OziBarista

Brisbane

2007-07-18T18:25:00.000+10:00

Recently I headed to brisbane and was pleased to watch the Wallabies whop the All Blacks in Rugby Union, this was a pleasant distraction from my true purpose of heading north which was to introduce myself to our new distributor Fino Foods.

I couldnt help but check out some of Brizzy's local coffee haunts which included a 45min drive to participate in a local coffee geek meet (yes, my condition is that bad). I also managed to become acquainted with the local salsa community (another developing passion of mine) and finish off some books I had been reading. It was quite an eventful trip.

Some of the coffee establishments I ventured to included Brothers Espresso, The Coffee Cart at Brisbane's Markets (Lukey), Anouk, Caffeine, and Bulimba Bean. My visit to Bulimba Bean turned into an espresso training, cupping and roasting session with the passionate and hospitible owners Robert & Tanya.

This trip also proved to be quite a culinary adventure, I had the fortuitous opportunity to indulge in some of Australias finest salmon, oysters and wines prepared by some of Brisbanes leading chefs.

I just browsed at the clock and it got me thinking about my plane to catch to in 4 hours to Sydney (for Aroma Rocks). I'll post some pics and finish my yarn here soon.

Somage hits the Slopes!

2007-06-16T20:07:00.000+10:00

Completing a hectic few days I headed the following day up to Mt Buller (another 3.5 hr drive!) where we brought Kali to Victorias Ski slopes. The day was glorious, probably the first time I have been able to see the mountain on my journey there (being an avid snow boarder, to get first tracks most of the time when Im headed to the mountain it is shrouded in clouds and darkness)

My trip to Mt Buller coincided with the season opening - we decided to join in with the festivities and hand out some Kali Premium Chocolate to warm up the Snow Getters. Kali proved to be a huge success, look our for it at many of the warm retreats on the mountain (I also now have a good excuse to hit the slopes a little more often!).

Hopefully the queues arent this long to get Kali in the future!

Warrnambool

2007-06-16T20:03:00.000+10:00

Barely off the plain and we headed to the western district of Victoria to the undulating pastures of Warrnambool. I think I'm getting better at the trade shows - after a 3.5 hour drive the next day after my return from hong kong we setup and made some chocolate & tea for the locals (we returned to Melbourne later in the afternoon). Thanks to gerrard of SL who helped get us established there.

Report on HK

2007-06-16T19:08:00.000+10:00

I'm not sure I had time to contemplate what my experience of Hong Kong would be, however quite reassuringly I wasnt confronted by much of a culture shock. I found it easy to navigate, easy to ask for directions and relatively easy to find last minute materials to preapare for Hofex (my reason for being there!). I probably (quite ignorently) didnt anticipate the extent of commercialisation by Western companies in Hong Kong which really is the gateway to China.

After much rearrangement, quite proudly I finally finished setting up the Somage Fine Foods stand in the Australian Pavillion of Hofex. I didnt really know what to antipicipate - Afterall, I was trying to sell tea to the chinese! I was was optimistic nonetheless.

Once the booth had been setup, I had a chance to check out the countryside a little. I was asounded at how many high rise buildings they could fit on a small bit of turf, but at the same time I didnt find it overly crowded while transiting around the place.

It wasnt long before I discovered why I didnt really stand out as much as I expected - Hog Kong had quite a large population of ex-pats living there. There was heaps of western type bars filled with heaps of westerners. I managed to catch up with Paul Pratt of Just Java who was kind enough to lend me a coffee machine for our booth. I went to his coffee roastery which featured an electric probat roaster with an air filtration unit that utilises water to clean roasting emissions before being released into the air.

Despite the westernisation of Hong Kong, it seems quite abit of the eastern heritage is still preserved. Despite how modern much of the infrastructure is, I was a little suprised at some quirkynesses (if thats a word) you can encounter. One is that they still use bamboo scaffolding on high rises.

Another was street sweepers - literally people swept the street. There is essentially two social classes which transcended in varous ways including the nature of restaurants (expensive western restaurants catering for tourists vs cheaper chinese stores) and modes of transport (taxi for westerners, bus for locals).

