A relatively raw and uncut look at how syphon is done at UCC Coffee, Japan.

Nami Taniguchi is one of the Top finalists in the Kyushu Region Syphon Championships.

Some loose notes I managed to get translated.

15g for 1 cup.
15-30 second steep depending on the coffee. (iced is more like 45-50)
Coffee starts in the glass, not poured in after. Noted because it’s the second time I heard a japanese person say this was important.
After the extraction the left overs should be shaped in a nice round hump.
Water is kept at approximately 98c (208F).

The coffee on our right was being iced, hence the longer steep. Gotta love the way she carries the syphons over to the table.

During a recent road trip to California, we made a few important stops along the way.

Now, while this road trip’s main theme was not coffee, it certainly was a very enjoyable sub-plot. As usual, all the coffee was great at all these places (otherwise we wouldn’t have gone in the first place) so instead of boring you with espresso reviews I’ll focus more on the photos and other points of interest. The main characters are Navid (who works at crema), our good friend Shahin (who doesn’t really drink coffee) and yours truly.

While passing through Seattle we stopped at Vivace and Victrola. We got a pressed Kenyan (can’t remember from which region though) for the road.

I spotted this outside Victrola -

In Portland, we went to the Ace Hotel for Stumptown (and the atmosphere). Shahin got a tea that the barista described sort of as a mate (as in yerba mate). He also said it would taste like dirt, but that it is really good for you. Let me tell you first hand that it smelt and tasted identical to a horse stable/manure. I believe when I tasted it my exact words were, “this tastes like falling into a pile of manure with your mouth open.” I say this not really so much as a bad thing either because while these aren’t qualities I look for in my preferred taste profile of tea (or anything), I’ve never tasted something so perfect. It was such a vivid and obvious taste that you can’t do anything but appreciate it. I wish I could remember what it was called but I can’t.

The next day we went coffee-less but were rejuvenated a day later when we arrived at Ritual Coffee in San Francisco.

simple & clean logo.

It was about 6 pm when we wondered in, and the place was packed. It’s the busiest I’ve ever seen a cafe at that time, and people just kept on filing in. Eminem was blasting violently throughout the shop, and all the staff and customers looked more like rockstars than anything else. Instead of going to work, these guys are just playing gigs, everyday in their hometown. I love it.

What was perhaps even more rediculous than the amount of people getting coffee at that time was that there was only one barista on bar. It probably took about 15 minutes to get my mac and espresso, but all the better, that just meant getting to spend more time there. It was also one of the few places that I thought a chalk board menu looked good, even if it was just for whole beans.

sweet jar labels.

They roast their own product, and the bags were scattered throughout the back. Seeing the bags and things like this are always a nice little reminder that the journey a coffee bean takes starts far far away, not just at your local coffee shop.

While taking some pictures of the cafe one of the baristas who was off shift engaged me in conversation. His name was Ryan, and later on in the week while reading some coffee blogs I actually saw a few pictures of him. Ryan, if you’re reading this – Spork was great, and you were right, there was no vacancy in San Francisco.

We left San Francisco later that night, but we planned to stay a few nights on the return trip – don’t worry, we wouldn’t disrespect San Fran with only a few hours of visit.

2 days later we made it down to L.A. with the plan of stopping over at Intelligentsia before heading over to Navid’s cousin, who lived about an hour further down south. When we finally got to where it was supposed to be, the whole street was blocked off for some kind of fair, and the only way to get in was with a wrist band that cost 20 dollars. We heard the coffee was amazing, but I didn’t think we could justify 20$.

As promised, about a week later we caught it on the return trip, and had I known it was going to be as good as it was, I may have just paid the 20$ extra the first time ’round.

Maybe it was because we hadn’t had an espresso in almost a week, or maybe it was all the excitement of finally making it to the cafe, or perhaps it was the orange plated synesso, but for whateve reason, Navid and I both agreed it was one of the best espressos we’ve ever had. Ever. I can’t even remember what it tasted like, except that it was all we could have asked for, and maybe more.

Shahin got tea.

not actually slanted in real life.

Do not be concerned about the above picture. The tables are not actually slanted in a downwards direction at Intelligentsia. This is a camera effect.

We all bought a ton of merchandise, including mugs, t-shirts, and even a skateboard deck. I haven’t had this black cat bar yet, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s a chocolate bar that has actual black cat espresso in it, and a recipe on how to make a drink with it on the back.

Another beautiful thing about “Intelli” was the lack of inside seating. While there were a few seats inside, the patio was the main feature thanks to year round sun – must be nice.

I know there are other shops in L.A. that would have been nice to check out but we just didn’t have time this trip – next time.

