Milwaukee Specialty Food and Coffee

Travel: Reflections of Deutschland

Now that I´m about halfway through my trip to Germany, I am taking a minute to reflect on what has happened so far.  There isn´t really a specialty coffee scene here like that in the States.  The baseline is, perhaps, higher.  I theorize that because the coffee was not as bad here as it was in North America during most of the 20th century, a snowballing movement to improve the quality of coffee never got started.  Another factor is that this country is now much more of a melting pot than America.  I´d estimate that only about 50% of the people you see on the street are ethnically German.  (I don´t think the Germans themselves notice this.)  Of course, people of Middle Eastern descent will have their own coffee preferences and traditions.  I always thought it was an alarmist viewpoint that the United States is the last great hope for Anglo-Saxon culture, but this trip has definitely confirmed that. (Granted, I haven´t yet left the Rhine-Ruhr megalopolis, which surely must be one of the densest areas in the Western world—Cologne just kind of segues into Düsseldorf, which segues into. . .)

Travel: Hit the Jackpot

I am going online on an Internet kiosk that is so user-unfriendly, it could have been designed by Dr. Mengele himself.

This evening, I had probably the best espresso in my life at Espresso Perfetto.  (Pictured here is the amazing variety of espresso paraphernalia on display at Espresso Perfetto's Cologne location.)  Earlier, I bought a burr grinder and water boiler for in-room coffee.  I had bought beans at a place in Duisburg called Heinemann that is eerily similar to Heinemann's in Milwaukee.  I also bought beans at Perfetto.

Travel: Travel plans change—extra weekend of Starvergnügen

I just called American Airlines to change my return flight to Sunday.  It will be a direct flight from Frankfurt to Chicago rather than Düsseldorf-London-Chicago, so my "cuppa" coffee experience will have to wait until I can do it properly.

I actually went to Düsseldorf Airport last night to try to find an AA office there, but there is none—only their codesharing partner, British Airways.  I took some pictures, but I´m still in the dark(room) ages of photography—film—so I probably can´t upload them until I get back.  It actually looked like a great airport, so I recommend flying there if possible when visiting Germany.

My best coffee experience so far has been in Cologne Central (Train) Station at a place called Galestro (pictured here is their espresso bar, taken after closing).  They have a rare real espresso machine—superautomatics are omnipresent here, both for drip coffee and espresso.  As a result, no other coffees I´ve had so far have been anything to write home about, other than some I had yesterday in a private home.

Travel: Let the Star-vergnügen begin!

I´m here!  As you will be able to tell, German keyboards are quite different.  I´ve already had my first cup of Starbucks here, and almost disappointingly, it is exacltly the same (except fresh).  I am going to try to find the Starbucks with the coffee seminar, so I will make this short. 

Contributing Author Jeff Oien: Minty Coffee

I split up my Indonesian beans and put some in the freezer in small jars because I use it in large (small?) part as a small component in my own blends.

One day I opened up a jar and it smelled like mint but I thought it was just something in the kitchen. Then the next day I smelled it again. This time I tasted it in the coffee, especially as it cooled. I asked my wife to smell the jar and she noticed it too. Then we remembered she used that jar to put mouthwash in for a day trip we took. We know for sure the jar was washed, but apparently this isn't enough.

So don't do this. Or do it if you like mint in your coffee. Coffee that makes your breath fresh? Maybe we're on to something.

Retail Coffee: Esmeralda Afternoon Delight (Pourover)

As pourover drip coffee, the Esmeralda is much the same as that brewed using French press.  Again, I've usually been blending in some darker-tasting coffee, such as Tully's Espresso Blend.  I just received my pound of Joffrey's El Salvador Santa Rita and look forward to trying that blended with Esmeralda as well.

Retail Coffee: Esmeralda Afternoon Delight (Espresso)

OK, now I get what all the fuss is about.  Although I'm doing it differently than most: I'm pulling the Esmeralda as espresso.

It seems that you need a coarser grind when pulling shots of Esmeralda.

For me, the "holy grail" of espresso is not having the urge to rinse your mouth afterwards.  The clean finish of Esmeralda makes it absolutely perfect for this.

Retail Coffee: Esmeralda Afternoon Delight (French Press)

My first impression is that I know this taste and aroma—from Caribou Coffee's Amy's Blend, I believe.  I'm really surprised to see that Amy's Blend contains no Panamanian.

I'm glad that Peet's didn't roast this coffee very dark.

I'm getting a definite curry taste.  Wonder if anyone has commented on that before.

Snapshots: Starbucks in Whitefish Bay

I'm pleased to report that I just stopped in to the Whitefish Bay Starbucks and that the drip coffee (Breakfast Blend this time) was fresh.  What's more, for the first time at any Starbucks in my experience, the multigrain bagel was also fresh—usually, they have that awful freezer taste.

Retail Coffee: Esmeralda Afternoon Delight at 3:30

For the next three days, I'll be brewing up some of the Peet's Panama Esmeralda Gesha I received today (it's actually spelled without the "i", but usually misspelled for obvious reasons).  This afternoon, I'll start with French Press, then move on to espresso and pourover over the next couple days.  I'll make the Esmeralda every afternoon at 3:30 so that I can blog my impressions in real time.