Nate’s from Ontario, and we finally get to the bottom of the rumors about the less than stellar quality of Canadian coffee and learn more about Nate and how coffee fits into his world.
You also may recall that in our last episode, I took the assignment to get to the bottom of the espresso drinks at McDonalds. Nate jumped in with both feet and one-upped me with a video journal of his McSpresso experience. Check that out here…
Join us for another entertaining ramble through the coffee-fueled minds of two three coffee lovers.
This week’s assignment is to get a McCafe cappuccino at McDonalds. We’re puzzled about how they get fresh espresso for their drinks. Especially when they don’t offer an espresso on the menu. Hmmmm. Let us know if you’ll join us in this coffee adventure. Seriously, get over yourself and try it with us.
This week’s guest was Angel Djambazov. Angel is an affiliate marketing pro (which is how we know him) and from what we can gather, stands tall among Seattle coffee lovers. As you know, that’s saying a lot.
Angel provided us with an exhaustive list of his favorite Seattle coffee joints. You’ll notice that Starbucks and Seattle’s Best are most decidedly not on there.
It’s not our anniversary, but Peet’s. Today we did our virtual cupping and gave the perennial Peet’s Anniversary Blend a taste. This fantastic blend will only be around for a little while, and it’s a worthwhile brew, so go get it. Listen to the show for more details…
Last week’s show got pushed to a Monday recording, and with lots of editing, it took me a while to get it wrapped up. We’re thinking of moving the show to Monday’s permanently. Let us know your feedback on that.
So this week, we had our virtual coffee tasting of a Peet’s Sumatra.
We’ll be looking forward to more listener participation in the next ones. We’ve got the next three coffees all lined up. No excuses!
Thanks for listening!
Update: We’ve discovered that there was a problem in the recording. Somehow our recorded voices got out of phase. Fortunately, it’s only in some parts. Sorry about that, we will do our best to not let that happen again.
Based on the success of our first coffee tasting, we are now planning out the next three tastings in order to give our listeners advance notice (so you can buy the coffee and participate along with us) on future tastings.
The idea is to get as many people as possible to participate in any or all of the tastings below and provide their thoughts, comments and feedback on the various coffees in the comment section of this post. If you know any coffee lovers that should participate, please send them a link to this post.
We are particularily interested in feedback from people named Lisa - so if your name is Lisa, go buy some of these coffees and start taking notes and posting comments. If your first name isn’t Lisa, that’s OK, we want your feedback and comments too!
This week we were graced with the graces of Lisa Picarille who shares her San Francisco-based coffee obsessions.
I finally received my Yama siphon pot from OurCoffeeBarn.com. They totally hooked me up with some nice coffee samples. Special thanks goes to OurCoffeeBarn. The Ethiopian “Ill” (applying the CoffeeCast Ethiopian naming rules of using the first syllable) was freshly roasted and it showed. Huge bloom on the brew and some great taste.
Lisa applied for inclusion on the show with her full coffee bar inventory. We discuss this, her penchant for entertaining her guests with any coffee treat they could ever want, and her close proximity to some of the best coffee shops and roasters in the country.
Here’s Lisa’s Inventory… and my new shopping list. (OMG.)
I love coffee and for anyone who walks into my kitchen that is immediately apparent. Half of my kitchen counters are jam-packed with coffee makers and accoutrements. In fact, it’s getting a little too crowded.
I love being able to make whatever coffee I choose at home. I also consider myself I very good hostess and want to share my love of coffee with guests. That means giving them choices and offering them coffee the way they like it.
I thought I would give you a peek of what’s in my well stocked coffee bar. My hope is that you, Todd and others might share with me what’s in your coffee bar. I might be missing something important.
The Machines
Cuisinart Grind N Brew: This machine works for me because I used to always forget to shut off the coffee maker – far too many exploding carafes in the past. This thermal pot keeps coffee hot for hours – although, I usually get through the pot long before that point.
