Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco. Me, I left my voice in Seattle.
Too much: walking in the rain, chatting ’til all hours. Not enough: sleep, food. Did I mention sleep? The result: laryngitis. A few days of down-time. Dozing in the La-Z-boy while Spring showers drum on the roof here in Vermont… and trying to collect my thoughts on the latter days of the SCCA show. Forgive me if I lapse into stream-of-consciousness mode for a bit, but — as you’ll see — streams both literal and figurative will play an integral role in the day.
Finally found my way to the exhibition floor. Stopped by the Zojirushi booth and had a very nice conversation with Tatsu Yamisake about their Fresh Brew home coffee maker. Told him a dozen things I liked about it, and my one significant nit… that bothersome path the stream of hot water takes through the reservoir on its way to the brew-head. We discussed alternatives, but it comes down to an air gap of some sort. Hey, these folks have been doing vacuum insulated things for a very long time… they’ll sort it out. [Laryngitis in Japanese: ???]
Significant things afoot on the home-roaster / micro-roaster front, including tiny, scaled-down drum-roasters from Diedrich and Probat. Either would make a lovely gift for the coffee-roaster in your life.
Far too much to report on the espresso front… The tricked-out two-group Synesso in the Barista Guild booth was sweeeet, ‘specially loved the insulated steam wands. Enjoyed a conversation with Kees Van der Westen and a hands-on tour of the Mirage Duette. Love the foot-switch operated steam. And the Versalab folks are upping the geek factor with their suite of “reference” gear, and doubly so with their new M3 grinder. I know of two alties who placed orders on the show floor… don’t think I’ve seen that before. I still don’t understand why the guy operating the M3 espresso machine was pulling 3 to 4 ounce doubles… though even at that volume they were creamy shots.
Briefly noted…
- Best booth: Espresso Parts
- Best new product: Espressocraft tamper
- Best brewed coffee: Leopard Forest’s Zimbabwe AA+ was stunning
- Best espresso: Tied between Jay Caragay’s espresso macchiato at Hines’ and Jennifer Prince’s version in the BGA booth [a perfect rosette in a 2 ounce paper cup!!]
- Thing I never thought I’d see, Part I: Dr. John of Josuma pulling doubles with a naked portafilter
- Thing I never thought I’d see, Part II: Ben Cohen [of Ben&Jerry’s] scoopin’ Fair Trade ice-cream. Naked. Er, shirtless. Well, for a moment or two, anyway.
- Thing(s) I never want to see again: powdered coffee products of all sorts, instant cappuccino machines, and their ilk. Why are they here? Really, I’d prefer Ben naked again.
- Things I didn’t get to see at all: the WBC. Dammit.
The floor tour was pleasantly interrupted with a Zen & Coffee session, once again featuring Rev. Frank Jude Boccio. A timely reminder to be in the present… something that I frequently need reminding of.
And after the show, the C-Member reception [see Fortune toss coffee.] And after that, the Roaster’s Guild reception. And after that, the Transfair Reception. Here things get really interesting.
The reception is held at the Seattle Art Museum [SAM to Seattleites] which is hosting a roving exhibition of Chinese photography and video, in addition to some of their more permanent, dynastical collections. [Laryngitis in Chinese: ???].
Begin stream of consciousness diversion…
The collection contains some stunning images… one photo set featured a man repeatedly striking a large, carved wooden stamp upon the surface of a river. It was a vivid, focused reminder of a tale I’ve heard told and retold, of Tibetan monks printing words on water. Since I first heard the story, it’s impressed me as an artful metaphor for the ephemeral quality of the web… what I happen to do for a living.
End stream of consciousness diversion.
So at the Transfair reception, Ben Cohen [remember the shirt trick, above?] announces [seen here under the benevolent gaze of a Quing Dynasty citizen soldier… and no snarking, it’s a cell-phone photo] that having been inspired and emboldened by their successes with Fair Trade coffee in their ice-cream, Ben & Jerry’s will be pursuing Fair Trade chocolate and vanilla as well. [Gasp. This is not a small undertaking.]
Very nice. Very nice, indeed.
And after that, the Experience Music Project event, which was honestly too cool for words.
Favorite exchange of the evening…
Me: Woah! Looks like this place was built by Frank Gehry.
She: No… it was built by Paul Allen.
Me: [blink]
Latin music. Beetles. Dylan. See, you just had to be there. And after that, walking 7 blocks up Capital Hill to a little club off an alley…
Come to think of it, it’s little wonder I got sick, eventually.
Just another lesson, I suppose, to remain in the present… this too, is ephemeral and will pass away.
Hey!
I happened to be surfing the net, came across your blog entry and wanted to say “Thank You” for the kind words about the macchiatto you had at Hines the other night. Ending up behind the bar after Bronwen took off and facing the who’s who of the coffee world was more stressful than the USBC. I’m glad that you enjoyed the macchiatto and I’m honored to be compared favorably with Jennifer Prince – she’s just an awesome barista.
Jay
…and you are, perhaps, more modest than you need to be. Your own reputation is well earned.
Will you be competing again? And will you once again spoil your judges with your shaved ice creations?
P.S. No quibbles about Jennifer, however… she’s as awesome as you say.