Spring coffee styles - Otto espresso changes the World · Saturday April 11, 2009 by colin newell
I think it is pretty normal to want to make your mark on the World. My theory is: There are 3 ways you can leave the Planet better than you found it… and therefore leave a lasting legacy…
- Find a cure for a nasty infirmity, thereby giving life to someone who might think up some additional solutions to life’s little problems.
- Invent a more efficient or a better way of getting groups of people from one place to another – you know, like a better train or plane engine… something that takes a drop of eco-fuel and transports us 100 miles. And by getting people together, we might fight less.
- Give the World a new coffee maker. Something that would force us to take a moment away from our hamster cage – if only to chill out, enjoy a cup and think of something that might actually help humankind.
At 37 years of age, Sydney Australia resident Craig Hiron has spent the last 5 years working on his contribution to World peace – with a physical addition to the specialty coffee mosaic.
His baby is Otto – Otto is a revolutionary new re-interpretation of a classic coffee maker – The original Atomic was quickly slipping into the darkened recesses of quirky and obsessive antique collectors shelves worldwide.
Otto is named after the first born child of dear friends and mentors Anton and Nikki – who provided much of the inspiration and motivation for the task. Many of Craig’s friends have contributed in their own special way, monetary and otherwise. Craig’s primary source of fuel for this project has come from a creative fiduciary – a multi-threaded approach involving vaporizing credit cards, borrowing against the value of his home, and getting existing vendors buzzed on the future potential of his little coffee maker.
The way I see it, you really, really have to love coffee culture to go this distance. I spoke to Craig yesterday for a half hour. And the product of that conversation will begin a audio series that I am going to call The Coffee People – or something like that. Available on the Coffeecrew blog in the upcoming weeks and months.
We asked Craig about the journey… the whole process and adventure of creating something new and innovative… with all the stresses and strains and growing pains. And I paraphrase…
“It’s like climbing a mountain. There doesn’t seem to be much time spent enjoying the view. It is more about watching your footing on the way up. Little time for savoring the moment. That will come when Otto takes its first steps…”
Trust me Craig. The World will be watching… and welcoming.
Colin Newell lives and works in Victoria B.C. Canada. His writing on the subject of specialty coffee will be a mere historic footnote quickly forgotten. He will, on the other hand, be talking to the history makers.
Comment [2]
Spring coffee style - joy in Italian stove top espresso · Tuesday March 31, 2009 by colin newell
I gave a retired buddy an Aeropress coffee maker. And at 6’ 7” tall, Bob is a whole lot of coffee enthusiasm – not that size matters… but in a funny kind of way, it does with Bob.
Bob used to work in our I.T. division at the University. And when he retired a few years back, he was immediately missed – as much for his skill and his way with people as his childish (or more fairly, youthful) way of seeing potential in the germination of new ideas.
And he treats his coffee the same way.
It came as quite the surprise to me that Bob was a big fan of the coffee website. I am always surprised when someone admits that they dig what I do… I mean, it is only coffee after all.
Anyway – Bob made up his mind one day the Aeropress was going to be the thing for him. Perhaps he could relate to the creator of the Aeropress, Alan Adler – a teacher from Stanford who could see the potential in toys (the Aerobie Disk) and subsequently the Aeropress coffee maker – because of his childlike approach to product development.
Anyway. Bob comes to me one day and says… “Where can I find one of these Aeropress coffee makers to buy?”
Have I got a deal for you Bob!
Not surprising, he was delighted to be comped a freebie. Who wouldn’t be?
Anyway – little did I know that Bob was going to take me on a small journey to toy-land – because Bob practically giggled when he got it. I have honestly not heard that kind of giggle since I was 5 perusing the 1965 T. Eaton Christmas wish book. And anybody that remembers that experience knows what I am taking about.
So. Yea. Sharing the joy.
