bread coffee chocolate yoga

. . . all in bklyn

Saturday, June 19, 2004

home roasting in bklyn

long-time readers know that in my snooty co-op i can't roast my own coffee, even tho' i was so kindly given a zach & dani's home coffee roaster by don schoenholt of gillies.

thus the little roaster sat mournfully about the house.

when -- ah how fate intervenes! -- what should happen but that at the recent meeting of the st. john's alumni here in nyc i run into another johnnie with an interest in coffee?

he lives in carroll gardens, and had just been given a sack of green rwandan coffee that he didn't know what to do with.

some coffee lovers are quite passionate about home roasting, because it's relatively simple and can offer the freshest coffee imaginable. if you live far from an artisan specialty coffee boutique-type roaster (a.k.a. "brownie"), and those mail-order shipping fees are piling up, home roasting your own can be a great alternative.

for those of you interested in home roasting, i highly recommend you hop over to alt.coffee, where the community is quite expert in getting decent coffee from the various home-roasting devices.

well there it was! last night he dropped by and i lent him the roaster. i expect he'll be experimenting with it today and possibly produce drinkable coffee with it as early as tomorrow.

i'm fortunate here in that while i can't home roast, i am close to several exquisite brownies who cater to cafénatics like myself by lovingly hand-crafting the highest quality beans. . .

Friday, June 18, 2004

traffic cops & cold sumatra

long-time readers know that bccy lives on my free earthlink webspace, because i never had a reason to justify moving it to a paid domain.

however, with the recent spike in traffic (thank you, eric case & the blogger team!) i'm being crushed by hits.

my bandwidth is running thru my fingers. earthlink is sending me messages, threatening to take me offline.

so i'm taking this opportunity to inform you all that if you temporarily have difficulty accessing the site, it's because cranky earthlink has pulled my plug.

i am hastening to set up an alternate venue at bccy.blogspot.com today or tomorrow. even if you can't view this webpage for a day or two, you will probably be able to read me thru my xml/rss file. you can subscribe to this via bloglines.

please stay tuned for further developments. . .

the weather in new york continues to be hot & humid. thus i greeted this morning with a tall glass of don schoenholt's gillies grade-1 triple-picked "kuda mas" sumatra lintong over ice. the coffee ice cubes i made from k's grade 2 ethiopian sidamo work as an interesting counterpoint.

the mellow, heavy sumatra is enlivened by the bright & chocolate-y sidamo as they slowly melt into each other. . .

Thursday, June 17, 2004

june 28 nyc scaa membership cocktail event update

yes, the plans have changed. this event is open to all scaa members, professional and consumer alike.

this means that even if you can't make the june 27 coffee cupping event, you're welcome to join us for what always proves to be a lively and fun party. last year i was the bartender, a duty i think i may be relieved of this time around.

dress is usually business or business casual, altho' a jacket is appreciated. the new location:

nybot's grading room
39 broadway, 3rd floor
nyc, ny
6pm-8pm

wall st. is probably the closest subway stop. can't wait to see you all there!

gratitude meets the eagle

first, let me thank eric case. what a doll! i'm so grateful for his selection of bccy as a "blog of note."

and let me thank those kind enough to click on over here too. i deeply appreciate your supportive email.

that's how the morning found me when i received a call from don schoenholt of gillies, who had a customer looking for a modern espresso machine for the home with that antique copper-and-brass-eagle look.

i myself love these kinds of machines, and if i had taller cabinets at home, or a nice clear kitchen island, you'd bet i'd have one pronto. when considering these machines, the first question you have to ask yourself: lever (manual) or push-button (semi-automatic).

the lever machines look the loveliest, but take longer to learn to use properly, which is why i usually recommend that the non-patient get a semi-auto.

i personally have had experience pulling shots on two brands of these antique-looking makers: the expobar athenea and the elektra microcasa sx.

the expobar has the most authentic retro look, and in my experience expobar machines are quite reliable. however, it's really large: about 30 inches tall!

if you want a slightly scaled-down take on that same look, the elektra might be better for you at only 23 inches high.

i really loved pulling shots on the chrome version of this machine at the scaa consumer member espresso lab in atlanta earlier this year, even tho' i found that after pulling a couple of shots the machine seemed to run a tad hot. . .but both machines make great coffee once you perfect your barista skills.

another question you'll want to consider when evaluating these machines is how much milk you intend to steam. will you be drinking mostly lattes and cappuccinos or are you a straight espresso person?

both of these semi-autos are so-called heat exchanger or "hx" machines, and have large boilers, so you can steam plenty of milk to create lots of coffee drinks in good time. some might find the manual versions don't quite have the same steaming capacity.

finally, when buying a machine of this caliber, you have to remember to get a quality espresso grinder as well. the best espresso is made from fresh beans freshly ground just before you pull the shot. otherwise, you'll be disappointed with the taste and crema of the drink!

and speaking of consumer members, let me take this moment to remind you all of my nyc coffee event on june 27 and 28 -- don't miss out! email me with the link below to reserve a space.

