The third and final video from the Intelligentsia series created by Dpt4D. Check out the others about espresso and syphon brewing.
While we’re on the subject of Intelligentsia, a big Congratulations to Michael Phillips, who was crowned the 2010 World Barista Champion last month in London. Phillips lives in Chicago and works at Intelli as the Director of Education, where he oversees the training of all the other fantastic baristas in their ranks.
It’s because of this fine company, the coffee they roast and the baristas who make it, that I love coffee so much. Before I wandered into their Broadway cafe one cold winter day in Chicago, I thought the only good thing about coffee was the caffeine. But the shot pulled for me that afternoon opened my eyes to the amazing world of specialty coffee that I was completely unaware of until then. So thank you, and keep up the fantastic work!
Good news (I think) for Muslim coffee drinkers out there. Kopi Luwak coffee, aka overpriced civet poop, has been designated halal. Meaning that as long as it’s cleaned and processed properly, it can be enjoyed legally according to Islamic law. Drink up!
While I was in New York in May, I drank a lot of great coffee and hung out with a lot of great friends, including the brothers behind eco-fashion company Holstee. Their shirts and accessories, made from recycled materials, are awesome—but they also voluntarily curate their store with other responsible products they love and support.
One of those products is the Presso—a manual espresso machine, that’s fun and easy to use. Just add hot water, fresh ground beans, and a little tricep power, and you get a surprisingly good shot for much less than most home espresso machines ($150).
So we got together, drank a lot of espresso (I think I had 8 shots myself) and made a video showing how the Presso works. Enjoy!
Mix Jim Henson’s puppet magic, extreme cartoon violence, and a love for coffee and you get a series of entertaining ads for Wilkins Coffee.
From 1957 to 1961, Henson made 179 commercials for Wilkins Coffee and other Wilkins products, including Community Coffee and Wilkins Tea. The ads were so successful and well-liked that they sparked a series of remakes for companies in other local markets throughout the 1960s.
The ads starred the cheerful Wilkins, who liked Wilkins Coffee, and the grumpy Wontkins, who hated it. Wilkins would often do serious harm to Wontkins in the ads — blowing him up, stabbing him with a knife, and smashing him with a club, among other violent acts…
I stopped by McCarren park this weekend to meet the guys behind Kickstand Coffee, Brooklyn’s newest—and only—bike powered, mobile coffee bar.
The founders Peter Castelein, Neal Olson and Aaron Davis—who have all worked with Gimee! Coffee—just finished their third weekend in business, but have already created quite the buzz. Their open air coffee theatrics have been providing delicious Chemex brewed coffee, from local roasters, to the sun soaking folks in McCarren Park and local craft fairs. However, once Kickstand get’s cleared for a vendor license, there’s a good chance you’ll see their mobile, transforming bar—which was brilliantly engineered by Neal’s roommate Ben Schleif—showing up in other places around the city.
The idea combines the founders’ passion for bikes with their passion for coffee and has created a unique and intimate experience that allows the customer the opportunity to fully engage with the person making your coffee. It also give’s Kickstand a chance to educate customers about the differences in quality coffees and the brewing process while it takes place right in front of them.
Good luck guys, you’ve got a successful summer ahead of you.
Over the last couple months, I’ve been to a number of cafes that use the Abid as their weapon of choice for pour over coffee. I’m sure there are purists who think the technique involved with a proper dripper produces a far superior cup, but I’ve had some damn good coffee brewed with these. I’ve recently been pining for one of my own when I found this lovely video on BrewMethods. I then found my way to a great write-up about the Abid, by the video’s creator on The Other Black Stuff. Enjoy!
Great video starring Tyler J. Wells(USBC Qualifier)—featuring incredible design by The Decoder Ring—for the Austin, TX based hot dog restaurant/bar/coffee shop/market known as Frank.
