Scandinavia, the water quality is amazing. We do not suffer from too bad quality water here in Cape Town, but the question begs. Do we really know what goes into our coffee?

When we first started the roastery the water was tested and we installed the necessary filters, all 4 of them, to up the quality of the water. The filters were also installed to protect the espresso machines from scale build up

Last week I took to finding out where we stand since our opening. It seems our PH level is fine, approx. 7.0, but it was the alkalinity that surprised me. We actually have a low alkalinity level here in the Cape Town area. It stands at about 40 mg/L, whereas 50 mg/L is ideal.

Now, what does that translate to in coffee? Well, low alkalinity actually gives you a heightened perception of acidity, one thing we love in our coffee. It is therefore, why we roast the way we do, according to the water we have here in Cape Town.

Often, roasters will exchange coffee samples from country to country and analyze the coffee. It is actually an unfair assessment. I have tasted many samples from respected roasters in the United States and here their coffee seems over roasted. Taste that same coffee in the States, and you’re dealing with a different brew altogether.

That is why coffee is not the easiest product to trade commercially. You are always dealing with different environments that change and as much as a roaster will roast to set profiles, the coffee that tastes amazing in one environment, does not always translate to the same in another.

I guess the moral of the story is to know your water quality and see what you’re dealing with. There are ways and means to improve cup quality just by paying attention to your water quality.

Is there such a thing as too freshly roasted coffee…

2011-01-16T10:39:00.003+02:00

I like to think so, even more if you’re brewing for espresso. We are finding more and more that coffee a few days off the roast is too volatile and the gases have yet to escape, hence a lack of clarity in the cup.

We have since the beginning always posted our roast dates on the bags, largely to identify when the coffee is at its prime to enjoy. From our findings, coffee for espresso should at least be 1 week off the roast date. Well that it if you do not want the roast flavours to dominate. Those seeking a thick head of crema and a rougher, stronger cup profile should then brew a few days off the roast date. Those seeking clarity of cup and a more milder extraction, should wait a week or even two for a much more settled coffee. You will be surprised with the end results.

When brewing for Aeropress, French Press, V60, etc a 4-5 day rest period is optimal, as again the roast flavours have now escaped and you will find a much more settled coffee. The cup profile will be sweeter and smoother and more importantly, the clarity of flavours are more apparent.

Certain coffees also “close up” after roasting. For some apparent reason, some coffees will actually “close up” a few days after roasting and will loose flavour, clarity and sweetness. However, after a few days, even a week, the coffee will then open up and it will blossom. There is no real explanation to this, but it’s almost like you need to decanter a good red wine. The same principle with coffee, it needs to full settle and relax to come into its own.

There is never any hard and fast rule to coffee. That is why it always challenges us. There is no set date when coffee is at its best, or how it should be brewed. I guess it always comes down to personal preference and finding your own “sweet spot”.

I guess the best way is to follow this guideline.

Week one of roast date: Coffee is trying to degas and settle.

Week two & three of roast date: Coffee is at a plateau and is at it’s best. Clarity of cup, sweetness and flavours are at their best.

Week four of roast date: Coffee is now fading and loosing some of its attributes.

Week five and beyond of roast date: Coffee is starting to become stale and loose sweetness.

For better consistency in brewing, it is always good to make a point of knowing when the coffee was roasted and how many days from the roast date you’re brewing it. It will give you a much clearer picture on why the coffee tastes a little different from previous brews.

Espresso Lab Microroasters Field Trip: Sweden...

2011-01-09T11:18:00.005+02:00

During our year end seasonal break, we took the opportunity to travel north to the home of Santa… Sweden.

We have returned a few times to Norway since opening the roastery, but Sweden had eluded us and it was high time to meet up with our Swedo buddies.

Firstly, the coffee culture in Sweden is very apparent, with loads of cafes in every street corner. There are your typical run of the mill commercial brands, Wayne’s Coffee and Espresso House, but we were there to source out the independents.

In Stockholm David from Haugaard Coffee is the man. His coffee is represented in a growing number of small establishments namely Mellqvist, Bagel Street Café, Cocovaja, Magasin 3, etc, Trying his coffee in a number of establishments it is apparent the darker roasting profile was much appreciated. It seems the more non conventional lighter roasts were not present, however despite the darker roasting style, the coffee was of a high quality, albeit the rather poor barista preparation in some locations. Even Sweden is not immune to bad barista syndrome.

Drop Coffee...

Drop Coffee was another establishment we visited. They started to roast their own coffee a few months ago and their development is coming along. They roast in very small amounts mostly for their own consumption. They have a drip coffee station and a lovely 2-group Synesso. I tried a variety of coffees on various brew methods and again the soft roasting style we so much enjoy was evading us. The coffee was however of a good quality and prepared with great care and attention. Of all the establishments in Stockholm, Drop Coffee was the most engaging and their interest in serving great coffee is apparent.

Johan & Nystrom...
Johan & Nystrom is not everyone’s cup of “coffee” in Sweden, but you cannot ignore their presence. Supplying a large number of establishments and also running a concept store in the city, they are huge or at least are trying to be the main player in Sweden. Their concept store is equipped with every possible coffee toy you can imagine. They offer possibly one of the largest selections of coffees from high end Single Estates to a variety of blends.

Koppi...

Our trip was not focused only on Stockholm, but also took us to the south of Sweden to Helsingborg. We were not going to miss out in visiting the super Koppi. This is hand’s down the best café and roastery in Sweden. Yes, we may be a little partial to this statement, but Charles & Anne are rockstars in the coffee industry. Having both won national barista titles in Sweden, they opened Koppi 3 years and ago and are going strong.

Koppi is a representation of quality, attention to detail and warm hospitality and service. Sourcing only the best estate coffees, their roasting style is a showcase of the coffees delicate attributes. Sweetness, acidity, body, complexity all working together. We had a chance to try a variety of coffees and also conduct a cupping session with a number of coffees on the table. Magnus from Supreme Roastworks, Norway was also in town so it was great to talk coffee, as always.

Our tasting did not only focus on coffee, as we tried a large number of beers from micro brewers. There is a very healthy micro brewer community rising and their dedication to the craft is apparent. Actually Koppi just recently collaborated with Mikkeller brewery in Denmark to produce an exquisite Coffee IPA. It’s an Indian Pale Ale brewed with a coffee we loved so much, Guji, Ethiopia. It was only released last week, so we did not get to try it, but samples will be making their way south to Cape Town… oh yes.

In retrospect, there were many other establishments I tried coffee. A notable mention should be made to V Street Coffee in Stockholm, which was serving coffee from Da Matteo, another top quality roastery based in Gothenburg, Sweden.

I found Swedish coffee culture to lag a little behind Norway, which is currently the “Temple of Coffee”, but with time I think this will change. It’s hard to point out stand out cups, but without question Koppi rocked. We share so many parallels in our business model and our approach to coffee.

Thanks Sweden for a great time… We will be back.

Xmas blend 2010 edition...

2010-12-05T09:30:00.002+02:00

It’s that time of the year when we get to showcase a radical blend of coffee that can only be described as dessert in a cup. The Xmas blend is a combination of three of our sweetest most complex coffees;

35% Karimikui, Kenya
35% Adado, Ethiopia
30% Harazi, Yemen.

The blend is certainly not your conventional blend, in the sense that it lacks body and is high in acidity, but what it does have is sweetness and complexity. Notes of dried fruits, currant, berry, apricot and subtle lime come through, but sitting on what I refer to as an earthy base. It’s Xmas cake all over again.

I guess when brewing this blend as espresso one has to be a little careful. The intensity of sweetness is at times overwhelming and the crema that is produced is super "fluffy", even after the coffee degassing. I have found better clarity in the cup dosing 18-20gms and then splitting the shots. The sweetness and acidity is more appealing and the intense crema is less. Not a big fan of espresso with a big head of crema…

I guess if you want to try something different and serve something special during Xmas dinner, this is indeed the coffee to complement the already decadent dinner of indulgence.

Nobu visits Espresso Lab Microroasters...

2010-11-25T15:34:00.001+02:00

It’s not everyday you get to meet a food super hero and it was truly our pleasure to serve and meet Nobu Matsuhisa this past weekend. Nobu paid Espresso Lab Microroasters a visit and enjoyed a cup of Mama Cata from Panama.

Having followed his career closely and collected many of his cookbooks, we eagerly awaited his response to the coffee. His approval was so that he took a bag of coffee home with him.

We also took the opportunity to be a little giddy and pose for a paparazzo style photo.

Best in Cape Town???

2010-11-24T18:52:00.003+02:00

According to www.spill.co.za we are.

Read all about their blog post and their visit to Espresso Lab Microroasters.

http://www.spill.co.za/niblets/the-best-cup-of-coffee-in-cape-town/3386/

We are super happy that our passion and dedication to producing and showcasing the best coffee is starting to make waves.

Brazil Cup of Excellence 2010 edition…

2010-11-23T11:15:00.002+02:00

The winners of the 2010 edition of the Brazil Cup of Excellence were announced yesterday with some awesome results. 5 coffees actually scored 90+ points of which two coffees we currently or have sold from the respective farms.

Fazenda Serra do Boné scored 2nd place with 90.68 points and the winner went to Grota São Pedro, scoring 93.91.

