J&S Coffee

Featured Coffee of the Week: Brazil Yellow Bourbon

Name: Natural Yellow Bourbon Fazenda Cachoeira

Country of origin: Brazil

Region of origin: Mogiana

Farm: Fazenda Cachoeira

Varietal: Yellow Bourbon

Altitude: 1100-1250 meters

Processing method: Natural

Cup profile: Sweet, berry, chocolate, cininamon, hazelnut. 

Congo Kivu Katanda

Wow!!!  This is one interesting coffee.  Typically West-African coffees leave a lot to be desired in the flavor profile.  As major producers of Robusta and low-grade Arabica coffees, West Africa is often ignored on the specialty coffee scene.  This coffee is not to be ignored.   The very first batch out of the roaster was shocking.  The subtle, wild finish left me wanting more and more, so much so that I call my broker to ask if I needed to write a contract on this one.  Give it a try…

Grind Option

Whole beanHome espressoCone dripFlat-bottom dripPress pot

Recipe for the perfect evening (while the family is out of town (that has little to do with coffee))

1. Brew a press pot (or better yet, a vacuum pot) of the newest coffee offered at J&S, Congo Kivu Katanda.  One of the most exciting coffees I've ever tasted.

2.  Find a comfy chair near something that can play sounds from the internet.  The better the sound quality, the better.

3. Go to www.pandora.com (get an account if you don't already have one)

4. Create a "radio station" with Ben Harper as the artist.

5. Sit back and enjoy

Pandora is one of the coolest musical tools to come out is many years and the music coming from this station is simply amazing.  Check it out and play with your own stations.

Great Business Article...

While this has nothing to do with coffee, I have to let you know about one of the best article I've ever read.  The cover article in this month's (August 2008, pp 86-93) Inc. Magazine discusses Joe Cirulli and the Gainesville Health & Fitness Center.  This is a must read for all.

How is this for a Core Vision Statement?

"To become known as one of the best companies for the world."

Wow.

"Great" Vendor/Customer Relations

Jeff Simmermon's Blog:

Maybe condescending service from a patronizing millenial at a DC coffee shop isn’t news to anyone else. But the only way I’m ever coming back to Murky Coffee in Arlington is if I’m carrying matches and a can of kerosene.

I just ordered my usual summertime pick-me-up: a triple shot of espresso dumped over ice. And the guy at the counter looked me in the eye with a straight face and said “I’m sorry, we can’t serve iced espresso here. It’s against our policy.”

The whole world turned brown and chunky for a second. Flecks of corn floated past my pupils, and it took me a second to blink it all away.

“Okay,” I said, “I’ll have a triple espresso and a cup of ice, please.”

He rolled his eyes and rang it up, took my money, gave me change. I stood there and waited. Then the barista called me over to the bar. I reached for it, and he leaned over and locked his eyes with mine, saying “Hey man. What you’re about to do … that’s really, really Not Okay.”

I could hear the capital letters in his voice, could see the gravity of the situation in his eyes.

He continued: “This is our store policy, to preserve the integrity of the coffee. It’s about the quality of the drink, and diluting the espresso is really not cool with us. So I mean, you’re going to do what you’re going to do, and I can’t stop you, but”

I interrupted. “You’re goddamned right you can’t stop me,” I said. “I happen to have a personal policy that prohibits me from indulging stupid bullshit like this — and another personal policy of doing what I want with the products I pay for.” Then I looked him right in his big wide eyes and poured the espresso onto the ice.

Nick Cho's (owner of Murky Coffee) response:

Dear Jeff Simmermon,

So as you've seen, there's a little blog-thing going around today on BoingBoing and Metafilter about some sort of incident at the shop this past weekend.

(Original blog post here.  Also blogged here and here.)

I suppose some sort of two-cents is warranted here.

