Get Yer Beans Outta There! A Hot Take On Wine-Infused Coffee

Oh good, we’re dunking coffee beans in wine now.

A recent article in Time states that two NorCal/Napa coffee guys have created wine-infused coffee, because I guess that’s something people have been wanting. Molinari Private Reserve is a collaboration between Rick Molinari of Molinari Caffe in Napa (legend has it if you say “Molinari” three times, he’ll appear and dunk your beans in some vin) and John Weaver of Wild Card Roasters in San Rafael, California, who worked together for over two years to “perfect the combination” of wine and coffee.

We here at Sprudge love us some wine and we’re kinda into coffee too, but that doesn’t mean the twain should meet. I love ice cream and I would cut someone for just a single piece of uni, but that doesn’t mean I’m getting a table for three at Uchi so I can bring Ben and Jerry (well, maybe I would after chugging a lug of some of that Somatik, but you see what I’m getting at). Some flavors are best enjoyed discretely.

And I’d even be willing to say that the Molinari Private Reserve achieves the Platonic ideal of wine-infused coffee. Weaver spent over 20 years roasting for Peet’s Coffee before starting Wild Card, so the man obviously knows his way around a roaster. And MPR only uses “carefully selected [green] coffee” that gets “rehydrated to a specific liquid percentage using a special house made red” that was “created exclusively for Molinari by local Napa wineries.” Which is all to say, it’s probably the best version of what it is. But what it is seems like a gimmick targeting chardonnay-breakfast soccer moms (or dads). Just because it’s the best iteration of a thing doesn’t mean I want to drink it. There’s also a Platonic ideal of a steamy coil of poo, soooo…

One of my esteemed colleagues here at Sprudge was lucky enough to receive a sample of Molinari Private Reserve. His full review complete with tasting notes can be found here.

But what do I know? I don’t even like barrel-aged coffee. I’m just a rude dude with a ‘tude tryna harsh your coffee wine dreams. Maybe it isn’t less than the sum of its parts. The first batch of Molinari Private Reserve already sold out, and at $19.95 for a half-pound bag, that’s saying something. People seem to be into it. If it sounds like something you’d be interested in, order a bag for yourself and give it a go.

But maybe wait until it’s not on backorder, because as their website notes (in bold no less), “Backorders require a 5 bag minimum.” And that’s two pounds more go-fuck-yourself than I’m comfortable purchasing at one time, thank you very much.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network.

*top image via Molinari Caffe

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Going Somewhere Solo: Deaton Pigot of Take Flight Coffee Roasters

Welcome back to a new feature series on Sprudge, Going Somewhere Solo, in which we profile the people behind the new wave of so-called “nano-roasters”, the tiniest of new coffee concerns pushing quality and entrepreneurship in a big way. These are seasoned coffee pros who’ve struck out on their own (often in unexpected places) to launch roasting enterprises outside of the traditional coffee shop format, instead growing their businesses within collaborative spaces, home offices, garages, and of course, online.

This week’s spotlight is on Deaton Pigot, an Australian coffee professional with an extensive CV whose most recent role is as the founder of Take Flight Coffee in Los Angeles, California.

Hi! Tell us what your roasting business is called and where you’re located.

Hi there! My company is called Take Flight Coffee roasting out of Los Angeles, California since July 2016.

What equipment are you currently roasting on?

I have access to two roasters: a mid-90s Probat L12 and a mid-60s Probat G60.

Who else is involved in the business right now?

I’m a sole practitioner and at the time of this I have four staff members on board: Chelsea Pigot, Customer Relations Manager; Douglas Meils, Roaster and Quality Control Specialist (formally of Intelligentsia and Handsome Coffee fame);  Eric Freeman, Production; Dalton Sargent, Production. In March, I will have a Sales Person on full time as well.

What’s your background in the coffee industry?

I have had a coffee job of some sort for 24 years which is crazy to think, so I will put in point form my background from when it started to get really interesting for me.

National Barista Trainer and Coffee Quality Control, Lazumba, Wollongong, Australia
Roaster and Retail Manager, Bewley’s Coffee, Dublin, Ireland
Roaster and Quality Control Specialist, Intelligentsia Coffee, Los Angeles, USA
Operations Manager and Green Coffee Buyer, Toby’s Estate Coffee, Brooklyn, USA
Founder, Take Flight Coffee, Los Angeles, USA

How are you currently sourcing your coffees? What do you look for?

I do all my own sourcing. Over the years I have made fantastic relationships at origin and I firmly believe maintaining these relationships is an integral part of my business. In my first 12 months of operations, I expect that most of my offerings will be from direct relationships that I have established over time.

