Yes, 2010 will be there year of something new! 2009 for me was very much Central American coffee with some of the offerings from El Salvador being super standouts for the year and I am excited to see what will be great in 2010.
I hope you all have a happy New year and lots of great coffee.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
And there'll be nothing but beets after that!
At the lair of the Grendel's this Christmas we decided to take the easy road to Christmas treats and purchased an IKEA gingerbread house.
It comes in a flatpack and you have to assemble it yourself. I'm serious - it really does come in a self-assembled flatpack but the upside is you get to decorate it. OK, if you are me that is also a downside since I have the decorative instinct of a drunken spider, but you have to work with what you have.
So here is my homage to the northern traditions of the season. The Junior Grendels voted with their palates and judged it fit for rapid consumption so although my efforts were minor their appreciation was loud.
Ahhh, success.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The Twelve Alt-Text Days of Christmas
As you may know, most web sites use alt-text, or alternative text to describe key images that can be used by people with vision impairment to enrich the online experience. Not a lot of people notice alt-text and sometimes it may not always be what you expect. Take this example from a website depicting the well known “12 Days of Christmas” carol.
On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me A partridge in a pear tree.
alt="What a crappy tree! The image shows a bloody twig with a curled leaf and a partridge that looks like a magpie has ripped half it feathers off. If this was my true love I’d be wondering what message they are trying to send"
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Same tree and ragged bird but this time beside it are two ratty looking pigeons that have crapped all over the twig the author laughingly refers to as a ‘tree’"
On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="There’s enough in frame now that the image is landscape and in addition to the existing birds three battery hens are depicted looking like refugees from an animal rights ad for free range"
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Yawn, this is one of those images that makes me envy those reading this who have a vision impairment. The authors have added four tired-looking budgies to the already sad collection of avian specimens"
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Was this website made in China? I think something got lost in translation because the golden rings have been replaced by the Olympic rings – I reckon that the Olympic Committee will have something legal to say about that when they find out"
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="more bloody birds – and vicious ones by the look of it. Two of the geese appear to be snacking on calling birds One goose is on top of another goose and I suspect we either have a gender mix-up and are looking at what is really a gander (haw-haw, an alt-text pun) or the first documented case of lesbian waterfowl. The remaining geese appear to be pursuing the French Hens with lethal intent"
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Whoever developed this website owns shares in the bird business and whoever thought that swans might be a lovely gift is obviously twisted – I thought the geese were nasty. These big white bastards have definitely eaten a pigeon or turtle dove or whatever and are ripping the tail feathers from the lesbian geese – homophobic swans?"
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Birds again? Not! Man this stuff borders on soft porn, if they don’t tone these images down the government’s net nanny filter is going to can the whole site – whoever imagined that maids milked in such, er, ‘diaphanous’ outfits (thanks wiktionary!). Still, not very practical – especially since one maid appears to be struggling to fend off a swan that seems to think that nipples are snails – man I hope she wins ‘cause that’s gonna hurt if the swan gets through"
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Aaargh my eyes! Jabba the Hutt has sisters, nine of them!"
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="These guys are lords? In what bloody aristocracy? They are leaping though – and wearing tights. Would look kinds nice if you were into that kind of thing. Which I’m not, only just saying it would if you were ‘cause that’s ok and all but I’m not – ok how ‘bout I just leave the alt text at that for this one"
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="these guys are cool – your usual hulking Scotsmen in kilts with bagpipes. Tartan appears to be the Campbell – probably making these army lads. 9 of them are ogling the milk maids – who are returning the admiration. The other two pipers are attempting to make eye contact with the leaping lords. Who knew? And 8 maids with 9 straight pipers – that’s gunna be an interesting resolution."
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree!
alt="blokes with drums. Yup definitely blokes with drums. Rather bland given the all out war going on in the background. Turn’s out those leaping lords were not gay after all and are battling the pipers over the milking maids who in turn are fighting the fat dancers for the last drumstick of goose. Looks like the poultry all came to a bad end as there are swan feathers littering the ground also. Cool. Better than the last alt-text job I got on that ‘three ships’ Christmas carol. The guy who thought that two dozen copies of the same image of three sailing ships was visually appealing is an idiot"
(c) 2009 Grendel
On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me A partridge in a pear tree.
