Tabla de contenidos para October 2022 en BeanScene

Covershoot product: Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters 32-36 City Rd, Chippendale NSW 2008 www.tobysestate.com.au There are few coffee shops that can call themselves a “coffee destination” but Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters’ flagship store in Chippendale is definitely one of them. Since its refurbishment this year, the venue has been a community hub for coffee lovers to learn, indulge, and simply look around. The beautifully crafted wooden benchtops are a dream for brewing and customer conversations, and there’s no barriers between baristas and patrons here. Customers can walk around the benches in all directions to understand the skills and workflow of a busy café operation. You only need to look up to the mirrors above the workstations to appreciate the true craft involved in coffee making. Look to the right, and a…

When asked what Toby’s Estate’s greatest development has been throughout its 25-year history, Head of Coffee Nich Rae believes it’s none other than its prestigious reputation. “Toby’s has always been a reputable roaster when it comes to making blended coffee and milk-based coffee. I think the greatest development for us has been establishing that as a narrative, but also factually backing it up with how consistent our product is,” says Nich. “Year on year we have the best blends in market, and even through COVID-19, we were able to maintain that extremely high-quality offering to our cafés. I think that’s held us in good stead over the last 25 years.” General Manager Jody Leslie says she wants Toby’s Estate to be known as an industry veteran that still pushes the…

Tanya Howarth, Padre Coffee Victorian Sales Manager and former Brunswick East Retail Manager, has in-built muscle memory for one brand of espresso machine and one machine only: Slayer Espresso. As somebody who joined Padre Coffee three years ago with no coffee experience, Tanya has learned to make coffee from scratch using Slayer machines. From the beginning, she says the machine’s simplicity is what she appreciates most. “I can speak from first-hand experience and say it is really easy to learn on, especially with its paddles and three-position steam actuator. It’s all those little details and ergonomics that help and make workflow easier,” Tanya says. At Padre Coffee’s South Melbourne and Brunswick East sites, four different espressos are dialled in each morning within a 30-minute window. Pre-COVID, its South Melbourne store…

Some people know what they want to be when they grow up, or what college they’ll strive to attend, but for Brian Dessaix, Bluestone Lane’s Vice President of West Coast Operations and Coffee, he always knew his destiny was to work overseas. “My mum was a travel agent and would take us around the world from a pretty young age. I’ve always been fascinated by other countries and cultures,” Brian says. That curiosity followed Brian into his professional coffee career, where he was adamant it would one day take him beyond the shores of Manly, Sydney. “I wanted to experience new things, influence drinking culture in some respects, and push the envelope. I’m a risk taker when moving around, and I think that’s paid off,” Brian says. “I knew how…

Anthony Douglas of Axil Coffee Roasters has written the history books. When he was crowned 2022 World Barista Champion on the last day of the Melbourne International Coffee Expo, he became the first Melbourne barista to win the World Barista Championship (WBC) and the first to win the title at a home-run event. “I feel incredibly proud to be named this year’s world champion and am honoured to represent Australia, and more specifically Melbourne, on the world stage. I couldn’t have done it without the unwavering support and commitment of the team at Axil who have been by my side inspiring me for the past nine years,” says Anthony. This was Anthony’s first WBC experience after winning the Australian Barista Championship in August. Since then, he put 60-plus hours into…

During the past few COVID years, we have had to be agile and respond to changes in the markets we operate in. While grappling with supply chain challenges and managing operational restrictions, the quiet time allowed us to explore and apply a method to our workforce that has undoubtedly become the greatest tool we have ever used. One day, Peter was watching a YouTube video by entrepreneur and Fast Cap business owner Paul Akers, who was talking about the transformation of his business culture through the adoption of a concept called “lean manufacturing”. At its core, lean manufacturing is defined as the production strategy to reduce times for delivery and response to customers’ inquiries. It does that by eliminating all processes which don’t bring value, whether it be human work,…

Happy happy Foods is proudly introducing its premium oat milk, Happy happy Oat Oat Oat. “This product has been designed to work with espresso to create a full bodied, creamy, and consistent oat latte,” says Lloyd. Containing just six ingredients, including organic oats, Happy happy Oat Oat Oat is yet another success from the always environmentally conscious brand. “We pride ourselves on providing nutritionally, environmentally happier products. Our aim is always to include the least amount of ingredients possible to still produce a delicious creation,” says Lloyd. He adds that this latest milk has been formulated to bring out the best possible flavour, taste and texture when paired with espresso, the way a barista standard oat milk should be. “As is the case with all of our milks, the team…

As one of the first established coffee roasters in Australia, launched in 1962, Grinders Coffee has long been involved in pioneering and shaping the Australian coffee industry, and the internationally recognised Melbourne coffee culture. This year, Grinders celebrates its 60th anniversary. Just as it’s grown as a business, Grinders Coffee Marketing Manager Burcu De La Cruz says the company continues to grow its training offering. “After 60 years, we have proven experience and expertise in coffee training and education. As a partner, we continue to share our knowledge and innovation learnings,” says Burcu. Grinders offers a three-tiered training program that meets the needs of its customers. It helps build their confidence and knowledge with equipment and creates recipes and latte art to impress and amaze. “We offer an extensive crop…