Aside from working with people who I like and admire all through the supply chain, what I look for in coffee is sweetness and well-articulated flavors that people can grab on to. The sweeter the coffee the more we have to work with as roasters.

What—or who—inspired you to go out on your own with roasting? Is there a coffee (or other) company you admire and would love to grow up to be like?

My family. They are all small business owners, so I have had the idea that I would own my own business since I was in high school, I guess it’s in my blood. I have had an ever-evolving business plan since I was 24 years of age and with some savings behind me it was time to pull the trigger.

As for companies I admire, coffee or otherwise, I am not sure. I love all things tech, so Tesla is close to my heart. I guess my father, he in his own way has a rags to riches story (for “outback” Australia). The focus he had for the 30+ years of running his own practice was unwavering; he had a knack of finding the right talent to build strength in his organization as it continuously grew. By the time he retired from his business he ended up having to put on four partners to handle the business he ran on his own. As a kid you don’t get it, but looking back at what he did and how he did it, it really is inspiring to me.

What kind of risks have you taken in striking out on your own to launch an independent roasting business? Did you make any unusual decisions?

Rolling the dice with my life savings with no outside investment and no real fallback is the risk. Deciding to have a design-forward approach to my brand and actually deciding that I can make this happen all while being a vagabond roaster. Not having my own roof over my head is kinda daunting, something that will change this year.

How are you reaching customers without a retail cafe? Do you plan to have one someday? Where can people buy your coffee?

In a lot of ways I feel lucky that I have been in America now for 10 years (this October). I have met so many people and as a result have hit the ground running in some respects. Getting outside of that circle is now phase 2, which of course social media and my website are helping with. Hitting the pavement, introducing myself to potential customers as the founder, buyer, roaster, production guy, and janitor grabs attention.

I don’t think retail puts you on the map, I would much rather build out a roastery, with a tasting room, lab, a lounge room, and focus on what I am most passionate about, buying and roasting coffee. The Counter Culture business model if you will.

It strikes us as a measurement of where the specialty industry is now that many small roasters are now cropping up across the landscape without a physical location to hang a shingle on. How will you stand out from others competing for shelf space in the world’s decreasing multi-roaster cafes?

It is exciting to see that shift happen; I consult for businesses about just this type of thing. I can help companies who are getting their toes wet for the first time or businesses that are well-established and want that extra something to help them keep moving quality forward. I’m becoming kinda busy doing it and I am absolutely loving helping out and seeing people have “ah ha” moments when I explain roasting and the correlating taste in the cup is goosebump-inducing.

Even though there is a lot of movement towards roasting, the world is not that small. I always look back to Australia where I am from and note that, if Sydney and Melbourne can cope with the saturation of coffee businesses there in a population less than greater Los Angeles, then I know that there is room in the US for us all. Standing out will come from experience, patience, but most of all relationships and maybe an Australian accent? For every new roastery opening, there are countless cafes, restaurants, office spaces, apartment buildings, and home coffee users. The multi-roaster cafe (which I love) only makes up 0.000001% or something of what is out there.

Lastly, how would you describe your vibe in general? Is there a kind of music you like to listen to when you roast, do you wear lucky shoes, etc.?

Is blue collar chic still a thing?! I like to mess around a bit, I am probably singing too loud around the warehouse, tapping out rhythms to the sound of the roaster’s drum rotating. I do have lucky shoes actually!

Allsaints, they’re sure to fall off me if I have to move too fast but I can’t stop wearing them. I’ve had to resole them half a dozen times if not more.

Thanks, Deaton!

Learn more about our featured Going Somewhere Solo roaster, Take Flight Coffee, by visiting their official website, or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Liz Clayton is the associate editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Liz Clayton on Sprudge.

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3 Recipes & Countless Joys At The Dutch Aeropress Championship

As the full moon rose over Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek, a washed Rwandan bourbon ebbed and flowed in the cylinders of 36 coffee professionals vying for the title of Dutch AeroPress Champion 2017. But it was Jonatan Scheeper who waxed triumphant, winning the gold Alan Adler-autographed trophy.

Scheeper works at Single Estate Coffee in Maasdijk, though Amsterdammers first got to know him at Headfirst, the espresso bar and micro-roaster he co-owned with 2016 Dutch barista champion Lex Wenneker until its closure in 2015.

Round by round, as MCs Kim Staalman and Gabriel Dunn announced his wins, Scheeper appeared nonplussed. “What? Who, me?” his face seemed to say even into the finals. In the last heat, he out-pressed Milad Ferough, from Coffeecompany Vismarkt in Utrecht, and Erik Oosterhuis, a 2014 third place Dutch AeroPress titleholder and one half of Amsterdam cafe Trakteren—2016 Dutch AeroPress champ Edward Beumer being the other half.

