Living with a vintage espresso machine

 

"It's just like owning a vintage Ferrari."

I love my espresso machine. It's gorgeous. It's truly special. And it produces incredible espresso.

But the machine has been out-of-duty since June due to a gasket failure. I briefly thought that I could take on the repairs myself, but when I told Terry Z from Caffewerks that it looked like I was going to need to bend the sheet metal to do the work, he told me to stop right there. 

In retrospect, he was right and having to live without espresso for a half year was, in fact, the correct choice. 

This is the reality of living with a vintage espresso machine. Either you are one of the rare number of people in the world who are mechanical engineers with a deep background in vintage Italian espresso machines and a garage full of no-longer-in-production parts -- or you know one of those people and they are willing to help you fix your machine every time a part fails.

The good news is that it only took Terry a day and a half to replace the damaged cage and put the correct gasket in place. The good news is that Terry is a genius and a good friend. The good news is that now I can make and drink great espresso again. The good news is that the Waiakalua Espresso Garage is back in business!

Huge mahalos to Terry. And to those considering purchasing or running a vintage espresso machine, caveat emptor. 

Some nice espresso options from Maquina

Well... that was quick. I asked for some suggestions on coffees to try, and specified what I was looking for in espresso.

Despite a bit of a faltering start - I quickly got a few nice ones from Maquina Coffee Roasters, and thought I'd share my thoughts on them.

First... their Parts & Labor blend.

This is a unique and interesting espresso, and one that should please a wide range of coffee drinkers.

A relatively light roast blend that combines high grown Latin coffees with a sweet and fruity Ethiopian coffee, Parts & Labor gives you a range of potential extraction sweet spots which should satisfy many palates.

In the cup, the espresso is dominated by layers of sweetness. Depending on the sweet spot chosen these can range from honey and berry sweetness to cocoa and red fruit sweetness to a combination of all the above.

With my set-up I found two optimal sweet spots - both at a brew temp of 202.3f.

The first sweet spot yielded a "modern" style shot - representing a sort of highly concentrated version of a brewed version of the coffee. With a neutral dose, fine grind, and more full extraction, the result was a shot dominated by berry and jam flavors and soaring floral notes. A mild sweet cocoa base and hints of raw honey brought it all together. Mouthfeel was thin, and the flavor was very clean - leaving the palate quickly. Best as a straight shot or as a short americano and largely lost in milk drinks.

The second sweet spot yielded a more "traditional" style shot - where the espresso isn't just a method of brewing but rather a style of beverage as well. With a larger dose, coarser grind, and more restricted shot, the result was an extraordinarily concentrated shot with deep layers of sweetness ranging from red fruit to berry compote to fruit liqueur and sweet cocoa - all wrapped in layers of honey. The chocolate became more present, giving the shot a muscular base and balance. Mouthfeel was coating and creamy - and as a result the shot was optimal consumed in a single sip (and then savored for 20-30 minutes). Great as a straight shot or a cappuccino, but best in a macchiato.

I can recommend this one highly to anyone who is comfortable working with lighter roasted espresso.

And saving the best for, well, second... the Brazil Fazenda Baioka.

In general, when I think "single origin medium roast espresso from Brazil" I think of a very specific flavor profile. What Duane Sorenson once called "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups." When good, these coffees are usually dominated by light milk chocolate, hints of cocoa, and tons and tons of almond butter and peanut butter and cashew butter. There are, in many ways, the prototypical "comfort food espresso."

This is not that single origin espresso from Brazil.

In the cup, this espresso is all about the cherry flavors - with strong cherry liqueur notes, some nice chocolate covered dark cherry, and Rainier cherry acidity on top - all riding on a solid base of muscular chocolate syrup. This is a very nice single origin espresso and is something I could drink regularly.

With my set-up there was one clear optimal sweet spot. This was at 199.7f brew temp, a neutral dose, and a more full extraction. The one warning here is that brew temps over 200f result in strongly bitter shots with noticeable astringency. So you need to be able to control your brew temp well.

Best as a straight shot but also good in a short milk drink. Definitely recommended for anyone looking for a medium roast, super tasty espresso.

My Search for Espresso

Well... so far my search for a new "House Espresso" has had mixed results.

I'll start with the good... I've tried coffees from three roasters that were good to excellent coffees, and which produced interesting to good espresso. None really matched my needs for a go-to espresso, but they were all worth drinking, and a few are decent stop-gap options for me long term. 