After a few days at Hofex (where encouragingly our Chamellia Organic Tea & Kali Chocolate were proving to be quite popular), I stumbled accross the infamous (from coffee geek) peter tam, who offered me a coffee at his booth.

In return I made a hot chocolate using Kali which Peter seemed pretty happy with..

I have to say after the coffees I had that I'm proud of specialty coffee we are treated to in Australia (well at least in pockets! - I will speak more about the pioneers of our industry in Australia in later posts). In the end Hofex was a great experience, providing a lot of potential for Somage to make an impact in Asia.

I'm headed to Hong Kong

2007-05-08T08:43:00.000+10:00

It feels if I've only just stepped off the plane from South Australia and I find myself packing for Hong Kong. I fly out shortly to attend Hofex, where on behalf of Somage Fine Foods I run an exhibition stand. These are exciting times, it represents our first major push to commence exporting. I will post some pictures and tales of my expedition shortly.

South Australian Adventure

2007-05-07T19:36:00.000+10:00

I decided that I should head accross to South Australia to check out the local coffee scene and assist our distributors over there. The timing of my trip was planned to coincide with the running of the Australian National Barista Championship, held at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide. My camera has been going a bit bung lately so I wasnt able to snag that many pictures (at least ones that didnt have peoples faces looking like cursed victims in "The Ring"). I have included a couple from the few moments it was behaving.

The National Wine Centre

Scottie Callaghan won the event by a very small margin (4 points) to last years National Champion, David Makin.

(me & scottie)

There were some nice cafes in South Australia. Although South Australia has one of Australias best master coffee roasters (in Tony Di Angelo) I felt that in regard to the quality of coffee served by cafes is that the best is yet to come.

Here are three cafes I encountered during my travels that I thought were well on their way.

Rigoni's Bistro

At Rigonis I discovered a great milk called "Tweedvale Milk" from the adelaide hills. Was impressed by the taste consistency cream content and foam stability (this is at a time that many milks deteriorate as the cows are placed onto dry feed).

Rubys,

At stirling, Rubys has the recipe for success - a focus on great quality ingredients, coffee made well (hate to admit, by a melbourne barista), appealing fit out.

and The Essence

Another cafe in Stirling (In the Adelaide Hills), The essence has a warm cozy feel. I gave a few pointers on coffee making whilst I was there, they seemed eager to learn more after the example I gave.

Melbourne Coffee Guide

2007-04-12T00:04:00.000+10:00

Well I'm pleased to announce that I will be reviewing for Melbourne's version of the Sydney inspired Coffee Guide. I've already submitted 5 reviews - it's been a chance for me to get out and explore some cafes that I hadnt been to before. The Melbourne Coffee Guide is due to be released around September this year with around 150 cafes reviewed. Reviews are anonymous - and there'll be no bribery or favouritism shown (be afraid, the coffee nazi could be lurking!)

Western Australia Trip

2007-04-11T23:45:00.000+10:00

In the leadup to the Victorian Barista Championship I decided I had better check out the Western Australian Barista Championship having not organised one before. The trip was great, aside from the chance to visit the Margaret River, experience Perth's Coffee Culture and lend a hand at the WABC, I also got to celebrate my Nanas 80th Birthday (Happy Birthday Nana!).

Below is a picture from the Judges Callibration Session that I participated in in the lead up to the Western Australian Barista Championship.

I was pleased to see that Perths coffee culture is developing, I was treated to quite a few great coffees - Velvet, Epic, Tiger Tiger to name a few.

Velvet - Great Piccolo Latte (Acidity of their blend cut nicely through milk)

Epic - Passionate Owner, Great Doppio Ristretto

Tiger Tiger - Got a chic Melbournian feel - Very cool place hidden in a lane way, well made coffee.

I'm planning to head to South Australia toward the end of this month to check out the Final of the Australian Barista Championship and Adelaide's Coffee Scene. Any recommendations?

Victorian Barista Championships

2007-04-11T23:10:00.000+10:00

It's a little embarrassing how long it has been since my last post. Cant believe quarter of the year has passed. There is going to be a succession of posts, so much to catch up on.

