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Carmel/Monterey-area:

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alsterling
Senior Member

Joined: 28 Dec 2005
Posts: 672
Location: Dana Point, CA
Expertise: I live coffee

Espresso: La Spaziale S1 (Had Expo)
Grinder: Macap M4 & Gaggia MDF
Vac Pot: Not yet...
Drip: Capresso MT-500 & Melitta...
Roaster: Hottop Digital

Posted Tue Sep 9, 2008, 2:23am Subject: INCONSISTENCY AND BITTERNESS in Carmel/Monterey-area:

GaryH Said: I had a second double espresso which had nice body. It did have a slight harsh taste (the espresso was not bitter or burned). I think the slight harsh taste comes from the beans which may have some defects. But the complex and chocolate flavors of the espresso were so nice that it was easy to not pay attention to a minor imperfection. Took these pics on May 17. July 26, 2008 update. I've had double espressos at Lumiere three times over the past two months which were quite disappointing. The espresso I had on 7/26/08 was harsh with carbon. I suspect low quality beans. That last shot did it for me. I will not be going back to Lumiere. Posted May 17, 2008 link Gary, I wish I'd have read your comments before going to Lumiere Monday morning. Sunday night when my wife and I arrived in Monterey, I just stopped by Lumiere, went inside to scope it out. The young guy and gal behind the counter were nice, said they loved their Marzocco, and appeared to know their coffee and machinery. So Monday AM, I stop by, telling my wife that they should be able to put together a decent cappuccino. Bottom line, I asked for a "traditional cappuccino... a third, a third and a third. The woman behind the counter (British accent) looked at me with "disdain", and briskly made the most bitter, over extracted shots I've seen lately. My cap was so bad I took one sip and put the paper cup in their dirty dish tray and walked out. My wife couldn't drink her's either, but took the drink out with her. The bitterness hung in there until Santa Cruz, where I was again dissappointed at Fins. I had a decent cap there months back, but again INCONSISTENCY in barista skills. They were nice kids, but the gal burnt the milk and destroyed whatever possible flavor I could have enjoyed from the Malabar Gold. It was a bit bitter.....telling me that the extraction was less than correct. I know Malabar, and this was no Malabar quality drink. So my opinion is this Gary. CONSISTENCY is what makes an espresso bar great. If anyone has to tell you when to go there to get the "good barista", then the shop isn't worth going to. I regret not stopping at ACME, since we stayed in Seaside at the Emb. Sts. I can count on one hand the number of truly consistent espresso shops on the coast........and our trip to Lulu's and Barefoot are two out of the five! This industry truly needs help! I can't think of any other food or beverage area where the main product is so misunderstood and improperly prepared as specialty coffee! Al

Member No.12047 - SCAA http://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/AlSterling Warning: Close cover before striking "Space Available Here for Something Really Prolific"

danwing
Senior Member

Joined: 9 Jan 2006
Posts: 39
Location: Silicon Valley
Expertise: I love coffee

Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso
Drip: Technivorm MoccaMaster CD

Posted Sun Sep 14, 2008, 7:48pm Subject: Re: INCONSISTENCY AND BITTERNESS in Carmel/Monterey-area:

I had an enjoyable espresso at Lumiere about two weeks ago, for whatever that's worth. Instead of Fins in Santa Cruz -- which I also find inconsistent -- you should have visited Verve on 41st Avenue. Only trouble with Verve is they close somewhat early and of course you can't send everyone else across the street to Marianne's Ice Cream (Marianne's is across the street from Fin's). So far I have had great espressos at Verve and a friend has enjoyed their milk-based drinks (I haven't had one there yet).

alsterling
Senior Member

Posted Mon Sep 15, 2008, 6:35am Subject: Re: INCONSISTENCY AND BITTERNESS in Carmel/Monterey-area:

danwing Said: I had an enjoyable espresso at Lumiere about two weeks ago, for whatever that's worth. Instead of Fins in Santa Cruz -- which I also find inconsistent -- you should have visited Verve on 41st Avenue. Only trouble with Verve is they close somewhat early and of course you can't send everyone else across the street to Marianne's Ice Cream (Marianne's is across the street from Fin's). So far I have had great espressos at Verve and a friend has enjoyed their milk-based drinks (I haven't had one there yet). Posted September 14, 2008 link Well Dan, that espresso at Lumiere was worth what you paid. I, on the other hand, paid for an amatuer extraction, and didn't even get the satisfaction of knowing the woman behind the counter had a clue of what she had just done. I really debated on sharing "why I was dumping the drink in the garbage and walking out...", but didn't want to ruin my entire day. As for Fins, I shake my head in despair. All that great gear and they too can't be consistent. I'll definitely have to stop at Acme in Seaside and Verve in SC next trip up. Al

