Day 16, And the countdown to Bloomsday!

So today, I prepared my self for the Spokane Bloomsday 10K by making four lattes.  However, in attempt to be physically fit and mentally prepared for the run, I find myself two days away from Bloomsday with no miles under the soles of my feet.  Meaning, I haven't gone on an intentional run since last spring.  However, if it comes to making lattes I have been practicing a lot there.  So hopefully the latte practice will somehow come in handy this Sunday...

For some reason, I am having a heck of a time steaming the milk.  I solved the problem of horrid tasting milk, but now I have a new challenge to conquer, milk frothing.  If anyone knows anything about real milk frothing please share.  I am currently using a 10oz milk pitcher, perhaps that is too small.  That only thing is that I have been able to get some well frothed milk accomplished before.  Well, I guess this blog continues to give me a chance to keep practicing.

Good luck to all the Bloomsday runners Sunday!!

Day 15, may look bad but taste pretty darn delicious

Well here we are, a Wednesday, and again a blob of latte.  However bad it may appear the taste more than covers the looks!  Which I have come to find is a quarter of the battle.  For those that are curious, I finally figured out the proper method to make the frothed milk taste delicious.  For a spell I found that the milk always tasted a little spoiled.  I recently found out that the taste of milk is based on the final temperature it reaches before cutting off the steam and pulling out the wand.  The exact temperatures, according to numerous sources, especially one source being Scott Rao, is between 150 - 160 degrees F.  Before I would pull the wand out around 120-130 leaving it a little cold to the lips and pretty foul to the taste buds.  

In the spirit of defining what makes a good coffee shop, I have decided to continue with that question for today as well.  Some of the comments mentioned are as follows; a good friend, a good tasting drink (for my mom, it was a mocha), a comfortable atmosphere (in Java's case that would be an organic feel), and a somewhat laid back staff.  So, if these are it what takes to produce the right coffee shop experience then what would be some specifics for those answers.  For example, what defines an 'organic' atmosphere, is it a certain type of music, wall colors, a distinct style of furniture, etc.  For those that already posted thanks for your input, for those that haven't weighed in, here is your chance again. 

Latte 14, What creates the best coffee shop experience?

Oops, I got so into the latte making that I forgot to take a picture until about three sips and ten minutes into that latte.  To briefly describe the confusing latte the shot was excellently executed, where as the milk was not up to par.   This morning I had a somewhat lengthy conversion with a batista from Java, Kyle Brewer, regarding the different colored creme.  After our discussion he handed me the book, The Professional Barista's Handbook, by Scott Rao.  After skimming the book, and reading a significant amount despite my homework.  I attempted some of the shot pulling techniques Rao described.  To my astonishment, they worked.  The the shot pulled thick, dark and smoothly.

Aside from that intriguing conversation, I later had another conversation with an avid reader of this blog, TJ Kastning.  He posed the question, what are the elements that create a comfortable coffee shop experience?  Some ideas that bounced around included, coffee quality, customers, music, employees, etc. Perhaps it is a combination of several these.  Anyways, that is a head start to the same question that I am going to pose to you, the reader.  What elements, for you, create a comfortable and enjoyable coffee shop experience?

Day 13

Hello fellow readers, I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Easter.  Here is todays latte.  The blob in the upper left of the cup is an attempt to finish off the milk, resulting in a blob.
     Recently I was asked by one of the readers if maybe I could start incorporating some discussions into the blog, as if we were really in a coffee shop talking.  So here is the question I put forth, Pixar or DreamworksAnimation and why?  I know not that deep, yet it may be interesting to see what people think.  Please include your favorite movie by either company or favorite part about watching a that movie.

Day 12

Happy Easter!!  He is Risen!!  

Day 11

Day 11, another fail.  I guess I haven't reached consistency yet.  I might have burnt the milk a little bit as well, because it tasted pretty bad.  Well, it almost turned out to be a cappuccino.  I guess my mind was on other things, like skiing and rock climbing in the same day!!

  Until tomorrow, which is Easter, have a lovely night!

