Field Trip: Green Bean Coffeehouse
Next up in our series featuring local cafes is the Green Bean Coffeehouse in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. What started out as the first physical location for a local church has evolved into an essential element of the Greenwood community — a non-profit designed to bring the neighborhood together through open space, charitable support and community events.
Find out about their history, purpose and tips that they have for anyone interested in starting their own community or coffee focused business.
Field Trip: Milstead & Co.
What does it take to open your own cafe? We hit the road with Allison in this field trip series to find out.
First up is the newly opened brainchild of Andrew Milstead, Milstead & Co., located in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. Featuring tons of reclaimed materials in its build design, low countertops and recessed equipment to improve engagement between baristas and customers, and a singular focus on providing uniquely brewed coffees — using everything from a La Marzocco Strada to an Aeropress — Milstead & Co.’s concept is rooted in education and producing high quality coffee for people who dig it.
Watch as Andrew talks to us about his background, concept behind the cafe, what went into opening it and tips he has for others interested in doing the same. If you’re in the Seattle area, definitely don’t skip visiting Milstead & Co. for a gorgeous, and delicious, cappuccino.
Temperature Testing: Airpots
We’ve all come across those mysterious airpots filled with coffee — can you trust them? Is the coffee in them still warm after hanging out for awhile? Should you take the plunge (sorry) or ask for a fresh pot? In order to determine which airpot to carry, we tried out models from Zojirushi, Grindmaster and a misc. Chinese product to see how long they maintained the coffee’s temp over a period of several hours.
Watch as Gail takes us through features and tests the coffee for temperature stability to determine which model performs best.
Crew Review: Nuova Simonelli Appia Compact Commercial Espresso Machine
Third machine in our series on Nuova Simonelli’s commercial-grade machines is the Appia Compact, which is a great option for small capacity, complementary coffee businesses like restaurants or bars. Gail walks us through this machines features and functionality.
Crew Review: Nuova Simonelli Appia Commercial Espresso Machine
Next in line from our field trip to Nuova Simonelli is the Appia, which is a middle-of-the-road commercial-grade espresso machine that is perfect for a coffee-focused business that has moderate traffic.
Watch Gail give us the lowdown on its features and functionality.
Crew Review: Nuova Simonelli Aurelia Commercial Espresso Machine
We hit the road again! This time around, we headed to Nuova Simonelli’s showroom in south Seattle to get a technical rundown and check out a few of their commercial-class machines. First up is the Aurelia, which was selected by the World Barista Championship as their competition model for the past few years, primarily because of its distinctively massive brew head design.
Watch as Gail takes us through the features, options, tech specs and functionality of this gorgeous machine.
Crew Review: Mazzer Robur E Coffee Grinder
If you’re grinding coffee for a few hundred shots a day, you mean business. And if you mean business, you mean Robur E! During our field trip to La Marzocco, Gail gave us the what for on this high powered, commercial-grade grinder designed for high capacity commercial environments or very, very committed home enthusiasts.
Crew Review: La Marzocco GB/5 Commercial Espresso Machine
Field trip! We visited La Marzocco’s showroom to learn more about and share info on more of their commercial-grade espresso machines.
Gail takes us through the technical specs, functionality and features of the very popular GB/5 espresso machine.
La Marzocco Linea: Cups per Hour with Jess & Gail
When we locked Gail in a room alone with the La Marzocco Linea and Mahlkonig K30 Vario, she was able to whip up 41 lattes in an hour. How many can she make with the assistance of the lovely Jess? Find out in this riveting video that demonstrates the importance of teamwork when making lattes — and, really, when trying to make it in life. There is a lesson in here for all of us.