Ok not really.
But Joe's did get a machine that was hand built by Italians, a La Marzocco 3 Group Linea Espresso Machine.
It was probably about a year ago that we realized we needed a new espresso machine. The machine we have used for our first 4 years has served us well but was beginning to show its age. And keeping it running was starting to cost us more than we felt it was worth. So the quest for a new machine began. I even posted about it way back in April. And I find it funny that the picture of a machine I threw in that post is the brand and model we ended up with.
The Linea is known for its power and its simplicity. It has two boiler tanks so the group heads and the steam wands have their own separate source of power. This means better shots and better milk.
The construction of the machine is very simple which means we will be able to do more troubleshooting ourselves.
Wednesday, August 29
Wednesday, August 22
Trivia Time Equals Free Stuff
Ok folks thought I would take a break from the usual posts to throw some trivia at you. And dare I say Google proof trivia.
The first person to email me or post the answers to the following 3 questions will receive a coupon for 1 menu item of your choice. Ready? Here goes...
1. Everyday Joe's uses two brands of syrups to flavor our drinks, what are they?
2. Everyday Joe's offers 28 different kinds of tea. Who is our tea supplier?
3. On the famous portrait wall at Everyday Joe's are there more guys or more girls?
You must answer all 3 correctly to win.
The first person to email me or post the answers to the following 3 questions will receive a coupon for 1 menu item of your choice. Ready? Here goes...
1. Everyday Joe's uses two brands of syrups to flavor our drinks, what are they?
2. Everyday Joe's offers 28 different kinds of tea. Who is our tea supplier?
3. On the famous portrait wall at Everyday Joe's are there more guys or more girls?
You must answer all 3 correctly to win.
Wednesday, August 15
Wednesday, August 8
Everyday Joe's R&D
(That is Research and Development for you non lab coat wearing folk.)
This week it has been trying out a new way to brew coffee. Cold brewing. The method involves slowly brewing coffee (12 hour brew time) using cold water to create a concentrate. This concentrate can then be used in many ways to create coffee drinks.
Why do this? This method is said to create a coffee that is free of oil and 67% less acid than most other coffee. People who like coffee but have heartburn issues seem to prefer this method since it removes the acid from the coffee. It also has less caffeine than more traditional methods of brewing coffee.
On the downside is the cost. It takes a lot of beans to make a carafe of concentrate. One pound of beans creates 48 ounces of concentrate. It is recommended to use a 1 ounce of concentrate to 3 ounces of water. Though in my testing that makes a weak cup of coffee. Seems a 1 to 1 is a better ratio.
So far I have tried just regular hot coffee. (3 ounces concentrate to 9 ounces hot water) And this morning tried a latte with it. (4 ounces concentrate to 8 ounces steamed milk.) The coffee was very smooth but leaning toward the bland side. Same goes for the latte. That is why I think the amounts need to be tweaked. Though I was still able to get good latte art out it even with no creme. (they say it can't be done.)
So if you stop by Joe's in the next couple of days and want to try a drink made from our cold brew experiment just let us know. We need some feedback to see if we want to make it part of the menu.
(you can read an article about the method here.)
This week it has been trying out a new way to brew coffee. Cold brewing. The method involves slowly brewing coffee (12 hour brew time) using cold water to create a concentrate. This concentrate can then be used in many ways to create coffee drinks.
Why do this? This method is said to create a coffee that is free of oil and 67% less acid than most other coffee. People who like coffee but have heartburn issues seem to prefer this method since it removes the acid from the coffee. It also has less caffeine than more traditional methods of brewing coffee.
On the downside is the cost. It takes a lot of beans to make a carafe of concentrate. One pound of beans creates 48 ounces of concentrate. It is recommended to use a 1 ounce of concentrate to 3 ounces of water. Though in my testing that makes a weak cup of coffee. Seems a 1 to 1 is a better ratio.
So far I have tried just regular hot coffee. (3 ounces concentrate to 9 ounces hot water) And this morning tried a latte with it. (4 ounces concentrate to 8 ounces steamed milk.) The coffee was very smooth but leaning toward the bland side. Same goes for the latte. That is why I think the amounts need to be tweaked. Though I was still able to get good latte art out it even with no creme. (they say it can't be done.)
So if you stop by Joe's in the next couple of days and want to try a drink made from our cold brew experiment just let us know. We need some feedback to see if we want to make it part of the menu.
(you can read an article about the method here.)
Wednesday, August 1
French Press
Here at Everyday Joe's we brew all of our house coffee using a press pot. Or a french press as many know it. We do this because it is considered the best way to brew coffee.
Most people are used to a drip brewer. Ground coffee is placed in a paper filter and hot water is dripped over those grounds, extracting the coffee from the grounds then passing through the paper filter. That is the problem. The paper filter not only stops the grounds from ending up in your coffee cup it also stops the full flavor of the coffee from ending up in your coffee cup. The paper soaks up the natural oils from the coffee and in those oils is where a lot of taste is found.
The french press method involves immersing the coffee grounds in near boiling water for 4 minutes. This allows all of the flavor and oils contained in those grounds to be extracted fully. Then when the coffee is poured out of the press it passes through a metal screen to filter out the grounds but not the flavor or oils. For some this is a problem.
Often times when someone begins to pump themselves a cup of our house coffee they think there is something wrong with the coffee because of how it looks. Our coffee is richer and darker than the average coffee drinker is used to. And some of the finer grounds make it through the metal filter of the french press. Grounds in your cup equal flavor in your cup.
I know many of you do appreciate the french press brewing method. And you understand why Everyday Joe's goes to all the trouble of brewing all of our house coffee with a french press. To everyone else I suggest giving french press a chance.
Most people are used to a drip brewer. Ground coffee is placed in a paper filter and hot water is dripped over those grounds, extracting the coffee from the grounds then passing through the paper filter. That is the problem. The paper filter not only stops the grounds from ending up in your coffee cup it also stops the full flavor of the coffee from ending up in your coffee cup. The paper soaks up the natural oils from the coffee and in those oils is where a lot of taste is found.
The french press method involves immersing the coffee grounds in near boiling water for 4 minutes. This allows all of the flavor and oils contained in those grounds to be extracted fully. Then when the coffee is poured out of the press it passes through a metal screen to filter out the grounds but not the flavor or oils. For some this is a problem.
Often times when someone begins to pump themselves a cup of our house coffee they think there is something wrong with the coffee because of how it looks. Our coffee is richer and darker than the average coffee drinker is used to. And some of the finer grounds make it through the metal filter of the french press. Grounds in your cup equal flavor in your cup.
I know many of you do appreciate the french press brewing method. And you understand why Everyday Joe's goes to all the trouble of brewing all of our house coffee with a french press. To everyone else I suggest giving french press a chance.
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