Caffeine Issue 3 by Scott Bentley

NEW June/July 2013

Coffee & cycling The magic elixir behind those record-breaking thighs of steel. Page 30

T h e c of f ee lover’s magazi n e

The Moka pot

Get great results from this symbol of Italian vigour and “spirito di caffè”. Page 26

baking with coffee

Turn off the light! It’s sweet, sticky, sultry and will leave you wanting more. Page 18

@caffeinemag facebook.com /caffeinemag www.caffeinemag.com

05 W elc om e

A letter from the team at Caffeine

c ontents

06 w it h t han ks

Our glorious contributors

08 t he gr in d

The latest news, views and brews

1 4 c afÉ s pot l ig ht

At last, true specialty coffee arrives on Portobello road

1 4 n eig hb our hood watch

Our new series on coffee culture around the UK. This month: Bristol

18 BAKING WITH COFFEE

Amelia Hallsworth

Bittersweet bakers create recipes exclusively for our readers

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24 c oll ect ib l e s

Inside the library of an antiquarian coffee-book dealer

26 t he MOKA E XPRESS

The Italian stovetop pot gets a third-wave makeover

3 0 c offee an d cyc li n g

Coffee makes the wheels go around, turning men into champions

3 4 s n aps hot

It’s on the tip of your tongue... The humble teaspoon takes centre stage

3 8 t he kn ockb ox

“Get your grubby finger outta my cup!” A coffee competition judge lets loose

coffee is our passion Our new Estate Selection range is a must for any connoiseur of fine coffee... Like fine wines, the region of origin strongly influences every coffee’s unique flavour profile. It is this combined with other factors such as unusual seed varieties, soil conditions and microclimates that give our Estate Selection range the subtle yet unique differences in flavour. These coffees are sourced from lesser known estates and regions than their mass market equivalents and our beans are selectively picked, meaning the pickers rotate among the trees, choosing only the ripest cherries. It may be labour intensive and hence costly but the end result is justified.

Bird-friendly beans Our estate coffees carry the Bird Friendly® Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) seal which means they are certified to internationally recognised standards. These coffees are all grown beneath a diverse shade canopy that connects consumers with quality beans, livelihoods and habitats.

roasting to order We are introducing roasting facilities in our three London sites in Covent Garden, Shoreditch and ExCel London. Customers will now be able to have beans roasted to their preference, choosing from any of our huge range of over 50 coffees. We are sure you will notice the difference in quality and the irresistible aroma and taste that freshly roasted beans provide, but don’t just take our word for it – come and see for yourself.

To find out more call us on 020 7729 4411 or visit our website www.andronicasworldofcoffee.com

esTaTe offer For £19.95 we will deliver to your door 500g of fresh roast Estate Selection coffee, vacuum packed in four individual 125g zip seal packs from four different estates. available as beans, medium or fine ground coffee. Only £19.95 including postage and packing. Scan the QR code above to take advantage of this offer now.

ROaSTInG FInE COFFEES SInCE 1979 Covent Garden

Shoreditch

ExCeL London

front of house

Colophon

welcome

Editor Katia Hadidian editorial@caffeinemag.com 020 3086 8443 ext 2 Creative Director Scott Bentley – Bentley Creative Ltd office@caffeinemag.com 020 3086 8443 ext 3 Advertising Manager Nicholas Sykes advertising@caffeinemag.com 020 3086 8443 ext 1 Production Manager Steve Tiernan production@caffeinemag.com Contributing Photographers & Artists Luke J Albert, Kate Beard, Amelia Hallsworth, Kim Lightbody, Gary Smith, Andy Tennant, Geoff Waugh, Brian Williams

Solar energy

Contrbuting Writers Kate Beard, Alex Galantino, Ann Lowney, Jennie Milsom, Robert Smith, Alex Stewart, Jamie Treby, Chris Weaver, Neil Webb

As rare rays of sunshine begin to tickle the temperature upwards, this third issue of Caffeine is following our readers outdoors, leaving our desks and digitalia to go out and about. Dusting off your bike for the summer? Read about cycling’s heroes in our story about the ongoing relationship between great athleticism and great coffee (p30). Heading out west on business or to see friends? Then check out our survey of the Bristol coffee scene (p36). If you’re just heading out west in London on the other hand, see our review of Portobello’s first, proper independent coffee shop (p14). Want to put your feet up with a good book? Read about antiquarian collector’s items (p24), and enter our competition to win free copies of two great new publications about creativity, coffee, and where to go for inspiration (p11). And if you want to treat your guests to the best coffee-inspired sweet treats ever, try the recipes created exclusively for our readers by London’s celebrated bakery, Bittersweet. You may want to serve them with coffee made in a new way from an old-style piece of kit – the Moka pot, reinvented for the third wave (p26).

With thanks to: La Cafetière, Fee & Brown Follow us @caffeinemag Like us facebook.com/CaffeineMag Find us www.caffeinemag.com Read us on iPad bit.ly/caffeineapps Read us on Magzter bit.ly/caffeinemagzter

Caffeine magazine is printed on 80gsm Antalis Edixion Offset by Buxton Press Limited, www.buxtonpress.com. Any material submitted to Caffeine magazine is sent at the owner’s risk. Neither BentleyCreative Ltd nor its agents accept any liability for loss or dammage. Reproduction in whole or any part of any contents of Caffeine magazine without prior permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Caffeine is printed on FSC certified paper

Once again, we’d like to thank all our enthusiastic and generous readers, contributors, advertisers and independent coffee shop distributors for your support of Caffeine. Here’s to a busy and happy summer!

on the cover

kim lightbody

Photography Luke J Albert

See you soon for Issue 4,

Moka Express supplied by lacafetiere.com

Scott & Katia

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with thanks to:

c on tr i b u t o r s Kate Beard

Kate is a freelance photographer and writer. She is studying English Language and Literature at university, so we sent her to take pictures of antique books (page 24). Besides coffee, she loves guinea pigs and plotting her next big travel adventure. She is very happy that it’s Kenyan coffee season again. asouthernbellein.com

Luke J Albert

Luke is a concept still-life photographer and filmmaker. He shoots creative imagery for editorial and advertising, either working alone or in collaboration with prop stylists, art directors and art buyers. Luke likes taking images that involve research and originality, so we asked him to shoot our Moka pot story (page 26). See more of his visually stimulating work at lukejalbert.co.uk or email lukejalbert@me.com.

Jamie Temby

Jamie is a roaster, trainer, barista, taste enthusiast and UKBC technical judge. Who better to expose all the mistakes of the UKBC finalists this year (page 38)? Jamie has also looked after the global event baristas at Ristretto and has roasted and opened numerous cafés for others. He is currently learning about craft beer brewing and seeing where the next opportunity lies. @Roastmortem Jamie@JTreby.co.uk

Brian Williams

Alex Galantino

Alex is from Milan, home of the espresso machine, and has lived in the UK since 1997. He opened La Bottega Milanese in Leeds in 2009, which combines “purist and third-wave best practices”. Who better to re-evaluate the Moka pot (page 26)? labottegamilanese.co.uk

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Brian started his blog, Brian’s Coffee Spot, to share his love of good coffee and great places to drink it. He has written about coffee shops all over the UK, North America and most recently Paris. As a writer who “takes a photo or two on the side”, he appreciates the irony of his first assignment for Caffeine being photos (of Bristol, page 36)! brian-coffee-spot.com

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www.espresso-products.co.uk Tel: 01252 330542

The grind W h at ’ s b r e w i n g o n the coffee scene seasonal coffee

C OSTA RI CA LA PIRA TARRA Z U WASHED CAT URRA , f rom h a s b e a n obsesses over the minutiae of farming and production, and believes using the coldest water possible is the best way to process the cherries. He has rigged up a sprinkler system that works with the cold night breeze to almost freeze the water before coming into contact with the cherries in the fermentation tank. It’s such attention to detail that really excites the speciality coffee industry. As an espresso, it’s well balanced and not too acidic, with lots of florals up front and a soft caramel finish. It’s truly classy, not brash or overpowering in any way. As a V60 it’s wonderfully clean, floral and sweet, the caramel is right up there

with a bite of apple acidity. Because of this, if you are someone who drinks their coffee with milk, it really isn’t the coffee for you – the milk masks all the complex, subtle flavours and as this coffee’s not cheap, one shouldn’t drown it in dairy. It’s not until you taste another coffee afterwards that you appreciate how high the quality of this bean really is. Leighton always asks his roasters for coffee that will be available in the months that Caffeine is on the shelves, but this is such a small lot, we really hope that there’s some left for you to try! Costa Rica La Pira Tarrazu Washed Caturra, £12.50 for 250g, hasbean.co.uk

words: scott bentley. photography: gary smith

He was so desperate to get this coffee that supplier Stephen Leighton almost got a restraining order from the industry instead. Leighton came across it at the 2009 ‘Cup of Excellence’ awards and has been tracking it down ever since. There is a lot of demand for this small lot, however it took four years of pleading and begging with the exporters to secure a batch, and thanks to his persistence all of us can now enjoy it. This is a sun-dried and washed coffee, so it has a cleaner taste than a naturally processed one. The farmer, Carlos Ureña Ceciliano, grows it at 1,650m and it is a speciality coffee-lover’s dream. Ceciliano

