Updates
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Good god people. Boarding a plane is NOT that hard
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If you need 6 trays for your crap at TSA - in ADDITION to two bags - you are a douche.
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@dshen so what do you wear on your feet in HI?
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@dshen not even from the beach to the car?
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Loving both the @appfog weekly roundup (http://t.co/J3yfHZ2G) and the great guest post from @adron! (http://t.co/Y9gaYQWL)
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OH (small child): I like first class because when we land I don't have to wait for THOSE people to get off. #socal
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@tedr you used to think a daiquiri was blended. Now pony up!
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@xeni we have yet to grasp the implications of sacrificing freedom for security. Others have very real experience with this.
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Wow. My twitter mojo is high today. Guy stopped yelling less than 5s after my complaint. Hmmm... what to tweet next...
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Yo! Dude in Room 223 (ie next door)... SHUT THE FUCK UP! (or at least stop shouting at the damn phone)
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"I got my black cat bones all pure and dry I got my 4 leaf clovers all hanging high"
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Really nice piece on scaling GitHub from @holman. http://t.co/JsJ5vxz3
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@justinogarrity hah!
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@tedr not shocked. FB is a black hole
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There are times when you find yourself surrounded by smart capable people asking tough questions. Glory in those rare moments.
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@sogrady interested to hear what you think of the Fred.
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@tedr google
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@sogrady what were the beers?
Posts
December 02, 07:09 PM
Continuing on in the honesty and transparency theme - and hoping this will also prove to be useful for other entrepreneurs - I figured I'd follow up my "what did I learn from OneTrueFan" post with a new bit of sharing.I recently took a new job with another start-up (the amazing AppFog team). How I got to this decision might be valuable to others.After the OneTrueFan acquisition and my departure,
October 03, 02:09 PM
So, in part I of my (slow developing) series on what Agencies can learn from Start-ups, I introduced a whole bunch of issues, lessons and models.As promised, I'm going to start expanding on some of them.First - in an agency it is not okay to fail. Failure is not an option, ever. In a start-up, on the other hand, failing is how you learn and how you get better and how you end up winning. Learning
September 28, 09:00 PM
Note: This is not the complete story. This is just my perspective. I'm hoping the other OneTrueFan folks also feel like posting up their learnings - which will yield a more complete perspective. This is simply me detailing what I (alone) learned from my experience at OneTrueFan. I'm hoping it is complete and most of all honest and transparent. I hope it doesn't make anyone uncomfortable. The goal
September 09, 12:09 PM
So as I mentioned yesterday briefly, OneTrueFan has been bought. I'm very very excited about this deal. The BigDoor guys are great, there is fantastic synergy between the teams - and at the end of the day I think that the two companies combined have a good shot at being one of the two or three winners that come out of this sector. I don't know if I could have honestly said that about OTF as a
September 09, 12:04 PM
OneTrueFan bought by BigDoor.Yup. It's true.Eric and Todd kicked ass. BigDoor made a compelling case. Together the two are better than alone.More soon of course.
June 27, 07:41 PM
-- This is part one of a planned multi-part series --I've been described as a funny-shaped peg. Now... there are a number of valid reasons for this description, but the one that matters for this particular post is that I seem to bounce between the Services world (agencies, consulting firms, design studios, development shops) and the Product world (in particular high tech internet start-ups).
June 23, 04:11 PM
Until Design (and designers) can get beyond trying to settle the "Who is in Charge" question there is no future for Design beyond the rigid borders of the discipline.So the question is - what's really more important? Being in control or having an impact.
June 10, 05:05 PM
-- Full disclosure: I am an employee of OneTrueFan. --Yesterday OneTrueFan released a public preview of the company's Fan Intelligence (aka "Fan-alytics") solution. If you've not seen it, check it out.While this preview is really cool and exciting - I thought it would be interesting to see how much more someone could get out of it with a little more work.In this case, I decided it would be
May 23, 09:23 PM
Pundits and experts tell us that the key emotional strength of an entrepreneur is Passion. In my opinion this is untrue. Passion is in fact vital, but I would argue that it is an outcome of the true key strength. And that is Belief. Belief is what allows us to ignore the odds. Belief is what enables us to fight - again and again. Belief gives us strength and allow us to justify the sacrifices.
May 20, 01:47 PM
Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. But uh, until that day - accept this justice as a gift on my daughter's wedding day. - Vito Corleone, The GodfatherI come from the East Coast - from the tri-state area.I grew up working back of the house in restaurants.Perhaps this is why I believe that doing favors (and being owed favors in return) is a fundamental
May 05, 11:16 AM
Honestly, the only thing I can do is point you in the right direction in this case. The 7 Biggest Lies Out of Digital HollywoodI really wish I'd written this piece. Bravo!
April 06, 06:28 PM
Sometimes you see something on twitter that just HITS you.This is one of them.The new startup team is hacker + hustler + designer. -- @christineLOVE it.
April 04, 01:39 PM
-- This has nothing to do with the general topic of this blog --In the mid 80's I played in various bands on the East Coast.Safety First was not the best band I played in. It was too odd, too low-fi, too weird, too amateur to be the "best." I'm not even that confident it was the most fun band I played in.But it was a special band for me - and a special experience. As a band, I think we were as
March 07, 01:51 PM
Last week I had an interesting opportunity, and it has brought something to my attention that I think is probably worth sharing.I was invited to speak at an event about how to take advantage of Social Media - and how to address the risks of Social Media. I was on a panel with a whole stack of other folks, representing a wide range of perspectives on the topic.Within the first 15 minutes I
December 28, 05:19 PM
A year or so ago I was working with one of the companies in discussions with Google about the design and development of a netbook running ChromeOS. Sadly, we were not selected for the program. Regardless, I was really intrigued by the idea and tracked the development as best I could over time.Given this, it should be no shock that when Google announced a "Pilot program" for testing out a sort of
December 14, 05:46 PM
I have a confession to make.When I first saw Twitter I didn't get it.Actually, not only did I not get it - I though it was a dumb idea doomed to fail.The thing is that, like most people who are like me, I was looking at new internet and technology businesses in terms of their utility. I was evaluating them to see how they were going to make my life easier.This makes sense. It's obvious and
December 02, 03:37 PM
I was asked this morning, "why aren't you beating up on Rupert Murdoch over this whole ridiculous The Daily thing?"My answer was that it's like kicking a man when they're down. Except, in this case, it's like kicking them when they're dead.Seriously, the publishing industry at this point just makes me sad. If their industry were being disrupted by technology that allowed direct brain interfaces,
November 12, 02:03 PM
This has pretty much nothing to do with the normal topics for this blog (though I'll try to relate it in a minute). None the less, I think this is a really important issue and is something that needs attention. Sorry if it's "off topic."I have one thing in common with most other consultants.I travel a lot.This is generally a part of the business of being in services - and especially true for
November 01, 07:45 PM
I've tried to love the iPhone.Really... I've tried.I work on Macs. I only work on Macs. I'd probably refuse to take a job that didn't allow me to work on a Mac.I'm not an Apple fanboy -- I just like working with tools that allow me to get the job done.The trouble is that I want to choose how I use these tools. If I think the best way to peel ginger is with a spoon not a vegetable peeler (which is
September 27, 04:52 PM
Last week I was asked "what is your philosophy when it comes to consulting?"I gave some sort of glib answer.But the question stuck in my brain. And I realized it's actually an important one.So I'm going to try and dignify it with a more cogent answer - or at least the start of an answer. And I'm going to do so by listing the things I believe to be true (and important) in ethical, effective and
September 14, 11:56 AM
One of the primary joys of working with designers is the opportunity to see problem sets from an entirely different angle - to completely change the frame. For me this enables a reshuffling of attributes, components and forces that regularly shakes things loose and allows for a sudden refocusing and more complete grasp and understanding.For this to work - however - I have to be open-minded when
July 16, 01:15 PM
The whole infuriating so-called debate over "Design Imperialism" has annoyed me to the point where I've had to try and stop paying attention. (and no - I'm not linking to any of the drivel on the subject - feel free to use Google).That said... I have no choice but to vent a little - but then also suggest a solution to my issues.VentingThis whole design imperialism argument illustrates one of the
July 07, 08:18 PM
There are a lot of problems in the Design / Agency / Consulting world.Right now one of the big (and growing) ones is what I think of as "the problem of Gaps."What I mean by this is quite simple really - but it's something no-one talks about. Right now the "Gaps" I'm speaking of exist in two planes.First - when we talk about the temporal process that Clients and Agencies go through in creating
June 10, 05:14 PM
I've never really thought of myself as an "Enterprise 2.0" guy.Instead - I think of myself more as the kind of person who can help big companies become more nimble and flexible and forward thinking - and can help small companies become big and aggressive.And then I ended up in the PBworks Top E2.0 Consultants voting.In fact, as I write this, I (@cbtacy) seem to be #12.Being on this list has made
June 07, 03:10 PM
That was one of the weirdest and flattest "big hype" technology events of all time.I'm talking about this morning's Apple WWDC keynote of course. I guess - given the level of hype around these things - it was inevitable that sooner or later we'd see one that simply fell flat. And maybe the leaked / lost / stolen phone made this result a foregone conclusion.But to be honest - after the Android
Posts
January 01, 01:47 PM
2011 in coffee... where do i start?
