#3rd-wave

[coffee-culture]

Kin Kin Coffee Stand - Madison (more photos)

It is always a pleasure to quality coffee being offered in unexpected places and the Kin Kin Coffee Stand in the Festival Foods build is one such find. All to often the coffee stands at grocery stores are dominated by larger scale commercial coffee companies. The quality of coffee one can expect from such places is at best ho-hum. Sadly this is as true of the mainstream grocery stores, as it is of the specialty and organic type. This is why it was exciting to see Kin Kin Coffee, a relatively new 3rd-Wave Madison area roaster, setting up shop in the Festival Foods building in Madison.

At Kin Kin Coffee Stand one can find an impressive wide range of traditional espresso bar menu options. At the same time, they offer their higher quality lighter roasted single origins as SO-Espresso and Americano, batch brewed, and as Hario v60 pour-over on request. In side there was seating where one could watch the traffic on Washington Ave or sit as the counter to visit with the barista. There was also a walk-up service window to the outside serving those waiting at the bus stop, as well as a covered seating area.

So far I have tried Kin Kin Coffee picked up Johnson’s Public House, at the Kin Kin Coffee booth at the Milwaukee Coffee Fest, and now at their coffee stand at their Festival Foods coffee stand location. Greatly looking forward to doing touring their roastery and interviewing them, as I am finding Kin Kin Coffee to be among the top coffee roasters in Wisconsin.

My hope is that we will see Kin Kin Coffee in multi-roaster coffeehouses, restaurants, and other unexpected places like this supermarket coffee stand.

[coffee-culture]

Probat Tribute (more photos)

Here is my tribute post to Probat coffee roasting machines, on which some of the best coffee I have ever had has been roasted. From the many coffee roasters in Central Europe I saw using them, to some of my favorites in the Southwest and Wisconsin. From the to the oldest vintage Probat I have ever seen at Kickapoo Coffee, to the newest machines at Luna Coffee Roasters and Coffeeville, and the in-between Probats at Ritual Coffee Roasters, Ruby Colorful Coffee, and JBC Coffee. I also offer this post as a tribute to the Probat roasters I have yet to see as I explore the 3rd-Wave of coffee, like the one at Kin Kin Coffee in Madison.

In coffee specialty coffee industry, I have often heard Probats referred to as a fine piece of German engineering, the Mercedes-Benz of coffee roasting machines.

Thank you Probat for producing quality lab equipment, sample roasters, shop roasters, and commercial roasters. Thanks as well for supporting the the SCA, the Roaster Guild, and the coffee training lab at your assembly and distribution center in Chicago-Land. As a result of your commitment to quality and innovations as a company, the world of specialty coffee is a much better place.

[coffee-culture]

On this cold and gray winter day in Milwaukee I am dreamin’ I was back in California. While I did like the climate there, the beaches, chill culture, and the more omni present ethnic diversity, it is the coffee-culture I am missing the most.

The coffee roasters focused on high quality single origins, roasted lighter and brighter to let the nuanced flavor of the bean shine through. The coffeehouse moved well beyond a menu loaded batch brewed and milk+flavor drinks, towards offering a wide range of SO-Espresso and Brew Bar options. Most of all the baristas where not only knowledgeable about coffee, but passionate about their craft.

Most of all I miss the many Siphon Vac-Pot Bars in coffeehouses in Little Tokyo, Koreatown, and beyond, as when brew correctly the flavor extraction is amazing.

Places like Verve, Portola, Ritual, Blue Bottle, Four Barrel, Insight, Temple, Demitasse, Handsome (R.I.P.) and Caffe Luxxe come to mind as places we visited often and loved the 3rd-Wave coffee they were serving. There were also many multi-roasting coffeehouses shattered thought Californian using beans from the best roasters local roasters (roasting mainly on Probat and Deidrich) and grinding on the Mazzer and Mahlkonig grinders and pulling shots on their pressure profiling LM Strada MP, Synesso, and Slayer machines. The result of all of this was that it was easy to find amazing world class coffee in almost any corner of LA, San Fran, and SAC, as well as somewhat easy in the smaller cities in between.

It's a bit depressing knowing that there are only two places in the city of Milwaukee I can go to find lighter and brighter SO-Espresso and three to find decent brew bar options with baristas that know what they are doing and care about how they are pouring it.

