freakin puertorican

2006-11-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

COPYCAT

aaaahhh, so much more zenlike.

Bagels from Brooklyn!

2006-11-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

my best buddy Mike overnighted these to me. People, do you understand what this is? He sent me a dozen BAGELS FROM BROOKLYN yo!

i am in heaven. i cannot tell you how happy both the wife and I are. lox anyone?

GRUMPY MY ASS! IT"S HAPPY DAY.

2006-11-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make a post about a little shop in Greenpoint, that will have another little shop in Chelsea. I wanted to wish them the best of luck. I know no one reads this blog (maybe a couple of homies), but I am just so freaking excited for them!!!!

GOOD LUCK, KICK ASS AND TAKE NAMES CAFE GRUMPY!!!!!!

I am wishing you all the best of luck tomorrow, all the way from overcast Portland, Oregon.

3rd wave coffee, and J. Pollock

2006-11-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

I seriously HATE the term. I get the concept, but at this point and this is totally a biased opinion, I am sick of it.
but check this out!

Ritual, Stumptown and Blue Bottle on 7x7 magazine!

"museum of muffins" was my favorite thing quoted by far. thanks to James Freeman.

and I actually think that the concept of really caring about the farmers is what? possibly 4th Wave?!?!?!?! No say it ain't so! I totally just said that shit. Oh yeah. I did.

and just for the record, Tooker wants a Portafilter with wings on it, not a coffee bean. Unless he stole my idea and is now calling it an "appropriation". Booyakasha!

too much coffee already at the Annex this morning. on #3.

1. Kenya AA
2. Colombia La Virginia
3. Ethiopia Wild Forest Limu

and I have 4 more hours to go.

"baca baca baca"

2006-10-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Baca is here, representin' Ritual. and my best buddy Ryan finally got our wedding present together....

oh yeah.
coffee geeks.

2006-10-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

let the games begin!

a new Kenyan

2006-10-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice and informative cupping yesterday. I got to watch the 2005 Kenyan barista champ cup some beautiful Kenyan coffees.

by far, my favorite was The Kenya Top Gatura Nyeri (FT AA). Cloves and cinammon at first, and as it cools down...dried and yet juicy apricots. yum.

that is all.

oh, and Las Nubitas is back.

homecupped or homecupping?

2006-09-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

I cupped Ecco's Bolivia the other day, in my own home.
what a BEAUTIFUL coffee. hints of spicy chocolate for me...also, I must note, I do not have a great grinder by any means...so I think I probably missed a bunch of cupping notes by doing it at home. It was still nice though, because i got to go at my own pace and really enjoy the process.

It is always amazing to me to cup the same coffees roasted by different roasters...more on that later.

I just think that the sharing of information, between baristas and roasters and among themselves is such an important part of making the specialty coffee industry really take off. We cannot afford to be competitive with each other. I have realized that through the last few years, this is the one thing that has kept me motivated. The sharing of knowlegde and ideas and keeping in touch with those who care about this thing we are trying to do. keep it comin'.

I took the wife to Astoria on her birthday and we just happened to park by the lone Stumptown serving establishment, I shit you not. Astoria Coffeehouse. A beautiful little joint with lots of food to choose from, a nice 2 group La Marzocco and just an overall nice atmosphere. Astoria is a creepy little town, let me tell ya. It really is. But it was beautiful. that plus the fact that the Goonies was shot there, how can you go wrong with the Goonies?

Tony and Jim (the owners) have a great eye for detail. I am going back and hopefully talk to them more about the scene in Astoria and how they will slowly change it I am sure. They closed at 6 and we got there about 45 minutes before they closed. More time later on. It was a beautiful drive out there, so just having the coffee at the end of that made it perfect.

Tacy's Gift

2006-09-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Chris T. lives around the corner from the Belmont Stumptown. I love this guy. he is super neurotic and crazy about coffee, the process, the barista craft and the roasting. He is someone that would totally out-do me in the coffe geekdom catergory and I love him for that. He is totally obsessive about it, and these days, it's nice to find someone to really break stuff down with every once in a while. i wish I had more time to talk to him about coffee. Anyway, he came in and saw I was using a heavy tamper...asked to see my hand and said he would be right back that afternoon with something for me, something about a tamper he never uses.