Braun drip maker: It’s nothing special just a basic coffee maker. I keep it under the counter and haul it out when I have guests. I use this machine mostly to brew decaf. I want all my guests to be able to enjoy their coffee (whether it’s full throttle or decaf) at the same time.
Gaggia espresso maker: I used to hate this machine and found it took too long to prep, make and clean for espresso. But I’ve now gotten the process down to a science.
8 cup French press: Every now and then I just want 1 or 2 really good cups of coffee. I also think this process is best for really tasting a new coffee.
Stovetop tea kettle: Use it for boiling water for the French press
Braun grinder: Nothing fancy. Actually, I should get a better one.
Blender: Just in case I want a frappuccino like drink
The Accessories
Aerator: For foaming milk for hot cocoa. I also use it on cold milk for iced lattes
Thermometers: I don’t want to scald my milk
Knock box: For disposing of espresso grounds
Tamper: For pressing down ground espresso
Wooden stirrers, glasses for clean and dirty spoons (like at your local café)
Straws: For my iced lattes and cold coffee drinks
Variety of pot sizes for foaming milk
Variety of small pots for pulling espresso shots
Creamers and containers for half and half and milk
Basic Coffees Always on Hand
Ground espresso from Peet’s
Whole bean Sumatra for the French press
Whole bean from Peet’s (usually try to mix it up - the Anniversary Blend, Blue Batak, whatever Peet’s is featuring)
Containers and Drinking Vessels
Several thermal cups for my everyday coffee
2 Sets of demitasse cups
Small coffee cups and saucers
Plenty of large mugs
A giant thermos for taking coffee on the road or when I brew French press to keep it hot
To-go cups and lids (just like my fav café). I often send people on the road with a cup of joe.
The Flavorings
Honey
Raw sugar
Brown sugar
Regular cane sugar in cubes
The fake stuff (equal)
Simple syrup
Blue Agave syrup
Powdered cocoa
Ground cinnamon
Whole nutmeg in a grinder
Dark chocolate in a grinder
Syrup flavorings (vanilla and almond)
Other Drinks
Hot chocolate
Hot cocoa
Sipping chocolate
Variety of loose leaf teas
Variety of tea bags
We’re currently looking for more Lisa’s to have on the show.
And at the end of the show, we conceived of a new CoffeeCast.fm exclusive feature… the Virtual Cupping! Get yourself a bag of Peet’s Sumatra and let’s have a tasting. Read here for more info on the Virtual Cupping!
With apologies to the weekend listeners, we’re back to a Friday night production of the show.
We are inviting you all to taste coffee with us this week. Here is how it works. Go to your local Peet’s coffee and buy some of their fine Sumatran beans. Then just brew up some coffee, drink it and post your comments here. If you don’t have a local Peet’s - you can order it online by clicking HERE.
Post you feedback with the following format: brewing method (press pot, drip, siphon, etc.), how you drank your coffee (black, cream, sugar, etc.) and what you though of it. We urge you to let the coffee cool a little and try it black (just a few sips at least) before you doctor it up to your liking.
We will read through your comments and feedback and discuss them on the next podcast.
This week, we had a special guest, and coffee expert, Lisa Riolo. Lisa spent some significant time working for Peet’s Coffee and she was kind enough to join us and give us some insights into what goes on at that coffee company, as well in her own coffee loving head.
We discussed Peet’s vs. Starbucks, single source vs. blends, what makes a great espresso, the Starbucks Clover, and much, much more…
Apologies
We had some early issues with Lisa’s Skype connection, but it gets better. Bear with us through that. And I don’t remember doing it, but it seems I was clicking a pen through the show. I apologize. What a rookie! That will not happen again.
And we did record this on Friday, but with all the travel I was doing, I ran out of time, and I did need to do a little bit of cleanup in the recording as we lost Lisa. I left some of the keystone comedy in there for the amusement factor.
This does give me the opportunity to see if folks prefer this weekly show coming out on Monday. I wonder if we lose some folks by publishing on Friday night. Or maybe this is a good weekend-type show. What do you think?
It’s not our anniversary, but Peet’s. Today we did our virtual cupping and gave the perennial 
