barismo.com : Coffee, tea, and espresso

Label changes and new SOMA

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:49:00 PDT

Soma espresso is back out again with a new base. Our new Guatemala, La Trinidad, will work as the base for this blend in the foreseeable future. Armando Melgar's Finca la Trinidad is a coffee that has deep base notes and provides a round body for the sparkle of the Kenya component. We will be producing SOMA in editions with each of our Kenyas featured in this blend. We will start with the last of our Kenya Kiandu and then move over to Kiamabara followed by Kieni.

With the new espresso, we decided to do an art label and have some fun. SOMA will switch back and forth between an art label on the front with the classic label on the back to the classic label on front with more brewing and quality preserving information on the back. We are moving towards adding brewing tips, storage tips, and more detailed information about the coffees in finer print on back labels.

Keep an eye out for it in the next few weeks.

Similarities between rice and coffee storage

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:02:28 PDT

Rice is about as commodity as it gets. Well, I like to think that but then I have been noticing that even with something like rice, care given to packaging is moving well ahead of what we deal with in green coffee.

A trip to the local mega asian grocer (Kan Man in Quincy) led me to make note of a few interesting things with one strong observation, the packaging is getting serious.

At our local Korean grocer in Union Sq. Somerville, there is an assortment of rice available in many grades. What's interesting about it was how they noted crop year and an emphasis on packing as each bag had it's own 'patent pending' method of storage. Most of which seemed to be nitrogen flushed or tightly vacuum sealed which I must say does seem to make a difference.

In wandering around Kan Man viewing the stacks of vacuum sealed rice varieties stacked on the shelf, that I had a good chuckle. So much obsession over rice, a product I have been used to seeing in bags akin to dog food packaging. Then it hit me how young our coffee industry is and how absurdly ironic it was.

The fact that preservation packaging is still such a novel and absurd idea really instills a sense of how far coffee still has to go and just how far behind it is. The truth is that there is so much information out there to digest and yet not nearly enough quality data therein. Like most things coffee, too many opinions and not enough data or research being done.

Without vacuum packaging, our business would not be enjoying it's first year in celebration. Putting it in perspective, packaging for preservation makes a difference and we have the experiences under our belt to prove it. If other people don't agree with us, that's fine because everyone needs to learn their own lessons but we know what works and will keep working with it.

As the weather turns, let's keep an eye on the temperature and think about the effort that goes at every stage into one taste of coffee down the line. There are so many things that can destroy a coffee from the time is is picked through processing, transport, the roast, and then with brewing at the barista level. It does not begin and end solely in the hands of a barista, it's a process that started months ago and continues even while sitting in a warehouse.

Friday the 13th barista jam November, 2009

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:56:37 PDT

Posters will be going out ASAP to many shops and respectable coffee houses. For a poster or flier, contact us at baristajam(at)barismo.com.

7pm @ Espresso Royale
736 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02115

More on ercpavement.blogspot.com

There will be a cup tasting competition hosted by Atomic.
- A tournament based on cupping triangulation for speed and accuracy.

An Espresso Throwdown hosted by barismo.
-A tournament involving espresso, with technical and sensory evaluation.

A Latte Art Pour Off
- One pour, one shot best pour wins.

$5 dollars for each event but space is limited for signups. There will be a barista social/after party around the corner at a local Tavern TBD. More details to follow as more contributors are added.

The last jam/throwdown in the Boston area was one we organized and put the money down on. We are excited to be a part of this one and pleasantly happy to play a support role this time around. We hope other shops in town will take the torch and continue the charge of trying to raise morale and awareness of better coffee. Be it in method, ingredients, equipment, or simple motivation, community can be the excuse to get together but coffee is the medium that gives us a common denominator.

See you there barista.

5 things consumers should think about when adding value to coffee drink service

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:02:21 PDT

In reading up on blogs and forums the other day, I realize that as there are great leaps being made locally, there is still a lot of confusion about coffee. How people value coffee and particularly espresso is a bit funny. While a straight shot comes to personal preference, milk drinks in the Boston metro are out of control. Perceptions of value get skewed to focus on aspects that may or may not add any tangible value.

