awhile between drinks

ok its been awhile between drinks - so its time to get cracking  with a bit of an update!

on the home front I've had a few equipment changes of recent

gone is my prized Rancilio S24 - which although old and a bit bedraggled made excellent coffee - to be replaced by a two year old Rancilio Epoca single group semi-commercial machine

And although the Epoca (terrible name btw remind me to fire the marketing guy on that one) looks the biz and makes great coffee with plenty of fire power - the actual build quality seems to be a lot less sturdy than its predecessor

My home machines need to be presentable and funcional - as I often use them for catering jobs / fund raising etc and although the Epoca ticks many of the right boxes, the flimsy plastic sides snap right off even after fairly minimal use / transportation

So I've replaced these with custom build stainless side, and, much to my chagrin, the plastic front panal popped off recently too - so I'm getting a custom build stainless front made for the machine as well, which, to its credit, makes great coffee, and, with the addition of a synesso steam tip, has unprecedented steam power, which, I would say, far exceeds manufacturer specifications!

Anyway, I'll post some before and after shots so that you get a better idea of what I'm talking about!

heres a stock image of the before shot which pretty much is what my machine looked like prior to renovations - all in all not a bad looking machine - but again many off the bells and whistles on the plastic facade are just that: a facade only which is prone to breaking or snapping off under heavy usage / transportation!

Also recently swapped my home roaster over from a KKTO to a Gene Cafe, whcih is in no way a slight on the KKTO - which is and awesome roasting device - but I decided it was time to try something different to see how it worked and what results I could get out of it!

Anyway, that's a tale for a different day, so night folks, and keep an eye out for the newly modded Rancilio, oh and the Sunbeam Em6910 which I rescued from hard waste and restored to better that new working condition - soon to be revealed!

you're full of shit (or not you're usual day at the office)

Ok when I was attending cafe owners training school (does such a thing even exist?) I'm sure this question never came up:


Q)  What happens if you are up to your armpits in shit plunging out your blocked toilet, and you 'accidentally' flood the adjoining neighbours bathroom with raw sewage as a result?


See, if someone actually asked that question, I'm sure that I would've been listening, coz:


a)  It's such an implausible question that it's never likely to be asked, and 


b)  I'd be keen to hear the answer, I mean really, really keen!


Why? You ask?  Well I'm pleased to say that I can tell you as I found out first hand just yesterday!


It happened like this


Firstly my plumber stopped by the cafe for a coffee in the morning, which is a fairly rare occurrence, say every six months or so, and then only when he has a job on in the area


And secondly my toilets backed up shortly thereafter - which has been a fairly regular occurrence of recent, but usually I can take care of it myself with some fairly routine maintenance, but not yesterday morning


So after an hour or more of plunging and cleaning, I call my plumber, and he sends around a couple of his trusty workers


Unfortunately though, the cafe occupies a split tenancy, with a residence located next door, and we both share the same water line out, leading to a boundary trap located in the enclosed rear courtyard of their property


And because the neighbours weren't home we weren't able to access the 'riser' to pump the line clean


So we set to work on plunging my mop bucket sink (which is on the same water line) instead, with some fairly industrial equipment, which seemed to eleviate but not eradicate the problem of the blocked loos, and the plumbers left vowing to return first thing in the morning when they could access the neighbour's back yard, and do the job properly


Which was all good and well until my neighbour arrived and said, "Do you realise that my bathroom floor is covered in raw sewage? You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"


Now I'm not saying that my neighbour is gay or anything and it wouldn't matter if he was but he is, er, meticulous with his appearance, and I have no reason to doubt that his designer apartment is anything less than spanking


Well I soon had reason to find out as I inspected the damage in the bluestone tile lined bathroom, resplendent with red chandelier and matching 'hot lips' red painted WC - and I wont go into too much detail here except to say that I was glad that I was not the one who had to clean it!


After all it was those pesky plumbers always wanting to pump something who had saturated the neighbours bathroom - not me!


So I few quick phone calls latter and the plumbers came running and I have to say that they did a great job of identifying the problem (shifting foundation in the back yard moves pipes and casuses blockage due to the expansion and contraction of soil underneath) - and rectifying it - line feed mechanical coil to unblock the pipes and trace the cause and location of the blockage


Perhaps less so their cleaning abilities - as I pointedly asked, 


"Have you guys cleaned up inside and is there anything in there that I need to take care of?"


To which they pointedly replied,


"Nah mate, job's right!"


Well... I thought I'd better check the bathroom anyway to make sure that it was clean and let me just say that it was not, and leave it at that, eh?


Needless to say I was more than a bit apprehensive when the guys from next door (who'd left me with their keys when they went out so that the plumber could have access), came in the next morning, and I was expecting the fiery worst...