Day 11

     Good morning fellow readers, i want to thank you for your patience and apologize for my two day absence from latte making.  I have realized that I reached the point where this is getting hard to commit too, which if you have noticed has been somewhat of a problem since I started.  Anyways, for today I was inspired when I was at Java this morning, so I came home and immediately turned on the La Pavoni.  After adjusting the grinder, so as to make a finer grind, I was ready to go.  The shot pull was almost perfect, the creme was thick and it didn't taste over extracted.  Next I had the milk chilled and ready.  Once it was stretched and frothed, it was time for the pour.

     During the pouring of the milk I always gets a little nervous.  Remaining calm I carried on, then all of a sudden to my great delight the milk started rising to the top and swirling back and forth perfectly!  I maintained as much calm as I could manage and continued, until it was time to finish with the final downward swoop of the milk pitcher.  This beautiful picture is the final product of this mornings latte!!  Hope that you enjoy your day and for those of you living in Coeur d'Alene stay safe in the snow!

Day 10, and a closer look at the welding job

For those of you who have been following along, I promised a closer look at the amazing welding job my friend, Robert, did for the La Pavoni.  Here you can see the handle is attached to the lever, almost flawlessly.  Robert was telling me that his teacher also hooked him up with a spray, that was applied, which prevents rusting.  So thank you Robert and a job well done!!

In the next picture, is todays glorious, latte!!  I was sad that I had no one to share it with in person.  It is a partial Rosetta.  For those interested, after doing a 3 second search on latte art and who is known for it's development, or at least its publicing it, is a man by named David Schomer, from Seattle.  Though this information was gathered on the highly controversial website, Wikipedia, it still serves as a start to any good researching.  I will do more verifying on this topic for the next blog tomorrow.  Until then, drink lots of coffee and stay safe, assuming it doesn't get in the way of having fun.

Day 9, Taxes Day

I've been told there are two things that are certain in this life, death and taxes.  Taxes about killed me this year, only because I waited until the evening of, to do them, and then had to pay TurboTax for their web services.

Alright on to better things.  Today, was a latte fail...I had no milk.  So instead, I will post the the espresso that I pulled.  The espresso was delicious!  The roast is pretty mild according to DOMA, with a hint of chocolate.  As I said, the shot was pretty good for an a straight espresso, not to dark, but mild with a hint of some added flavor.  If you wereconcerned about the creme, there was more, but by the time I took the picture it had started to disappear.

Day 8 (should be 9)

Hello, fellow readers, I want to apologize for having nothing posted yesterday, I pulled a couple of shots, but for some reason forgot to take pictures, one pour turned into an excellent heart, but it was undocumented.  Here is todays pour, heart blob, getting a little more consistent with the micro foaming.  Well, I hope you all have a great weekend!

Day 7

Well today was a very special day for latte making, because my good friend and blog follower Travis Potter was in town and ready for a tasting.  Unfortunately, the art was no good, but the latter was drinkable.  The best part was the company.  Travis Potter, former Hayden Paramedic and Ironman finisher, now hails from Friday Harbor, up on the San Juan Islands.  He still saves lives as a Paramedic.  It was too appropriate that I made him coffee because we have frequented Java many many times.

A quick end...

Dear followers and fans, two days ago a dream almost came to a crashing end.  After many, successfully pulled shots and and frothed milk, the La Pavoni has met an untimely demise.  As you can see from the picture the handle broke off of the lever.  This happened during the course of making my friend Scott a latte. During the shot pull, I must have packed it too much, when all of a sudden, snap! The handle broke off, leaving me slightly embarrassed and a little flabbergasted.
After a quick panic, I remembered that every piece on the La Pavoni is replaceable, as is most machines.  After a couple Google searches I came upon a $60 dollar price tag.  Which, if one is made of money is not a bad price.  But, since I am not made of money, I suddenly remembered that my good friend, Robert Meredith, was a welder.  Calling him up, i asked if he was willing and/or able to assist in the fix that I was in.  To my great excitement Robert came to the rescue and welded the crap out of the handle.  Now we are back  in business and ready to continue pulling shots.  Check back tomorrow, to see Robert's amazing welding job.  Thank you Robert.  This blog is dedicated to you, Robert!

Day 6, Back on Track

After a several day, sabbatical, I have returned to the ever daunting La Pavoni espresso machine.  My little secret, though, is that I was still pulling shots; I was just not recording each one.  So today, I started using some new coffee I acquired from Super 1, which was another beautiful blend by DOMA.  The DOMA blend will be featured in the coffee tab soon.  Fresher beans did a world of difference on the pull of the shot.  Creme through and through.