Compared to metro-Milwaukee, the state of Wisconsin, or even the Midwest as a whole, the coffee-culture in California was light years a head of us. While in Wisconsin we do have some notable exceptions like Kickapoo, Ruby, and JBC, these roasters have had too little influence on coffee-culture in Milwaukee. While I am grateful for Alderaan Coffee, Hawthorne Coffee, and the Kickapoo Coffeehouse for providing Milwaukee with 3rd-Wave quality coffee, having only three coffeehouse to choose from in the city is a major downer.

Not sure why this is, but the national coffeehouse chain (Starbucks, etc.) habits of dark roasted coffee, loaded with milk and flavors seems to still be in vogue among most of the cities local chain coffeehouses. -- This is my everyday lament.

While I LOVE Milwaukee’s hip-and-trendy Eastside, East Town, 3rd-Ward, Riverwest, and Bay View knighthoods, but I really wish the coffee-culture would catch up with whats taking place on the West Coast.

In any cases, on this cold and gray Milwaukee winter day I am dreamin’ I was back in LA chillin at one of the many amazing coffeehouses with a double shot 8zo SO-Americano. The 3rd-Wave is grossly underrepresented here and oh how I wish the California coffee-culture would come to Milwaukee. -- This is my everyday dream.

Visit my Southwest Coffee-Culture Project to learn more about the many months I spent exploring the coffee-culture in California, Arizona, and Utah, as well as my Wisconsin Coffee-Culture Project to see who I think is providing the state with the best 3rd-Wave Coffee.

[coffee-culture]

Pull Espresso Machines (website)

Positioned at the exact opposite side of the continuum from the ultra high-tech approach of the Sanremo Opera espresso machines are the ultra low-tech Pull manual lever machines. Each of these machines represents two extreme approaches within the 3rd-Wave of coffee. While both the Opera and the Pull are passionately designed for and able to pull that “god shot”, they each take a radically different approach to getting there.

The Pull approach is to return to the 1940s, to the original espresso machines, before they were outfitted electronic and computer computer. Keeping things simple and old school, based on trusted technology that can stand the test of time and that is easier for the non-specialist to fix.

Each of the Pull Espresso Machines is built by hand in a small scale assembly shop. This is not a large production operation, but rather a place where the machines are passionately hand crafted by a handful of dedicated workers.

All of the components inside are careful selected and of the highest quality available, mostly from the best  Italy has to offer. In a few cases the people at Pull have asked Italian manufacturers to revive parts that they haven’t made in year, but that offer a better quality than newer versions. These are machines that are designed to be old school manual espresso machines from the start, not just modern electrical machines with the manual lever stuck on as an after thought.

Above is a pour-over drip station that Pull designed to match their espresso machines, both have that old school charm to them.

Pull Espresso Machines are not alone in their passion to return to the origins of espresso. There is a growing segment of the 3rd-Wave that are highly devoted to the manual lever machines. From the army home baristas pulling shots on their La Pavonis, to high-profile players like Blue Bottle Coffee and Insight Coffee Roaster using their La Marzocco and Victoria Arduino machines to pull single origin espressos.

This movement to return to the manual lever espresso machines is closely paralleled by the revival of the manual brewing methods and vintage coffee roasting machines, as both movements want to restore coffee-culture to a craft industry.

In my travels out west, I have been fortunate enough to see and taste some amazing shots pulled on manual lever machines, as well as having pulled a few shots myself (photo album and previous post). Each time I have been impressed with the results and can honestly say that these shots are every bit as good as what I tasted on LM Strata EP and Modbar machines with the latest and greatest pressure and temperature profiling machines.

Out of all the manual lever machines I have seen in person and researched, I am most impressed with the look and feel and commitment to quality old school craftsmanship of the Pull Espresso Machines. This would be an amazing addition to any coffeehouse devoted to pulling high quality lighter and brighter SO-Espresso shots.

[so-espresso]

Espresso Types and Why We Are SO-Espresso Focused

As there are a number of different ways to think about espresso, I have decided to outline what I have encountered in my field research. This is not an exhaustive all encompassing list, just a few of the general categories in common practice in the American specialty coffee industry. Here, I also hope to give some rationale as to we are SO-Espresso focused.

