oakleys.org.uk

I feel its time to rant a little on the blog, and I also feel its time for a little commentary on the industry I live and work in.

OK so maybe rant is a bit strong, but throw out opinion and thought.

A recent blog post (shout out to Alex Redgate http://awlred.wordpress.com/) questions the community outside of the London scene or lack of it, and its kind of made we want to post about the “London Scene”. This is in no way a dig at Alex, hes a top man, and we love him here.

There has been a hum of “isn’t the London scene wonderful” and I must admit I agree, to a point. Its great to see our capitol city picking itself up introducing competition and diversity from what was a one horse city. But the swipes at lack of community outside of London disappoints me. It disappoints me as I hear it a lot from people that have no idea whats happening in our city’s around the country.

I personally think there is plenty of community outside of London, I also know there are many many amazing outlets outside of London. but like everything from down south they believe they do it best because of the transport links and of course the much larger audience. But lets not forget a few short years ago, there was Monmouth, there was flat white selling Monmouth and there was Fernandez and Wells selling Monmouth and that was it. Coffee tour was over in a flash in one of the most cosmopolitan city’s in the world. At this time the hub of the UK was on the Halifax, Huddersfield area, one that that was way ahead of London (just look at the northern heats compared to the canceled London UKBC).

If you Go to Scarborough, or Leeds, or Liverpool, or even Manchester now (for years a black hole of coffee culture) or Derby, Burton, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York (and there are many more) there is at least one place to go to get a great coffee experience. But you have to look for them and often these people are just tring to run there business and don’t have time (or inclination) to create a scene.

I get tired of the “only good place is London blah, blah” its as boring as the other international destinations I’ve heard the same of (Vancouver, Copenhagen, Portland etc). This is not the fault of people doing great things in these city’s, to the contrary its because of them they have these powerful emerging coffee shops and roasters. Its also that a press is very city centered, take a look at the independents 50 best coffee shops, they seem to agree that most of the best are in London.

I tip my hat to everyone that makes these places stand out on the coffee maps of the world, but they quite often either spread the word effectively or empower there customers to do so and build a strong tribe that spread the word for them. Armed with a press that listens (and is normally a tube ride away) and these powerful advocates you can see why it happens.

But I know I haven’t been to 1% of the coffee shops in London village, let alone the many outside, so I cant write off every coffee shop, on what is or isn’t being done in them. So often we judge a coffee shop by the coffee roaster they use, or the machine and grinder they make it on or the decor they have fitted out their store with. The barista doesn’t seem matter so much how much care attention and pride they put into their shots. I bet you in every town there is someone who wants to make better coffee, I bet you in every chain store there is some one with the passion for better coffee that just doesn’t know it exists.

Don’t moan or grown that there isn’t a “scene” in your town but get off your backside and make that scene happen, organise something go into the coffee shops in your local town and speak to the baristas and see if they would be interested. Post blogs that inspire people in your local area I don’t know anything to drum up support.

Of course you could just move to London.

So its that time of year again when we want to have a get together, meet up with you our friends and drink some coffee together. The last ones we have done have been fairly informal affairs, chat coffee and off. But this time we have a plan, something that will make you want to come along. We also know that is going to be over subscribed this time, there is limited places with something that will be very exciting.

Its going to be in Stafford, its going to be at the roastery, and its going to be a 11pm till 4 pm learning and mix up fest.

There will be two courses (two maybe three). This will be on making espresso, steaming milk and putting it all together. Now I am no barista that we can be sure of that, so I’ve roped in the 2009 Irish Barista Champion and 2009 4th placed finalist from the World Barista Championships, and the newly crowned UK Barista 2010 Champion and 2009 UK Latte Art champion and 6th placed from the 2009 world latte art championships. Not one but two national champions. The programme will be firmed up closer to the date. But it will be an espresso fest.

Now we only have two espresso machines to do this on, so we need to keep numbers to a minimum. So when its full it full, there is a waiting list once it fills up. You need to go to this site here and RSVP as soon as possible. The price is £10 for the day, but you will leave with £10 worth of coffee at least, and also drink oodles worth of espresso, the price is more to make sure people turn up, again because of the limited space, a financial commitment always helps sort the people who may come, and will come. I’m afraid we cant allow guests with attendees because of space we just can’t accommodate them.

So should be fun, an experience like this would normally cost many many times and you wouldn’t get the coffee goodie bag at the end.

We look forwards to seeing you.

This was something I didn’t want to post about until the dust had settled and the euphoria has died down. Just enough time for it all to settle in and enjoy the moment.

I got a little excited about the whole thing (as I do with barista competition), but I think Monday now seems like a world away and enough time has past.

We are pleased to announce to those not embroiled in the coffee world and who may not have heard that Mr John Gordon of Gorilla Tampers and Square Mile Roasters won this years United Kingdom Barista Championship with the most amazing of scores using Has Bean Coffee for his competition blend.

