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Beanhunter iPhone App Released

The BeanHunter iPhone App

Good news for fans of Beanhunter — there’s now a Beanhunter iPhone app, so you can hunt down the best coffee anywhere around the world, wherever you are. You can find the nearest cafe wherever you are. Then, if you’re generous enough to share the best kept coffee secrets, you can write reviews and upload photos directly from your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Download the Beanhunter App here.

It has been a very good year.

I’ve been reflecting on some of the happenings this year and feel like it’s worth jotting down some of the positive experiences I had over the last 12 months. These experiences are not in any particular order.

The Brewed Coffee revolution

I know that the word “revolution” might sound a tad melodramatic but this year, after a few years of a bit of a spluttering start, (think 1970’s engine) coffee brewed in ways other than through an espresso machine has really taken hold amongst those in the specialty coffee community. The most notable thing here is that attitudes to brewed coffee have changed to a point where there is a greater respect for the brewed product and where many people choose to brew their extra special coffee’s through brewing systems that give them the chance to experience nuances in the coffee which would not be evident to them through espresso. This newly found enthusiasm by the industry in general has resulted in a few good things happening. Firstly, manufacturers are getting serious about making and supplying gear that gives us better brewing results. Marco in Ireland have now got serious and have produced a machine (Uber boiler) that dispenses water to exacting temperatures. Syphon brewers, Chemex, Clever Coffee Drippers and filters are readily available and most importantly there are tons of people experimenting and publishing their thoughts on how to get good results. This is an excellent thing and bodes very well for those interested in the success of specialty coffee. My favourite brewed experience. Ethiopian Beloya through a Clever Coffee Dripper, 30g to 330ml, 3 minute steep time, Blueberry smack in the face!

Coffee from Kintamani in Bali

We’ve been visiting Bali for about 3 years now and this year is the first year that I’ve felt that our investment in the area has started to have a real impact on the people who are doing the farming and on the coffee in the cup. I won’t go into the finer details but because of the choice of a large exporter choosing to pull the pin on their support for a few farmers we were working with it meant that they (the farmers) would also loose their wet mill. We were able to buy the wet mill from the exporter and leave it in situ for the farmers to continue to use. This year the growers really improved their post harvesting techniques in an effort to increase the quality of the beans sent to us. The beans arrived last week. The quality is much better. It feels good to be involved in something where there are wins all round.

The opening of a couple of new places (Proud Mary and Seven Seeds)

These two venues have a unique place in the industry in Australia – for how far they have lifted the bar and how they have become what they are. Each of these venues reflects the passionate coffee journey of the people behind them – Both these venues have people that work within them that started from very modest coffee beginnings. Mark, Bridget and Nolan and Sharee rely on the bean telling the story and work their hardest at providing hard working Australians with one of the world’s best total coffee experiences. Mecca (Paul) in Sydney and a couple of other also fit into this catagory but were opened prior to this year.

The arrival of our baby gade and backroom program:

This heading is really me trying to summerise a whole mix of events and moments that all contributed to something that made us like coffee just so much more. The return of Jenny Murray from her sabatical in Canada, the final pimping/modification of the Renegade sampler, and the arrival of our first mixed shipment of microlot coffees from brokers in the US all culminated in us being able to really explore roasting profiles and brewing results of unique and excellent coffees like we’d never done before. I’m not sure I’ve every heard so many “wows” in one year by the guys here around the roastery.

Our success at the comps:

Normally our participation in competitions is done simply for us to be able know how we are going in the industry against the rest of Australia and the rest of the world. We here in Perth often feel that our isolation prevents us from keeping up with what’s hot and what’s not so we are constantly watching the industry as closely as we can and striving to get better. Our success in the comps this year has played a role validating the efforts we’ve made to hover at cutting edge of the specialty coffee industry. It’s a small measure but we’ll take it.

The birthing of the “mod” department:

We probably never really understood what we would be getting when we signed up for a service department. After much hard work we’ve not only got ourselves a slick equipment fixing machine we’ve also got ourselves a couple of equipment geeks (I hope they will forgive me for calling them this – they know who they are) who have been able to demonstrate with skill and imagination anything is possible. Out of our workshop this year we’ve seen a tuned Renegade sample roaster, a preinfusion mod on a Synesso, a funky timer and hopper mod on a normal Robur and more recently a mashup of a Synesso and Isomac to create an incredibly heat stable multiboiler machine suitable for the domestic market. In recent days the geek (Rich) has also been able to convert a 3 group Sabre into a Hydra/Sable Hybrid. It’s just incredible to be associated with a company with a service department that can do a whole lot more than just change seals and filters. I think that best is yet to come and ultimately, the specialty coffee industry will be the winner.

The noise in the production room is starting to lift as I finish this post. The guys are playing hacky sack, the BBQ is on and the drinks are on ice.

