Irish Barista Championship 2010

[CA1]

Just a quick mention that the above event will be taking place next week - Apr 6-8th - at the Twisted Pepper on Abbey Street.

Superstar baristas, awesome coffee and plenty to keep the geek & casual observer entertained. We'll be having brewing tutorials, very special guests and an 'open to the public' competition - Brew Haha

The final 6 will be competing on Thursday, Apr. 8th with the eventual winner representing Ireland at the World Barista Championship in London in June.

We'd love to see you. All are welcome!

[italian foodie]

I just had a look at the video for the world's last year! Wow that is some pressure, Colin was amazing. I really have to get up to Dublin firstly to taste the espresso and secondly to learn a lot more about coffee.....


here's the video, well worth watching:

http://www.worldbaristachampionship....s_ireland.html

[DonalH]

God that could have been edited,

[CA1]

You're right Donal. The competitor's performance is 15 mins long and without some sense of the goal / rules and specialty coffee knowledge (no insult intended), most would find it a little tedious.

Suffice to say, that the global coffee world was shocked by Colin's emergence as a finalist at last year's World Barista Championship in Atlanta - from out of nowhere, her finished 4th out of 52 nations. Colin has since spent the last year both learning and contributing to discussions within the global speciality coffee industry.

Colin was the rightful winner at this year's IBC and will, once again, represent Ireland against 50+ other national champions at the World Barista Championship in London in June. But this time he enters this year's WBC as one of the favourites to take the title - which will surely add to the pressure on him. And i personally wish him the best of luck.

FYR, I'm gonna rant & whinge on a bit here, so please do stop reading if you're easily offended or bored...

Coffee in Ireland, for the most part, it crap! And there is no longer any excuse.

I must confess that, on a professional level, i was saddened by the lack of press interest in this year's competition. Maybe i'm just a little sensitive, but countless invites were sent out to the media - both specialist food & wine and those in the general press - and only two journos saw fit to attend (btw Ernie was out of town and the only one to send his regrets).

Now I've been in the catering industry a long time and I can certainly understand the malaise the general public would have with this type of event / competition, but I had genuinely thought - given the attendance of the some of the world's finest professionals (including the current World Barista Champion) - some would have made half an effort or found 20 minutes to spare over the 3 day event.

I'm not entirely surprised as there was no free champagne, Michelin star canapés or advertising kickbacks on offer - cynical i know. But surely there would have been a small story or consumer interest in having potentially the finest cup of coffee of your life or a Free of Charge home brewing tutorial by unarguably the world's finest coffee professionals? But again, the laziness of the Irish food & wine media never fails to astound me.

So why, you may ask, am i so annoyed at the journos? Unfortunately, the Irish consumer and the restaurant trade, for the most part, are totally ignorant of what 'quality' coffee is. And without the press telling the story, the secret of quality remains hidden from the masses.

The quality of global coffee production is advancing every year. Growers are getting better, their harvesting and processing methods are becoming more refined and consistent. Roasters are handling greens with increasing finesse and respect for terroir - and Ireland has several of these pioneers. Brewing equipment is becoming more responsive and malleable. And quality baristas are learning, experimenting and brewing with confidence and conviction never before seen. And without any consumers demand or knowledge, Ireland will never have the opportunity to put all these resources to use.

I can accept that restaurants are under so much pressure in today's Ireland. And having personally hurtled down Failure Road in Restaurantville, i can more than empathise with the pressures and realities. But in my book, you do a good job from the start of the meal to the end. Period. Please don't bother insulting me a €4.00 cup of shite and a plate of petit fours.

An illuminated 'big brand' sign outside your door or a gleaming 'free on loan' espresso machine doesn't mean you any close to a good job at producing coffee. Just because you barman is from Napoli doens't mean he know his portafilter from his prostrate. All i'm asking is you spend 1/10th of the time sourcing your coffee as you do your meat or cheese. And 1/2 an hour training on a espresso machine just doesn't cut the mustard.

Quality coffee has nothing to do with the time sugar sits on top of crema, the marketing budget or the accent of the barista.

And to the all the so-called expert f&w journalists out there, would you please accept that there is still some things to learn - quite a lot actually.

Rant over...

[italian foodie]

I think the main problem as always is demand, we probably sell 1 espresso a day if we're lucky!! It's all lattes and americanos with the odd cappuccino thrown in(only because it's too small). We have even succumbed to pressure by giving a large cappuccino now, we refused for a while! I still won't use "skinny milk" though! My Italian father in law taught me but really I haven't a clue and would love to learn more so myself and the eye talian will def be up to soak up some knowledge.

p.s. Italians really believe in the sugar test, when I'm over there that's all they talk about! Strangely the best espresso I've had in Ireland was at the Pallas Food stand a couple of years back at Catex, made by 2 male supermodels from Milan who looked like they would prefer to be anywhere other than that stand Aghadoe Heights still remain my biggest shock with €6 for an espresso(muck) a few years back...

[CA1]

I hear you. Ireland is unlikely ever to be and espresso-focused market and the volumes demanded will likely remain low. That said, espresso is the singular base ingredient and defining flavour of all the other drinks you mentioned - it is the cement that the holds the building together.

Regrettably, most cafes and restaurants do get it wrong. Be it stale, over-roasted, low-grade beans with no provinence, roast date or traceability, inexperienced staff with no passion, skills or training, brewing in dirty machines with no consistency or stability; the chances of getting it right really are challenging.