So this tamper was custom made for him and Bronwen Serna. This is perfect. A little smaller than a regular reg barber and not so tiny as the super reg barber that Tooker uses a Ritual. The handle is thick and smooth and literally fits my hand like it was made for me. It's heavy too, which is why Chris doesn't use it. So it was a gift from him, which I appreciated and consider it a late wedding present. :)

It's the little things. Really, it is.

I'm getting used to working on the Mistrals. I am getting used to the preinfusion again on the machines and trying to get used to different nuances you get with the different quality of the water up here. The fruit notes are insane in the Hair Bender, where as at Ritual, you definitely got more of the nutty, cinammon and DRIED fruit notes at the end. You know, the longer I do this barista thing, the more I realize that one has to be adaptable, and willing to try different things without feeling like you are sellin' out or out of your element. It's all about transferring what you know, tweaking some stuff and always experimenting. All this, to get that beautiful shot of goodness.

and just wanna give a shout out to my homies on the east coast who got a little ditty on the NY Times. Word.

New Wave in NY.

It's about damn time people took notice.

Stump It

2006-08-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

I started at the Stumptown last week. The first shift was the Annex. MAN! What a freakin' dream job. Wow. The place is spotless, clean, precise, Scandanavian design meets old meat-locker door with heavy hardware and wood. Just beautiful. That is just the visuals. Then, I get to cup up to 5 coffees at least once during my shifts since daily cuppings are at 11 am and 3 pm. So out of all the Stumptown coffee offerings, I get to pick out which ever ones I feel I should be getting to know more closely. Holy Fuck Batman! This is such a privilege, and a necessity for building a palate and just building the experience and knowledge one needs to be a real coffee connoisseur. I am thankful, and greatful and feel totally fortunate to have this opportunity. And when i am not working, if I am psycho enough, I can cup coffees EVERY SINGLE DAY, twice a day! My favorite coffee thus far is the Ethiopian Wild Forest Limu. TOTALLY different from anything I have ever tasted. Lots of crisp notes. Canteloupe and when it cools off it reminds me of Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger tea. Seriously. Such a refreshing coffee, even when it's hot it tastes cold. hmmmm?
My friend Ford bought Mae and I an amazing thing for our wedding. a Chemex. Basically Mae will no longer drink coffee made any other way. Way to go Ford!

I miss Ritual, a whole lot. I knew I had a good thing going with them, but man do I miss my kids. What a great crew of people to work for and with. I think they really are doing something really special in San Francisco.

Any one who works for Ritual for a while will be FINE working anywhere else. Shit man, that place is like espresso and coffee boot camp just by the measure of volume. Things are so much more laid back in Portland in general. No one really rushes you, every one makes eye contact and people actually want to have a conversation with you. This is refreshing. People talking to each other and making connections and taking the time to know one another. ahhhhh. almost as refreshing as Stumptown's Limu.

Extracto Exacto!

2006-08-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

The wife and I have been walking a whole lot around our neighborhood. We do not have bikes, or a car so walking and bussing it is it for us. But this is the best way to really figure out your hood and to check out what is happening. So we have been enjoying gorgeous weather, beautiful boutiques, super friendly people and we found a new coffee shop that we are basically in love with.

Extracto. Owned by a buddy of a great friend of mine and Ritual co-owner Tookie.

It's super clean, open, friendly, and above all comfortable in the environment. No attitude here at all, which is refreshing because I know the stereotype and often proven true of the nasty barista is pervasive in any city you go to that knows its coffee. These kids are great, and I am thrilled to see them thriving in the neighborhood. Their FB70 is beautiful, and PID'ed. Oh yeah.

yeah!

Portland is super beautiful amd friendly. and man is it cheaper that SF. Christ! Stumptown Coffee everywhere, good beer, good food, good wine and tattoo shops and lots of music and art. what more could you ask for in a city?

I already miss my Ritual kids, a whole lot. But I don't miss shelling out the money to pay the rent for our tiny one bedroom in Upper Hayes.

I am excited to get back into the coffee thing, and keep learning about it. There is a meet the producer night on the 24th. I cannot wait to sit and listen to these coffee farmers talk about their trade. It will be good. Really good.

Mad props to Gimme! Coffee's new space! HOLLAH!!!!