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THE GRIND

Remote control Wedding belle As you travel around Britain this summer, keep an eye out for The Coffee Camper – a show-stopping 1976 Citroën HY van that may show up in a field, car park, festival or wedding near you. Owned and run by Nick Michell and his wife, Emma, this “mobile artisan coffee provider” is equipped with an Astoria Perla twin-head espresso machine, and dispenses Origin coffee, Tea Pig teas and their own more-ish home-made cakes to delighted guests across the land (while the popular chocolate brownies come from their local farm shop, Hartley’s in Winsley, Bradford upon Avon). “We’re attracting a lot of attention from couples who want a ‘festival vibe’ wedding,” Nick says. “We serve coffee after the wedding breakfast, as well as afternoon teas, midnight munchies and morning coffee for guests who stay over.” The Michells notice that just like café visitors, “Customers at outdoor events are starting to expect a really great coffee experience rather than just a spoonful of instant and a dollop of milk.” Good thing he and Emma were trained by UKBC 2012 winner Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood then. To book The Coffee Camper, ring 07768 121415; thecoffeecamper.com. The Coffee Camper will be in Barnstable on 7 July, Salisbury on 14 July and The Secret Garden Party in Huntingdon from 25-28 July.

This issue we have two great reads to give away. The first is Out of Office by Chris Ward, who has managed his varied and highly successful career (promoting global brands and charities such as Comic Relief and the Nelson Mandela Foundation) remotely, from the comfort of his favourite indie coffee shops. Through charming photographs, facts, figures, and interviews with household-name entrepreneurs, Ward explains how being ‘out of office’ can be the best place to change your life and have great ideas. After all, if Moshi Monsters, Harry Potter, Obama’s first presidential speech and Craigslist were first conceived in a coffee shop, then who knows where your macchiato might take you? Out of Office by Chris Ward (£9.95, paperback; £5.10, e-book) is available from Amazon and all great coffee shops and bookshops.

We have five copies of The London Coffee Guide to give away. For your chance to win, visit facebook.com/ caffeinemag by 31 July 2013 and tell us why you love your favourite coffee shop. We’ll choose the most convincing answer and send you a copy.

We have two copies of Out of Office to give away. For a chance to win, visit Caffeine’s Facebook page, facebook.com/caffeinemag, by 31 July 2013 and tell us the best thing that ever happened to you in a coffee shop. Our editors will choose their favourite answer and send you your copy.

win a good book!

What better opportunity to choose the venue for your new business venture than with our second give-away, The London Coffee Guide? Edited by Jeffrey Young and Guy Simpson, the boys behind the London Coffee Festival, the guide covers 130 independent coffee venues in every nook and cranny of the city, with reviews, rating, maps and information on roasting, tasting and brewing at home. Other guides in the series cover New York, Vienna, and Belgium & the Netherlands. £9.99 each, at Amazon or londoncoffeeguide.com

The Inca’s sweet tooth Proust had madeleines to transport him into a reverie, but Caffeine has alfajores. These exquisite morsels of delicate biscuit filled with a soft mound of dulce de leche and topped with a whisper of icing sugar are truly extraordinary – so light they disappear on your tongue in a puff of sweetness and leave you in a momentary daze, like being kissed by a movie star. They are also a taste of history: the Moors brought them to Spain, and the Spanish took them to their colonies in South America. Today, they are a popular delicacy in Argentina, Peru, Uruguay and now London,

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where they are made by hand by Amisqi (from the Incan word for “sweet”), founded by Alexandra Araujo-Alvarez. Alexandra learnt the recipe from her grandma in Lima and her friends liked them so much that she left her marketing job last year to bake alfajores full-time. She is determined to keep production small scale and artisanal. They are best eaten within five days for that melt-in-the-mouth feel, but trust us – they’ll be gone in minutes. Amisqi: +44 [0]7723 812399; amisqi.com. One box of 16 Alfajores, £10, with free delivery on Fri/Sat to London Zones 1 and 2.

the event

C af f eine in t he Nude At our first reader event, the boys from London’s award-winning speciality roaster, Nude Espresso, revealed the wizardry behind their beans and showed a lively group of coffee hounds exactly what goes in to our daily cup

crust with warmed cupping spoons to release the scent of each roast. We then slurped (or rather, ‘aspirated’) loudly to aerate the brew and enable droplets of coffee to cover the entire tongue as well as the throat and nasal passage to maximise the taste. Then, just as with wine – and to ensure we wouldn’t be up all night – we spat out the samples. We tried one bean variety roasted by Nude and the same one roasted by Tapped and ander away from the Packed – there was a marked difference packed curry houses in flavour, proving Richard’s point that and bars of London’s the roasting process is highly individual Brick Lane and, tucked and you can even learn to recognise behind a warehouse car different roaster’s styles. The Nude team park, you’ll find the also gave tips on how to recreate great Nude Espresso roastery. coffee at home, the most crucial With heavy hessian sacks of beans recommendation being to buy whole stamped with the names of far-away beans and use a grinder to experiment plantations piled on one side, a 15kg with the right consistency for your preferred brewing method. Toper roaster in the middle, and a La Marzocco espresso machine on the “It was a terrific evening and I had a other, a visit to Nude shows the journey lot of fun,” said young publisher from field to foam-topped cup. Thomas Ogilvie, who moved to London The focus of the evening was to reveal just three months ago and came along to the mystery of the roaster’s craft and explore a new part of town, learn some show that coffee’s flavour is not just more about coffee and meet fellow from the bean, but how it’s roasted. readers. “I thought I knew about coffee, Nude’s roasting team – head roaster but it was a pleasure to discover just Richard Williams, Tom Flawith and how much I have to learn, directly from Kurtis Leigh – impressed everyone with the master makers!” their encyclopaedic knowledge of coffee If you’d like new insight into the and relaxed, approachable manner. roaster’s art and to use phrases such as Certainly, nothing breaks the ice like a “volatile aromatics” and “velvety mouthfeel” like you mean it, stop by coffee cupping, for after you’ve slurped and spat next to a complete stranger, Nude Espresso’s roastery for a coffee, or you’re not really strangers any more. visit one of its cafés to speak to its Richard explained how cuppings are knowledgeable, enthusiastic staff. similar to wine tastings. In an expertly Nude Espresso, 26 Hanbury St, London performed ritual, the coffee was ground, E1 and 19 Soho Square, London W1 Kurtis and Tom added just-below boiled (nudeespresso.com). Nude also mans water and after four minutes broke the the #guardiancoffee pop-up (see p12).

Smell that aromaaah! Caffeine readers slurp through a cupping in the Nude Espresso roastery

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TEXT: ann lowney. PHOTOGRAPHs: Chris Brazel

THE GRIND

exquisite espresso

Real-life stories When the Coffee Real roastery near Horsham in West Sussex told us they had “the world’s most environmentally-friendly small-batch coffee roaster”, we were itching to try a few samples. The Loring Smart Roast (above) heats the air rather than the roasting drum itself, which is apparently far gentler on the coffee beans, and residual smoke is diverted into the incinerator just before the beans are released for cooling, so only clean, cool air is released into the atmosphere. To get the creative juices flowing, the bleary-eyed team at Caffeine tried the Brazilian Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama (£4.90 for 250g) in a cafetière. It certainly hits the spot: sweet, bright and chocolatey with a hint of chestnut, it plays in the mouth like a bean in a thong that rumbas down the street during Carnival. You may also want to try the new espresso, Born Free (£5.70 for 250g): a percentage of its sales are donated to the Born Free Foundation, founded by the naturalists George and Joy Adamson and the actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, who portrayed the Adamsons’ fight to return Elsa the lioness to the wild in the celebrated British 1966 film of the same name. Virginia McKenna even roasted the first batch – a rich buttery blend of Indian, Tanzanian, Kenyan and Ethiopian beans. That should fluff up your mane in the morning. 01403 263381; coffeereal.co.uk

