1000 £ Bend: Now serving Will&Co.

Will, from Will&Co...

1000 £ Bend: Now serving Will&Co. 
Melbourne's much loved coffee haunt 1000 £ Bend has taken on a brand new coffee supplier -  Will&Co. - a recently launched Sydney-based coffee company. Will from Will&Co. (pictured, not a founding member, the name is a co-incidence!) is down today dishing out cold brew coffee to customers and introducing the brand to Melbourne. The espresso blend (same blend as used in the cold brew) is the perfect palate-pleasing all-rounder: well balanced acidity, malty undertones and a clean mouthfeel. Free cold brew was for this morning only - but the espresso blend is here to stay!

£1000 Bend located at: 361 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

photos www.rhphoto.com.au

Camping - but still great coffee

I have learnt the hard way that roughing it ain't so rough with good coffee. This technique is simple and you don't need anything fancy to ensure yourself great coffee 'in the bush!'.

All you need is:

An airtight jar of your favourite coffee, filter grind

paper coffee filters

Gas cooker

A tea pot with built in removable tea strainer (of course you might have 'real' coffee pour-over equipment but my tea pot did me fine!)

Also you need the obvious things like water and cups!!

Assemble the above items and boil two cups of water on the gas burner.

Here you can see the tea strainer, perfect for placing your coffee paper filter into.

Here the paper filter is in the strainer, and add 4 tablespoons of ground coffee (more or less according to taste of course)

Carefully pour water (I allow it to boil then remove from heat and pour from about 20 cm away which allows water to cool a little before hitting the coffee) over the coffee beans. Stop half way to gently stir ensuring there are no air pockets.

Pour remaining water and allow to run through.

Pour and enjoy!

KeepCup launches in Glass! - KeepCup Brew

It has been lovely getting to know the people behind Melbourne's coffee scene - it really has. And amongst them is Abigail and the team behind KeepCup. The KeepCup, as we know it, is great - for all the reasons discussed in my story featured in VOL TWO of Espresso Tales Mag (practicality, sustainability, convenience...) but now - add to that 'Class'.

KeepCup have launched, in addition to their well known plastic reusable cups, a glass version; KeepCup Brew. I guess you could say it is the Rolls Royce option! Several cups were sent on to me to check out. Gosh it was like Christmas! The packaging even is beautiful! Almost too beautiful to chuck straight into the recycling - but importantly, and in keeping with their sustainability ethos, one can do just that.

 

The cup itself is really lovely - it feels classy.  I can see this taking pride of place on desks everywhere!

I take it across the road for my coffee in the mornings, to take back to my desk and inevitably people mention it! Both baristas and other customers! (Bit of a head turner this one)

KeepCup have launched this in more than one size - handy for those who like to go large. The glass construction makes for a heavier a cup, of course, so in my mind this is not the cup you chuck in your handbag for just in case. No - this is more the keep on your desk version, for the in-house cafe or for popping out to everyones favourite local over the road.

Here are some shots from the very first time I did just this, and crossed the road (thanks lovely barista lady from Dundas & Faussett!) for a flat white.

Job done! Easy.

Now, if you don't mind it is 10.07am and I am overdue my morning coffee!

For more info see here

Words and Pictures by Rebecca Hughes

for 

KeepCup

www.keepcup.com.au

Preview: Omar and the Marvellous Coffee Bird

Dean and Andy of Omar and the Marvellous Coffee Bird, Gardenvale.

Despite the name of our magazine, we are not really all that coffee focussed. Sure, it's a good thing. Sure it's a beverage many of us drink daily and some of us would consider life considerably less rich without it. But all the same it is after all just a drink. (Mmmm, coffee...) In edition Three we will meet Dean and Andy for whom coffee is not just a beverage. It is their livelihood and their passion. Volume Three is  out in May, when you will be able to read all about it!