Moving NorthWest

2006-07-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

So the news is out all over, I will be moving to Portland mid August with my beautiful new wife and my ugly little dog. I am extremely excited for the new adventures up north, but I am really really going to miss my kids at Ritual Coffee Roasters. I have never learned so much about coffee, about hardwork, about friendship, about team work so quickly as I have at Ritual. This company has been so fucking good to me, and has nurtured the coffee geek in me. It will be tough to leave, but I will always consider them my homies.
I will be working for Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Portland.

If it were not for Ritual, I would have never been so in tune with these beautiful coffees that Jim and Joel roast every day. I feel fortunate, and happy and proud to have been part of a company that is gonna make it big and change things in San Francisco, and now I am proud to be part of a company that truly believes in building relationships with farms and farmers, and that support the growth of beautiful and the highest quality coffees. There is always so much to learn, as a barista and as a coffee cupper/taster. I am looking forward to all the learning tools available to me, it will only make me a better informed more passionate barista.
I had some of the Panama Bambito estate coffee, fuckign brilliant. And I also brewed some Sao Benedito (#2 CoE), honeyed peanut brittle and finishing with caramel notes. when it cools off, there is a green bean/aspargus thing going on. Crazy, but good.

Jam, Ford and the Ecco

2006-06-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

The Western Regional Barista Jam was fun Barefoot was host and it was VERY well put together.Eileen, Ryan, Ford and I rode in his Suba and went down to drink some tasty coffees and just hang with other coffee people.
Steven and Ryan before the jam. NO COFFEE YET.

We had coffee at Ritual with the sun beating on our faces on Valencia street.
then at the jam we had more coffee. Eileen loves up Ford for some espresso. he likes.

This last Monday, we headed up to Santa Rosa, to chill with Andrew and Steve and Fabrizio AND the Diecrich!

Steve made some espresso with and "experimental blend" by Andrew.

Handsome and some steamaction.

And of course, the master himself,

showing us his ghetto fabulous way of cooling down the coffee a little faster so that we could bring some home with us. I had some yesterday in my new CHEMEX which Ford and Abby gave to me for a wedding gift. It was mostly Steve, but Abby rules, so she is part of it.

It was great to spend some time with rue coffee nerds and talk coffee and taste coffee and just relax. Real nice.

avenue of the giants

2006-05-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

I got married.

to THE most beautiful woman on the planet. We drove north, then west.

It was beautiful, the whole damn thing. I got emotional, it wasn't pretty. But at least she was/is.
We are moving to Portland at the end of summer, to start a totally new chapter in our lives called marriage, adulthood. CRAZY. I am layin' low and kicking back for some much needed rest. Get the lay of the land, figure out where i want to go with my art and life. I am just gonna keep things open and uncommited. I need to. For myself and my sanity.

I want to say that I will walk away from coffee, and dive into my art. I want to say that I will continue to grow with coffee and do my art on the side. But in all honesty, I just don't know and i am ok with this. I have other stuff to focus on, and keeping me busy. So we will see. In any case, Portland is beyond beautiful, and satisfies the inner hippie in my wife and honestly her happiness is all that truly matters...well, that and good coffee.

My Friend Ford

2006-04-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

So I placed 10th overall in the USBC, blah blah blah. I think there is a lot of bullshit at this competition despite the effrots of some brilliant people. I think as a competitior my days might be over, but bting on the judging!

anyway, that is all i have to say about that. Moving on to something WAY more important. My buddy Steve might have sleepwallked out of a three story window and fell. Sucks. He is an inspiration to me, really, in terms of the coffee gig I got going on. So he doesn't have insurance, and he needs to pay for his medical bills. Help a brotha out.

SAVE STEVE FORD

read more about his adventure here.

Steve's Blog

send whatever you can afford. or buy a tshirt!

at Valerium

Thanks.

UBSC

2006-04-05T23:29:00.000-07:00

Off to Charlotte.

wish me luck.

USBC and other stuff

2006-03-16T09:54:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I are trying to keep our lives in order. Going to school, working and training after midnight at the shop for the US Barista Championship in Charlotte , NC. Why would anyone pick that spot? It's gonna be an adventure to say the least to have to transport all that crap we are going to need out to the great east coast from San Francisco. This is oging to be an exciting competition, with many trained and eager baristas with the flow, the charm, the grace and the expertise to knock your socks off.
It has not hit me yet how soon this competition is gonna happen.

