Becoming a corretto

Lorraine of Fiori Coffee gave me her old breadmaker - it has cracks on the bottom of the pan, a leaking seal a wobbly lid and is perfect as a coffee roaster.

Sam, confrere of the Brotherhood of St Corretto came with me to collect the breadmaker and took it with him south of the river to have it hardwired into motor only mode, bypassing the electronics so that when you turn it on the paddle goes around and around, and just keeps going.

Sam, on his return from Easter Holidays brought it into Epic where he handed it over to Chris (Christretto) who today delivered it up to me, and received in return a non-operable espresso machine (I'm going to get a reputation shortly!).

He did however also get the 'first fruits' of the labour of the new corretto - 500grams of Yirg.

We both agreed that even by professional standards the roast was exceedingly even - so thanks everyone, I now have a backup machine (my old one) and a new workhorse due to the kindness of so many fellow coffee lovers.

This should keep me going until I finalise the design and then construction of the new purpose built drum roaster.

WABA the blogger

WA Barista Academy have relaunched their website - and included a blog.

Go pay them a visit to encourage them to blog frequently about what is going on.

Kopi Luwak Auction

Thank you to WA Business News for publicising the Kopi Luwak Auction - for all who are interested, although the 'official' launch of the Auction will be April 7, we will accept bids prior to that time.

Bidding will be open for one week and closes at 11pm April 14.

You are bidding for 600grams (roasted weight) or 730 grams (green weight) of Kopi Luwak, roasted and served by myself and the friendly Fiori Coffee crew.

Alternatively you can take the coffee as green beans and roast it yourself (if you dare!)

The ethics of JBM

James Hoffman has a link today from his JimSeven blog to a story in the Guardian about Jamaica Blue Mountain and the other cost of its production - well worth a read.

Interesting video from Mavis Bank showing production: Mavis Bank Coffee

Kopi Luwak on Offer

Cafe Grendel is proud to announce that commencing today we are initiating the steps to hold a blind auction of Kopi Luwak, the most expensive cat poo in the world.

And also the most expensive coffee in the world!

What we are actually offering is the auction of a coffee experience where we will not only roast the coffee, but if the winner would like we will also prepare and serve the coffee to a social or staff event.

Kopi Luwak - for those who haven't heard of it, it is coffee that has gone through the digestive system of the 'Luwak' an Asian palm civet cat native to the Indonesian archipelago.

Wikipedia has a cute photo of a Luwak:

Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, juvenile, taken at Situgede, Bogor, Indonesia by W. Djatmiko, 24 September 2006

The civets, scramble up the coffee trees and steal the ripest and tastiest coffee beans. These are then passed through the animal's digestive tract where digestive enzymes remove some of the bitterness and reduce the caffeine resulting in a mild but sweet and full bodied coffee.

It is very rare, and hence very expensive.

Now some Kopi Luwak is from beans fed to caged civet cats - and worse, they use robusta beans.
The premium Kopi Luwak is from wild civets still close to their home range in mountainous areas of Indonesia stealing the choice, plump ripe coffee cherries from high altitude Arabica coffee plants. The Civet dropping are collected from the forest floor by the farmer.

Café Grendel is fortunate to have Western Australia's only pack of unroasted Kopi Luwak. It was donated by Kamran and Louise of Fiori Coffee for us to use as a fundraiser for the Autism Association's Early Intervention Centre.

Even better, this is the free range Arabica Kopi Luwak – the best in flavour and hence the most valuable.

This is incredibly generous as the promotional value alone of a unique coffee like this is immense.

Odd that one should be so happy about being given dried cat poo. Still it is not every dried cat poo that is worth as much as this.

It is out intent to auction to the business community of WA, a coffee 'Experience'. The winning bidder will have the coffee roasted freshly for them, and, if they desire Café Grendel and Fiori Coffee we will arrive to prepare and serve the coffee for you.