Constantine Agustin

life is sweet

As temperatures rise, nothing hits the spot like an iced coffee, and if you want to take yours to another level then let a dash of Monin syrup be your secret ingredient. Monin, a family-owned French company, has been making natural syrups since 1912, and now has more than 100 flavours to choose from. For an alcohol-free cocktail, the Passionfruit or Watermelon taste sensational over crushed ice with some sprigs of mint, while Cherry Plum brings a layer of sweetness with a slightly acid top note to a summery iced coffee. Simply pour 30ml of Cherry Plum syrup into a tall glass, add a few ice cubes, pour in 150ml milk and swirl in one cool espresso – you’ll feel like you’re on holiday. For more recipes and tips, visit monin.com. From £1 for 5cl at selected branches of Waitrose and online from nextdaycoffee.com; syrupsandstuff.co.uk; and thedrinkshop.com.

www.espresso-products.co.uk londiniumespresso.com Tel 020 8575 7894 Tel: 01252 330542 from £1560 incl VAT

THE GRIND

here come the kenyans

We’re in for an exciting summer: the top of the Kenyan crops are making their way to our shores... This time of year is full of serious temptation for coffee lovers. After all the trade shows, competitions and festivals have passed, the moment comes to get back to what we all love – finding and tasting great coffee. First out of the bag and on to our cupping table is this Kenya Kagumoini AA, roasted by Volcano Coffee Works. It’s grown in the Nyeri region at 1,600-1,800m in the foothills of Mount Kenya, and this fantastic new crop has proven itself a favourite in the UK. We agree with the tasting notes that there are loads of red apple and currant fruit top notes with quite a herby smell when freshly ground. Considering some of the Caffeine team aren’t usually fans of the brighter, fruitier coffees, this one pleases everyone and really packs a lot of flavour. As an espresso it’s quite bright, and even though it has toffee base notes we think it’s at it’s best without milk, and it works fantastically well as a pour-over. 020 8670 8927; volcanocoffeeworks.com

Turning a new leaf Caffeine’s founder may be Mr Fit, a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed long-distance cyclist who powers through the day on neat espresso, but some of the team are sofa-dwelling creatures partial to a nice, soothing cup of tea. We were therefore delighted to discover Novus, who present their small but impactful range of whole-leaf teas (no crushedinto-dust stuff here) either loose or in convenient, bio-degradable, pyramid-shaped pouches that allow the leaves to float and gently release their magic elixir into the water, as they would in a pot. The Novus tea-men source their leaves from the top 1% of the global tea harvest, and nearly all of their blends have won Great Taste Awards. We particularly like the Spiced Rooibos, with Brazilian red peppercorns and Indian green cardamom (above) for an uplifting ‘kick’, and the Sapphire Earl Grey, with a whisper rather than a smother of bergamot oil, as well as delicate top notes from whole blue Malva flowers. £3.50 for 12 pouches from novustea.co.uk, amazon.co.uk, and fine food stores nationwide

new kids on the block Our round-up of London’s latest new coffee shops by Phil Wain

ALCHEMY CAFE

#guardiancoffee

Daily goods

The coffee roastery Alchemy (sister company to Ristretto Roasters) has opened its first coffee shop in the narrow cobbled streets behind St Paul’s Cathedral. It offers a selection from Alchemy’s own mediumroast beans and brew methods, in an interior where the design is modern and minimal and the welcome is warm.

A collaboration between the Guardian newspaper and local roasters Nude Espresso, the opening of this bright, modern coffee shop at the end of May caused quite a media stir. The interior features iPads built into tables, wide screens displaying Twitter feeds and data visualisations plus, above all, fine coffee. It’s set to stay open until August.

Perched in a corner surrounded by bicycles (Kinoko was formerly Tokyo Fixed), Carter the New York barista brews tremendous Workshop espresso and engages visitors in lively conversation. It’s currently standingroom only, but summer’s here and the benches of Golden Square are outside. Or you can stay and ogle the bikes.

8 Ludgate Broadway, London EC4

1-3 Boxpark, 2-4 Bethnal Green Rd, London E1

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inside Kinoko Cycles, 10 Golden Square, London W1

THE GRIND

The Caffeine digest

photography: kate beard

Our roving reporter, Kate Beard, filters the highlights from the 2013 London Coffee Festival Held over four days in April at the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, the London Coffee Festival celebrates every aspect of coffee culture, from the growers to the makers and a whole lot more in between. The main attractions are the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe events, including the Latte Art Championship, the UK Taster’s Cup, the Brewer’s Cup, and the UK Barista Championships. The winner of the UK Brewer’s Cup, Sang-Ho Park, and the winner of the UKBC, John Gordon, went on to compete in the world championships in Melbourne at the end of May. Representing the UK and their company, Square Mile, very well, Sang-Ho placed fourth in the world for the Brewer’s Cup and John Gordon was a semifinalist in the World Barista Championship. At the end of June, the winner of the UK Taster’s Cup, Jason Gonzalez of Colonna and Smalls in Bath, and the winner of the UK Latte Art Championship, Dhan Tamang of Caracoli (in Alresford, Winchester and Guildford), will both compete in the world championships in Nice.

There certainly was a lot to see, taste and do at the LCF, but what did we find there that will have an impact on the industry and its customers in the coming year? Making its sleek debut in the True Artisan Café, the new La Marzocco Linea PB is a completely different beast from the old Linea. La Marzocco’s designers have kept close to the classic, sharp-cornered, stainless steel look of the original machine, but have redesigned the interior of the PB and given it a modern update. The aim, both inside and out, was to streamline and perfect the art of coffee. The steam wand now takes less turns to come on to full power, and an algorithm-based PID controller, along with newly consolidated double boilers, keeps the temperature of the water more consistent than machines with a thermostat and a single boiler. A better temperature consistency equals a better shot of espresso. It also has new hardware inside, ensuring that the machine runs quickly, smoothly, and reliably. For the conscientious barista or café owner, a recent import from New Zealand is making

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waves on the London coffee scene. The Coffee Catcha is a very simple design, but solves a huge problem in the coffee industry: ground wastage. Grinders often spit out the coffee grounds that don’t land in the portafilter, causing a mess and what can mount to a significant financial loss over time. The Coffee Catcha acts as a funnel, capturing all the grounds, which can then be tipped back into the grinder. Conveniently, this leaves a perfectly level surface for the barista to tamp. Nude Espresso was the first coffee shop to take a shine to the entrepreneurs from New Zealand, where the product is found in hundreds of outlets

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and used by almost half the entrants in the New Zealand Barista Championships. Now it can be found in more than 40 coffee shops in London. Another innovative tool for London coffee customers is The London Coffee Network, set to launch this summer. Inspired by the eCoffeeCard in Melbourne, this free app is essentially a digital wallet of loyalty cards for participating independent coffee shops in London. Around 35 outlets have signed up for the app: each one sets the rewards and “points” needed for it. What makes it better than your average loyalty card is that you gain one point for every pound spent at a particular coffee shop, whether it’s on coffee, croissants, or a skinny choco-soy milkshake. The more often you use the app, the faster you can earn points getting 1.25 or 1.5 points per pound spent. You can also search for places to have a cup of coffee on the app’s map, filtered by criteria such as availability of soy milk, Wifi and loos. I’d say we can all look forward to enjoying even more from our daily cup in the months ahead.

c a f ĂŠ S p o t l i g h t

Talkhouse Coffee In a quiet, gritty corner of west London, a beacon of taste and talent is winning accolades and a loyal audience for its pioneering spirit and quality brews. Alex Stewart drops in amelia Hallsworth

c AF É s p o t l i g h t

Notting Hill’s long-established, predominantly Caribbean local community and the area’s wheelerdealer market stall-holders, hipsters, and the affluent residents of the Georgian and Edwardian villas on the long, tree-lined streets that surround it. The area is a true melting-pot made flesh, whose only missing ingredient was a quality coffee house. I was dispatched to check out this newcomer, and found the modern and extraordinarily elegant Talkhouse Coffee. The first thing that grabs you about Talkhouse is

while west London has long been a haven for foodies, there was a space for a quality coffee venue here’s a certain satisfaction in identifying a gap in the market and seeing someone respond to it. This magazine’s launch issue bemoaned the lack of decent coffee houses in the huge, sprawling terrain that lies between the densely packed areas of central London’s Fitzrovia, Soho and Covent Garden and west London’s Electric Coffee Company in Ealing, and Ealing’s a really long way out west – last stop on the Central Line, to be exact (“Why is West London Such a Flat-White Wasteland?”, Caffeine, Feb/March 2013). Then serendipity intervened. We had word of a sleek new venue on the famously bustling Portobello Road, nestled beside the imposing concrete edifice that is the Westway – a grim, 1960s dual carriageway. Portobello has always been a vibrant, colourful collision between