We are heading down next Friday to Barefoot Coffee Roasters to do a mock competition and to practice with our Bay Area team mates to polish up our skills. I am very excited about this because we have no sense of real community out here, and this is the chance to start building that. Andy is a great guy, super enthusiastic aboutcoffee and he ADORES his baristas and I admire any coffee shop owner who puts that much passion not only into coffee but also into his staff as well. Props to him.

I am very very nervous about this USBC because I am so much better prepared and the stakes are higher for me, on a personal level. Meaning , i want to do very well, and I will have to work much harder this time around to get there. all in all, I am just excited to talk about coffee endlessly for an entire weekend.again.

poor mae.

Western Regional

2006-02-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

So I have been spending most of my time training with coffee, talking about coffee, thinking about coffee for the last 2 months. I am obsessive. I have NO idea how M puts up with me. I really don't. the reason it has been more obsessive than usual is because I am competing at the Western Regional Barista Championship in Petaluma California.

I competed last year and placed second. I was happy, but I love doing this. I work my ass off for Ritual 4-5 days a week, pulling shot after shot after shot of the amazing Hair Bender for Mission hipsters...if you know San Francisco at all, you know I should win the gold just for that.

So this is the time for a dedicated and obsessive compuslive barista to show his stuff, and to share that passion with some judges and some friends and audience members. Some of the rules are strange, the whole experience is a Christopher Guest Mockumentary waiting to happen, but it is also a great way to meet other espresso obsessed people. People who are not obsessed with the image of the barista, but obsessed with the CRAFT of the barista itself. There are not many of us out there, so in these competitions, we get to meet people as geeky as ourselves.

Ryan and I are competing, and i really believe he is my biggest threat. He has turned out to be a fantastic, effecient, talented barista. In the 9 months we have been at Ritual we have learned more than i ever thought possible...and the trick to learning more and more is to never think you have learned enough, and to remain humble.

I remember when Ryan mocked my obsession with the elusive rosetta at PBC, haha, those days are over!

Ryan educating me on espresso while I clean up the lab at Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Roastery.

so it's on, this Saturday starting at 9:30 am sharp...please, like that is even close to being early. wusses.

Stumptown

2006-02-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I had the pleasure of going up tot PDX and cupping some coffees and spending some time with Joel from Stumptown Coffee Roasters and just talk about...well, coffee.

It has been a great trip so far. I feel burnt out on espresso and coffee, but in a couple of days I have learned more than i thought possible. This is the beauty of the coffee thing, you are ALWAYS learning.

more later....

Ecco

2006-01-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

We cupped coffees at Ritual on Friday.

Andrew, this post is to tell you that I thought your Bolivia and Yirg were AMAZING. Holy shit.

The Bolivia tasted of very sweet, deep roasted red peppers with a nice chili finish to it. Super spicy but not overwhelmingly so. And then the Yirg, well, it was like tasting warm blueberry pie with a vanilla crust on it at he very end to round it off. WOW. I knew Andrew was a great roaster, but man, i did not expect to be blown away. I have some yirg in hand right now and am savoring every sip. I will even admit to it tasting amazing, no bitter finish when consumed cold. Yeah, I said it, i am drinking the left over cold coffee and enjoying it.

yummy.

Ryan and I are getting ready for competition. I am really nervous. But I think it will be fun. And it forces me to be even more critical of myslef as a barista, and that to me is super important.

more Greta, more fun

2006-01-04T00:54:00.000-08:00

we had a bit of a panic on xmas eve, but this guy with the ink came to the rescue.

also news, we got a new Major.

sleek, quieter, shiny black and just as sexy as a grinder can get.

and this guy is as creepy as a barista gets. oh, Ryan.

"we don't have fava beans clarice. just ristrettos"

I take off for new york tomorrow for a bit, and ohio for the soon to be Mrs. folks. I am gonna try my damndest to swing by Gimme! Coffee and say hello to KC. and pick up some beans for the kiddies at Ritual who I adore. I may be the crabby old man of that joint, but those are my kids yo!

except for the guy in the picture above, I have no idea who invited him to the party.

