superbarista

While the WBC goes on in Atlanta, we're throwing down latte art here in Cleveland.

2009-04-18T18:22:00.005-05:00

I love the barista smacktalk. I love that Courtenay sent out an invitation to our latte art throwdown that said "There will only be one champion". It's particularly funny given that this same weekend, at about the same time, the best baristas in the world are competing for the title of World Barista Champion in Atlanta, Georgia. The finalists (who will be competing tomorrow) are as follows:

1. HUNGARY—ATTILA MOLNAR

2. UNITED KINGDOM—GWILYM DAVIES

3. CANADA—SAMMY PICCOLO
4. UNITED STATES—MICHAEL PHILLIPS
5. IRELAND—COLIN HARMON
6. REPUBLIC OF KOREA—LEE JONG HOON

Here is the Barista Mag blog http://worldbaristachampionship.org/2009/

Sammy Piccolo has made it to the finals for several years, five I think! It seems like he probably deserves to win some year soon. And I am certainly rooting for Mike Phillips, I got to work with him in helping to organize the Great Lakes Barista Jam in Chicago last year, and it was a real pleasure. Mike is a humble, intelligent and passionate barista and I would really enjoy seeing him win.

Meanwhile, back here in Cleveland, the Phoenix baristas gathered at our West 9th cafe. Many actually showed up early to practice (how rare is that for a Phoenix barista to show up EARLY?) The patio was full of bicycles and baristas, and the cafe filled up with friendly folks interested in seeing and tasting the artistic lattes. George Nemeth from brewedfreshdaily.com was updating our "leader" board, with the scores, and Dawn Andrews (our roastery maven) and Paulius Nasvytis, owner of the Velvet Tango Room were our esteemed judges. Dawn and Paulius were judging four different categories... Balance & Symmetry, Color (& contrast), Distribution and Originality/Creativity. Each barista had five minutes on the machine, which is a very short time for the barista to familiarize him or herself with the particular grinder, group heads and steam wands. Most baristas poured multiple drinks and then chose the prettiest one to present to the judges.

David Perelman-Hall of Exceptional Light Photography photographed the drinks http://www.exceptionallight.com/

But since I don't have those images yet, I will post a few images that I took towards the end of the throwdown.

Julie Hutchison, owner of our Lakewood cafe, took first place. She won herself a Reg Barber tamper, a $25 gift card from the Velvet Tango Room, a t-shirt and some chocolate. Stephen Shaum, from West 9th, took second. He won a pound of Puerto Rican Selecto, a $25 gift card from the Velvet Tango Room, a t-shirt and some chocolate. Then there was a tie for third place between Jake Stofan from the Lakewood store and Wes Johansen from our East 9th cafe. I do have pictures of these two pours.

Here was Jake's

And here was Wes'

So Wes won the third place prize of the Velvet Tango Room gift certificate, as well as the other goodies, that Jake also got, t-shirt & chocolate.

Interestingly enough, they both used a bit of half & half... Jake used a blend of half& half and whole milk, and Wes used 100% half&half, which helps with definition, as you can see. Wes has also developed this interesting swirling technique that he uses as he introduces the milk that is pretty cool. And his most recent theory is that the freshness of the crema is more important than the texture of the milk. So he brews his espresso, I think, after he textures his milk. Interesting.

A few short months ago, Wes and I were neck-in-neck in terms of our latte art skills, or at least that's what I thought. That's why I would always challenge him to impromptu throwdowns at the stores, because I felt that I could probably win. As you may be able to tell, he has really pulled ahead of me. I have to admit, I'm steamed. As in motivated. How did he get so much better so quickly? OK, granted, he has been working at a cafe full time and I have only been working one or two shifts a week on bar, so I do feel quite rusty when it comes time to pour. But I have got to hand it to him for perfecting his craft and really making his smacktalk something of substance, after all.

Oh, and by the way, Carl Jones says he was robbed of his points (he did score a bit low) and he demands a rematch sometime in the next six months (Dawn, don't worry, Carl is kidding).

After the throwdown, I got to ride my bike home (after fixing a nasty flat, involving a trip to Shaker Cycle for a new tire, thank you Steve Bedford) and enjoy the first really sunny, warm day we have had this spring. It was glorious. I think I am going to ride my bike again tomorrow for the coffee tasting at W9th!

SWJ

Congratulations to Michael Phillips from Intelligentsia Chicago

2009-03-08T18:59:00.001-05:00

Nice Job, Mike!
Here are the results of this year's United States Barista Championships...

In 1st place -- Michael Phillips, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Chicago, IL with 730 points.
In 2nd place -- Western Champion Nick Griffith, Intelligentsia Coffee, Los Angeles, CA with 719.5 points.
In 3rd place -- Great Lakes Champion Scott Lucey, Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI with 697.5 points.
In 4th place -- Ryan Willbur, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Los Angeles, CA with 693 points.
In 5th place -- Devin Pedde, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Los Angeles, CA with 658.5 points.
In 6th place -- Mike Marquard, Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Co., St. Louis, MO with 654 points

From http://www.thecafeguide.com/news-details-92-514.php

USBC Finalists!