Urban oasis Talkhouse’s interior design was influenced by the owner’s visits to Japan

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its design. It is spare, clean and bright, with a large glass frontage opening onto the street and a cleverly positioned window at the back to bathe the interior in warm light. The counter is sleek and uncluttered, its warm, wood tones offsetting the colourful cakes and sandwiches on display and allowing you to focus on the well-composed coffee menu. Like its neat, simple logo, which reveals the thoughtful aesthetic underlying the whole enterprise, Talkhouse’s minimalist design translates into an unhurried atmosphere. The customer service is friendly and knowledgeable, should you have questions or want to chat coffee, and a bottle of fresh, filtered water is brought to the table without being asked for – one of the many little touches that make this venue a treat to visit. We ordered a thick crusty sandwich made from bread by Flourish Craft Bakery in north London, which was filled with pastrami, sauerkraut, gherkin, and

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c a f é s p o t l i g h t

mustard, and another with red pepper hoummus, alfalfa sprouts, and olives. For “dessert” we gobbled up gooey, rich cookies, made with soft chunks of dark chocolate and hints of orange, which fell apart pleasingly in the mouth. To accompany this I ordered a cortado made from Workshop Coffee Co’s Cult of Done roast, a blend of Colombian Vereda Berlin and Villa Esperanza with Bolivian Irupana. It’s a very bright, sharp blend, with cherry notes and a nice tartness in the shot dissolving away to a subtly sweet, plumsin-wine aftertaste. My coffee was just the right temperature and the milk was well stretched to embrace the sweetness of the shot. I also had a lovely black filter coffee made from Square Mile’s La Buitrera Huila roast from Colombia, which is refreshing and fruity with a hint of chocolate. My partner ordered tea, Lost Malawi by the Rare Tea Company, which she described as earthy and mellow, like a Yunan. It arrived beautifully presented in a glass pot on a small wooden tray with a thermos to top up the water, and was a real hit. This leads me very neatly to that special quality that has Talkhouse talked about in magazines like Caffeine. It is the attention to detail, a deft series of choices that might go unnoticed to the casual visitor, but which combine to make the whole experience very classy. The owner is Joe McManus, a New Yorker who has lived in west London for 24 years. “I want to create a total experience: coffee and nice things,” he tells me. “Nice things are top of my list, and coffee is at the top of that list.” McManus has always been a coffee fan, and noticed that while west London has long been a haven for foodies, there was a space for quality coffee. He approached the task as a consumer stepping behind the counter, and set out to create the type of place he

All the gear The Marco Überboiler (top left) is a must for any serious coffee house, essential for making the perfect aeropress (top)

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would want to visit himself. Interestingly, the striking aesthetic is derived from McManus’s personal taste, influenced by time spent in Japan, and the nature of the venue he discovered. “It wasn’t about fitting a look onto what we were doing, it was about fitting the space we had,” he says. Nonetheless, the play of light and warm, dark woods do reflect a Japanese aesthetic. This feeds neatly into his general philosophy, which is to offer taste and quality while being inclusive. Echoing other, thoughtful owners I have spoken to, McManus emphasised that his goal was “to make the access to quality more simple”, to “set up something that distinguishes you from the chains” without becoming elitist. It’s true that some coffee venues can feel exclusive, that if you don’t fit the look or don’t know whether to have the house or guest espresso, then you’re on the outside looking in. McManus’s feeling is that “most people are just coming to have a good experience and a good coffee”, and that while anyone who is keen to learn more and chat specifics is very welcome to do so, his goal is to recognise what the customer wants and provide it. There’s no sense in being intimated by choice or philosophy, because that’s no fun. That’s why the McManus’ motto is that, “You have to do something different for people to realise that you are different.” The coffees are chosen in blind tastings by Isa Verschraegen, the General Manager (recently crowned 2013 UK Aeropress champion), whom McManus describes as “my palate”, and both of them develop relationships with roasters and host cuppings to explore what’s available. The focus is on finding what’s good without relying on what’s popular or trendy, and the same level of effort that goes into selecting coffee goes into everything, right down to the tea tray my partner so admired, which was handmade to a specific size just for Talkhouse. This perfectionist streak, plus a focus on the customer, is what sets it apart from a lot of the competition, making Talkhouse not only a good addition to west London, but good for third-wave coffee as a whole. Talkhouse Coffee, 275 Portobello Road, London W11 (020 7221 8992; talkhousecoffee.com)

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digital

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bittersweet bakers

maker

The taste

In the heart of London’s financial district is Bittersweet, a boutique bakery that supplies some of the best cafés in town. Jennie Milsom meets its American owner to create recipes especially for Caffeine magazine KIM LIGHTBODY

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Espresso Brownie Bites “This is a one-bowl wonder – a fudgey, chewy, brownie-like cookie. There are no eggs in this, so use a good quality, full-fat yoghurt to bind it all together. The coffee is more of a boost than the main flavour. These also make excellent ice cream sandwiches.” 215g melted butter 280g golden caster sugar 130g soft light brown sugar 270g full fat Greek yoghurt 2 tsp vanilla extract 110g cocoa powder, sifted 260g plain flour, sieved 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/2 tsp salt 200g mini chocolate chips (53% cocoa solids) 4 tbsp freshly ground coffee Preheat the oven to 180ºC (170ºC fan). Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Put the melted butter into a large bowl and fold in the sugars. Add the yoghurt and vanilla and fold to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture into 24 balls. Spread over the prepared trays and press down lightly with your hands. Bake for 12-15 minutes until firm – you’ll know they’re ready when they’ve lost their shine and started to crack a little. Cool for 20 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks. Keep stored in an airtight box or freeze for up to one month.

all recipes created by Arianna Halshaw

rianna Halshaw, founder of Bittersweet Bakers, drinks a lot of coffee. “The coffee starts in that corner,” she says, nodding at her Gaggia Brera. “The first one of the day has to be a big slap in the face – a proper kick in the ass. I buy really nice beans and this brews a damn good cup.” She opens a bag of Monmouth’s Brasil Fazenda do Serrado and tips in the beans. You’ll find Bittersweet’s kitchen in the shadow of The Shard, where trains scrape over the arches and weave through old estates and new-builds. Here Halshaw and her team bake cakes by the dozen for some of London’s most discerning cafés. The interior is light and airy, there’s a deep ceramic sink, a fresh green wall and neat stacks of cookery books. A radio hums on the windowsill. Wake-up coffees brewed, Halshaw and her bakers tie bandanas over their hairnets and get cracking on orders for the six cafés that they bake for plus their regular customers and any ad hoc orders. The morning is fuelled by coffee. As well as enjoying the ritual of brewing, Halshaw drinks it throughout the day because it helps to balance the taste buds when you’re sampling as much sweet food as she does. As luck would have it, coffee’s a great palate cleanser. Pen clipped onto her apron, she’ll lean right into the bowl she’s mixing, insert a blue-gloved hand and get stuck in. In the summer the bakers work into the evenings to avoid the morning sun that streams through the windows and plays havoc with sugar. “It’s impossible to do meringues in the heat,” Halshaw says. Over by the ovens and the mixers, a large table serves as their workstation. This is where the magic happens. Bittersweet’s menu is extensive

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bittersweet bakers

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b a k i n g w i t h c o f f e e

Espresso Millionaire’s Shortbread “This is a new twist on the classic, with rich flavours, but is really easy to put together. The coffee here is the main flavour component – definitely more for adults and coffee lovers.”

– there are fifteen variations of brownies alone – and cakes can be “fluffy and tender, or dark and sultry”. They have all kinds of crazy names to make you smile, and many of them contain coffee. I try the American Breakfast Biscuits (bacon, maple syrup, cornflakes, coffee) and Man Cake – a hard-hitting, smoky cardamom bake with a whisky icing and “gravel” topping. Their best-seller, the Everything Cookie, contains marshmallows, peanuts, coffee, oats, cornflakes and pretzels. “The menu is just a guide,’ she says. “We’re here to inspire you.” Halshaw fell into baking for cafés “by accident” and thrives on relationships with people who appreciate the importance of all the little details that come together to create something really special. Her café clients have customers who are as obsessed with good cake as coffee. “When the coffee scene was taking off it was wonderful to see Londoners seek out coffee with such passion, discussing single origins and concentrating on a small luxury,” she says. “With a £5 spend on a brownie and a latté, it’ll be a good one. The London coffee scene has provided an outlet for that.” She regularly checks in with each of her cafés, discusses their menu “to obsession” and always knows what they have in their hoppers. She studies the cupping notes to determine flavour profiles, then tailors a recipe to match the coffee exactly. “That way they’ll be made for each other,” she says. For The Coffee Works Project in Islington, she bakes fruit-based cakes to complement a coffee with crazy acidity and a syrupy sweetness. Her Brownie Cups for Clerkenwell’s Timber Yard are doused with the café’s espresso blend, Has Bean’s Jabberwocky.