What struck me as very interesting were the top two positions being occupied by organic farms. Is there a trend here?

We are looking forward to the new harvests arriving at the start of the New Year, and are pleased to showcase coffee from some of the best producing farms in Brazil. Currently Serra do Boné is sold as Single Estate and as part of our Seasonal Blend.

Here is some information on our Serra do Boné lot.

Producer: Carlos Sérgio Sanglard
Harvest: July to September
Growing altitude: 1250masl
Botanical variety: Red & Yellow Catuai
Process: Organically grown, pulped natural, sun dried and shipped in burlap bags.
Certification: Organic
Tasting notes: Dried fruit aroma, medium body, soft acidity, chocolate, cocoa, cherry, rasberry flavours.

Wholesale partners...

2010-11-21T10:01:00.001+02:00

When we first started, Loading Bay jumped onboard and was our first wholesale partner. It was a partnership we were very excited about as we believed in their vision for pushing the envelope in their concept, top clothing coupled with great food and coffee.

Over the past year we slowly worked together to have people enjoy a different style of coffee experience, one we have both gained greatly from. This last week we installed a brand new La Marzocco GB5 and Mazzer Major grinder to replace their aging Faema E61 and Malkoenig grinder.

The installation of top of the range equipment will help both companies grow in their knowledge of serving coffee, both from a roaster and café standpoint. The ability to experiment and fine-tune the coffee allows us to take the product to the next level.

When we are approached to work as wholesale partners, we are very cautious with whom we work with as sometimes establishments are not willing to apply themselves day in day out to produce top quality coffee. Loading Bay is a testament of our commitment in having the wholesale partner understand it’s not only about us supplying them with coffee.

We feel the current approach of using any machine, any coffee and training the barista to steam milk and pull shots is not going to cut it. Our model is based on a limited selection of wholesale clients, helping them grow as we grow and showcasing the product with the best equipment and sensory education that will help the customer understand the product as we do.

Out limited portfolio of wholesale clients are as follows.

Loading Bay, Hudson Street, Cape Town
Escape Caffe, Bree Street, Cape Town
Double Shot, Plettenberg Bay
Postcard Café, Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch

All establishments offer a unique and dedicated approach in the craft of making coffee. We trust you enjoy the coffee as much as we enjoy learning from it everyday.

Adado DST, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia...

2010-11-19T10:28:00.002+02:00

Last week we released our new Ethiopian coffee for this season and it has quickly stood out as one of our top coffees. So much so, that we had to blog about it.

Last year the Ethiopian coffee industry was turned on its head when the government decided to pool all coffee together from each respective region. Farmers that were producing top quality coffee found themselves having to mix their coffee with other farmers that were not delivering the goods.

It actually became near impossible to find top quality, fully traceable coffee.

There was a lot of pressure placed by specialty coffee roasters and buyers that the Ethiopian government had to come up with another option. The result was to form a separate auction that sold fully traceable, high quality coffee. The DST provides producers the opportunity to submit their best coffees to be sold on auction.

Basically, the farmers submit samples to the auction and then the coffees are cupped and graded and sold accordingly. The result is that only the best coffees get picked and sold at higher prices. DST regulations state that 85% of the FOB price gets delivered to the producer.

We followed this process closely earlier this year and when the auction took place, we jumped on the opportunity to select a coffee, namely Adado. It actually brought in one of the highest bids at the end of the day, which benefits the farmer greatly.

We are very pleased with the coffee and the process in which the coffee is sold. It opens up a new door to traceable fair traded coffee. I guess as with all new processes, there are some tweaks to be made and we will continue to follow the auction process and select the best lots of coffee and hope this new system serves as a legacy for the farmers.

Here are a few details of the Adado coffee we selected.

Producer: Adado Coffee Farmers Coop
Harvest: November to January
Growing altitude: 1750-2000masl
Botanical variety: Ethiopian heirloom
Certification: Organic, Fair Trade, Utz
Tasting notes: Fruity floral aroma, medium body, high acidity, raspberry, blackcurrant, sweet lime, lemongrass flavours.

New blends + new coffees…

2010-11-07T10:19:00.001+02:00

Over the last week, we have slowly released a range of new blends and coffees from a host of new and already favourite regions. It had been a hive of activity as releasing new coffees is never easy. We having to perfect the roasting profiles, blend combinations, packaging details, etc. I guess it’s a process, which we choose to take cautiously to make sure the end product is one we’re happy with.

Point in case with the new Ethiopian and Yemen coffees. Both coffees had to be roasted multiple times to gain a sense of where they worked best. We finally decided on a direction and roasted the coffees in full production to fine-tune the roasting profile. It has always been the case that test roasts always turn out a little different than those in full production.

The new blends were also a challenge as we tried to create something very different from our previous blends. Our purpose is never to replicate, but challenge ourselves with new and exciting flavours. The following was our end result…

Esp012 Seasonal blend
40% Serra Do Bone, Brazil
30% Don Mayo, Costa Rica
30% Dalle, Ethiopia

A much deeper, balanced blend that highlights flavours of caramel, cacao, praline, cherry, walnut, ginger bread and orange zest. A much more challenging blend that is versatile with or without milk.

Esp011 Organic blend
50% J. Ida, Brazil
40% La Esperanza, Panama
10% Adado, Ethiopia

A departure from the previous blend, this has more structure, body and complexity. A great blend bringing out caramel, honey, pistachio, stone fruit, blackcurrant, minty lime flavours.

Mocha Harazi, Yemen
Having never offered coffee from Yemen, we thought it was high time to showcase possibly one of the best coffees coming out of this country this year. A naturally processed coffee that is clean in the cup showcasing flavours of soft chocolate, roasted nuts, berries, stone fruit and red apples. This is a totally off the wall coffee that has so much going on. Very versatile, but a coffee that we bought specifically for our upcoming Xmas blend…. Hmmm.

Don Mayo, Costa Rica
When we first opened we featured this coffee and it soon became a firm favourite. We did not have the chance to get our hands of Don Mayo last season, but as soon as it was offered this year we jumped on the opportunity to bring one of Costa Ricas best. A honey processed coffee, Don Mayo Honey brings out flavours of chocolate, praline, sweet melon, with a citric orange sweetness. A great coffee that shines in any brew method.

In the coming weeks we will also be releasing the following coffees; Adado, Ethiopia and Karimikui, Kenya, so keep a look out for new offerings.

Follow us...

2010-10-22T15:46:00.003+02:00

A short while back we decided to start a Twitter account to follow many friends around the world and also let our espresso loving peeps know what we're up to.

If you want to know what we're doing 24/7, then check us out at the following...

http://twitter.com/EspLabMicro

Nordic Barista/Roaster 2010...

2010-10-06T11:46:00.004+02:00

After a busy week returning from Norway, I finally got down to writing a few observations about my trip to the Nordic Barista Cup 2010.

It was a fantastic trip, spent cupping coffee everyday with friends and new acquaintances. It was a true pleasure to attend lectures from George Howell, Stephen Vick, Paul Songer, Tim Wendelboe to name a few.

The days were broken down into Nordic Roaster, Botanics & Origin, Roasting & Tasting, Preparation & Sales seminars.

The Nordic Roaster seminar was interesting in the sense that we cupped coffees roasted on different roasters and also coffees that shared different roasting profiles. It goes without saying that the cupping results were always a hive of activity in each table sharing different opinions in what was being cupped. Goes to show you that even in a room of professionals not everyone can agree in what makes a good coffee. The highlight on this day was listening to George Howell, truly a maverick in the coffee business.

Botanics and Origin was an insight into farming practise and how varietals, defects, processing, etc play a huge part in the end result. The sensory taste test was also a good calibrator in ones palette and also a self-evaluation of how one has progressed as a coffee cupper.

Roasting and Tasting started with a fun lecture by Tim Wendelboe. Tim tried to get the message across that actually there is no right or wrong into roasting coffee. It is just important to focus on your own style and stick to it. I found that to be a pretty important message, seeing that we decided to attend the event largely to continue our focus on our Nordic style of roasting. Stephen Vick spoke about his experiences in Africa and how challenging it is to get top quality coffee going. It brought a new sense of appreciation to specialty coffee in Africa.

Preparation and Sales was a casual day with talks into the coffee culture and there was also a fascinating lecture by the inventor of Extract Mojo, Vince Fedele. In summary from my initial assessment, a great tool to use but not one to totally judge ones coffee on. In the end it comes into individual taste.

The event ended in the afternoon with the Nordic Roaster Competition and Nordic National Team Competition. We tasted many coffees and had to judge on the preferred cup. I voted on cup #4, which ended up as the winning coffee from Tim Wendelboe. The Team Competition was won by Sweden, which made Helene very pleased.

The rest of the time in Norway was spent at Supreme Roastworks cupping their new arrivals, discussing roasting issues and generally talking coffee. There was also loads of time to visit Tim Wendelboe, Stockfleths, Java, Mocha and other local coffee spots.

Coffee culture in Norway continues to be at the forefront and I always find it inspirational and pleasing that we are able to showcase a piece of this culture in Cape Town.

Nordic Barista Cup...