What a weekend for coffee the NZSCA finally had. On Friday 15 July, the New Zealand Cup Tasters Championship, held by epic venue host L’affare Melrose in Newmarket, saw 28 eager cuppers compete for the national title in front of supporters and coffee lovers who enjoyed the pumping atmosphere. The first round saw two-time Cup Tasters Champion, Alan Bruce from Flight Coffee Roasters in Wellington, take the lead. The next three cuppers chopped and changed with steady numbers and tight times coming in. In the end, Ewan Kim from Camper Coffee, Auckland was victorious, became the new national champion with a stunning 8/8 in a slick time of 2.09 minutes. Ewan has been competing almost every year since 2017 and got so close to winning in 2019. Thankfully he came…

Birgit Kohler is the Head of Organoleptic Department at BRITA where her focus is on understanding the sensory perception of water, tea, and coffee, and bringing this knowledge into product development. Birgit is a trained water sommelière, receiving qualifications from the renowned Doemens Genussakademie in Germany, alongside having a background of studies in nutrition science, and qualifications as a coach. Amy Zhang is the 2022 ASCA Australian Latte Art Champion. Born in China, Amy is a Coffee Quality Institute-certified Q Grader and Barista Trainer, basing many of her latte art patterns off her favourite Disney films. Amy won the 2022 ASCA Northern Region Latte Art Championship, and the 2022 National title. She currently works at The Maillard Project in Brisbane, Queensland. Penny Wolff of Wolff Coffee Roasters is heavily focused on…

One Sunday afternoon, Dean Gallagher received a call from a café he had been trying to do business with for about four months. The café owner asked Dean to bring him some samples of his roasted coffee, then asked: ‘Can you get me 30 kilos tomorrow?’ This café would become Five Senses Coffee’s first customer. Just 12 hours earlier, Dean had become disillusioned as to why his roasted coffee was yet to break through to market. He and his wife Stacey had arrived back in Australia from Papua New Guinea at the end of 1999 and had agreed to put every cent into their new business. Dean had bought a one kilogram shop roaster and had started roasting a few bags of green beans in a shed. Those bags soon…

Recently, my wife Tracy broke her ankle quite badly and I had to become her carer. I did things I had never had to do before, to have another human being solely dependent on me. I must admit, it was not easy. I had no ‘duck to water’ moment. I stopped looking at the world through my own lenses and took up hers. I wonder how my mother was able to juggle her job plus the running of a home with four demanding children and a husband that never helped at home. My belated appreciation and respect for her has grown exponentially over the past few weeks. To my mother, empathy, and giving, was a way of life, not just a word that sounded good in political speeches. In the…

Coffee shops are the community hubs of our time: a place to meet, engage, converse, and connect, says Derek Potts, one of three Co-Founders of My Coffee Counts. “As a coffee shop owner, you want to build a business based on loyalty, service, and a shared goal to make a positive difference in the lives of your patrons and the wider community,” Derek says. “My Coffee Counts is a free, easy, digital loyalty solution.” Derek says the phenomenon of the ‘loyalty card free coffee’ often relies on outdated punch cards, which can now be replaced by an app-driven customer experience. “By rolling out the free My Coffee Counts app in your store, you’ll be providing customers with direct online access to your products and offers. This will enable both digital…

Barista Technology Australia Director Brett Bolwell keeps hearing the same thing: “everybody’s struggling to get baristas”, and says it’s only going to get worse before it gets better. As more café operators apologise to customers for the cost of coffee going up, Brett says venues that are scared to raise their price for risk of losing clientele are going to carry a heavy burden. The only area they can mitigate some of those costs, is through labour and the use of technology. “I was watching an efficiency video we did for a client, where we split the screen in half. On one side we showed a video of a barista manually tamping and steaming milk. On the other side of the screen was the barista using two automated products: the…

As a barista, most of your time revolves around getting your espresso to taste right. It is important to use all cues to and create a benchmark for the espresso you’re serving. This means anything that falls outside the range needs to be addressed. But finding issues with your coffee is half the work. The other half is fixing the problem before you remake that coffee. So, today let’s look at how to create a benchmark for your coffee and look to find solutions for any quality issues you may encounter. See The roast profile of your coffee will dictate the colour of your espresso and crema, which means a deeper darker colour for darker roasted coffee should be expected compared to a more golden colour for medium to light…

Hugh Allen has experienced some of the best food destinations in the world and has visited many coffee centric locations, but when it comes to coffee quality, he says there’s no place like home. “Melbourne has always produced the best coffees,” Hugh tells BeanScene. “[I love] the abundance of quality cafés [Melbourne has]. The competition constantly pushes cafés to get better and better – knowing that you can walk into almost any café and know you will be satisfied. Hugh lived in Copenhagen for just over three years. He enjoyed its thriving café scene and “super high quality” coffees, noting the Coffee Collective, Democratic Coffee, and April as favourite café destinations. He says Melbourne-style cafés have popped up around the world, taking inspiration from the city’s industrial influence, food culture,…