Yep, it’s been a very good year.

Synesso Sabre with one Hydra Group!

Today I am upgrading a 3 group Synesso Sabre to have a single semi automatic group and two fully automatic groups. Sort of a Hydra / Sabre hybrid, you could say; it will definitely have the best of both worlds.   This particular machine is owned by well known Adelaide roaster and cafe owner, Mark Barun (The Coffee Barun!).

The first task is to split the group being converted from the water inlet manifold that supplies the flow meters at the point where it connects to its heat exchange pre heating tube. We then build a new water supply assembly which includes a check valve, brew gauge, expansion valve and hose connection. This machine is already fitted with the dual supply hose modification, so the Hydra group will only need a single braided hose.  The Sabre side pump will look after the steam boiler filling.

Once the manual group top has been fitted we can commence the wiring up of the group switches, brewing motor relay and pump motor. As a bonus, I will be fitting a pre-infusion timer also, maybe I should just go ahead and throw in some steak knives…

~rich

Opening shots

Project X

This project is really coming together. For the benefit  of anyone visiting for the first time, I am nearing the end of the construction phase,  combining the complete front boiler assembly from the world’s best commercial coffee machine into the chassis of an Isomac La Mondiale. The result will be an unassumingly compact dual boiler home espresso machine that can boast specifications only found in top of the range commercial machines.  So, after wiring up the Solid State Relays (SSR’s) that will power the brew and steam elements, there is nothing preventing me switching on and pulling some test shots.

The Hybrid Coffee Machine from Five Senses Coffee on Vimeo.

These first shots were excellent. To be honest, I was quite surprised with the stability the low cost PID controller is achieving, with only a small amount of tuning. There is no pre-heating of the brew water, the steam boiler is not insulated and the covers are off.  Initial observations are that there is no more that a deviation (drop) of 1 degree Fahrenheit over the duration of the shot (+/- 1 digit). The PID display only allows a minimum resolution of 1 deg, including whilst adjusting the offsets, a significant weakness.

There is a lot of work ahead perfecting and fine tuning the machine yet.  A pre-infusion timer, a better quality PID and a pre-heating system (low power thermoblock????) are all on my to-do list.

It would also be nice to have a name for it…

~richard

Bali boys hit Freo!

If you haven’t been to Hush on Market Street in Fremantle yet, make it your homework for this weekend. These guys have worked away diligently on their craft and are now making some of the best coffee in Perth. When I started to think about a place for some work experience for the Bali boys, it was top of the list. Owner Daniel was happy to oblige and I arrived this morning after the morning  rush was over with two very nervous Balinese baristas in tow. The boys were in luck as Michael was manning the Synesso and really helped the boys find their feet. Komang was thrown in first into the “shot monkey” slot and quickly got into the groove.

He looked very comfortable and pulled consistently great shots and quickly got the feel for working in a busy, high quality cafe. Meanwhile, Gede was keeping it real in the kitchen on dishes duty and quickly fell for the charms of the dishwasher (mechanical dishwasher, that is!) . Not too many of them in Ubud.

After an hour or so it was time to swap roles and Gede got into the swing of things quickly, also pulling great shots and showing the benefit of a solid week’s training.  Michael ran the boys through some latte art techniques and the boys performed admirably. After only a week’s training they could both easily hold their own in any cafe in Perth. Big thanks to all the baristas who helped out with them during the week.

Bali boys on the beach

My apologies for the last post. I managed to post a picture only and totally lose my text. You have no idea how frustrating that is, with my two finger typing technique  and the computer skills of an average pre-schooler. About an hour’s work down the drain!

Anyway, the boys have been training diligently and managing to sneak in a little sightseeing as well. We got a magnificent night for fish and chips on Cottesloe beach. Gede exercised his photographic skills with a great shot of the sunset.

They got through the intro and latte art classes at the WA Barista Academy with flying colours… with the aid of our translation sheet.  Remember to always “goyang” the milk to keep the “busa” integrated before you go to pour!

The boys got the obligatory roastery visit and Richo got out the camera for some higher res shots around the roastery for the boys to take back.  It’s work experience day tomorrow at Hush in Freo. If you haven’t been to Hush, it’s worth the visit, it’s the biggest improver on the Perth coffee scene and doing consistently great coffee.

Terima Kasih-Shaughan

Bali boys bust a move!

Even the hardest working baristas need a little R & R. We took Komang and Gede off to see Tijuana Cartel on Saturday night. Both of the boys love music and it didn’t take long before Komang (with the white shoes) hit the dance floor. He was briefly accosted by a middle aged housewife who showed him some of her best stripper moves, but he survived unscathed. On Sunday we grabbed breakfast at Voyage Kitchen in Sorrento which was awesome. The boys find Aussie sized servings a bit much and struggled manfully with the pancakes and managed to almost finish the stack.