2010-09-07T11:37:00.001+02:00

When we started Espresso Lab Microroasters we endeavoured to take inspiration on the Nordic style of enjoying coffee. Our style showcased a much more milder approach to roasting, trying to capture the sweetness of coffee and serving coffee that challenged our understanding of the product and how it can taste.

To further develop our style and understanding of the Nordic way, we’re off to Oslo, Norway to attend the Nordic Barista Cup. The NBC competition focuses on trying to broaden the understanding of coffee, featuring roasting and cupping seminars by some of the top people in coffee.

George Howell, possibly the most respected man in the business, will conduct a lecture on sourcing and development of quality on farm level, whilst Paul Songer will talk about roast chemistry. A full day lecture will also focus on roasting and tasting with Tim Wendelboe being the guest speaker.

It will be great to share time with old friends and acquaintances and to talk to some of the most respected coffee people in the industry. I think more importantly it will be great to spend time with our good friends Magnus and Joar from Supreme Roastworks who have been instrumental in supporting our growth.

Coffee with Tim Wendelboe...

2010-08-23T08:52:00.004+02:00

It's not often you find great coffee books. The limited books out there normally focus on the history of coffee, or the technical aspects of coffee preparation.

Tim Wendelboe, 2004 World Barista Champion and 2005 Cupping Champion, decided to publish a book that covered the coffee industry as we know it today. The book focuses on how coffee is harvested, processed, how it can be roasted, brewed and served.

We imported a limited amount of books to retail and now have it in stock at the roastery. If you want to learn more about the coffee industry or have a friend or relative mad about coffee, this is a must have.

In addition to the books, we also managed to get our hands on 2kgs of Tim Wendelboe's espresso blend and are serving it until it lasts.

Limited release...

2010-08-20T09:40:00.004+02:00

As we start to count down the last few weeks of winter, we thought we would release a limited edition blend that would help us through the last few days of what has been a mild winter.

We decided to create a blend that emulated the most liked winter flavour sensation, hot chocolate.

The result was an espresso blend with loads more body and less complexity, but one with bold flavours akin to a red Bordeaux. Think in the lines of dark chocolate, cherries, mollasses, green peppers and spice.

This is a milk loving blend that will be with us for a limited time, so get it while you can.

Coffee Ratings...

2010-08-10T14:45:00.007+02:00

It was a few weeks ago that a special guest walked into the roastery and introduced himself as none other than Greg Sherwin, "Mr. Coffee Reviewer" himself.

Founder of the blog, Coffeeratings.com, Greg travels around San Francisco and the world tasting and evaluating all sorts of coffee establishments and this was his review of Espresso Lab Microroasters.

theshot.coffeeratings.com/2010/07/espresso-lab-microroasters-capetown

What struck us the most was that we managed to achieve ratings similar if not better than some of the top establishments in the USA. Given some of the most recognized companies are emerging from the States, it's a testament of our achievement and commitment to be up there with the best.

We use this review as a boost to keep sourcing, roasting and serving world class coffee and hope that our efforts are making headway in what can be a very competitive industry.

Hario products...

2010-06-22T13:55:00.002+02:00

We officially started to retail a limited range of Hario products last week, including the Skerton Coffee Mill, Bueno Kettle V60 Dripper and filters.

Hario is a well-respected company in Japan manufacturing high quality tea and coffee related products. The company was founded in 1921 and has a great following around the world and seems to be the company of choice these days when it comes to artisanal home brewing.

The following is a brief description of our range;

Hario Skerton Coffee Mill...
This manual grinder is quick, easy and consistent. The ceramic burrs allow for an even grind which ever brew method. The glass is extremely resistant to breaking, the handle fits nicely in your hand, and the bottom is covered with a no-slip rubber base. On average, 20 grams of coffee takes approx. 1 minute to grind on a fine espresso grind setting.

V60 Dripper...
The V60 Coffee Dripper has three main features: it’s cone-shaped, has spiral ribs and a large, single hole in the bottom. In a cone shaped dripper, the water flows to the center, extending the amount of time it’s in contact with the coffee, resulting in better flavor.

Bueno Kettle...
This kettle has a specially designed narrow spout, which ensures best possible result when pouring hot water on ground coffee. For the pour-over method, precision is a must and the Bueno delivers. Certainly a must have with the V60.

We offer our range of coffees as an artisanal brew, so if you wish to experience these products and how they enhance your coffee enjoyment, you’re welcome to visit us.

The price of coffee...

2010-05-30T10:38:00.003+02:00

Over the past week we have followed closely the Best of Panama competition, which took place to determine the best coffee of Panama for the 09/10 harvest.

We were pleased to know that Mama Cata from the Garrido family featured well with two lots of coffee placing 11th and 15th place respectively. We have been enjoying the coffee from Mama Cata for a few months now as we currently have a limited lot of their Caturra varietal on sale and can testify for their positive showing in the competition.

The other point that grabbed our attention was the fact that Hacienda Esmeralda placed 1st place again and fetched the highest price for coffee. The record price was USD 170.20 per lbs (R1 296.92 per lbs). That is a large sum of money for top quality coffee. Take into account that price is prior to shipping and packaging.

That has drawn us to ponder if we are indeed ready for such top quality coffee in South Africa. Where the common trend has been to buy lower grade commodity coffee and pass it through as specialty grade, will the average consumer actually be prepared to pay R250.00, or more, for 100g of coffee?

I feel we have a long way to go, but we will get there. I think it's necessary to get the average consumer off the commercial brands and into drinking non milk based drinks, it is then one may appreciate the true quality of specialty grade coffee and pay the money it deserves.

New season, new espresso blends...

2010-05-23T09:47:00.003+02:00

As we begin to feel the chill in the air, we start to gravitate towards more nourishing and wholesome foods and with our new blends we tried to create that. Our two newly released espresso blends reflect a warmer softer approach to our espresso.

The previous seasonal blend was more about citrus and bright summer flavours, such as a cold Pimms and lemonade, however our new blends are more akin to milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel and warm honey on toast.

Our new blends are as follows;

ESP007 Organic
50% J. Ida, Brazil
50% Abaya, Ethiopia

A soft, easy drinking espresso blend with prominent berry and cocoa undertones. There are nutty and floral notes on the nose and a lingering taste of berry like acidity.

* Even though berries are synonymous with summer, it’s a blend that will stay with us over winter and remind us of the summer ahead.

ESP008
40% Serra do Bone, Brazil
40% Puente Ecologico Tarrazu, Costa Rica
20% Guji, Ethiopia

A much more intense espresso blend, one that brings our warm chocolate, caramel and honey notes, with a soft presence of tropical fruit acidity. This is a much more complex blend with a full bodied flavour and will have us cuddled up for the coming months.

We hope you enjoy them as much as we over caffeinated ourselves putting them together. :)

SCAA Best of Kenya award...

2010-04-30T14:50:00.001+02:00

Every year the Specialty Coffee Association of America votes on the years best coffee. The awards were presented last week and it was with great excitement that Gichatha-ini from the Gikanda Farmers Co-Operative Society won the category of Best of Kenya, with a total score of 89.22 out of 100.

We currently have the last few kilos of this coffee available, so if you want to experience one of the best coffees from a top winning co-op, then get it while you can.

Baskets...

2010-04-11T11:13:00.003+02:00

As few months ago there was talk that portafilter baskets would be the hot topic of discussion for 2010. It may seem like a simple device, but after doing some experimentation, it was surprising to see what all the fuss is about.

We took two different types of baskets, one a standard double ridge basket from La Marzocco and the other a triple ridgeless basket that Synesso produces. We dosed two double shots, 20g, over the same extraction time and tasted them side by side.

One would think that the difference would be minimal, but it was surprising to see how different the two dosed. The LM double basket produced a more edgier espresso, with high notes and bright acidity. The Synesso triple basket produced a more subtle coffee with a more balanced flavor.

There was no clear winner, it was just a different style to both coffees. Because the added space in the Synesso basket allowed a more gentle extraction, it may work well with coffees that have a higher degree of acidity, thus neutralizing the high notes a little. The LM basket, being a tad smaller, may work better with coffees that need to be lifted.

Maybe a thought, next time before changing the dosage or adjusting the grind, maybe consider playing around with the basket, it will lead to interesting results.

GQ SA, April edition....

2010-03-14T11:33:00.004+02:00

It was with great excitement that we got our hands on the latest GQ magazine and saw their full feature article on coffee. The article not only included Espresso Lab Microroasters as one of the top locations to get coffee in South Africa, but also allowed us to answer some key questions about coffee.

The following is the text transcript of the article...

WHY DOES THIS ESPRESSO TASTE SO DAMN GOOD?
Renato Correia, proprietor and barista at Espresso Lab Microroasters, has some answers...

* Is good coffee grown or made?
Conscientious choices are made throughout the coffee chain – growing, harvesting, processing, shipping and roasting, which directly affects the flavors in the cup.

As a roaster, your coffee is only as good as how the farmer intended it to be. So it’s of utmost importance to choose only the best green coffee beans, because as a roaster or barista, you cannot take an average bean and work miracles.

The farmer’s commitment to quality is the start to a long process and growing great coffee sets the benchmark to your end product.

* What typifies a great espresso?
It’s often challenging for a novice to analyze a coffee and to know how to determine the difference between a bad espresso and a stellar one. The most common misconception is that an espresso is assessed by its crema.

