Special offer: Get a double for the price of a single at Cafe Coho

To celebrate the Develop Conference coming to Brighton, Cafe Coho and Damn Fine Joe have teamed up to give all the guests coming to the city and anyone else for that matter a special promotional offer.

Starting on Monday the 9th July you will be able to get any double shot from the price of a single. Anyone can take advantage of this offer, all you have to do is say the phrase that pays:

"I would like some Damn fine Joe"

or if you will be attending Develop then you can just show your delegate pass.

Develop is the UK industry event for video game developers and alongside a wide ranging conference hosts the Develop Awards. This event is for the developers of games to meet, network and get inspired. 


For visitors to the city, Cafe Coho is one of Brightons finest and award winning coffee shops. A perfect place to slip away from the hubbub of the Hilton and have a quiet meeting.

Map to find Cafe Coho.

Offer runs:
Monday 9th July 2012 - End of July 2012


Here is the Damn Fine Joe Review


Cafecoho
http://www.cafecoho.co.uk/
@cafecoho


Develop
http://www.developconference.com/
@developconf

Interview - Lauren Morris, Programme Manager for UK Coffee Week

At this years London Coffee Festival I had a chance to catch up with Lauren Morris the programme manager for UK Coffee Week to discuss the event and what it was all in aid of.

  

Joe: Hello. Who are you then?

Lauren:  Hi, I’m Lauren Morris the programme manager for UKCoffee Week, which is managed by the Allegra Foundation. UK Coffee Week is an annual national week long celebration of coffee, uniting coffee lovers and the coffee industry to raise money for Project Waterfall which funds clean water projects in African coffee-producing countries.

Joe: Why are you here today?

Lauren: The London Coffee Festival is UK Coffee Week’s flagship event. The Growing Community area within the is festival is run by the Allegra Foundation. 

Here we want to raise awareness of Project Waterfall and the need for water in coffee-growing countries. We are also we doing some fundraising and have lots of fantastic raffle prizes and demonstrations, cuppings and interesting talks. 

Joe: During UK Coffee Week what else has been going on?

Lauren: So throughout the week, the main mechanism is inviting coffee chains and independents to ask their customers to donate just five pence from every cup of coffee that they buy throughout the week. So many people in the UK love coffee – there is an enormous audience that we can reach out to and raise money for the cause.

Often it’s the coffee growing countries that don’t have access to clean water. We are working with WaterAid to deliver a project in the coffee-growing country of Tanzania, which WaterAid identified as having one of the greatest needs.   

We’ve had fundraising events throughout the week, held by coffee shops across the country. Cuppings, music events, and coffee talks are raising money and awareness, and then to complete the week there is the London Coffee Festival.

We launched a new fundraiser this year, called “Coffee at Work”.  This brings UK Coffee Week in workplaces. A lot of people drink coffee and tea at work which fuels their days – we wanted to expand our reach to his audience and give the opportunity for people to give back to those coffee communities that don’t have such luxuries.  

We also had a sponsored walk that took place on 15th April for Project Waterfall. The Big Challenge is a 10K sponsored walk along the River Thames. It started off outside the Mayor’s office and is a big loop. Half way along the walk participants had to pick up, up to 10 litres of water and then carry it to the finish line. 

This walk is symbolic of the daily task of fetching water in the area we are raising money for, in Tanzania.  Fetching water is predominately done by women and children who have to travel for up to two hours a day carrying up to twenty litres- double the amount we were carrying - and they may have to do that more than once a day.    

Joe: So in summary what is Project Waterfall exactly?

Lauren: Project Waterfall is raising money for clean water projects in coffee growing countries and it is a moveable feast. At the moment it is funding a 3 year project in Tanzania in partnership with our service delivery partner WaterAid which is now in the second year. 100% of consumer donations go to Project Waterfall which goes directly to Tanzania.

Joe: Is this a world wide initiative?

Lauren: For this first 3 years we are funding a clean water project in Tanzania but once we have fulfilled this agreement we will find another worthy project.

Joe: Why is it important?