We dropped through the Barista Academy quickly and Komang pulled out some great rosettas; watch out for this boy at the Indonesian Barista Championship in Jakarta next year. After an afternoon session on Google translate, finding some key barista words, everything seems to be making a bit more sense!

Bali boys meet Jenny Jenny!

Komang and Gede’s week in Perth has hit the ground running. They have already seen their first wild kangaroo and attended a primary school assembly complete with singing of the national anthem.
It didn’t take long for Jenny to fine tune the boys dosing and tamping and get them onto latte art. They are already busting out some nice work.
Stay tuned as we immerse the boys in a full on week of coffee culture Five Senses style!

Fine tuning the drip brewer

There is nothing more frustrating than having everything at your fingertips…nearly. This is kind of how I felt this morning when I embarked on my mission to explore what results I get using different types of filters. Essentially, when it comes to coffee drippers there are seven main variables that impact on result in the cup. There are other variables which I think have a small effect but pale into relative insignificance if you can’t get control over the big ones.

For the purpose of testing the effect of using different filters in the drippers, the variables that needed to be consistent were:

• The origin used. Today it was Guatemala La Perla.
• The particle size of the grind through the lab grinder.
• The amount of coffee used. (40 grams)
• The steep time.
• The volume of water. (330ml)
• The water temperature grrrrrr the water temperature. Get my frustration!! Uber Boiler – wherefore art thou!! I can’t say that using a kettle gives us the best chance of controlling this variable excellently but by using a thermometer probe we were able (with quite a bit of effort) to get relative temperature repeatability in each of the drippers.

We used 3 test filters:

• An unbleached flat bottomed Melitta paper filter
• An non-chlorine oxygen whitened flat bottomed Melitta filter
• A swissgold gold filter.

Melitta claim that there is no difference other than visual between their unbleached (natural brown filter) and their oxygen whitened filter. We thought that this was worth putting to the test.

We ran the tests both yesterday and this morning. In both instances the tests were done blind to prevent prejudice being a factor in our evaluation and eventually our preferences. The differences were absolutely evident and the results that we achieved replicated in both tests. In our taste evaluations we also concealed the coffee so that we couldn’t be influenced by what we could see.

The result:
Visually: The two paper filters produced coffee with no suspended particulates. The coffee resulting from the gold filter was very muddy in appearance.
Taste: The flavour and character was evident in all of the cups but varied in intensity and clarity. The white filter produced a coffee that we felt had the greatest amount of clarity while the gold filter produced a coffee with an almost overt intensity – almost masking some of the subtleties we enjoyed in the coffee made with paper filters.
Mouthfeel: The gold filter resulted in a brew with much heavier palate weight than the two brews made with the paper filter. This isn’t surprising. It has been known for some time that paper filter prevents the movements of lipids (which include unsaturated long-chain fatty acids) into the cup.
Usabilty: The paper wins every time. I think that the effort to wash the gold filter properly after every brew would probably be disincentive enough for me not to bother with making myself a brew. The paper filter is 100% biodegradable so with a quick flick of the wrist the filter, complete with spent coffee, is in the compost bin. The swissgold filter costs close to $50 while $2 – $3 buys you about 40 paper filters. It probably means that paper filters might cost you more money in the long run but I think that once you throw cleaning time, detergents and water into the equation you might re-evaluate the real cost of choosing one type of filter over the other.

Summery:
Quote of the day from Richo *pointing* “that one tastes like coffee” then pointing again at another “that one is more like a meal”. We enjoyed the result of each filtration method but I think that it is fair to say that our taste preference was for the coffee brewed with the oxygen treated paper. The gold filter would produce a cup that in isolation would be something that most people would quite enjoy. However, when tasted alongside a cup brewed through paper there was no doubting that our preference was for the oxygen processed paper filter.

Barista boys from Bali hit Perth!

Hi Folks,

As part of our ongoing commitment to the coffee scene in Bali we are sponsoring two talented young baristas,  Komang and Gede (seen in full traditional dress in the attached picture)  to an intensive week’s training in Perth. The boys don’t have brilliant English but make up for it with lots of enthusiasm and natural ability.

As a coincidence our shipment of coffee from Bali is due to land in Perth tomorrow. After three years and many visits to Bali  we are confident this shipment will be the breakthrough. Can’t wait to cup it!

In other Bali news, our friends Josh and Charlie are working away at their new cafe project in Seminyak due to open in late January. Their goal is to totally redefine what’s considered good coffee in Bali and have purchased a Synesso, Mazzer etc.  Ironically  great coffee is very rare so close to a coffee growing region. The overused “bean to cup” saying is definitely very valid here with the coffee coming from Kintamani about 80 kms away.

Stay tuned for more updates as the boys grind, tamp and smile their way through a busy week in Perth.

All kinds of luck – Shaughan