A fine espresso has good qualities such as acidity, body and sweetness, the total package. I think crucially, any sign of bitterness is an indication of a bad roasted coffee or a coffee that has been extracted incorrectly.

* Is the addition of milk and sugar sacrilegious?
Not necessarily. I too would put 2-3 teaspoons of sugar if presented with an awful coffee to compensate for the lack of sweetness in the cup. Milk and sugar have sadly crept into coffee due to the lack of quality.

A top quality coffee, well roasted and correctly extracted should need no additions to it.

There are coffee recipes that include milk, such as a cappuccino and latte that compliment the coffee nicely. There should however be a balance of flavors, between the soft sweet character of the steamed milk and the coffee.

* What makes a perfect roast?
We’re always pursing the sweetness in coffee, so a roast that has been optimized to bring out these qualities is to me perfection.

Each bean has its character profile, such as fruity, chocolate, nutty flavors. It’s the roasters job to bring out these qualities. Often roasters try to eliminate certain aspects of the coffee, such as roasting darker to get rid of acidity, but in my view that is incorrect.

Why take a great Kenyan with bright acidity and sweetness and roast it dark to eliminate it prominent character. A perfect roast if one that allows the bean to shine, not the roaster.

* Where is the best coffee grown?
I have to be a little partial and say Africa. African coffees are sought after worldwide and have the sweetness and complexity that roasters seek. But it’s important to note that not all coffees in Africa are good.

There are varying degrees of quality that need to be adhered to, such as how the harvests were processed, shipped, etc.

Best growing conditions exist in the equator, on hillsides and plantations over 1500 masl. It’s at altitude that coffee ripens slowly, under optimal conditions, in nutrient soil, which Africa has in abundance.

Even though coffee is grown in South Africa, sadly we do not have the perfect conditions to produce world-class coffee.

* What should a good coffee taste like?
Since coffee comes from berries, it’s only natural that we seek fruitiness, sweetness and acidity, which are normally the first things to deteriorate when coffee gets old or is poorly roasted.

* What are the most important things when it comes to coffee.
Buy coffee that freshly roasted coffee. Coffee has an optimal period of freshness and we find that it's crucial that it should be consumed within three to four weeks of its roast date.

Once you get your hands on freshly roasted coffee, you will need clean brewing equipment, fresh purified water, correct dosing and the proper grind. These factors are crucial irrespective of your brewing method and should never be compromised.

* The one thing you should never do.
Avoid buying coffee from a supermarket. This may be a broad statement, but as coffee is as temperamental as any fresh produce, more often than not the optimal freshness of coffee is long gone before it has even reached the shelves of the supermarket.

Rather support your local roaster as it helps push the awareness of coffee and force the industry to review it current practice of lack of traceability and accountability of selling stale and past its prime coffee.

Method to our madness - Americano...

2010-03-07T13:11:00.002+02:00

We find it quite funny that from time to time, consumers complain about us using glass cups for our Americano’s. Now there is method to our madness.

Firstly, a proper Americano or Long Black is a double shot of espresso with added hot water to offer more volume to the beverage. We always fill the hot water first and then extract the espresso on top of the water dosed.

Having done numerous tasting exercises, we found that as the cup cooled the sweetness in the cup was enhanced, which led us to use the glass cup, forcing the consumer to wait until the cup was bearable to hold, which was about 1-2 minutes after the coffee was extracted. If the beverage was served in a ceramic cup, the tendency for the consumer to automatically start drinking the warm beverage is much more, which in our assessment, was not the best time to sample the coffee as it was way too hot and if you are drinking the beverage without any additives, such as milk, you run the risk of burning your tongue and numbing your taste sensations.

So the question is posed, should an Americano be drunk cold, well we like to think so. Try it out next time. Oh yes, also try skimming the crema off, this will increase the cups clean character and allow you to focus directly on the sweetness.

Acidity...

2010-03-07T12:54:00.002+02:00

From time to time we encounter consumers misinterpreting acidity in coffee. As acidity is something many roaster run away from, hence darker roasts, we felt it necessary to delve into this topic a little.

More often than not, consumers confuse a nice bright acidity with unpleasant sourness. It’s easy to confuse one another if you are not trained to identify between the two, but coffee without acidity is bland and boring, lacking the complexity we seek.

Acidity is the primary coffee taste sensation created as acids in the coffee combine with the sugars to increase the overall sweetness of the coffee. So basically, when you analyze a coffees flavor, you may pick up vibrant citric or berry sweetness, which is a result of the acidity in the cups profile.

Acidity is a good quality indicator, as most fresh harvest, high elevation coffees have good levels of acidity. Old crops are seldom acidy.

In retrospect, we can refer to the acidity in a cup as a nice crisp wine like quality. The distinct winey aftertaste gives the coffee vitality, brightness and complexity that is always present in stellar African coffees. So next time you get presented with a coffee, be cautious not to misinterpret the latter.

New harvests...

2010-02-18T14:11:00.005+02:00

It has been some time since our last posting and it was high time to update with all the Espresso Lab happenings...

We have been enjoying our new year releases, which included the following;

Guji, Sidamo, Ethiopia
Abaya, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
Santa Teresa, Santa Clara, Panama

We also released our new Organic blend which includes a fruity Grota São Pedro, Brazil coupled together with our popular Guangua/Abaya OCR, Ethiopia.

The days are counting down to our new arrivals from Brazil and Colombia. We expect them to arrive early in March. The Brazilian is from Serra do Bone, which scored highly in this years Brazilian Cup of Excellence and the Colombian is from a cooperative of small farmers from Alto Saldana, Tolima. Colombia is a first for us, so we are indeed very excited.

As we always seek seasonal harvests, we are always playing catch up in getting the newest crops into the roastery as fast as possible. Stuck all the way down south does not help.

Analyze this...

2010-01-20T12:41:00.002+02:00

It’s often challenging to analyze a coffee and to know how to determine the difference between a bad coffee and a stellar one. To further assist, we thought we would note a few terms used to help breakdown a coffee.

Acidity… Often misinterpreted is acidity. Acidity in coffee is pleasing, giving the coffee character and complexity. It’s often confused with sour or bitter flavours, which may result due to lower brew temperatures or over extraction.

Body… A coffee with good body often gives coffee a strong fullness and not a thin character.

Bitter… Bitterness is sadly the most common flavour found in many establishments. A flavour that is inherently caused due to neglect. Neglect due to the roaster not paying attention to a roast, or a barista not attune to the flavours being extracted.

Fiery… Another negative in coffee, a fiery coffee is represented with bitter charcoal, burnt rubber flavours, largely caused to a heavy roast.

Fine… The opposite of fiery, a fine coffee has good qualities such as good acidity, body and sweetness, the total package.

Smooth… Generally a coffee that does not have too much acidity but has good body.

Thin… Unfortunately another rather common flavour found in coffee. A thin coffee normally is flat and lifeless that has no characters such as acidity or body.

Lastly, our most treasured quality is sweetness. Sweetness in a cup normally represents a clean coffee free of any harshness either from the roast or extraction.

The above guidelines serve as an indicator of what to look for in a coffee. It is a constant voyage of discovery trying to analyze each coffee, extracted in various methods. Sadly, the most common train of thought is analyzing a coffee through its visual, be it through an espresso’s crema or the latte art of a coffee.

There is never any wrong or right way, as sometimes there is no account for peoples taste. A dark roast may be a negative for us, but a quality for others, just like a good pair of ugly Crocs.

Opening hours...

2009-12-24T09:03:00.002+02:00

With the festive season well upon us, we would like to advise everyone in Espresso Land that we shall be closing from 12:00 noon Dec 24 until Jan 4, 2010. We shall see everyone in the New Year and it will start off with a bang as we will be showcasing some new coffees. Bring on 2010.

Xmas blend...

2009-12-09T15:02:00.004+02:00

Just for kicks we set off to create a limited edition Xmas blend. It was our way of paying homage to a time of the year that rewards celebration and summer vacation.

As with any great Xmas spread, we wanted to replicate the flavours of a great Xmas cake, full of fruity sweet flavours.

In trying to achieve this, we picked our three sweetest coffees.

Chelba, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
Guangua/Abaya, Sidamo, Ethiopia
Gichatha-ini, Kenya

Trying to roast three African coffees for a blend may not be conventional, particularly when you want to highlight the fruity sweetness in the cup, but we managed to roast the coffees in a way that kept the nice fruity quality without having the acidity prevail and loosing any sweetness.

The blend does lack a little body, but again as we are in the midst of summer, we did not want something too rich and heavy. It took us a while to get the right profile, but I think we have achieved a nice sweet tasting Xmas blend that will make Santa happy.

Enjoy it while you can as we will only retail the Xmas blend until the end of the year.

Grind settings and understanding our objectives…

2009-11-02T21:08:00.003+02:00

Over the past few days and weeks we have been experiencing people struggling to get to grips with our recommended grind settings and the intended refinement we are seeking in our coffee. Now we have to highlight that grind settings and how dark a coffee should be roasted is an objective one.

There are people out there that may prefer a dark roasted coffee versus a lighter roasted coffee, and there are people out there that prefer finer grind settings for French press or filter, than the ones that we recommend.