2009-03-08T10:03:00.000-05:00

1. Scott Lucey – Alterra Coffee – Milwaukee, WI (Great Lakes Champ)
2. Mike Marquard - Kaldi’s Coffeehouse - St. Louis, MO
3. Nick Griffith – Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea – Los Angeles, CA (Western Champ)
4. Ryan Willbur - Intelligentsia Coffee - Los Angeles, CA
5. Devin Pedde - Intelligentsia Coffee - Los Angeles, CA
6. Michael Phillips - Intelligentsia Coffee - Chicago, IL

There are interviews with everyone here. Very interesting.

http://www.foodgps.com/review/finalists-announced-for-2009-usbc/

Good to know that in Chicago, we were up against the very best in the country, apparently!

Preparing for my first barista competition

2009-01-28T17:04:00.002-05:00

I am not exactly sure exactly what pushed my over the edge. I think Stephen had something to do with it. He decided he was going to compete last year, I remember talking about it with him on our way back from the Northeast Regionals in Ithaca, NY. I was on the fence. I wanted to do it, but I felt like it would be too big of a distraction from running the company. Maybe it was Dani's earnestness that pulled me in. She "signed on" a few months ago, probably about when she decided to do the Samurai Barista thing with us. Or Caroline's enthusiasm.... when she heard about the barista competition, she just said, quietly, in her Caroline way, as she was standing next to me at the cash register, "I want to do that." The warmth and conviction of her words gave me the most pleasant of chills. So somewhere between Dani and Caroline, I think that's about when I decided that after all these years of watching these amazing, brave baristas ply their craft in front of a panel of seven (SEVEN!!!) stone-faced judges, that I am going to join them. Now we have four Cleveland baristas (including me), all preparing to journey to Chicago next month to compete in our first barista competition.

Some of you may know that I had become almost exclusively a tea drinker. Yeah, it was true. But oooh, am I back to coffee now... in a big way. Pulling espresso shots every chance I get. On Christmas Eve, we installed a Nuevo Simonelli single group commercial espresso machine in our kitchen. Yeah, it's plumbed in. And of course we have the grinder to go with. So Christmas night, Carl and I were up late, pulling shot after shot, tasting, adjusting the grind, adjusting our grooming technique, steaming milk, pouring lattes, and making all kinds of racket. Espresso grinders and steaming wands aren't quiet, you know. My mom and the kids were at the dining room table doing a puzzle. They were having trouble carrying on a conversation over the screech of the steam jet and the whirr of the grinder. So my mom yells "Would you two just go get a job in a coffee shop already?"

Today I got up early and practiced my routine, stopwatch in hand, sitting in lotus position on the oriental rug in our front entry way. I talk my way through my introduction, then I close my eyes and visualize myself wiping the portafilter, turning on the grinder, dosing, grooming, tamping, cleaning the portafilter ears, flushing the group head, inserting, turning the machine on, and watching the pour...

...there are two drips at first, then a thin stream, like a mouse's tail, that changes color, and stays thin, tight. It runs down the inside of the white porcelain cup, and pools in a thick, brown puddle, growing deeper each moment, the colors of brown, red, hazelnut crema, swirling in the cup, slowly. The stream never gets puffy; it stays tight. Dark flecking sheets around the edges, and gradually forms like netting over the surface, as the stream lightens. I know when to turn off the shot, based on the color of the stream.

I serve these two shots to the first set of judges. Then repeat, second set of shots...

Then I give them a moment to enjoy, while I prep for my cappuccinos.

I spent a full 15 minutes just visualizing what I am planning on doing. I could have run through it one or two more times, but it was time to get kids ready for school, shovel the driveway, and take out the trash... you know, real life is still going on...

I am utterly surprised at how rewarding and delicious I am finding this process to be. How often do we get an opportunity in life to truly, relentlessly, perfect one particular activity? I suppose we could and should be perfecting ourselves and our work with this degree of intensity, even without the threat/promise of a public exhibition to motivate us. But I must say, having the deadline and the knowledge that others will be able to see the fruits of my preparations (hopefully) is definitely a good motivator.

The hours I have spent pulling shots and tasting, and working on my milk texturing, and all the trial and errors that have gone into creating my signature drink (which is centered around the combination of espresso and fresh garlic) have been some of the sweetest I have probably ever experienced. Why? Why is it so much fun? Why is it so satisfying?

During Obama's inauguration speech, there was a line that I particularly appreciated...
"...firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task."

I know preparing for a barista competition is not even remotely in the same realm of importance as what Obama and his team and we as Americans are facing as "difficult tasks" right now, but I think this statement at least partially explains why I am enjoying this journey so much.

Being actually prepared for a barista competition is a difficult task. And I must admit, I am giving it my all. And I know I will be a better person because of it. And, our coffee at Phoenix will be better because of it also!

The Empty Cup

2008-11-18T21:03:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, Carl and I were going through some old papers of his. We found one from August 1978 entitled "The Empty Cup". Arabica, the first coffee company that he founded here in Cleveland, Ohio, would have only been two years old when he wrote this.

