Barista Profile: Damon McMinn, Small Batch Coffee Company

Hello. Who are you? 

Damon 

And what do you do?

Whatever needs to be done. 

And what is that in detail?

Set up shops, close down carts, drive around, drop things off, pick things up and, finally, make some coffee. 

When did you first discover real coffee?

Dug coffee in a big way since my teens but my eyes were only recently opened. So much I didn't know. So much I still don't. 

How did you get started in the coffee trade and learn your skills?

A lifetime ago - dare I say it? - I worked for... Starbucks. I consider the skills necessary to produce a fine coffee so elementary a bonobo could acquire them. Pulling shots, steaming milk and putting the two together is not about skill, it's about information and desire. Does one possess the necessary information to know what is good? If so, does one desire to produce something good? Bonobos likely can't grasp the concept of "good" and even if they could, I suspect the only desire they'd be interested in exploring is how much they love touching each other. This is why we at Small Batch don't employ them. It's company policy.

What is the best thing about doing what you do?

Going to bed early. I'd sleep in later, but hey. 

What drink do you make best?

I once had a Zen monk as a customer. “Give me the best coffee you have,” he said.

“Everything on this cart is the best,” I replied. “You cannot find here any coffee that is not the best.” 

With those words, he was enlightened. But not enough to leave a tip. Cheap bastard.

What are the top three things you should look out for from your neighbourhood barista?

In no order. A smile. Care. Can do. 

A home coffee brewing trick or technique?

A grinder. We sell hand ones. They're meditative.

What do you look for in a good bean or blend?

Subtleties of taste and smell are not my arena. As long as it tastes good and I know it's been roasted with love, I'm happy.

What do you drink yourself?
1/3 espresso and 2/3 hot water. Pretty much a standard since forever. I do quite like a flat white though.

What is your favourite professional machine and grinder?

La Marzocco Linea. Never used a Synesso, but hear they're pretty top notch. Anything that reliably grinds on demand. 

What is the most important part of the coffee process - the growing, the roasting, the blending, the brewing or anything in-between?

They're all the most important and can't be separated. The coffee in the cup is what counts. The growing of a high quality bean is crucial, as is the roasting, as is the brewing. Blending is a detour on the journey from farm to cup.

How do you make coffee at home?

Aeropress. It's fun.

Anything else you want to say?

Suppose a town has one and only one barista who makes coffee for all and only those who do not make coffee for themselves. Who makes coffee for the barista?

Thanks for the chat.

Red Roaster, Brighton, UK

Red Roaster is one of the older and more prominent coffee shops in Brighton. Situated near the bottom of St. James' street, it is a large establishment with plenty of light and is packed full of seating. It is very popular and is nearly always full.  

Red Roaster don't just make coffee they roast their own beans and supply many of Brighton's coffee shops. The beans are lovely and prepared to a very high quality. I've had these at home and in many other coffee shops in Brighton but the beans are only one part of it, the brewing makes a huge difference.


When I first moved into town I was told about them and it may surprise readers that I have not done a review to date. The simple truth is that I have drunk coffee there, I have bought beans there and I have deliberatly not written this review before. Why? Well I've not had a great cup of coffee from there and I was waiting for a great one.

Sadly this time was no different. This is not to say it was bad, it was just not fantastic. Although made with care and with a good strength and crema there is an off taste. My black Americano was marred with an issue of an after taste of slightly off creaminess.

I have to say I am not sure why this is the case. Perhaps it is a certain flavour that I am personally not a fan off and others are but for me it is a perfectly acceptable but not a great cup of coffee.

• Double shot black Americano, drink in.
• Very strong
• Off cream tang
• Dark crema
• Size small - Asked for it in a small cup
• £2.10

Strong competent coffee but with an off putting aftertaste.

http://www.redroaster.co.uk/
Map

Hudson & Bridges, Brighton, UK

Hudson & Bridges is a coffee shop and Deli on the outskirts of Kemp Town, it sits on the edge of the garden district. The owners also run the similarly themed Swan pub, which is just round the corner. I have to say I like the place although I think the decor is pretty terrible however the ambience is good, the staff friendly and attentive and most of all the products are great.

The food and the coffee is top notch. Lots of nice savoury and sweet things to choose from including bread from the Real Patisserie and nice looking pastas and pies to eat in or take away. I've drunk coffee here many time, it is solid , close to where I live and I like browsing Deli style produce.

Top marks for presentation as the coffee comes often on a board with just the espresso and a jug of water. I've only been to a few places that do this and I love it, I get it just the way I like it. It had a great aroma and I mixed it quite strong. The taste on this occasion was good but marred by a tangy after taste that I could not ignore.

Early rises you can get an espresso for a £1 before 9. 

• Double shot black Americano, drink in.
• Strong
• Good aroma, slight tang.
• Little crema
• Size medium
• 1.70

Normally a very good coffee, this last one held a little bitter tang but don't let this put you off. Best of all you get to choose the strength yourself.


Map

Competition: Win 20 fully loaded loyalty cards for Cafe Coho

Our great friends at the excellent Cafe Coho have given us 20 fully loaded loyalty cards to give away in a grand prize draw.

That is 20 of their expertly made delicious coffees to give away.