To better understand how crucial grind settings are to our coffee, we will try to highlight a few brew methods and outline their suggested grind settings according to our various taste tests.

French Press...
It is best to grind the coffee very coarse. As the brew time is on average 3-4 minutes, you want to reduce the surface area in which the water is in contact with the coffee, thus reducing the potential of over extraction. The filter mesh on the French Press does allow for fines to seep through, so with a very coarse grind you’re restricting the sediment build up, which may cause a “dirty” or unclean tasting cup.

Filter or Drip coffee...
The grind setting for filter is a medium grind. It may differ from metal to paper filter, but medium none the less. As the water comes into contact with the coffee only momentarily, the potential of over extraction is reduced. As there is little chance of sediment build-up, there is a minimal chance of getting an unclean cup.

Espresso...
You’re looking at a fine grind setting to be able to increase the coffee’s surface area that comes into contact with the water, which is being pumped at approximately 9bars of pressure. A fine grind will result in a full extraction, however each espresso machine does react differently, so experimentation with different grind settings is crucial for optimal extraction.

As we are all about finesse, subtlety and clean tasting aromas and flavours, our various grind settings bring out these qualities. For the longest time, people have assessed their brew according to intensity, astringency and strength. We are finding the average person is just missing the point to our coffee.

In no way shape or form, should our coffee be compared with stock standard supermarket or commercial grade coffee, as that would be like comparing a refined Chardonnay with a wine that has been bagged and boxed. We fully respect that our coffee is not for everyone, but a better understanding of our objectives is needed before a judgement is made as to the quality of our coffee.

Just because the coffee does not kick you in the teeth, it does not mean it’s of a lesser quality.

Mama Cata, Panama...

2009-10-29T15:20:00.004+02:00

Mama Cata Estate is located in the region of Boquete, Micro Region of Alto Qiel, Panama.

Jose David Garrido a passionate farmer committed to quality owns the farm, which he bought in 1997. The estate has featured well in the Best of Panama competition, a competition awarding farms for quality. Located at 1533m above sea level, the soil is black and volcanic. The Terroir, climate and Caturra trees give its character.

The farm itself is sectioned into lots, using GPS coordinates. With the data they can acquire information about the varietal, soil composition, health of the lot, production, etc. The most crucial process during harvesting is ripeness and timing in the picking. It goes without saying, great coffee comes from great coffee harvesting.

Once the lots are picked and identified, traceability is continued during depulping, placing the coffee on the patio and dried during the night or done in the early hours of the morning until about 2pm for one day, then placed in drum dryers for about 36 drying hours. The patio drying is done according to weather patterns, which are monitored with weather stations.

Once the coffee is cooled completely, it is cupped for defects, packed for storage and each lot is separated according to traceability, which has been monitored throughout.

It is a long and detailed process, which is well worth the effort. We are currently enjoying our coffee from Mama Cata and find its unique stone fruit, chocolate complexity a pleasure to enjoy.

Traceability series…

2009-10-29T15:18:00.000+02:00

One aspect of coffee that we are rather particular about is full traceability. The more information you gather about a product the better understanding you have about its origin.

It’s very seldom that coffee is supplied with detailed information about its origin, process, certification, etc. In an attempt to pass on more information about our coffee, we will be from time to time highlighting a particular coffee and passing on additional facts that we can acquire.

Coffee is more than a product that comes in a bag. It starts a long journey from a farm in distant lands and we will pass on information about some of the farms we buy from and what the farmers get up to in processing the coffee.

We will start this series with one of our newest coffees, Mama Cata from Panama. So look out for our next post.

New coffee from Panama & Costa Rica...

2009-10-25T15:35:00.004+02:00

We can announce that we're now selling our new coffee which arrived last week. The coffee is from Panama and Costa Rica and we have more on the way. Stop by "The Lab" and try possibly some new favorites.

Mama Cata, Panama
Puente Ecologico Tarrazu, Costa Rica

We are hoping to get another Panamanian soon and also a super awesome Ethiopian natural. Stay tuned.

Project Double Poison...

2009-10-25T15:30:00.004+02:00

In our quest to always push the boundaries of coffee and seek the ultimate espresso, we undertook to refine our espresso blend last week in a program we have dubbed, Project Double Poison.

The refinement of the espresso blend came about largely due to the arrival of our newest coffees from Central America.

As we seek to always purchase seasonal coffee, thus follow the world’s harvests, we will always undertake to change the espresso blend to accommodate the freshest harvests.

This brought us to reflect a blend that was based mostly on Central American coffee. Our new blend is now comprised of Panamanian, Costa Rican and Ethiopian coffees.

40% Mama Cata, Panama
35% Puente Ecologico Tarrazu, Costa Rica
25% Hama, Ethiopia

The idea to change a blend is more so to revitalize the blend and add vitality and freshness. We try to follow similar flavour profiles, so it’s not a total change in direction regarding flavours, but more a fine-tuning.

Our new updated blend, named Esp004, has prominent chocolate, rustic honey, raisin and subtle citrus flavours. It’s very smooth and easy to drink with or without milk.

Supermarkets vs small roasters...

2009-10-07T17:00:00.004+02:00

It seems a prominent countrywide supermarket chain has decided to wade into the speciality coffee market. The company has proudly started showcasing Limited Edition, Single Estate Coffees.

Now we applaud their intentions, we are sadly not impressed at all with their interpretation of these coffees. Knowing some of the farms rather intimately, we actually contacted them and requested samples some time ago, we know the quality of their coffee and would have proudly sold their coffee at the roastery, but what this supermarket together with their roaster has done to the coffee is actually a tragedy.

Farmers who produce top quality speciality grade coffee invest time and effort to farm a quality product and for commercial roasters to take their coffee and literally misinterpret it is an injustice to the farmer.

Reading over the tasting notes it was hard to pick up on any of the coffees original quality when cupping it. We could certainly write about what we actually tasted, but that is not how we roll.

What supermarkets do rather well, and it gets under roasters skin, is give a false sense of the coffees longevity. The bags proudly display seasonality, meaning that they purchase only the freshest crops. The problem we have is that yes the crop may be fresh, but when was the coffee roasted? The sell by date is 21 March, 2010 and the best before date is 21 April 2010. That is basically 6 months from the date of purchase.

Coffee is a perishable product, you cannot roast it and have it lying on the shelves for months, which is common practise with many supermarkets. The maximum longevity of roasted coffee, in its whole bean form, is 1 month at best.

As the average South African is still trying to build an appreciation for quality speciality grade coffee, I feel this misinterpretation of top quality coffee is dealing us a huge blow.

Therefore, I urge you to support your local roaster. Local roasters such as us source our own coffees, roast in small batches, we cup each batch, bag each bag of coffee, stick each label on the bag and essentially pass on a piece of our identity to the consumer.

We are working hard to change the perception that coffee is a product that can be roasted in any which way, sold any which way and extracted any which way.

Again, I do respect the supermarket chain in their efforts in bringing speciality grade coffee to the masses, but their initial attempt has failed miserably and we will work harder to make coffee lovers across the country understand the difference.

Nordic approach...

2009-10-04T11:15:00.003+02:00

We often scour blog after blog reading up on coffee and it was recently that we came across an interesting post by David Haugaard, a highly respected independent roaster in Stockholm, Sweden.

His post was titled Scandinavian style and it outlined the Nordic approach to roasting and extracting coffee. As we have taken up similar ideas in interpreting coffee, we related a lot to his views and comments.

The entry basically showed the difference between the “old school” espresso techniques and the newer more creative approach to presenting coffee.

Here are a few excepts from his blog translated into English… Old school espresso techniques teach us to often use boring and bad coffee with low acidity and call it a base in a blend.

The Scandinavian Style Espresso techniques teach us to use high quality coffee with a high density and blend them to create something interesting and tasty.

A large part of why this style was born, the new generation of coffee drinkers enjoy raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, sugar, cloudberry, pears, etc. These are unique flavours of Scandinavia and these flavours are presented in coffee too.

David went further to break down the current idea behind the Nordic approach, such as using the highest quality beans, roasting them in a manner that develops their full potential and pushes a clean and sweet cup.

The art of blending is achieved by increasing the intensity of the coffee in several places and then finding a balance of the extremes. Old school seems to look down upon acidity, which is actually the opposite in Scandinavia.

Current extraction methods also differ, in the sense that the general idea is to dose 7 grams per shot, at any given time and temperature. Nordic methods are pushing double shots, 18-20 grams, at regulated water temperatures.

Furthermore, the clarity of the water is essential and all relevant espresso equipment should be kept clean throughout service.

The most interesting aspect of the blog was actually the response to David’s comments. It was surprising to see how many people actually disagreed with his interpretation and felt offended by a small number of Scandinavian roasters using the term Nordic approach to espresso. I guess in all countries coffee evokes emotion and opinion.

Our view is what independent coffee roasters are doing in Scandinavia are breaking the stereotype. It is all about development and exploration. We feel that the coffee industry is at a precipice that is affording independent coffee companies, farmers, exporters the opportunity to explore the product as the wine industry has been doing for years.

At Espresso Lab Microroasters we are excited about our development and shared philosophy of the Nordic approach to explore coffee in a way that was otherwise not found possible. We are happy to take you along for the ride.

Aeropress...

