Die Grazer Kaffee-Szene ist seit letzten Dienstag um eine Kaffeebar reicher: Aroom . Das wäre an sich noch nichts Aufregendes, in der Grazer Kaffee-Szene ist das Erscheinen von neuen Kaffeebars ebenso wenig überraschend, wie das Verschwinden so mancher alteingesessener Kaffeehäuser. Traditionelle Kaffeehäuser sowie Coffee-Shops im Stile von Starbucks & Co gab bzw. gibt es ja bereits einige, was neu - und bisher in Graz einzigartig - ist, daß sich das Team um Mag. Adi Peinsith, Mag. Thomas Schusteritsch und Head-Barista Barbara Bauer (ehemals die Seele einer Grazer Coffee-Shop Filiale in der Technikerstraße) kompromißlos der Qualität der angebotenen Produkte verschrieben haben. Und das gilt nicht nur für die Spezialitätenkaffees und jene Produkte die auf Kaffee - sprich: Espressi, perfekt zubereitet auf einer dreigruppigen La Marzocco FB80 und gemäß den Vorgaben der SCAE (Speciality Coffee Association of Europe) - basieren. Aber vielleicht erzähle ich besser der Reihe nach… Vor ein paar Wochen bekam ich einen Anruf eines jungen Mannes, man wolle in Kürze eine Kaffeebar in Graz eröffnen, habe die arrivierten steirischen Röster bereits besucht aber nirgends einen Kaffee gefunden, der den eigenen Vorstellungen auch nur annähernd entsprochen habe und habe per Zufall von einer Bekannten - die eine meiner gelegentlich stattfindenden Schauröstungen mit anschließender Verkostung besucht hatte und recht begeistert gewesen war - von unserer kleinen Rösterei erfahren. Wir vereinbarten kurzfristig einen Termin und ein paar Tage später waren Adi und Thomas - zwei Betriebswirte mit einiger Praxiserfahrung - bei mir in der Rösterei und erzählten von ihren Vorhaben. Das Projekt sei an sich auf Schiene, man wolle wirklich guten Espresso anbieten, auch entsprechend gutes Personal anheuern bzw. einschulen, lediglich passenden Kaffee habe man noch keinen gefunden, und die endgültige Entscheidung bezüglich der Maschinerie wäre auch noch nicht gefallen. Ein paar Espressi wurden verkostet, die beiden waren ziemlich begeistert und mir gefiel ihr Projekt ebenso gut wie ihre Einstellung. Ich erzählte ein bißchen von der Philosophie hinter meinen Bemühungen rund um’s Thema Kaffee und es ergab sich recht rasch ein gemeinsamer Nenner. In ein paar weiteren Treffen wurden passende Sorten/Mischungen gesucht - und gefunden - sowie die weitere Vorgangsweise besprochen. Die Zeit bis zur geplanten Eröffnung war ziemlich knapp und Eile war geboten. Als kompetenter Partner für die “Hardware” wurde Ing. Reinhold Fliedl von Espressolutions gefunden, den ich anläßlich eines Werksbesuches bei La Marzocco in Florenz näher kennen und schätzen gelernt hatte, und kurze Zeit später waren auch die Entscheidungen bezüglich Hardware getroffen. Die bis zur Eröffnung verbleibende Zeit war vor allem für das Aroom-Team recht streßreich, einerseits wurde beim Umbau kräftig mit Hand angelegt, andererseits wurden parallel dazu Barista-Trainings und weitere Verkostungen absolviert. Letzten Dienstag war es dann soweit, das Lokal wurde eröffnet und bereits am ersten Tag von zahlreichen Kaffeeliebhabern getestet. Die Zwischenbilanz der ersten paar Tage und das Feedback der Kunden zeigen bereits, daß wirklich guter Espresso, Cappuccino & Co in der Grazer Gastronomie immer noch Mangelware - und daher auch sehr gefragt - sind, denn mit einem derartigen Ansturm hatte wohl niemand gerechnet. Natürlich gibt es auch weiterhin viel zu tun, gilt es doch das angepeilte - und bisher erreichte - Qualitätsniveau zu halten. Laufende Weiterbildung der Baristi und regelmäßige Evaluierung der angebotenen Produkte sowie der Zubereitungstechniken sind geplant bzw. werden bereits durchgeführt. Mehlspeisen, kleine - frisch zubereitete - Snacks, ausgesuchte Weine, Tees und anderes runden das Angebot ab und werden sicherlich auch dazu beitragen, daß das Aroom zu einer echten Bereicherung für die Grazer Kaffeeszene wird. Und vielleicht gelingt es sogar, mit dem Aroom den Grundstein zu einer echten Spezialitätenkaffee-Szene - die ja in Österreich immer noch ein Schattendasein fristet - in Graz zu legen…

A friend of us has a fantastic APE coffee van for sale. This is one of those quirky little coffee vans that you can serve coffee out from. If you are looking for one then this is the perfect deal. It hasn’t been used that much and is in a great state plus you get training from us with it as well. It was Purchased in late 2008 and saw light use on a handful of events during the following year. Tim probably attended approximately 8 shows while awaiting a decision regards the outcome of his permanent pitch. I would estimate that the coffee machine has only produced in the order of 500 coffees before Tim stored it at home while he went back to full time working. The vehicle was only ever towed to the events that Tim attended and so has only ever been ‘driven’ to manoeuvre it into its usage position. Anyone who is interested can speak to Tim regards its documentation etc… Tim will sell it as a complete package with all necessary accessories (a 40W solar panel, high power battery charger etc), so that the purchaser can begin trading asap. And you get full barista training from Absolute so you can be guarenteed to be making great coffees. Please email us at coffee@absolutecoffee.co.uk for more information and we put you in touch with Tim.