it was an "interesting" year to say the least.
so let's go through the various highlights, lowlights and "odd" lights from the year.
Trends of the Year
1. Light Roasts. Driven by a range of trends (young coffee professionals differentiating themselves from their mentors, re-adoption of brewed coffee among professionals, scandinavian roasters, ExtractMojo, etc.) 2011 was the year of the light roast. The good results are that fewer and fewer coffees taste like ash-trays and that roasters have less ability to hide inferior and defective beans. The bad results are that many roasters don't have the skills required to light roast coffees well and most of all that we are returning to the age when our messaging to consumers is all about roast degree (rather than flavour etc).
2. Business Investments and Scaling. Stumptown takes a huge chunk of cash from a PE firm in order to scale the business. Much back-biting and smack-talking follows. Then it becomes clear that a bunch of the shit-talking competitors have done the same. It is highly likely that 2012 will continue this trend and introduce a round of consolidation as well, where these capitalized larger artisan coffee businesses proceed to acquire smaller competitors to grow inorganically.
Innovations of the Year
1. VST baskets. These baskets introduced basket design as a serious component of espresso to the coffee world. The research done by the VST crew inspires dozens of others to start looking at the differences between baskets and effects on extraction. In 2012 we should see some additional work done that answers some of the now glaring and obvious questions that have been raised as a result. It is highly likely that we will see a far better understanding of espresso come out of this process - and a number of new baskets that give baristas a far better "quiver" to work with (as opposed to the obviously flawed "one size fits all" model we have at present).
2. EP Sproline groupscreen and screw. While everyone in coffee was talking about the VST baskets and (in some cases) were radically overstating the results of them -- no-one was talking about another new product that was equally innovative and effective. These precision parts also improved extraction and dramatically decreased cleaning and contamination challenges.
Lessons of the Year
1. Espresso and brewed coffee are different. We've gone through a series of massive shifts in the way we think of espresso. From a specific flavour profile beverage to just another method of preparing coffee. At this point it seems like the pendulum has swung too far and espressos are starting to taste simply like a heavily concentrated and reduced cupped coffee. As a result, the primary goal of a "good tasting" beverage seems to have been abandoned by the wayside. The two beverages are different, but should both taste good. They do not, however, need to taste "the same" (especially if "the same" in either case means "bad").
2. Working with growers yields great results. The quality of green coffee from top producers continues to improve - but more importantly, more and more producers are taking the leap to "top producer" status (by quality). In a very large percentage of cases, this leap has been fueled by a collaborative relationship between a roaster and a grower. This direct and collaborative relationship is the emerging model for creation of truly world-class coffees. I'm really happy that more and more roasters are investing in these relationships.
3. Online conversations about coffee are frustrating and largely counterproductive. I've walked away from all coffee websites at this point. Being involved in the discussions on these sites has made me incredibly jaded and cynical about all people involved in all parts of the coffee experience. I chose to disengage because I want to continue to love coffee. I would suggest others consider this if they find themselves starting to hate people who are passionate about coffee.
Hopes for Next Year
1. Fewer sour coffees. In 2011 I had three coffees that were entirely green in the center of the bean (literally unroasted). Two of these coffees came from "highly regarded" roasters. The majority of coffees I evaluated from US roasters in 2011 had between noticeable and severe sourness. When cupping with "taste" professionals (sommeliers etc) who are not coffee pros, the biggest complaint in 2011 was sourness in the cup.
2. More honesty in coffee. People in the coffee world need to stop saying that they like competitors' coffees when they actually dislike them. People in the coffee world need to stop keeping their mouths shut about Sumatran coffee and Monsooned coffees etc etc. Consumers take our dishonesty and our silence as truth and when less reputable coffee companies market negatives as positives, the consumers don't know better. Time to call bullshit on the... well.. bullshit.
3. Better customer service. For the fourth year in a row I hope that this year is the year that going to a good coffee bar in the US is a consistently good experience rather than simply a way for hipsters to judge you as lame and undeserving of their artistic and under-appreciated genius (and luxurious facial hair).
Espressos of the Year
1. Tim Wendelboe Honduras Cielito Lindo Espresso. Showing that a very light roast coffee can still be wonderfully balanced, complete, sweet, fully developed and not sour at all. A revelation.
2. Stumptown Guatemala Finca El Injerto Bourbon Espresso. Perfectly nuanced, balanced, flexible and layered. The first single origin espresso in my memory that I would consider replacing a blend with for "each and every day for the rest of my life" purposes.
Fails of the Year
1. Numerous undrinkable shots of espresso from well-regarded coffee bars. I threw out more shots of espresso from top coffee bars in 2011 than any year before. Quality of espresso served in the top coffee bars in the US seemed in my experience to decline from 2010 to 2011.
2. Numerous severely under-developed coffees. In part, the above "bad espresso" fail was due to the severely under-developed coffees that many baristas were having to work with. As the US coffee world adopted lighter roast coffees, many failed to understand that roasting lighter requires a different approach and profile for roasting. A huge percentage of coffees evaluated in 2011 were under-developed in the roast. Where this become seriously problematic was in espressos - where many coffees were actually impossible to prepare well as a result. I'm hoping that I don't taste a single espresso in 2012 that tastes like piping hot cranberry concentrate with a dash of lab grade citric acid as a topper.
3. Restaurant coffee. Another year where restaurant coffee sucked. Another year where I stupidly tried... again and again. Local favorites, Michelin starred places... all the coffee sucked.
October 04, 05:07 PM
I recently helped a long-time friend (not in the coffee business) with his initial dive into the world of home espresso.
After taking him through some basic training - he commented to me that he didn't expect making coffee to be such an "intellectual pursuit." I asked him what he meant and he replied (and I'm paraphrasing from flawed memory) something like:
I thought that making espresso would be more like an art - with a lot of self-expression going on. But it's not really like that. It's also not like science - because it's really about producing something that tastes good (an inherently subjective goal). It requires right brain and left brain thinking.
He's an engineer by training - who ended up working in marketing for Apple. It should have been no shock that he was producing decent espresso quite quickly given this and his comment above.
So... the Art v Science argument (schism?) has been a long-standing situation in coffee (pro and amateur). But after talking to my friend, I realized that both are false choices. The reality is that it's neither.
Making great coffee is a craft in the truest sense of the word. Keeping this in mind is likely to be a simple trick for determining what really is important and what is not.
September 23, 02:26 PM
I love reading people bitching about the poor quality of espresso they get in coffee bars.
I went to one of the top coffee bars in NYC last week and the espresso I got was terrible. I'm no longer going to coffee bars because I can make better coffee at home.
Some simple logic here...
How did you determine that it was one of the "top coffee bars"? Logic would indicate that it might not be. The reality is that massive percentage of "top" coffee business (according to the interwebs) are total crap.
Every barista (no matter how good they are) pulls a crap shot now and then. Did you try a second shot? If not... logic would indicate you should have.
Just because you got a bad coffee (perhaps an anomaly or perhaps it's a bad coffee business) doesn't mean all coffee bars are bad. This isn't even a logic issue. It's a reason issue.