Now the bad... I've had a lot of bad espresso, and unfortunately a lot of mediocre to not good coffee - and most of these coffees have been premium priced. I've been trying all these coffees as espresso, but I've also been cupping them. Other than the coffees from the three roasters I mention below, none of the coffees I've cupped would have graded out over 84 points. That would be fine - if they were priced accordingly. But I've been selecting "special" coffees, and they've been priced based on their specialness. 

On the good side - I've had a couple really nice coffees from Maquina Coffee.  Both their Parts & Labor blend and their Brazil Fazenda Baioka were very nice coffees and resulted in good to very good espresso. The coffees from Puff Coffee consistently performed very well on the cupping table, and their Spirit Lifter was workable as espresso. And I had two coffees from my old employer Stumptown Coffee Roasters that were very nice indeed. Both the Guatemala Finca El Injerto Bourbon and the Honduras El Puente Natural were standouts on the cupping table and produced interesting espresso. 

Back to the bad - I tried coffees from roasters ranging from some of America's hottest and trendiest micro-roasters to rejuvenated larger established roasters to cutting edge roasters to what many call the best roaster in Hawai'i. As noted above - none of these coffees would score over 84 points on the table. Most were in the 82-83 point range. In addition, none had any relationship to their tasting notes. As an example, there was one coffee that was described with flavor notes including cocoa, dry spice, and butterscotch. On the table the cup was dominated by fish oil and burnt toast notes. Another was described as having layered citrus and sweet berry notes, but in the cup was dominated by lemongrass, hay, and lime extract. Neither was drinkable as espresso. Frustratingly, all of these coffees had some degree of roast defect. From par-baked coffees to tipped ones; from coffees that lacked any expansion to ones with visible charred spots; from beans covered in chaff to ones still green in the center - it feels like a lot of folks out there are simply failing at roasting coffee. And all of these coffees were moderately to significantly more expensive that the Puff or Maquina coffees. All were marketed as being very special and unique. Instead, all were marginally better than commodity green that was noticeably mis-roasted. 

I will continue the quest.

I hope to find my dream espresso.

Wish me luck.

Looking for a 'house espresso'

I love experimenting with new coffees - but I also appreciate having a standard, go-to espresso for everyday use. Something I've got really dialed in so that on those 4:45am mornings I don't have to fuck about and can just pull a shot and go to work.

I've had a number of standard 'house espresso" options over the years - but it's time for something new. And I've been trying to find the right coffee - but have been failing.

So I'd love your suggestions.

Now... of course... I have some requirements and I'm more than a little bit picky. So let me first lay out the requirements and criteria and if any of you have ideas for a coffee that might be a good fit, please let me know. Please keep in mind that these are requirements. None are optional.

Requirements

1. It must produce good tasting espresso. I know, this seems obvious but a huge percentage of coffees I've had in the last 10 years produce at best "interesting" tasting espresso. 
2. The espresso must be balanced. And this is where most "interesting" espresso falls down for me. I want an espresso that has a balanced profile - where the acidity is balanced with sweetness and (yes) bitterness. 
3. It must have great mouthfeel. I don't want an espresso that has the mouthfeel of concentrated brewed coffee. It should be slightly viscous. It should be coating. It should linger in the mouth for a half hour.
4. It must give one the experience of espresso. This sums up the prior three points. I am not at all interested in an espresso that is merely a very concentrated brewed coffee in flavor, texture, or experience. I am looking for espresso (the drink) in its classic form.
5. It must be well roasted. I'm less concerned about roast degree (although, given some of the points above, a medium roast is probably the most likely fit). But it cannot be poorly roasted. The beans must be fully developed. They cannot be scorched or tipped. No roast defects... please. They make me sad.
6. It must be a quality green or a blend of quality green coffee. Nothing makes me more depressed that tasting defect in my espresso. I'm tired of baggy, flat, coffee that tastes of damp cardboard. I cannot take any more funky ferment that combines over-ripe blueberry and baby diaper. I don't want commodity coffee that's being "disposed of" in your blend.
7. It must be consistent. I'm perfectly happy tweaking the brew temp 0.3f batch to batch. I'm perfectly happy tweaking dose a few percentage points. But if each batch is like a brand new voyage of discovery, then it's not what I'm looking for. I need the sort of thing a former barista like myself would find easy to work with.
8. It must work well as straight espresso, and in short milk drinks. I make an espresso and a cappuccino every morning. The coffee must work for both. I don't need it to work for a latte, or an americano. But it has to work for an espresso, a cappuccino, and ideally a macchiato as well.