Proper cappuccino being talked about as 'light' weight and lattes rated by 'strength' leave me feeling it's time to voice some concern about quality perceptions. It seems to me the ingredients and labeling should be as important as anything in the process so let me put out a short list of things I look for when I go into a cafe.

1. Local: This one is silly obvious but think about it. I know that a big part of our rabid aficionado community has been built on hip national 'but still independent' roasters. The natural evolution though is that the better cafes and serious fanatics will take the next step and open small roasteries in different regional/local settings. Coffee that is roasted locally will not in fact be very good by that measure alone but I believe that shipping roasted coffee across time zones is not a sustainable business/environmental model long term. Competent local and small regional roasters will move in to fill the void. Too many local cafes right now are getting into dangerous territory marketing 'zero waste' and 'buy local' for everything but their coffee. Why not the roasted coffee? The carbon footprint of buying hundreds of pounds a week from a roaster in another time zone is wasteful and silly if there are comparable or reasonable alternatives locally.

2. Roast dates: Not best buy dates, not sell by dates, clear and direct 'roasted on' dates. Fresh roast is the basic bare minimum tenet of quality in coffee. You can easily add fresh brewed as the second item there but let's focus more on roast dates as fresh brewed is something even convenience stores talk about. Fresh roast is inherent to quality. To pretend otherwise as a roaster myself would be a compromise made to justify accounts in less than ideal situations, a compromise I feel uncomfortable with making. Bags of coffee without any roast date information treat coffee as a commodity not unlike the grocery grade coffee you find in supermarkets. If the roaster treats their product in this manner, we should view it that way also.

3. Good milk: This is tough because good local grass fed milk is not always available and is often quite expensive. The question though is in rating a good cappuccino, the quality of the milk and not simply just texture or portion is key. My local favorites are Oak Hurst and High Lawn right now but the high cost puts these largely out of reach for the volume shops that have Starbucks sizes. For the quality oriented shops, one balance is to limit sizes to smaller drinks to account for the pricey milk so it should be perceived that drink sizes can be relative to quality.

4. A traditional cappuccino: I look for a traditional cappuccino when I go into any new shop. A good 5 oz cappuccino with definition on top. I care less about proportions and more about quality texturing. I have to say these 'airy' or foamy cappuccino are simply not as pleasurable as a richly textured and micro-foamed cappuccino. The dry foam lacks sweetness and we'd be better off with a dollop of whipped cream as opposed to wasting a lot of milk to get a large portion of stiff dry foam. When I walk into a shop and see stiff dry foam served as a standard, I avoid the milk and espresso drinks entirely because I know it will need some sugar to taste decent. The key behind quality of foam, not quantity, is that a cappuccino is a small drink. Good milk is often also high in fat content as well as higher in price so there are other reasons to limit the sizes beyond purist arguments. It's quite unpleasant sounding to think about drinking a pint glass full of steamed high fat grass fed cow's milk. A small rich and sweet cappuccino where the coffee balances out complexly and isn't drowned out in the milk sounds so much better. Large drinks require very strong and often bitter espresso to cut through a large volume of milk so it is not unreasonable to assume that the espresso and milk quality are not as good when the cup sizes are excessively large.

5. Transparency: This bundles some of the earlier ideas together like putting the roast date on the bag and goes a few steps farther. Walking into a cafe and trying to determine what coffee is being served is the clearest concept of defining quality. If the barista doesn't know what's in the bag or being brewed, that's a clear vote against good expectations. Granted, it could be the one individual but if there is no information available, you have to wonder. In this day and age of coffee, there is no excuse for roasters to continue hiding blends or describing coffees by country and region solely without denoting specific farms/coops/etc. The specific examples are the famous blends that 'must be gold' but nobody tells you what's actually in it. Would giving that recipe up then devalue the blend and make clear that it's components may be less than stellar inputs? In roasting, there are no real secrets to recipes, only ability to roast and identify good coffees to purchase. Skill in blending is a direct result of the previous so there is zero value in hiding blend components unless the individual components are not as attractive as the branding leads you to believe.