Next, after many more videos, and continuing practice, the micro foam was formed and ready to be pulled.  It was at this time I again got a little hasty and rushed the milk pour.  To my excitement, some sort of image still appeared, leaving in its wake a mild tasting coffee, smooth and delicious.

A new machine for a new week!!

This morning was like being in at the North Pole, the North Pole where Santa lives.  At my church they have several nice espresso machines made by Rancilio Epoca machines, which are a little more industrious then my LaPavoni.  As the story goes I was at the church, a little too early this morning, and decided to practice.

To my astonishment, the lattes turned out really well!!  Of course Titus Leger, was disappointed when I made his latte with no sweetener in it, but that was quickly remedied.  An interesting side note, is that the milk frothing on this machine was quite a bit slower then my own machine, why that might be, I have no idea.  Perhaps I should look into that.  But, despite the slowness, it made some nice micro foam, that I was able to attempt some art.  As you can see from the picture to the left, I made a little heart.  I have noticed that whenever the frothing turns out right, I am not ready when I start pouring.  So the next step it is being patient when I pour.

Something of Worth

     Today there is not going to be a Latte, even though i drank one at Java.  Instead I am featuring something of infinitely more importance.  Believe it or not, there is still human slavery in the world.  Even more surprising there is human trafficking and slavery here in the Inland Empire!!  This includes, human beings, mostly women and children, being sold as sex slaves in order to satisfy the desire of others humans.  In more vulgar terms, Rape for Profit. Are you grossed out yet, upset, horrified, disgusted?  I hope so!
      
     The first step towards action is awareness.  Once people hear about the continuation of slavery, in a free country, they have two options, either to ignore the facts and pretend it's not happening.   Or, to take action, raise awareness, and support missions to end it.  Here are some facts that will astonish even the most hard hearted of persons.


•There are more then 30 millions people still in slavery today
• The Federal Government estimates 14,500 to 17,500 are trafficked into the U.S. each year to be used as staves
•Between one-hundred thousand and three-hundred thousand children in the US are at risk for sex trafficking each year.
• In the US, as many as 2.8 million children live on the streets, a third of whom are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.


     Though there are only a few of these facts listed here, the following websites carry an even more enormous amount of information.  Now that awareness has been given the next step it action.  What can you do now?  Well, for starters there is a race coming up in Spokane, Washington, titled Bloomsday.  For this race, Worldrelief.org is sponsoring teams to run in order to raise money to ending sex trafficking in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene.  To take action go to World Relief and click on 'Make a Donation' and help support at least one team that is wanting to make an impact in order to stop slavery.


Have a good day.


Links for more reading.
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
http://www.gchope.org/human-slavery-statistics.html
http://www.freetheslaves.net/
http://worldrelief.org/cbcshortshorts

Day 4

Day 4, felt super successful, even if it looks like noting was made.  The frothing process somehow went perfectly.  Now, if only i could repeat that more often.

A Rather Interesting Morning

Well the first attempt was, well, way sub par.  In fact it didn't even taste good.  But if you notice it may, slightly, resemble a half of a yin or yang symbol.  Looking at it a little closer it would appear to be more of a yin because it is white.

And here I have accidentally created a cappuccino, how exciting!!  This one, despite its accident tasted rather tasty.

Another one for the second day

Dang, the way things are going, it may be two lattes a day.  This is a latte I made for my brother, it seemed to turn out pretty well, it looks like it could almost be a rosetta.  Anyways, please saty tuned for some sweet videos of some real latte art pros.  It will most likely be posted this weekend, under a new tab.

Day 2 Latte number 1

Wow another blob, how exciting.  This one actually didn't taste that bad.  In fact, i drank the entire latte.  The first latte, on day one, was absolutely horrendous.  I had never tasted anything so bitter before in my life.  If anyone would like to be around when i make the latte of the day please let me know.  It would be my treat to make you a latte.

Day 1b

Almost a heart, latte number two for day 1 of a Latte a day blog.

Day 1a

Not sure what that is supposed to be, but it was my first attempt for this latte a day blog, so not bad i guess...