And... ideally, it won't cost an absurd amount of money to have it shipped to Hawai'i. Big shout out to the roasters who ship flat-rate USPS Priority Mail. 

If you read this and think, "Oh I have the espresso for you!" please drop me a comment or send me an email or text message with your suggestion. I would really appreciate it!

Wrenching

Owning a 60 year old hand made espresso machine is a bit like owning a vintage sports car. It's brilliantly engaging, endlessly intriguing, absolutely gorgeous, audience impressing... And requires a fair amount of tinkering. Thankfully, today the legendary Terry Z from Caffewerks was able to talk us through some standard steam wand and steam boiler fiddling.

I'm Baaaaack!

Espresso has been a huge part of my life for more than four decades. From being an avid consumer as a visiting youth in Pisa and Parma, to my time as a newbie professional at Spellbinder. From training with Aaron de Lazzer and then with David Schomer in the early 2000s. From working bar shifts at the Downtown Stumptown with the legendary Lizz Hudson to the early era of The Barista Guild of America. From the professional days to my casual home days pulling shots for, and cupping coffee with, everyone from Drew Cattlin to Tonx; from Duane Sorenson to Andrew Barnett; from Gabe Boscana to Bronwen Serna and Kyle Larson and Sarah Allen and Scott Callender and on and on to all the other wonderful amazing people I got to know in coffee... espresso has been a part of who I am for a very long time.

Back in the late 2000s, I received the gift of all gifts. The incredible Terry Ziniewicz gave me an amazing vintage late '70s La Marzocco GS. And not just any old GS (as if there could be such a thing). This was the customized La Marzocco GS that for years had been the show booth machine for Terry and his company. I've posted about it many times - but suffice it to say that it's one of my absolute favorite espresso machines, and is my most prized possession.

In 2021 we bought a place in Hawai'i and in early 2022 we made the move permanent. Before we left, however, I decided to send the GS off to be refurbished, cleaned, and brought back to spec. This ended up being the beginning of a long and winding journey which eventually took the machine back to Terry at his new company Caffewerks before finally, just a few weeks back and a year and a half later, it showed up here on the north shore of Kauai.

Then Terry arrived along with the lovely Kelly Ziniewicz, and yesterday he (assisted by our friend Texas Billy Zietz) installed the GS in its new home.

And today, at long last, I was able to pull shots again.

Today, at long last, I was able to share espresso with people who love it.

It felt so very good.

Mahalo nui loa to everyone who has been a part of this process - to every hand who helped along the way. I kind of feel like I've regained a missing limb or something.

nice view from the Waiakalua Espresso Bar

Rise Up blend from Outpost Coffee

GS group head and cups

The first shot

One of a kind

Terry and Tex doing their thing

Tough Love for the Coffee Industry

First... some quick bonafides and background. While I used to work in coffee, and still love coffee and the coffee industry, I now make my living doing business strategy consulting - primarily for some of the largest companies in the world. A lot of what I'm doing right now is providing advice to companies about how to adapt to, innovate within and (frankly) to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. 


Times are tough in the coffee industry.

And, frankly, that's an understatement. Many coffee businesses in the United States are unlikely to survive 2020. And almost all that do survive will enter 2021 diminished and damaged.

Coffee businesses are not alone. A significant percentage of large retailers are at risk. The pandemic could represent an extinction level event for the restaurant industry. Hospitality and travel are unlikely to ever be the same - and a large percentage of businesses in this sector are likely to fail in the next six months. From event management companies to temporary staffing firms and from malls to hair salons - the business losses are likely to be profound.

And we are never, ever going to return to the "Old Normal."

So it's time to reposition for a new Normal. In fact, it's past time to do so. If coffee companies fail to get this right, or fail to act, they will likely be out of business before the end of the year.

So how do coffee companies do this?
What is the strategy for surviving?

Below is a generic and generalized approach, based on my work for large global companies, that should be applicable to most if not all coffee businesses. A lot of what I'm going to say will be upsetting and you're likely to want to reject it. You're likely to hate me for saying it. But I'm sharing this out of love for coffee and the coffee industry. I'm saying it because I want you to survive.