At the end of the day I can't help but wonder if you're going into coffee bars looking for an opportunity to validate your decision to spend thousands of dollars on coffee equipment for your home and/or get a nice ego stroke (rather than looking to learn about coffee).
September 20, 12:31 PM
I'm not going into details.
Feel free to do a search on the internet if you want to understand.
But rather than emailing all sorts of people... I'm just posting this statement here.
I am not interested in talking to you about how these baskets suck and why you are right in your opinion.
I am not interested in talking to you about how these baskets are revolutionary and why you are right in this opinion.
I am most certainly not interested in talking to you about how those who disagree with you are idiots or are slandering you or are mean and unpleasant.
Do not email me about this.
Do not call me about this.
Do not stop me on the street and talk to me about this.
Comments to this post that attempt to engage in discussion about this goat rodeo will be deleted.
Updated: I'm ashamed of some of you.
June 21, 01:40 AM
I wrote a post about the investment that Stumptown recently raised back a week or so ago.
No... that's not the honest truth.
I wrote a post a week or so ago about how the response to the Stumptown news from within the coffee community illustrated perfectly many of the reasons that I no longer worked in coffee - and which in general took the coffee profession to task for its lack of professionalism and seriousness in business.
But that's another whole topic -- cause I decided it was the wrong thing and the wrong point.
So I decided to wait - and to see what shook out from all this.
So now I have an idea of what people are saying, have said (and probably are going to say). I think I see how this has played out. And I'm going to share my thoughts.
- I used to work at Stumptown.
- I used to work at a Corporate Venture Fund.
- I'm a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple (externally funded) companies (two of which were sold to other companies).
Now, first, I need to put a few caveats first (just to be clear)...
For me, there are two key things about this deal.
First - this is a huge validation for the high-end sector of the speciality coffee market. The fact that a fund like TSG is making a bet on Stumptown at this time says that they see significant potential for growth in the whole sector. This sector has long been ignored not just in the investment world (of course) but in the larger coffee world as well (the "less than 2% of the market" comment has been made a million times). For the other companies that have also been building the space, and for consumers of high-end coffees, this is great news. Sadly - as far as I know this has not be covered in the press. Given that it should be the main story, that makes me both sad and frustrated.
Second - that being said, there is one group of people out there who should be very nervous about this deal. And no... it's not Stumptown customers or Stumptown employees. It's competitors of Stumptown. In looking at the stated and rumored goals (open more retail locations in NYC, open business in Chicago, open business in SF) you can model this out to mean that (if successful) Stumptown will be at least doubling the volume of green coffee they are buying within 24 months. Where is that coffee going to come from? From other high-end roasters. And who will they be selling the roasted coffee to? That's right - customers of other roasters. And who will be working in these new roasteries and new retail locations? Yeah... you get the idea. Combining Stumptown's brand, relationships and expertise with a whole big stack of new capital... yeah, if I were running a competitor I'd be nervous.
Now... after talking to folks and reading all the crazy shit that's been out there - there are a couple things that I feel like I need to comment on. Again... these are just my opinions. But... well... I think I'm probably more right than most people.
To be frank, I'm kind of shocked that Stumptown was able to scale as it did without investment. As far as I know, they were the largest high-end speciality coffee company that didn't have outside investment. I'm guessing that this exact success was one of the main reasons TSG was so attracted to them.
Of course, the deal is also a validation of Stumptown. And that is an important point. No good investors are going to put money into a company based on its success and then destroy what has made it successful.
- I am not writing this based on any sort of "insider information" on the deal. My relationship with TSG is purely second hand, and while I'm still a friend of many folks at Stumptown (including Duane) and a fan of the company and its coffee I'm neither involved with the company nor involved in the deal in any way. In fact, my guess is Duane and the Stumptown family are going to probably wish I'd not said anything.
- This is purely my opinion based on the points listed above under Perspective. In other words - I'm writing this as pure speculation (like everything else written in this thread -- and for that matter in the various press pieces covering this deal to date).
For me, there are two key things about this deal.
First - this is a huge validation for the high-end sector of the speciality coffee market. The fact that a fund like TSG is making a bet on Stumptown at this time says that they see significant potential for growth in the whole sector. This sector has long been ignored not just in the investment world (of course) but in the larger coffee world as well (the "less than 2% of the market" comment has been made a million times). For the other companies that have also been building the space, and for consumers of high-end coffees, this is great news. Sadly - as far as I know this has not be covered in the press. Given that it should be the main story, that makes me both sad and frustrated.
Second - that being said, there is one group of people out there who should be very nervous about this deal. And no... it's not Stumptown customers or Stumptown employees. It's competitors of Stumptown. In looking at the stated and rumored goals (open more retail locations in NYC, open business in Chicago, open business in SF) you can model this out to mean that (if successful) Stumptown will be at least doubling the volume of green coffee they are buying within 24 months. Where is that coffee going to come from? From other high-end roasters. And who will they be selling the roasted coffee to? That's right - customers of other roasters. And who will be working in these new roasteries and new retail locations? Yeah... you get the idea. Combining Stumptown's brand, relationships and expertise with a whole big stack of new capital... yeah, if I were running a competitor I'd be nervous.
Now... after talking to folks and reading all the crazy shit that's been out there - there are a couple things that I feel like I need to comment on. Again... these are just my opinions. But... well... I think I'm probably more right than most people.
- the idea that Duane is going to "cash out" and leave in a year or two is something that only someone who doesn't know him could ever come up with. The man has no hobbies. His entire life is coffee and Stumptown. He truly loves what he does - and he loves Stumptown. In the time I worked at Stumptown he never took a vacation longer than a 3 day weekend that I can remember. There is absolutely no way that he would (or perhaps could) do something else (and that includes not working). As a result, I feel like we can absolutely assume that his motivation was something other than "cashing out" -- which fundamentally changes the structure and tenor of the deal (given that it changes the motivation).
- everything I hear says that Stumptown was doing better financially than it ever had before. In other words, financial hardship (another common motivator for capitalization deals like this) was not the driver.
- given this, I have to assume that the motivation was in fact capitalization for growth and opportunity. This makes sense to me. Duane used to always say he wanted to bring great coffee to everyone in the world who loved things that taste good.
- now, while it's entirely possible that TSG was talking to other roasters in order to pursue a roll-up strategy, it's perhaps more likely that this was simply a pricing and competition exercise for TSG. I know it sounds sleazy but many serious investors do it. I've done it. Yeah... it causes bad feelings if the companies that are not the investment target take things personally and feel like they were either used or jilted in the process. That's life. That's business.
- as noted at the start, my relationship with TSG is purely second hand (I have friends who know them, who are at companies that have worked with them or co-invested, etc). That said, once I heard about the deal I asked around and came back with 100% positive responses. And - just to be clear - in the PE world that is not common. In fact, an associate I know at one of the most highly regarded early stage VC funds said that TSG was his dream gig. And the reputation that Alex Panos had amongst these folks was equally impressive.
- so... Very good investment firm puts money into thriving growing private company because that company wants to grow rapidly in an expanding new market. Pretty damn common, yeah? And I think we can at this point say that the usual rules, metrics and models of a deal like that probably also apply to this particular deal, okay?
To be frank, I'm kind of shocked that Stumptown was able to scale as it did without investment. As far as I know, they were the largest high-end speciality coffee company that didn't have outside investment. I'm guessing that this exact success was one of the main reasons TSG was so attracted to them.
Of course, the deal is also a validation of Stumptown. And that is an important point. No good investors are going to put money into a company based on its success and then destroy what has made it successful.
The vast majority of people have no idea what Private Equity or Venture Capital are, how they work, what the goals are, what the motivations are, or what the people working in those fields are like. They are sharing opinion based on a combination of ignorance and misinformation. To compound matters... they tend to have an automatic and innate distrust or dislike of these investors and take the results of ignorance and misinformation and filter through this distrust / dislike. Investors like this are professionals. They're not stupid.
Given all that I have walked you through above, I think we can assume that the thinking behind this deal is simple.
At least... that's my perspective and (unfounded and speculative) opinion.
Oh... also... I used to write for the NYTimes.
I believe strongly in journalistic ethics.