It seems that Carl thought there were four aspects to the Empty Cup.
Reading... the mind understands what happens in a cup of coffee from seed to cup.
Sensing... the body ingests the beverage itself
Feeling... the emotions have a non-sentimental awareness of the coffee
The Whole... awareness of all elements would allow one to be filled from an empty cup.

Earth, Air, Fire, Water... Human reason manipulates all four of these elements and uses them as part of a craft, a craft which is really a state of being.

The empty cup is a way for us to establish for ourselves a ritual or practice, in which we begin to realize our inability to control events, yet we actively particpate in the events of our own lives. This craft is a practice for seeing... no results... Every individual is a craftsman, an artist, a genius.

This particular craft begins in the morning, which is a good time to begin something. The craftsman must first recognize the activity as a craft, and must choose the implements of his or her craft accordingly. For example, a particular brewing method, like a French Press, or an espresso pot, and a particular cup. Take time to choose these items. Include oneself in as many steps as possible. The key is awareness of each step and activity and one's relationship to each step and each activity.

On another piece of paper we found:

"We, as human beings, need to make an attempt at perfection, no matter how small. It is absolutely so in this time. Accepting as a task, for instance, brewing a perfect cup of coffee, this establishes the conditions that perfection is a condition that I may know. This is very important to establish this understanding in our psyche, for it helps the eventual creation of the bridge between wish and action."

I found this particular section very meaningful. Actually, I found the whole thing very meaningful. I am working at our Lee Road store full-time right now, as a stand-in-manager. I am really enjoying my time there, it is refreshing to see my business again from the inside-out. There is a sort of mental weariness that had set in, staring down at the Phoenix empire, all the moving pieces: stores, employees, money, resources, transactions, customers, equipment, systems, policies, financial statements... ahhh...and reality just never matched my ideal. But from my perspective at Lee, there's just me, the coffee & the customer. I love it. My cup can be empty and I am fulfilled.

Ten Tenets of Business Ownership

2008-05-26T07:00:00.005-05:00

I love to talk about business and business philosophy, because even after ten years of owning a business, I'm still trying to figure out what makes the thing tick. Recently, I was approached and asked to speak at the City Club, and then I was asked to speak at John Carroll, presumably to business students. We haven't picked dates for either, but I thought it would still be good to prepare and begin to memorialize some of my thoughts on the subject.

1. Phoenix Coffee is an organism, not just an organization.

2. Getting media coverage is easy. Just let your passion shine through into your actions.

3. It's better to be shot out of the water than to rot at the dock. - Burt Morgan

4. You only get to write half of the story. Your customers get to write the other half, so be sure to leave room for them. (lesson from Scott Crawford)

5. Your relationship with failure determines your ability to be successful.

6. Public failure is more liberating than private failure; the former requires brutal honesty. Also, a public failure can then seem like a variation of success, since it's all just a giant experiment anyway.

7. Respect your employees, they're the ones running your business. If they aren't intelligent and motivated enough to deserve your mutual respect, they shouldn't be working for you.

8. Owning and/or managing a thriving community coffee shop, is like sitting on top of a huge, pulsating, moving ball of energy. You can't control it, it requires the widest bandwith of attention that you can muster, and its potential is limited only by your capacity to conceive of its potential.

9. Money is a teacher all in itself. Money teaches you that when you have to set your price, you're naming your value, and you had better mean it and know it. In order to know your value, you have to know yourself and your company, as in the dictum "Know Thyself". Money responds well to whatever time and attention is spent on it, just like kids, pets, friends and family.

10. There is no substitute for having fun with your business. My best days, with the best quality of thought, are the ones when I'm the most playful, the days when I find myself asking "Why not?"

US News and World Report does Phoenix!

2008-03-10T22:40:00.002-05:00

http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/small-business-entrepreneurs/2008/03/10/how-one-business-fights-the-downturn.html

The Starbucks Ad

2008-03-01T17:50:00.002-05:00

http://phoenixer.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/sbuxad3.pdf

Many people have asked us about our response to Starbucks closing last Tuesday to "retrain" their baristas. Finally, a Phoenix fan, Scott Crawford, sent me this ad, which we are planning on running this week in the Free Times paper here in Cleveland as well as the Free Times analogous paper in Seattle. Thank you, Scott!

But I Have One Rant about this Weekend

2008-01-20T05:23:00.000-05:00

Which is why couldn't Carl and I get anyone from the Cleveland Convention and Visitors Bureau to call us back? We left several messages... The SCAA conference could be in Cleveland in 2010, bringing more than 10,000 people to the area for four to five days, and millions of dollars in revenue to the city. The SCAA folks are here in town, and boy wouldn't it be fabulous if someone from the CCVB would have returned our messages so as to sit down with the SCAA folks while they're here. Heck, we got the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR here, and he even has family here in Cleveland!!!

If anyone has any thoughts about how to make this happen, let me know!

SCAA Skill Building Workshop here in Cleveland

2008-01-20T04:36:00.000-05:00

It's almost 5 am on day three of the SCAA Skill Building Workshop here in Cleveland, OH. The phone rang at 3:30 am with the report of a motion detector being tripped inside our Superior Ave store, I'm hoping it was a false alarm; still waiting to find out.