So I could't have been more surprised to be told that the bathroom was spotless and probably wouldn't need another clean for a month! (Actually, considering how much effort I put in cleaning it in the first place it shouldn't have been a surprise at all but you know me - I hate to disappoint!) 

Anyway, job's done right mate finally by me in the end - and it's a big relief, I can tell you - thank god there's always great coffee waiting at the end of the rainbow!

Industry accolades and other adventures!

Well... what a year its been already! 


So far we've had a new head chef, new manager, and new barista, new menu, and now we're in the process of custom building a new four group La Marzocco Linea Mechanical Paddle espresso machine!


But first things first


Approximately two months ago we were recognised by The Age newspaper as being among Melbourne's top 100 coffee destinations - which is a tremendous accolade and a testimony to the significant amount of work we've put into sourcing our single origons, and getting the blends right


It's also bought a lot more custom through our doors which has been good for cashflow - which is just as well as we've had two fridges, the cool room, the dishwasher, and the canopy exhaust all pack it in and need to be repaired, in no small part I'm sure due to the increased foot traffic and the increased demands that this puts upon infrastructure 


The increased patronage has also come at a time when my long term manager and head barista have moved on to their own separate projects, the first opening her own cafe in Fitzroy, and the other pursuing her interest in photography - which is divine providence if you ask me as long standing staff members tend to attract their own loyal clientele, and some of those clientele naturally look elsewhere if they dont have the same familiar faces and friendly banter to come back to...


So the recruitment process has to be one of the most rigorous and demanding aspects of hospitality (and indeed any industry I'm sure) - but its sure not helped by:


a)  most folks not considering hospitality to be a 'serious' career contender, and 


b)  the casual workforce for hospitality is a veritable movable  feast - with a very high turnover which means in effect we are always naturally recruiting in anticipation anyway, and


c)  many students turn to hospitality to pay the rent but when they graduate most want a 'real' job, and lastly


d)  as some Irish comedian said when he was out here recently, "You Melbournians are so lucky... There's so many cafes here you've got one for every person in every person in melbourne!"


Which mean that although in theory there are a great many individuals available for work in the hospitality industry, there are very few experienced industry professionals of a suitable calibre to staff those cafes and restaurants which pride themselves on providing the highest calibre of products and services


So we had to re-advertise our chef position for four months in a row, which is not only a considerable expense and impost on a business, but the shear logistics of bringing new personnel through a business, and training them up (and the additional labour costs associated with that), only to have them leave (or encouraging them to leave if they're not suitable) five minutes later is not only demoralising, but very, very physically demanding - and this applies o front of house as well


Anyway, to cut a long story short - after six months of rigorous recruitment and training (including a bit of good old fashioned poaching) - we've finally got a great team and a permanent roster, which means that I can both sleep peacefully at night, and not have to work all the extra shifts myself until we fill the roster!


And the (perhaps) most exciting news of all is the four group La Marzocco Linea rebuild - which we're fitting out with new groups, flow meters, PIDs, mechanical paddles, mother boards, multi-position ant-vac lever operated steam wands, and other ancillary bits and pieces, most of which come straight off the Strada in terms of parts and technology, to create a mechanical rebuild which to all intensive purposes (appart from the actual paddles themselves!) - will look much the same from the outside, but which will purr under the bonnet with all the latest equipment and technology that the specialty coffee espresso industry has to offer!


More to follow and pics as well as soon as they become available!

end of year considerations

well... its been a monster year - anyone who says cafes arent hard work hasnt worked in a busy one! between work and family its damn exhausting most of the time and its definitely a labour of love as profits are pretty negligible - but then again we're on a continuous growth curve - so if we can maintain the current momentum I'll be happy

last week of trade was our busiest of the year - averaging 80 meals and 200 coffees a day during the week which is both a great joy and a great way to pay the bills before the holiday break!

year highlights are numerous but being shortlisted by the Age to be in the running for top ten cafes (based on points listing in the Melbourne Magazine about a month ago) - gave us the spur and the impetus to really take our coffee to the next level - withy a focus on staff training and increased documentation - but also provided the drive to run with some really lovely coffees - so recently we've had no less than 3 cup of excellences coffees running concurrently, as well as the marvellous el salvador adia battle selection which really takes coffee to a whole new previously unimagined level

not to mention the wonderful coffee crafted by our top roaster - Joshua Bailey (who roasted most of the above mentioned coffees - I di manage to roast some myself!) - I'm particularly proud of the work we've done together on the Sweet Maria's blend - which I'm sure I'm biased but i think its top gear mate!

