This last weekend I entertained some Italian customers
of mine who had been in the States for about a week.
They had been seeing several companies and had tried
several times to order cafe (espresso) while out.  Almost
universally it seemed that they got what they considered to
be a poor American imitation.
So when I entertained them I decided to serve them a home
cooked meal and of course, homeroasted espresso.  I
roasted a blend that I had been working on that I believed
closely imitated the espresso that I had been served in their
town of Torino (Turin).
I have never had anyone so appreciative of an espresso as
my friends. Not only did they say that it was much better than
any other Coffee that they had gotten state side but it was as
good or better than 'Italian Coffee'!  They were amazed
(and so was I)!
They explained that the average consumer could not purchase
the blends that were used by the cafes.  The blends used by
cafes are proprietary and well guarded secrets.
From my trips over there it seems like there was a roastery
on every corner, as part of a store, bakery etc...  I found
out that if one purchases ground coffee from these roasteries
one expects to have other things mixed in such as chicory.
Due to this, many Italians were once again beginning to
buy beans and grind them themselves.
In general they were very interested in home roasting and
demanded Tom's web address.  They say there is really
no place for the consumer to purchase Green Beans in
Italy.  (Funny how things are the same world over!)
We had a very nice conversation that lasted until very late.
I am always amazed by how much Americans miss out on.
For Europeans Coffee is an event, worthy of note.  For us
its something to drink.
BTW - I ended up sending them back with a couple of
batches that I had roasted earlier.
ciao
jeff

Awesome story, Jeff.  Thanks!

Jeff,
Thanks for sharing, and congratulations on passing a real test! I had a
similar experience last summer. A visiting scientist from Spain was working
at my company. He had been here for a couple of weeks before my wife and I
had him over for dinner. I treated him to an espresso made from homeroasted
beans, and you should see how much he liked it! He couldn't stop talking
about how that was the best coffee he had had in the U.S.
Contrast this with other guests (Americans) I have treated to my best
espresso - their reaction varies from a polite "this is nice" to a "can I
have more milk and sugar" and even to a "do you have instant coffee?"...
Anyway, isn't it nice to be appreciated?
Regards,
Rafael

<Snip>
I always offer "espresso, cappuccino, drip coffee, French press?", as
not everyone is an espresso fan. (Milk?) Those who are are generally
appreciative. Still, it's nice when you get praise like Jeff Bertoia
did -- that's special. --PR

 
Jeff thats excellent being Italian myself I know how hard it is to please 
fellow Italians, you must have made quite an impression on them. I love 
espresso & was wondering if you would like to share your espresso blend, or 
if anyone else has a favorite espresso blend perhaps they could share it as 
well.
catchya or ciao
Mick
At 03:23 PM 4/19/00 -0400, you wrote:
<Snip>

    In the Arthur Ave. (Fordham) section of the Bronx, which is populated
primarily with Italians and Albanians, you'll find green beans in sacks
inside barrels along with the lentils, fava beans, ceci beans, etc..They're
outside with nary a marking as to the fact that they are coffee beans.
I asked the clerk at one of the stores if many people in the area roast
their own. He said it was mainly for people to send back to the mother
country as they can't get greenies there. I know of 3 stores in a 2 block
area that sell them. There may be more.
There wasn't much of a selection. He said they were Columbian($2.99lb), but
who knows. . I tried some and was not impressed
There are 3-4 backeries on a block and you can get the most marvelous
biscotti for about half the price of those sold in Manhattan..
The area does have quite a collection of coffee tools and beautiful espresso
and cappucino cups at very reasonable prices( I wish I would have known
about this place before I started amassing the varied and mismatched
assortment of cups and saucers I found in thrift shops.
One place has this vacuum type thingie that looks like a still and works
like a see-saw. It's cute, but not $800 cute, which is the asking price..
People in the NYC area should visit some time. It's a couple of blocks from
the Bronx zoo..
Ciao,
Angelo
...
<Snip>

I thought all Italian stores had Green Beans.  That's how I got
started homeroasting.  I bought some green from the local
Italian store and tried my luck on the stove for about $3 per
pound.
You are right, not much selection and relatively unremarkable
but certainly less expensive for experimentation.  I still keep a
couple of pounds around.
Jeff
Angelo wrote:
<Snip>

