There have been many shops in
Phoebe Aceto's life: there were the
Gimme Coffee shops (in Trumansburg and on Cayuga Street) where she worked for 5 years as a barista and a trainer. There's also the tattoo shop,
Model Citizen, where she can be found "bringing the pain" while apprenticing with owner, James Spiers. Then there's her mom's kitchen shop for her catering business, in downtown Trumansburg, where Phoebe grew up; there's also her dad's instrument shop. In any event, the question, "Where's Phoebe?" can often be answered in two simple words: "The Shop." Now open at 312 East Seneca Street, just up from the Commons, this new coffee shop venture certainly is aptly named.
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I was reading up about
wet processing on James Hoffman's site,
jimseven, and thought I'd share. James, a former World Barista Champion, gave a lecture at a
barista jam in Easton, PA a couple of years ago - he was charming and down to earth, and of course extremely knowledgeable about coffee.
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Maybe you've decided to take our advice. You're standing in your kitchen with a bag of sweet
Hartmann Honey. Maybe you read Jeremy's
(RIP) awesome post
about grinding and decided to go ahead and purchase a modest burr grinder for home. You've chosen
Moka Pot as your method of extraction, and have the grind size and
dose exacted to your taste preference. But what about your water?
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It's no small feat, this brew. From
farm to ship to roastery to your
kitchen counter, there are many variables at work which can make or break it. Does the prospect of controlling all variables overwhelm you? Does this photo overwhelm you? We're here to help.
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Photos
It's easy to forget that the beverage, grounds and beans that we sling and drink every day come from an agricultural commodity like any other. Well, not exactly like any other - it does hold the distinction of being the second-most traded commodity after oil.
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Our
Decaf beans start out in Narino, Colombia, and are processed so
that the outer layers (called the "cherry") are removed.
After this
processing but before being roasted, coffee beans are referred to as
"greens". If coffee is going to be decaffeinated, the caffeine must be
extracted after the beans have been processed. The greens are then
sent to Germany to a decaffeination plant.
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Brewing for espresso enables one to experience a coffee with a fuller range of dimension - the pressured water can pull out many
more flavors and aromas from the grounds than gravity brewing. This also means that if your grinder is dirty, you will certainly taste it in an extraction.
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NERBC/MARBC came and went last weekend over in Pittsburgh. Here in the picture above we have the six NERBC finalists waiting to hear the results. A lot of yins have been asking me for the breakdown, so here yins go:
Northeast Regional Barista Competition Winners:
3rd: Sam Penix, Everyman Espresso, New York, NY
2nd: Nik Krenkl, Taste, Newton, MA
1st: Amber Sather, Brooklyn, NY
Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competition Winners:
3rd: David Flynn, Peregrine Espresso, Washington, DC
2nd: Allie Turner, Murky Coffee, Washington, DC
1st: Katie Duris, Murky Coffee, Washington, DC
Photo credit: Liz Clayton
Photos
The Moka Pot has been brewing coffee on household stovetops for over 70 years. Using steam pressure, it yields a strong brew with a heavy body, similar to press pot extraction. It even produces a small amount of crema.
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Photos
If you go on over to the Costa Rica La Union page and check out the bag label, you'll read the descriptors snap peas, jasmine and alfalfa flowers. During recent cuppings, I've also perceived cocoa, fresh earth and peaches.
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I spent my holidays in south Florida, where the coffee pickings were slim - it was a good thing I brought a French Press and some 