2nd-Wave Espresso Blend: These are typically blends of 4-6 beans of a lower quality roasted past the Vienna level (dark roast), to the point when oil has started to show on the bean. There is little or no nuanced flavor of the bean left to taste, but in best practice chocolate, caramel, and nut flavors shine. In worst practice this type of espresso might burnt and even bitter. Freshness of beans, quality of equipment, and skill of the barista are not requirements for 2nd-Wave espresso blends.

Classic Northern-Italian and Vienna Espresso Blend: These blends normally made up of 4-6 beans of a medium quality that are roasted to the Full City or Full City+ level (medium-dark roast), allowing some of the nuanced flavor of the beans to shine through, yet also drawing out the sweeter chocolate, caramel, and nut flavors of the darker roasts. This type of espresso roasting attempts highlight the sweeter honey, caramel, and chocolate notes, as well as to ever so slightly allow some of the citric acidic to bleed through. Freshness of beans, quality of equipment, and skill of the barista start to become a factor in this espresso category.

3rd-Wave Blend: These blends are made up of 2-3 beans of high quality roasted to roast to the lighter level of City to Full City (light to medium-light roast), to allow for more of the nuanced flavor of the bean, yet to seek a more balanced cup. Starting to taste more of the citric acids, yet still retain some of sweeter honey, caramel, and chocolate notes. Freshness of beans, quality of equipment, and skill of the barista are requirements for 3rd-Wave blends.

Single Origin Espresso: Always one bean espresso, of the highest quality, roasted as light as possible to allow for the maximum flavor extraction and to highlight the nuanced flavor of the bean. When roasted and pulled well, SO-Espresso is one of the most unique and wonderful espresso shots to try, as they are fruit, berry, and floral notes forward, with subtle honey, caramel, and chocolate notes. When done poorly, SO-Espresso can be way too acidic, sour, and overwhelming in flavor. Freshness of beans, quality of equipment, and skill of the barista are absolutely necessary for SO-Espresso.

At the SO-Espresso Lab we view the single origin espresso to be the height of coffee-culture evolution, mainly because it does the most justice to the beans origin, drawing out the flavors related to not just the beans genetics but also the soil conditions, climate, and altitude where the bean was grown. Such espresso demands the highest quality of coffee bean, with no flavor defects that need to be balanced out through blending.

SO-Espresso is like a beautiful work of art or musical composition. There are verbals involved, attention to the details is a must, and much practice and skill is required in order for the experience to be enjoyable and repeatable. When done well, the end result is unforgettable.

SO-Espresso also requires a highest level of equipment, espresso machines that are capable of temperature and pressure profiling, as well as grinders with temperature control. In addition, SO-Espresso also requires highly trained baristas who can dial in all the equipment, adjusting it for each type of single origin and differences in roast level.

For these and many other reasons, the SO-Espresso Lab is highly devoted exploring this new and unique espresso culture. From time to time, however, 3rd-Wave espresso blends will also be reviewed, to serve as a point of comparison with the SO-Espressos being reviewed and to save us from becoming myopically focused.

[coffee-culture]

5th Element Coffee - Madison, WI (more photos)

Located near the University of Wisconsin Madison, 5th Element offers a great setting to enjoy a cup of coffee. There outdoor seating is spacious and pleasant and their indoor seating is warm and welcoming. Part of the coffee bar, the walls, and all of the tables are made from reclaimed bowling ally floorboards. This mixed with metal, brick walls, colored walls, and rotating art by local artists all help make this one of the most create coffeehouse decor themes in the state of Wisconsin.

Even more importantly, however, the 5th Element is also once of the most devoted coffeehouse in the state to following the 3rd-Wave ideals. Their Black Eagle Gravitech espresso machine by Victoria Arduino, Fetco batch brewer, Nuova Simonelli Mythos grinder which gives them temperature control over the grind, and the EK 43 Mahlkoenig grinder for the brew bar all shout top-of-the-line equipment. 5th Element also does cold brew and has brewing methods on their brew bar, including the Hario V60, Kalita Wave, Chemex, and Aeropress.