To take part you need to go to the Damn Fine Joe Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/damnfinejoe

1. LIKE the facebook page.

2. Before we start the prize draw we need just 100 people to like this page.

3. That means you need to ask your friends to like it to till we have 100. 

4. Just share the page by clicking the bottom right share link.

If you already like Damn Fine Joe then you will be entered into the draw twice but please tell your friends so we can get this great prize draw started. 

• 1st prize: 10 free coffees
• 2nd prize: 4 free coffees
• 3rd prize 2 free coffees
• 4th - 7th prize: 1 free coffee 

Get liking and we can get giving and you can get drinking.

http://cafecoho.co.uk/

Cafe Coho review

London Coffee Festival

As a self confessed coffee fiend I could not miss out on the first ever London Coffee Festival.Running for 3 days at The Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, the festival was part of UK coffee week.

So what was it? Well the bumf cited it as "a celebration of London's new food and coffee culture" but it seemed to be more a trade show focused primarily on buyers for stores rather than consumers. Having said that there was plenty of fun to be had. Live music was played constantly in one of the three halls, christened Soho, Hype Park, Shoreditch. Through out all the halls there were plenty of free treats to consume and inbibe. 


I never thought I would write this in the blog but Starbucks literally saved me with their constant supply of sweet things. We drank tea from the great nation of Cornwall which was excellent and had a slightly hoppy taste to it. 


The highlight of the day was the Guinness World Record for the most espressos made in an hour. It was a surreal sight watching every barrista and coffee maker in the place switching to this task for an hour. Every stall was pumping them out, filling trestle tables and festival staff running back and forth with extra water and beans to aid the attempt. They did it with an incredible 12,005 shots made, quadrupling the previous record. It did mean an hour without coffee so we had to switch to beer to keep lubricated.


I didn't get to try coffee from every stall, I wish I could have.  The best coffee of the day for me was from Allpress Expresso a roaster and coffee supplier with a cafe in Shoreditch. Dark, strong and oily with a full flavour. It was so good that I had two.

It was a good fun day out but next year it would be great to see the organisers try to cater for your average consumer a little more and perhaps have a little more to see such as some barrista led showbiz to the proceedings. 


In case you are wondering we did drink an insane amount off coffee. What else could we do?


http://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/
http://uk.allpressespresso.com/

The Real Patisserie - Kemp Town

Although their website does not say it the wonderful cake and bread emporium of The Real Patisserie has opened a new store and bakery in Kemp Town. I've reviewed the Trafalgar street store before, how does this new place fair? 

Situated next to the excellent Pizza Face which itself sits next to the truly awesome Ground the new site for The Real Patisserie is a good one. The store is large and light and is focused on selling rather than sitting and eating or drinking. It has one large wooden table with benches. The rest of the store is handed over to the display counter and the open baking area and bread shelf. I liked the style of the place and the sight and smell of all that freshly baked bread really got my juices flowing.

I went in with my old man who was in Brighton for a medical thingy for a spot of breakfast. We were a bit early but they kindly let us in and served us, we were then treated to tray upon tray of freshly baked produce pouring out of their ovens. We both had black coffees, he had the cinnamon swirl, I had the Croque Monsieur. These in turn were lovely and fresh and the latter a bit heavy on the bechamel but perfectly pleasant.

The coffee was made quickly with no pretension. Like all The Real Patisserie stores they use Red Roaster beans. 

It came in a small cup and I was struck my a very pleasant aroma. On tasting it was strong, sweet and smooth. I have to say I was surprised, it was a great cup off coffee, I expected it just to be pretty good. I don't have much else to say as it was a quality brew.

• Double shot black Americano
• Strong
• Sweet flavour
• Little crema
• Small size 
• £1.25

It had all the 3 S's (strength, sweetness, smoothness) with no negatives. At £1.25 this is one of the cheapest quality coffees you can get in Brighton.

Map

http://realpatisserie.co.uk/index.html

Small Batch Coffee Company – station stall, Brighton, UK

As promised I returned to check out the spanking new stall at Brighton station and I am happy to say I was not left disappointed.

The new cart looks great; very clean, neat and smart. They still have a good selection of high quality pastries and fruit available alongside all the standard coffees. From the stall I have found ordering the single (small cup) with an extra shot gets me the right size and strength for me, give it a go.

The baristas have a fast pipeline in place but without sacrificing the quality of the brew. The team (of 2-3) work well together with one taking the order, money and prepping the cup and the other one or two pumping out the joe. This demonstrates how vital well trained baristas are to producing a great cup of coffee, even under high pressure conditions they are doing it cup after cup. Alongside those fresh and clearly well roasted beans from the Small Batch roastery you have all the ingredients to make something brilliant.

..and what was the coffee like? Fresh, bright and repleat with flavour. It had good strength and was well balanced with some lovely sweet notes coming through. There was a single minor issue, a hint off fuzz left on the tongue but it was slight and only at the very end. 

All round a top cup off coffee.

• Single black Americano - with extra shot, take away.
• Strong
• Full of flavour
• Medium crema
• Small size 
• 1.80

An excellent and swiftly brewed coffee. There is no other choice when at the station if you like quality coffee. 

Great beans, well used.

                                                                                    All Gone.


Map
http://smallbatchcoffee.co.uk

@SmallBatchCC
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