Suffice it to say that there are people who have been involved in the coverage of this "story" who should not only be ashamed but should not ever be considered in any way "journalists" of any sort.
- Stumptown has kicked ass to date
It has done so with no external capitalization (straight bootstrapping)
The entire market sector is primed to grow over the next 5-7 years
Stumptown is best positioned to take advantage of that
Let's accelerate Stumptown's growth to take advantage of these circumstances.
This will result in Stumptown being the dominant player in a newly expanded market sector at the end of this time period.
To do this, let's use external capital (investment) in order to massively expand Stumptown's geographic footprint.
At least... that's my perspective and (unfounded and speculative) opinion.
Oh... also... I used to write for the NYTimes.
I believe strongly in journalistic ethics.
Suffice it to say that there are people who have been involved in the coverage of this "story" who should not only be ashamed but should not ever be considered in any way "journalists" of any sort.
May 08, 12:43 PM
So everyone is excited about the news baskets hitting the market, in particular the VST baskets that are coming with the new LM Strada.
I have been testing the various prototypes of this basket as well as the new baskets from Espresso Parts.
I now have production versions and will continue to evaluate.
My first observations are:
- both produce noticeably better clarity in the cup,
- both enable FAR better consistency cup to cup
- the Strada baskets require slight changes to dose and grind size (reducing both) for optimal results
- the EP baskets seem to be better at handling coffees that respond best to updosing (while the Strada baskets seem better with coffees that require down-dosing)
I'm loving both - but am very glad that I have each.
April 11, 12:23 PM
A quick message to the folks working at and running the high end, quality focused craft coffee companies in the US.
I know that a lot of you think espresso is "over".
I know that the cool new thing is the V60. Or is it the Aeropress? Wait... syphon? Well... let's just say that brewed coffee is the new hotness for you all.
I get it.
But here is the thing...
Your customers still drink espresso.
Some of us (shocking I know) actually prefer espresso to brewed coffee.
So the fact that some of you are either ignoring your espresso or half-assing your espresso pretty much sucks.
It's unprofessional and it is disrespectful of your customers.
We want good espresso.
Espresso in the US has, in my opinion, declined in quality over the last 2 years. There are exceptions, of course, but in general I can conclusively say that the espresso I've tasted over the last 6 months (from many of the "best" roasters in the United States) is worse than it was 2 years ago.
Don't be lazy.
Don't be selfish.
Make good espresso.
April 06, 01:21 PM
So this morning was my first day with the incredible Espressoparts La Marzocco GS.
After the epic with the electrician, Kyle from Ritual was kind enough to assist with an install last night -- which turned out to be a good thing given some complications in programming the controller.
So this morning I (finally) had a chance to make espresso with the machine. I will write up more complete thoughts next week after I live with the machine a bit more - and have some photos to share - but I thought I'd share initial impressions now.
First -- I truly do have the dream home setup. It's insane and unbelievable and I have to periodically shake my head. My luck... it's ridiculous. I'm undeserving. Truly.
Second -- I'm having to remember how to make espresso on a commercial machine. For all of this being a smaller one-group machine, it's still a true commercial piece of equipment.
Third -- I had one of the best shots of Stumptown Hairbender I've had in a very long time. Incredible coating and viscous mouthfeel, lovely cherry chocolate stonefruit flavours. Stunning finish and aftertaste.
Fourth -- there are some things that the Italians do very well - and this machine demonstrates that. Producing very high quality espresso is dramatically easier than it was with the Monster Mia (which was one of the easier machines to work on already).
Fifth -- there are some things that Italians are mystifyingly bad at. Why the hot water spout is out to the side of the machine (where it doesn't drain into the drip tray) is truly bizarre. And steaming milk with this wand is both challenging and exciting.
Sixth -- goddamn do Terry Z and his Espressoparts crew do a good job. While this GS is an "authentic" piece of gear, it's so cleverly updated and restored that it keeps all this was good and wonderful while modernizing what needs to be improved -- and does so in a manner that is cool, functional and gorgeous all at once.
I think I'm in love.
March 30, 08:39 PM
Stumptown opens shop in Chicago.
That's right folks... the pride of Portland is going straight into Intelligentsia's backyard.
Who wins?
We do.
That's right... you know that this means Intelli is going to step it up. Their coffee will get better, their green will get better, their roasting will get better... And you have to know that Stumptown is going to be bringing their A game.
I'm so incredibly envious. The coffee lovers in Chicago are going to have it so good! Damn.
Things to ponder:
- Will Intelli Chicago be able to keep their best employees?
- Will Stumptown's indy punk rock vibe sell in the midwest?
- Will Intelli open in Portland?
- Will Stumptown go for a beer and wine license?
- Will Intelli try to better leverage Ecco now?
- Will Stumptown be Stumptown without bike messengers?
- Who will Alinea use?
Break out the popcorn.
This is going to be fucking EPIC!!!
March 23, 08:21 PM
I am the luckiest person in the world.
For many reasons.
Today just brought me another reason.
One of the greatest people in the coffee business (Terry Z of Espressoparts) - who also built out the Monster Mia I've been using for the past few years - is world renowned for his work with vintage espresso machines. I've admired these gorgeous restorations and rebuilds for years now.
I adore everything about this machine.
The classic 70s Italian design... the orange and brown color scheme... the skateboard wheels...
It's one of the greatest espresso machines (the La Marzocco GS), and thanks to Terry and his Merry (mad)Men - this one is comparable to the most modern machines now.
Check out the gorgeous portafilter handle.
drool...
I said it had been modernized, right?
Clean and pro...
I've said it before and I'll say it again... Espressoparts does fucking AMAZING work.
March 07, 01:12 PM
This is a hugely important step for the coffee industry and I am so incredibly happy about it happening.
What am I talking about?
Go check out Coffee Common.
Stumptown. Intelligentsia. Square Mile. Counter Culture. George Howell. And on. And on. I mean... just look at that list!
I've long decried the lack of collaboration in the industry. I've pointed out time and time again that a rising sea raises ALL boats. I've tried to explain that a common voice about coffee issues and consumer education would leave the coffee companies that are trying to do the right thing less vulnerable to the misinformation spread by the other (cynical and unethical) coffee companies.
And for the longest time none of the leading companies were willing to even consider the idea. They saw this as a competitive issue.
But now... it's happening.
And I am so incredibly happy about this.
Brent... Tim... Sean... Stephen and Brian. Thank you!
Duane, Doug, James, George, Peter and all the other leaders within the various coffee companies involved. Thank you!
Coffee consumers. Coffee professionals.
Get involved with this. Read it. Explore it.
And celebrate it.
This could be the start of something special.
January 31, 01:02 PM
So, the demo Anfim is boxed up and about to be shipped away.
And this morning was my first morning with the Robur back on the counter.
As a result, this gives me a chance to revisit my Anfim vs Robur at home thoughts.
To sum it up simply... if I had to recommend one of the two to a home barista I would absolutely recommend the Anfim. It's simply easier to work with and wastes far less coffee than the Robur. In fact, the only real negative of the Anfim for the home (as compared to the Robur) is that there are some coffees that I was never able to get optimal shots with. The stepped grinder adjustment meant that there were three times where the ideal extraction fell between steps.
Of course... both of these grinders are obscene overkill for the home. But if you're the kind of person who thinks too much is just the right amount - then I'd seriously suggest the new Anfim over the Robur.
January 03, 03:55 PM
Rather than doing a retrospective analysis of 2010 (too obvious and there are people better than me at doing this), or doing a set of predictions for 2011 (my ego isn't THAT big) - I'm instead going to share my hopes for coffee in 2011.
I'm going to structure this quite simply...
What I hope happens with coffee in 2011
1 - Better focus on customer experience
2 - A move away from elitism
3 - Better consistency
4 - The pendulum swings on espresso
Customer Experience
If, as a semi-outsider, I were to rank the perceived focus for top US (artisan) coffee companies, it would look something like:
- Volume of sales
- Green bean purchasing and management
- Marketing (coolness, buzz, brand, etc)
- Preparing coffee the right way
- Roasting
We now have a situation where customer experience is (depending on the company) anywhere from inconsistent to terrible. I've been to retail locations for almost all the top US coffee businesses. I've literally never had a "great" customer experience. In any of them. Ever.