Friday and Saturday, our roastery "classroom" area was filled with about 20 students and 10 or so volunteers and instructors, espresso machines, cupping glasses, hot water, coffee and steam. We have participants joining us from as far away as Korea (!!) and Toronto, Wisconsin and Seattle. It took us all a while to realize that the gentleman from Korea wasn't only Korean, yet living here in the US, but actually Korean and coming straight from Korea for the workshops. His latte art has been amazing.

Our Friday night barista jam produced some beautiful rosettas, as well as a double heart pattern and a skull and cross bones latte. And lots of empty beer bottles late into the night. Shout out to Wiggles (now Mr. Wiggles) and Goth Muffin (Stephen Shaum) and Devlin from New Harvest Roasters in Providence for the clean up job and locking up.

I stood in for Ellie Hutson-Matuszak, the chair of the SCAA Training Committee, whose flight was delayed, and filled the Lead Instructor shoes for the Espresso Workshops on Friday. I worked my way through all those 3 minute powerpoint slides with composure and professionalism, I think. It helped that we had experienced station instructors and students with good questions.

The Saturday cupping workshops were led by Andrew Miller from Cafe Imports in Minneapolis. I heard that the highlight of the Advanced Cupping class were the sparkling Tanzanian and the blueberry Ethiopian and crisp Kenyan. The Sumatrans were not as big of a hit, which is unusual in specialty coffee circles where there are generally folks who appreciate the Indonesian big body mouthfeel. But of course, there are nuances that make a big difference as to whether or not a given coffee is actually pleasant. For the purposes of cupping, coffees are often roasted much lighter (Agtron 60 in this case) and this reveals many of the defects.

Shout out the volunteers that poured, then washed the thousand or so cupping glasses! Our station instructors were Dawn Andrews, Phoenix's Roastery Maven, Dominic Caruso from Caruso's Coffee, Ric Rhinehart, the executive director of the SCAA, Marcie Phillips and Sarah Dallas, Phoenix baristas and Costa Rica coffee farm travelers.

Sunday will feature Ellie Hutson-Matuszak instructing the Professional Development for the Working Barista class, where we will cup six coffees and then work on latte art. Ellie honed her barista skills during her years at Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago. Our station instructors, Adam Zagger, Caitlin Harwood, Felicia "Flagg" Tiller and Julie Hutchison Breiteinstein, will make Ellie and Phoenix and the SCAA proud with their latte art and coffee prowess this morning, no doubt.

This afternoon, Dan Jansen, distinguished USBC judge and SCAA Instructor, from Franke, USA, will instruct Brewing Fundamentals. During this class we will prove that there is just as much chemistry and detailed science and art behind brewing regular drip coffee as there is behind espresso.

It has been a great experience being the host for this workshop. It was a lot of work to pull it together, but the Phoenix team pulled it off seemingly effortlessly and the smoothness of the evn thus far has been a triumph for me. I am so proud of us and of the learning that has gone on this weekend. Phoenix is proud to do its part to prove that Cleveland is a coffee town! The workshops are sold out, actually a little oversold in cases, and that is exactly what we had hoped to acheive, as well as delivering a lot of information and value to the participants.

The weekend was also a great impetus for developing a new ability to cooperate with Caruso's Coffee, who loaned us brewers, cupping spoons, cupping cups and espresso machines. Anne Denton from Red Cedar coffee, another local roaster, also happened to be at the workshop. That kind of shoulder-t0-shoulder experience is great for the Cleveland coffee scene. Community can't get built if we don't know who the members are or if we remain faceless names in a conversation. Can there be a community amongst competitors? I think that's the whole basis for the SCAA in the first place.

Rock on, Cleveland coffee scene!

The death of R & D leads to a seminar on "where the money goes"

2007-12-08T13:31:00.000-05:00

In July of this year, we created the first ever Phoenix Coffee Research and Development Committee. Our first meeting had an air of enthusiasm and excitement, the table was full of multiple volunteers from each store, about 10 people I think, brimming with ideas. We laid out an ambitious goal of developing new products that would be more sustainable, use local ingredients, be unique, tasty, healthy, attractive, well-marketed, and profitable. And, the roll out of these new items would be well-communicated, clear, complete, consistent. It was going to be something of which we were all proud.

Here we are, six months later. The meetings have gradually become more and more sparsely attended. Most of the members have taken on more responsibilities at the stores and are now overcommitted... Liz started making soups. Renee took over the cost analysis spreadsheet, and became part of the management at South Euclid, and learned how to roast coffee. Theresa is taking over some company-wide training responsibilities. Felicia, Caitlin and Wes are the management team at Lee Road. So it's down to me and Marcie, the manager of the Coventry store. I love Marcie, but this isn't much of a committee. We have lost any kind of grass-roots feel here. And there's something about our process that hasn't been all that attractive to either one of us, and obviously not to the members of our committee, either.

So the Phoenix R & D team is officially dead.