Lauren: Water is the most basic human necessity.  Without clean water, people get ill, can die and miss out on school or work.  Without water, communities cannot develop and improve.  More people die from water diseases than malaria, HIV and TB combined and something can be done to improve the situation.  

The water is there, it just needs to be extracted, which is where the wells and pumps come in.  UK Coffee Week is a way of raising awareness and asking people for a small donation to give something back and allows people to make a big difference.

Joe: What is the practical aid? What does the money go towards?

Lauren: The money is going to Nbulu District which is in Northern Tanzania. There we work with WaterAid who are our service delivery partner. So far we have helped over 3,638 people through building wells and water pumps and training the villagers on how to use and maintain them.  

Every 6 months we get a report on project progress, and we keep the website updated with news and send regular newsletters, so supporters can see how their donations are being spent.

Joe: How did you get involved?

Lauren: I was online one day and came across UK Coffee Week and thought it was a great idea. I got in touch with the Allegra Foundation to see if there were any positions available and here we are.

Joe: What coffee do you like to drink?

Lauren: <laughing> ooh I like Tanzanian coffee me. Well I like a variety of coffee and I do love the little independent coffee shops and London has plenty of those. I went recently to Caravan and their coffee is out of this world. Having brunch at St Ali (Now Workshop Coffee Co.) is to die for.

Joe: And how do you take it?

Lauren: I do like a flat white. However I have been around a lot of coffee experts recently and doing a lot of cuppings and found the serious coffee drinkers have it black but I’m a little way off from that now.

Joe: How can people get involved?

Lauren: There are lots of ways. Coming down to the festival helps as 50% of the ticket sales go to Project Waterfall. Other ways to support the cause are to donate, either online or via text and visit a coffee shop participating in UK Coffee Week.  Many people have suggested their local coffee shop to get involved this year, some getting them signed up on our behalf which is a fantastic way to support us.  

There are a host of events happening across the country which are all fundraising for the cause and well worth a visit.   The best way to find out more is to sign up to our newsletter via the website. 

Joe: After this week has finished the work continues?

Lauren: Absolutely, now we start planning for next year and talking to the industry on how they can be involved. We are going to start working on putting on a variety of new events to keep the momentum going into year 3.

Thanks to Lauren for taking the time to speak on such a busy day. If you think Project Waterfall is a worthwhile cause and next year you would like to get involved then please support UK Coffee Week. Check out the links below for more information about the project and affiliates.

Next week I will be reviewing a Tanzanian single origin coffee from the Small Batch Coffee Company. If you want to see why Tanzania is important for coffee you can buy a little and have a taste.

UK Coffee week

Twitter: @UKCoffeeWeek

Facebook

Project Waterfall

WaterAid

Allegra Foundation

London Coffee Festival

London Coffee Festival Write Up - Part 2

Following on from the London Coffee Festival Write Up - Part 1

The UK Barista Championships (UKBC) were fascinating to watch and it would have been very easy to sink the whole weekend into this alone. 


Well organised, with a good audio visual set up, crowds watched the barista contestants create espresso, a milk based drink and a speciality drink. These drinks were then presented to a range of technical and taste judges. 

It felt somewhere between Masterchef and the DMC’s in terms of excitement, creativity and tension. The event drew a strong audience throughout the day and I'm sure throughout the rest of the weekend. 

James Bailey in action

I particularly enjoyed watching James Bailey from Prufrock who went on to take 2nd place in the UKBC 2012 and win the Brewer's cup. He also claimed best espresso and best speciality drink. Well done James. 

For lunch I wandered the food hall and literally followed my nose. It took me to Wallahwallah, who were swerving Indian inspired street food. There were two types of curry wraps on offer; I opted for the chicken and enjoyed watching it being constructed; a meticulous process. 

Along with the curry core; on went a couple of sauces; on went pickled beetroot; various pulses, seeds and puffed grains. 


It looked a treat before it was all firmly wrapped in a flat bread and devoured by me. It was a good value, large, tasty lunch. If you see these guys at a market near you then I thoroughly recommend.