Also, while we were in San Diego we went to Starbucks for breakfast and wifi (they were sold out of the breakfast sandwich I wanted and the wifi didn’t work) and we saw the new espresso machines. I don’t know if we have them here yet or not, so here’s a picture. I keep thinking of UFO’s when I look a it, but I also think of UFO’s whenever I see a Mistral from Marzocco too, so that isn’t saying much – except maybe that I have UFO’s on the mind too much.

It’s lower, so you can see the person making your drink better now. Nothing new though, as every other espresso machine company does this already, and has been for years.

On the trip back we returned to San Francisco as promised, and while there we stopped at 2 places. The first was a place beyond highly recommended to me by Aaron De Lazzer, that goes by the name of Philz Coffee.

They have been in San Francisco for 35 years according to their website, and their motto is simple: One cup at a time. Take that Clover. I always forget the names of these things but I believe they make the coffee using a pour over station. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

From my understanding, all their blends (you have a choice from 20) are secret. Only Phil and his son know the coffees inside them, and we just get to know what they should taste like. How cool is that?

We didn’t know which blend to get, so we just told the barista to pick one, and to make it however it was meant to be drank. She added sugar and cream to them, threw on a mint leaf, and handed them to us. I have no idea what the proportions were.

Now, I’ve never had a coffee with cream and sugar, so I can’t give a fair comparison – but I can tell you this – It was dessert delicious. It tasted more like a mocha to me than a brewed cup of coffee. Navid said it tasted like a signature drink. I concur.

You can find out more about these mystery coffees by clicking here.

The last stop in San Francisco we made was to a place that, no matter who is reading this right now, I can say you probably haven’t been too just yet. That is because it only opened August 22nd, (thank you coffeed). From what I’ve read and heard, they used to pump out coffee in a back alley on a cart, but as of 2 weeks ago, they have opened up a real indoor shop.

We went pretty late (around 8pm) but there were still a few people hanging around. The space is quite large and open – like a warehouse. The entrance has big doors, with equally big street windows. One thing that isn’t large is the menu. Kudos to them for that, too. And no, there is not a separate tea menu, that is everything, as poor Shahin discovered. He opted for a macchiato instead. Four Barrel is all about the coffee, and none about the anything else. Good for them.

look ma, no tea.

There are 2 three group mistrals in the shop, each with custom “four barrel coffee” engravings on the front. They are stationed on these tables that swivel and adjust in height too.

One of my favorite things about the whole shop was the exterior of the bathroom. I know the picture below doesn’t give you the best idea of what is going on, but basically above the door there is a giant, wide-screened window that showcases the funky lights up top.

The Boars’ heads added to the atmosphere, as well as the slightly dimmed lighting. (There must be some back story I don’t know about as to what they represent.)

Like Ritual, they roast their own coffee right in the back end of the cafe. I’ve read that they used to use Stumptown while operating from the cart but now are roasting their own beans. (Again, please correct me if I’m wrong.)

pitcher rinser

I introduced myself to the barista, who I figured was also the owner (and was right.) and found out his name was Jeremy. A week later, here I am typing in “four barrel coffee” into google and reading article after article about him. Jeremy Tooker, unlike his shop, is not new to the coffee world what so ever. In fact, turns out he used to be a partner in Ritual. Who knew…

All the success to Jeremy.

We tried to go to Blue Bottle after, but they were closed. This marks the second time I’ve gone to San Francisco and Blue Bottle was closed. Here’s to the 3rd time working out.

We’ve been doing a lot of late night testing at crema lately.  This usually leads to an even later night back at home, as sleep is nearly impossible after experimenting with coffee.  I’ve noticed that I, and a few others, have been crossing that fine line between espresso bliss and caffeine overdose more and more the last little bit.

The main thing in testing right now is grinders.  We have 2 new ones in shop right now that we are trying out – An Anfim and the Nuovo Simonelli Mythos. While we’ve only had the Anfim for a few days, I haven’t really warmed up to it yet.  I feel a bit too unincluded in the process when using it- sort of like I’m standing on the outside of a bunch of old friends talking in a circle.  I also feel like the dosing handle is going to break every time I use it.  This is a commercial machine, I don’t know why it doesn’t have that tough mazzer feel to it.

With the Mythos, while it’s also timed like the Anfim, it’s so fast that you don’t feel like you are wasting time waiting.  The thing with the Mythos is that it doesn’t dose into the middle of the portafilter.  This could probably be fixed with a few little mods.  It’s also just about double the price of an Anfim – that doesn’t exactly help anyone.

I wonder if coffees taste better through certain grinders… One would think the best machine and burrs would produce the grind, not matter what the coffee, but then coffee – especially espresso – doesn’t make sense a whole lot.