Fortunately the Kopi Luwak, before it can enter Australia, must be processed to a clean state - that is no biological material from the civet remaining on the beans - it's been 'decrappinated' you might say. . .

Also we'll be roasting it at 230 degrees for between 15-20 minutes and that will certainly ensure a clean taste in the cup!

Expressions of interest in the auction can be sent to cafe(dot)grendel@gmail(dot) com.

Easter Egg Follow Up

Green and Blacks milk and dark eggs - available in Coles, and I reckon now that Easter trading is over you can pick yourself up a late Easter treat next week on the 'clearance' shelves!

Clover

I've always wanted to try coffee from a Clover - I may get to if I get over to Melbourne but I am not aware of any Clover machines over here in Perth. And it looks as if there may never be.

James Hoffman (WBC Champion 2007) reported on his blog that there were wide rumours that Starbucks had bought the rights to the Clover through their purchase of the Coffee Equipment Company.

This concerns me somehow - it seems too much like oil companies buying up patents in non-oil tech to keep them out of the market.

I'd be happy for Starbucks to prove me wrong however.

Easter

With Easter in just a few days time, anticipation in the Grendel household is at a fever pitch.

Junior Grendel Number One has been practising wearing his robes for his role as a jeering bystander in the Passion play at school and Junior Grendel Number Two , while welcoming the coming of the great bunny, is also facing the fact that the bunny is not only coming to deliver chocolate eggs, but also to take away dummies.

Our boys love their chocolate eggs, and we ration their take over a period of some months. I too love chocolate, I love that warm silky sweetness as it melts down your throat and the endorphin rush that hits soon after.

I'm sorry for what follows in this post - we should all be sorry for what follows in this post.

Tim Costello of World Vision has been off in Africa checking out the cocoa farming regions, and the news was not good.

Apparently human trafficking and slavery are alive and well and living in the cocoa plantations. The Rev. Costello visited Ghana and the Ivory Coast and estimate that over half a million children now work in the cocoa fields in conditions that at their best are exploitative and at their worst are outright slavery. 50% don't get formal education and most are involved in hazardous work - it is these children that are providing the majority of the cocoa we will consume this Easter.

70% 0f the world's cocoa comes from West Africa so their is an excellent chance that the egg you bite into on Easter morning will originate from cocoa harvested by a child slave. In the worst cases this child will have been forced to work 80-100 hours a week.

I'm sorry if that puts anyone off their elegant rabbit or giant egg, but the cheaper the chocolate for us to buy, the cheaper the price paid to the farmer and their labourers. International buying cartels force down the prices of cocoa and seek volume supplies. Sound familiar? Just like coffee - volume means poor quality. We need to be encouraging lower production of higher quality cocoa, and pay a fair price for it.

I know that World Vision are supporting the Fair Trade approach to cocoa, and in this case I think it is the best option. Unlike coffee, the production of chocolate is more specialised and the situation of the workers and the farmers even more dire than in the coffee world.

Interestingly World Vision are not calling for a boycott of the big chocolate companies - that would hurt the farmers further. However they are suggesting that when you can vote with your wallet and buy fair trade products when you can.

I'd encourage you to go and read further - this is an issue that won't go away and if you love chocolate then you owe it to yourself to at least KNOW the facts. More than this you owe it to those who labour to bring this treat to you, yet never get to try it themselves.

If you want to buy fair trade chocolate and Easter eggs then look for Scarborough Fair Fairtrade certified Easter Eggs which are available in some Coles and Target stores.

Check out the World Vision site for more information: What is the real cost of chocolate?