Well, with a sigh of relief I can say that I held the Victorian Barista Championships. To get it up and running meant some time out of the business, fortunately the effort seemed worthwhile as the feedback has been very positive. I would also like to credit Justin Metcalf (WBC Head Judge) who really spent a lot of time helping me get the championship off the ground (his technical perspective was invaluable also). The event was held at the Beachclub (Waterfront city, Docklands), I was pleased to see a pretty large crowd of 250 or so people entertained by the comical antics of Cam Smith from RRR Radio (as MC for the event), I had also envited Paul Bassett (previous World Barista Champion) and Emily Oak (World Barista Judge) along to judge in the final. Competitiors interacted with the public by making coffees using their competition blends after competing (the caffeine addicts were pleased). Dave Makin retained his crown with his impressive professional performance; from my perspective as Sensory Judge I believe the overall standard of compeition really was very good (most of the finalists have expressed an interest to try again for the Australian Final in the open heat held in Adeliade). The experience was quite rewarding, looking forward to explore more opportunities to judge in the future. A final word of thanks to the sponsors (Sungold Milk, Cafetto, Davinci Gourmet Syrups, the beahclub, EES) and all volunteers who made the event possible.

Check out the photos here.

New Somage Website

2007-01-19T16:24:00.000+11:00

So much news!

Busy working over the Summer break we were able to launch a new website for my company Somage Fine Foods. The new website provides information on our company, products, associated cafes etc etc. We're soon to add a specialised blog for the website, as well as posting signature beverages and recipes from our customers.

Although we missed the Christmas rush, our hard work over the festive season also finally saw the launch each of our product lines in retail sized packaging. This means our awesome products (if I dont mind saying :o) - Chamellia Organic Tea & Kali Premium Drinking Chocolate - will soon be available in a gourmet retail store near you!

Some spirited reading

2007-01-19T16:14:00.000+11:00

Over the Sunmmer break I didnt really have a break, but I did manage to read a couple of books. I highly recommend "The Seven spiritual Laws of Success" by Deepak Chopra, it provides some practical ways to put yourself in a good head space (the guy simply has a temendous insight into the workings of the mind (..for those staunch sceptics, even Oprah Winfrey had him on her show.. :o).

The other book I finished was "Autobiography of a Yogi" By Paramhansa Yogananda. He is truely a guru, I have to admit a considerable amount of the book was beyond my comprehension, but the parts I did pick up were a true revelation. Yet to hear of many teachers of Kriya Yoga in Australia, would appreciate being informed if someone is aware of it's practice in Melbourne.

2007 AASCA Victorian Barista Championships

2007-01-19T16:00:00.000+11:00

Hi All,

Happy new year.

Well I can confirm that I've taken on the responsibility for organising the 2007 AASCA Victorian Barista Championships. This years event is to be held on March 25th, the winner of which will qualify to compete in the Australian Barista Championships.

This year the Victorian competition has grown to require a qualifying round, the top 10 place getters will go on to compete in the final. 2006 barista competition place getters gain automatic entry in to the final.

I will be liaising with many of the coffee roasters, baristas and iconic cafe owners over the next few weeks confirming entrants, should you stumble accross this blog and wish to compete or judge, please email me: nwakeford@somage.com.au

Sydney Trip

2006-12-06T23:31:00.000+11:00

I have recently been on a trip to Sydney which allowed me more time to explore the Sydney coffee scene. I stumbled on a few more cafes where I found passionate baristas (and great coffee!) - Piccolo Padre, Koko Espresso, Cafe 22 were possibly the new highlights of this trip (in addition to the old favourites of Campos, Mecca, Sapphos & Single Origin).

I met Ed Cunningham of Piccolo Padre on Darling st Rozelle (Ed also runs his own boutique coffee supply business called "The little Marionette"), Ed is a good positive presence in the cafe and was very welcoming (his coffee was as smooth as his charm!).

At Koko Espresso in Devonshire st Surrey Hills I managed to stumble on the owner (his name now passes me) conducting a training session with a new employee. I have since learned that the owner has previously competed in barista championships rivaling previous World Barista Champion Paul Basset. The coffee (Allpress) was very well made and as enjoyable as the personable and comfortable surrounds provided.