alt="What a crappy tree! The image shows a bloody twig with a curled leaf and a partridge that looks like a magpie has ripped half it feathers off. If this was my true love I’d be wondering what message they are trying to send"
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Same tree and ragged bird but this time beside it are two ratty looking pigeons that have crapped all over the twig the author laughingly refers to as a ‘tree’"
On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="There’s enough in frame now that the image is landscape and in addition to the existing birds three battery hens are depicted looking like refugees from an animal rights ad for free range"
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Yawn, this is one of those images that makes me envy those reading this who have a vision impairment. The authors have added four tired-looking budgies to the already sad collection of avian specimens"
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Was this website made in China? I think something got lost in translation because the golden rings have been replaced by the Olympic rings – I reckon that the Olympic Committee will have something legal to say about that when they find out"
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="more bloody birds – and vicious ones by the look of it. Two of the geese appear to be snacking on calling birds One goose is on top of another goose and I suspect we either have a gender mix-up and are looking at what is really a gander (haw-haw, an alt-text pun) or the first documented case of lesbian waterfowl. The remaining geese appear to be pursuing the French Hens with lethal intent"
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Whoever developed this website owns shares in the bird business and whoever thought that swans might be a lovely gift is obviously twisted – I thought the geese were nasty. These big white bastards have definitely eaten a pigeon or turtle dove or whatever and are ripping the tail feathers from the lesbian geese – homophobic swans?"
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Birds again? Not! Man this stuff borders on soft porn, if they don’t tone these images down the government’s net nanny filter is going to can the whole site – whoever imagined that maids milked in such, er, ‘diaphanous’ outfits (thanks wiktionary!). Still, not very practical – especially since one maid appears to be struggling to fend off a swan that seems to think that nipples are snails – man I hope she wins ‘cause that’s gonna hurt if the swan gets through"
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="Aaargh my eyes! Jabba the Hutt has sisters, nine of them!"
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="These guys are lords? In what bloody aristocracy? They are leaping though – and wearing tights. Would look kinds nice if you were into that kind of thing. Which I’m not, only just saying it would if you were ‘cause that’s ok and all but I’m not – ok how ‘bout I just leave the alt text at that for this one"
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
alt="these guys are cool – your usual hulking Scotsmen in kilts with bagpipes. Tartan appears to be the Campbell – probably making these army lads. 9 of them are ogling the milk maids – who are returning the admiration. The other two pipers are attempting to make eye contact with the leaping lords. Who knew? And 8 maids with 9 straight pipers – that’s gunna be an interesting resolution."
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree!
alt="blokes with drums. Yup definitely blokes with drums. Rather bland given the all out war going on in the background. Turn’s out those leaping lords were not gay after all and are battling the pipers over the milking maids who in turn are fighting the fat dancers for the last drumstick of goose. Looks like the poultry all came to a bad end as there are swan feathers littering the ground also. Cool. Better than the last alt-text job I got on that ‘three ships’ Christmas carol. The guy who thought that two dozen copies of the same image of three sailing ships was visually appealing is an idiot"
(c) 2009 Grendel
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin is in Perth - Tuesday and Wednesday night and with any luck he'll deliver the most awesome 9-minute-beat-poem in history (spoiler alert - YouTube clip is of said most awesome 9-minute-beat-poem):
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thank You
Thank you Tracy of Barker and Hale for reminding me about the 5-year pump warranty and for having a copy of my receipt.
Thank you Sunbeam for HAVING a 5-year pump warranty.
Thank you Dennis of Godden Electrics for repairing my machine in 48 hours.
Caffeine commencing in 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
Thank you Sunbeam for HAVING a 5-year pump warranty.
Thank you Dennis of Godden Electrics for repairing my machine in 48 hours.
Caffeine commencing in 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
Monday, December 07, 2009
Caffeine induced thoughts
While I love roasting my own coffee, the home coffee roaster with just a jury-rigged setup is always at a disadvantage when roasting compared to a skilled craftsperson using professional roasting equipment.
This isn’t to suggest I am about to stop roasting, far from it, but the variables involved in creating a fine end product are many, and it is a natural consequence of the process at home that it is more difficult to control these in a more casual process.
This weekend I roasted six batches of Santa Cruz de León Cortés, a Costa Rican coffee. Each batch has a slightly different profile and no matter how well I watched the time or the temperature I was never going to have each looking or tasting exactly like the other.
I have no doubt they will all taste good, but some may well be better than others. There is not much I can do other than control what variables I can and maintain a zen-like acceptance of the transient nature of each roast, enjoying its unique and oh-so-brief existence.