Roasting machine manufacturer Probat is heralding a new era of test roasting and recipe development with its P01 shop roaster, successor of the Probatino and youngest member of the P series. According to Probat Head of Shop Roaster Sales Jens Roelofs, the P01 was the missing machine in the series. “While we had introduced the P05, P12 and P25 shop roasters in late 2020 and have been selling new machines since then, the Probatino had not been upgraded for 10 years, so there was a certain need to update this line of machines. Equipped with the same inspiring technical features, the new electrically powered P01 is in almost every aspect a miniature version of the larger members of the P series roasters,” says Jens. With a recommended batch size of…

Shih Yuan Hsu (Sherry) took on 30 other national Brewers Cup representatives from 28 to 30 September at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo and was the last woman standing when emcee Hide Izaki called her name in front of a packed crowd and global livestream audience. “I’m still feeling nervous, the reality hasn’t set in yet. But I really enjoyed the stage and had a lot of fun. I’m still in shock,” Sherry tells BeanScene magazine. Elika Liftee from United States placed runner up, and Elysia Tan from Singapore placed third in the competition. Tomas Taussig from Czech Republic placed fourth, Jhon Christhoper from Indonesia placed fifth, and Simen Andersen from Norway placed sixth. Sherry has worked in the coffee industry for six years and currently works as a barista…

According to water filtration systems company BRITA, 46 per cent of consumers don’t believe the quality of tea is any better in cafés than at home. Head of BRITA’s Organoleptic Department Birgit Kohler says this means there is clearly space for tea to grow in the hot beverage sector. “Right now, many consumers will be well acclimatised to making a brew in the comfort of their home due to the COVID-19 lockdown periods,” says Birgit. “This presents a clear opportunity for cafés to improve their offering and attract the discerning tea drinker into their establishment.” Birgit says it’s evident that hot beverage businesses need to add the ‘wow’ factor to the beverage to make it an out-of-home occasion for consumers. “We know that great coffee keeps patrons coming back to…

According to Anne Cooper, also known as Roastress Coops, there’s a “minefield” of misinformation about how to roast coffee, most commonly that people believe the brand of roasting machine will create specific types of flavours for them. To help remedy this misconception, Anne of Equilibrium Master Roasters in collaboration with fellow Australian roaster Ecre, has created four specially curated Educational Tasting Packs, each exploring a specific roasting approach. “The first tasting pack is based on how to recognise and manage roast defects. Without the appropriate roasting approach, coffee can come out overdeveloped, underdeveloped, scorched, or baked. These can all ruin the flavour of entire batches of coffee. Known as ‘roast defects’, these mistakes typically occur when the roasting machine is setup incorrectly or when roasters lack information on what’s going…

With more people returning to workplaces and a sense of normalcy now retained in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nestlé Professional Barista Trainer Joanna “Jo” Yuen says the total beverage solutions provider has evolved its educational focus and communication methods to accommodate for the ‘new norm’. “We’re back to doing a lot of onsite face-to-face barista training. We now have dedicated state champions who conduct barista training, and we work with nationally accredited training centres in major cities, available to our customers free of charge,” Jo says. “We also still offer virtual training sessions, and have a range of barista training videos, available to customers upon request. Our quality control and technical operations teams also provide training for our automated push-button machines.” COVID-19 has taught trainers how to be…

Looking back on the past few years, lockdowns have changed the lives of countless people, inevitably causing anxiety, depression, and boredom for many. It took away people’s spark, and happiness, myself included. Fortunately, now that the lockdown policy is over and the economy is gradually recovering, our barista community can finally get back to work, serving tasty coffee to our customers. I considered how I could use my latte art skills to encourage more people drink tasty coffee, and at the same time create a sense of joy. I want to create latte art designs that are vivid and interesting and resonate with more people. I was surprised to receive so many messages and photos of baristas attempting my designs from the Australian Latte Art Championships (WLAC), in particular my…

STEPHEN GALLARDO – NATIONAL TECHNICAL MANAGER, ESPRESSO MECHANICS Stephen Gallardo has joined the Espresso Mechanics team under UCC Coffee Australia, where he will look after the company’s national team of technicians and contractors. In his new role, Stephen will support his team in the areas of training and customer services, liaise with manufacturers, address technical issues, and support new and existing customers. Stephen has worked in the coffee industry for the past 15 years. He held previous technical roles supporting customers which include 7-Eleven, McDonalds, BP, Nestlé, and Starbucks, where he received lots of experience working with super automatic and traditional espresso machines. After looking for a new challenge and change of scenery, Stephen says he’s excited to take on the new role with Espresso Mechanics. “I’m excited to learn…