So here is the approach:

1. You need to massively trim your retail operations. Any retail cafe which can be repurposed for drive-through in a market when most of your customers are driving cars should be immediately repurposed. Any retail location which can be repurposed for take-out windows (and has sufficient density of people and foot traffic) should have a take-out window added. All retail locations should be shuttered immediately (with the exception of your drive-through and take-out). No customer should enter your stores. If none of your retail locations are suitable for drive-through or take-out, you should consider doing pop-up drive-throughs and pop-up take-out operations. You should then model out the viability of all your remaining retail locations. Take your existing business and apply Best, Base, Worst case adjustments to revenues on a per-location basis (I would suggest using 15%, 30% and 50% as the adjustments given likely reductions in consumer demand). Any retail location that doesn't model out to being able to be profitable in a new Normal should be permanently shut down. You need to reduce staff to the bare minimum to handle your drive-through and take-out. You should not, however, reduce your retail advertising. Advertising rates have plummeted, and you need to retain your customers. As part of your retention strategy, you should also introduce new and improved loyalty programs that span retail and e-commerce and which encourage the purchase of high-margin items. You should immediately ramp up your email marketing focusing most strongly on reactivation campaigns that drive subscriptions. You should also talk to your landlords and try to renegotiate your leases, and/or get your landlords to pay for part of the creation of drive-through or take-out operations.
2. You must immediately pivot away from wholesale. As noted above, restaurants are facing an extinction level event, so you should assume $0 in potential revenues from these customers. Coffee bars (as you know) are equally vulnerable, and if they survive they are likely to be diminished (and are very likely to become cost-conscious buyers). The only grocery businesses that should get one iota of your attention are those that are already optimized for e-commerce and delivery, or for click to collect (online purchasing with pre-packed and pre-paid pickup). The vast majority of other grocery stores are unlikely to survive the coming year. As part of your pivot away from wholesale, you should reduce your wholesale staff to the absolute bare minimum. Basically, you should have enough staff to manage the very few grocery businesses who are likely to be okay. You should cancel any and all marketing and advertising efforts that support wholesale - and that includes all your custom packaging, custom blends, co-marketing, etc. Wholesale clients are likely to come to you to renegotiate your deals. Keep in mind that doing so to keep clients who are going to go out of business is just going to cost you long term (particularly in terms of your bad debt). And also that the stores that do survive will want to keep those new, lower, costs. And that your more desperate competitors will be happy to lose money on a per pound basis to generate some cash flow. Avoid this trap.
3. You should focus all the energy you can on your Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) business in general and your e-commerce business in particular. This is the one area of your business that has growth potential in the short-term - and is sustainable in the long-term. In particular, given cash-flow issues, you should push hard on DTC subscription offers. You should put the majority of your marketing and advertising energy (and dollars) into supporting your DTC and online business efforts. You need to staff up to enable this. You're going to need to look at optimizing your production around supporting this business channel. Because your DTC channel is likely your highest margin channel, you can afford to invest in this area. You should cross-promote your DTC offerings through your retail (promotional cards with orders). You should have aggressive loyalty programs. You might want to consider a Membership model with exclusive coffee offerings that are only available to those who pay Membership. The more you can move to recurring revenues, the better. The more you can move to a direct selling relationship with your customers, the better. This is, for many of you, going to require learning new skills and new tools and new ideas. You're likely going to have to hire people who are experts in this area. If your website isn't currently a world-class e-commerce site (with a great mobile experience), you need to fix it. If you currently cannot handle 24hr turn-around from order to ship, you need to fix it. If you cannot guarantee timely delivery, you need to fix it. You should also double down on merchandise and gear. Anything that you can sell and fulfill from your website. You need to become expert in social media and online advertising - and you need to have the resources to manage these efforts professionally. You need to ramp up your customer communications, from your email marketing to your social media outreach to doing scrappy things like having retail workers who would otherwise be furloughed start direct calling DTC customers who are high value. In essence, you need to transition as quickly as you possibly can into a DTC-first business. This is required for survival.
4. You need to look at your current contracts, inventory and assets and determine what is surplus. If you're carrying more green coffee than you can possibly sell at current volumes - cash it in. Resell it. Even if it's at a loss on what you paid for it. You need the cash. If you have roasters that you no longer need - cash them in. Sell them. Even if you love them and polished them by hand after your expert restoration guy brought them back from the dead. Even if you've given them names. Sell them. If you have contracts to buy green coffee that are multi-year, these are now liabilities on your books. Renegotiate them, sell them or cancel them. Even if it hurts, even if it costs. If you have a ton of branded promotional crap - put it online and ask your fans to buy it to help you through this time. Be scrappy, be aggressive. 

Restaurants are pivoting to pop-ups and grocery stores. They're selling off their wine cellars and their chefs are offering cooking classes via Instagram video. They are doing whatever it takes to survive.

You have to do the same.

Whatever it takes.

Swallow your pride. Do the painful things. Make the sacrifices.

Because otherwise you'll be gone in a year.