We've got to rethink this thing. Do we re-form the committee or do we re-form the whole Research and Development initiative in general? I am leaning towards the latter. Kill the committee. Who wants committees anyway? As soon as you hear the word committee don't you just know that you're dealing with a cumbersome process that probably doesn't work?

What we really want is a lean, nimble system like they have on Toyota's production line where workers make about 50 changes to their workflow in the course of two and a half shifts. That's about a change every 22 minutes. To acheive anything close to this rate of innovation, we would need constant, instant communication between the baristas. Our new employee blog started in July http://www.phoenixer.wordpress.com/ (that's where I've been expending my blogging energy for the past six months) and while it gets a lot of use, it still isn't the rapid-fire communication tool that it could be. We also would need really educated baristas, who not only know how to pull a shot, but who know how to cost out a new item and think through their own ideas and their execution. Cost analysis isn't for everyone, but a little bit of info can go a long way. When that great idea for a new drink is going to require us to sell it for $6 per cup, wouldn't it be good to think about that early on in the process? Marcie was telling me how much of a difference it made to her when I first shared our profit & loss statement with her. It changed how she thought about the company, just knowing where all the money goes.

So that will be Step 1 towards a new process for embracing barista innovation, all-day, every-day. We will have a seminar called "Where the Money Goes" during which I will share with employees exactly how every $100 or $1000 that comes in gets spent... why we need to allocate 28% for payroll, 34% for Cost of Goods, whatever the percentage is for rent, linen service, towels, debt service, etc and hopefully a 10-20% profit at the bottom.

When I sat down to figure out what the next incarnation of R&D would be, I never thought it would lead back to the money. But apparently that's Step 1. Step 2 and 3 might be further education about logistics, marketing, efficiency, and even business strategy. It could be a tall order. But neither Toyota nor Rome was built in a day. Nor does the caterpillar turn into a monarch overnight.

Dosing Debate, Public Forum

2007-11-05T21:19:00.000-05:00

Just picture scorecards speckled with espresso drips and how you would feel after test sipping 20 shots of espresso. And we decided to swallow, not spit. So yeah, the buzz was intense. Especially at 8:30 at night...

Last week we conducted a carefully controlled espresso dosing experiment at the Phoenix Roastery. We investigated which dosing method (dosing refers to the way the barista fills the portafilter basket) gives the best results. We are in the process of switching to all La San Marco two group machines at our stores, and the new portafilters have differently shaped baskets from our previous machines, which is how this question arose in the first place.

The "new" dosing method proposed by Dennis Skitzki, our espresso wizard, is that we fill the dosing chamber with ground espresso and adjust the dosing mechanism in each grinder to dispense precisely 8.5 grams of coffee per segment of the dosing star. The dosing star is the star-shaped divider inside the dosing chamber that parses measured amounts of coffee down the hole (from where it falls into the waiting portafilter) as it rotates with each pull of the dosing lever on the side of the grinder.

The status quo dosing method (previously espoused by the same espresso wizard) is to overfill the portafilter basket and level the basket off using a finger or the lid of the dosing chamber, much as one would measure flour in a bakery. The portafilter is essentially being used as the measuring cup.

Potential problems with the latter method are consistency of leveling and how many times the barista drags the coffee partially across the portafilter before leveling completely. Not to mention that with the La San Marco machines, this method results in more coffee in the basket, which is not necessarily a problem, but it will result in a slightly different grind size.

At our investigation last week, first we had different baristas dose ten shots worth of espresso and we weighed the dosed amounts on a gram scale. This is a very simple exercise, but very interesting. The two most consistent dosing methods were me (SWJ) using the dosing star technique, (.18 standard deviation) followed by Kim, the manager at the Superior Cafe, using the level dose method and the lid of the dosing chamber to level with (.25 standard deviation).

The second round of the investigation consisted of barista Stephen Shaum pulling 20 shots, randomly alternating between dosing methods, and therefore grind size and coffee amounts, and having a panel of judges rate each shot. Ten of the shots were prepared using the level dose method, and the other ten were prepared using the dosing star method. The judges couldn't tell which dosing method was used for which shot, so it was a blind taste test from that point of view. Flavor wise, the level dose shots got an average score of 7.183 with a standard deviation of 1.1 and the dosing star shots got an average score of 7.003 with a standard deviation of .88.

We didn't feel that the difference in the flavor ratings were statistically significant. But we did observe that since we threw out any shot that was not in the 20-30 second range, it was considerably more difficult to produce an acceptable shot on the level-dose machine. Also, there was about a pound of wasted coffee around that machine by the end of the night, versus about a quarter pound of wasted coffee around the grinder that dispensed coffee using its dosing star.

Overall, I would say at this point that I am sold on the dosing star method, due to less coffee waste and comparable taste and comparable consistency results.

But Wiggles (barista at the Coventry store) still says that the dosing star has no soul. That method gives the barista less control over the pulling of the shot. Which is why this issue has become so hotly contested! Isn't soul the most important thing in a shot of espresso anyway? I still think that's why espresso is amazing; it gives you a flavor window into the barista's soul instantaneously. If they're on their game, the espresso is good, the soul is good, life is good. If they're off their game, their spirit is crushed, well, the espresso is also.