Near the end of the day I attended a session in The Lab on espresso style coffee making, but no one turned up. This lead me to have a unique opportunity, a one on one session with Vic Frankowski of Dunne-Frankowski café (http://df.studio-subsist.com/) over at the Cimbali stand. 

Vic showing the ropes.

We went through tuning the grinder, testing the shots, dosing the portafilter, tamping it down, making a shot of espresso and finally making a latte. It was a fantastic demonstration of the subtitles of coffee making. 


Using the same machine, same grinder, same beans and under expert tuition throughout Vic's coffee still blew mine away. I walked away with his in my hand, not mine, but having said that for a first go, it wasn't that bad.

Half drunk Latte. I made this!

I had a chance to conduct a couple of interviews on the day which will be posted on the blog in the near future. I caught up with Callum Hale Thomson the Young Barrista and thoroughly nice chap who filled me in with his thoughts on brewing, competing & making the best coffee in his household.

I also spoke to the enthusiastic and day brightening Lauren Morris, Programme manager for UK Coffee Week, we spoke a bit about the purpose of the week, what they had been doing and what Project Waterfall , the charity linked to the event, was all about. 


In summary "It aims to raise more than £1 million to deliver safe drinking water and sanitation projects for up to 100,000 people, specifically in Africa." A worthy course to support.

Edmund Buston with his signature martini.

The artisan café was a double bar set up, providing a rolling roster of top baristas. On the day I enjoyed drinks from many baristas including Allpress Espresso, a delicious and potent coffee martini from Edmund Buston from Clifton Coffee and a good old double mac from Alan Tomlins from the Small Batch Coffee Company. 


There really was a wealth of talent floating about and making great coffee all day.

Alan from Small Batch Coffee.

The festival seemed to be more lively this year with a greater degree of interactivity on the stalls. It was a great chance to meet people from all over the world of coffee including; growers, big chain representatives, manufactures, inventors, independent cafe owners, roasters and champion baristas. 


I drank a staggering amount of coffee which was almost without exception fantastic to taste. 

Aside from Lizzie of Ozone Coffee noting everyone was "really wired" by 4.30 and watching Keith from Union almost blew up a syphon with a panicked "Quick stand back" barked to the customer, my stand out part of the festival have to be Jeremy from UNION’s talk on roasting and the tutelage for Vic Frankowski. 


Two sessions that taught me a whole lot about the drink I love.

If you enjoy coffee and find yourself getting excited about how it is made, the kit, the raw ingredients & also enjoy the experience of wondering through markets then this event is perfect for you. 


Each year a proportion of the ticket price goes to support UK Coffee Week and Project Waterfall so you are doing something good just by turning up. 

For more information about this event please visit http://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/ Hope to see you there next year.

If you like Damn Fine Joe's thoughts on coffee then please Like us on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/damnfinejoe or follow on Twitter @damnfinejoe

London Coffee Festival Write Up - Part 1

On Friday the 27^th April 2012 I attended the London Coffee Festival trade day. Arriving in Brick Lane at 10.30 on a dreary drizzling day the next 7 hours would be a jubilant journey through the world of coffee and café culture. 

I knew I had to have a plan in place as things could go quickly awry as the caffeine levels racked up. Taking my timetable I sat in the fake lawn of the Picnic area and carefully marked out what I wanted to see and do. This initial plan lasted just under an hour.

As in previous festivals the show was broken into 3 main areas; Hyde Park, Soho and Shoreditch. Hyde park contained some of the bigger stands including the lawn, the tea and chocolate sellers and the live music stage. 

Shoreditch contained the food area along with a mix of coffee, food and beverage stalls as well as the Lab area. Soho contained more stalls along with the true Artisan Café which had a rolling staff of baristas through the weekend. 

Like last year, UK Coffee Week take up an area dubbed “The Growing Community” between Hyde and Shoreditch. Here you can learn about the process of growing coffee and about the communities that do.  


This year there was a fifth area; the Showroom, which along with a few stands mainly played host to the UK Barista Championships.

After a quick look round I kicked things off with a lecture & demonstration by UNION’s Jeremy Torz. Jeremy is Director of & roast master at UNION and he gave a quite fascinating talk all about the art of roasting. 