For the shortbread base 210g melted butter 110g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp salt 260g plain flour 2 tbsp freshly ground espresso coffee 550g ready-made dulce de leche (Bittersweet use the one by Porteña in Borough Market) For the ganache topping 200ml double cream 2 tsp freshly ground espresso coffee 200g dark chocolate (70%) 75g white chocolate 2 tsp sunflower oil coffee beans or white chocolate chips, to decorate Preheat the oven to 180ºC (170ºC fan). Line a 33cm x 23cm baking tray with parchment paper. Put all the ingredients for the base into a mixer and cream together until the dough forms a stiff, paste-like ball. Press evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until firm. When completely cool, spread over the dulce de leche. Set aside. To make the ganache, put the cream and ground coffee into a pan and place over medium heat. Heat until just before it bubbles, then remove from the heat and strain through a sieve over a bowl containing the chocolate and oil. Leave for 1 minute then whisk gently to combine until smooth. Pour immediately over the dulce de leche and smooth evenly over with a palate knife. Decorate with coffee beans or white chocolate chips, then leave to set in a cool, dry place for 1 hour or until firm.

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bittersweet bakers

She uses coffee in many of her recipes as a flavour booster. “Coffee isn’t necessarily the primary flavour,” she says, referring to a chocolate cake that contains a double shot of espresso. “It somehow makes the chocolate more chocolatey. It’s like the best supporting actress.” In baking, the stronger blends tend to work better than light, citrusy ones. The intensity of coffee degrades with the heat of the oven, so you need a gutsy brew – Square Mile’s Red Brick is one she rates for baking because of its punchy flavour – and always need to add a bit more than you would expect. You also need to consider water content. You can’t add a brewed coffee to ganache, for example. Instead, freshly ground beans are added straight to the cream and infused before being strained out. Halshaw always uses her Porlex for grinding. “It’s nice to feel the beans grinding in your hand,” she says. “Grinding super-fine means you’ll get a more even spread of coffee throughout the bake rather than in pockets. You have to have excellent biceps in this kitchen. Do yourself the biggest favour and learn to do everything with both hands!” Halshaw grew up in California – “where no one eats anything” – and would spend all her pocket money on cake mixes. Fast-forward several years and she found herself in New York studying at the prestigious French Culinary Institute, where she learnt about discipline and creativity – “What it means to hold a benchmark of quality,” she says. She hung out with other chefs and caught the food bug. Then she moved to London. To make it as a pastry chef there are rules to live by. Being off with a measurement by even a small amount can make a huge difference. “You have to love that precision,” she says. “You have to be a Type-A personality who’s in love with their label maker.” Some days are production-focused, others more experimental. “Sometimes you get tasty accidents,” she says. “Something that tastes amazing but is completely unsellable.” Halfway through a recipe she might set some mixture aside and try out a new creation with it later. “We have some mad ideas,” she says. Whenever she eats out in the evening, she’ll find herself dreaming up a way of recreating a dessert plate as cake or cookie. She thrives on chaos and creativity. “That’s the genius of baking,” she says. “Bending the culinary law. In this digital world you have to dig your heels in harder. I want a creative, hands-on part so that we’re still baking biscuits in a hundred years.” Bittersweetbakers.com

halshaw grew up in california - “where no-one eats anything” - and would spend all her pocket money on cake mixes

Jennie Milsom owns and runs With Jam and Bread (020 8318 4040; 386 Lee High Road SE12) and is the author of Café Life London (£12.99, available from The Armchair Traveller at the bookHaus: hauspublishing.com)

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Coffee and Walnut Blondie Cups “Making these in a muffin or cupcake tin makes them easy to serve. Pop them into a lunch-box or even serve with a scoop of ice cream for a really indulgent treat or dessert. Again, the coffee is a main flavour component.” 260g plain flour 3/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/2 tsp salt 225g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 100g golden caster sugar 300g light brown or light muscovado sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 vanilla pod, scraped, or 1 tsp vanilla extract 175g good quality white chocolate chunks or buttons 125g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped 2 tbsp freshly ground espresso coffee Lightly butter a deep 12-hole non-stick or silicone muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (170ºC fan). Sieve together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate and salt. Set aside. Put the butter and sugars into a free-standing mixer with the paddle attachment and cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Tip into a large bowl and fold in the flour mixture, followed by the white chocolate, walnuts and coffee. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until set in the middle (use a cocktail stick or press down lightly with your finger to test for firmness). Cool for 10 mins then carefully pop each one out of the cup and cool completely. TIP: This recipe can also be made in a 33cm x 23cm baking tray lined with parchment and baked for 30-40 mins

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C o f f e e C o l l e c t i b l e s

A History of the World…

… in 15,000 books. When Caffeine magazine went to see a collection of antique books about coffee, we didn’t expect thrilling stories of theft, piracy, censorship, and the global economy from the 1400s to the present day. Turns out there’s a lot of backstory behind your daily cup kate beard hat do you get the coffee lover who has all the equipment they need; visited all the top roasters; tasted every varietal; bean there, done that? It was such a quest that led us to an elegant office in Kensington, where the antiquarian book dealer Richard von Hünersdorff provided the solution. He presented an enticing pile of leatherbound volumes with gold-leaf embossing and vellum pages, and we were convinced – such unique items of coffee history are the perfect gift for the devoted coffee hound. What von Hünersdorff doesn’t know about the history of coffee can fit on a coaster. He is well-known among collectors for his masterwork, Coffee: A Bibliography, which catalogues some 15,000 imprints relating to every aspect of coffee from the 15th century to the present. He started the project in 1994 when he advised the Johann Jacobs Museum of Coffee in Zurich on their rare coffee-book collection, one of the best in the world (johann-jacobsmuseum.ch). The project took him around the world – good thing he reads in five languages – and features everything to do with coffee literature, coffee society and the coffee trade. It lists and describes writings on the cultivation, production, preparation and consumption of coffee, as well as its economic, social and cultural significance, its medical and chemical

uses as a drug, and much more besides. It took seven years to research and now fills two volumes, 1,687 pages, weighs 9.5kg and costs £650. “I could have spent another 20 years collecting,” von Hünersdorff sighs – though judging by its sumo-sized proportions, it’s just as well he stopped, in 2002. Originally intended for libraries, the Bibliography has won readers in the premium coffee industry as a reference bible to back up producer’s claims. As a coffee’s provenance and the history of a

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plantation become key aspects of many a marketing pitch, von Hünersdorff’s mighty tome “raises historical coffee consciousness”, as the author and broadcaster Tony Wild puts it. Wild, “the Indiana Jones of the coffee trade”, has been credited with introducing specialty coffee to the UK, so that’s quite a recommendation. For example, you might doubt the Indian Coffee Board’s claim that coffee was introduced to South India by a Muslim pilgrim named Babu Budan in the 17th century, but the first written record is by a William Milburn, describing plantations in Chittagong (now southern Bangladesh) in 1810, so you can make a more educated decision. It turns out the early history of the coffee trade, and the travellers and scholars who wrote down their discoveries, is pure adventure – von Hünersdorff has found 16th-century books describing wily French merchants stealing shrubs from unsuspecting Yemeni traders and taking them to the Tropics, and German apothecaries visiting the Holy Land and sampling the peculiar black drink that the locals enjoy. “The Europeans found out about coffee on the Eastern Mediterranean from travellers who had been to the East and to Armenia, Persia and India,” he says. The first coffee houses in Venice and Paris were opened by Armenians around 1680, and Louis XIV bought his coffee from an Armenian shop in Paris after the Turkish Ambassador served it to him.

