* if I only had the energy to modify this site theme to include the new logo *groan*

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This morning I finally had a chance to try out "Standing Room Only" (SRO), in the CBD.

SRO cater for most types of brewing along side their synesso espresso machine sit's "the brew bar", easily identifiable is the tower of cold drip, several syphon's, V60, chemex, and central to the brew bar a lovely Marco Uber boiler *swooon*.

First impressions.. well. The place looks excellent. I'm a big fan of Vespa's (owner and rider) and must say I love the decor. The colour of the place is a classic Vespa green (portofino?) which can be found on the old 'douglas' Vespa's and some VBB models. The Synesso and the grinders have all been painted in this colour and match the painted walls.

About 8 folk before me when I rocked up, I paid for my two small flat white's and waited about 8 minutes. Pretty good!

I asked if I could take a photo, and tweeted my thoughts after my coffee was finished. It was very nice. The milk was just right. I must say, so many places these days are letting their milk get out of hand (usually burning the shit out of it). It was nice to have a coffee that not only didn't burn my mouth, but didn't taste like... BURNT crap. I'm not saying all places burn the milk, but many do.

The coffee was (I presume) the house blend. It had a choc-nut flavour with some spicey notes which really cut through the milk well.

I'll be back for sure (when and if I ever pass through), and will next time try a pour over or syphon to see how it compares to my own filter-coffee brewing.

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A couple of days ago I walked in to the local "good guys" shop to get myself some kitchen scales, I've been roasting some lighter roasts suitable for filter (CCD) and wanted a small set of scales for work to measure my grinds dose.

Shocked at the prices, I abandoned the idea and will just use "best guess" for now.

Whilst in the shop I noticed a shelf hosting a pile of "water filter jugs". One in particular caught my eye as it seemed to be advertising cafe (coffee) use on the box art. I picked it up for a closer look and had a read. "Water softening, chlorine removal, etc". The price? $29. I'll try this.

I took it to the checkout, $26. Even better. Got it home, unboxed it, followed the instructions to prime the filter and then filled it up and let it sit and do it's thing.

Taste test. Well, I have to admit, it does taste better than straight out of the tap, no kidding. It tasted like it had less chlorine in it. Our tap water even smells like a swimming pool, it's that bad. I'm fed up with filling my espresso machine water tank with the shit tap water, so had to do something as an interim measure until our new house is ready (being built at the moment) and I can do an under-bench filtration system.

Less ramble, more detail. The "jug" is aesthetically pleasing, has a nice hand grip, has rubber feet (shocked, for this price), a nice slide on/off lid, and a plastic "dial" you can set to remind you to change the filter after ~3 months. I believe it will filter approx 1L of water. You can buy larger units.

Espresso taste: Well, I've only poured 1 Ltr in to the Giotto so far (mixed with the existing tank water) so I will need to report back in a few days after I've pulled 3L through the machine. I figure if the water tastes nicer in the cup, it will taste nicer in the espresso.

Back again at Dimattina this week. Tuesday instead of Wednesday, and only the three of us this time.

4x CoE! (Brazil x2, el salv x2) and 1x Colombian

Really interesting mix, especially surprising to experience the differences in the coffee's from the same regions. We loved the uniqueness of one of the Brazil lots so much that we decided to enjoy a pour-over.

I also had an opportunity to check out the Petroncini sample roaster which Jono has been using for our cupping sessions. It's a bit of an old banger (60's) but seems to roast okay. I think Jono is a little upset that his hottop isn't working at the moment. Perhaps considerably more control with the hottop. "I can't even hear the crack's on the Petroncini" :)

If you guys ever decide to stop using that Petroncini, I'll gladly "borrow" it :)

Come along next Wednesday the 30th Nov at 1pm for a chat, mingle, and coffee tasting, feel free to bring your own roasts to share!

James

For this session, four of us (all from coffeesnobs) rocked up to see what the guys have been up to. Jono & Simon @ Dimattina roasted up some batches of singles, and a blend for us to try out. We got to catch up, meet new faces, and experience the Dimattina cupping room.

We had about eight samples to try, and also an extra single (indian) roasted brought in by one of the CS'ers to try out.

From memory we had some Bolivian, Cuba, CoE Rwanda, CoE Honduras, Sumatran, Columbian, a blend of those three, and I think a central american (I forgot, perhaps it didn't stand out for me).