We are proud to have worked with john for the last two years developing and roasting competition coffee blends. John and Jess have become amazing friends, and we love working together.

We are particularly proud as John, as he has often not gone for the easy safe options, he has pushed the boundary’s of what is thought should be done and at the same time pushed my boundary’s as a roaster to try things I would have normally written off. I’m sure something that will improve me as a roaster so improve your experience as a customer.

In the finals John scored 687 which is HUGE, he also won best espresso, best cappuccino and best signature drink. Again for the uninitiated he swept everything, but the standard was so high that it was no run away. Well done to every one who competed, but of course to John.

A special well done to Jess, Johns partner trainer, sounding board and rock, Jess has been amazing getting John to be the UK barista champion (that still sounds weird) and deserves all the plaudits she has received since.

An interesting stat that I didn’t really think about until some one said, was we have roasted the coffee for three of the past five UK champions and for a tiny company like ours that’s very pleasing and bewildering. But the main reason for it is that we work with some amazingly talented baristas who are at the top of there craft. We just brown the beans they do the magic, and I’m grateful they let us along for the ride.

So what next? Well, I’m are pleased that the UK’s are out the way, time to let that dust settle and chat with John about our next steps. But we hope we will be kicking on for the WBC.

It also is time for me to start thinking about the Irish championships as we are working with Colin Harmon of Third floor espresso (3fe) again this year, competition season is always hard work but always fun.

But for now look at the video where we found and made John Gordon

Tamper Tantrum Special with John Gordon from Stephen Leighton on Vimeo.

We are in the midst of Brazil heaven, so many delicious Brazil’s are arriving now.

But this one is a little different, its got the most interesting back story, and the most interesting character involved in the sub plot.

you can read (and buy) it here

I don’t think I do it justice in this 5 min Audioboo and I will do an In My Mug on this one some time soon, but with the Brazil’s on the last episode I don’t want to just do another, so maybe Brazil break this week. So look at this as an aperitif, a soupcon of information to prepare you for that main course when its cooked, here is my rambling thoughts on it.

Listen!

If you haven’t seen this weeks in my mug, I insist you watch it now one of my favourites I think I’ve recorded.

I insist so much its below WATCH NOW !!!

So the reason for the post is not simply to proclaim that I like a video of myself running between coffee trees, but the location. The location is a new shop called “The Window” and is the tiniest shop I have ever been in. Small but perfectly formed and a growing bread of cosy coffee shops that do great coffee but in tandom force people to make a great community.

As a society I think we talk to each other far less, and we are told from a young age not to talk to strangers. But as a famous Bros song (I Quit) once said “Most of my friends were strangers when I met them” (did I really use a bros song as a quote) so to make new friends at some point you have to speak to a stranger. There is something about sharing a table or a bench that makes you talk to people you would normally not speak to.

This has been shown to work at The Espresso London and at 3FE in Dublin and now there is a new contender of The Window.

Based in Norwich its not in a big flash swish cool city, but its perfect for where it is. Based in 25 Wensum Street, they still manage to do your expected espresso based drinks along with pour-over single estates, bean sales, aeropress and a range of hand made cakes from a local baker, who is also a friend and regular customer.

An amazing space and an amazing shop doing really great things. Pop in and say hi to Hayley if your ever in the area.

So I have found I can drive and boo

A revelation or recipe for a crash? Either way booed today about the ukbc and the post is here

Listen!

A blog post tonight set my mind thinking. Its a fairly new blog, but high hopes for it, for sure at the link here called Bean Here, Bean There.

It talks about how fairtrade might not be all that, and about coffee ethics the kind of stuff I enjoy. Then popped on the end it talked about pre ground and it said

As an industry, I think we need to start practicing what we preach; refuse to sell ground coffee to the public in all forms. We wouldn’t dare to prepare an espresso for guests at our cafe’s using pre-ground coffee so why is it suddenly acceptable to sell pre-ground for domestic use? How much respect do you have for your coffee if you are the retailer and willing to take money for it? I’ll dub it coffee prostitution; selling your integrity for a little money!

Ouch! so it inspired

Listen!

just done another audioboo I think worthy of its own blog posting

Listen!

We have a new premium espresso blend and a new espresso blend and a new Colombian (added yesterday) that I did an in my mug on (below).

This week is going to be all about new coffees. We have a heap of coffees I should have added weeks ago, but I just haven’t had the time.

So I find the best way to make me do things is to tell you lot I’m going to then I have to. First days went on yesterday with the Guatemala Finca San Francisco Tecuamburro – El Pollo Micro Lot and today with a cup of excellence Guatemalan called San Julian

I decided to do the reviews as Audioboo’s too you can hear them here

Listen!