At this point the customer experience almost always lags so far behind the quality of the coffee that it's insulting to the coffee. Seriously.
Folks... we need to fix this. Let's start by trying to understand who our actual customers are. Then we should probably figure out what they want from us. And what kind of experience they hope to have. Then we can determine what kind of experience they're actually getting - where the big gaps and failures (on our part) are - and can take steps to solve the problems.
But, to do so, one thing has to change first. Note the above "... big gaps and failures (on our part)." Right now we blame the customers. Always. And that's fucked up. Until we fix this - we can't fix anything else.
Elitism
Coffee has always had a problem with elitism. It's an industry that - to many - seems driven by not only the need to be considered "elite" but also by the need to constantly redefine the criteria by which one is considered elite. This results in tiers of greater and greater elitism and a junior high school clique behavior that is at best irritating and at worst highly destructive.
This elitism creates some of the customer experience problems that coffee has (similar to the behavior you get from the clerks at a vinyl record store). But it also creates problems within the coffee industry. It's distracting, it creates unneeded conflict. It's just lame. You aren't really that fucking cool.
Consistency
The lack of consistency in coffee is increasingly troubling for me. At this point in time, customers of the best US coffee companies shouldn't be getting dramatically different roasts of the same coffee on subsequent days. Two back to back shots of the same espresso shouldn't taste like completely different coffees. In some ways I think consistency has actually gone down in the last year or two for the top companies.
What I'd really like to see is not the above minimum level of consistency, but actual consistency at a higher level. I'd like to see these coffee companies have consistently good coffee across all coffees and all roasts over time. I'd like to see them buying consistently good green. And I'd like to see coffee prepared to consistent standards and quality (at least within their own business) across all coffees and all staff.
This is where the commodity speciality coffee companies are killing the artisan ones. Sure, Peet's coffee is usually not good. But it is 100% consistent in how it's not good. If you know how you like it - it will always be that way.
Espresso
Life is all about watching the pendulum swing - and go past it's optimal point. By overshooting again and again we get a better idea of accurate targeting.
This is true with coffee as well. And right now, the pendulum has swung too far when it comes to espresso. We can see the obvious drivers (a return to brewed coffee, single origin espresso, better equipment, baristas becoming roasters / green bean buyers, etc) but what's important is to look at the results. I'd honestly say that (for the top coffee companies in the US) the espresso over all has become less pleasurable over the last 2 years. It's become more interesting, for sure, but it's not as enjoyable.
It would be worthwhile I think to start reconsidering desired flavour profile in creating espresso. The current models (particularly the "nothing but sweet and tart" model) seem to rarely produce espresso that is actually something you'd enjoy drinking every day.
So... those are my hopes.
Do I think we're going to do any of them or see any of them being addressed?
I have no idea - but I can dream now can't I.
December 03, 01:59 PM
So I've been running a little experiment over here.
You see - due to the combination of thanksgiving chaos and work chaos I screwed up recently and didn't backflush my machine for a couple of days. Those who know me have heard endlessly about the importance of a clean machine - and about how I backflush with detergent daily. In this case, however, I didn't have the chance. Sure, I rinsed - but no full clean.
On the third day, I pulled a shot of Ecco espresso and got a very unusual flavour profile. The shot was incredibly chocolate-dominant. I realized that the shot tasted the way home baristas on the internet keep describing "comfort food espresso" tastes. Various folks have described espressos ranging from the Four Barrel to Stumptown to even Ecco in this manner. I never really got this profile and assumed that it was either due to different prep or just the subjectivity of taste.
Home baristas also seem to clean their machines rarely.
Hmm... I wondered... could there be a causal relationship here?
So I've been experimenting with a dirty machine. And the results are very interesting.
First of all, almost all the espressos I've tasted end up tasting similar. They mostly turn into chocolate dominant shots with very little clarity or separation of flavours. Fruit notes are preserved although often translated into darker (or dried) versions of the same flavour.
Secondly, while I think that in milk drinks this profile is often very nice - I feel like the uniqueness of the espressos is lost (the coffee is "dumbed down" in a sense). I could see how someone coming from a coffee background that is based on roast flavours might like this.
Third, the results are pretty much universal for blends. For single origin shots, however, the results seem to be more positive with some regions (Brazil and Ethiopia for example) and far less positive with others (in particular with more delicate central american coffees).
Finally, this seems to work best with lighter roasted coffees. Darker roasted coffees seem to "foul" the machine more quickly - yielding shots that taste dirty and "fish oil" nasty.
I think this is a good example of needing a similar context and perspective in order to share opinions. I know understand why a lot of home baristas describe some coffees the way they do. I understand why most home baristas feel cleaning daily is a waste of time. I even understand (a bit better) why some coffees are so prized by home baristas.
Personally, I'm glad to have the experiment over. I'm looking forward to a nice, transparent and clean coffee tomorrow.
November 30, 01:53 PM
I'm glad to be able to announce that my long dreamed of product is now available.
For those who know me, you've probably been subjected to my excited ramblings about the 33Beers book / journal (and its companion the 33Wines version). Some of you might have heard me say that there should be a coffee version of this lovely and useful tasting notes keeper.
Well... now there is.
Dave (of 33 Books) has done an amazing job creating what I think is the single best tool for tracking and managing your coffee tasting experiences.
For me this is an absolute "must have" item for those who love coffee, taste coffee a lot and who care about coffees.
It's important to note that, while the book would be very valuable for pros, it's designed for consumer use. It's easy to understand and easy to use. It's affordable and fits in your pocket.
Full disclosure time: While I am not affiliated with 33Books and have no financial arrangement with or compensation from 33Books or 33Coffees, I did provide advice on the content development for 33Coffees. And Dave is a friend of mine.
November 18, 03:45 PM
Now that was a nice table!
I just had the opportunity to cup a dozen coffees from various roasters - and it was a very good experience.
Inspired by some conversations with Mat Honan - he, Jim Kennedy, Doug Jamison and I got together to compare a whole bunch of coffee from various roasters. The idea was to bring together disperate perspectives and points of view (journalist covering the space, wine and food professional, home coffee fanatic turning pro, pro coffee guy turned home fanatic) and see what we learned.
Coffees cupped were from Intelligentsia, Sightglass, Stumptown, Blue Bottle, Ecco and Four Barrel. This list was not selected for any specific reason - but rather based on roasters we wanted to check out. Cupping was blind, in random order.
I'm sure Mat is going to blog about his experience - but I have to say it was really cool to have another (new) perspective. And - to be honest - it was great to see him soaking up knowledge like a sponge.
In my usual manner I guess I'll start with the good news. It was a great table and there were four coffees on the table that were truly world class and which we were unanimous in our admiration of.
The top four coffees (in no order) were:
Intelligentsia Ethiopia Sidama Homecho Waeno - The shocker of the table. None of us would have identified the coffee as a Sidama. Wonderfully clean sophisticated in the cup. Buddha hand, light dried fruits, crisp tropical citrus and a wonderfully round and almost oily mouthfeel.
Stumptown Kenya Ngunguru - Stunningly sweet and dense, this coffee was another that was top two for all cuppers. Blackberry molasses, kumquat marmalade, tropical fruit and an amazing buttery thick mouthfeel. Layered flavours that keep opening as it cools.
Ecco Kenya Kangocho - A wonderful and complete cup that improved considerably as it cooled and ended up as one of everyone's top two coffees. Nuanced and balanced notes of bitter orange, blackberry, pluot / apricot and light cassis.
Stumptown Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Tumticha - Another cup that improved as it cooled. Tons of jasmine and assam tea melded with sweet berry notes and a crisp grape-like acidity that rounds and mellows as it opens up. A very elegant cup.
All four of these coffees were truly amazing (stopping most of us in our tracks each time while cupping).
For the bad news... every single roaster had a "problem coffee." I guess the good news is that only one of these problem coffees was problematic at a green coffee level - and only two (out of twelve) were what we decided we'd call "objectionable."
The rest were minor or slight roast defect issues that impacted the quality of the cup.
So... what did we learn from this experience?
First - I continue to be impressed by the results from cupping blind with a cross section of divergent perspectives. While this isn't how I'd evaluate coffees in a professional setting, it is an amazingly powerful tool for learning.