Using a mini roaster to demonstrate, and taking beans all the way through the process he explained many of the subtleties of the art along the way. 


He showed us how smell, sight and sound are all  used to get the perfect roast. The talk finished with a short round of tasting and a discussion on how to compare the different coffees  on offer.

This talk was part of the VIP experience which punters were supposed to book out slots on. The reality was people just turned up and joined in, the whole concept of slots and special passes seemed to fall to the wayside once the day got going. 

Other “experiences” included Ethiopian coffee tasting from Grumpy Mule and their suppliers. This included the sampling of a solar kiln dried coffee which had the unbelievable taste compared to the same bean dried with another method. 


Another enjoyable session was the Brewers & Union Beer tasting; the unpasterised beers were a taste revelation and well worth a purchase.

The Make Decent Coffee team were showing people step by step how to use all the common house hold coffee tools such as the Aero-Press, V60 & the Chemex.

The most disappointing was an over subscribed “sensory experience” session with Cart Noir. They had run a number of focus tests using music, aromas, colours and materials to make the perfect drinking environment. Some of it was common sense (death metal is bad) but other aspects were quite insightful.

The use of added aromas to manipulate the customer was starting to tip over to the more sinister side of selling but the biggest issue was what they were serving.  


No matter if you have jazz tooting out of the speaker, silk pillows scattered across dark leather sofas, creamy drapes, a wood finish, and the smell of strawberries in the air. If you are serving Cart Noir rather than real fresh coffee then  your coffee is still going to taste bad. Sorry Cart Noir.

Of the many stalls there were a few products that caught my eye and some I hope to return to at a later date in separate reviews. 


These included a number of travel solutions for drinking decent coffee, the most interesting ones being the Growers Cup Coffeebrewer, an all in one travel filter bag that made a solid brew. 

Then there was the Handpresso Wild ESE Portable Espresso Machine, essentially a bike pump come coffee maker. The pump is used to make the pressure and off you go, the shot I had was smooth and sweet. 

Can the take away coffee lid be improved? Progressive Supplies seem to think so with their FoamAroma® lid, they promise less spill and a better drinking experience. I have a bunch of lids on which to test (not with scalding fluid) so I will let you know how it goes.

A little coffee plant.

I don't normally cover non coffee drinks but Orzo Coffee's substitute tickled my fancy. Roasted Barley, ground and prepared in a cafetiere is a an interesting, naturally caffeine free alternative. It is the norm in Italy and perhaps it is something that will catch on over here. 

These are just some of the items seen on my visit to the show and the dizzying array of stalls on offer. I didn't have time to check out many of the food, tea and chocolate stalls that were also exhibiting but there was only so much time.


More to follow in part 2 including the UKBC's and further exciting coffee experiences.

Zabu Coffee Competition

It has been some time since Damn Fine Joe ran a competition and we have so much to celebrate. London Coffee Week is starting on the 23^rd and culminating in the excellent London Coffee Festival ending on the 29^th April.  

Coffee fans unite.

To celebrate Damn Fine Joe is teaming up with our friends at Zabu Coffee & giving away 3 bags of their wonderful House Blend .

All people need to do is follow Damn Fine Joe on Twitter and Retweet one of Joe’s competition tweets. As easy as plunging an Aeropress.

Here are a few rules:

• All followers no matter how old who RETWEET will be included in the prize draw
• To take part you must FOLLOW and RETWEET
• People will only be counted in the prize draw once, no matter how many times they Retweet (feel free to do it lots)
• The competition will end on the first second of the 30^th April 2012
• Prize draw for all RETWEETERS will take place on the 30^th April 2012
• The lucky winners will be contacted and can choose whole bean or any grind they like and will have the coffee send to their door.

Read the DFJ review on Zabu’s House Blend

Read last years Review on the London Coffee Festival

Links:

http://www.zabucoffee.co.uk/

http://www.ukcoffeeweek.com/

http://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/

Show your love of Coffee and LIKE  DFJ on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/damnfinejoe