Not just any kind of insomnia

2007-10-16T03:59:00.000-05:00

I have the small-business-owner variety.

The kind that starts with the 2:30 am jangle of the telephone and an adrenaline surge.

"This is State Alarm calling. We have a Zone 4 motion signal and the police have been dispatched."

"For which store?" (They ALWAYS leave out that critical information)

"4441 Mayfield Road"

"Oh, South Euclid. Cancel the police. It's just the donut delivery people who can't figure out how to work the alarm sometimes."

"OK, thank you, we'll do that."

"Goodbye"

You would think at this point that I would be able to just roll over and go back to sleep. The donut delivery person's incompetency is not interesting enough to lose any sleep over, right? That's how it would be for most people. But not for me. I'm a small business owner. For a few minutes, I manage to think about things related to my house and family... our impending kitchen renovation, the kids needing showers in the morning, tomorrow's soccer game, but then, I start to think about business things. Phoenix Coffee stuff. The East 9th Street store we're about to start building. South Euclid and our group management experiment. Lee Road and our group management experiment, a recent customer complaint, possible solutions, phone calls I need to make to solve it, oh yeah, the manager's meeting tomorrow, drink cards that need to be riveted, an upcoming coffee tasting... I sit up. My brain thinks I'm sitting at my desk at work, ready to call people, to solve problems, to get things done. But I'm sitting in bed, in the dark, in my PJs at 3 am.

Problems don't get solved at this hour. They just get listed and half-solved, only enough so I can keep worrying. I know this person who takes up residence in my brain at night, after the phone calls. She acts like the eight-year-old who takes a bite out of every cookie on the tray only to decide she doesn't like any of them. Her antics go un-noticed as long as all the adults in the room keep jabbering, unconscious and mechanical.

Her presence is so subtle, yet annoying that she drives me to get up, out of bed, down to the basket of clean laundry in the living room. I start folding. Maybe the physical activity will sap her psychological momentum. Neatish stacks of t-shirts, socks and underwear, sorted by family member, grow on the table as the basket empties. The thoughts still churn, I can tell that if I went back to bed, she would still be there, driving my thoughts mechanically from one issue to another.

Aaah, then I spy the computer. I could check email, but that will inevitably lead to more Phoenix-related thoughts. The blog post. That always shuts her up. As I finish this, I can feel her energy fading and my eyelids droop.

Goodnight!

Felicia Latte Art from Lee Road

2007-08-22T18:27:00.000-05:00

Too bad the light wasn't better, this looks like a stellar latte art example. Go Felicia Flagg!

Kattia and the Superior Ave Cafe Crew

2007-08-22T18:18:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of Kattia Barrantes, who has been staying with us for the past four weeks, and the crew from our Superior Avenue cafe. Kattia (the tallest one in black in the back row) is a coffee farmer from Costa Rica. She is here as part one of a coffee farmer/barista exchange that was initiated by one of our baristas, Renee Martien. Renee is the blondie right in front of the Mike Myers cut out (you'll notice he's wearing a stylish superbarista tshirt). I am so proud of these ladies; they do a great job running this cafe. Tina (red head, front row) has been with us for over four years. Theresa (back row in the hat) pulls a mean shot of espresso and is one of our most dedicated coffee fanatics and Kim (front row, arm tattoo) is our newest managerial addition and is a dynamo.

The barista/farmer exchange has been a great learning experience thus far. Kattia will be presenting a slide show about her farm in a couple of weeks at C Space. I will certainly post the date and time as we get closer.

Latte art from Banjoe's Cafe at Hopkins Airport

2007-07-25T15:19:00.001-05:00

Here is a heart-shaped latte courtesy of Dave McNea from Banjoe's Cafe at Hopkins Airport. Banjoe's serves Phoenix Coffee exclusively and works cooperatively with Phoenix to keep their staff educated about coffee. Dave has been a model example for what happens when someone takes the craft of coffee seriously. Go, Dave!

Sometime in August

2007-07-17T20:20:00.000-05:00

It was 1976, the era of disco balls and the BeeGees. I was four years old, my parents had just bought a fixer-upper in Kirtland, OH, and my younger sister was just being born. Meanwhile, Carl Jones, my future husband, was opening the first Arabica coffee shop, the first shop of its kind, on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights. Lew Zipkin was his landlord. About a month from now, Carl and Phoenix Coffee will be re-opening on Coventry, with the same landlord, at exactly the same address. The thought gives me goosebumps.

As a middle schooler and high schooler in the 80s, I used to visit the Arabica on Coventry, driving all the way from Kirtland (once I could drive) to pay homage to its landmark status. I remember standing in line at 9:00 on a summer night to spend $2.50 (or so) on my first Cafe Mocha. I fished the bills out of my red corduroy wallet that my Mom had made for me when I was a lot younger; it was cute, but certainly not stylish, and it certainly didn't seem to belong on Coventry, so it went back in my pocket quickly. I stood at the high counter and handed the money over to the "clerk" (I certainly didn't know that she was a barista at the time) and stood there wondering where I was supposed to stand and what I was actually going to get for my $2.50. My friend Kathleen had told me that the Mochas were good, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen a drink with such a random, foreign name. Although all the drinks sounded foreign: cappuccino, latte, red zinger tea, what the hell were all these? I was impressed that Kathleen knew what a Mocha was. She knew what to order, she was in the know. She probably knew what all those other exotics were, too, but I wasn't about to ask. I purposely didn't act surprised when I got handed a mug piled high with whipped cream.