In the opening scene of the Robert Rodriguez movie Desperado, Antonio Banderas' character enters a bar to blow away a bunch of nasties where a neon sign above the door reads: "THE CLIENT IS ALWAYS WRONG" Ever since I saw that movie in 1995 with my now ex-girlfriend Sonia, I've laughed everytime I've seen that scene. It's just so poignant. In the world of customer service, there's that saying that I'm sure all of you have heard: "The customer is always right." I don't believe that for one minute, and as I teach my staff: there are many times when the customer is way fucking wrong, but it's not our job to let them feel that way. It is our job to accommodate the customer as much as possible. And while I strive to accommodate even the most difficult customer, sometimes a customer is just too difficult to deal with and I get to do what my staff cannot: I get to kick them out. But being difficult or making odd requests of beverages isn't enough for me to kick them out. They have to top it off with a healthy dose of rudeness and disrespect. Unfortunately, there are a few individuals who don't seem to understand that "service" is not "servitude." Just a little while ago, a gentleman was at the counter with his two daughters buying several items that took a bit of time to compile. While he was waiting, a young girl stood there waiting while I ran to the supply closet for extra forks. When I returned a few seconds later, a woman had joined the queue but was standing on the opposite side of the man from the young girl. After finishing with the man, I asked the girl if that was all she needed. That's when the trouble started. "You know, I was here before you," said the woman to the girl. Of course, the girl must be in her tween years and this is a forty-something woman, she seems like a nice enough girl and isn't getting sassy with the woman. The girl even apologizes as the young man standing away from the counter acknowledges that she was there before the woman (it would turn out later that the young man was with the woman), but the woman continues. And that's when I felt I should intervene. "Come on, it's not that bad now, is it?" I asked. "Of course it is, I was here first." "I don't know about that, I do think she was here before you." That's when she starts getting snippety. And I hate" snippety." But what's really irking me is how this woman expects to run roughshod over this girl just because she's older and betting that the girl will be intimidated. And nothing pissed me off more when I was young than an adult trying to intimidate me just because. "You know ma'am, it will only take a moment extra and I'll be with you shortly." "You're not the only game in town. You've got competition," she replied snidely. Now, I try to remain calm and collected - if only because I know that the reasoned approach will paint me in the best light, but this woman is now pushing my buttons. "Ma'am perhaps we're not the right fit for you." "I'll decide what's the right place for me. And I'll decide whether or not I patronize this place." What I don't understand is that she's the adult. She's bullying a young kid because she doesn't want to wait. Why? Okay, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt that maybe she just didn't see the girl standing on the opposite side of the man. But this young girl isn't being belligerent, she's not giving attitude, she's not acting smart. The girl is just standing there, not really knowing how to handle the situation and apologetic. Problem is, I'm only too happy to play the bull in the glass shop. "Actually ma'am, it's me who decides who we serve." That's when she realizes that I'm not going to serve her and decides to leave. But I can't help myself. "There's a Starbucks down the street that can accommodate you." It's too easy for me to sit here and justify myself. Prove myself to be in the "right." But the reality is that it doesn't matter who was "right" or who was "wrong." It's a lose-lose situation all the way around. In the nearly ten years that I've been in business, I've kicked out a bunch of people from my shops. Some of them in a wild, theatrical-worthy display. But there's never been a time that I've ever found it satisfying or rewarding. It's always been the wrong move that could have been handled better. So even while I'm confident in my actions defending the young girl and kicking the older woman out, it's a hollow victory. It doesn't move us forward. It doesn't help us achieve our goal of accommodation and hospitality. So while there's probably a segment of our industry that would applaud this event, I don't. It's time to reflect and ponder how the situation could have been resolved in a better manner that teaches the belligerent customer respect while allowing them to retain their pride and dignity.