We do have Italy to thank for the espresso. On the positive side, they defined the technology and traditional blending and brewing (and Ernesto Illy's book remains a very credible albeit challenging read). And to be fair, you still stand to get a much better coffee anywhere in Italy than you would here in Ireland. the Italians really do have a cultural understanding of the brewing process. If there is a negative, it is Italy's reluctance to move / evolve beyond 'Tradition'.

The world of coffee - growing, harvesting, processing, roasting, blending, brewing - has changed and continues to change at a rate of knots. As a global industry, we are learning daily. But i do find that most of the coffee coming from Italy today falls short of it's potential by simply not considering or experimenting with change. However, i do suspect that the domestic market in Italy is quite happy with the status quo.

I used this reference many times in trade talks i've given, but the customer / consumer is always getting smarter. He is learning and his / her tastes are constantly evolving. Be it through travel or experience. Those old enough to remember never reference the halcyon days of Blue Nun or Black Tower and long to relive it's toxic delights. Thankfully we've learned and our palates have grown to appreciate more complexities, nuances and flavours.

I do hope that in the years to come we can look back with the same embarrassed nostalgia at the coffee we're drinking today.

[meatmonger]

I suspect my grind isn't just right! Not too mention my grinder! But the coffee is good!

Without an unlimited budget, what would you suggest is a good setup CA1. presume 50 cups a day output!

[CA1]

meatmonger. 50 cups a day is a respectable volume - unless of course you're drinking them all yourself ;-)

It might be helpful if I knew what your equipment set-up is at the moment? Do you have a daily machine cleaning routine in place (grinder & espresso machine)? Do you grind to order? Or do you fill your grinder's hopper EDIT This should read dosing chamber EDIT before service? If you are happy with your coffee, all you may need in new burrs for your grinder.

FWIW, a good set-up needn't be expensive. In the current climate, I'm fairly certain there would be plenty of lightly-used, second hand brewing equipment on offer. My own equipment could not be classified as top of the range, but we do endeavour to use it well with freshly harvested and roasted, coffee traceable to farm.

Managing quality, maintenance, waste & systems can go a very long way. Come back to me and i'll see if i can offer any further advice.

[italian foodie]

How do all these places change though? Is there people out there that will come on site and train, I don't know anyone in Limerick! I would be very interested in training myself and my staff. Like meatmonger our coffee is good compared to what's out there but I would love a deeper understanding of it....

[meatmonger]

Originally Posted by italian foodie

How do all these places change though? Is there people out there that will come on site and train, I don't know anyone in Limerick! I would be very interested in training myself and my staff. Like meatmonger our coffee is good compared to what's out there but I would love a deeper understanding of it....

Maybe a training trip to Coffee Angel HQ before your awards!! Are we all voting for IF in restaurant awards??
CA1, thx, we half fill the hopper 2/3 times a day, trying to leave it empty at night. First 5 brewed each day are prob for staff. Three Head Gaggia XP (I think, 2005ish) gets a cleaning nightly. The grinder doesn't get cleaned come to think of it.

We order a box of coffee per month from Ariosa, so I am happy this is relatively fresh.

[CA1]

Italian Foodie,

What i'm pushing for is certainly not easy - and, in a lot of cases, may not reap financial dividends for some time. But IF you are interested in improving quality it is a process that needs to be started.

To begin with (and the big roasters out there are gonna hate me for this), you should be insisting that your roaster / coffee supplier should be providing you with the following (whether it is for espresso, drip or pour-over):

• comprehensive details of the coffee you're buying - components if it's a blend, where it's from (origin including, farm or co-op)
• when it was harvested
• when it was roasted - as a minimum, within the previous few weeks
• cup profile (i.e. how should it taste when you brew it)
• brew recipe - how much should you use, extraction times, extraction volumes, ideal brew temp, etc. this should be used as a starting point and then tweaked based on your own set-up and taste preferences.

It is crucial to remember that COFFEE IS A FRUIT. Someone has nurtured it through growth, harvest and processing. it's then been shipped, stored then roasted and packed. If you coffee has no flavour notes to indicate that it is a fruit or if it's black and oily (this is not a good sign) you may be using a roaster providing you with the 'very-well-done-steak' of the coffee world.

Meatmonger,

sounds like your're off to a good start. Michael a good guy and should also be able to provide answers to questions above. Also, you should only be grinding your coffee to order. this can be a challenge in quiet dining rooms, but of paramount importance.

Grindz grinder cleaner can be easily ordered and should be run through the grinder periodically to keep the burrs clean. Talk to Michael. if he can't help, come back to me.

You'd both be welcome to stop by the Training Lab any time for a few pointers. Just give me a little notice.

As above, start with questioning your roaster. If he can't give you answers to the above, ask why? Remeber, there are several good / great Irish roasters out there. Just because it comes with a fancy illuminated sign or street sign is not an indication of any credible quality.

There is absolutely no need to spend outside of our shores for quality roasted coffee. But ultimately, it will come down to the effort by you and your team to ensure the customer is getting the best of this wonderful 'fruit juice' ;-)

[chefsmith]

CA, thanks for the posts, very informative and full of dedication.

My wife completely agrees with you re. the coffee as a general in Ireland, she's from Europe and has a huge coffee culture and can sniff a good coffee when she walks into a restaurant.