A diner for all time... · Saturday November 26, 2005 by colin newell
For all the praise heaped upon superlative gourmet coffee and, begging your pardon if I offend, slow-food in the 21 century, there are too few words spoken singing the praises of the grease n’ grill.
A significant portion of my best years (today and in the past) have been spent in diners like John’s Place on Pandora Avenue in Victoria, B.C. Canada.
I recall crossing their syrupy-sweet threshold way back in 1985 for the first time; Pancakes, sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs and black coffee. Oddly, 20 years later and (damn, I confess) 100 visits under my belt, I have the blood pressure of a 19 year old girl.
20 years ago I was a bright eyed, pre-internet, kind of guy frightened of the future. Ah, the uncertainty of being in your mid-twenties and wondering what the future would bring. Nothing takes your mind off of your worries faster than a fluffy waffle with cream cheese and maple syrup.
So, here we are in 2005. Two decades ago I sat in John’s Place with a table full of young friends, some of whom I still call friends today. Looking around, today, I see other young people (and older people) enjoying the solidarity of good food and friendship.
I really believe places like this keep us young, at least at heart. So the next time you are sitting down to your yoghurt, organic berries and 12-grain dry toast, fight back, say no… and find your diner.
Staling improves? · Saturday November 26, 2005 by glenn
I have been roasting for only about 15 months now and have never been satisfied with the Brazils.
Ashy, ashy and accompanying off-tastes reminiscent of licking an ash tray[don’t ask]. I was just about to give up on these green beans and look for something else to be used as an espresso base.
All of my roasted beans are generally consumed in less than 7 days, except this time, I had some extra brazils that I had roasted as a separate batch. To my surprise these beans underwent a dramatic transformation in taste after about the 7th day and beyond. The ashiness disappeared and oddly, the crema improved as these beans aged.
These beans were interesting to roast. First crack was very subtle, sounding almost like second crack. In my first batch, I actually missed hearing first crack and all of the sudden your into second.
A stop watch comes in handy here..
CoffeeCrew.Com Micro summit · Friday November 25, 2005 by colin newell
This just in – Dave A. from Ottawa is coming to Victoria next week on business. Interestingly, I have been working with Dave on the website for 2 years or so and this is our first meeting.
Dave has not been to Victoria before so we will be lining up all the best cafes and restaurants for him to check out first hand.
Past summits have included trips to Toronto to see Sara and the Toronto gang as well as Sara’s numerous visits to Victoria.
Tamping and Distribution · Thursday November 24, 2005 by
Which is more important ? The man or the machine?
Something re-mastered from the 1980’s – Simon Byrne (Wrote songs for the Monkeys…
1-Track-Crazy-1985-CR02.mp3