For coffee, 5th Element is partly owned by a coffee company in EL Salvafor called the 4 Monkeys Coffee Roasters. They source their green coffee directly from six coffee farms in the country. roast on location, and sell their roasted coffee all over Central and South America. The 5th Element is the exclusive provider of Four Monkey Coffee in America, where their coffee provides the core of their coffee menu, including their So-Espressos and brew bar selections. Additionally, 5th Element also serve coffee from JBC Coffee Roasters, YES Coffee Roasters, and Metropolis Coffee out of Chicago. This a true multi-roaster experience which offers some amazing single origin coffees.

One of the practices that stands out as unique and helps elevate 5th Element above others is their “no-menu” approach. They do not have a posted menu behind their bar, nor do they have clipboards with the menu printed on it. Instead the 5th Element baristas help guide the costumers to their drink. In my opinion, this is an wonderful 3rd-Wave practice as it demands that the baristas know the coffees on tap really well, as well as know how to draw things out of their costumers and teach them about coffee all at the same time. 

All of these factors together help make 5th Element the primer 3rd-Wave coffeehouse in Madison and among the top three in the state of Wisconsin.  

[coffee-culture]

Yes Coffee Roasters - Monroe, WI (more photos)

This is one of the most interesting coffee roasters I visited in my Wisconsin tour. First of all, its location in rural south western Wisconsin is not a place you would ever expect to find a a company following the “school of light roasting” and the 3rd-Wave roasting ideals.

Yet never the less, Yes Coffee Roasters is find success in this market. This is mainly do to their commitment to invest in the community around them. They are consistently at the area farmer markets, cultural festivals, and other public events with their booth, serving their coffee and selling their beans. Through their regular public cuppings and home brewing classes, Yes Coffee is also investing in and connecting with the community around them. Through this simple strategy, in the four years time the community has accepted and their passion for coffee is spreading.

In terms of their roasting studio, Yes Coffee has a simple set up. They use a Quest for the lab roaster and a 5kg Diedrich for their production roaster. For taste testing they do traditional cupping, as well as the Hario V60. Their raw green coffee is stored a climate contorted room, with a cooler stable temperature. 

In terms of bean menu, Yes Coffee keeps it simple as well, offering only one single origin and one decaf at a time. Danial, the owner and roaster, likes to keep his operation focused and uncomplicated so that he can assure the highest quality. He is a perfectionists when it comes to sourcing his green coffee and often goes through 30+ different samples before he makes his selections for production. Although his company is not large enough to afford to send him on origin trips to engage in direct trade, he searches maliciously through what importers are offering find true gems that others have over looks.

He than practices a 3rd-Wave roasting philosophy called omni roasting, which means that the end roast must work well on the brew bar, as well as an SO-Espresso. As only the higher quality beans can pass this test, Yes Coffee is offering a level or quality that few others roasters in Wisconsin dare to.

I was really impressed with so many things I saw at Yes Coffee Roasters and have high hopes for the future of this company. Looking forward to taste testing come of their coffee in the near future and blogging about. Love all the experience that Danial brings with him from his years of work at Intelligentsia Coffee.

[coffee-culture]

Seth's Coffee & Bake Shop - Little Chute, WI (more photos)

My quest to seek out the 3rd-Wave of coffee led me to the Fox Cities and to Seth’s Coffeehouse. Here I was able to meet with Seth, who was one of the first to bring the 3rd-Wave of coffee to the Appleton area. His passion for quality coffee is clear from the moment moment you step into his coffeehouse and becomes even more clear when talking with him about coffee.

The first thing I noticed was the huge EK 43 Mahlkoenig grinder for use with their brew bar, which offers Hario V60s, as well as the Fresh Press, Siphon, and Chemex on request. They are pulling shots on the new LM Linea PB with Mazzer grinders with the Black Cat Espresso Blend from Intelligentsia.

Following in the multi-roasting tradition that is popular out west, for their brew bar and as whole bean sales, Seth’s Coffee offers both Intelligentsia and Ruby Colorful Coffee. I found their barista skills to be at a high level, great at pulling straight espresso shots, pouring latte art, and working the brew bar. They also had a good knowledge of the coffee and its origins they were brewing, as well as the equipment they were using.

In addition, I really loved the creative vibe of their decor theme, which was warm and inviting, as well as included a wide range of seating options, local art, a piano, and board games. 

It was exciting to visit Seth’s Coffee to see and taste the 3rd-Wave in the Fox Cities... looking forward to stopping in next time I am in the area.