And here is a list of ethical chocolate available in Australia - hopefully it is good quality chocolate as well:

Alter Eco – Fairtrade
Dark Velvet (Organic)
Dark Velvet with Peppermint
Milk Moka
Milk Almond

Cacao Power – Organic and *Fairtrade (*certification imminent)
Cacao Powder
Whole Beans
Crushed pure chocolate

Chocolatier Australia – Fairtrade
Chocolate Thins – Dark and Milk

Cocolo - Fairtrade
Dark
Dark Orange
Milk
Milk Hazelnut
Milk Almond
Mint Crisp

Cocoa Farm Chocolate (Australian Grown Cocoa)
Mango, Lime and Chilli
Dark Orange
Coffee and Hazelnut

Endangered Species - Fairtrade
Peanut Butter
Milk
Dark
Coffee
Hazelnut

Green & Black’s – Fairtrade
Maya Gold Organic Dark Chocolate Bar
Organic Hot Chocolate

Oxfam - Fairtrade
Milk
Milk with nuts
Dark

Scarborough Fair - Fairtrade
All varieties

Oh, and this is the ONLY time you'll ever hear me advising you to go to Starbucks!

Starbucks - Fairtrade Chocolate
Milk
Dark
White

A Timekeeper's Tips

Time is the fire in which we burn (no doubt a trekkie out there will identify the source of that quote for us all). More specifically, time is the hourglass from which the top chamber which holds your dreams of World Barista Domination, trickles slowly down into 'next year's plan'

Having just finished a second round of timekeeping at a state level barista championship I am still woefully under qualified to offer advice to competitors past and future. The sensory and technical judges will have far better advice that I can at this point, but I do have some observations.

Naturally, being the Grendel-like creature that I am, I can't help myself and must share them with you. . .

1. Set up - Do what MUST be done. Get that grinder and machine pulling shots just the way you need them too. In the comp, getting the shots out right is crucial and can give you the precious extra minutes you need to put on a great show. If this means a simpler (but still elegant) table setting, then that is probably a good pay-off.


2. Keep things stylish, tasteful and not too gimmicky - only the timekeeper gets to appreciate the full amusement value, and I don't get to hand out points!
   


3. Walk and talk - get about the tasks while you talk about coffee. I saw some great introductory presentations, and from an audience perspective I think they were much appreciated. I however had a stopwatch in my hand and my anxiety level (for the competitor) increased for each period of time I saw them standing before the judges expressing their love for coffee when they could have been 'espressing' shots at the same time. It worked out OK for some - but not for others.
   


4. Create shortcuts - have as much pre-prepared as you possibly can, even down to already wet chux cloths and paper towel already torn off the roll in a neat pile.


5. Signature drinks are tricky and you want yours to stand out, but try to keep to as few preparation steps as possible - this doesn't mean no live heating/cooking, but have everything cut up and ready to heat. Avoid needing to whip anything as this takes lots of time.


6. Subtle flavours that compliment coffee - test those signature drinks on a range of people, there are 4 judges all with different tastes, but who are looking for something that goes down nicely as an espresso based drink. Find a crowd pleaser, test it on a crowd and serve that!
   


7. Tell the judges what you are making them for your signature drink in broad terms, but don't explain how until AFTER you've made it. That way if something goes wrong (especially if you are cooking something) you can skip a step/ingredient and pretend everything is exactly what you intended. (The extra was for 'aromatics'!)


8. Watch your own time, particularly at the end. After serving your last drink keep glancing up at the clock as you tidy and remember to call time, or hit the button. I was nearly jumping out of my skin with some competitors just wishing I could yell 'TIME' for them - emotionally draining for me, so be kind and call time - oh and you lose 1 point per second over so calling time works in your favour too.


9. On the subject of over time - some tasks (like cleaning) might be worth in total only 6 points. It may be better in some circumstances to leave these out altogether rather than go over time as 10 seconds over cost you more than leaving the task undone - worth checking this one with the technical judges though.


10. It's just the advice of a timekeeper who will never compete - feel free to ignore it!
    

167% increase in Cafe Grendel readership in Paris

In the recent times Cafe Grendel has seen a massive increase (167%) in readership from France, particularly from readers in Paris - G'day Jez!