Standing alongside the oversized coupon guaranteeing his ticket to Seoul for the World AeroPress Championship, Scheeper told Sprudge: “I love making AeroPresses, but… I didn’t think I could win it. I tried the coffee and I made a recipe—I thought it was nice—but this was really unexpected.”

Although for years, event organizers Coffeecompany held the contest at their Oosterdok flagship store, this sixth edition took place in the Machinegebouw. Poster designer Stefan Glerum’s Easter egg-toned steampunk lettering befit the building, once the pumping headquarters of Amsterdam’s 19th-century gas factory. The venue provided room to breath—and to breakdance, as came to pass while judges took five for final deliberations. Presiding were Will Corby of Pact Coffee, Stuart Ritson of Cafe Imports Europe, and Mikaela Wallgren of The Coffee Collective.

March 11 occasioned a first collaboration between Coffeecompany and local brewery Troost in producing a coffee IPA, made with a Kagumoini SL28 and 34. But it also marked the final Dutch AeroPress Championship that Coffeecompany’s beloved, blazered Stijn Brass would host before leaving his decade-long employer.

Many contenders and supporters wore cafe logo-ed apparel, with Back to Black, Black Gold, The Village, and Versace White Label featuring prominently. One reading of Bert van Wassenhove’s bomber jacket with patch letters spelling “PATAT” was snackwave-chic; another was the sartorial working-through of a collective fear that potato-taste defect could surface in the competition coffee. But no such reports came of the Coffeecompany-roasted beans from award-winning Muyongwe washing station.

Other participants included heavy-hitters from the Low Countries specialty coffee industry. Neither Wenneker nor his brother, Bob Wenneker, himself a 2014 second place Dutch AeroPress titleholder, got past the initial round, but that freed them to cheer Scheeper. Beumer did not advance either, but he shook it off, appearing to transition instantaneously from Oosterhuis’ fellow competitor to his personal Cruyff. Despite remarkable dexterity with two AeroPresses, defeat came early to Cerianne Bury, a quality coordinator at Trabocca and an astute sociocultural analyst of barista competitions. While Bocca roaster Ben Richardson, last year’s bronze medalist in the same contest, reached the semifinals, he had to stop there—though not without giving a quick kiss to Scheeper’s forearm, mid-press. It was impish and tender and clearly lucky.

The winning recipes

First place: Jonatan Scheeper, Single Estate Coffee

Coffee: 19 grams

Grind: Mahlkönig EK 43, setting 9

Water: 240 grams

Filter: 2x AeroPress filter

Place filter in filter holder and rinse with hot water

Heat water to 70 degrees Celsius

Use AeroPress right-side up and place on preheated server

Add ground coffee to the AeroPress

Start timer and pour all the water in 15 seconds

Stir 4 times in about 15 seconds

Place plunger on the AeroPress at an angle and pull for a millimeter to make sure no water runs through

Leave for 30 seconds, when the timer hits 1 minute, press for 40 seconds and stop before the hissing noise

Pour into a non-heated cup

Second place: Milad Feroegh, Coffeecompany

Coffee: 23 grams (after picking), 18.5 grams after sieving

Grind: Rhinowares hand grinder, 12 clicks coarser than the finest setting

Water: 250 grams Spa Reine (25 grams at room temperature, 225 grams at 88 degrees Celsius)

Filter: 1x AeroPress filter

Grind coffee in a Rhinowares hand grinder

Sift fines with a FORLIFE tea infuser

Pour 25 grams of Spa Reine at room temperature in inverted AeroPress

Add 18.5 grams of coffee

Pour 50 grams of water at 88 degrees Celsius for a 30-second bloom

Add remaining 175 grams of water

Stir twice

Flip at 1 minute 20 seconds and press in 40 seconds in a non-heated cup

3rd Place: Erik Oosterhuis, Trakteren

Coffee: 33 grams

Grind: EK 43 setting 10.25

Water: 80 grams Icelandic Glacial

Filter: 1x AeroPress filter

Use AeroPress right-side up

Add coffee

Pour 80 grams of water at 50 degrees Celsius and bloom for 40 seconds

Stir 1 time

Press as quickly as possible

Dilute with 120 grams of water at 70 degrees Celsius

Karina Hof is a Sprudge staff writer based in Amsterdam. Read more Karina Hof on Sprudge. 

Photos by Jasper Uhlenbusch and Karina Hof.