Member No.12047 - SCAA http://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/AlSterling Warning: Close cover before striking "Space Available Here for Something Really Prolific"

alsterling
Senior Member

Posted Mon Sep 15, 2008, 6:42am Subject: Re: Carmel/Monterey-area:

GaryH Said: You can go to Blue Bottle in San Francisco and get a $12 siphon coffee, or if you’re in Monterey, at Mean Joe Bean Coffee you can experience all the siphon coffee excitement for only $2.25! What a deal! Posted August 10, 2008 link Funny, it just clicked......I drove right by this shop on our way out of town and didn't stop. My loss. Also, on North Fremont, was a shop called "Bad Ass Coffee", which looked closed Sunday evening. Monday AM I drove by on my way into town, and didn't stop because the shop looked closed, but the door, I think, was open, but then there was no one near or in the building. They opened a few doors down from a sign shop client of mine that moved to Del Monte Ave. So added to the list in Monterey, I'll try breakfast coffee at Mean Joe's. thanks, al

Member No.12047 - SCAA http://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/AlSterling Warning: Close cover before striking "Space Available Here for Something Really Prolific"

Rawman
Senior Member

Joined: 14 Jun 2003
Posts: 986
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: 2002 Cremina, Elektra MKAL,...
Grinder: Mazzer Mini
Vac Pot: Silex Vintage Vac Pot
Drip: Bodum chambord FP, Melitta...
Roaster: HotTop, Buzzroaster, HG/DB

Posted Mon Sep 15, 2008, 8:31am Subject: Re: INCONSISTENCY AND BITTERNESS in Carmel/Monterey-area:

I stopped by Lumiere 2 times in June when I stayed there for a weekend. The first time I was really impressed. The shot was great, the milk was nicely microfoamed, etc. I remember the owner was there, and another Barista, a guy. I stopped by the next morning (or maybe 2 days later), and had a totally opposite experience. The shot was bitter and harsh, the milk was burned and foam was like dishsoap. The owner was there again, but this time the drinks were made by a different barista. I told the owner on the way out that the drinks were not up to par that day. Not sure if it's a training issue or what. Alsterling said it, consistency, or lack thereof. It's sad really to spend so much money on equipment and produce such poor product. By the way, I have been to Bad Ass coffee a few times. I think the only reason I went back was because I was in dire need of caffeine, and it was close by. Wasn't impressed either time. They use a lot of syrups and flavors to kill the taste of the shots.

Rawman the Expobarbarian.. AKA the Original Jon R.

GaryH
Senior Member

Joined: 24 Oct 2003
Posts: 1,840
Location: San Jose California
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Isomac Zaffiro
Grinder: Macap M4 Doserless
Vac Pot: none
Drip: yes
Roaster: none

Posted Mon Sep 15, 2008, 9:03am
Subject: Re: INCONSISTENCY AND BITTERNESS in Carmel/Monterey-area:

alsterling Said:

I'll definitely have to stop at Acme in Seaside and Verve in SC next trip up.

Al

Posted September 15, 2008 link

I posted pics of Bad Ass Coffee in Santa Cruz on page 12 of this thread. Espresso isn't good but the surfing theme makes it fun to visit anyway.

I've never had an espresso at Mean Joe Bean in Santa Cruz. Their coffee isn't Verve quality but a siphon coffee at at only $2.25 is quite good and definately worth it.

Verve is great!
http://coffeegeek.com/forums/worldregional/uswest/333683

Unfortunately Acme is Seaside is also inconsistent. I think it is because they can't afford to buy quality green beans.