Jeremy Hulsdunk, late of Epic Espresso is obviously keeping up with the WA goings on - hopefully he may consider starting his own blog and relating his experience of French coffee to us back here is Oz.

An Epic Weekend

This weekend at the WA Barista Championships really highlighted that the crew from Epic are keen.

Very, very, keen.

It wasn’t just the ‘Team Epic’ T-Shirts, a last minute idea that made them all stand out, or the participation in the Barista comp of Vanessa and Ryan, it was the way they turned up in numbers and supported all competitors. The end result in which Vanessa finished 2nd and Ryan in 6th place indicates that their team approach works - and delivers results in competition as well as in the coffee cup in the cafe.

Corey Diamond, owner of Epic was also a judge for the sessions of the competition that his staff were not competing in - at least this year he was free of the cold that plagued him last year and prevented his participation as a sensory judge.

The Latte Art Throw Down brought all the Epic staff into the fray and was eventually won by Vanessa Moore (of Epic, naturally) but the sudden proliferation of black Epic shirts certainly put me off my game and love to be able to claim deliberate intimidation on their part – except everyone knows I can’t pour latte art anyway.

I’d love to see other cafes and roasters at next year’s WABC do the same thing – turn up in numbers, with a team look and support the competitors. I’m glad Epic set the standard this year – some of the Gloria Jeans folk did turn up in GJ’s shirts but were quiet observers – I’d love to see them cheer their representatives on a little more.

Next year I’ll be doing Café Grendel shirts – As Café Grendel exists only on the internet we are unlikely to have a competitor to support so we will support everyone who doesn’t have their own cheer squad. The CG shirts will be available for people who want to be part of the ‘independent cheer squad’.

In this way there will be at least two groups readily identifiable in the crowd when the rowdiness starts.

:)

Recovery Day

I wonder if everyone else feels like this today?

The WABC certainly takes its toll - I feel like the WABC truck ran me down during the night leaving number plate imprints on my head.

I need a recovery day, unfortunately I have to be at work.

Coffee anyone?

WABC and Cupping Final Wrap Up

WABC Winners List:

1st Jen Murray (WABA)
2nd Vanessa Epic)
3rd Mimma (Gloria Jeans)
4th Tracy (Mooba)
5th Jackson (Tiger Tiger)
6th Ryan (Epic)

Jen Murray was smooth, polished, presented superbly - and is the well deserved winner. Everything from the made-on-time reductions and caramel for her signature drink to the on-table pours for the judges and a finish well within the time let to a huge points feast that should stand her in good stead in the finals over East.

Vanessa from Epic is one of the best I have seen in action. Her attention to detail throughout the comp did see her take out first place in the latte art shoot out that followed the barista comp and she was in real striking distance from first place.

Mimma was brilliant and had an amazing table setup that was visually stunning.

Tracy from Mooba showed how they manage to pump out so many coffees from such a little space on a two group machine and 4th place in this comp is creditable and there was strong competition this year.

Ryan is all panache and I hope we see him in competition next year.

Some other great performances today including Jackson from Tiger Tiger who came but a stuck-glass away from winning the event. A technical hitch cost him some time penalties in an otherwise outstanding performance. His blue shoes made the show.

Emanuele Muratore also had a great presentation, and on table preparation of the drinks for the judges, and as mentioned earlier had the cooled water cups of the whole event.

The WA Cupping Challenge attracted an instant crowd of entrants going from just a couple to a full field by the time it was ready to start.

Noted coffee snob and cafe owner Terry Mason took part as did fellow snob Sam Iacobellis. Terry led the field through the first round where his score was eclipsed by Mike Fewson of Cafe 54. All were washed away in the final group when Matt of Abstract Gourmet blew the field away to lead by two points only to be pipped by an amazing performance from Catherine Ferrari of European Foods who showed incredible skills to pick 7 of the 8 possible correct coffees.