Second - related to the first point above... non-coffee people have far more tolerance for scorching, tipping - over-roasting defects you could say - than they do for under-development. A coffee that coffee pros would consider ashy or smoky and thus objectionable isn't seen as that bad - while a coffee that might be slightly under-developed (but still enjoyable) by the pros is seen as "harsh" and "sour" by the non-pros. Given some of the trends in the industry, this could be a growing problem soon.
Third - I wish that more journalists covering coffee were willing to engage and discuss and share the learning process about coffee in a manner like Mat just did. I think it would yield huge dividends (for all of us).
Fourth - Steel Pulse is very good cupping music. Almost on par with Prince.
October 11, 02:35 PM
As mentioned earlier, I was lucky enough to be selected as one of the judges for the coffee track of the Good Food Awards.
I was honored and flattered by my inclusion - and a bit intimidated by the list of other judges. As a result, I went into the experience looking to learn as much as I could from the opportunity.
In the end - that was a good thing, as there was an enormous amount in the process and experience for me to learn from.
A day later - with marginal time to think and digest I admit - it feels like there are a couple really big take-aways (for me) from this amazing experience.
Taste truly is subjective
I have, for years now, told everyone that taste is subjective and that universal pronouncements about taste are pointless and incorrect and perhaps destructive.
But this event brought home not only how true this really is - but also how little I'd actually accepted the truth of the statement.
It was incredible to see a single coffee get scored 90+ points by one judge and 80 or below by another -- and to have each judge present a compelling, rational and well-reasoned argument for why their scoring was correct. It's amazing to realize that both judges can, in fact, be correct -- despite this enormous disparity in judged value.
It was even more incredible to see these judges make their arguments - while respecting the differing opinions.
This made me realize that while taste is (really and truly) subjective - opinion is not of equal value. Someone presenting a clear and complete and logical argument for why something I hate is actually good results in my respecting their opinion and the truth in their judgement (while not changing my own opinion at all). On the other hand, someone agreeing with me but being unable to give any clear and enunciated explanation for why has little to no validity.
The so-called "under-development epidemic" might be overstated
Development (full, under, "proper") was definitely a topic of discussion - and was a source of enormous controversy at times. But the number of coffees that were severely under-developed (in my opinion) was actually quite small. Out of 51 coffees, there were probably less than 10 that were really under-developed and fewer than 5 were severely so.
Now... what was most interesting is that there was only once coffee (to my recollection) that was under-developed and was an average or inferior green coffee. The under-developed coffees were more likely to be very (very) high quality green. This is (obviously) a concern. But it also points to a possible conclusion - that much of the under-development of these coffees is due to fear or timidity when roasting.
That being said - the controversy around under-development was very real - and there were judges on both sides of the argument.
Technique is objective, style is subjective
Perhaps the single largest challenge of judging this event was figuring out how to approach the stylistic differences issues.
There are styles of coffee that each of us prefer - and styles that each of us doesn't like. I (for example) really don't like dark roast indonesian coffees. That is a stylistic preference.
The problem is that there are those who love that style. So how does one judge a style that you simply don't prefer?
In the end - I had no choice but to try and judge against the style rather than just my preference. In other words, I tried to look at the coffees and evaluate the technique behind the coffee rather than the style of the coffee.
So a well-executed dark roast east african natural (while not to my own taste) would score well if the technique were ideal and the beans well selected (again for that style).
The idea is that the technique of roasting (the craft) should be universal and tangible - while the style of the coffee can be personal and subjective.
This is not the way any of us have been trained to cup - and it's a hard shift to make.
The largest problem in US coffee is old green
It was shocking to me (and I think to many of the judges) to encounter so much past-crop or baggy or just old green coffee. I think I probably cupped more baggy coffee yesterday than I've cupped in the last 2 or 3 years.
The old coffee issue was (for me at least) more of a problem than roast degree and more of a problem than dirty coffees and more of a problem than any stylistic differences.
If I were going to give one single piece of feedback to roasters in the US based on this event it would be, "stop buying / selling old coffee." I don't know if the issue is that roasters are buying more than they can sell before the coffee goes off - or if the roasters are buying old baggy coffee from the importers. But it doesn't really matter in the end. What matters is that the consumer is being sold inferior coffees.
If roasters want to move the needle the most with the least effort - this is where they should focus. Stop selling old coffee.
Finally, a couple side notes.
1 - The judges were amazing. Honestly, it was amazing to cup and have these conversations with such incredible people. I am not worthy. I was probably the least experienced cupper of all the judges. But I was welcomed by all. It was great. Thank you.
2 - I have to give huge props to the folks responsible for this event. To the organizing committee... to the volunteers... you all rock. And big thanks to Peter Guiliano for your fantastic facilitation efforts and to the crew who worked all day Saturday to select the top 50 for us to judge. Most of all, it absolutely could not have happened without the incredible hard work of Brent and Mie. Thank you too so much.
October 09, 01:36 PM
I'm incredibly honored to be judging the coffee category for the Good Food Awards.
But I'm also quite nervous. If you look at the list of people I'm judging with - the bar's being set quite high. I'm confident in my palate as a general rule - but this is a whole different ball game.
On the other hand, it's also a chance for me to learn a ton. Some of the coffee cuppers I most respect in the world will be judging with me - and that's an incredible opportunity for me.
I'm planning on posting some thoughts on the experience, the coffees, etc - probably later this coming week. With luck I'll be able to steal some of Tonx's photos to illustrate....
September 27, 05:46 PM
Anyone who pays attention to coffee will have noticed the (welcome) trend away from darker roasted coffee in the high end ("craft") segment of the speciality market.
It's incredibly nice to be able to taste the coffee - rather than just tasting the roast. It's incredibly nice to be able to experience more of the full range of flavours the coffee can represent (rather than tiny permutations on a roast flavour profile).
But all is not rosy in the world.
I've been quietly talking to various folks in the coffee industry for a bit about some of the negative experiences I've been having with coffee recently. I tweeted about this a little while back when I noted that there seems to be an "epidemic" of underdeveloped coffees.
Now Vince (the genius behind ExtractMojo) has shared his own (scientific) insights into this topic. In this (fantastic) post, Vince clearly illustrates that the (sensory) perception that I (and many others) have noted can be quantified and measured. We now have evidence to back up opinion.
Given this... here are some quick observations and opinions on the topic (in no particular order).
- While underdevelopment is in no way tied to light roast degrees, roasting light is harder than roasting dark. I've had underdeveloped coffees roasted to a Full City+ roast degree - and I've had coffees that were roasted to a Cinnamon degree and were wonderfully and fully developed. But it does seem like a lot of the underdeveloped coffees come from folks who are (bluntly) still learning how to roast to a light degree.
- That being said, there are even more underdeveloped coffees coming out of roasters who only think in terms of roast degree and have a black and white simplistic view of coffee (light roast degree == good; darker == bad). These roasters do not seem to have "development" on their list of things to care about.
- There is a large segment of the coffee industry that follows short-term trends. These folks seem to be following the over-simplified "light roast degree == good" roasters without really thinking about the implications.
- A huge challenge is that there is a somewhat large (and vocal) group who are unquestioning cheerleaders of the "light == good" school. I've had folks defend severely underdeveloped coffees with statements like "grassy can be good - like fresh cut lawns" and "well that coffee just tastes like lemon and artificial sweetener."
- And of course - perhaps the largest challenge is the (never-ending) culture in speciality coffee of not airing dirty laundry in public (and never speaking ill of your competitors). This lack of honesty continues to do immeasurable damage to the entire industry.
I'm really glad that Vince wrote this piece.
Given the credibility he has in the industry - I honestly believe that the simple "that's just your opinion" knee jerk response can now be dispensed with.
It's time for us to address this issue.
It's a real, legitimate, problem.
And we need to be honest about it.
September 14, 07:01 PM
James from Square Mile sent me some coffee last week.
Now... he's sent coffee before. And I've always liked it. In some cases a lot.
And the coffees of theirs I had in London were excellent.
But seriously. Nothing prepared me for this.
It was called Sweet Shop.
And it was amazing.
Sadly, this was a single batch. From a single day. And there is no more.