There are other ways to rate a cafe: ambiance, free wifi, service and all manner of pastry bits. When rating purely the coffee and espresso drinks though, those 5 items are something to think about next time you go for a coffee or cappuccino.

New! Guatemala: Puerta Verde

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:46:52 PDT

puerta verde, Guatemala, originally uploaded by coffeedirtdog.

The new Guatemala Puerta Verde arrived and is available online. I recommend it in pour over, particularly works well in the v60s. Coffee came packed in grainpro and the farm submitted lots that placed 7th in this year's Cup of Excellence.

SOMA classic is back online temporarily and we are a week from the new crop tweaked SOMA. More on that later.

Big local barista jam is about to go down in a month. Follow us on twitter for updates or check back on the blog. There will be a cupping competition, espresso throw down, and latte art comp.

Details to follow but it's going to be fairly large.

The hario 1 cup ceramic v60

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:59:50 PDT

Affectionately called the 'mini' in house, this little brewer takes a small dose and brews rather quickly. Where the 2 cupper is around a 3 minute brew, this little bugger knocks a minute off and delivers a single cup. It's the opposite of those 8 cup Chemex that are all the rage right now. One regular sized cup of coffee.

The little v60 is actually fairly simple to use. As long as the pour is even and the resulting grounds show an even, rather than lopsided dispersion, it probably brewed pretty well. The trick is setting the grind fine enough to get enough extraction and a slow enough draw down.

Remember to add a bit of pre-infusion to let the grounds bloom before pouring. 30-40 seconds with a couple of ounces is usually enough. For more info, get a detailed care/brew guide from the web store.

New v60 gear

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:12:21 PDT

Sweet V60 Server, originally uploaded by TheClothMan.

We have a new cutie, the range server that matches the style of the Hario kettle as well as some sweet new ceramic v60 in red and brown.

Limited supply on these items so take a long look and then check out our updated coffee list. The Kenyas are up and Soma will come back into product in the next two weeks, give or take.

Open House

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:13:07 PDT

From 2-4pm, Sat. August 22nd, we will have an open house and free samples of our new Kenyas via a pour over bar.

Meet our crew and taste great Kenyan coffees!

Oh, and hand mills are back in stock as well as a few new goodies that will be available online soon!

Packages matter

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:15:36 PDT

New delivery, originally uploaded by coffeedirtdog.

Replacing syphon filters

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 06:50:00 PDT

There's a trick to getting a new vac pot filter on. First thing is to get some replacement cloth filters.

Once you remove the old cloth, boil some water to rinse the new cloth through. A trick Ben C. showed me is that you have to start with a warmed and wet cloth filter and stretch it tightly when tying it on. Taking a little time to rinse it with water and then stretch it out making certain there are no folds or areas of crimping at the edges before tying it tight is essential.

The reasoning for this is largely that the filter needs to be tight but also that the filter needs to set flush in position against the glass when brewing. Any crevices or uneven spots around the edge will allow steam bubbles to gurgle from the sides of the filter. This is uncontrolled agitation and will add unpleasant bitterness (not unlike whisking the grinds excessively during brewing). Make sure that filter sits flush when brewing.

barismo's Best of Kenya tour

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:54:46 PDT

We have 4 Kenyas on the shelf right now and two are currently available online with the Kagumoini shortly to follow. To celebrate all the Kenya vac sealed goodness, we are doing a Kenya coffee tour with brew bars and chances not only to taste the coffees but to find out more about each of their unique characters.

barismo (169 Mass Ave, Arlington, MA)
Saturday August 22nd 2-4pm
barismo staff meet and greet with tasting.