2009-09-25T09:25:00.003+02:00

It was with great excitement that we received our first shipment of Aeropress coffee makers at the roastery. We’re directly importing these great brewing devices from California and honestly cannot rave enough about this relatively unknown (locally) coffee maker.

Having tried many coffee makers, they all impart a different flavour to each cup, and the Aeropress is no different. The clarity in the cup and all round flavour achieved is superb. Well that depends on the quality of coffee you brewing…

There are often comparisons made between the Aeropress and the French Press and personally the Aeropress is better, largely due to the micro-filter used that cleans up the coffee. French Press can at times result in a much more bitter, less clean brew due to its longer steep time and lack of micro-filter.

Again, they are two different coffee makers and impart a totally different flavour profile. We often brew both at “The Lab” and enjoy each coffee maker for its particular quality.

I do however have to say that when it comes to practicality of use, the Aeropress wins head and shoulders. There are no spent grounds to clean up, just a quick pop of the chamber and a coffee puck is released and all that is left is to rinse the vessel.

It may not be as refined as the French Press, as it is constructed of copolyester plastic, but it is virtually indestructible and a perfect travel mate.

We cannot speak more highly about this great brewing device.

Water temps...

2009-09-07T09:46:00.001+02:00

Water temperature is often looked over when brewing coffee, but it can have a profound effect in the flavour of the coffee.

We often suggest water to be boiled to a temperature of 92/93 degrees celsius, which is what we refer to as the “sweet spot”. If you actually have temperatures below 92/93, you actually start tasting sour flavours, not the sweet mellow flavours that bring out the best of the coffee.

Having water boil actually tips the flavours towards the salty, bitter spectrum, which goes without saying are negatives in coffee brewing.

It is therefore always important to pay attention to the water temperature. If boiling the water in the kettle, switch the kettle off just before boiling and if possible, use a thermometer to regulate the temperature. If your espresso machine has the ability to regulate the water temperature, always temperature surf to see which temperature brings out the sweetness of the coffee.

Our espresso blends all come with brew parameters and we suggest trying to dial in the right parameters to bring out the best of the coffee.

Espresso Lab happenings...

2009-09-03T08:43:00.002+02:00

It’s been a few weeks since our last post and it was about time we rambled on about what has been happening at “Espresso Lab”.

Well, we have been super busy requesting samples and choosing our next lots of Central American coffees. We are very pleased that we managed to get two lots of Costa Rican and one lot of Panamanian coffees.

We anticipate their arrival hopefully within the month, so once they hit our shores we will look forward to some cool coffees for spring/summer.

On the grind, our Esp 1983 blend has been replaced by our Organic Esp 1976 blend inhouse. Comprising of 60% Fazenda Terezinha, Brazil and 40% Guangua, Sidamo, Ethiopia the Organic blend has less brightness in the mouth, but an intense syrupy taste. Stop by and enjoy a Cortado as this blend is a milk lover…

Espresso???

2009-08-09T10:15:00.004+02:00

On numerous occasions we have made reference to our non-conformist extraction methods. None-conformist in the sense that most establishments in the city are dosing much longer espresso shots than we do.

Many people often question our extraction due the volume of coffee served. We have found that many establishments have fallen prey to extracting espresso shots according to volume rather than taste. Surely, if the more water passing through the coffee grounds results in a bitter cup, would it not make sense to dose a shorter shot?

At Espresso Lab Microroasters we’re extracting 18-20 grams of finely ground coffee at 9bars for 22-24 seconds producing a double ristretto shot. Ristretto basically means restricted. Our purpose in this extraction method is to capture the sweetness and acidity of the cup, not the volatile bitterness.

This poses the question, how many establishments actually taste the product they serve?

A question of freshness… conclusion

2009-08-07T10:44:00.003+02:00

It was with great anticipation that we cupped our “storage” samples yesterday.

To recap, we took various coffee samples and stored them in different environments to see which storage method would preserve the coffees flavours and aromas for the longest period of time.

For point of reference, the following were the samples…

Sample I – Stored in an airtight bag in the freezer.
Sample II – Stored in an airtight bag in the fridge.
Sample III – Stored in an airtight bag at room temperature.
Sample IV – Stored outside a bag at room temperature.

When we opened the bags, it was clear that sample III had the strongest aroma. It seems the samples placed in the fridge/freezer lost their initial impact.

When the water was poured over the coffee to start the cupping, the bloom on samples I & II were clearly much more than the others, an indication of the freshness of the coffee.

After letting the coffee steep for 4 minutes, we broke the crust and found samples I & III had a sweeter aroma and samples II & IV were lacking.

Tasting the coffee is when things got interesting. It was clear sample IV had lost much of its quality. There was a lack of sweetness and acidity. The sample was actually a little flat, a clear indication of rapid deterioration.

Samples I & III had the sweetest tastes. It was tough to pull them apart, even though we did pick up more sweetness on samples I and more acidity on sample III. Remember these were all the same samples taken from one batch.

In conclusion, it’s clear that when coffee is left out in the open, there is a clear sign of rapid deterioration. We firmly believe that oxygen is coffees worst enemy and if we can prevent oxidization as much as possible, we will preserve the integrity of the product that much longer.

The samples stored in the fridge/freezer versus the sample stored in the bag at room temperature were hard to separate. If the experiment had continued past 2 weeks, we feel the freezer sample may have come up trumps, but we saw no benefit in a 2-week period.

Hence, it’s best to always store the coffee in an airtight container at room temperature. If you so happen to be going away for a prolonged period, more than 2 weeks, then it may be best to either drink the coffee at once or throw the rest into the freezer to stall any further deterioration.

A question of freshness…

2009-08-05T09:20:00.004+02:00

From time to time we get many questions about the best method to store roasted coffee beans. We normally recommend the coffee to be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, but as many people have questioned this process, we took to experimenting.

Approximately a week ago we took various samples of freshly roasted coffee and placed one sample in the freezer, one in a fridge, one at room temperature and one sample at room temperature, but outside a sealed bag.

It takes no rocket scientist to conclude that the coffee left outside a sealed bag to oxidize will be the one that deteriorates fastest, but we wanted to know the level of deterioration from the other samples and how much difference it makes from room to fridge to freezer.

We still have a few more days to go until we cup the coffee and produce the results, but finally the question will be put to rest.

Bikes to Rwanda...

2009-07-24T10:52:00.004+02:00

Being a coffee roasting company that loves bikes and benefiting the coffee community, we came across an organization called Bikes to Rwanda.

The organization's mission is to provide cargo bicycles to co-operative coffee farmers in Rwanda.

The goal is to improve quality of life in these communities through a bike workshop and maintenance program that provides transportation resources for basic needs and enhances production of quality coffee.

In an effort to assist their cause, Espresso Lab Microroasters will donate R5.00 per 250g bag sold of Rwandan, Rotsoro coffee.

We hope our support will translate to a better working experience for the farmers we admire and respect.

For more information on the Bikes to Rwanda program, and any individual donations, log onto www.bikestorwanda.com.

Beneficio Don Mayo "Best of Costa Rica 2009"...

2009-07-19T09:40:00.007+02:00

It was with great excitement that we came across the news that Beneficio Don Mayo from Costa Rica won 1st place in the 2009 edition of the Cup of Excellence.

The selection was made by a panel of judges representing Costa Rica, United States, Europe and Japan.

This prize was given to the Bellavista farm located in Llano Bonito de León Cortes, which belongs to the Bonilla family. The farm's coffee was prized for its quality including, great body, citric acidity and honey-like sweetness.

We currently have coffee from Beneficio Don Mayo at the roastery, so we encourage anyone interested in tasting some of Central America's finest coffee, to stop by and enjoy a cup or two.

For more information on this great farm, you may log onto their website... www.cafedonmayo.com

Single Origin week... Friday

2009-07-17T12:31:00.002+02:00

Ethiopia rulz... Guangua, Sidamo, Ethiopia & Kocherie, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia...

Single Origin week... Thursday

2009-07-17T12:26:00.001+02:00

Better late than never.... Battle of the Americas... Faz Catuai, Sul Minas, Brazil & Don Mayo, Tarrazu, Costa Rica...

Single Origin week... Wednesday

2009-07-15T10:54:00.004+02:00

Gichatha-ini, Nyeri, Kenya & Kocherie, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia...

Single Origin week... Tuesday

2009-07-14T08:57:00.005+02:00

Don Mayo Honey, Tarrazu, Costa Rica & Rotsoro, Lake Kivu, Rwanda...

Single Origin week... Monday

2009-07-13T08:52:00.004+02:00

Fazenda Catuai, Sul Minas, Brazil & Guangua, Sidamo, Ethiopia...

Single origin week...

2009-07-12T10:06:00.004+02:00

In an attempt to get people to try a wider range of coffees, we are only offering single origin coffees this week {Yes, no blends}.

The program will run from Monday, July 13 to Saturday July 18, 2009.

We understand that certain coffees may perform better or worse brewed as espresso, but we want to get people to change their perceptions about coffee and sample them in different ways.

Our current range of coffees include coffees from Brazil, Costa Rica, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia.

Enjoy and long live the SO...

The dark side of the force...