Back at the table, I was amazed by the whipped cream. On a drink? Yum. And then, after a few sips, which quickly turned to gulps, I discovered that I actually could like coffee... this was not the homemade "cafe au lait" made with Chock Full O Nuts and cold milk that my Mom used to give me to try. I remember the shape of the mug that the Mocha came in; it was tallish and hour-glass shaped, and didn't hold as much liquid as I wished it did. Even with half an inch still left in the cup, I was already disappointed that it would be gone in another swallow or two.

So what happens when I get to open a coffee shop in the very place where I tasted my first cup of good coffee, and the love affair began? And the same place where Carl's devotion to coffee began as well?

As nostalgic as this is, one thing I know is that although many Coventry institutions still survive, Coventry is a completely different street than it was thirty years ago. I don't expect that Carl or Phoenix will get any special treatment from customers due to his/our history on the street. We still have to be genuinely excellent. We have to prove that we can keep our focus on the wonders of coffee and our intimately fascinating relationships with our customers. This time around, we have an established company of talented Phoenixers who are committed to using quality coffee as a platform for being of genuine service to humanity. And the rest is just history.

Giant Barista Puppets from Parade the Circle

2007-06-16T21:48:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of photos by Joey Mallin (newest Phoenix barista) of the two giant barista puppets, the centerpieces of the Parade the Circle ensemble, masterminded by Julie Hutchison. The male puppet is holding a tamper and a portafilter. The female puppet is holding a steaming pitcher and a cappuccino. Here is what her thought bubble should say: I am pouring some hella dope latte art for you, dear customer. And his thought bubble should say: Look at my mad cool handmade Reg Barber tamper. Step off and let me pull the espresso, aiight?

Phoenix Bird from Parade the Circle

2007-06-16T21:45:00.000-05:00

Here is one of our Phoenix birds from the Parade the Circle ensemble, coordinated by Julie Hutchison, owner of the Lakewood Phoenix. Gorgeous photo by David Perelman-Hall

The Way of the Barista

2007-05-30T21:14:00.000-05:00

Sarah Dallas and Sasha started something.
They didn't know it at the time, though.
They coined a new phrase that I think will have some significance at Phoenix Coffee.
They were developing a few interview questions to be used during their new "working interview" for barista candidates. And one of the questions they developed was as follows:

"All professions included, why have you chosen to pursue the path of the barista?"

As I replayed this question it became "The Way of the Barista". I like the feel of this phrase; it suggests that being a barista is half job, half spiritual calling.

So what if being a barista was a spiritual calling? I contemplated that question today as I trained some folks from Banjoe's Cafe (at Hopkins Airport, proudly serves Phoenix Coffee) as well as our newest barista, the enthusiastic Ryan McCafferty, whose first "station" will be at the Lee Road cafe. As I pulled espresso shots and demonstrated latte art to the best of my ability, something in the pouring of the coffee and the milk, or in the water and the steam, gave me this strong sense of the primal, ancient practice of coffee. I saw coffee through a different light for a moment. Instead of being complex and challenging, it became simple and peaceful.

People have been making coffee for each other for thousands and thousands of years. Our contemporary practice of coffee now involves pressure-brewed crema and froth, but it's no more complex than the ancient Ethiopian coffee ceremony that Carl and Senait Robson from the Empress Taytu demonstrated for us at our Sips of Africa event earlier this month. The technology is different, but both have large requirements for intention and attention from the coffee preparer. And both the Ethiopian variety and the espresso variety revolve around the simple, compassionate act of one person making a beverage for another person. But at its core, the practice of making coffee for another person is a basic, accessible way for one human being to be of service to another human being. As part of that transfer, two life spheres overlap, for a moment or a few moments, without violence or conflict. Neither violence nor conflict has any place in or bearing on the act of making a cup of coffee for another person. Coffee is inherently peaceful and constantly serves to weave people together, one relationship at a time.

If those of us who work with and serve coffee on a daily basis are able to approach the task with this intention and understanding, it would only magnify coffee's natural beneficial effects.

I know Sarah Dallas and Sasha weren't asking me the question, but I guess if they did, my answer would be something along those lines.

Off to the Specialty Coffee Association Show in Long Beach, CA

2007-04-27T07:34:00.000-05:00

Next week Dawn (our Roastery Maven) and I will be departing for Long Beach California so we can be inundated with coffee ideas, products and people. We will both be volunteering at the US Barista Championship, attending some classes and chatting with vendors and other coffee biz folks. I hope to post on some of the specialty drinks that I experience as a judge, so stay tuned.

Phoenix Coffee outsells competitors at Whole Foods

2007-04-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

Look at those empty slots! (Ours are the red bags)

We have refilled twice now, and the coffee keeps disappearing off the shelves. Note that the other coffees are still full! I am so glad that we have supportive customers who also shop at Whole Foods, and it is really a great opportunity for us to be on their shelves.

