Moustache

Hello all,

During my Sydney week I had a lot of fun with the Mecca Clan!!
Our first meeting was a strange one.
When I entered the Mecca bar I saw a man with a familiar face.
I did recognize him but I didn’t remember where from…
But still there was that familiar face, but…. There was something strange.
Then I new it was Paul. But with a WHAT? A moustache??
So I said to my college: See, I told you.. Sydney is trendy and modern See?

During that week I saw a lot of baristi witch moustaches and I knew it for sure…
Sydney was so hip and cool.

Then after a week something happened. All the barista looked as naked as naked portafilters.
All of them shaved their moustache of. Then I asked WHY???

Here’s the reason: it was MO-vember. They all had moustaches for Cancer. What a nice and rock & Roll initiative.

This month in the Netherlands is Moustache month. So I decided to mail a lot of mail barista and coffee lovers and asked them to join me.

I offered to send me a photo every week and I will publish it on my blog.

I already received 1 reaction. I promised to let grow my moustache if there are a few enthusiastic….

If we have a few I will ask Sara Lee and other company’s to sponsor…

To be continued!

Take care!

Tasting bridge and barista jam!

Hello,

Just finished a very busy week at the big exhibition in Maastricht.
With my fellow barista Onno and my bartender fellow Lodi von Schmidt we produced some magical espresso tasting bridges. Just to show the bar and restaurant owners that it’s so easy to do more with coffee.

And of course Monday night there was the 1st barista jam of the year.
Cofeelovers Albert and me where very proud that our SMS bomb has worked.
I think 50-60 baristi and espresso addicts showed up. And we just talked and drunk champagne, wine and beer. There was enough to speak about. The head roaster of BlanchDael showed us his roasting technique on a nice Probat. I introduced Rose, our Dutch champ to Danny. He’s a pattisier in a two Michelin star restaurant BELUGA. He promised Rose to combine espresso with olives, tomato’s and Italian salad????? Looking forward to taste that!!!

Please enjoy the pictures!

Take care, Jeroen

Louis just got his new shirt, look how happy he is!Enough to talk about!Being a barista is Rock & Roll, This Coffeelovers barista proofs it!Danny, the 2 michelin star pattisier with our espresso tasting bridge

Hello all,

Next Monday January 22nd we will organize the first barista jam in 2007.
Because of a big exhibition it will be held in Maastricht .
The initiative was taken by Albert from Blanche dael Coffeelovers.
http://www.mbd.nl/coffeelovers.html.

looking forward to rock on the 2 group Mirage and 3 group Mistral in Coffeelovers!

He took the initiative because lots off barista are in town coming week.
Every coffee roaster who’s on the exhibition will have one or more barista in the booth.

We will have 4 baristi. Onno and my self on the delicatessen show with Piazza d’Oro.
Jan and Michael on the big HORECA show with Laurentis and Douwe Egberts.

The barista jam starts on 8.30 in the evening. There is no program, just be there and drink, talk and jam!!

Pictures will follow,

Take care, Jeroen

Hello all, Next Monday January 22nd we will orga…

Hello all,

Next Monday January 22nd we will organize the first barista jam in 2007.
Because of a big exhibition it will be held in Maastricht .
The initiative was taken by Albert from Blanche dael Coffeelovers.
http://www.mbd.nl/coffeelovers.html.

looking forward to rock on the 2 group Mirage and 3 group Mistral in Coffeelovers!

He took the initiative because lots off barista are in town coming week.
Every coffee roaster who’s on the exhibition will have one or more barista in the booth.

We will have 4 baristi. Onno and my self on the delicatessen show with Piazza d’Oro.
Jan and Michael on the big HORECA show with Laurentis and Douwe Egberts.

The barista jam starts on 8.30 in the evening. There is no program, just be there and drink, talk and jam!!

Pictures will follow,

Take care, Jeroen

Wine professional

Hello all,

Yesterday we finished the exhibition called ‘Wine Professional’.
This is a delicatessen show. Lot’s of wine houses, caviar, bread etc to taste and to buy for the professional market.

And of course we where there with Piazza d’Oro.
This was an perfect opportunity to test our new bar and Mirage.

The bar was a big success. It worked very well and was big enough for our barista and our bartender.
Of course it wasn’t 100% perfect. We have to do some improvements to make it perfect.

The Mirage was incredible. I have never tasted our own blends as good as I did last days.
The results of the progressive infusion are amazing. The whole Mirage is amazing. Perfect coffee temperature and very powerful steam pressure. A combination we don’t find every day.

Please enjoy some simple pictures I’ve made.

Take care, Jeroen

My Fellow barista Onno

She worked very well…

Our bar…The bad and the ugly, where is the Good? (my friend and colleague Bas and Me)I love our presentation. we served an ‘espresso tasting bridge’. left is a cocktail with espresso, grand marnier and poir william. In the middle our espresso and the right glass is a creme of chocolate and coffee topped with a foam of a Dutch Liquere called ‘advocaat’ an grand marnier.