Simon's (1736 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA)
Sunday August 23rd, 2p-4p
Manual brew bar featuring 4 Kenyan coffees.

ERC (736 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA)
Monday August 24th, 930a-1130a
Sample Kenyan coffees and learn about the estates.

ERC (44 Gainsborough St, Boston, MA)
Monday August 24th, 130p-330p
Meet the roaster and sample Kenyan coffees.

ERC (286 Newbury St, Boston, MA)
Tuesday August 25th 130p-330p
Sample Kenyan coffees learn about the estates.

HiRise (56 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA‎)
Thursday August 28th 2-4pm
Manual brew bar

View barismo - 'Best of Kenya' Tour in a larger map

Sonata series espresso

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 05:57:00 PDT

Sonata implies a four part composition. A mixture of four coffees that gives a signature profile or taste.

The three versions featured on our site are also featured at a few of our cafe accounts and have been tuned to develop specific profiles. Coffee is seasonal and components will change so don't get attached but this series is an attempt at having a transparent lineup of coffees where customers could evaluate and compare the different variations and still have be cognizant of the changes.

Each version has a distinct style but the symmetry is they are all four part compositions.
S3 - Sonata series 3
60% Moreninha Formosa (Brazil)
15% Helsar de Zarcero (Costa Rica)
15% Kiandu (Kenya)
10% Koke (Ethiopia)
Pralines and cherries dominate this espresso. A blend of 4 coffees tuned to yield a short but rewarding shot of espresso. Start at 1.75oz and walk it down, depending on how fresh the coffee is, as it approaches a tight ristretto it really opens up.

S4 - Sonata Series 4
60% Moreninha Formosa (Brazil)
20% Helsar de Zarcero (Costa Rica)
10% Kiandu (Kenya)
10% Nimac Kapeh (Guatemala)
Warm fruited aromas yield to a berried mix of fruit underneath. A blend of 4 coffees tuned to yield a complex fruit candy shot of espresso.

S7 - Sonata Series 7
67.5% Moreninha Formosa (Brazil)
15% Koke (Ethiopia)
10% Nimac Kapeh (Guatemala)
7.5% Helsar de Zarcero (Costa Rica)
Pralines, caramel, and light cocoa intermingle to yield a classic full double. A blend of 4 coffees tuned to yield a sweet caramel mid-tone espresso.

The components will change from time to time and the Brasil component is going to change soon so don't get settled on this. The idea is to stay transparent and avoid confusion. Soma will make a return shortly with a few reincarnations and new 2 and 3 component mixes will show up as we move along. All the four piece blends though will fall under this same name, Sonata.

Cloth filter brews taste good

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:27:32 PDT

Cone Grindage, originally uploaded by TheClothMan.

Cloth is annoying to clean. If you don't take care of the filter and let it dry out or store it improperly, it will taste like 'cloth'. If you bleach it or use harsh cleaners, it will distort or deteriorate. If you don't rinse it well, it will discolor quickly.

On the other hand, it provides depth filtration so you can get a nice oily balanced and clean cup of coffee from a cloth filter. It's no more difficult than the majority of methods and needs only an additional step or two of care to keep it in good shape.

What I personally find so enjoyable about cloth is the taste. The depth and simultaneous clarity that comes from using this filtration should be justification enough for any serious coffee geek to give it a spin. I guess that's what matters the most though, the taste, right?

I know that so much of the coffee community is looking for the golden brewer that is simultaneously cheap, easy, and produces great quality. If they pick two of those three, it might be more realistic but there will always be room for everybody from those searching for the perfect cup to those searching for the easiest one. Cloth filters just might fall to the side of those willing to put a bit more time in to get a better cup.

New labels

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:10:07 PDT

Our first labels were a much bigger battle than they needed to be. I think that new businesses have these situations where everyone has an opinion and is trying to define the future of the company in one step.