Ben at Cafe XXII in Union st Pyrmont had resently launched his own espresso brand "Cafe Fiori". The acidity of the blend cut well through milk; when combined aesthetics of the beautiful building the cafe is located in and the upbeat and positive tempo of staff, Cafe 22 presents quite an alluring space.

I would recommend all of these cafes quite highly if you are planning a trip to Sydney.

Tassie Trip

2006-12-04T10:16:00.000+11:00

Recently I went to Tasmania where I spent a considerable amount of time with Dane of Island Espresso, his cafe which has earned the reputation of making some of Tasmanias best espresso.

Dane had just installed a new 10Kg topper to begin wholesale supply of coffee in Tasmania and I had the opportunity to assist with some of the first roasts out through his machine. I have attached a link to some pictures on my flicker account and a short video of Dane describing his objectives of the roast for the bean he was blending at the time.

Amoda Chai

2006-10-09T11:16:00.000+10:00

In between training for the marathon and the usual business related duties, my company Somage Fine Foods has launched a new product! A powdered spiced chai named Amoda. It's a product that we have been working on for a while, we're really happy with the formulation which features a blend of natural spices including cinnamon, clove, cardamom, star anise and black pepper, it was received really well from at the Melbourne fine Food Show.

Based on the requests we received at the fine food show from boutique retail customers we are also planning to release all of our products in smaller size packaging . Over the next few weeks we will also be working hard to followup and service all of the customers who have supported and shared in our efforts to date. Thanks also to all those who express interest in the efforts my blog.

Melbourne Marathon

2006-10-09T10:49:00.000+10:00

Hi All,

Looking back its been a while since my last post but I have good reason for my distraction.

Yesterday I completed the Melbourne Marathon in 4hrs & 3 mins and I was really chuffed to have achived a goal that I had set at the start of the year. I would also like to congratulate and express my great respect to my friends Chris Bray (a bastion of commitment) and Cheyne Goulden (a truly courageous effort, Cheyne overcame an injury to complete the marathon for the first time also). Well done lads!!!

The run took quite an investment of time to prepare (many runs in afternoons when I would otherwise be sharing my musings in this blog!), but it was incredibly rewarding. The run gave me tremendous insight into the consititution of the friends I have; for myself it gave a realisation that it is possible to push past the limitiations of the mind.

On this topic I thought it would be relevant to share a few books that I have been reading - "Way of the Peaceful Warrior", a great book by Dan Millman, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and "Man's search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl. I have found reading these books has given me tremendous insight into the workings of the mind. I highly recommend them to everyone.

Recent Cafe visits

2006-09-13T19:03:00.000+10:00

I have also been continuing my exploration of cafes around Melbourne.

Some of the recent highlights include Batch and Ici.

Batch
- Owned and operated by Kiwi Barista Jason Chan, Batch holds iconic status in the Carlisle St "coffee precinct" of Balaclava. Free of pretentiousness, expect a great brew made by passionate baristas - I would particularly recommend a double ristretto machiatto - one of my Favs in Melbourne.

Ici
Ici is a really cosy and intimate "Parisian style" cafe located in Napier St Fitzroy. I love the old wooden doors used to create the bar, the contrast of chalk on black boards and the old rustic charm of antique chairs and random wares that make the cafe look decades established despite only being a few years old.

I hope to get out and visit some more cafes after the fine food show - expect some more pictures and postings soon (I also have trips planned to the cafe biz tradeshow, the pura latte art competition and equal golden bean roasting competition being held in NSW on Monday October 30th.

Melbourne Fine Food Show

2006-09-13T18:53:00.000+10:00

Hi All,

Sorry it has been a short while since my last post - I have been frantically working in preparation for the Melbourne Fine Food Exhibition being Held at the Melbourne Exhibition centre.

The Fine food show attracts hundreds of exhibitors from all business sectors of food preparation including equipment and ingredient manufacturers, food service providers, importers, fmcg, media etc etc. The exhibition is open to trade visitors only, but draws thousands of visitors over the 4 days that it is held.

