The Lunch Break Chronicles

12/11/2008

RAUS COFFEE COMPANY, STAMFORD

As I bemoan the lack of high-quality, locally roasted coffee in Fairfield County, I am harboring a little secret: in this vast coffee wasteland, we do have a startup roaster right here in Stamford.

Stamford resident Donny Raus, of Raus Coffee Company, has been working hard to fire up is roasting business. Those of us who know him have had the opportunity to sample his coffees firsthand. They are quite good.

I brought along a 12 oz. bag of his Takengon Mandeling, a Sumatran coffee, with me for a weekend in East Hampton this summer. After brewing a cup in my ceramic drip brewer, I set out for a lounge chair on the deck (The experience was nearly perfect until town workers began jackhammering the asphalt outside the house).

The intervening months have given Raus time for roasting, logging and perfecting roast profiles. He has also been providing coffee for small businesses and at events locally.

Raus also heads up the Connecticut Coffee Society, a meetup group in Fairfield county that somewhat regularly gathers for coffee cuppings and other events. [DISCLAIMER: I am a member, though I haven't been able to attend an event for some time because of conflicts with my work schedule]

I have been waiting for him to get his website up and running before I post this here on the LBC, however, I wanted to go ahead and give you a heads up.

You can contact Donny at info@rauscoffee.com and he can ship coffee to you.

Aside from the Takengon Mandeling, Raus also offers his Pitalito co-op from Colombia, Gatina Estate, from Kenya, and a decaf Peruvian coffee. I’m impressed by them all, even the decaf, which I accidentally drank for a few days before figuring it out.

–CP

P.S. He sent me this price list, but you might ask him about a holiday promotion I read about on his company’s Facebook group.

My home-roasted espresso blend.

11/29/2008

I roast my own coffee.

This may be the epitome of coffee geekiness, but it really is the only way I can ensure a proper supply of fresh, quality espresso blends for personal consumption.

You would think that Fairfield County with all of its affluence would be fertile ground for real coffee, perhaps a “third-wave” cafe or at the very least access to freshly roasted coffee in the supermarkets.

You would be wrong.

After coming to this sad realization, I set out trying to bribe friends from New York to supply me with beans, I subsequently switched to mail ordering from places like Counter Culture and Intelligentsia and then after quickly recognizing I would go broke air-freighting Black Cat to my doorstep, I settled on home roasting.

The first step in home roasting is generally the use of a popcorn popper as a roaster. They are cheap and available at Target. There are many limitations to this method (the potential for uneven roasts and a extremely limited batch size), but its a good way to start roasting at a minimal cost.

THE CATCH: roasting coffee produces smoke so you really need to do this outside…but it is winter and the cold extends your roast-time, possibly by so much you end up with undesirable/undrinkable coffee.

I Need Coffee has an interesting article on popcorn-popper roasting in the winter. The author is using a cardboard box to recirculate hot air back into the popper for more efficient roasting.

[At this point the LBC would like to note this blog, the Advocate and Hearst Communications shall not be held responsible for any ensuing structure fires and/or personal injury].

Fortunately I moved up to a small Gene Cafe home roaster and the low temperatures present less of a problem. Roast time is still extended but not to the point of failure.

Or you can put it off until spring.

-CP

Chris Preovolos/The Advocate

11/20/2008

No trip to Manhattan is complete without a stop at Cafe Grumpy in Chelsea for a ristretto and a cappuccino (This time I also managed to get to Shake Shack before the crazy-long line formed).

I had to rush back to Stamford for an assignment at Westhill’s student newspaper, the Westword. So, while hustling over to the six-train to head back to Grand Central Terminal, I was able to look up the Metro-North schedule and even get track information using StationStop’s new iPhone app. Check it out on his blog: here.

Since I’m not a daily commuter, I’ve only used it a couple of times now but I’m pretty impressed.

I was somewhat concerned about its accuracy when I arrived at track 27 and there was no infomation posted on the electronic signboard, but the StationStops app was correct and I got a seat on an express train back to Stamford just in time.

–CP

Cappuccino. 41st-ish and Park.

Photo/Chris Preovolos

10/25/2008

JOE, THE ART OF COFFEE: GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL, GRAYBAR PASSAGE

If you can bear to drink your cappuccino out of a paper cup – I nearly shudder at the thought – Joe, the Art of Coffee’s Grand Central Terminal location is easily the most accessible opportunity to experience high quality espresso and espresso-based drinks.

Fortunately, they will serve you a single espresso in a ceramic demitasse, so not all civility is lost and you can down one as you watch a talented barista deftly apply a micro-foam rosetta atop your drink of choice.

(more…)

10/6/2008

Venerable Portland, Ore. coffee company Stumptown Coffee Roasters has expanded eastward with a new roasting operation in Brooklyn. The ‘third-wave’ roaster is supplying 9th St. Espresso where I picked up 12-oz. of their very bright Yirgacheffe Kaleb Kocherie.

Light, and floral with a delicate mouthfeel, the Yirg is a very distinctive Ethiopian single-origin that will not disappoint. The company will tell you that – among other things – there are hints of “watermelon juice” in the finish, but go ahead and try it for yourself; the next time you see Yirgacheffe on a menu give it a shot. It’s one of the few reasons I break my espresso addiction and go with the press-pot (or lately a single-cup cone dripper).

–CP

Lousy iPhone photo/Chris Preovolos

9/23/2008

I was down at Café Grumpy (the Chelsea location) this weekend with a friend and was delighted to see they were pulling Ritual’s Finca el Guayabo, Huila, a Colombian for their single-origin option for espresso and milk drinks.

If you haven’t been down there yet, you need to go. I usually order a ristretto (short, single shot) of the Novo Heartbreaker blend and a single-original cappuccino (the selection here rotates). This time I went back for another ristretto after brunch. The place is that good.

As a purist, I urge you try the small cappuccino if you are getting a milk-based drink, even if you normally order some sort of crazy latte at Starbucks…you will not be disappointed.

Oh yeah, did I mention they have two Clover machines and a short menu of fantastic coffees that is constantly being updated? I almost never get the “regular” coffee from the Clover because I’m so in love with the cappucinnos. However, I will say when they were the offering Intelligentsia’s Nicaraguan Limoncillo, (Cup of Excellence second place winner) I did have a single $7 cup. I know you aren’t going to believe me, but it’s worth every penny.

A full post about Grumpy is in the works but I just wanted to give a heads up. I can’t get enough of this place.

If Ed is working the Synesso, ask him to pull you a God-shot.

Enough of that, I gotta go pull a shot (currently home-roasted Liquid Amber blend from Sweet Maria’s).

–CP