Sadly, because it was one of my favorite espressos ever.
It was one of the most heavily fruited espressos I've ever had - and not fruit in the thin sharp green way that you get some times. And not one massive single fruit flavor. No... this was a deep and rich and heavy and ridiculously sweet coffee with layers upon layers of different fruit. From blackberry molasses to cassis jellies. From pear hard candy to butterscotch toffee. From kumquat to raspberry to apricot to melon. It was all there. And all anchored by a spine of red wine and leather with a semi-sweet cocoa finish.
Absolutely stunning.
Not a coffee I'll soon forget.
September 10, 02:51 PM
While I'm sure that some folks (especially those in Seattle and in Chicago) would argue, I think most of us would agree that Portland has had a special role in the high end of (what I'd call artisan) coffee in the US.
Many of us would argue that Portland was the driving force for artisan coffee over the past 5 or more years.
I've always wondered, "why Portland?"
I mean.... it's kind of weird for such an obscure town to have such an out-of-scale impact.
I've run through all sorts of theories - but in retrospect I think I was simply too close to the situation to see the realities.
Now that I've been gone from Portland and gone from coffee for a while - I think I have more perspective. And a recent trip up there (I think) has kind of proven the point.
I think I'm starting to figure it out.
So... why Portland.
To explain I'm going to tell a couple of stories first.
The first night I was there we were wrapping up late dinner at Biwa and it was suggest we go check out Tommy Habetz' new place Bunk Bar. Tommy is a bad-ass cook and chef who's run a couple of my favorite kitchens in Portland. He's the kind of guy who pretty much could be cooking anywhere and doing anything. When I asked a little more about Bunk Bar I was told that it's a bar where they have a walk up window that sells sandwiches. A little confused but intrigued I said this sounded good and off we went. Late night, bar, waterfront, packed with a mix of hipsters and folks just out drinking... you can imagine the scene. And sure enough, walk up window with a sandwich menu. But OMFG the sandwich. Pork Belly Lettuce and Tomato. The sort of BLT that the gods eat when they're hanging out on Mt Olympus. A sort of Elizabethan ideal of the BLT.
The second day I was there we decided to grab a beer after lunch and went by Apex. Apex is a beer bar. And that's all. It's clean and airy and open. Their beer menu is insane - some sort of madman is curating that list because it's just not normal. Your average person (someone who is not a beer fanatic) would be entirely confused and might not even realize that the place was serving beer. There were beers from everywhere - including a beer from the Bay Area that I can't find on tap here. In San Francisco. The lines were clean, the bartender knowledgable - and the beer was about 2/3 or 1/2 what I'd pay for it here.
These are both successful businesses.
As are other places in Portland like Pok Pok (incredible thai food without the usual standards like Pad Thai and with half the seating outside in a shed) and Le Pigeon (where they're likely to play Ramones in the dining room and serve the best beef bourguignon in the US).
These are places that do things that seem crazy at a business level. That make no sense. That violate some of the things we assume are business rules. And yet they're successful.
It's clear there is a pattern here.
Things are working in Portland that we all think shouldn't work.
So the question becomes... is Portland just different? Do the rules not apply to Portland? Or are we wrong about the rules?
This last trip made me realize something.
Some of these crazy ideas fail - even in Portland.
But Portland is the kind of safe place where you can still try the crazy ideas. Portland is the place that says "rules are bullshit - do what you want to."
The people in Portland don't judge if the idea is crazy - they just try it and see if they like it. They've got a sort of indy / DIY thing going on that's deeply embedded in the culture there.
So there is a kind of "why the fuck not" attitude there that allows (and even encourages) people to try crazy shit.
Plus... it's cheap there so there isn't so much financial risk.
But... none of this says that the rules simply don't apply to Portland.
It's simply that Portland is a really great petri dish.
So from this - it's hard not to conclude that, in fact, the rules do apply to Portland and Portland is where we're figuring out that some of what we think are rules are lies.
And that is why Portland is so important to coffee in the US. Because 10 years ago all of us in coffee were following the rules. And the rules were 75% lies. But we didn't know that. We were blind. But there were some crazy people in Portland who either didn't know the rules or didn't care about the rules. And now we all know that most of those rules were bullshit. And freed from those rules - coffee in the US has exploded.
It's no shock that the paid shills for traditional coffee are out in force saying that what we're all doing is wrong (and evil). Just as it's no shock that we're angry at them for lying to us for so long.
And for that... we own a debt of gratitude not just for all the people who've ignored these rules - but also to that crazy petri dish that we call Portland for allowing us to experiment and discover.
Personally... I can't wait to see what Portland spits out next!!!
September 03, 09:58 PM
I'm just back from Portland OR and it's clear I need to post about it.
Less about the coffee, however, and more about the place / people / culture / market.
I need to formulate my thoughts and then will write something up.
I will - however - say this much (as a teaser)...
Apex is one of my favorite beer bars in the world.
The Pork Belly Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich at Bunk Bar is sick.
To understand why coffee in Portland is what it is, you need to understand the weird mix of DiY/indy and taste/flavor and passion/craziness that drives people who create places like Apex and Bunk Bar (and Pok Pok and Le Pigeon and and and). And you need to understand the people in Portland and why the support these lovely lunatics.
Let me ponder and expect something odd soon.
August 31, 04:03 PM
So... as if it were not absurd enough for me to have done a review of the Robur grinder at home (see here for final conclusions) now I'm going to spend some time sharing thoughts on the Anfim Super Caimano (modified).
This is the new v2.0 modified Super Caimano (digital timer, cooling fan, some changes to things like the number of adjustments available for the grind, slower speed motor, purge button).
I've been using it for about a week now, and have some initial conclusions. I'll break these down into three sections. First - the grinder. Second - the grinder at home. Third - the grinder vs the Robur.
The Grinder
For someone (like me) used to Mazzer grinders, the Anfim takes some getting used to. It's a stepped adjustment grinder. It's much smaller than the Robur. The doser feels "weird" at first. Figuring out the whole digital timer thing seemed fiddly and tweedly at first.
Once you get used to it - you start to see the strong points of the grinder (and the weaknesses start to emerge as well).
The primary weakness of this grinder is stability on the counter. The grinder "walks" across the counter when dosing (and no joke we're talking about something like 6 to 8 inches of travel). This is obviously a major issue. You can work around it by wedging the grinder in place or by extending a finger from the hand holding the portafilter to brace against the fork. Now... all this being said, I'm told that there is a retrofit for the grinder that adds different feet to it and makes it very stable and fixed in place.
The secondary weakness is the stepped adjustment. While there are now a ton of steps, changing from one step to the other is still an est 3s change in a shot. Again, you can work around this by changing dose when you change grind - but I'd love a worm-drive non-stepped adjustment!
The final weakness is the throat from the burrs to the doser. A lot of coffee gets trapped in here. The grinder ships with a small brush to help clean this - and the new purge button allows you to purge stale coffee - but it's still a PITA. Out of curiosity I measured total grinds trapped in the Anfim and compared to the Robur. What is interesting is that they're roughly equal. It's just that you don't see all the grinds with the Robur (whereas you do with the Anfim).
In terms of the strengths of this grinder...
First (and foremost) is the quality of the grind. The Anfim produces a fantastic output. Shots were incredibly transparent and lacked any muddiness. Shots were sweet and very aromatic. The Anfim's grind quality is at least on par with if not better than the Alinox (IMHO).
Second, the Anfim doser is massively superior to other dosers I've used. Drop is clean and centered. Combined with the quality of the grind, this makes distribution ridiculously easy.
Third, once you get the timer dialed in your waste goes down dramatically. I set it to give me a tiny bit more coffee than I need, but that's largely 'cause I'm a control freak. I could see wasting only a tiny amount of coffee if I didn't do this.
The Grinder at Home
It's just a silly idea.
Really.
Between the amount of coffee trapped in the grinder and the challenges of dialing in the dose timer and grind (and their interaction) and the fact that you really cannot use it in a single dose manner this grinder is arguably as poorly suited (if not more poorly suited) for home use than the Robur.
The Grinder vs the Robur
First... this is kind of an unfair comparison as the Robur costs a lot more than the Anfim. And it's kind of a silly comparison because they have such different approaches to solving the problem.