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

brooklyn iced coffee

last evening i returned from an organizational meeting of the st. john's alumni association, where in true johnnie fashion, we talked about aristophanes' frogs, while probably failing to actually organize anything.

and bree-kee-kee ko-ax ko-ax to you too! that was really fabulous, to be able to stand in one of the most beautiful new york apartments i've ever seen -- forget the one in auntie mame, couldn't hold a candle -- with 100 people i didn't know, including a graduate from 1949, and utter this chorus.

personally whenever the talking heads on cable news start pontificating their nonsense, i have long internally thought, "oh, bree-kee-kee," but you know, almost no one would understand what the heck i was doing if i said it aloud.

there not only everyone knew what i meant, but i think a few even agreed with me. . .

thus in good humor (thanks for that alone, daniel van doren!) i awoke this morning to enjoy my gillies iced yrg, in which k's grade 2 sidamo ice cubes tinkled happily.

chilling foods sometimes lessens their flavor, but i was cheerfully surprised that a little splenda and a splash of light cream only highlighted the strong dutch chocolate and vanilla syrup aftertastes of this refreshing coffee!

it's a great summer day. . .

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

what coffeeshops mean, part iii

"people need a place to express their opinions, listen to others and develop a sense of identity beyond set social roles."

bingo! this charming little article gets to the heart of coffeeshop culture the world round. you can't do this over coca-cola in the food court at the local mall.

as i've said before, it's just the nature of coffee: of the world's most social, romantic, and intellectual fine beverage. it's ever been thus, as the cranky and curmudgeonly austrian author polgar so eloquently detailed nearly 80 years ago.

one of the subjects of this piece says people hang out in coffeehouses because they "don't go to bars anymore." au contraire!

look, i appreciate a glass of bordeaux, of champagne, of sauternes, of oregon pinot noir -- even a fine scotch. but none of these beverages have the intellectual and social history of coffee.

hanging out in the coffeehouse is about becoming involved in the lives of those around you, in discussing the wider world; history has proven that it inevitably results in profound social change. hanging out in a bar is about crying in your beer, even if you have friends to weep with.

but the human race doesn't go forward on misery. that the stock exchanges began at coffeehouses, not at the admittedly great last exit to brooklyn, is signficant after all!

finally, what i also like about this article is that the owners of the independents explain what keeps them thriving in the face of competition not only from the mermaid, but also peets: catering perfectly to the needs of their customer community by knowing them and the neighborhood intimately.

this is something no chain coffehouse can ever do. (sorry jim r.! i love you so very very much, but it's true, it's true. . .)

Monday, June 14, 2004

reminder: spaces left for scaa consumer coffee cupping

life being as it is, some people have been forced to cancel their reservations for my latest coffee party. so i still have spaces left for the scaa consumer member event on june 27, which features cuppings, or coffee tastings.

this'll be a fun and unpretentious experience for all coffeaphiles, as well as a great chance to hang out with other cool people who also love java! further, you'll come away with a much deeper appreciation for our favorite fine beverage.

finally, yoga for children is definitely catching on. . .

Sunday, June 13, 2004

how to get out of your own way

this is perhaps the most valuable lesson yoga teaches anyone. and i saw myself again here today: baking yesterday's bread.

there i'z wuz, li'l anxious bundle, worrying "will it rise?" and this after i know full well that few things in life are as reliable as a natural leaven.

so the dough appeared to rise only a squinch. maybe not even 20%, to my worry-wart eye. but i heat the oven, slash the dough, slide the loaf off the peel onto the baking stone, and 30 mins. later: wa-llah!

a beautifully risen, picture-perfect french sourdough pain au levain. tasted great too. so upstairs it went to 7C, as promised. . .

you know, i could have a little more faith. faith in myself, in the nature of the levain. it wouldn't have killed me.

and on this useful note -- above all i find yoga more useful than so-called spiritual -- i should finish this fantastic americano made of fresh batdorf dancing goat. it's almost time to scurry off to yoga.

standing on your head is one thing: remembering what that's about with a lump of dough on the peel is another. . .faith.

my friends might benefit from it too. maybe i should try it more often!