Two time Mexican Barista Champion Salvador offers a cappuccino. After an excruciatingly long day at Teotihuacan, I just wanted to rest up on my last morning in Mexico City. But when I returned to my room, a message was waiting for me: "Salvador Benitez will be here at 8am to pick you up and take you to his cafe." Cool, after all this time, I was finally going to see his place. But I still needed to get up early and pack, and with a 7am wake up call on the horizon, I went to bed. The problem was that I really couldn't sleep. I don't know why. Anxiety? I tried. I struggled. Finally, I fell asleep but it was fitful and full of nightmares. Nightmares of me having to get up early, go to Salvador's Cafe and then spend the morning judging drinks but be finished in time to get to the airport. Is this what barista competition judges dream about? It was terrible. Then, for whatever reason, my dreams shifted gears and I was with this beautiful woman at some bar and she was getting a bit cuddly with me. Sarah Allen (editor of Barista Magazine) was across the bar watching and I remember thinking in my dream: Is she going to write about this in the magazine? At first, she gave me that shy, stolen kiss - a quick peck on the lips to let me know that there was more to this than just friendship. Oh, la la! Now things are getting interesting. It was time to ramp it up a bit - pull her closer and forget that Sarah was watching and probably taking notes. Time to get my groove on. That's exactly when the phone rang for my wake up call. Son of a Bitch. The girls work the machine. Just when you're about to pull back the curtain and reveal the Wizard, that's when it all falls apart. Life Sucks. With the air of disappointment surrounding me, I started to pack. Luckily, I've learned to pack light. What I haven't learned is how to acquire light. Seems that wherever I go, I end up with much more than I left with. With that in mind, I usually bring along a collapsable duffle bag that can be used in a jiffy for more purchases. It's saved my butt more than once. And since I'm currently enjoying Star Alliance Gold status, I don't have to worry about excess weight or check-in baggage fees. Packed up, I headed downstairs to find Reg Barber waiting for Moises to take him out for a day in Pachuca. Reg is here for a couple more days and I'm a bit envious - I need more time to explore the city. What I've learned after two trips here is that one week just isn't enough. There are still so many places here that I want to see and check out. The Mercado de San Juan is big on my list, not to mention the real need to find some nice ollas, cazuelas, molcajetes or other interesting cooking apparatus - maybe even a Mariachi uniform and guitar. But that's going to mean more ingenius ways of packing and larger pieces of luggage. Next time, I guess. Roasting coffee. Brent shows up and we're waiting for our ride to Del Valle. It's a nice morning in Mexico City and a shame that it's my last. Soon after, Salvador shows up in a taxi and we're off. It's a quick and short cab ride to the mercado, which is only a kilometer away. We're riding in those ubiquitous white and green taxis you see all over the city but, as a tourist, are told never to ride in because of the potential for robbery. Our taxi is a simple affair: a compact car with four seats and we fit comfortably. We've been riding in the tourist taxis all week and I find it interesting to see the difference - especially in fare. Our cab ride costs eleven pesos. The tourist taxi will easily cost twice that. Of course, the tourist taxis usually have drivers that speak a modicum of English, the cars are nicer and the chances that a gringo like myself will get robbed are infinitely smaller. So, while the lure of low fares is strong, the desire not to be robbed is greater. That's not to say that all the green taxi drivers are robbers, but they say you never know... Happily, this is Salvador's city and he's in control. We're dropped off at the market and head inside. It's before 9am and the market is surprisingly quiet. Many of the vendors are still closed and others are in some state of opening. The market opens at 7am and I find it odd that it's not bustling yet. Coming out of the roaster. Cafe Passmar is located in the center of the market. As far as market vendors goes, it's pretty huge - taking up at least six stalls. Three are dedicated to seating, two are for the kitchen and one is for the coffee making. Over the years, I've seen some small work spaces for baristas, but this has got to be one of the smallest. There's a front counter with a two group La Marzocco GB5EE espresso machine, one grinder, a knockbox and two coffee bean display cases stacked on top of the other. The back counter has a blender and assorted syrups, cups and a telephone. To the left is a small sink used for rinsing. To enter the workarea, there's a small crawlspace between the end of the counter and under the stacked coffee displays - just crawl through. It's tight and you have to contort yourself a bit to get through. Once inside, two people can work comfortably. Three