Seriously good palate over at European Foods!

It was great to see a spread of judges from across the industry and some new faces at this year's event.

Great credit to Ben and his team for their organisation of what was a very memorable WA Barista Championship and Cupping Challenge.

I have so many photos I hardly know where to start - so here's a slide show of the pick of the pics.

A great (i.e. likely better than this one) write-up of the WABC can be found at WA's second best coffee cupper's blog - Abstract Gourmet! (Matt, that is how you'll have to start introducing yourself from now on.)

Cafe Grendel WABC Award

Announcing the (just created) Cafe Grendel Award for the coolest crockery at the WABC:

Emanuale Muratore!

These faux disposable water cups rendered in white ceramic were truly the stand-out ceramic item at the WABC and were individual even down to the crinkles where they had been 'crushed'.

Love em.

WABC - The Winner

Jen Murray of the WA Barista Academy was the winner of the WA Barista Championships.

Congratulations - more to follow!

WABC - Day One

Today was Day One of the WA Barista Championships.

I'm buggered so I can't imagine how the competitors feel! I reckon even after the first day everyone is tired - officials from officiating and competitors from sheer nerves.

To anyone competing tomorrow who is nervous, can I just say that ALL of the twelve who competed today were shaking before they started, but once they got into their groove they looked like the professionals they are and went about the tasks (mostly) as planned.

I spent the day on my feet with a stopwatch in my hand. I'm wearing more comfortable shoes tomorrow, even with my daggy shorts because sandals just can't do it for a whole day.

It was great to see lots of support there for the baristas, and a huge crew from Epic who all turned up in Epic T-Shirts, a last minute idea to boost support for their team members competing.

There was a wide range of people from across the coffee industry represented - and a range of roasters and cafes and there seemed to be a lot of variety in the coffee selected for the event.

There were several baristas from franchises and it was good to see them there and competing. I imagine it would have been interesting for them to see the speciality coffee world up close.

A Tasting plate of the Pics from the day - naturally there will be more to follow!

Triangles

I'm learning all about triangles.

Lots of threes - 8 lots of threes to be precise.

The Specialty Coffee Association of Europe has a whole section on their website about Triangular Cupping Competitions which is very informative.

Triangular cupping is a series of eight triangular tests. That is, three cups, two of which have identical coffee in it, the third has a different coffee. The aim of the competition is to pick the odd coffee of the three. You can use any of your senses to do so, and time is a factor - in the event of a tie in correct picks, the fastest time is the winner.

The best competitive cuppers seem to go at an amazing pace usually picking all 8 'odd' cups successfully and the competition looks like a lot of fun.

If you are interested in watching a cupping contest, I am pleased to confirm that the WA Barista Championships this weekend will ALSO include the WA Competitive Cupping Contest.

Sunday, 16 March - Old Town Hall Perth.

More pics

Nic, a 3D artist and a regular at Urbanistar has kindly sent me a few more pics from Saturday's cupping session.

I'm never one to pass up some extra images, particularly when I didn't have to take them!

Direct Trade

The Coffee Collective in Denmark have an excellent website and on it they outline their direct trade philosophy which very clearly sets out not only the ethical reasons for supporting direct trade (or relationship coffee) but also the very pragmatic business reasons why paying more to the farmer benefits the consumer.

See here for more: The Coffee Collective


Well worth a read.

This weekend!

Not to be missed! The State Barista Championships.

Old Town Hall in Perth (Cnr of Barrack and Hay)

Entry is free and each day will kick off around about 10am going through till 4pm

Great entertainment and a great way to learn about coffee.

Be there or be Decaffeinated!

Anyone who comes in with a McDonalds coffee from across the road will have eyes rolled at them.