That said... my thoughts...
1. If I were running a high volume coffee bar I'd use the Robur as my workhorse grinder.
2. If I were running a high volume coffee bar with a blend and a single origin espresso, however, I'd use the Anfim for the single origin espresso.
3. The shots from the Anfim to me had better clarity, better sweetness and better aromatics than from the Robur. I'd never really noticed the muddy stuff going on with shots from the Robur before - but now I taste them consistently. The Robur produced shots that had more low end body than the shots from the Anfim showed.
4. If I were running a lower volume, high touch ("luxury") coffee bar - especially if I were serving expensive coffees - I'd use the Anfim.
At the end of the day... I like the taste of the shots from the Anfim more than the shots from the Robur.
August 29, 04:50 PM
I should have done this earlier, but before it's too late (I hope) I'm going to take a little time off from participation in the various coffee websites etc.
My frustrations have recently spilled over and been communicated in manners that were not productive and I need to step away to gain some perspective. My hope is this will allow me to re-engage in a manner that is more productive and respectful (for all involved).
Profile
Summary
At my core a business executive and strategist - I have spent much of my life in the entrepreneurial and services community. For a large part of my career I focused on the intersection of Business, Brand, Internet Technology, Professional Services and Venture with a particular interest in the strategy and tactics of successful companies. I'm lucky enough to have been a founder or early executive at three start-ups which have all seen exits.
I spent years developing expertise and ability in Business, Corporate and Strategic Development and applying it to multiple markets and sectors. I combine this with my experience in sectors as diverse as Venture Capital, Social Media, Consumer Electronics, Industrial Design, High Technology, Marketing, Publishing, Packaged Goods, Building Products, Automotive, Financial Services, Media and Entertainment, Food Service, Advertising, Non Profits and Specialty Coffee to bring a rather unique and wide perspective to all ventures. Some people call me an odd shaped peg but I prefer to think of myself as unique generalist.
I have more than a decade's track-record of business development success - fifteen years of experience in professional services - and have started and run three companies (with two successful exits).
I spent years developing expertise and ability in Business, Corporate and Strategic Development and applying it to multiple markets and sectors. I combine this with my experience in sectors as diverse as Venture Capital, Social Media, Consumer Electronics, Industrial Design, High Technology, Marketing, Publishing, Packaged Goods, Building Products, Automotive, Financial Services, Media and Entertainment, Food Service, Advertising, Non Profits and Specialty Coffee to bring a rather unique and wide perspective to all ventures. Some people call me an odd shaped peg but I prefer to think of myself as unique generalist.
I have more than a decade's track-record of business development success - fifteen years of experience in professional services - and have started and run three companies (with two successful exits).
Specialties: Corporate and strategic leadership and development, digital strategy, business development, innovation strategy, startup development, strategic consulting, brand and product marketing, funding and investment, mergers and acquisitions, interactive development and design, business management.
Experience
- Nov 2011 - PresentMarketing / AppFogMaking the world know how important PaaS is and how bad-ass AppFog is.
- 2010 - Aug 2011VP, Business Development / OneTrueFan, Inc.Biz Dev and Corp Dev for super bad ass start-up team funded by First Round, 500 Startups, SoftTech and great angels. Managed all BD and Sales and was part of 3-person exec mgmt team through eventual successful M&A exit.
- 2009 - 2010Corporate Development / fuseprojectContract corporate development consultant for Yves Behar's product and brand studio helping with modeling and developing services-for-equity business.
- 2009 - 2010Principal, Strategy / twiceten consultingProvide business, product, investment, strategy and management consulting to start-ups looking to become big; and big companies looking to become more like start-ups.
Board advisor and company advisor for start-ups.
Services provided range from change management to marketing strategy to internet strategy and direction to M&A and investment advising.
Clients and companies worked with and advised include NetApp, EPNW, ThoughtWorks, Hot Studio, 49th Parallel, Fullsack et al. - Feb 2008 - Dec 2008Chief Innovation Officer / MethodExecutive and Corporate Management.
Responsible for all Innovation practices.
Responsible for all Venture-related practices and efforts.
Provided strategic advising and consulting services to executive stakeholders at clients and portfolio companies including boxee, Move Networks, CNN, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems.
Directly responsible for high-level business development efforts in the internet, media and entertainment, consumer electronics and high tech market sectors. - Sept 2007 - Feb 2008Vice President, Client Services / MethodManaged team of Account Managers, Program Managers and Project Managers.
Provided Account Direction and strategic consulting to clients including Sun Microsystems, Microsoft Live and Move Networks. - Feb 2006 - Jun 2007Vice President, Strategic Services and Accounts / Pop ArtResponsible for all Strategic direction and consulting for all of Pop Art's accounts. Direct the development of Interactive Marketing Strategies, Online Media Plans and run all non-tactical consulting projects. Also serve as Account Director on selected major accounts.
Responsible for the vast majority of new revenue generation for the company.
Turned the business around from a low-margin job shop to a high margin, value priced interactive agency with long-term retained large accounts. - Jan 2006 - Jun 2006Venture Partner / Mirador CapitalVenture Partner at a leading boutique fund of funds.
- Feb 2001 - Dec 2005Principal / twiceten consultingConsulting services centered around digital and interactive strategy, venture, entrepreneurship, innovation and general strategic consulting services.
Clients ranged from MDC Partners to Ghostdog Design to Espresso Parts NW. - Oct 2004 - Jun 2005General Manager, Retail / Stumptown Coffee RoastersResponsible for all Retail Operations for America's leading artisan coffee roaster/retailer.
- 1999 - 2000Chief Strategy Officer / Rare Medium GroupResponsible for Corporate Strategy, particpated in the SWAT sales team and ran agency M&A activities.
Oversaw management of the Venture Strategy Group and was a General Partner and the Acting Managing Partner of Rare Ventures - Rare Medium's $350MM corporate venture group. Portfolio focus was social internet, distributed and P2P computing, ecommerce and digital media. - 1999 - 1999General Manager, Western Region / Rare Medium, IncManaged the various US western region offices of publicly traded internet development and consulting company. Successfully integrated three acquired boutique agencies into the region.
Delivered the highest margins in the company.
Ran high level business development and executive relationship management. - 1997 - 1999President and Co-Founder / Fire Engine RedFire Engine Red was an elusive boutique consulting firm known for its reasuring expensiveness and excellent BBQ parties. Clients included such diverse companies as Sony, Planned Parenthood, Mayfield Fund, Sun, Accel Partners, Bigstep, Oracle, IDG Ventures, Nihilistic and Hitachi Data Systems. It was eventually purchased by publicly traded, $2B multinational consulting firm Rare Medium.
- Jan 1997 - Dec 1997Columnist / The New York TimesI was an Internet business, technology and culture columnist for New York Times Electronic Media writing a bi-weekly column for the Times website covering the Internet and entrepreneurship issues.
- 1995 - 1997Vice President, Development / NVolveNVolve was the final, public face of the infamous Reality Factory think-tank. Intially started by IDG to help formulate Internet strategy and develop Internet products and services, as a result of the success of our Social Network Application Server product (and a proof-of-concept project called Arcadium), it was in the end spun off as a Mayfield-funded company which was then acquired by Viacom.
Along the way, Reality Factory / Nvolve development systems and solutions for clients including Computerworld and CareerBuilder and made venture investments in companies including Architext (Excite) and Netscape.
As employee #1 of Reality Factory, I was responsible for all product and service development - all product management - and all investment diligence. As part of management team, I worked to close NVolve's series A funding. - 1993 - 1995Director / International Data Group (IDG)I held various positions at a number of IDG owned publications and business units.
Education
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1995 - 1995Stanford UniversityManagement Publishing Institute
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1982 - 1989Wesleyan UniversityBA in English, Post-Structuralist Critical Theory
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1976 - 1981Buxton SchoolHS
Additional Information
Websites:
Honors:
3 silver medals, 1 bronze medal - 2006 ICF Dragonboat World Championships
1 bronze medal - 2007 IDBF Dragonboat World Championships
Interests:
outrigger canoes, wine, espresso, food, travel, dragonboat racing, beer, literature, coffee