Happy Fuckin' New year ya'll!

Good Ol' Greta

2005-12-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

It's true, finally after all these months of salivating over this thing it's here. She's lean, and mean and ready to get fired up.
to be honest, i have no interest in roasting myself, but the thought of having a roaster in the store is exciting. I am looking forward to learning more and really watching Jeremy and Eileen go all bonkers on the ol' lady. From what i have gathered she is the oldest Probat in the country alone, perhaps the world. Born in 1919, in Germany, Duane has had thsis baby from day one (or very very early on) and we have her on loan until we get our roasting wings.

I have been really loving going to Blue Bottle for some espresso, along with Cafe Organica. I could not stop raving about Steve's shot the other day. The mouthfeel on the shot was unbelievable, and I got some beautiful full low notes from the Hayes. I was stoked. It is such a good thing for me to go elsewhere sometimes, both emotionally and palate wise too.

School is kicking my ass but i am producing some awesome shit, more on that in another post perhaps.

Stumptown busted out with awhole lot new coffee and I have been really enoying the Honduras Mirador which is super floral and almost refreshing to drink. I also hasd some of Blue Bottles Honduran.

Honduras Coffee is the new black.

and the flavor of the nxt two months is Filipino Goodness

I work for this guy.
who's jealous, any takers?.....anyone?....anyone at all?

new toy

2005-11-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

I just scored this baby on eBay. I am gonna go out and shoot with it next weekend. i am so excited.

I have some pics of Duane's machines from the NW regional, I will post them soon. I think I am gonna meet him and Jeremy at Toronado tonight for some coffee geekdom and some Chimay Blue. I am looking forward to trying the new coffees Stumptown is bustin out.

i wish i could have more time every day, for everything.

On the way home from Seattle

2005-11-07T07:49:00.000-08:00

I went to check out the Northwest regional barista competition and to volunteer as a runner. I have never done that before and i must say it was at times stressful (cuz i did mics and audio shit) because there were hardly any volunteers! It sucked ass. i thought in the Northwest you would be able to find more volunteers for this kind of thing. It gives yu a great opportunity to see how shit works, how competitiors flow and how judges judge. It was a great experience and I would do it again if I could.
I am not entirely sure if i am competing or not, i am about 90% i am, but the stress that comes with that is already starting to stress me out and the thing is in March.

Jen Prince from Zoka won. They are like the Yankees of coffee. They have the training, the support, the network and the resources to keep putting champ baristas up there. It's impressive. Phuong is an amazing arista and trainer so it is no suprise they do so well.
I will be honest and say I expected a higher caliber of baristas to compete. There were some real pros up there for sure, but the rest of the groups just did not impress me considering they are in the great Pacific NorthWest. I think the USBC was amazing, and i hope I see more kick ass baristas like those showcased there around the country.
I have not been thinking too much aout coffee these days since school is kicking my ass.

My black and white photography class is by far my favorite.
Fort Point, San Francisco

oh and did I mention i was chosen to do the cover photo for the Barista magazine December january issue? yeah, I am stoked. My mom demanded I sent her about 10 copies of it.

This is a rosetta Ryan B. pulled the other day (about 2 weeks ago).

I have some more Ritual pictures to upload, so I will make sure to post some of them on here sometime this week if I remember.

our first ad

2005-10-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

We are proud of this, very proud.

this guy here, well, he works for Ritual. oh yes. he is a hairy guy, a guy unashamed, an unashamed, hairy guy that works for Ritual. the ladies..and some dudes ( is IS SF ) are going to flock.

I am going up to Seattle and volunteering as a runner. I am psyched. It should be an amazing competition. I have a shitload of work to do for school when i get bck, but it is all going to be worth it. Also, I saw Dolly Parton in concert a few weeks ago. Life is good.

macchiato gone

2005-09-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I decided to go to Blue bottle this morning on a beautiful labor day and get ourselves a macchiatto. Well, Ryan got it for me which rules, cuz now with school starting I need to save my cheddah.
Jaime was nehind the bar, as usual when I go down there. Steve is never around anymore, the affair we are having is supposed to be on the DL so I think he is laying low.
Anyway, as usual, the macchiatto was fantastic. I get almost some licorice/cirtus notes from their espresso...bordering on some orange rinds. YUM. I love it.

here is the breakfast of champions.

about 3 seconds later....
BOOM. GONE.