C o f f e e C o l l e c t i b l e s

Opposite page: A 1705 engraving by a Turkish traveller to Yemen, reproduced in an Italian book from 1792. This page, clockwise from far left: Richard von Hünersdorff; his twovolume bibliography on coffee; items from his collection; society ladies drinking coffee (from Mailly’s Les Entretiens des Cafés de Paris, 1702)

“Coffee houses became very fashionable in the late 17th century,” von Hunersdorff explains. “Between 1690 and 1730, coffee, tea and chocolate became a huge luxury trend across Europe. While in the 17th-century it was an aristocrat’s drink, by the 18th century it became a middle-class drink and by the late 18th century it became popular with the working classes and the poor as an appetite suppressant.” Just like today, “Money was made from coffee very early on – the East India Company had a monopoly until the Dutch started competing with them. In London in the 1680s they became popular meeting places for discussion and debate, and when the authorities shut them down for political reasons their customers made such a fuss they had to be re-opened.” The opposite approach was taken by Frederick the Great, the 18th-century

King of Prussia, who decided to profit from coffee’s popularity and tax it instead. Book collecting is less daunting than one might imagine. Von Hünersdorff is quite relaxed about letting us flip through one 15th-century silver-decorated volume about the “Islas Molucas” (the Spice Islands in the East Indies). The inside cover has a neat hand-written note in Spanish, which we ask him to translate. “Oh, that’s by a Spanish Inquisitor saying the book’s been approved for sale,” he says casually. We put it down with a shudder (“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” as

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Monty Python warns). Collecting is also less expensive than one might imagine. There are pamphlets with 19th-century wood-engravings of Garraway’s, the legendary London coffee house in Exchange Alley, famous for its auctions (£85); and of Indian soldiers from the 16th Madras infantry being served coffee in a tent (£95). But then there are the ultimate collectibles, such as the physician and botanist Prospero Alpino’s scientific work on near-Eastern medicine and the native plants of Egypt, which has the first-ever picture of a coffee plant in a western book (as well as bananas and baobab), printed on pigskin pages with a gilt-stamped cover (about £4,000). Surely it must be difficult to part with such finds, we ask. “After a few years you lose your possessiveness – you let someone else have the fun,” he replies. “For me, the thrill is in the chase.” 020 7373 3899; books@hunersdorff.com

The Moka mascot, lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;omino con i baffi, is a humorous caricature of the Bialetti companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founder, Alfonso Bialetti

moka pots

All aboard

the mok a express It’s time to re-appraise the Moka pot, writes Alex Galantino. Learn a few new techniques, and this 20th-century design icon can produce a 21st-century cup that pleases fussy taste buds Luke J albert

irst patented in 1933 for the Italian manufacturer Bialetti, the new Moka Express coffee pot came to symbolise far more than a piece of equipment for “stovetop espresso” at home. Completely unintentionally, this cheerful-looking piece of kitchenware reflected the huge changes that Italy experienced under Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party in the 1930s. Mussolini wanted to make aluminium the national metal of Italy – after all, it was light, strong, good-looking and very modern. To this end, he imposed an embargo on stainless steel so that Italy could profit from its wealth of homegrown bauxite (aluminium ore). After invading Ethiopia – a major coffee-producing country – in 1935, Mussolini’s formula was complete: coffee + aluminium = a dynamic new empire. Before the Moka pot, espresso was enjoyed in coffee bars, mostly by men on their way to and from work, and only the wealthy could afford to have a proper espresso machine at home. But thanks to its inexpensive price tag, the Moka allowed everyone to enjoy a superior espresso-like experience indoors, and Bialetti’s design cheekily echoed the silver coffee pots of more upper-crust dining tables. It was after the Second World War

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that the Moka truly rocketed to fame, however, as many Italian, Central European and Latin American households fell for its charms. It has been held in great affection for 80 years – 90% of all Italian homes have one – and Bialetti has sold more than 300 million units since its launch. The “espresso promise” is technically incorrect, however, as espresso is achieved by a different brewing method with at least 9 bars of pressure, while Moka pots reach just 1.5 bars. However, the occasional appearance of crema, caused by the funnel design of the inner dispenser (fresh coffee also helps), created an ideal marketing hook that led to the “Moka espresso” label. The little fellow was the first thing I packed back in 1997 when I moved from Italy to the UK, as I imagined I would be unable to find a decent coffee here – and at that time I was right! It’s therefore quite ironic that nowadays I pack an Aeropress on my trips back to Italy (not because I’ve fallen out of love with the Moka, but because it’s a different brew experience, I hasten to add). These days the Moka sometimes receives negative reviews, as using one properly is not as straightforward as it looks and can result in over-brewed coffee. It has certain peculiarities, and to make the coffee well, an unforgiving and labour-intensive brewing process. But then, brewing coffee with a syphon is not exactly a walk in the park either... Here’s the thing: coffee brewed in a Moka can be amazing, especially when applying the best principles, practices and tools from the third-wave coffee movement. That’s why I serve Moka pot coffee at La Bottega Milanese, my coffee bar in Leeds. My method blends heritage with contemporary techniques, and a good sprinkling of tips that have been passed down through generations of baristas and domestic Moka-men.

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moka pots

Brewing with the Moka

Follow the tips below, try not to be greedy with the liquid yield, and remember not to leave it to overbrew on the hob. Coffee A pre-second crack roasting level is desirable. In our tests we used a Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda and Ethiopia Hachira N2 (£10 for 127g), both by Grumpy Mule. Good results are also achieved by combining a roast that is rich in chocolate tones, like an Ethiopian Harrar or Sidamo, with a more floral Ethiopian or a fruity Kenyan. Grind Between espresso and Aeropress. The grounds should have the consistency of slightly coarse sand (not powdery). Freshness The desirable minimum is 36 hours from roast, but feel free to experiment with younger coffee. Ingredients for 3 cup-serving l 15g fresh coffee beans l Cold filtered water, approx 160ml (allow for different hardness and total dissolved solids in regional waters)* Equipment l 3-cup stainless steel Moka pot l Good ceramic-burr hand grinder or domestic grinder l Scales l Timer l Electric/gas hob or burner (aluminium Mokas cannot be used with induction hobs) l Small basin with ice and water for an ice bath (or place in the sink with the cold water running)

Brewing

Prepare the ice bath, or be ready to have a clear sink with cold running water towards the end of your brew. l Fill the bottom chamber of the Moka with the cold filtered water, in line with the release valve – the water should not seep through the holes of the filter (use the scales to memorise the amount of water used, for future reference). For brew-ratio enthusiasts the figure to aim for is a ratio of 1:11 coffee to water, l

which delivers a solids vs soluble yield of approximately 13.5%. l Making sure it is clean and bone dry, insert the middle chamber funnel in the bottom chamber, set on the scales and tare off. Add 15g of coffee. l Resist the urge to pat down with a spoon! Instead set on a flat surface and carefully knock the bottom chamber to level out the coffee and achieve a uniform dosing in the filter. As a rule of thumb, if scales are not available or you use a different sized Moka, heap the filter with coffee to form a coffee dome (not a

the Moka is a very rewarding brewing technique. It produces a velvety, full-bodied cup with rich notes and mouth feel pyramid) and knock on a flat surface to level out the coffee grounds. Twist the upper chamber in place, again making sure it is clean and bone dry. l Set over a low to medium heat on the hob. Make sure the burner is not wider than the Moka pot base. The time it takes the water to reach the upper chamber depends on the size of your pot. (I have not said “boiling water” as pressurised steam from the bottom chamber pushes almostboiling water through the coffee into the upper chamber.) l Start your timer. l The coffee should begin to appear in the upper chamber after approximately 5 minutes, if using a 3-cup Moka. If this happens more quickly, you are not using enough coffee or your grounds are too coarse. If it happens more slowly, you are using too much coffee or your grounds are too fine. l Check time. The total time from the very first drops of coffee appearing in the upper chamber to the coffee reaching the optimum yield (approximately 110ml), should not exceed the 1-minute mark (maximum 1 minute 10 seconds). Too quick? Your coffee is too coarse or you have not put in enough, resulting

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in a flat, watery, sour brew. Too long? Your coffee is too fine or you’ve put in too much, resulting in an astringent, over-extracted, ashy brew. Does this process sound familiar? It should do, for trouble-shooting with the Moka is no different from any other coffee brewing method. The trick is to stop in time and not overbrew. As a general rule, never wait until all the liquid has stopped coming out of the bottom chamber, for chances are it’s too late. If you have made a mistake, go back, change a few details and pursue what a great coffee tastes like to you. l As the coffee reaches the 1-minute mark (maximum 1.10 mins) from its first appearance in the upper chamber, immediately remove the Moka pot from the heat and plunge in the ice bath or under cold running water. This cools down the bottom chamber and kills extraction, so there’s less chance of over-brewing. l Stir and serve, without adding water.

Maintenance

The Brikka A variation on the Moka, the Brikka features a modernised weighted pressure valve, which essentially acts as a pressure cooker. This means less vapour is released from the valve, so that pressurised water reaches the upper chamber at a much lower temperature. This lower brew temperature is similar, and perhaps slightly lower, than the 92°/94° widely applied to pourovers and opens a whole new world of possibilities for this old-fashioned charmer.