In the meantime catch up on VOL 1 and VOL 2 here

Omar and the Marvellous Coffee Bird
124 Gardenvale Road
Gardenvale Victoria 3185

A chat with Heath Cater of Coffee Supreme

Heath Cater, Managing Director of Coffee Supreme.

Later this year Coffee Supreme turns 21. It's a coming of age! Last week I chatted with Heath Cater of Coffee Supreme to find out more about his journey in to coffee and where Coffee Supreme is at now. Heath's journey, incidentally, started when he was hired as the delivery guy by husband-wife owner operators in Wellington, New Zealand back in 1997 . Through serendipity, mostly, Heath soon found himself in charge of the roasting.
Heath points out that this is typical of the company even today. Staff work in the job they are hired in but are quickly trained up in other areas also. This, he offers,  makes for a  happy, well rounded, highly skilled team.

Get the full story in VOL 3 of Espresso Tales due out in May 2014 (look for it at MICE14!)

Grab a copy of Volume One or Two here


Coffee Supreme
www.coffeesupreme.com

Preview: Wild Timor Coffee

L-R Eddie, Cameron, Michael, Tom and Shannon. Owners of Let Me Be Frank (Eddie and Michael) have put their faith in WILD TIMOR COFFEE, a fledgling coffee company determined to make a difference...

Yesterday I met the team behind WILD TIMOR COFFEE at Let Me Be Frank (cafe, South Melbourne) who were the first cafe to take on  WILD TIMOR COFFEE.

This is an exciting time for these guys, and it was great to meet them at this early stage. So far much of their efforts have been in forging the way for that first one-ton shipment growing wild in the mountain regions of Maubisse and Aileu to your flat white, perfectly executed by Eddie at LMBF.

This journey involved large helpings of  red tape from local authorities and on-going education of the local farmers who until now have been paid poorly for their coffee and have had no motivation to improve their farming practices. This first shipment arrived in November 2012.

The WILD TIMOR team is not long back from spending last month in Timor assisting the farmers in the harvest and organising the crops' subsequent 2nd shipment to Australia.

There is so much to say - and some funny stories too! I will stop now and you can read the full story in Espresso Tales Volume Two, due out in November. Meanwhile WILD TIMOR COFFEE can be found every Sunday 9am-2pm at D Division, Pentridge Prison, 13 Urquhart Street, Coburg, VIC.

Wild Timor Coffee Co.

46 Jesica Road

​Campbellfield, VIC  3061

www.wildtimorcoffee.com

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Brew Class: Chemex, with David from The Abbotsford Club

Brew Class: Chemex

The Abbotsford Club

(Coffee Supreme)

28-36 Grosvenor St  

Abbotsford VIC 3067

It was great attending a brew class this morning at The Abbotsford Club at Coffee Supreme. David ran though the equipment and techniques required and demonstrated the process from beginning to end. I'm so pleased I came along - like anything the first time is a bit daunting but David insists that practice makes perfect and that the Chemex is user friendly even for beginners. As always I will let the pictures do the talking:

The lab-inspired chemex is a thing of beauty to behold...

David talks about the grind and the 'recipe'

Folding the filter paper...

Fold and fold again and open the cone to place in mouth of the Chemex...

The paper must be soaked through with boiled water to warm the equipment and to remove the papery taste from the filter.

Keep the hot water in the Chemex until ready to start brewing to keep it all hot...

Discard the water and add 30gm ground coffee (medium 'sand-like' grind) to center of the filter cone.

Soak all the coffee with water (ideally 92'C). Pour just enough to give a good soaking.

Agitate to ensure all coffee is soaked. Allow to soak in at least 30 seconds until coffee loses the wet look.

Now pour remainder of water (about 500gm/500ml)

Another brief agitation to ensure even coverage. Once water has filtered through discard filter paper and grinds.

And there you have it....

Time for the taste test.

The coffee is light and clean yet full flavoured. 

Time for attendee's to have a go.