Proudly presents….part 2

Dear all,

Yesterday was D-day.
In the early morning I drove to Kees small factory in Veldhoven.
I was a bit exited. We where talking about this Veloce machine for a long time, so I was really looking forward to see it.

El Maestro preparing espresso. I’m sure Kees will reach the finals at WBC
And there she was. Shining and ready to go with me. But not before Kees gave me all the instructions and information about the new features. This Mirage is not a regular machine. Is build with a few options that Kees already used for Duane (Stumptown), David Schomer and others.
The levetta’s (Kees is thinking about the real name for this option) for example where already used for all Duanes machines. I saw them in Portland last year and I was really enthusiastic about this function. In my opinion they really help you to be more productive as a barista.
A Mirage is never ready. Just before the is there the milk jug holder….

Than the tap for tea water. In most machines this water comes directly out of the boiler, boiling…
This machine is equipped with a solution to mix cold and hot water together. So the tea water isn’t boiling anymore. Perfect for Americano’s also.

Than the progressive infusion in the group heads.
It took me the whole trip back to think about it and to understand it. Under the group head is an cylinder with a spring. When the water is coming on the coffee, it will expand and will offer resistance. Than the water will come in the cylinder with the spring. So it takes a little while to fill the cylinder. Once it is filled the water comes on the coffee again. The trick is that the pressure comes really inchmeal. So not 9 bars at once but the pressure will be build up to 9 bars. I played with it yesterday but I don’t have a conclusion yet. After the first exhibition day tomorrow we will know more.

There is a lot more to tell about this machine. What about the opportunity to place your milkjug on a custom made kind of platform. Ideal to foam the milk and do some other things at the same time. This is often done by barsti. Most times we place some saucers in front of the machine to hold the milk jug. But this solution is much better looking. And it works because of the extra large steam wands.
The milk jug holder. perfect to make more production as barista…
Then the bar of course. It is just a perfect bar. I have said enough about this beauty in other topics. It’s custom made for baristi. And when we developed it we where really inspired by bartender work stations. I’m really happy how Steel Stuff worked it out to this loungy, trendy, modern and good-looking bar.
I’m Happy…
Take care, Jeroen

Proudly presents….

Dear all,

I’m very exited and proud to show our new bar.

On the Steel Stuff pictures you can see her in her full glory at Steel Stuff’s

Coming monday we start to work with it on an exhibition.

I will make more pictures when the bar is complete with the Monster Mirage…

Take care, Jeroen

1st pic. new Mirage

hello all,

as promised…

The first picture of my new Mirage…

Special attention for the poke.

special created to do big volumes or to keep in touch with your customer while U start & stop the pomp. and ofcourse the Progesive group head.

Monday we start to work with this beauty,

So after monday more pics and results.

Take care, Jeroen

Happy week!!!

Hello all,

Coming week will be a special one.
Of course because of new year, but there is one other reason…

My new mobile barista unit and last but not least: my new Mirage!!

Last few months we worked hard to develop an ultimate perfect barista unit.
Perfect in the sense of perfect logistic and a perfect routing.
Every time I’ve worked on a location I placed the mirage on a table witch was Rock & Roll but not really professional.
Together with Steel Stuff company ( http://www.steelstuff.nl/ ) we developed an almost perfect mobile unit. It will be a modular system. the biggest unit is the barista unit. Then there is a smaller bartender and a smaller culinair unit. It will be delivered this week to be used on the first exhibition in 2007.

And a new bar needs a new machine J
I’ve asked Kees van der Westen to go loose on a new machine.
I had a special request. During our trip to Portland last year I saw the 5 group !!! Mistral machine at Duanes bar. On that machines were some kind of Pokers or levers installed.
These pokers where there to start and stop the pomp. The reason to develop these pokers was to make it easier to work behind a 5 group machine. The reason I wanted these on my machine is to make it easier to communicate with customers and start and stop the pomp cat the same time. And of course it is more Rock & Roll than those small buttons J
And there will progressive infusion to!!
I will post the pictures as soon as possible.

Take care and a happy and healthy 2007!

No Worries…

hello all,

last week I had the opportunity to visit Sydney.

A full week down under in the espresso culture of Sydney.

Thanks to my colleague Maurijn, my Ausie mates Max (Massimo Full Tour) and Vince, Paul end the Mecca bar Crew, lots of other espresso bar owners and lots of Piazza d’Oro colleagues.

enjoy the pics..

The Opera House…

the sky line…

With two Ausie Baristi

With Paul from Mecca Bar (with Movember Moustache)
and that master Mistral

Bloody Barista shoes soaked with nice sweet ethiopian coffee

I will post more pics soon!!

take care, Jeroen