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As with all coffee equipment, keep your Moka very clean and wash the different parts as soon as possible after brewing. Replace the inner gasket every six months of medium use. If it looks dark and flaky, replace it immediately. In order to keep the shower screen unblocked and clean, drop it in Puly Caff powder and hot water after every other brew. Some people believe you should not wash the Moka squeaky clean as leaving a thin layer of coffee oil prevents the coffee from tasting metallic. I don’t agree. Aged coffee oils are always bad news. I recommend keeping it sparkling clean, and if you have any doubts, buy a stainless steel model. To conclude, I’d say that when used correctly, the Moka is a very rewarding brewing technique. It produces a velvety, full-bodied cup, not as clean as a V60’s, but with richer notes and mouth feel. Just keep an eagle eye on that timer. Alex Galantino founded the first “8 ’til late” espresso bar in Leeds, La Bottega Milanese (0113 245 4242; labottegamilanese.co.uk).

moka pots

Anatomy of a Moka pot It may be an objet dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;art, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to take your Moka off the display shelf and start brewing coffee with it!

*Together with Chris Weaver, at the time Head Barista at La Bottega Milanese, we conducted multiple hot water versus cold water tests on Moka pots. After blind tasting, the overwhelming consensus was that using hot water delivered a much flatter brew that lacked body. In my opinion, a slightly longer brew with cold water on medium heat delivers a stage comparable to the blooming and pre-infusion of other methods.

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Tour Café de

On the eve of the 100th Tour de France and still on a high from a momentous year for British cycling in 2012, Neil Webb explains why so many cyclists fuel up on espresso

yberspace may be stretching at the seams with Instagrams of pro-riders sipping espressos outside picturesque European lakeside bars, but the link between coffee and cycling is hardly a new trend. Rather, the relationship between the two dates back to the early days of the 20th century. Followers of the international cycling scene may not realise that team buses almost always have a coffee machine on board, taking pride of place at the top of the steps. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) used to check athletes for levels of caffeine (in urine tests, more than 12 microgrammes per millilitre was considered a deliberate attempt at enhancing performance), but in 2004 the World Anti-Doping Agency removed it from its list of banned substances. Today it is still checked for, and if the WADA finds enough athletes with elevated caffeine levels it may revisit its policy. You can still count the number of pro riders that go without a caffeinated drink on the fingers of your hand, however, and the manic first hour of any modern road race is powered by mind, muscle, and many an espresso. It could be said that the history of road racing has been fuelled by coffee, with manufacturers of coffee machines playing a leading role. One of the first companies to become involved in

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cycling was the acclaimed Milanese brand, FAEMA (Fabbrica Apparecchiature Elettromeccaniche e Affini, in case you were wondering). In 1961, it launched the now-legendary E61, a truly innovative machine that pioneered the mechanical 9-bar pump over the traditional lever-operated system; introduced the continually heated group head; and the pre-soaked bean system – all firsts that are commonly found in espresso machines more than 50 years later. FAEMA began sponsoring cycling teams in 1956, and continued through to 1970. The fabled Rik Van Looy – known as “The Emperor” for being the first cyclist to win all five of the “Monuments” (the most prestigious one-day classics) – proudly wore FAEMA’s red and white logo on his jersey, as did 1968 World Cycling Championship winner Vittorio Adorni. Then, one of the greatest cyclists in history, the legendary Eddy Merckx (who won the Tour de France

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cycling and coffee

climber in a cycling road race) in all three grand tours – the Vuelta, Giro and Tour de France. He also won the Dauphiné Libéré twice – a week-long, eight-stage race held in June that is considered a mini Tour de France and races over many of the same high mountain passes as its three-week-long cousin. Another strong rider in the team was fellow Columbian, Fabio Parra, who won the Vueltra, the Dauphiné and enjoyed regular podium finishes in the Tour. Parra and Herrera both regularly won stages when the road turned skyward – did they sniff coffee in the air? To this day, the FNCC still supports cycling through its sponsorship and partnerships with races around the globe. Perhaps it was FAEMA and Café de Colombia’s success that inspired Italian manufacturer, Saeco, to step up to the plate with its headline sponsorship of the Italian team from 1996 to 2005. Saeco Macchine da Caffè supported the team as the main backer and later as the major partner of what was one of the most successful teams on the road – especially in terms of publicity. Its international exposure was down to one man emblazoned with Saeco logos – Mario Cipollini, the self-proclaimed Lion King. “Cipo” not only won a huge number of individual and one-day events and stages within the grand tours (to date he still holds the record for the number of stage wins in these three races: 3 Vuelta, 12 Tour and an astonishing 42 Giro stage wins), which was excellent publicity for the espresso machine manufacturer, he regularly won headlines for sporting custom-made clothing. The style-conscious Italian pioneered the colour matching of shorts when in a leaders jersey (current leaders in any competition during a race wear a coloured jersey to denote their position –yellow, pink or gold for overall, green or red for points, polka-dot for the king of the mountains, etc). This cost him thousand of Swiss francs in fines from the governing body of cycling – the UCI – but this was far

photoGRAPHY: geoff waugh and Andy tennant

the legendary Eddy Merckx won his first, and arguably most important, Tour de France victory in 1969 in FAEMA’s colours

and Giro d’Italia five times each), won his first, and arguably most important, Tour de France victory in 1969 wearing FAEMA’s colours. In the 1980s, coffee made another appearance. The business cooperative Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (FNCC) sponsored the Latin American cycling team, which heralded the arrival of new talent to the hitherto insular world of professional road racing. From 1985-90, the Café de Colombia team included Luis Herrera, winner of the 1987 Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) and King of the Mountains (the title awarded to the best

Main picture: Cycling legend Eddy Merckx sporting the Maglia Rosa while riding for FAEMA; From top: Andy Tennant, professional rider and accomplished barista; latte art by Andy Tennant; long-time lieutenant to Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, enjoying an espresso during a chilly training ride

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outweighed by his increased notoriety and the subsequent salary increase that followed. He once wore a one-piece skinsuit during a time trial that was covered with a full muscle print. Sold later at a charity auction, it raised nearly $45,000 – more than 10 times the fine. Cipo was ahead of his time – today the practice of colour coding outfits while leading various competitions has continued to almost bewildering levels, which sadly has resulted in heinous fashion crimes. Italy’s team wasn’t just a one-man wonder, however. Previous Giro winner Gilberto Simoni rode for the team, as did future winner and ace descender Paulo Salvidelli, and Damiano Cunego, who took the coveted maglia rosa (the pink jersey won by overall leader) while riding for Saeco. Suffice to say that the Italian Coffee company gained an inordinate amount of publicity in its home market every May during the decade it was involved with the team. How long will it be before we see another team partner with a coffee connected company? As well as riders being funded and fuelled by coffee, there is another connection. When riders retire, many have no idea what to do with themselves as their skills and knowledge base can be

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cycling and coffee

unsuited to “civilian life”. Many set up bars, which become the base for fan clubs. Quite different from the UK or US, where bars are frequented mainly at night as somewhere to drink alcohol, on the Continent a bar is where you go in the morning for coffee and breakfast, during the day for lunch and espresso and – aside from the alcohol – in the evening for a digestive ristretto. Perhaps the link here is tenuous, but post-career connections to coffee can be far more obvious. A growing number of coffee brands are being set up by former professional riders. American “Fast Freddy” Rodriguez launched his Turbo Blend after retiring from a racing career that crossed the continents. His experience of racing in Europe and the States led him to develop a blend and roast that catered for both markets. The dark roast, drip-friendly US coffees were not suitable for the espresso machine and were less than gentle on the stomach, so to make a coffee he could drink pre-ride without upset, he spent three years perfecting his Turbo blend. It’s clearly been a success as the company can now support development teams on the US domestic scene. A little closer to home, Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus Bäckstedt followed a similar path. Both a love and need for coffee while racing as a professional led him to develop his very own Big Maggy’s blend. Bäckstedt now lives in South Wales and runs a coffee shop and bike shop in Jersey, where local roasters Cooper & Co expertly blend his mix of Mocha and Java beans to create what he calls “the perfect blend”. Any cyclist hoping to emulate his success might want to taste a cup or two.