I think my first version of the label set the tone for our approach but style is often an organic thing that grows with the people putting ideas into it. Right now the labels are evolving to be a bit more geeky and help people discern how we brew. They keep the same information about the coffees but we have been thinking about ways to help our customers take home the experience they have at the brew bar.

New labels are going to strive to keep our transparent style but add brew specific notes for each coffee. BREW settings are for traditional cupping and french press style brews. The additional notes are specific to our catalog of brew equipment so take the time to calibrate with our website notes as we update them for each coffee.

Disclaimer: Methods are specific to our roast style and the brewers we carry. We advise the end user to not expect similar results from different roast style coffees using these methods or the same results using different brewers. Larger Syphons with different form factors and traditional drip roasts may need to be tuned significantly differently to which we advise you to talk to the roaster for their approach. Our pour over brew specs will not translate directly to chemex or aeropress so we advise consumers using those methods to not adopt the pour over suggestions on our bags for these methods.

*Printed instructional brew guides are available on request with any purchase.

barismo expands!

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:13:43 PDT

Okay, so this post is a little late and well overdue.

I want to take a little time and say thanks to our staff for all the recent effort and help taking on new projects. It has provided Hong and I the room to focus on specific aspects of the business and grow others aspects quickly beyond our expectations.

A big thanks to Chris, Jamie L., Logan, and Lex for the efforts and input recently. Working in a growing new shop is often long hours but this group has made it a lot of fun and keeps me very optimistic. It is a credit to them that we are moving forward right now and are able to meet the increasing demands.

I will take a little time to talk about them more in the future as I am very proud of the mix we have working here.

Method guides

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:38:39 PDT

The Hario Kettle works best, originally uploaded by TheClothMan.

We will start sending out general method guides and care guides with items like the ceramic v60 and cloth filters. We will slowly be adding these to orders. Keep an eye out for notes on the shopping section about availability.

A revised mission statement

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:55:14 PDT

One of the key focuses of our business is very simple, we are about the barista. With a name like barismo, that seems pretty obvious but let me take a moment to refresh our mission statements.

In starting our business, we felt there was a gap in training and barista support, or customer service if you will, that led us to opening our own roasting outfit. That's the extremely abbreviated version but there is a key concept here.

Give people the tools to succeed.

I know, it sounds simple, but that was an earth shaking concept for us. Deadlines, contracts, posturing, and aggression are all too often the norm in this area. It took a little time for people to catch on to the concept that we were there with the genuine intention to support and help them. In every business, you tend to pay for the mistakes of those that came before you as much as you might also benefit from those same mistakes.

I believe that building trust starts from the beginning. Coming into every situation working on good faith hoping that investment and patience with any new account would lead to a healthy working relationship long term. Sure, we have parted with accounts and lost a legitimate return on the training and investment we put in with a couple of early adopters but I believe that is not a reflection of any lack in effort or good intentions on our part.

The most important aspect in building healthy relationships with those who represent our coffee is our employees. A manager or business owner must always be accountable for those who work for them. In fact, there is no greater statement about a business owner than the people they give the most responsibility to or let speak for them. It is in this one area that I think we really excel, having cornered the market on good hard working and well meaning individuals. Yes, we have some of the most head strong and independent people you could put in one room but that also has a bit of charm to it as they are full of good intentions.

We are very proud that our approaches in roast and brew method are tuned to a stylized interpretation of what tastes good to us. Taste being the imperative word. Meters and measures are fun so we use as much as we can for pragmatic purposes but they become entirely superfluous if the person using them refuses to taste the results. It is because of our own taste preferences that we have come to a unique style we feel separates us from the traditionalist coffee community. Our styles and brew methods are our own and we spend a lot of time tuning them to be proud of what we produce regardless of arbitrary standards set down by others.

We believe the measure of good taste is not easily attributed to charts and graphs or gold standards and this is why the barista is still essential. Interpretation plays a large role in what a coffee can be and this is where the roast and of course, the final stage with the barista is important.