This has been the first year that my company Somage Fine Foods has participated in the show also. It has been a great opportunity to meet others in the industry and create new relationships.

I will post some pictures of the event shortly.

Photos From Guatam

2006-08-28T10:47:00.000+10:00

Recently Guatam Ks (Current Indian Barista Champion) sent me some pictures from his trip to Australia. I had the opportunity to show him around some of my regular haunts when he came to Melbourne.

I have posted them on my flickr account here

Sign posting preparation of a great coffee

2006-08-28T09:53:00.000+10:00

Recently I wrote an article for Bean Scene Magazine, the focus being on how cafes can ensure their customers are made aware of the efforts they go through to prepare great coffee. As much of what I do when visiting a cafe is to take notice of the surrounds, staff and coffee; this required a discussion of what contributes to the preparation of great coffee in a café. I have provided an excerpt of the article here as I consider it potentially useful to cafe owners that may read this blog.

"The tell tale signs of a great coffee in the making."

A Passionate barista
Baristas that take pride in their work and are meticulous in their method are likely to produce a better coffee. A good way to identify the level of enthusiasm from the barista to prepare a great coffee is to ask them a couple of questions about what is in their blend, when the coffee was roasted or if they enjoy working on the particular brand of coffee machine being used in the store generally gives a discernable reaction.

Espresso preparation method
There are some key actions in barista method that signpost the preparation of great coffee.

Hot Portafilters
Portafilters should be stored in the groups when not in use and cleaned with a dry cloth before dosing.

Freshly grinding coffee
Coffee shouold be ground fresh for each order. Even in the busiest cafes a competent barista will organise their workflow to freshly grind coffee for the preparation of each order. Coffee begins to lose volatile aromas and flavours shortly after being grounds so the auto grind function on grinders will be avoided by a good barista.

Using a Tamper
A competent barista knows the importance of ensuring the coffee is evenly distributed in the basket prior to extraction – they use a tamper to distribute and compact the coffee evenly such that an even extraction is produced.

Rinsing the group
The groups should be purged with a burst of water prior to each extraction to clear spent coffee grinds from the dispersion screen and ensure there is no build up of steam in the coffee machine that may burn the coffee.

Using small milk jugs.
A competent barista will avoid having residual milk left over after foaming by using milk jugs appropriate to the number of cups being made. Yes, even in busy cafes! Due to a lower volume of milk, smaller jugs take less time to heat.

Purging and wiping the steam wand
The steam wand should be cleaned each time milk is foamed to remove any residual milk after foaming and any build up of condensed moisture.

Texturing Milk
A competent barista will not bob the milk during foaming, but rather seek to create a whirlpool effect in the milk jug and introduce any air as early on in the foaming process, using the spinning pattern to remove any large air bubbles. The milk should be heated to no more than 65 degrees and a free pouring barista may choose to pour latte art (designs in the crema of the coffee with milk).

Cleanliness
The barista should clean up the preparation area and equipment as they go.

Prompt Service
Coffees should be delivered to the customer as soon as possible after preparation. Coffee deteriorates quickly after preparation, so the sooner the coffee is made available to the customer after preparation, the better it will taste!

I hope the info I have provided here is useful - For further information refer to the next edition of Bean Scene.

Fair Trade vs Direct Trade

2006-08-09T01:09:00.000+10:00

There has been a lot of discussion over fairtrade recently in a number of coffee related discussion forums e.g.here, and here. Recently I became aware of a response written by Geoff Watts (a green coffee buyer for Intelligencia coffee) to criticism he received in relation to engaging in Direct trade relationships and not supporting fair trade with the display of the fair trade logo. Geoff's response provides an informed, constructive and insightful look into considerations surrounding the issue. The original article featuring comments from Geoff Watts was posted in the New York Times.