My faves were the complex flavours of the Sumatra and Honduras where I caught some grassiness, grapes, and other subtle fruit flavours. The Rwanda was really quite odd, perhaps requiring a little more roasting, the grinds seemed to sink during steeping rather than pool on top which is usually the case. My other fave is the Bolivia... the little experience I have with Bolivia coffee tells me that they are producing some nice stuff. I roasted up some Bolivia a couple of months ago and just really loved it either as espresso or in milk based drinks.

Simon offered me a small bag of the Bolivia to try at home, really keen to check it out!

Cupping will be regular, and usually on Wednesdays at 1pm. I really recommend checking it out! You don't need to be a coffee snob, or a guru at picking 'flavours', it's certainly a great way to learn about coffee, origins, different flavours, and even learning about the cupping process which is a "must do" for specialty coffee roasters in order to find the right coffee for customers.

Hopefully, folk who come along to the sessions will gain some knowledge and experience something different, and perhaps a little more 'raw' than what they are used to at home. On the flip side, Dimattina will gain some feedback from coffee drinkers which might help them choose their beans and perhaps put together blends for customers to enjoy! It's a win-win.

I will try to get some photo's next session!

Firstly, the NS Oscar was a great machine, a major step up from the Sunbeam EM6910, and great for entering the world of proper boiler machines and heat exchangers. Real steam power!

I sold the lovely Oscar for $500 to a fellow coffeesnobber (coffeesnobs.com.au) who has been making espresso with a hand-held/manual machine (pressi?)

I then found an ECM Giotto for sale, for "$500, make offer". I went to check it out, it was a bit trashy, but looked like it could be rescued. Seems it was used for commercial purposes in a gourmet food shop of some sorts. The new owners didn't want it, and had plans for a serious machine to pump out loads of coffee's. Smart.

The Giotto cleaned up nicely, it's missing a little bit of the chassis (at the front which holds the drip tray) but doesn't impact brewing, although does impact machine stability which will need looking at asap.

I descaled it, cleaned it up and away it went. I also back-flushed it, wow, the shit that came out! It's making nice espresso.. however I think it could do with a little more work, the E61 is leaking from the brew lever (easy fix with seals and grease), and i think I might do the shower screen and group seal.

In any case, it's nice to get a bargain! These machines are about $2,500k AU to buy, so I'm fairly chuffed!

Firstly, it seems like it's been ages, I roasted up some 'Unicorn' blend on the weekend. I just love this blend, I'll post more about it soon. Think complex, full and silky. I was asked why it's "Unicorn"... because it really is a fantasy. Does it really exist? it's pretty good!

I've struggled to find time for myself lately as the wife is busy with work and uni, we are building the house, and I've been spending loads of time with my little ones (which I just love to do).

Di Bella are tweeting like mad these days, as are 5Senses, good to see some Aussie roasters and retailers embracing social media and connecting with their clients, competitors and friends. Not only are the connections interesting, but also educational and even some times inspiring. Keep up the good work. I think more folk need to get on board, even the small roastery's.

http://www.fivesensescoffee.com.au/ Five Senses put up some neat articles on 'naked' portafilter extraction, storing coffee, and some seedlings in Bali. Worth a read.

http://www.smallbatch.com.au/ Small Batch have some notes online about the Syphon comp in Tokyo

Tim Wendelboe toured Colombia on an epic coffee journey and the Colombian govn have set up a really neat site: http://colombiancoffeehub.com/ it's good fun, and interesting. The site covers Tim's journey, but also allows visitors to interact and mingle with others online. There's loads of excellent articles and video's to be seen. Check it out.

Cafe Corporate http://www.facebook.com/CafeCorporate?sk=wall are really pushing their Facebook presence lately. Promoting their products, connecting with customers and other businesses, meshing with other Facebook pages/sites, and giving away great coffee products to their readers through competitions. Check them out, they just might have your next office espresso machine!

I've been enjoying the 'New World' blend from Fiori (http://fioricoffee.com/) lately. Fiori are just down the road from work, so I can walk down to the roastery, have a chat to the guys, pick up some green or brown beans and be on my way, all in the space of a short walk. The guys there are really friendly and happy to give some roasting advice. Much appreciated

I've been really enjoying the Gaggia Classic at work lately, more than ever. The shots from this machine just amazing. Naken extractions are looking brilliant, and the result in the cup is really incredible. How on earth does such a cheap, domestic machine pull such great shots? I'm going to go ahead and say that the pressure is set just right on this thing, one day I'll measure it.

Until next time, enjoy good coffee, every day!

James

Testing the knowledge of the master roaster, I asked for suitable equiv beans, as close as he could.

So this weekend the roasting continues, with new beans, some experimenting ahead!

I'll report back soon