In the photo above, I did a quick photo shoot to concentrate on taking a chip out of the Bodum project I am working on. Bodum U.S.A. was good enough to send me a crate of their products – dang, a long time ago! And I am finally getting around to the meat and potatoes of the project.
My point? If you look at some of the other photos in this series, you will (maybe just maybe) get some of the joy – that Bob imparted to me – via his newly minted Aeropress crush.
Oh yea. Final note on Bob. Ran into him at a retirement party today. He told me… “I have pushed all of my other coffee makers into the back of the cupboard… It’s Aeropress all the way…” He tittered with glee.
Right. Child like joy over coffee.
That’s what I am talking about.
The Kona Coffee Farmer’s Little Boy That Could · Sunday March 15, 2009 by colin newell
Yes, once there has been a Kona coffee farmer in space as well. A local farmer’s son named Ellison S. Onizuka grew up to become a NASA astronaut while picking coffee cherries for his family after school. Guess he was made of the ‘right stuff’. Sadly he perished with his crew in the 1986 Challenger disaster on his second flight into space. There’s a museum dedicated to the little ‘Big Island’ boy-that-could at our Kona airport. When at our airport, take the time to stop by there; it’s really nicely done. You can’t believe what an inspiration this man has become to the local kids and how teachers and locals uphold his image and achievement. Somehow we think he was looking forward very much to having his first Kona coffee in orbit after takeoff and looking down onto the vast Pacific with his island home floating in the midst of it. Even trying to make out the green coffee fields of his parents and grand parents, early Japanese immigrants, here in Kealakekua.
Kona coffee is truly an out-of-this-world-experience, as Astronaut Suni Williams, Mission Log 2007 from the International Space Station describes:
“Opened a new beverage container so I am enjoying Kona coffee from Hawaii with cream and sugar. Hmmm. I was really surprised to see the CREAMY coffee in there. I think they [Houston] saw that nasty grimace I gave every morning choking down plain old black coffee – I’m only half a sailor…”
The NASA STANDARDS, FOOD, AND SPECIFICATIONS BOOK explains to the space traveller with detailed instructions of how to prep the perfect Kona coffee in space:
Page 447: Processing of Kona Coffee
Page 448: Processing of Kona Coffee w/Sugar
Page 449: Processing of Kona Coffee w/Artificial Sweetener & Nondairy Creamer
Therefore one should not assume that just being able to fly a space craft would make you automatically a master in making a cup of Kona coffee, right?
Cafe culture Winter 2009 marathon post number one · Friday January 30, 2009 by colin newell
All work and no play makes Colin a dull boy.
And it was with that thought that we had an impromptu espresso throw-down (during my coffee break…) in my lab at the University today.
It was, after all, Friday – a long week, much production under our belts and high time to have a pre-weekend cortex bending exercise with the last legal high – the caffeine bean.
The equipment: An ECM Cellini Rocket professional machine on loan from EspressoTec.com in Vancouver.
A Rancilio Rocky grinder.
Several Reg Barber tampers – one of them a coveted solid Titanium 58MM base with bubinga (farmed hardwood) handles from Central America.
Coffee: Espresso house blend from Everyday Gourmet of St. Lawrence Market, Front Street in Toronto and some single-origin Ethiopian Yirgacheffe from local roaster Peter Cross.
The Contestants: Gillian (formerly of Habit Coffee and Culture. Mike C. from IT at UVic. And yours truly.
Our taste subjects included Nick, Wayne, Al, as well as our faithful selves.
We blasted through about 3/4 pound of coffee in under 15 minutes, making about 8 to 10 doubles and some misses.
Not surprising, Gillian mopped the floor with us. Mike was not far behind with one killer God shot after another – and I followed up the rear with some pretty decent crema rich shots.
The ECM Rocket will be the subject of a detailed review one of these days.
Meantime, it is good to have fun – and I think it is a cool to, at least occasionally, get all out of control with the coffee machines in the work place.
Comment [1]