The Secret

2006-08-06T02:35:00.000+10:00

I watched a movie tonight that I would recommend watching called "The Secret". In some ways similar to the movie "What the bleep do we know?". Touching on quantum physics, the premise of "the secret" is the interconnectivity of all things and the "Law of Attraction". Essentially you attract into your life what you focus on - good or bad. So practically speaking, stop thinking about the bad things in your life, identify the good things you would like and the good you already have now - you will attract even more! hmmm... maybe I should start thinking of having a great coffee... :o)

AASCA Conference, Aroma Rocks Festival & Black Gold Update

2006-08-02T22:58:00.000+10:00

Sorry for the delay since my last post. Been a bit hectic since arriving back from Sydney after a week touring Sydney, participating in the ICTF trade show and the latte art competition held as part of the Aroma rocks festival.

Check out the photos here

The trip was great, got the opportunity to be introduced to Klaus Thomsen (current world barista champion), Gautam KS - the indian barista champion and two russion baristas (from coffee mania in Moscow) on exchange with AASCA. It was also a great opportunity to become even better acquainted with Sydney's Cafe Scene. My travels took me to Campos, Mecca, Tobys Estate, Voodoo Espresso, and Sapphos. I was also shown great hospitality by Hazel De Los Reyes of Coffee Alchemy (2005 Australian Barista Champion), trying some single origins at her roastery including a beautiful Ethiopean Limu (whilst snacking on a muffin or two!).

Check out some of the photos here

I came back just in time to help out at the Black Gold Premier held at the Greater Union Cinemas on Monday as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival. It was a packed house, we were able to sell a Black Gold Blend - 25% of the proceeds being given back to the coffee farmers cooperative union featured in the movie. There are also a number of cafes that have generously offered to pass on proceeds from the sale of cups of black gold espresso in their store.

I have posted some pictures of the premier here

Latte art - phone pics.

2006-07-18T00:00:00.000+10:00

Today I was coaching a new barista on how to pour latte art (he really had picked up things quite well after only a few months) - I got inspired about entering the the Sydney Latte art Competition (hope its not too late!) being held as part of the Aroma Rocks Festival this weekend (will publish some pics after the event).

I was quite happy with the latte art I created (Sorry about the clarity, they were taken on my phone):

Whilst in Sydney I will also be putting in a stint at the AASCA exhibit of the ICTF trade show. Should be a good chance to catch up again with interstate members of the australian coffee geek community.

Great Food

2006-07-15T18:16:00.001+10:00

Recently I have been treated to some quite extraordinary Food. The ones that come to mind (Salivating at the thought)..

Breakfast - A minor breakfast @ A minor Place, 103 Abion St, Brunswick
The beans & eggs were better than I had remembered beans & eggs to be!

Lunch - Veal T-Bone @ Cicciolina, 130 Ackland St, St Kilda
I had to refrain from licking the plate and nibbling on the bone.

Dinner - Roasted gippsland lamb rump (with white polenta, olives, tomatoes and skordalia) @ Radii Restaurant & Bar (Park Hyatt)
A great dinner topped off a great night for the launch - I have been raving for a few days now about the divine sauce that accompanied the Lamb. Also was impressed by the balsamic reduction & olive oil we dipped our bread in (just a simple and common accompanimant, but top ingredients were used and the flavours were magnificent!).

Launch Party

2006-07-12T11:57:00.000+10:00

Last night we held a launch party for our products at the Park Hyatt in Melbourne. The night went really well - in the splendour of the Radii Room, much of Melbourne's coffee community came along and it was a chance for Ben and myself to share a little of our passion and the values held by Somage.

The photos of the event (soon to be posted) were taken by Denh of Ikon images, biscuits were supplied by Stefan Roth of Alpen Delicious and the wine by Katherine Brown of Brown Brothers. Ben Angel of Nationwide Networking was our MC. A big thanks to all those that helped including the delightful staff of the Park Hyatt.

Cheers.

Some cafes well worth a visit

2006-07-07T00:00:00.000+10:00

With the recent launch of my Organic Tea range "Chamellia" and my 100% natural (& gluten & dairy free!) drinking Chocolate "Kali", I have been on a quest to seek out Melbourne’s coolest & funkiest cafes - this has literally taken me all across Melbourne.

Some of the Cafes I have been to include:

St Ali

One of Melbourne’s Iconic cafes (certainly amongst coffee geeks!) located in Yarra place, South Melbourne. The coffee is roasted on the premises and they use one of only two Synesso Espresso Machines in Victoria. Seriously good coffee and the ambience oozes "Melbourne" - classy with attention to detail, minus the pretentiousness.