2009-07-12T09:35:00.003+02:00

We often find people coming into the roastery asking for a dark roasted coffee and as much as we respect their preferred taste in a dark roast, we really would like to highlight the differences between a light roast and a dark roast.

In coffee the roaster is both master and servant. Master in the degree of roast he/she chooses and servant to the coffee in the sense that he/she must preserve the integrity of the product.

If the farmer has gone through a laborious effort in producing a top quality coffee and the roaster then chooses to dark roast the coffee, taking away its delicate flavors, sweetness and acidity, then he/she is not doing the coffee any justice.

We always use the analogy of a steak as an example. If you have a nice juicy steak and choose to have it grilled rare to medium, you will preserve many of the juicy flavours of the steak. If you choose to have a steak well done, then you will loose lots of the quality of the steak, such as a moisture and juiciness.

Dark roasted coffees take on very unfavourable characteristics, such as burnt rubber, charcoal, ashy flavours, which as far as we’re concerned are not positive attributes.

Historically, the advent of the dark roast originated when commercial roasters were buying low-grade coffee and disguising its poor quality with a dark roast. When a roaster roasts a coffee dark, the roasters hand is evident.

Our sole purpose as roasters are to showcase the coffee, hence we are more servants than masters in our field.

Fair Trade...

2009-06-26T12:21:00.006+02:00

Over the past few weeks we have had many people ask about Fair Trade coffee, and although we have some Fair Trade coffee in stock, we do not intentionally source out Fair Trade coffee for one factor, lack of quality.

The majority of Fair Trade coffee is not of a very high standard, and although we care about the overall wellbeing of the farmers, we try to find alternative ways of supporting the farmer and rewarding them for quality.

We currently support a program called Operation Cherry Red, which is funded by the Dutch government and initiated by Trabocca in Ethiopia, which gives the farmer a bonus for picking only the ripest cherries, hence resulting in a highier quality cup.

I guess as an independent coffee roaster we have an obligation to work ethically and try to support farmers and programs that give the tools to improve the coffee. We feel that the Fair Trade model does not offer such support. In many cases the farmers pay a large sum to get certified and still do not see any major benefit.

The coffee industry still has a long way to go in finding a fair system for all, but as far as we are concerned we try hard to at least pay a higher price for quality coffee, Fair Trade or not, and hopefully it will benefit all concerned.

Varietals...

2009-06-09T14:52:00.004+02:00

In wine you often turn to varietals to highlight a particular aspect of the wine irrespective of its country of origin. In coffee, we find the general trend is to use region instead of varietals.

By using the coffees varietal you will get a good sense of how the coffee will taste. Of course we have to take into account the processing of the coffee, which may alter the flavor profile, but by using the varietal information, it will lead you in a good direction.

The following are a few of the coffee varietals we have and a brief introduction highlighting their general tasting profiles.

Bourbon (Rwanda Rotsoro) is known for its complex acidity and good balance.
Catuai (Brazil Fazenda Catuai) is generally known to have a higher than normal acidity.
Caturra (Costa Rica Don Mayo) has bright acidity and a well-rounded body.
Ethiopian Heirloom (Ethiopian Guangua and Kocherie) has some of the most sought after flavours, ranging from floral, berry, chocolate and bergamot.
SL28 (Kenya Gichatha-ini) has an intense citrus sweetness.
SL34 (Kenya Gichatha-ini) is known for a complex citrus acidity and high level of sweetness.

Remember that even though the above varietals offer a general characteristic, we should never forget that coffee is complex and will always surprise us, hopefully in a positive way.

Sugar, sugar, sugar...

2009-06-01T11:21:00.007+02:00

We try to encourage people to enjoy coffee without sugar, however we understand that going "cold turkey" is hard and we have to wean people off sugar slowly. Roasted and extracted correctly, coffee comprises of enough complex sugars to allow for a sugarless drink.

In trying to showcase the coffee, we try to source out sugar that works well with drinks and do not overpower or tip the balance. We have found through various tasting excercises that white sugar is too sweet and tips the fine balance of the drink. Brown sugar on the other hand gives just enough to add a little sweetness, but does not compromise the drink.

We did a taste test against organic and plantation select sugars. The result worked in favor of the organic sugar, which comes from Fazenda San Francisco, Brazil. The plantation select sugar was a washed sugar, and even though the taste was favorable, the washed process that occurs with this sugar dilutes the mollasses, which gives the brown sugar a nice caramel flavor.

We hope that in the near future a local company will make organic sugar available, thus eliminating having to buy sugar from another continent, particularly with so many sugar plantations here in South Africa.

Ideology...

2009-05-31T20:02:00.003+02:00

Over the past few weeks we have managed to interact with many people and share the ideology of Espresso Lab Microroasters.

It goes without saying that we’re an independent roastery trying to push the envelope on how coffee can be enjoyed and experienced.

Our objective is always to be different. Source high quality interesting coffee, roast it differently, extract and brew it differently. We stand for experimentation and mixing it up.

In observing many peoples comments, we have found the larger majority commenting on never tasting coffee such as that served at our roastery. Now, we’re not reinventing the wheel, we are just reinterpreting the current coffee trends and applying it our way.

Our roast profiles are not tailored for a particular brew method, hence we do not roast dark for espresso. We try to roast each individual coffee to the best of its ability and then blend coffees that will work well together. The end result may not be conformist, but again neither are we.

We hope that in the future we can be regarded as an open minded, creative, coffee induced company and take as many people along for the ride.

Our first two weeks...

2009-05-24T19:23:00.003+02:00

Monday marks our first two weeks of opening...

It has been a good start to operations, meeting many people and introducing them to our roastery. Our coffee is being well received and it has been rewarding to showcase our approach to coffee.

It's again good to highlight that we are not trying to be conventional, so our approach to roasting, our blends and extraction methods are not conventional, well neither are we.

We hope to post more about our ideas and our direction in the near future, particularly about ways to elevate the understanding of quality coffee.

Open to all...

2009-05-12T18:50:00.002+02:00

We have had a busy last couple of days working out roasting profiles, cupping coffee and overall last minute setup details. We had our first two days of trade and we slowly elevating the coffee experience in the area, one person at a time.

Everyone is welcome to visit... The Old Biscuit Mill, Woodstock.

Oh yes... We also received some new coffee which I will post about soon.

Seasoning the roaster...

2009-05-03T20:48:00.004+02:00

After a few minor glitches, we managed to conduct our first roast this weekend. It was a very exciting time and we were happy with the end result.

We will now be playing around with a few roasts to get a feel for "Mr. Diedrich" and season in the drum. Once we get through the seasoning period, we will start roasting our coffee. This week will be busy, busy....

An update...

2009-04-22T09:38:00.006+02:00

We took to applying a final coat of paint to the floor, which is looking super cool.

We fired up the roaster last week, however as we still have an issue with the vent, we are yet to start roasting full on. The past few days has been frustrating as we are almost at the finish line, yet slight delays seem to be taking their toll.

I guess it is all a process and we just have to go with the flow.

The force is with us...

2009-04-04T11:05:00.000+02:00

What a mess...

2009-04-04T10:59:00.003+02:00

We're in the process of taking care of the gas and vent installation.

As you can see, it created a little chaos in the roastery. There was a need to drill a 250cm diameter hole in the wall to accommodate the vent, which will arrive next week.

Loooong process...

2009-03-30T18:53:00.002+02:00

After positioning the roaster, we tackled the process of in-store installation.

The electrics were pretty basic, however the gas and vent installation seems to be taking ages. One fault of Cape Town is the laid back approach to doing things. We hope to get things up and running soon.

Roaster in the house...

2009-03-17T20:48:00.005+02:00

After the loooooooong wait, we took delivery of the roaster this morning.

It was great to see everyone excited about its arrival and we were overwhelmed by everyones eagerness to help get the 500kg roaster into the shop. It was touch and go moving it down the few steps, but with a little "manpower", we managed.

Thanks again to everyone that helped, even the poor guys next door which we hijacked to use their forklift.

Got milk?

2009-03-13T14:35:00.006+02:00

Deciding on which milk to serve is not easy. In South Africa we are very fortunate to have a large selection of milk to choose from. We picked some of the most common brands and took them for a ride...

Pick n' Pay - 3.4g Fat, 4.8g Carbohydrates, 3.2g Protein
Woolworths - 3.7g Fat, 4.7g Carbohydrates, 3.3g Protein
Clover - 3.4g Fat, 4.7g Carbohydrates, 3.3g Protein
Dairy Belle - No information available
Fair Cape - 3.5g Fat, 3.5g Carbohydrates, 3.3g Protein
Woolworths Organic - 3.3g Fat, 4.7g Carbohydrates, 3.2g Protein

All milk tested was full cream.

We tasted the milk cold, we then steamed it, tasted it again and also took down results on which one performed the best after steaming. The notes concluded that the Woolworths Organic and Fair Cape were the sweetest. Dairy Belle produced the most foam, but that conclusion could come down to the technique used.

We were not happy with the standard Pick n' Pay and Woolworths options as the milk was too creamy, particularly the Woolworths milk with 3.7g fat. One milk actually tasted like detergent, but we will not name that one.

In conclusion, Fair Cape and Woolworths Organic were the best in taste and microfoam performance. They both strike the right balance for a milk based drink, sweet and creamy mouthfeel.