(Click for larger image)

alsterling
Senior Member

Posted Mon Sep 15, 2008, 12:47pm Subject: Re: INCONSISTENCY AND BITTERNESS in Carmel/Monterey-area:

Rawman Said: .....I told the owner on the way out that the drinks were not up to par that day. Not sure if it's a training issue or what. Posted September 15, 2008 link Jon, it's amazing that the owner didn't refund your money and offer to do it right as a no-charge. When GaryH was down my way he stopped at Javatini's, a new shop that opened as the third of a group. His complaint got to the owner, but for Gary's benefit, I was terribly disappointed in the owner's lack of follow-through. I think he offered Gary a free drink on his next trip down to SoCal. (Who in their right mind offers a free drink to someone from another region.....you just send them a check for their troubles.) Again, Gary should have received a full refund for taking the time to share the bad news. In business, it's called a "consulting fee." And frankly, I was there on a day when a guy came in to get a coffee and bakery item, and there were only 3 items in the case, and the owner grabbed the smallest, when the customer pointed to the exact one he wanted. Then the owner delivered the one line I personally never want to hear from a counter server; "They're all the same....." I looked at the customer and saw that he was upset, but not enough to bring it up again. I would doubt he'd ever come back. Some owners are penny wise but pound foolish. It's about "clients", not just that one sale. The owner's a nice guy, but those were two transactions that violated my sense of quality customer service. So then we get back to Luminere! I really want to call and talk to the barista that I met Sunday evening. He had dark hair, about mid 20's, and was working with a young girl. The gal that screwed up my Monday morning was an older lady, with a British accent. Her look of disdain when I explained my cappuccino was all I needed to put a "This Joint Sucks" banner on their entrance. And to top it off, there was this group of older Italian gentlemen, maybe 8 of 'em, seemingly having a group thing, and I guess they thought their coffees were just fine. Ignorance is bliss. (I'm guessing some of them must have had a drink with an espresso extraction?) Al

Member No.12047 - SCAA http://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/AlSterling Warning: Close cover before striking "Space Available Here for Something Really Prolific"

alsterling
Senior Member

Posted Mon Sep 15, 2008, 12:55pm Subject: Re: INCONSISTENCY AND BITTERNESS in Carmel/Monterey-area:

GaryH Said: I posted pics of Bad Ass Coffee in Santa Cruz on page 12 of this thread. Espresso isn't good but the surfing theme makes it fun to visit anyway. Posted September 15, 2008 link And you know Gary, I will concede that there is some excitement in visiting an unknown shop. It's a gamble though. And that's both the high when it's great, and the shame of it when it sucks. GaryH Said: I've never had an espresso at Mean Joe Bean in Santa Cruz. Their coffee isn't Verve quality but a siphon coffee at at only $2.25 is quite good and definately worth it. Verve is great! http://coffeegeek.com/forums/worldregional/uswest/333683 Posted September 15, 2008 link Yes, I caught that qualifier, and figured that if they were willing to play around with the "siphon-ator", maybe they'd be OK on espresso based drinks. GaryH Said: Unfortunately Acme is Seaside is also inconsistent. I think it is because they can't afford to buy quality green beans. Posted September 15, 2008 link Here's a case where I'm wondering if they're "home style" enough that they'd let you try your hand behind the counter? I actually have visited a few shops where they invited me to pull shots. First time was in a low volume shop in a very small town. They had a 3-group Linea. Al

Member No.12047 - SCAA http://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/AlSterling Warning: Close cover before striking "Space Available Here for Something Really Prolific"

GaryH
Senior Member

Posted Sun Sep 21, 2008, 9:02pm Subject: Re: Carmel/Monterey-area:

A month ago at Mean Joe bean I had a nice Sumatra coffee brewed using a vac pot. I went back and this time I took a chance and ordered an espresso. The barista told me that a single espresso is a 1oz double, and a double espresso is a 2oz double (think about what that means). This way they can use the same dose and use all the pulled espresso of both a single and a double espresso. The barista told me she had to hold the cup close to the portafilter because the flow was fast. No kidding, the 1oz double was pulled in 8 seconds. I asked if the barista could change the grind for a slower pour but she told me that she wasn't allowed to change the grind setting (ouch!). The 1oz double pulled in 8 seconds had very thin body and a strong carbon taste (they use very dark roasted beans for espresso). The espresso tasted shockingly nasty. Quite a contrast compared to the nice Sumatra vac pot coffee I had a month ago. (Click for larger image)

GaryH
Senior Member

Posted Sun Sep 21, 2008, 9:04pm Subject: Re: Carmel/Monterey-area:

I ordered a vac pot coffee using Sumatra beans like I had a month ago, but they didn't have any so I had this Guatemala. It tasted pretty decent but is was brewed a bit too strong. (Click for larger image)

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