Icoco

Another artisan roaster serving up great coffee, run by two passionate and humble Kiwis. Located on Victoria Avenue in Albert Park, it has become a new regular haunt of mine. Always a good positive vibe there.

Piccolo

Piccolo is a new café situated on High Street near the corner of Chapel street in Prahran. Quite a quaint / cosy venue, one that I think will develop and become quite prized by the locals.

casual work..

2006-07-04T20:36:00.000+10:00

I thought I would share some pictures of the cafes I currently work at to support me whilst I get my business off the ground (and keep up my barista skill!) - the Maling room in Canterbury (on Sundays)and Rumbles Patisserie at Prahran Market (on Fridays).

Aside from the occasional shift at the cafes, my business allows me to spend a considerable amount of time seeking and visiting new / funky cafes (I'll share these in future blogs). Today I was visiting a new cafe which recently took on my teas and was fortunate to be able to sit in on a training session delivered by a representative of the coffee company supply the venue. I was genuinely intrigued by the different approach to coffee training that ensued - much of the information on coffee extraction methods etc presented was consistent in content with my theories, but relayed in an entirely different way. It was great for generating new thoughts (even when I didn’t entirely agree with the occasional particular, it still caused me to re-evaluate my theories). It kind of reaffirmed for me that you always have something to gain from others by placing yourself in environments where information is shared and if you are open to the prospect of learning something new.

The second thing I gleaned is passion. Maybe stating the obvious, but the things you hear seem to have greater impact when received from people who are passionate about the topic they are discussing. It's as if the words carry more meaning or validity; and you have a greater interest in what they have to say! I like being in the company of people pursuing their passion.

Black Gold Movie

2006-06-29T11:47:00.000+10:00

I've taken on responsibility to promote a movie called "Black Gold" to feature at the next Melbourne International Film Festival (26 July – 13 August).

The movie follows the efforts of Tadesse Meskela a man on a mission to save his 75,000 struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his farmers strive to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans on the international market, Tadesse travels the world in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price.

If you would like to support the movie with the display of posters etc at your cafe, please email me (nwakeford@somage.com.au).

Some latte art pics

2006-06-24T16:54:00.000+10:00

I hope to enter next years barista competition with a little more preparation (and perhaps not try to bite off more than I could chew!). In true nathan style I went at the competition like a bull at a gate, developing my own competition blend largely unassisted (I even tried roasting!). It was a great learning experience (tasting a heap of single origin beans), but I think to save the palates of the judges (quite impressive to see how they kept straight faces), next time I might seek a little more assistance.

I thought I would start by showing where I am at now with my latte art, I will post some pics of my pours soon...

Here's my first successful attempt at a double rosetta..

I recently learned how to do a tulip also..

I'll share more as I refine my skills and pick up new techniques.

My First Blog

2006-06-24T16:52:00.000+10:00

Well, after perusing the passions of many bloggers I felt sufficiently motivated and inspired to start my own blog.

I thought I would start with a passion close to my heart - Coffee!

I have been making coffee for some time now (on and off for some 7 years) but have been developing my skills more deliberately over the past 2 & 1/2 years when I began as a coffee representative for a boutique roaster. My passion has become stronger since participating in the Victorian Barista Championships this year (I got 4th..) and becoming a regular contributor in the Coffee Geek Australian region forums (check out "Mr Nang"). The competition allowed me to meet many people in the industry and the opportunity to work weekends at the Maling Room (a cafe that serves as a meeting place for Coffee Geeks in Melbourne) , where I have been able to gradually refine my skills with a Synesso / Mazzer Combination (and some coaching!).

I thought I would use this blog to share my progression in learning about coffee, as well as the trials and tribulations I have experienced in running my own business (I started a company that supplies premium drinking chocolate & organic teas to cafes / restaurants & coffee companies).

I intend on posting pics, questions regarding issues I confront and I'm happy to respond to any questions I receive. Hope you find your time reading my blog enjoyable.