Mick wrote:
<Snip>
chuckling...  You aren't kidding.  My father is Venetian and my mother
is from Calabria (sp).  So even if I can please one of them the other is
unhappy.
<Snip>
This is the blend that I used for them:
100 g Monkey Blend
  50 g Yemen Mocca Remy
  50 g Sulawesi Toraja Rantapao
  25 g Indian AA Monsooned Robusta
Pre blended and Roasted in an Alp at setting 13 which takes it just up to
the second crack.  As far as roast level I've found it easiest to track post
roast weight as this seems very consistant as long as blend and profile are
constant.  In this case the post roast weight is approximately 190 grams.
I find this to be quite similar to what I was served in the better cafes
in Torino.  BTW - My dad loves it and my mother's family doesn't think
it has enough bite.
Your mileage maay vary but I like conduction roasting for espresso.
Although I've not tried this blend in a fluid bed roaster I am sure it
would be quite different.
<Snip>
ciao
jeff

 
At 06:06 PM 4/19/00 -0400, you wrote:
<Snip>
<Snip>
<Snip>
Ciao
Mick

 
Angelo
Arthur ave is a great place. Before I started homeroasting I used to get 
my  roasted beans from a shop on Avenue U in Brooklyn called Mazzoli. The 
freshly roasted coffee aroma that hit you when you walked into that shop 
was absolutely heavenly, they had a whole range of coffee equipment & sacks 
of green beans on the floor. They roasted some good coffee, I believe they 
closed their doors because the last time I tried to place an order their 
number was disconnected & thats how I got started in homeroasting. Too bad 
I didnt know about homeroasting back then they seemed to have a large 
variety of green beans.
Ciao
Mick
At 05:09 PM 4/19/00 -0400, you wrote:
<Snip>

Mick,
From what I understand it isn't always easy to find great espresso, even in
Italy, so if you would be so kind as to tell us the name of that town, it
would be much appreciated... :-)
Ciao,
Angelo
<Snip>
There is a bar in the piazza (town square) of a small town
<Snip>

 
Angelo
The name of that town is Sturno its about 40 - 50 minute drive south of 
Naples and a 5 minute drive from a town called Grottaminarda (unsure of 
spelling) which has a GREAT pastry shop. if you get to Sturno go to the 
Piazza Municipale thats where the bar is,  I happen to think its great coffee.
ciao
Mick
Mick,
 >From what I understand it isn't always easy to find great espresso, even in
Italy, so if you would be so kind as to tell us the name of that town, it
would be much appreciated... :-)
Ciao,
Angelo

<Snip>
Whoa there.... what an interesting way to judge roast levels automatically
in a drum roaster..... add a scale to the thing or put the whole roaster on
it, and let it compute the weight loss.  Wonder how well it would work?
Paul Goelz
Rochester Hills, MI
pgoelz at eaglequest dot com
Videoastronomy and music web site:http://www.eaglequest.com/~pgoelz

Paul Goelz wrote:
<Snip>
Hmmm....
Never thought of doing it during the roast.  I wonder if the scale would be
sensitive enough after the roaster was tared off....
I have been measuring all my roasts (post roast) and here are the trends that I
have seen.
Same beans same setting is approximately +/- 2 grams.
Same beans and up one setting (from 12 - 13) weight drops 12 grams.
Different beans same setting weight varies approximately +/- 5 grams.  Then
again
so does the roast level.
BTW - The scale resolution is 2 grams.
What an interesting concept.  An inner control loop based on temperature with
an outer control loop based on weight.  Any Thoughts?
<Snip>
--
Jeffrey A. Bertoia             President - Slalom Services, Inc.
 +1 (810) 854-7312              jbertoia
          http://www.slalomservices.com-- Simple Solutions to Complex Plant Floor Problems --

<Snip>
Well, I have a scale that maxes out at about 5 pounds (too low for the
Alp?) but it resolves one gram.  I think the issues would be vibration (but
that could be easily integrated out) and the effects of the cord (if the
whole roaster was merely put on a scale).  But that should be solvable.
Sounds like you did get a measurable weight reduction at the various
settings.  
I was actually thinking of something a little simpler.  It seems that what
we need is some kind of identifiable "start" point in the roast cycle.  I
have noticed that my Alp has a definite point where the smoke volume
increases.  I had been thinking of a simple photoelectric detector in the
exhaust stream to sense that point and then begin timing.  But actual
weight reduction might be another way.  
Wonder if it would be good enough to look for a given weight loss in
percentage of pre-roast weight?  It would probably be different for each
bean type, but might be quite reproducable from roast to roast on the same
bean and lot?
Paul Goelz
Rochester Hills, MI
pgoelz at eaglequest dot com
Videoastronomy and music web site:http://www.eaglequest.com/~pgoelz