Urbanistar Cupping

The highlight of our (busy) weekend was a coffee cupping in Northbridge at Urbanistar. As previously related, I met Leigh, the owner of Urbanistar, at the first cupping session I went to, which was at Fiori Coffee in West Perth. At the time the cafe was still a dream, but Leigh has made it very real and it fits so well with Northbridge and is introducing great coffee to a whole new audience.

Leigh - Urbanistar-in-Chief

I love Urbanistar, to me it is everything a great cafe should be - it has a presence, even though it is tucked down the far end of an arcade. It has an owner passionate about good food and coffee, and it has an amazing clientele from all over Northbridge which makes it a fascinating place to chat and meet people.

The cupping session was held in the arcade with a long communal table laid for the occasion with what seemed like a vast collection of coffee cups.



The arrangement gave the whole session a great atmosphere and I had fellow coffeesnobs Alchemist, Greenman and TheGoodies sitting close by so we had a good time. This was perhaps unfortunate for Mrs Grendel and Mrs Alchemist who had to endure 2 hours of totally geeked out coffee nuts.

Ahhhh bliss.

I have my notes somewhere but I think I remember a Kenyan AA, a Sigri, The Honduran, a dry processed Ethiopian - oh I was so over caffeinated I still can't remember the 5th - I sure a commenter can add that one for me!



I don't want to start to imagine the logistics of cupping 5 coffees for 15 or more people but Kam and Louise managed very well and the day went smoothly with lots of good questions from the newly inducted coffee appreciators.

It was particularly good to see a large number of the Urbanistar customers participating.






Mrs Grendel showing her cupping style (who refused to 'slurp' loudly from a spoon and added milk and sugar after the first taste of each coffee!!!)



"Alchemist" Sam reviews his notes - at this point I am surprised there is no motion blur from the camera



I want this painted on my office wall too!



Leigh goes into affogato production action






This was a really great afternoon, very enjoyable spend with great people down the whole length of the table. One of the things I love about coffee - and apparently the people involved in speciality coffee, is that they are both interesting and friendly. This makes the coffee all the sweeter.

Finding it in unusual places

We had an Autism Association party for last year's group (which includes Junior Grendel Number One). It was at one of those kids play places called The Beach House in Osbourne Park.



I have been to a LOT of these in the past 5 years and invariably the coffee has been awful. Yesterday I didn't try the coffee at the Beach House, but Mrs Grendel gave it the thumbs up - and I noticed they were using local roaster 5 Senses, which has got to give it a leg up over the other play centres. There is another one in Wangara that uses coffee roasted on site called Wild Harvest - I've not seen it anywhere else and the one coffee I tried was so badly made that I could not tell anything about the beans.

Nice idea but. . .

The Beach House though seemed MUCH better at the coffee making - there was nice dark crema and microfoam on Mrs Grendel's flat white.

Dealers

Caffeine is a drug - not news to most, but in two conversations this morning it has come up.

Like any drug it can be used and abused - its just that in my case I happen to think that 'abuse' goes further than 'overuse' and also encompasses the way coffee is prepared.

Legal drugs are dispensed by a qualified pharmacist - coffee is doled out by anyone who stands behind the machine with an apron on. Some have a real committment to dispensing the drug appropriately and with care, others are just belting out as much as they can and don't too much care for the quality. Like any drug there are some addicts who, because they also don't care (and can mask with sugar), swill down anything that is even slighly coffee coloured.

I'm not really advocating for regulation of the coffee trade, but it would be nice if to be called a barista you had to have passed a basic level of qualification. Anyone else should be relegated to washing out the milk jugs - at least that way you could be sure they are clean.

I just want to communicate

Junior Grendel Number one, is six, and going on 40.

Tonight he came down to where I am working and told me about his recurring nightmare involving a scorpion. It woke him (and me) at 4 AM this morning and I put him back to bed with a bright green glow stick to keep the scorpion away.

I asked him what he wanted to do about the nightmare. "Oh, dad, I just want to communicate with you" says he. After a little chat, and the preparation of an anti-scorpion glow stick, he was back off to bed.