Okay, we don't do espresso over ice. Why? Number one, because we don't do it. Number two, because we don't do it. Mostly for quality reasons. Also, because more than half the time, it's abused (Google "ghetto latte").

We have some policies at murky coffee. No sleeping in the shop. If you're asleep, you'll be tapped on the shoulder and asked not to sleep in the shop. We've had to ban a customer because of his chronic napping.

No modifications to the Classic Cappuccino. No questions will be answered about the $5 Hot Chocolate (during the months we offer it). No espresso in a to-go cup. No espresso over ice. These are our policies. We have our reasons, and we're happy to share them.

To others reading this I will say that if you don't like the policies, I respectfully recommend that you find some other place that will give you what you want, or select something that we can offer you. David, the barista in question, is respectful, passionate, and cares about making good coffee, and he cares about murky's policies. Nobody's perfect, and maybe David could have chosen different words or a slightly different tack in responding to Jeff Simmermon's request. But that's life. At murky, we try to treat people with common courtesy, and expect the same from our customers. Not in response or in turn, but because that's how people are supposed to treat each other. We're not supposed to go through life looking for reasons to get pissed off. Life's too short for that sort of thing.

To Mr. Simmermon, you overplayed your hand with your vulgar tip-schtick. While I certainly won't bemoan you your right to free-speech, I have to respond to you in your own dialect: F*@k you, Jeff Simmermon. Considering your public threat of arson, you'll understand when I say that if you ever show your face at my shop, I'll punch you in your dick.

Respectfully,
Nick
Owner, murky coffee

My responce:

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME...

July Coffee Tasting

Topic: African Coffees

    Burundi

    Ethiopia Harrar

    Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

    Kenya AA

    Rwanda

    Golden Cup Rwanda

When: 2 PM, Saturday, July 12       
7:30 PM, Tuesday, July 15   

Where: J&S Coffee  (785) 749-0100
joe@jandscoffee.com

Both sessions are limited to the first ten people to sign up.

Common Brewing Mistakes

If your coffee tastes bitter (OVER EXTRACTED)

1. Too little coffee was used, ground too finely
2. Brew cycle was too long
3. The brewed coffee was held too long after being brewed

If your coffee tasted weak (UNDER EXTRACTED)

1. Too little coffee used, ground too coarsely
2. Brew cycle too short

If your coffee is chewy

1. Grounds are going over the top of the filter if using a drip brewer
2. Coffee is ground too finely if using a gold filter with a drip brewer
3. Plunger was depressed too rapidly if using a press pot

If your coffee taste burnt

1. The brewing water was too hot
2. The brewed coffee was held too long on a burner

Your coffee taste flat

1. The coffee is starting to get old
2. The brewing water was too cool

June Coffee Tasting

Topic: The same coffee roasted to six different points

When: 2 PM, Saturday, June 7   
7:30 PM, Tuesday, June 10

Where: J&S Coffee  (785) 749-0100
joe@jandscoffee.com

Both sessions are limited to the first ten people to sign up.   

Tasting notes 3-27-08/4-19-08

Topic: Same coffee brewed six different ways

1.    Home drip brewer
Pro: Inexpensive and easy
Con: Does a poor job of extraction many of the subtle flavors

2.    Commercial drip brewer
Pro: Produces a well balanced flavor profile in large quantities
Con: Too large and expensive for home use and used a paper filter

3.    Press pot
Pro: Produces the best body
Con: Coffee can be a little gritty

4.    Vacuum pot
Pro: Most balanced flavor profile
Con: Fragile and hard to clean

5.    Cupping
Pro: Great at extracting subtle flavors
Con: Gritty and can’t be used to produce large quantities

6.    Americano
Pro: Most complex
Cons: Very susceptible to barista influence (both good and bad)

Most complex flavor profile: Americano

Simplest flavor profile: Home drip brewer

Most balanced flavor profile: Vacuum pot

Heaviest body: Press pot

Favorite brewing method: Vacuum pot

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