A curious note, the Fair Cape milk is from free range Holstein Friesian cows and the Woolworths milk is from Ayrshire cows.

After all that, we are totally milked out...

Welcome to Cape Town, Mr. Diedrich...

2009-03-12T17:23:00.003+02:00

The ship carrying the roaster has arrived into port. It arrived this morning, a few days later than scheduled. We have been advised to expect delivery early next week. Yipeeeeee......

Espresso Lab sign

2009-03-10T19:24:00.000+02:00

Cupping...

2009-03-08T18:47:00.000+02:00

Before & after...

2009-03-08T18:44:00.001+02:00

Glasses, glasses, glasses...

2009-03-03T20:55:00.002+02:00

We went out and purchased some cool glasses. We will use them for Cortados, Mini Lattes, etc. They are manufactured by Arcoroc and the range is called Granity.

Vacuum packing...

2009-03-03T19:55:00.005+02:00

Having received the coffee at the roastery, we tackled the process of vacuum packing the green coffee.

Some of our coffee was already shipped vacuum packed at source, but as most coffee is still shipped in burlap bags, we wanted to avoid any further deterioration in the quality of the coffee.

Vacuum packing the coffee once it arrives will hopefully prolong the freshness of the coffee and most importantly, retain the moisture and aroma. This type of practice is not common in the coffee industry, but there is a growing trend to have farmers vacuum pack their coffee at source.

It goes without saying that the investment one has to commit to in purchasing a vacuum packing machine and the relevant bags is not a small one, but we feel that if there is anything we can do to improve the end product, we will invest in that process.

Brazil, Organic Catuai

2009-03-03T18:48:00.006+02:00

Region: Minas Gerais
Producer: Fazenda Catuai, Manoel Carlos Hernandes
Harvest: May to September
Growing altitude: 1100-1200m above sea level.
Botanical variety: Catuai, Red Icatu, Lapar, Mundo Novo.
Process: Organically grown, 80% natural and 20% pulped natural, sun dried and packaged in burlap bags at source.
Tasting notes: Sweet nutty aroma, medium bodied, medium acidity, fruity flavours.

Costa Rica, Don Mayo Honey

2009-03-03T18:45:00.007+02:00

Region: Tarrazu
Producer: Beneficio Don Mayo, Hector Bonilla
Harvest: December to March
Growing altitude: 1550m above sea level.
Botanical variety: Caturra
Process: Conventionally gown, honey, sun dried and shipped in burlap bags from source.
Tasting notes: Dried red berry aroma, medium bodied, medium acidity, sweet melon flavours.

Kenya AA, Nyeri Mount Kenya

2009-03-03T18:41:00.007+02:00

Region: Nyeri
Producer: Gichatha-ini
Harvest: October to December
Growing altitude: 1600m above sea level.
Botanical variety: SL 28, SL 34
Processing: Conventionally grown, washed, sun dried and shipped in vacuum bags from source.
Tasting notes: Citrus aroma, full bodied, sharp acidity, wine flavours.

Rwanda, Rotsoro Lake Kivu

2009-03-02T18:31:00.009+02:00

Region: Lake Kivu
Producer: Ruseyini Cooperative
Harvest: January to March
Growing altitude: 2000m above sea level.
Botanical variety: Bourbon
Process: Conventionally grown, washed, sun dried and shipped in burlap bags from source.
Tasting notes: Complex aroma of red berries and apricot, medium bodied, mild acidity, fruity flavours.

Ethiopia Sidamo Organic, Guangua

2009-03-02T18:16:00.005+02:00

Region: Guangua
Producer: Almaz Zeleke
Harvest: October to January
Growing altitude: 1800-2200m above sea level
Botanical variety: Ethiopian heirloom
Process: Organically grown, washed, sun dried and shipped in burlap bags from source.
Tasting notes: Full floral aroma, full bodied, medium acidity, red berry and wine flavours.

Green coffee...

2009-03-02T18:07:00.005+02:00

Having received our coffee shipment, we can now say what will soon be on offer.

Ethiopia Sidamo, Guangua
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Kocherie
Rwanda Rotsoro, Lake Kivu
Kenya AA, Mount Kenya
Costa Rica, Don Mayo Honey
Brazil, Catuai

The focus is on African coffees as we feel they are possibly the most interesting and prized internationally. It goes without saying as we are based in Africa we want to showcase how great African coffee is.

Coffee in the house...

2009-03-02T17:59:00.004+02:00

We took delivery of our green coffee shipment this afternoon. It had been stuck in customs for sometime, which was a little frustrating, but it's now in good hands.

Each bag weighs on average 60kgs so it took some helping hands to get all 18 bags in the roastery.

Barista tools...

2009-02-21T09:23:00.004+02:00

We are still waiting on a few more tools (toys) to add to the collection.

Cups, cups and more cups...

2009-02-21T09:12:00.007+02:00

Choosing the right cups can be tricky. We had looked at purchasing cups from Italy, but the cost of importing proved a little too rich.

We did however find a local company that came pretty close to what we were looking for. Thick walled, nicely styled and good impact strength. The range is called the Cafe Continental from Continental Vitrified Hotelware.

Espresso cups are 0,075L, Cappuccino cups are 0,23L and we also got a Flat White cup 0,30L. Maybe a little too much milk for my liking, but it will please the Aussies.

Updated pics...

2009-02-21T09:05:00.004+02:00

Roaster & Green coffee update

2009-02-13T09:26:00.003+02:00

We are expecting the coffee to arrive next week, possibly Tuesday, once it clears customs. It has been a long process.

The roaster on the other hand is cruising the seas possibly riding the gulf stream south to Africa. We only anticipate its arrival early March.

I love it when I plan comes together....

La Marzocco hook up

2009-02-13T09:19:00.005+02:00

We did not have too much time to play around with dialing up the machine, but the LM is hooked up and ready to go. It was 10pm last night and I started geeking around pulling some shots. No pictures to post as yet, but many will follow once I'm happy with the end result.

Oh yes, please excuse the mess, we have covered most of the counter tops, etc to avoid any dust build up as some work is still taking place.

Water purification

2009-02-13T09:11:00.003+02:00

We had the Everpure representatives come in and hook up some water softeners, filters, etc. As water is such a crucial element in coffee making, we wanted to make sure we fitted the best. I am always dumbfounded when cafes spend loads of money on buying expensive espresso machines and do not worry about the quality of the water.

Anyway, the end result was smooth velvety tasting water on demand.

Coffee shipment

2009-01-31T18:23:00.009+02:00

Looking out onto Cape Town harbour this morning we could see our coffee shipment arrive.

The Maersk Sealand (light blue and red vessel in the picture) travelled from Europe, where the Trabocca coffee warehouse is located. The coffee has made a long journey from its country of origin.

We have sourced coffee from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Costa Rica and Brazil. We welcome it to South Africa and hope by next week it will settle in well at Espresso Lab Microroasters.

We have a super cool counter...

2009-01-29T20:50:00.004+02:00

We spent most part of two days finishing off the counter. We are still not 100% done, but things are looking good.

Working hard for the money...

2009-01-29T20:44:00.001+02:00

Phase 3: Build

2009-01-24T08:21:00.002+02:00

We had a productive week where loads got done. We are starting to get a feel for the layout of the roastery as we managed to construct the counter, a few tables, chairs, etc. As all the work is being done by us, it does take time, however things are taking shape.

We also had the plumber install the sinks, water, pipes, etc. Once we are done laying out the counter top, we will be ready to install the machinery.

Coffee samples...

2009-01-17T11:12:00.002+02:00

We have to commend companies that make an effort to stand out. It’s all about attention to detail. Not long ago we received coffee samples from Finca Vista Hermosa in Guatemala and La Minita in Costa Rica.

Both companies added a little extra to their samples. Finca Vista Hermosa inserted the coffee samples into a cute jute bag, whilst La Minita included a book of the companies history, ideas and goals for the future.

Let us however not loose sight of the fact that despite the attention to detail, the product is the most important, but we certainly do not want to ignore the effort made to stand apart.

We commend them both for their efforts and hope to repay them in choosing their coffee and showcasing it in the future.

Phase 2: painting

2009-01-17T09:25:00.006+02:00

After cleaning up the space, we tackled the painting. Certain walls needed a good couple of coats of paint and the columns, pipes, etc also got a new lease of life with glossy red and black paint. The floor will also be painted, but at a later stage as the roaster still needs to be installed.

The plumber has also paid us a visit and started installing the water source and necessary drainage pipes. Our next task will be to construct the counter....

Oh yes... as we try to recycle as much as we can, all vessels/containers salvaged are used to soak paint brushes, store paint, etc. We have a nice selection of yogurt tubs, water bottles, coke bottles, etc.

Diedrich IR-7

2009-01-16T22:40:00.003+02:00

It was with great enthusiasm that we received some pictures from Diedrich showing our final product, the Diedrich IR-7. The manufacturing is complete and it will soon start its voyage to South Africa.

The Diedrich coffee roasters feature a highly efficient gas-infrared heating system, which is combined with a non-perforated, carbon steel roasting drum to radiant heat the coffee beans evenly and at such low temperatures that optimum roasting standards are achieved.

We are very pleased to have joined the Diedrich family and cannot wait to see the roaster in "person".