PNG Sigri, Nicaragua Diamond, Brazil Sao Paulo, and Honduras St Finca Marta - make up the Sweet Maria's blend in its current incarnation - and I would describe the resulting flavour profile as nothing short of 'Burgundian' - which is a wine term that I am very reluctant to apply to coffe for obvious reasons but in this case I think we've created something special that merits this kind of praise and consideration - still ... I'll let you be the judge - certainly coffee sales have been good and are on the up and up so it hopefully bodes well for a good start to the new year

Well... my wife reminds me that we're about to embark on a road trip for a month and I'm supposed to be packing so I suppose I had better be doing that will update a little latter on down the road!

Thanks for a great year peoples!

 

Oh yeah, not a bad wrap in The Age Melbourne Magazine today - these figures maen that Foxy Brown is potentially in the running for Melbourne's top ten coffee destinations - according to The Age

Vote with your feet peoples!

Honduras Luis Alphonzo Hernandez - Farm Aguas Dulces, San Luis Planes, Santa Barbara Cup of Eccellece Lt 14

well the response to our current Honduras Cup of Excellence Coffee - lt 14 has been excellent, and has seen us move a lot of this product in a relatively short space of time

It's a lighter roast with a slow roast profile which is excellent for aging - and I found myself drinking this wonderful coffee both at home ans at work every day for seven days post roast, although,I found myself thinking,

"Wow... the nose is really tight and the profile's not really giving much away - I sure hope it improves with age"

So naturally I was reluctant to promote the product at work until it had a little age on it - so I resisted doing so - and then, WHAM! Eight days post roast this coffee really leapt out at me - both as a pour-over,and as an espresso based coffee - and I couldn't believe how much it had changed, if not overnight, then at least since I first began tasting it

I know it sounds a bit like floury 'wine speak,' but I began thinking about this coffee pretty early on in terms of a fine red wine, which has been made to last - not in terms of palate structure - but in terms of the nose being quite closed, and not giving much away in its early stages of life

I was quietly confident that it would open up and present better with age - although you can never be absolutely certain, but open up it did in its quiet magnificence, as the early herbaceous notes and malolactic acid structure gave way to ripe strawberries, and subtle tannins

Anyway, it all sounds a bit flouncy, but the main point that I aim trying to get across is that coffee is often touted as 'the new wine,' but in reality very few coffees IMHO live up to this epithet

In this instance however the Honduras Aguas Ducles lt 14 Cup of Excellence lived up to and exceeded all expectations, displaying characteristics and character traits similar to the wine making and aging process - but the main thing is that it tastes great - especially as a filter coffee that has been allowed to cool down to room temperature

It's what we used to refer to when I was in the wine industry as GPM

(Good Piss Mate)

where too from here?

Just got back from a two and a half week sojourn up North - to Byron bay (where among other things I have been consulting and conducting barista training for a cafe I helped to set up 12 months ago) - and from the Sunshine Coast - we my little family and I were mainly visiting relatives and spending valuable beach time - but we still managed to fit a trip to Brisbane in, where we visited the delightful and astounding Dandelion and Driftwood cafe! Brisbane has come a long way with regard to quality coffee in recent times - and there is IMHO no finer example than D7D - with its (when we visited at least) two espresso blends, five single origins, four coffees available for pourover / syphon etc, and cold drip filter coffee available. Plus the store, located at Shop 1, 45 Gerler Rd, Hendra, 4011 - looks abd feels great, as you would expect from Peter and Penny Wolf (ex Veneziano Coffee)

Coffee in Byron has come a long way as well, but with few exceptions I still found that most (of the eight cafes that I visited while I as there) cafes still employ 'out dated' methods of making coffee, including not wiping group handles out properly before dosing, or purging the group head prior to extraction to eliminate built up solids, both of which result in 'dirty' flavours in the cup... oh well... could prove to be a good hunting ground for our eventual move into the area in several years time (watch this space)

Had some lovely coffee on the Sunshine Coast too, most notably from The Good Bean Espresso Bar in Mooloolaba, who interestingly feature the multiple boiler version of my own coffee machine - the much lauded BFC Synchro, and Clandestino Coffee Roasters in Noosaville - who roast on site and who offer a similar array of coffees to D&D above - in terms of what they have on offer - I had a lovely flat white made from one of their blends, and a fantastic espresso made from single origin Nicaragua - yum on both counts!

Whilst at Foxy Brown we haven't exactly been resting on our laurels either - as we welcome our new head chef, Aysha (from New Zealand) on board - Aysha has only recently returned from a lengthy cheffing stint in the UK - and she brings a wealth of talent and experience with her

And of course our coffee is constantly changing based upon seasonal available ingredients - but that's the subject for another entry - so I'll leave that for another time - see ya!