would be tight and four would be an orgy. Brent and I stand back there with Salvador and it's exciting. Actually, I always get a tinge of excitement anytime that I'm invited to step behind the line. Workspaces are typically cramped and personal and an invitation to step into the personal workspace is an honor - especially since you know you're in the way. Our coffeee In this space, you can only be in the way for so long before you're necessarily pressed into service. Seemingly out of nowhere, a line forms and there are too many of us in here for Salvador's working baristas, Fernanda and Biri, to get back in and I'm pressed into service. Stepping behind someone else's espresso machine and being expected to perform is always nerve-wracking. Whatever reputation I have in the business, this isn't my shop. Different coffee, different grind, different dose, different styles - and I'm approaching it cold. As most baristas will attest, grind is of utmost importance, as is dose - and I'm a slightly coarse and updose kind of barista. Worst part is: I don't know what kind of technique they employ here and I don't want to adjust the grind because the girls will be back here soon and it might disrupt their flow. I have no choice: I must adapt to their style and must adapt immediately. Thinking back to the CMB, I remember that both Aleli and Alvaro did short doses with taps and take the chance that this is how they must do it at Passmar as well. Compared to my personal style, I do short doses and work the grinds into the portafiter. Lock it into the grouphead and we're off. It's a few tense moments while the water pressure ramps up but when the espresso starts to flow it looks pretty good. I'm slightly relieved. Pan Dulces Of course, the girls have been watching to see what this gringo barista from the United States can do. They're watching my technique and it's instantly nerve-wracking. Now is not the time to screw up. If I screw the pooch, then I'm just some wanna-be hack poseur. Merde. Well, can't dwell on that now, Salvador needs more shots for his customers who are ordering a barrage of drinks: chais, cappuccinos and who knows what else. I'm just making shots and that's what I'm concentrating on, but the equipment is conspiring against me. The grinder is insanely slow compared to my Compak K10. As it grinds, I'm waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Good Lord, where's a towel to wipe the portafilter basket dry? Ah, there's some napkins I can use. Working in someone else's space is always tough because you don't know the flow yet. Making drinks is a staccato because of your unfamiliarity with the space and I'm swimming. Hard. Decisions on where to rinse the portafilter become difficult. I want to use the hot water tap to rinse, but that gets in the way of Salvador's steaming of the milk. The sink to my left is much easier but the cold water would drop the temperature dramatically. Crap. Making our enchiladas in the Passmar kitchen. In the end, we manage to pull through most of the rush and the girls take our place. I'm relieved. But we're not done yet. Up a narrow flight of stairs by the kitchen, we emerge on top of the stalls to find ourselves in Passmar's roasting operation. Up here they've got a converted corn roaster that can handle five kilos of coffee at a time, roasting the beans in eleven minutes. For coffee people, there's always something special about seeing a roaster. There's a kinship to the coffee and the method. Passmar uses a fluid bed (or air) roasting system that's been specially engineered to reuse the generated heat for greater efficiency. What this means is that the roaster does not need to preheat, just turn it on and go. And go it does. As the fans spool up, it sounds like a jet engine whirring. The coffee part of me is thrilled, the aviation guy in me is thrilled. I wish I had a tape recorder. Salvador loads up the roaster with coffee from Oaxaca and we're off. Enchiladas de Mole The one thing you notice about the difference between air roasting and the traditional drum roasting is that air seems much more simple and easy. Watch a drum roaster and he's usually fiddling with some control to adjust this or ease that. With an air roaster you simply let it go and drop the coffee once you reach a certain temperature. Once the coffee is ready, Salvador drops it into the cooling tray. An unmechanized cooling tray, meaning you turn a hand crack to roll the beans and cool them. It's odd and funny in a way but also very cool (as in hip, not temperature). I'm having deja vu at Passmar because I know one of the baristas, Biri, but I can figure out how. Then it hits me - she was the barista I snapped a picture of last year when visiting Cafe Europa in Polanco. Turns out that Salvador's place is closer to school for her and why not work with the best? That's when I see a customer who also looks so familiar to me, but I can't place him. He introduces himself as George but it isn't until later that I remember: I snapped a picture of him at last years' CMB drinking one of Salvador's signature drinks. Weird to remember