EPO by Paniagua is roasted by Extract Coffee, so you know it’s gonna be good. Just don’t get caught. paniagua.myshopify.com

More Giro d’Italia than Tour de France. Terrone’s Cyclista blend is roasted in a customised 1950s Vittoria in southern Italy. terrone.co.uk

Coffee Velo is new to the roasting scene. As they say, Life is short... you might as well stay awake for it! coffeevelo.com

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Big Maggy’s coffee is roasted by Cooper & Co in Jersey for ex-pro and Paris-Roubaix winner, Magnus Bäckstedt. bigmaggys.com

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Clockwise from top left: The Daily Goods coffee bar at Kinoko Cycles in London; Eddy Merckx (left) poses in promotional material for FAEMA; pro rider Dean Downing enjoying his reward; FAEMA’s E61 espresso machine; the victorious Café de Colombia cycle team, circa 1987

photography: Geoff waugh and kinko cycles

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Consider the humble spoon: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existed for millennia and can stir, serve, measure, scrape, skim, and ladle. And then you can lick it clean courtesy of Fee & BROWN, Beckenham

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bristol

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n e i g h b o u r h o o d w a t c h

Great Westerns Caffeine’s correspondents file their reports from around the UK. This month: Robert Smith investigates Bristol Brian Williams

peciality coffee is so firmly established in London that names such as The Espresso Room or Monmouth are now synonymous with quality, not just among the coffee cognoscenti, but the wider public. The increase in ‘artisan’ coffee shops extends beyond the capital, however. Issue 2 of Caffeine noted excellent venues in Leeds, Colonna & Smalls is a landmark in Bath, and now Bristol’s speciality coffee scene has come to life. To people who live here this is no surprise; the city is vibrant with independent, creative business and its heritage is more mercantile than industrial. Bristol has always looked out to sea and asked, “What’s that? I’ll buy some!” So, here’s where we are buying coffee now.

city intimately, and now Small Street is key to Bristol’s flourishing environment. “In London the scene is established, but here we’re trying to create something.” 23 Small St (smallstreetespresso.co.uk)

Full Court Press

To Matt North, barista at FCP (which opened in May), the fact that Bristol’s coffee scene is much younger than London’s is an advantage. “We can avoid pitfalls, such as homogeneity,” he says. “We also have more flexibility.” The close-knit nature of Bristol’s coffee scene is also noteworthy. “I’m not saying that isn’t the case in London,” Matt says, ”but the friendliness and niceness of the speciality coffee scene in Bristol is definitely unusual.” FCP is a showcase for a clean, crisp style housed within a Grade-2 listed building. Unusually, FCP uses eight roasters and has no house coffee. The menus clearly separate filter from espresso, and are designed to help the customer choose the right blend for

barista, credits the emergence of the Bristol coffee scene with customer demand, pure and simple. “London is a pioneering city, the hub for coffee, and the standard is obviously high,” he says. “You can get a decent coffee without needing to know exactly where to go.” But, says Kit, “The scene in Bristol is going to explode!” He is also intrigued by the many new roasteries opening in the southwest – he often uses coffee from Extract, in Bristol, and Roundhill, in Bath. In Kitt’s view, the next few years will be crucial. “This is the time to open, if you’re going to do it.” 51 Broad St, Bristol (0117 239 1613; wildatheartemporium.co.uk)

Didn’t You Do Well

Opened this year by Will Ireland and Ally Coles, Didn’t You proves that Bristol’s diversity and long history of independent shops and cafés is its greatest asset – a trend Will expects to Chris Chubb, head barista and co-owner continue. “People’s expectations of of Small Street, which opened in 2012, coffee have risen immensely, so a lot of is confident that Bristol’s coffee small cafés, whether they scene can match London’s, call themselves speciality or where he worked after stints in not, have started taking on Melbourne and New Zealand. small roasters and really caring about the product.” “Bristol is certainly influenced Didn’t You favours by London,” he says, “but their mood. “The difference between a Staffordshire-based roaster Has Bean for nearly every speciality coffee shop in good coffee shop and a great one is its house coffee, pulled on a Slayer Bristol is rotating beans.” He and education,” Matt says. Is that why he espresso machine that is central to the business partner John Drysdale use opened his coffee shop here? “Bristol is interior, highlighted by a bar and a La Marzocco FB80, drip filter and my home, and for me it’s just about Aeropress. The house espresso is E6 pendulum lights – “one of those being able to do something I care about by local roastery Clifton Coffee and features that all coffee shops have to and enjoy in the place where I live.” customers can choose from a rotating have now,” Will laughs. And his favourite coffee so far? “The selection of guest blends, including I can’t resist asking about the name. Finca Tamana from Colombia.” Look Monmouth, Roundhill, Nude, Extract, “It’s something my grandfather used to out for it next time you’re there. Has Bean, Origin and Small Batch, say to me. He was always one for going while tea is supplied by Canton Tea Co, 59 Broad St (fcpcoffee.com) out and doing things for yourself.” in Bedminster. “Bristol is dominated by Considering Will and Ally were recently unemployed – they convinced very good small, local businesses,” the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme Chris says. He celebrates the city’s spirit Whatever third wave is, this isn’t, for Wild is not only a speciality coffee shop to help them start the café – I think of friendly competition, which he credits to the newness of Bristol’s scene. but a hairdresser’s, tattoo parlour and Will’s grandpa would say it once again. vintage clothes store. Kit Frere, the head 20 Park Row (@didntyoudowell) He and John are both locals, know the

Small Street

bristol has always looked out to sea and asked, “what’s that? I’ll buy some”

Wild At Heart

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ctahf ee ks np oo ct kl bi gohx t

What does it take to win the UK Barista Championship? And just as importantly, what does it take to lose? Jamie Treby, a judge at the UKBC 2013, explains why he marks down the many talented contestants and reveals the three common mistakes that influence his decision he UK Barista Championships attracted huge crowds at the London Coffee Festival in April (and many congratulations to John Gordon of Square Mile Coffee Roasters for winning). Now that the grounds have settled, it’s interesting to reflect on the whole point of the competition. For the judging panel, the aim of the UKBC is to educate and to encourage improvement in the craft of coffee, and to celebrate that alchemical combination of technical, sensory and creative talents that make a winner. As a technical judge, it’s easy to spot when a barista has learnt something just for the competition and when their performance is genuinely part of their regular working life: as soon as the pressure is on, habits jump out, and it’s these habits that go into making our coffee each day. So, here I reveal the three rules from the UKBC handbook (which you can read online at ukcoffeeevents.com) that can downgrade a contestant from brilliant to blah.

Eyes on the prize at the UKBC

Rule 13.3.2 Dry/clean filter basket before dosing It’s amazing how many people show us dirty baskets! We’re not just looking for grounds but residual coffee oils, and these are harder to remove the tighter the shots are run (or if you don’t clean the middle of your basket). This reflects

the barista’s care about small details helps a great coffee shop stand out from the crowd in your drink – if the shot is run tight then arguably you are not ensuring the correct balance in the cup. If the basket is dirty, it will show up in the taste: dirty baskets are often the reason behind that burnt, bitter taste in your cup. You don’t cook in a dirty

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Rule 13.6.2 Clean portafilter spouts/ Avoided placing spouts in doser chamber Not cleaning the spouts properly is a huge mistake. You cannot clean the spouts with the same part of the cloth that you use to wipe out the basket as coffee grounds will transfer from one to the other. Nor is it any good to clean the spouts and then place them somewhere dirty. Leaving old or dry grounds in the cup is a bad idea: it affects the taste balance, leaves a gritty mouthfeel and makes the cup look dirty, so that an otherwise well-made drink needs to be remade – wasting time and money. Rule 13.6.3 General hygiene throughout presentation Dirty fingers in cups and crosscontamination are a real risk with a multi-tasking barista, and this is where habit really shows up. Whether it’s easier or because they’re under pressure, many people just stick their fingers in the cup. Even if your hands are spotlessly clean, it doesn’t create a great impression on the UKBC judges or your ultimate judge: the customer. Having everyday good habits can subtly raise standards to improve the barista’s craft and improve the quality of the coffee sold. When I’m at work behind the counter or training a new recruit, I just ask myself, “Can I do better?” If the answer is yes, then do it. Quality is not about that one, big “trick” that will impress the coffee community and dazzle your customer. When you watch the top six contestants in the UKBC you see that it is consistent attention to many small details that add up to make a big difference. If you walk into a coffee shop where the bar is busy but spotless and the barista is in true ownership of the production process, you feel confident about good quality. It may seem picky, but the barista’s care about small details helps a great coffee shop stand out from the crowd and brings back customers time and again. Jamie Treby is a barista, trainer and consultant to the coffee industry, and will be judging the UKBC 2014. Follow him on Twitter: @RoastMortem

illustration: Bentley creative

It’s all in the details

saucepan, so why make coffee from a dirty portafilter?