I friend of mine has recently purchased a lovely drum roaster and I wish him the joy of it as I think he will quickly master it and produce some wonderful coffee. My own ambitions are somewhat smaller and I hope over the next year to build a larger roaster capable of more consistent product.
Most weeks I do wonder why I roast at all – there is so much good coffee out there on the market that I don’t need to roast it myself. I know one of the reasons that I persist is that roasting help me learn more about coffee. Yes, I many not be able to roast as well as any of the Master Roasters we have in Perth, but I can’t learn as well from only drinking their coffee as I can from roasting myself. I am finding it a good idea to try their roast of the same bean that I am roasting if at all possible. This helps me calibrate my expectations of how the coffee should be and from time to time I manage to surprise myself with my own roasts.
I roast single origins and drink single origins almost to the exclusion of blends, not because I don’t like blends, but more because I need to understand each coffee better than I do now before I can really consider how best to blend it.
Also at the moment I am using a pour-over, a plunger or the Clever Coffee Dripper to make my coffee as my espresso machine is down hard with a bung pump. Single Origins seem to be nicely responsive to the hands on treatment of the espresso-less side of coffee making and I’m happy enough drinking other-than-espresso for a while.
I do have some interesting experiments coming up over summer that I will share with people, including some that might be quite interesting as part of a signature drink for competitions.
It does rely on some equipment I don’t have yet, but should have shortly. I will tell more when there is more to tell!
This isn’t to suggest I am about to stop roasting, far from it, but the variables involved in creating a fine end product are many, and it is a natural consequence of the process at home that it is more difficult to control these in a more casual process.
This weekend I roasted six batches of Santa Cruz de León Cortés, a Costa Rican coffee. Each batch has a slightly different profile and no matter how well I watched the time or the temperature I was never going to have each looking or tasting exactly like the other.
I have no doubt they will all taste good, but some may well be better than others. There is not much I can do other than control what variables I can and maintain a zen-like acceptance of the transient nature of each roast, enjoying its unique and oh-so-brief existence.
I friend of mine has recently purchased a lovely drum roaster and I wish him the joy of it as I think he will quickly master it and produce some wonderful coffee. My own ambitions are somewhat smaller and I hope over the next year to build a larger roaster capable of more consistent product.
Most weeks I do wonder why I roast at all – there is so much good coffee out there on the market that I don’t need to roast it myself. I know one of the reasons that I persist is that roasting help me learn more about coffee. Yes, I many not be able to roast as well as any of the Master Roasters we have in Perth, but I can’t learn as well from only drinking their coffee as I can from roasting myself. I am finding it a good idea to try their roast of the same bean that I am roasting if at all possible. This helps me calibrate my expectations of how the coffee should be and from time to time I manage to surprise myself with my own roasts.
I roast single origins and drink single origins almost to the exclusion of blends, not because I don’t like blends, but more because I need to understand each coffee better than I do now before I can really consider how best to blend it.
Also at the moment I am using a pour-over, a plunger or the Clever Coffee Dripper to make my coffee as my espresso machine is down hard with a bung pump. Single Origins seem to be nicely responsive to the hands on treatment of the espresso-less side of coffee making and I’m happy enough drinking other-than-espresso for a while.
I do have some interesting experiments coming up over summer that I will share with people, including some that might be quite interesting as part of a signature drink for competitions.
It does rely on some equipment I don’t have yet, but should have shortly. I will tell more when there is more to tell!
Friday, December 04, 2009
Changing Hands - Epic
As Tweeted by Matt the master tweeter Epic Espresso was sold last week and Corey had his last day yesterday. Corey Diamond opened Epic in September 2006 and it has been a successful and fascinating cafe.
With an emphasis on intense training and promoting ristretto over espresso Corey and the team created something that was a significant departure from other Perth coffee venues.
I am sure the new owners will bring their own style to the business and add to its richness. I wish them the best of good fortune.
Best wishes to Corey also - I understand he'll be taking a well deserved holiday with his family.
With an emphasis on intense training and promoting ristretto over espresso Corey and the team created something that was a significant departure from other Perth coffee venues.
I am sure the new owners will bring their own style to the business and add to its richness. I wish them the best of good fortune.
Best wishes to Corey also - I understand he'll be taking a well deserved holiday with his family.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
International Day of People with a Disability
Today is the International Day of People with a Disability and I would like to honour all Australians with disability and the contribution that they make to Australian society.
I would also like to recognise those within the specialty coffee industry who contribute in time, money and coffee to supporting many people with disability and organisations who provide assistance to people with disabilities.