these faces one year later and then run into them. Brent and I are feeling a little bit hungry and lose a our inhibitions when they mention how good the food is here. In no time, we're seated at a table being served pan dulces and enchiladas de mole. Oh, and how good the enchiladas were... Filled with chicken and smothered in mole negro. God help me. It's beautiful. Brent holds up a bag of Passmar Oaxaca. Unfortunately, it's 10am and Arturo calls to see where I am so that the driver can come pick me up and take me to the airport for my 1:30pm flight back to the United States. Sucks! We bid Fernanda and Biri goodbye and head back to the hotel to check out, collect my bags and go to the airport. At the hotel, we find Reg still waiting for the boys to take him to Pachuca. He tells us that they called to say that they were running late and would come to get him at eleven. Considering that Pachuca is an hour away and traffic in Mexico City can be atrocious, I'm not surprised. In short time, Rael arrives to take me to the airport. Salvador heads back to work in his uncle's green taxi, Brent is off to explore the city and Reg is still waiting for his ride to Pachuca. All of them will be going to Seattle this weekend for CoffeeFest. I wasn't planning on going to Seattle but with their encouragement I think that maybe I'll have to check Kayak.com when I get home... With Fernanda and Biri. Cafe Passmar Mercado Lazaro Cardenas Adolfo Prieto s/n local 237 Entre Romero de Terreros y Avenida Mexico Coyoacan Col. Del Valle 5669-1994 cafepassmar.com

We have to sell our SAB Jolly 2 group espresso machine. It has only been used for barista training and is in very good condition. Pick it up in Halifax and receive a fantastic price. This is a great opportunity to pick up a bargain. The machine works on 13 amps and is a 2 group auto. Please send any questions to youri@absolutecoffee.co.uk SAB Jolly

WORLD TRIP 2010 A small, cute coffee bar serving Cusco"s best coffee (probably). As a fan of nice coffee, travelling through South America frequently left me shivering and depressed (note: this is an exaggeration for dramatic effect). Considering the array of wonderful beans that are exported from the continent all over the world, it"s a pity. So I was chuffed to stumble upon La Cholita, a brand new coffee bar in Cusco. It"s a tiny place with just a couple of chairs. It"s kind of quirky, situated as it is in front of a money exchange (handy for the baristas if they need change). The coffee is pretty decent - my latte was the best I had in Peru. It is extracted from a Rancilio machine and the beans come from the nearby Quillabamba ("key-ya-bamba") region. It opened in 2010. It"s the first coffee shop from the La Cholita coffee roaster company - they wanted somewhere to show off their fine coffee. There are bags and bags of La Cholita beans for sale. The baristas are very friendly and, though new, it"s already popular. Particularly it seems with schoolchildren who line up for small sweet desert things after class. A fine stop for a brew in ancient and beautiful (though touristy) Cusco. (I believe, by the way, that "cholita" is a friendly term for a native lady in typical dress; but don"t quote me on that.) Note: as well as La Cholita coffee roasters, there is a La Cholita chocolate-makers, also in Cusco. I"m not sure if they are one and the same. If you know, please let me know. La Cholita Cafe 350 Avenida del Sol (inside Centro Comercial Ollanta) Cusco Peru

We’ve been a bit slow to post this but congratulations to Peter Duggan of Indie Coffee for winning the British Street Food Award for best hot drink. Indie Coffee are located outside on Church Street, near Edgeware Road and has quietly being serving oustanding coffee , and getting nothing but great reviews . He also has one of the best carts in London – a repurposed Indonesia Jewellery cart! If you’re in the neighbourhood we’d strongly recommend stopping by – open Tuesday to Saturday.

While at Caffe Culture/WBC Tim Wendelboe very kindly gave me a copy of his book that has just been translated from Norwegian to English.1 It is a great book – interesting, concise, informative and full of beautiful photos. (not least those of Tim himself….) This isn’t just a book for the completist/coffee collector (though I am probably one of those people.). I think this would be a great book to give to someone who is just starting their journey/interest in coffee. It is approachable, useful and would compel further interest. Plus something in his very Norwegian dismissal of both Kopi Luwak and the “quality robusta vs bad arabica” debate make me laugh (in a good way). The book covers coffee growing, roasting, brewing with rich detail on all in between. The book starts to ship tomorrow (12th July 2010) and I suggest you pick up a copy. Plus, if you’re shipping something from Norway you could do a lot worse than add a bag of coffee or two in there as well! Coffee with Tim Wendelboe – 350kr Footnotes:In terms of full disclosure – I didn’t pay for this book, and Tim is a friend. That doesn’t mean this isn’t a great book though!