Too Much Coffee

In case any of the rest of you missed it, here's an LA Times article on Intelligentsia's new place in Venice CA.
Looking forward to seeing a few more pics of the interior (Styles?).

is it open yet?

may 8th was the last word, but i guess Tim has a better idea?

Hi guys,

sounds awesome, would definitely like to drop by and have a cup (or a few).

Anyone has any info on the pressure profiling system in the GS2? I'm guessing it's a stand alone box attached to the machine, from what I've seen on Flickr. Anyone to confirm/deny that? Tim?

Regards,
dsc.

I liked the closing quote:

"One coffeehouse owner in Washington, D.C., read an early preview and wrote: "Like perhaps some others, I thought 'Those guys are nuts and stupid.' Then I put it through my barista-brain translator and realized what I really meant was, 'I'm so jealous. That's AWESOME!' ""

visited here on saturday. my first impression was "....and you're opening on friday"???? Opening day is now 15th May, this Friday. Looked really impressive, and obviously smaller than I imagined (anyone been to the Colosseum?), but lots of nice machinery, well lit etc..

I have a couple of photos, but haven't uploaded them yet.. Perhaps will today.

There is a massive amount of hype in LA about this shop. Had coffee with a civilian I know from Covent Garden, she said people were asking a lot of questions about it. From that reaction, it sounds like they will be busy from day one. Very exciting for Tim, and congratulations mate, you might just pull it off.

So jealous. Can't wait for more pics and video and hopefully to finding an excuse to rock up there and have some coffee.

We want more pics!

oki doki, going up now:

flickr.com/jasonscheltus

Cheers for the interest, guys.

Things are coming along - a little slower than we would like, but that's just the nature of bureaucracy here in Los Angeles.

I'd be delighted to post a tonne of photos and videos, but I haven't taken a single one. We've had a lot of photos snapped by people like Jason, Ryan Willbur, Tonx, and the like, and to be honest I've been too busy to spend much time with a camera.

Every day I'm involved with this project, another layer of realisation regarding the grandeur and innovation of this project becomes apparent. While the physical layout of the store, and customisation of every single piece of kit will initially appear to be the defining factors of this coffeebar, there will be other items that reveal themselves in time to being the real game-changers for serious, dedicated, educated and talented coffee professionals.

Looking forward to seeing you all here.

Anyone has any info on the pressure profiling system in the GS2? I'm guessing it's a stand alone box attached to the machine, from what I've seen on Flickr. Anyone to confirm/deny that? Tim?

What would you like to know?

Yes, it's a remote electronic pump pressure profiling system. We currently have the 2 left hand groups running independent of the profiling system, while the 2 right hand groups are set up to sit at 4 bar for the first 8(ish) seconds of extraction, ramp up gradually to 9 bar, and then plateau for the remainder of the brew time.

Every aspect of this is adaptable, and the paddle in this case acts solely as a trigger for the programmed electronics, as opposed to the "throttle" mechanism of Justin's new La Marzocco - which is a truly stunning machine.

did intelli not find any taste benefit in tapering off the pressure at the end of the shot? the shots i had on slayer that had a low pressure finish (on: 5 bar for 15sec 9 bar for 20sec and 5bar for 10sec) seemed to have a bit more balance, or more balanced body to them.

And the other question I had was about the GS2. Can you run the pressure profile program on both the two right groups at the same time, i.e. can the magic box run two different pumps at the same time?

shame about the set-backs, but better to open just right the first time, eh?

Yeah - that's the thinking here, mate. Want to get it all just right.

Regarding the pumps and the Gs2 in general, we really haven't had enough of a chance to play around on it yet. Obviously things here have been pretty busy, and really getting stuck into the next frontier of espresso preparation has taken a back seat right at the minute.

To say that we're keen to get into it is an understatement, but everything it time, right?


Have you booked your return trip for the party?