The end of organic coffee?

2007-04-15T04:00:00.000-05:00

Interesting article on a USDA change in how organic coffees are certified on www.salon.com

I found it through exploring www.flowidealism.org an entrepreneurial thinktank website co-founded by John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods. I have really enjoyed our experience with Whole Foods thus far, which has prompted me to look further into the philosophy that makes them so successful.

I am surprised that none of my other usual "sources" have sent this article to me or linked to it thus far.

What the %$@! do we do about Cleveland?

2007-04-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

Today we had a nice visit from the clover folks, Anastasia, David and Don. They were great, knowledgeable, friendly, and we had a wonderful time experimenting with coffee together. We began with a journey inside the Tanzanian bean to find out the optimal number of seconds of dwell time that it took to deliver the characteristic Tanzanian punch, and finished up with a similar exploration of Yemen, one of my favorites.

While I loved the clover machine, when it came time for me to decide if I was going to buy it, I had to tell them to pack the coveted-coffee-toy back into its crate and take it back to Seattle. So sad. But, Phoenix Coffee's bank account, here in humble, poorest-city-in-the-nation Cleveland just isn't ready for an $11,000 coffee brewer. It's going to have to remain the domain of the coffee bigger shots on the West Coast for now.

Which leads me to the real subject of this post, a film I attended this evening, hosted by Future Heights, screened at the Cedar Lee Theatre, called "Making Sense of Place, Cleveland: Confronting Decline in an American City". The film was a collaboration between Northern Light Productions and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

So, readers who are not Clevelanders, you can stop reading here. But for those of you who are interested in the fate of Cleveland, for whatever perverse reason, keep reading...

Cleveland, once the fifth largest city in the nation, is now officially the nation's poorest, and boasts a population of 500,000 and shrinking. After 80 minutes of birds-eye-view perspective on our city's economic bleakness, the continuous population exodus to the suburbs, the problems with our education system, I stumbled down the theatre steps and bumped into Peggy Spaeth, director of Heights Arts. We chatted, pulled our coats around us and walked to our cars. When optimistic, creative minds are presented with huge problems, solutions inevitably bubble. Peggy pointed at an expanse of blank brick wall across the street... "I want a big mural there". She said. I pointed at the empty formerly Starbucks space next to the theatre "I want to open my tea house idea there." We bantered about art and coffee being part of the solutions to Cleveland's problems, only half-jokingly.

What the #$%! is the solution to Cleveland's crisis? I don't think anyone knows. I know we have a myriad of civic leaders working diligently on this problem. But the feeling of slow-motion suffocation continues. Concrete solutions are difficult to find, but as I reflect on it, I can describe the qualities I think a viable solution (or solutions) would have to have to WORK in the unique economy and culture of Cleveland. I have grown up here. I think I understand the Cleveland mentality, our conservatism, and our optimism. So here's a shot:

Something that can happen in baby steps, and does not require a quantum leap. Because Cleveland is not a quantum leap kind of place.
The solution must come from the fabric of which our communities are already woven. It can't be gambling, or high-tech, or something that seems foreign or imported or invented by the higher-ups. It has to come from our civic "soil", and be more-or-less home grown.
Something that is inspired, yet maybe obvious, that maybe was there all along but we overlooked it.
It might be putting a new spin on something old and traditional, something that people know and trust already.
It might involve renovating buildings or old, outdated facilities. It might involve "green building" or "environmental technologies" that also have short-term financial benefits.
It has to be something that many different people can be involved in, on many different levels, to facilitate grass roots involvement and excitement.

Whatever Cleveland embraces to help pull us out of our economic doldrums, it will have to be something that a lot of people can "get" quickly, without a complicated explanation. Like the other day when I mentioned "barista trading cards" to one of our baristas. She got it immediately. It didn't need further explanation. I'm not saying barista trading cards are the answer to Cleveland's problems. I'm just saying that something with a quick and elegant explanation would be the most likely to catch on.

So that's my crack at economic development brainstorming. Please let me know if the above thoughts ring true to any of you!

don't serve the drink until the portafilter is empty

2007-04-05T16:35:00.000-05:00

Dear Baristas,
I would like to hear your opinion on this issue, so please post your comments...
I have had several discussions over the past week with concerned baristas about emptying the puck out of the portafilter after the espresso is brewed. We all know that it is bad form to leave the spent coffee in the hot portafilter for many reasons. One reason is the heat from the group head bakes the coffee oils into the small holes in the filter basket, and the group head screen, contributing to rancid flavors in future shots. One barista stated that it was his habit to return to the espresso machine after he had served the beverage and empty the portafilter at that point. I replied that it was better to empty the portafilter before the drink is presented to the customer. This can be challenging because there is time pressure to serve the beverage to the customer quickly. But I think it is worth the extra fraction of a second to empty the portafilter before stepping away from the machine, because there is no chance that you will forget to empty it that way. Is there ever a time when it would be preferable to leave the puck in the machine 'til later? What are your thoughts on the matter?