Then we headed over to Walnut Creek to see our buddy in coffee, Keith. The apprentice roaster for Pacific Bay Coffee, my old job. It was great to see him, the place looks great and he was as usual slaving away at the craft of roasting. He pulled me a shot of his blend that he is working on, very interesting flavors and nice back end. I think he is working towards a rounder mouthfeel and I want it to be a little sweeter, but overall, knowing how difficult it is to create a blend he did a fantastic job.

I wish i could get into roasting. I really just haven't, maybe when I grow up.

Andrew Barnett sent me some great Brazilian beans (Cup of Excellence Presidential Award) Fazenda Esperanca.

I will writes more notes on it later, but man was it good in the press! Thanks Andrew!

I start art school tomorrow. I am 27 and starting all over again. Steve asked me "Why didn't you study that in the first place?" cuz Steve keeps it real like that....I thought I about this question and I think I have come up with an answer that may or may not satisfy all those who care. Here it goes.

I studied sociology (pause for laughter) in college the first time around. I seriously learned a whole lot about myself and my place in this world. I also met my current S.O. (worth every penny of the 20K in loans I have) and have since fallen into the obsession of being a barista. I have been doing this for a while now and though i see myself doing this through school, I decided to pursue my other intense passion which is art and design.
I wasn't ready then, to do what I am doing now. I wasn't in the right headspace. I am now.

I am looking forward to having my life with my S.O., espresso, my dog and my art all at once. It's going to be exciting. I have not decided wether or not I will compete in the regionals, only if time permits, but I am excited about being part of Ritual, and the revolution of espresso (well overdue) in San Francisco.

I went to Gimme! a couple of weeks ago and like a jack ass forgot to take pics because I was too enthralled with working on the Mirage.

I miss that place a whole lot, but I miss KC more.

Stumpies

2005-08-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

watching this guy cup, and very carefully listening to everything he says makes me feel totally inadequate in the best way possible.

the guy in the green was my friend Brent, who was by far the perfect host. Without his passion for coffee and the craft of making espresso i would have never had this opportunity.
(my hat off to you Brent)
i know nothing. and that is the greatest thing to realize, because it just means that you have your whole life to get to know more of this obsession. i will write something more substantial about my travels up to the great PNW in a few days. For now I have to get my skank ass in the shower and pull some beauties off the FB70. I realized most of all how great it feels to be passionate about something that will never be perfect, and to share that passion with people that you generally already like.

bust a Cap in yo ass!

2005-07-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here at Ritual we tend to be a friendly crowd. But when it comes to being truly our coffee bad ass selves, sometimes we let it all hang out, no excuses, no apologies.

July Ending Soon

2005-07-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Steve from Blue Bottle we have been good about reducing the weight of the tamp (with his beloved scale) and really focusing on the fineness of the grind and how that changes EVERYTHING.
The Aussies grind it course and basically throw themselves on the tamp, you would have to, to really get the essential coffee oils out of the beans.
We have noticed a difference in flavor, the finer the grind, the more coffee you pack in the portafilter and the more cohesive the grinds become to one another which results in a richer cup of espresso, the "meatiness" of the shot increases and the sweet and nutty flavors really get pulled out of the Hairbender. I have become spoiled by Stumptown light roasted coffee, the french press, and the Hairbender. These have also made me truly be aware and really get into appreciating the small differences with other baristas, roasts and blends of espresso.

At Blue Bottle their shots have this fantastic citrus/licorice flavor to their shots. Jamie make s amean macchiato and it doesn't taste anything like the macchiattos at Ritual (and I don't want it to), but I seriously DIG that. I like the diversity of all the care, preparation and all the steps taken for these beautiful shots.
Just as the Redwood espresso from Barefoot Coffee Roasters was pulled nicely by Eton and the cedar spice sprung from the cup. Just a nice experience with tasting and evaluating espresso.

I have been trying to become more concious and more sensitive to these sorts of variances without becoming so obsessive that I forget that I LOVE what I do, this barista gig. There is always so much to learn, and a huge factor for my staying in this place so long is due to the learning I experience from peers and the respect I have for them. And also, that these same peers and comrades that I respect so much have no problem making ginormous asses of themselves on a daily, and very frequent basis.

pulled this beauty today and then

made this out of it...

