Table of contents for June/Jul 2016 in BeanScene

Coffee is evolving. The way it is grown and processed is evolving. The way we roast, extract and drink it is evolving. Most importantly, the general public’s interest and appreciation of specialty coffee is evolving. As you can then imagine, it was with a dose of shock and horror that I read a comment on a social media platform recently where a respected industry old timer proclaimed that he could not think of a single improvement in the world of coffee since the 1990s. He went on to say that the more the coffee industry descended into mumbo jumbo and alchemy, the less the public would listen. In my view, an incredible amount has happened in the past two decades; new machines that deliver far greater control over extractions, new…

PUQPRESS Introducing PuqPress, the world’s first automatic coffee tamper. Designed and manufactured in the Netherlands, PuqPress compresses ground coffee with perfect pressure and a level tamp every time. The PuqPress revolutionises manual tamping to ensure coffee is always pressed with precisely the right amount of pressure, so no matter which barista makes a coffee, tamping or dropped shots will be issues of the past. With highly sophisticated grinders and espresso machines on the market to regulate the perfect coffee, why risk manual tamping? Achieve consistent automatic tamping with PuqPress. For more information visit www.servicesphere.com.au HEY YOU Hey You is one of Australia’s leading order-ahead and payment apps. The app enables customers to beat busy queues and pay for their daily coffee with ease. For businesses, this system helps manages the…

There has been much written about Brazil, from its size as the world’s largest coffee producer to its 16th-century history, but for this article I thought it might be worth leaving behind the impressive statistics and take a gentle stroll through a legend, a couple of fazendas, and finish with a microlot or two to demonstrate Brazil’s commitment to innovation. In my past coffee life with a large European roaster, a master blender told me that “a good Brazil” was the platform that all good espresso blends were built on. They were the “hard workers”, delivering sweetness and body, allowing the more exotic origins to do their thing. There’s a lot of truth in what she said. At Cofi-Com, we cup around nine or 10 Brazil coffees out the 30-odd…

There’s one quote from American astrophysicist Carl Sagan we at Socratic Coffee really appreciate: “What counts is not what sounds plausible, not what we would like to believe, not what one or two witnesses claim, but only what is supported by hard evidence rigorously and skeptically examined.” With that, we feel an apt topic for us to tackle is particle sizing: why particle size is important for coffee preparation, and the challenges faced using various sizing techniques. To do this, we’d like to provide you with some background and empirical data to help you make better coffee-related purchasing and preparation decisions. WHAT IS PARTICLE SIZING? Particle sizing is a key property of particulate materials for many applications. At its core, particle size is simply a way to describe some quality…

NSW Allpress Espresso 58 Epsom Rd, ZETLAND Austin’s Coffee & Tea 62 Broadmeadow Rd, BROADMEADOW Campos Coffee 193 Missenden Rd, NEWTOWN Coffee Warehouse Cafe 17-35 Parramatta Rd, HOMEBUSH Don Campos 2/21 Fountain St, ALEXANDRIA Double Roasters 199 Victoria Rd, MARRICKVILLE Grinders Coffee 204 Norton St, LEICHHARDT Pablo & Rusty’s 161 Castlereagh St, SYDNEY Pablo & Rusty’s 1 St Johns Ave, GORDON Pablo & Rusty’s 13 Burns Bay Rd, LANE COVE Pablo & Rusty’s Jacaranda Sq, Cnr Dawn Fraser & Park St, SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK Pablo & Rusty’s 3 Plassey Rd, NORTH RYDE Toby’s Estate 32/36 City Rd, CHIPPENDALE Toby’s Estate 129 Cathedral St, WOOLLOOMOOLOO Tulipshi Cafe Suite 307, The San Clinic Bldg, 185 Fox Valley Rd, WAHROONGA White Horse Coffee Shop 2/137 Flora St, SUTHERLAND QLD Emjays Coffee Shop 6,…

Every month we highlight the digital coffee community, hearing from CoffeeSnobs and Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram followers For more information visit www.beanscenemag.com.au ALLISON MACINTYRE I am a 25-year-old from Brisbane, where I own and run KIN + Co., a café in 9 the suburb of Teneriffe alongside my family . I fell in love with coffee at age 1 and have worked hard to learn as much as I can about it and the of running cafés up until the opening of my own space six months ago. However, I am constantly looking to expand and share my knowledge and I am enjoying bringing new brew methods into the café (and at home too). I also really enjoy combining my love of photography with coffee where it all…

Rod Greenfield co-owns Zest Specialty Coffee with brother Anton and father-in-law Arthur. He has led the establishment of Zest as a respected specialty brand over a short space of time. With a passion for coffee and a bit of a flare for creativity, Rod injects a culture of drive, innovation, enthusiasm, and commitment into his keen young crew. Together, they are focused on providing an excellent all-round experience for their customers. Rod strives to create a business with integrity and values that his employees, suppliers, and customers can trust and depend on. Karla Gichard is the President of the New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association. Karla is committed to supporting the growth of specialty coffee in New Zealand through the President’s role. Karla is also Chief Executive and Co-owner of Ozone…