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It's the Little Things 2

Yesterday's little thing is a plastic shepherd's whistle, dedicated to directing distant herding dogs in their pursuit of wayward livestock. I have carried one since there actually were three collies, although none of my pups was sophisticated enough to actually work on whistles. 

More on loud yells and frantic screaming sometimes. They did come to one though...you can hear the shrill screech from a long ways away.The two old dogs knew their "sides", "come bye" and "away to me". Mostly minded "That'll do." And "lie down" and "stay" and "walk up". "Get back" or "get out" were harder. Oh, how Mike loved to be too tight to the stock. Worked well with cows, where sometimes he had to swing off a nose to get his point across......but he utterly terrified sheep.

Anyhow, for years and years I never seem to have a whistle with an intact "handle". They still function perfectly well without one, and it's not like my dogs do any work other than studying and shredding newspaper. I do use it to get the boss's attention when he is driving the noisy skid steer sometimes. I should buy a metal one, which would prolly stand up better, but just color me cheap.

However, I was utterly delighted to find the intact, complete, and in fact almost perfect one in yesterday's post, in the upstairs bookcase of all places. Becky and I are culling books for donation, sale, or discard, and there it was lying on the shelf.

I was pleased indeed.

Today's little "things" are little girls. One of them comes to the backdoor screen to call in "Gramma, I need my horse." (Stick horse...a great little traveler that one, a palomino with incredible stamina.)

Or, "Gramma, I need my milk." "Gramma, Where's mommy?"

Upland Sandpiper

The other photo I came across while looking for photos of Upland Sandpipers for eBird. She is a manager at a local restaurant now.....

Aunt Becky BITD

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It's the Little Things

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10 Memorable Moments From The Amsterdam Coffee Festival

The Netherlands’ annual coffeepalooza filled factory-turned-funhouse Westergasfabriek back in March 2017. Part trade show and part barista tournament, the 2017 Amsterdam Coffee Festival had plenty of comeback stands, brands, and old hands. Yet this year also seemed to offer better gender balance among participants, even more international visitors, and an officialized partnership between coffee and cocktails via the debut Mixologists competition (look for more coverage soon!)

1) Brewers Cup Championship

The first Dutch coffee contest winner for 2017 was… a Swede. Daniella Nyström is best known in these parts as a spritely barista and expert fermenter at Amsterdam cafe Scandinavian Embassy. For the title of Dutch Brewers Cup Champion, she used a washed Ethiopian Kochere roasted by Coffee Collective in Denmark. Skål!

2) Cup Tasters Championship

The book of Esther is full of awards and distinctions—including that of four-time national latte art champion—though this time Esther Maasdam was crowned Dutch Cup Tasters Champion. She was one of 32 contenders, and the final round was a nail-biter, with the fire engine-red manicured victress beating Laurent L’Ortye by only one correct guess.

3) Jar Coffea

Glass terrariums are hardly conducive to flying off shelves, but Amsterdam design firm Pikaplant seemed to have no struggle selling its Jar Coffea. The hermetically sealed biotope contains a single specimen of coffee—it’s eye-catching and self-watering!

4) Back To Black

Just over a year since their roasting operation began, Back to Black has, contrary to the Winehouse lyrics, not found its odds are stacked. The Amsterdam cafe was showcasing co-owner and roaster Inge Bulthuis’ varied output, now prolific enough to necessitate a new second location. Meanwhile on the competition floor, barista Sybilla Jimmink won the 2017 Louis Claus Award for local coffee industry up-and-comer.

5) Dutch Hand Coffee Grinding Championship

Stooker Roasting Co was so stoked about the Orphan Espresso LIDO 3, they hosted a hand coffee grinding contest to award one to the fastest pulverizer of 30 grams of a Kenyan Kangocho peaberry. The winner came in at 25.14 seconds.

6) Barista Championship

With characteristic warmth and humility, quadruple Irish barista champ Colin Harmon conferred the 2017 Dutch Barista Champion trophy onto Merijn Gijsbers. The freelancer from Eindhoven, who works under the name het Koffiegenootschap, came in sixth in the same competition last year. He thanked his coaches Ben Morrow and Esther Maasdam for helping him make the jump and roasting the Panamanian La Berlina Geisha that did the job.

7) JADE cups

From afar, they could be cupping bowls. On closer look, the white porcelain JADE cups designed by Eindhoven-based product developer Maarten Baptist appeared in three sizes and showed striking details: a two-tone Twizzler-effect band, a single polka dot, or words parsed from a, let’s say, coffee koan.

