Coffee

Cheap Espresso

This week I was asked twice – how can I make a good espresso based drink without spending a thousand dollars. Well… There is the local coffee shop, but they’ll take you for $3 everytime.

So I run over to CoffeeGeek to see what is new in the machines that are cheaper than Silvia (what I use). Here are some good looking machines in the $300 range

Francis X3
This one is a couple hundred less than Silvia. You have to love the looks. I’d still just save up for Silvia but… if $300-400 is your max it is worth a look. The detailed review is quite good.

Innova Arc
At $299 it has to be worth a look. It gets a good review for what it is and at half the price of Silvia… If you make mostly milk-based drinks take a look.

Solis SL-70
Clearly the ugliest of the bunch but gets great reviews. I have a Solis grinder I use for regular coffee and it just keeps going. Sounds like you need to pickup a new portafilter for good shots. Again – the price is about $300.

Of course I have to say – remember the grind. In reality getting one of these makes grind all the more important. On the cheap grinder front… Welll…

Gaggia MDF will get you the grind you need for $200

Solis Maestro might suffice – but spend the extra $60 on the Gaggia

So let’s see. We could grab a solis maestro and grinder and have a passable setup for about $430. That’s about 100 drinks at the local shop. I think I’d consider a Gaggia and the Innova if I was wanting to be cheap – still at the $500 range total. When you consider Silvia is $600 alone… Well it’s a good way to start and learn.

eJava and Wine shop

There is a new shop in town in South County, e-Java and Wine. I went to visit it today. It is located in an old License Bureau (huge – 4K sq ft probably). They painted the walls, hung a few pictures, and threw burlap green coffee bags over the old service windows in the back. There are a couple of PC’s for public access and free wi-fi. The majority of the store is dedicated to adult beverages (_beer and _wine mostly) – all on QuickTrip type shelving. In the back corner is a small coffee bar with a super automatic machine. There are a few tables along the edge of the building, hidden by the shelves. There were some bins of coffee beans, priced pretty reasonably ($7.50/lb). It doesn’t look like a coffee shop at all. Looks like a_liquor shop with a coffee bar in the back. The prices for coffee are very high, most higher than Starbucks. I ordered an Americano, knowing with a super I’d get a decent drink if the espresso blend was any good. It was only fair. The barista (if you could call the person that) asked me, “that has two shots in it right?” – Hmm…. After I was handed the drink she advised me to take a sip to see if she “messed it up”. They don’t open until 8:30 AM and close at 10PM (on the weekends, even though next to the theater). They only sell adult beverages to go, no serving drinks – it is a_liquor store. These folks aren’t going to make money on coffee. They make a big deal about free wifi but I can get that up the street at Panera/Breadco with a much better atmosphere and better/cheaper coffee. If they don’t get a a lot of people in the area looking for high priced eclectic booze I don’t think they’ll make it…

CoffeeFest – Chicago 2005

Went to CoffeeFest a few weeks back (http://www.coffeefest.com. It was a good time learning more about the specialty coffee business and drinking free espresso samples all afternoon. Saturday Kim and I did a cupping seminar where they taught all the basics of cupping coffees. It was very well done and enjoyed it.

Ascending Glory Descended

Well I didn’t think it would last but…. this was quick.

News report I heard said it was under captialized. I think there were a lot of other issues but that will kill a new struggling business quite fast. Plus hard to get investors as a non-profit.

Jacksonville IL Coffeeshops

Went up to Jacksonville, IL for my Dad’s retirement party. Decided to visit both the new coffeeshops in town while I was there.

1) Shop #1. Old wonderful 3 story building in old town. Unfortunately old town is not very busy. The shop used home equipment (Capresso brewers) and a home superautomatic espresso machine. The grinder looked like a mazzer mini. Coffee was decent, probably not fresh roasted. Quality of foam wasn’t great. Closed on Sunday and Monday and doesn’t open until 8AM???? How they’ll pay that A/C bill in the summer I don’t know!

2) Shop #2. On the main strip and gets a lot of drive by traffic. Looked like a sub shop on the inside with a roaster in the corner and a small band area in another. Espresso machine was filthy with cooked on milk 3 inches up the wand (preparation problem). No crema on the espresso I didn’t drink 🙂 Had some lunchtime activity but I’d be surprised if they take in more than $700/day. According to my family it is popular on the weekend with the teens since they have a lot of music.

Happy retirement Dad…!

Ascending Glory

Checked it out the other day. Great location, old S&P Oyster Co. building. Very little leasehold improvements. Painted walls red, put some Christian phrases on the walls, added some fun furniture. Had music, kind of 70’s style Jesus music. When you walk in you have to make a hard turn left to get to the order counter, menu was around the corner – didn’t understand that. Real niche shop. Appeals to fundamentalists but not sure appeal extends further than that. A couple of folks walked in and left while we were there. As I’ve learned though all shops need two visits to render an opinion.

Espresso was fair. Kim’s latte was oversyruped and she couldn’t finish it.

I think it’s too big. Folks at Chauvin thought so too. They’d have to have a LOT of business to support both the lease and the utilities.