My rosettas have improved a great deal the last 6 months, and I am sure it has to do with my increased patience with the entire process.

and also, looking over at this gorgeous thing really hit the spot at a couple of frustrating moments today. Can we have this guy in the store all the time?

yeah daddy!

2005-07-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Ryan pulled this naked today and it was great. I am extremely proud of him actually because he has improved so much as a barista in the last few months we have been at Ritual. The passion is seriously addictive, or perhaps the obsessiveness with perfection is.
I read something Chris is trying on his own at Gimme! and maybe tomorrow morning when I open I will give it a try. something with a super fine grind and a result in a super viscous shot? We'll see.

Trish came down for a visit before her move up to Zoka in Seattle. It is always good to see such a friendly face. Hopefully Eugenia will make it up from Barefoot tomorrow to be a geek with me and Ryan. I thought I would somehow get over this whole espresso obsession thing eventually, and the more I learn and push myself the more I am getting into it. I know I have my career as a designer set in motion with going to school, but man am i lucky in that I found one more thing in my life that I am completely in love with (besides Mae of course). I could do this for a long long time and know that I would be happy. The baristas and roasters that i have met have been nothing short of amazing as peers and as mentors. The community is small but damn, it is so supportive.

oh and yeah, who wouldn't LOVE to work for these two winners?

"Smell my finger!"
"Smell it? Please bitch, I'm bitin' it off cuz I am so hardcore!"

yeah.

2005-07-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

someone left a little gift for us. and it truly is a gift.

more substantial post coming very soon, and more pictures too.

good to the last drop.

2005-07-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

I think I want to update this tomorrow.

i like gettin naked

2005-06-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

yum

2005-06-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have really been inspired by a few baristas but mainly my girlfriend-when-mae-is-not-around, Steve from BBCC. If only I lived in SF I would have more freedom to frolick int he bars and drink with the guy. I bet he can drink me under the table, but I bet I would fit better.

I have been working on really getting my tamping and dosing down to a science. I want to be as consistent as possible. Shorty J has been helping me with that a lot and Eyeball just really keeps an eye out for me and gives me the support I need. I am stil such a baby at this. I promise to take more pics of my latte art, possibly tonight since I am closing.

So I heard Brooklyn is the 3rd largest city in the country. KC will be takin over soon, I swear to god he's gonna blow that place up.

A lot of talk about this consistency with espresso, blah blah blah. I get it, but coffee is a crop, so variants will arise and as roasters they can only accomodate so much. Espresso does not exist in a vaccum. As long as the roast is impressive, top quality and fairly consistant, I am not looking for the same exact shot every time. I think that is the beauty of espresso. You can have many beautiful shots from one blend, each unique but not exactly the same and not worse than the other. You can get specific nuances from the same blend with every shot, but rarely will 10 shots taste exactly the same. That and also our sense of taste gets warped with the caffeine high of ten shots in a row as witnessed by yours truly and steve at Cafe Organica, BBCC and Ritual.

anyway, here's a little diddy. for the viewers.

I want BBCC to compete at the regionals. We need us a rebel team.

Shorty J does it again!

2005-06-11T20:13:00.001-07:00

So I see all these internet espresso dorks with their own blogs taking their own pictures and posting their own jokes.

So I decided to join the ranks. let the games begin. I mean it with love fellas.

We had a great day at Ritual. Music is blaring, the sun is shining, the people are asking for their espresso and they want it now! And of course, we deliver, while making horribly inappropriate jokes mostly involving the word "brown", "butt" and Jeremy/Gabriel (we are interchangeable).

I have been learning SO much from the peeps at Ritual, seriously, the northwest has standards above anywhere else I have ever been or heard of when it comes to coffee. We have the same philosophies about coffee, people, and off-color jokes. I could not have found a better group of people. We are all energetic, dork and full of espresso love. It's great. They have invested so much patience, and time, and real caring in my skills not only as a barista but as a fellow coffee geek. I feel truly fortunate. I am not just saying that. I have had bad/good and mediocre experiences in the coffee business and this by far has been awesome.

look at him. smiling at his own shot. conceited bastard!

the brown doing the brown.