The companies I am aware of include:
On top of these are a plethora of generous cafe owners who always seem willing to lend a hand.
Thank you all for making a difference.
If you know of a coffee roaster or cafe, or others in the coffee industry who are employing people with disabilities, or contributing in other ways, can you comment below so that I can add them to the list?
I would also like to recognise those within the specialty coffee industry who contribute in time, money and coffee to supporting many people with disability and organisations who provide assistance to people with disabilities.
The companies I am aware of include:
- European Foods
- Fiori Coffee
- Five Senses
- Rubra Coffee
- Fiori Coffee
On top of these are a plethora of generous cafe owners who always seem willing to lend a hand.
Thank you all for making a difference.
If you know of a coffee roaster or cafe, or others in the coffee industry who are employing people with disabilities, or contributing in other ways, can you comment below so that I can add them to the list?
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Coffee Bias
The history of coffee is a complex web of human interractions around a mild drug that is popular the world over and affordable to most people.
Like most commodities, the coffee market has been used to influence and oppress, to change governments and shape trade relationships.
Usually this has gone against the grower and favoured the trading behemoths in Europe and the United States.
This is changing and while the large companies such as Nestle and Sara Lee hold tight rein over some aspects of the industry still there is a growing understanding among consumers that quality coffee comes from the specialty end of the coffee market.
The internet has played an important role in providing a source of information to consumers about coffee and in helping promote specialty coffee. This has included the rise of groups such as CoffeeSnobs and CoffeeGeek where there is a concentration of all things coffee. CoffeeSnobs is a distinctly Australian expression of the coffee passion and caters for home roasters by being a source of green beans - unroasted coffee.
For many people stumbling across the website of CoffeeSnobs is a revelation, and the number of 'Snobs' is growing rapidly and now approaching 10,000. When I joined in 2006 there were just about 1500 members. It is now a mature organisation with ongoing corporate sponsors and its very own foreign aid program "Faircrack" that has been delivering on its promise of assisting coffee growers in the developing world and so far has purchased milling and other equipment to help growers improve the price they get for their coffee.
It struck me this morning that most of the people that I know are people who are passionate about coffee - not everyone, but most of them, and that includes the people I work with (not in the coffee industry). I have observed what appears to be an increasing trend towards better coffee and in the last three years in my office there has been a proliferation of plungers, pour overs and even grinders and consumption from the the big bad brown tin of doom has decreased considerably.
I've also noticed a fantastic range of coffee being selected, mostly from local roasters of specialty coffee rather than the big supermarket brands. Is this shift towards selecting specialty coffee a general trend? or are my observations a form of confirmation bias? Am I just noticing it more because I am looking for it, in the same way as you start seeing a certain model of car everywhere once you buy one or think about buying one?
Like most commodities, the coffee market has been used to influence and oppress, to change governments and shape trade relationships.
Usually this has gone against the grower and favoured the trading behemoths in Europe and the United States.
This is changing and while the large companies such as Nestle and Sara Lee hold tight rein over some aspects of the industry still there is a growing understanding among consumers that quality coffee comes from the specialty end of the coffee market.
The internet has played an important role in providing a source of information to consumers about coffee and in helping promote specialty coffee. This has included the rise of groups such as CoffeeSnobs and CoffeeGeek where there is a concentration of all things coffee. CoffeeSnobs is a distinctly Australian expression of the coffee passion and caters for home roasters by being a source of green beans - unroasted coffee.
For many people stumbling across the website of CoffeeSnobs is a revelation, and the number of 'Snobs' is growing rapidly and now approaching 10,000. When I joined in 2006 there were just about 1500 members. It is now a mature organisation with ongoing corporate sponsors and its very own foreign aid program "Faircrack" that has been delivering on its promise of assisting coffee growers in the developing world and so far has purchased milling and other equipment to help growers improve the price they get for their coffee.
It struck me this morning that most of the people that I know are people who are passionate about coffee - not everyone, but most of them, and that includes the people I work with (not in the coffee industry). I have observed what appears to be an increasing trend towards better coffee and in the last three years in my office there has been a proliferation of plungers, pour overs and even grinders and consumption from the the big bad brown tin of doom has decreased considerably.
I've also noticed a fantastic range of coffee being selected, mostly from local roasters of specialty coffee rather than the big supermarket brands. Is this shift towards selecting specialty coffee a general trend? or are my observations a form of confirmation bias? Am I just noticing it more because I am looking for it, in the same way as you start seeing a certain model of car everywhere once you buy one or think about buying one?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)