8) Tea Jam 

Kiona Malinka kept an audience rapt during her Tea Jam, a 30-minute riff on Chinese and Japanese tea cultures and how they contrast with today’s Dutch drinking practices. A remarkably attentive little boy delighted in the comparison of his jacket’s color with that of her matcha bowl. Malinka’s Crusio Tea is headquartered in Bergen op Zoom, but the brand’s classy cylinders can be spotted at specialty cafes around the country.

9) Latte Art Championship

Winning this year’s Dutch Latte Art Championship marked a trifecta for Nick Vink, who works at restaurant H32 in Oss. Like the Netherlands’ new number one barista, Vink hails from the province of North Brabant, also famously home to Kees van der Westen and the Bossche bol.

10) Holy Cannoli

It was impossible not to smile at the pink banner reading: “We understand—coffee first! But can we just say cannoli second?” The reference was to a Dutch-created video knocking American exceptionalism that went viral after the US presidential inauguration and spawned copycat clips across the Schengen Area. And turns out, the cream-filled tube-shaped pastries that Dutch company Cannoli sells B2B are tasty, too. Viva l’Olanda!

Karina Hof is a Sprudge staff writer based in Amsterdam. Read more Karina Hof on Sprudge. 

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Check out Kate & LPN in Yoga Digest’s Change Maker Feature

Thank you, Yoga Digest! This week I was featured in Yoga Digest’s Change Maker story, where I got to speak about all that I am passionate about — including my day job (something I very rarely speak about on this forum). Hop over to their site for the full article, but you can get a sneak peek here.

X

K

How did you get into yoga?

KM – My journey to yoga started as a physical one. It wasn’t a miraculous awakening, but rather a botched slide tackle in a soccer game that resulted in a broken leg and torn tendons all around my ankle. This led me to a series of combined spinning and yoga classes to help heal my tendons. Over the course of a few weeks, I became addicted to the yoga class after spinning and I began attending more classes, from hot vinyasa to yin. My body was not the only thing starting to heal; it was my mind and spirit, too. I was hooked.

What have you done in the past year to better yourself as a Yoga Teacher?

KM – I connect into a practice of pranayama daily – whether it’s on my meditation cushion at home, or sitting at my office desk. Taking note of how yoga can impact our daily lives – not just in the studio – has helped me incorporate these soft reminders into my own classes. As a teacher, I make a point of asking questions to my students, so they can make the choice constantly for themselves: “what does my body need, right now,” or “how does my breath feel now?”

Why is yoga so important in the world we live in today?

KM – We are so focused on our external experiences that we forget to come home to ourselves and just be for a few moments. This obsession with doing and being not only depletes our energy and spirit; it also depletes our ability to give our best selves to our family, friends, spiritual practices, and ourselves. Yoga gives us a channel to connect, to get the mind quiet and to take part in this life from a place of understanding.

How have you found ways to incorporate yoga into other areas of your life?

KM – In addition to being a yoga teacher, I am also CEO of Play Magnus, a chess tech start up, and the founder of the natural beauty & wellness blog Living Pretty Naturally, so I have found creative ways to incorporate yoga into my life. Over a year ago, I began offering a weekly yoga class to my awesome employees at Play Magnus – a team of about 10 software developers, designers and chess Grand Masters. I watch my team enjoy those few moments of mindfulness in their day, as well as feel and see the benefits of lower shoulders, both physically and emotionally.

I travel a lot for my work – chess is a global sport, after all! Before each trip, I always research studios I want to try out in the city to which I am traveling (even if I’m in a country where I don’t speak the language).  And I always travel with my “travel mat” so I can still do my own practice in the hotel room.

In order to find other ways to incorporate yoga into my life, I often slip into my own practice when the studio is empty after teaching one of my classes at Leela Yoga. I also tend to center my holidays and travels around yoga teacher trainings or retreats. For instance, this spring I’m actually co-hosting a yoga retreat in Bali – where it’s possible to find the perfect balance of teaching and learning.

What has yoga done for your professional life?

KM – Yoga has been a saviour in so many ways. It is the other side of the teeter-totter that allows me to feel balanced when I’ve stacked up too much on one side. It allows my mind to calm, the body to soften and following my practice, I always notice a shift in my energy and my thoughts. I become more creative, things flow more easily, and I am more effective in my work.

6. What is your life motto?

KM – “Go, go, go, stop!”

I have a constant curiosity that makes me a “yes” say-er. I say yes to almost anything and everything that interests me and feels right. However, I’ve had to become a lot better at listening to my gut and intuition when my body is saying, “no, it’s time to rest.” Whether that is some restorative yoga, meditation, journaling, curling up with a giant cup of tea and my book of the moment, or just taking a nap on Sunday, I am listening to the inner voice say “go, go, go, stop.”

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