Today during the lines at crema some of the other baristas and I were alternating through using the Anfim, the Mythos, and the Mini Mazzer we have.  Shot of the day goes to the Mazzer.  The best option would be to have all 3 all the time.

Decisions decisions… 

It’s busy. It always is. You’re handing out drinks left and right, as if you have Octopus genetics inside you which enable you to use your 2 hands as 8. People are waiting at the bar – ready to take on the day after their daily, or sometimes bi-daily, intake of caffeine. Time is money. You hand someone their Cappuccino. It’s to-go. The one’s who comment always are. They lift it up – it’s a bit heavier than they are used to.

Rush Hour

“Is this a capp?” they ask, lifting it up and down in a confused manner.

“You bet!” you say.

“Oh ok… Well what’s the difference between this and a latte/can I have more foam/why is it so heavy/I don’t want any milk just foam/insert anything here.”

You take it back politely, saying you will remake it for them, and steam the milk creating enough foam to wash your and your whole family tree’s clothes.

Pop Quiz: Which of the following exist?

a) Unicorns
b) An incredible Monday morning
c) A 12 or 16 oz Cappuccino.

The answer: None of the above.

I know some of you reading may be shocked to find out that Unicorns indeed are an animal of fiction, but it is true.

This being said, we now have to deal with c), the dreaded Tall and Grande (or sometimes even VENTI) Cappuccino. Now I know some people are out there reading this who have indeed, with their very own mouths, consumed a Tall Cappuccino. Perhaps you are even sporting a foamy milk moustache as we speak, fresh off your Capp.

Give me a moment. Allow me to explain.

First, the word: Cappuccino – It comes from the italian word “cappucio” which is the word for frock of the Franciscan Minor friars. In italian, when you add “ino” to the end of a word, it makes it smaller, in a cute kinda way. So, the word actually means a little “hood” so to speak. Anyone cluing in yet? If not, this is exactly why a Traditional Cappuccino (the only kind) has a “hood” like appearance on top of it, thanks to extra thick milk.

There are 2 types of Cappuccino milk. Dry/scooped and wet/poured. Scooped and poured are sort of barista slang, and more or less the same as dry and wet. The first is the milk that probably comes to mind when you think of a Cappuccino, in that it is very creamy and almost soft-pillow like.

The Perfect Cappuccino Milk

It could also resemble dish washing soap at some cafe’s, but this is not good. It is the opposite of good. A perfect example of a great Trad Capp (the city’s best in my opinon) is any JJ Bean location. If you want to be more precise, go to JJ Bean Park and Tilford on a weekday at night. (you’ll either get that or won’t.) As has been my experience every time I’ve gone, JJ always does their trad capps the scooped way. The milk will be so thick and creamy that it won’t even know what to do with itself, so instead of trying to figure it out, it just decides to defy gravity and stand proudly a half inch over the top of the cup. Something to look for in properly scooped milk is a perfect circle in the crema.

Gravity Defying Scooped Capps

The other type of Cappuccino milk, which is becoming quite trendy, is the wet. Basically the milk is done just a bit thicker than a latte (or in some places just the same) and the milk is poured out of the pitcher, usually making a beautiful design inside your cup.

Trendy Poured Capp Milk

People reading are probably saying to themselves right now, “So what? I get Tall Capp’s with Dry/Wet Milk all the time!” – Well here is the key fact about the Cappucino.

It’s a 6 oz drink. No less, no more. Always. No excuses. (ok fine, maybe an ounce or 2 give or take, but that’s it!)

It has 2 shots of espresso, (some will argue it has only 1. They are wrong.) and is then filled to the top of the cup with the barista’s choice of wet or dry milk. You may be given the choice if he/she likes you. The cappuccino is a perfect tried and tested ratio of milk to coffee – a coffee of thirds, if you will. One third Espresso, and two thirds milk. When made correctly, it is also one third awesomeness. When you add more milk, the ratio get’s hurt. Hurt bad. If you want more milk, then get a latte. The very word Latte means milk in italian, hence the predominant ratio of milk to espresso in the drink.

I can’t verify it for sure, but I believe the confusion started when places like Starbucks started giving out any size Cappuccino people wanted. I guess the logic was that bigger is better, but in actuality bigger is latte. So what are you actually getting when you order your tall capp?

A foamy latte. Yes, it’s true.

Author’s Note: I have nothing against making you, the customer, any drink you want. As a matter of fact, as long as you’re happy with your drink, I’m happy. Tall capp’s all around, on me! I do, however, want to educate and give you the best experience possible every time you come while I’m on bar. Knowledge is Power. Now you know.