After 11 days living the life of a coffee farmer in Brazil, Nikolaos Kanakaris from Greece won Barista & Farmer 2016. The 32-year-old barman from Athens won the third series of the reality talent show, which took place from 3 to 13 May. Russian Olga Kaplina was runner up and local barista Raphael Ferraz De Sousa from Brazil won third place. A total of 10 baristas, selected from 200 participants, took part in the third season of the show, filmed at O’Coffee company in Lambari, Minas Gerais. Rosey Hill of D’Angelo Coffee in Adelaide was Australia’s representative. Barista & Farmer is a project created by three-time Italian Barista Champion Francesco Sanapo, in partnership with Rimini Fiera, Sigep, and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe. The talent show is dedicated to…

“BUILDING SCALES FOR THE COFFEE INDUSTRY WAS MORE COMPLICATED THAN BUILDING ANY BUSINESS I HAD EXPERIENCED BEFORE.” Rex Tseng has a keen eye for detail. Three years ago he sat at a San Franciscan coffee shop with Acaia Co-Founder Johnny Hou. He couldn’t help but notice the different aesthetic elements that contributed to the café’s modern look; the coffee machine, the layout, interior design, even the presentation of the coffee. There was just one element however, that seemed out of place – a set of kitchen scales sitting on the café bench top. “When I looked at that piece, I knew I could improve it a little,” Rex says. Rex knows a thing or two about weighing scales. His family’s 35-year-old business manufactures high-precision industrial and lab instruments. Rex admits,…

Welcome to my first editorial contribution in BeanScene. As the new Australian Latte Art Champion I’m excited to have the opportunity to share with you my knowledge and passion for latte art, which I’ve developed over many years. For my first editorial I’m going ‘back to basics’ so in later columns we can really start to explore how to create new and exciting latte art. The first thing we need to understand is how to correctly steam milk before we get into the heavy end of things. Here are my three key pointers to perfectly steamed milk: 1. Always start with the same amount of milk. I usually steam for one person, which is 140 millimetres of milk or just under half full with a 300-millimetre pitcher. 2. From here…

Which actor or actress would you get to play you in a biography about your life? It’s a question you hear from time to time – often answered with the celebrity most resembling your personality or appearance. Just quietly I’ve always thought Vin Diesel could be a contender for myself, or Daughtry frontman Chris Daughtry. When Filmmakers Jeff Hann and Roland Fraval were looking to make a documentary about 2015 World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic’s efforts to source the perfect cup of coffee, it seems they went for the most realistic option –- himself. Titled The Coffee Man, the film explores the world of specialty coffee and the lengths Sasa went to in pursuit of the world championship title in Seattle, United States. The movie sees Sasa trekking across the…

Planet Ark Environmental Foundation has discovered new ways to control coffee waste. The not-for-profit Australian organisation conducted a six-month feasibility study into the commercial viability of recycling spent (used) coffee grounds produced by cafés and coffee shops within the City of Sydney. Planet Ark’s study found that 921 cafés and coffee shops within this area are selling more than 100 million cups of coffee each year. Collectively these cafés produce more than 3000 tonnes of spent coffee grounds annually. Of the leftover grounds, 93 per cent are sent straight to landfill where they can produce methane and carbon dioxide that contribute to global warming. Only 7 per cent are used in an organic waste processor, on gardens or in compost. “We love our coffee, but we don’t love the amount…

CaféSmart is calling on Australia’s coffee community to unite on 5 August and help combat homelessness. On this day, CafeSmart participating cafés will donate $1 of every coffee sold to fund a range of projects designed to tackle homelessness. “Homelessness is an issue which often falls under the radar or, even worse, it gets stuck in the too-hard basket,” says StreetSmart’s CEO, Adam Robinson. “StreetSmart is all about creating opportunities for people to chip in and help out. We believe small donations all add up to a big impact, enabling everyone to be part of the solution.” Last year 491 cafés and 27 coffee roasters took part in the social initiative to help raise funds for local homeless services. Coffee roasters can support the cause through the donation of beans…

Paul West is full of pride for Australia’s coffee culture. He’s travelled throughout Europe and the South East Coast of Australia, and he’s adamant Aussies do it best. “To be honest, when I was in Italy I expected the coffee to be above and beyond, but it was disappointing. It’s all great to sit in a 100-year old café with beautiful décor, pastries, and old Italian men. I thought I was going to have the best espresso of my life. But it wasn’t. I can get a better coffee at the Tilba General Store from Cam,” Paul says. “We just nail it over here. Australia and New Zealand have really grabbed the whole coffee culture by the horns and we own it now. We totally do. I think you’re more…

As the coffee industry in Australia continues to grow, so too does baristas’ desire to showcase their skills through competition. Hardly a month goes by without some form of competition being held around the country – from the informal latte art smackdowns to the more structured regional and national competitions. Getting involved in these competitions can be a great way for baristas to learn new skills and expand their knowledge while continuing to be excited about coffee. The events are also a great opportunity to meet new people in the social industry we work in. Friendly competition in your own workplace can serve the same purpose as these broader competitions and can also be great practice for baristas who plan on entering regional or national events. However, the benefits of…

This month I’d like to introduce Jessica Macdonald as the New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association’s Community and Events Coordinator. Much has happened since 2014 when we first created the Executive Director staff role with the New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association. Aptly filled by Aymon McQuade for the past 18 months, we wish Aymon all the best as he pursues new challenges with Bell Tea and Coffee. His departure provided the opportunity for the Board to review and realign the role with a greater focus on member liaison and events support the role we welcome Jessica to. Jessica’s affair with the coffee world started 12 years ago when she left New Zealand to travel. Landing in Melbourne, she joined the team at Icoco in Albert Park, Victoria, and discovered her love…