New gear

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:16:15 PDT

We have some new fancy pants butane burners available. A safe design that puts out a big but controlled flame. This item is a great pairing with our TCA-2 but is large enough to be used when traveling to boil water for coffee (or tea).

The other new items we are very excited about are the little 2 cup wood neck dripper and the ceramic v60's. The dripper is a stylish little hoop sock brewer that comes with a wood neck (hence the name) tied with a leather strap. The ceramic v60's are a great pairing with our cloth cone filters and make a stylish statement on any professional (or wannabe pro) coffee setup.

We have Abid brewers in shop for sale but offline only. Come in for a demo and pick one up before we sell out.

More updates to come and a user guide is still being put together.

Today's menu

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:58:55 PDT

The espresso today is SOMA. Available as a shot, Americano (10oz), Cappuccino (5oz), and Cafe Latte (10oz to go only). We can make gibraltars, machiatto, and other variations on request.

Currently, there are no syrups or cocoas. We will add some sig type drinks using varied ingredients but that offering will change week to week and is of limited availability. Along those lines, we currently only carry whole milk from High Lawn farms and Crescent Ridge farms.

Coffee by the cup for today will be Kiandu (10oz Abid) and Costa Rica Helsar de Zarcero (10oz Abid or 8oz Syphon). The Zarcero is a new coffee that came to us in GrainPro and is exceptionally fresh.

That should give folks an idea of the coffee bar service at the shop right now.

Independence day hours

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:30:24 PDT

We will be closed tomorrow (July 3rd) and Saturday (July 4th) for the Holiday weekend.

Sunday though, we will be open from 10am to 5pm. Chris will be covering the shop and brewing up free coffee all day. I found a replacement burner so he'll be doing Syphon and pour over depending on interest as well as having Soma on bar all day.

New equipment arriving soon

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:54:45 PDT

The open house went over very well and we are working on a few little projects this week before we set longer hours at the shop starting next week. Even with the damp weather, in store sales have been brisk and we want to say thanks for all the local support!

LM GB5, originally uploaded by coffeedirtdog.

We have a new shipment of equipment arriving soon. It is available for pre order to be shipped on arrival next week. Browse the shopping cart and check out what's available. We will

A lot of people have been asking for a method guide for pour over and I promise we will get something up here soon.

Let it rest

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:56:38 PDT

Noted something I had seen also at the shop, the SOMA needs a good amount of rest to calm down and then it really shines. While I still try my best to keep the coffees as fresh as possible, I have found this particular coffee really pops after a 10-12 day rest in the bag unopened.

If you are going to pull it after day 3, keep it tight and avoid channeling but until it degasses a bit after opening the bag, it can be a little harder to work with. I opened a bag on day two that was giving me fits but recently was really enjoying two roasts that were 12 and 15 days off roast right out of the bag.

As to that, we sent out some coffees today for the MANE barista jam and for the PACA spro down. The barista Jam has a competition gong where you are given descriptors and you have thre shots to get the most out of the coffee. Should be interesting to see how they handle our espresso.

We have Syphons in stock again, TCA-2 and are a week away from a full shipment of Hario product. (for overseas orders, please contact lex@barismo.com before ordering) Local readers are going to see a lot of this product in the more reputable cafes. Hand mills, pour over equipment, you name it.

Open house: Sunday June 21st 12-6pm

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:44:20 PDT

The finishing touches are going into the bar and I intend to have some extra roasts on hand for this weekend. With that positive note, we welcome everyone to come out Sunday and sample some coffees and check out our new space. We will be serving Soma espresso and Kiandu for non espresso type coffees (Ben C will be doing Syphon brews).

barismo
169 Mass ave
Arlington, MA 02474

Free coffee and a chance to check out our new coffee bar are as good an excuse as any to drop by! See you there-

'Full Immersion' Cold Brewers

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:13:10 PDT

We have 8 cup cold brewers at the shop which are quite refreshing in the summer heat.