Never tell me my son 'suffers' from autism! Its moments like that I know I wouldn't have him any other way.

Blogging Boosts Your Social Life

Well, that was the headline on the ABC News site a few days back and based on research from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.

Personal experience of a blogger here: Its True.

I have a better social life since I started blogging. Oh, not the first blog. That maudlin and muddy outpouring of vitriol.

No, the coffee blog was the key. I would refine the sentiment in the title somewhat - blogging improves your social life when the things you blog about are of interest to others.

Coffee, apparently is of interest. Blogging opened some opportunities for me to connect with others and I am very grateful that I did. I know some of Perth's finest people now, not Perth's richest, or most cultured (although some are vying for this title!) but certainly some of the most interesting, passionate, generous and accepting people.

The research, for those that want to read it can be found the latest issue of the journal CyberPsychology and Behaviour, to which, I am sure, we are all subscribers. . .

If you just want the short version, the story is here.

ECM Giotto

The Giotto is one of the true 'bling machines'. With more chrome than a hot rod it sits on the bench and gleams, loudly. I understand that gold plated models can be arranged, but I think that would be taking things a little far, even for this machine.

Sunday was my first opportunity to give one a run for more than just the shine, and it does an impressive job on the practical as well as looks front.

The extractions were tight, with nice thick, dark ropes of espresso oozing from the portafilter. The steam pressure was excellent and 400ml of milk steamed in under 30 seconds to make two coffees quickly.

Overall I would say the Giotto is a great machine, but there were a few annoyances. The non-burn steam wand is inaccurately named - it burns! The wand also has a narrow range of movement and a ball joint with more flexibility would be useful.

The drip tray is too shallow, and really suits only for use for a short while before you have to empty it, and then getting it out is a little awkward when it is nearly full as you have to tilt it backwards slightly to extract it.

To pull the shot you have to reach in past the hot water spout - awkward if it is hot, but the machine is wonderfully simple otherwise and a joy for the power from the 1.8 litre brass boiler.

I love manual machines and find that you get a much better result in the cup. The ECM Giotto is a good manual machine and looks the part as well. Any kitchen bench would be improved by its presence.

I am envious of Mrs Grendel's friend Lis, who is now the owner of just such a machine. They have been hard to come by over the last year or so and I think the waiting time for many keen would-be owners has been over 6 months. But well worth it.

This is the ECM promo pic of the Giotto from their website - I will get around to taking one of the machine in operation as soon as I get my turn with the camera!

Mooba - New pics

I got back to Mooba with the good camera a week or so ago and here are the new photos to go with the story.

This place has got it going in a big way and we were there in the afternoon close to 5pm and they were still open - and still really busy.

A very good sign I would think!

Roast the Tiger

Saturday was great. The Junior Grendel's ran amok, Mrs Grendel got to have eggs benedict, I got coffee photos and we got to bother both the Fiori crew and the (very) patient guys at Tiger Tiger.

I live blogged some photos but the connection was a little slow so I skipped the text.

It was great watching other people watch the little Gene Cafe do its thing.

They are a very neat little machine, but I must say I prefer my breadmaker/heat gun outfit for sheer control of the roast. It also gives both heat from the bowl as well as the hot air from the heat gun, taking it somewhat closer to a drum roast.

The Gene is certainly tops for an event like Saturday though.

Here are the photos - larger and better!


We did the right thing and took the train into the city, but I forgot that Lorraine had an old breadmaker for me so I had to leave it in town to pick up during the week.



Here's Kamran and his Gene Cafe:



Alli and her eggs benedict yum! (oh and the eggs are nice too):



The coffee queens handing out samples of the Kenyan AA and Honduran:





And taking a break from the task of running up and down the stairs is Junior Grendel Number Two.



Tiger Tiger really is one of my favourite cafes and seems so like an oasis in this part of the city.

Live at Tiger Tiger