Jessy's beautiful latte art.

I think she had a flask in the other hand....hmmmm.

this is the look I give Shorty J when he makes his best efforts at a joke.

ahhhh. seriously, the workplace doesn't get much better. and yeah, the espresso is pretty good too.

thanks to gorillaman

2005-06-01T02:01:00.000-07:00

some pics at Blue Bottle. They fucking rock, seriously.

doing what i love to do more than painting on some days....

coke and steve

2005-05-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

Man, I think I am still wired.

I hung out with Steve from Blue Bottle today for a huge chunk of it. We tasted espressos, machiattos and some white horse. I am still buzzing. BASTARD! It's really all his fault. He was vibrating as he sat next to me at Ritual and made funny noises. But I don't know him that well yet, so maybe that shit's normal.

The roast beef on the sweet bread was amazing. Just what i needed too. I forgot to take pictures. Steve took plenty though, so I don't feel too bad. Next time he will have to take pics of my latte art.

I also met James, Thomas and Kate from Blue Bottle and that was actually really exciting for me because I respect those guys so much for what they do and believe in. They are fantastic peers, and also mentors for me because though I have been doing this for three years, I consider myself very much a novice in coffee. I have much to learn and I feel i am still green in a lot of areas even though I am a brown guy.

i think i need to do more cuppings and develop my palate. I think I need to taste a lot of coffee. I know what I like and don't like but I need to develop the language in which to descirbe what it is I am liking and disliking. Everyone is different, but it would be nice to be able to express myself better in terms of coffee. I don't give a fuck about expressing myself in other areas, although I am sure mae would disagree vehemently. ooooh (james would be proud of my exensive vocabulary right now).

rosettas and vanity

2005-05-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

I need to take pictures of my rosettas more often I think. Also of my shots. I feel like I shold be documenting more often, as far as y barista skills go. Perhaps write stuff down too.
I am fairly certain I will be competing in the Western Regionals 2006 so I need to really start honing my skills as soon as possible. I want to do well. I hope my school schedule permits me becasue I would love to compete again. I have skills and a support network that I feel really great and proud about.

so here is an old ass rosetta from a few months ago. I promise I will take more pictures.

I am closing to J tonight. I am driving cuz i don't want to rush and BART only runs until midnight.

tattoos

2005-05-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

I am thinking of getting this tattooed.

very seriously.

I have a lot more to say, but for now Ritual rocks and am proud to be part of the team.

Ritual Coffee

2005-05-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

I cannot even begin to express how lucky I am to be working for Ritual. The crew is amazing. Seriously.

check out the party. Steve takes great pics and well, he's a pretty slick smartass.

witty that man. W-I-T-T-Y

Ritual Party-ers

malachi's timing is impeccable...

2005-05-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

So I decided to resign from PBCC. It was time to go. Like Chris Tacy from Stumpies, it was all about the timing. I was thrilled to be part of a great team, and great coffee. Sometimes however, you just know when you need to go and move on. Last week i knew it was my time, and I resigned but vowed to always be loyal to the process.

I love espresso, and I love being a barista. I will find somewhere new, somewhere amazing I am sure and somewhere that will put up with my antics.

I hope to always be involved in some way, and that i keep learnign from peers, and from roasters. I am stoked for a new opportunity at an old craft, and i am stoked to have some time to myself.

righteous!

ritual roasters

2005-04-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

I am stoked about this awesome new place opening up really soon. I cannot wait to go down there and show my support.

coffee geekdom just hit an all time high for me. seriously.

I went for a run today, to the cemetery. i ran for an hour. it's been a way long time for me so i feel somewhat satisfied and relieved that i didn't pass out on Piedmont Ave. Would have seemed odd if it had happened.

I sent a letter to my financial aid office basically begging for more money. because, who doesn;t need more money?

later.

soon to be in laws

2005-04-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

the soon to be inlaws just left. it was both wonderful and stressful as all heck to have them here.

I am trying to keep my spirits up for next year's western regionals and just keep my morale up about being a barista. good news though, I got into art school at the California College of the Arts!

I am on my way to becoming a grpahic designer! woohoo mama.

hi.

2005-01-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

so this is a blog eh. ok.

maybe mre later.