For our coffees, we recommend 1g of coffee per 10ml water. A drip grind to almost a Syphon grind works best. Use cold filtered water and steep for 12-18 hours. For darker roasts, a shorter steep time of 8 hours can work well and some lighter roasts may need more steep time up to 24 hours.

Cold brew is very smooth and rewarding when compared to the many alternative iced coffee methods. It mellows out roast note and balances acidity while yielding a highly caffeinated cup. Full immersion cold brewing is quite easy to do and requires a few simple steps.

Load the ground coffee into the nylon filter. Add cold water. Steep for ~12 hours. Remove the nylon filter and coffee once a desired taste is achieved. Cold brew will continue to age and change over the next few days after initial brewing. It is important to note the change and plan to consume the coffee in the first week. We recommend the day 3 through 5 window after brewing as having the most complexity.

It also works for cold brewing tea as well, but rinse well or it will taste a bit like coffee. For teas, a heavier dose than you would normally use is preferable. Use loose leaf teas and tisane of your choosing. We recommend whole leaf teas like a dark Oolong or anything with clean and unbroken whole leaves for the best experience. Unlike hot brewed teas that are then iced, cold brew will stay clear and not become cloudy.

We have more Syphons on the way and a new shipment of equipment coming soon.

Building out the bar

jaime@barismo.com (Jaime van Schyndel) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:56:46 PDT

Finished up some details at the shop today. Need one more day to be done and then I can focus on the smaller projects.

One of the side projects was to get my old grinder back in shape so we broke it down and Ben C. stripped the paint, a little base coat, and some new color (finished paint job to be featured with some photos of the bar later). I think we will eventually get to the other 4 grinders but this one was travel weary and just plain ugly having had it for a while now.

The bar top took me a few tries to get it down to the right tint. Had to strip it down and redo the whole thing to get the right match but I am happy with the current color.

I figure we can have the machine up and running once the bar top is hardened enough for the equipment to set on it. Tough business taking on all these projects and working a normal job. I really do enjoy it though. Strangely, there is a sense of satisfaction in being tired and covered in paint at the end of the night. Truth is nobody truly appreciates the details until they do them themselves for their own benefit.

Details are important though. With all the national roasters in town recently scouting for victims, you'd think Boston was the next big thing in coffee. Maybe, but Boston is a funny place. Locals are fiercely loyal to established businesses. As a new roaster, I have learned that you have to stay around long enough to get entrenched and then people will begin to give you a chance. After you have been around for a while, you are established and nobody around here roots against a familiar haunt. I'm not sure how roasters in other shipping zones will fare coming into town but who really can say? There are some large shops now locally who are shipping in roasts from out of region but how sustainable is that long term? I believe that in a few years the larger coffee community will someday see an explosion of true micro roasters that will break the string of Regional turned National roasters we have seen in the last few years.

Part of our own business model right now is to begin a movement towards zero waste and we started by using as much reused material as possible in building out the kiosk. We already recycle as much material as we can and have more compost than we know what to do with but I am talking more about the build out as a starting point for a more aggressive stance. It's not something you would see on our print materials or something we will market because roasting is not a very efficient use of resources to begin with but it's on my mind as we move forward. We paid more for VOC free paints but the upside is they were full spectrum and that was worth it on many points. On the other end were the oak counters that took us a while to get cut and mounted, then stained properly. Luckily there is a local reclaimed wood outfit just off Alewife Pkwy and we were able to get some really unique and charactered pieces of Oak. It was a bit tough matching them up but I am pleased with the hours put in. For smaller projects like the standing counter, I salvaged an old kitchen table left behind by the previous tenants. After some cutting, planing, and a little sanding, it's set for service. I even went as far as to cut up some of the pallets that had hard wood to use as fly board under counter and some shelving.

The remodel moves to the office areas next but it will return late summer to the front to work on benches outside and taking down the air conditioning system for a more efficient one. We are measured for a bike rack out front to be installed soon. Something we volunteered for on our block but is really obviously necessary. I seriously wonder if the construction will ever stop or just have brief intervals.