Listen!

Last week we recorded the latest in the Tamper Tantrum after the opening of Third floor Espresso in Dublin

With special guest Oda Misje Haug it was a bit of a rushed, alcohol fueled affair but good fun. With great clip for our 5 things feature thanks to Mr David Walsh that makes me giggle each time.

You can of course watch it at http://www.tampertantrum.com or watch it below

But we have had many requests to make an MP3 Audio version too. So You can download it to your Ipod or generic MP3 Player subscribing through the itunes link here or you can listen to it below but you will miss out on Davids wonderful clip and Oda eating battered sausages and chips.

Is it a bird? Is it a Plane ? No its social media man

Apparently I do social media and someone thought I did it well enough to go and talk to others about what I do. I find the whole notion scary, amazing and very humbling, but mostly very cool.

I’m going to be speaking to folks on Thursday the 4th of February 2010 in The Hospital Club in Soho between 6:30pm and 8:30pm. There is only a few tickets left, but I’d much rather speak to a fun room than a nearly full room (all about the ego) .

http://lsssmwlondon2010.eventbrite.com/

I do find it strange talking to your friends and doing stuff you like is called social media.

Hope some of you can make it.

My good friend Grant Rattray from Mercanta our importers shared a piece of work with us a few weeks back, and I thought it so interesting I asked if he would mind me sharing it with you.

I hope you enjoy

Kenya’s coffee auction system dates back to 1934. The auctions still take place at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange and are widely considered to be most transparent distribution system for fine green coffees anywhere in the coffee world and inspired the model for the Cup of Excellence auctions.
 
Coffee growing was introduced in Kenya by the British around 1900. In the 1950, several extremely successful hybrids from Scott Laboratories were introduced and these have largely replaced the original French Bourbon stock which had been brought to Kenya from neighbouring Ethiopia. The most well-known are SL28 and SL34 and are Bourbon varieties and lend Kenya the distinctive big body and winy blackcurrant notes for which it is famed.
 
Following independence from the British in 1963, Kenya organised their coffee industry around a weekly government-run open auction system. This transparent system is establishing a pricing hierarchy based on quality with finer lots fetching higher prices. There is now increasing competition for the better-known estates and co-ops and particularly for the AA grade beans. The grades are simply a measure of bean size, not of defect tolerance. AA is screen 17/18; AB is screen 15/16 with a tolerance for 10% below screen 15.
 
Ahead of each auction, samples of each lot are distributed to the 50 or so licensed exporters – or ‘members’ – of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange where they are cupped and sent on also to their customers. In this way, Mercanta receives samples for cupping in our laboratory. We then instruct our exporter on our preferred lots. An agent then bids on behalf of the exporter at the auction to secure the necessary lots.
 
Since late 2006, some of the restrictions governing the compulsory auction platform have been relaxed. Farmers maintained that the auction system encourages the existence of a long chain of middlemen who eroded the farmers’ income. Supporters of the auction, however, claimed that the auction promoted a price discovery mechanism. The government has licensed 32 independent marketing agents who are now permitted to sell directly to foreign green coffee buyers and bypass the auction system and trade on the open market. Until then, all Kenyan coffee at the auction had been sold through three marketing agents who demanded a fee from the grower for their services. These new licensees were required to fulfill certain criteria before being awarded their license including storage standards, safety and a bank guarantee to ensure farmers are paid.
 
Today, in 2008, many of the small farmers have yet to find path to the international market though this situation is changing steadily. The auction system, however, continues to run in parallel and is open to all producers.
 
Finally, we should point out that when buying through the auction system, it can be difficult to gather detailed information on the precise provenance of the coffee. We have visited some of the estates that we know well, such as Gethumbwini, but it is not always possible to achieve complete traceability on all lots. Again, this situation is changing as the market in Kenya – both through the auction and the new licensed marketing agents – adapts to the needs and demands of the specialty coffee roaster and their customers.

Colin Harmon looses his mind

Crazy Irish man Colin Harmon left me this on my answer phone last night I thought I would share.

Listen!

His Irish accent is worse than mine, and he is from there

September

September was all about the traveling, with the first one staying in the UK and a train journey up to Glasgow and enjoying a Whisky tour. One of my other passions is whisky. I love single malts and see lots of similarities between the industrys, expect Malt Whisky seems to have done a better job of getting it out there. I guess its partly because it gets you drunk (always helps). The one thing I like is that they have avoided the snobby part of taste that wine falls into, and you find the most passionate consumers are also devoid of the snobbery. Its been said we have a lot to learn from the wine industry, and this is still true, but we have even more to learn from Whisky fraternity.

The second part of my travels this month was to be one of the first companies to compete outside of the nordic countries in Nordic Roasters Cup. This involved my first trip ever to Iceland. In the first place a very beautiful country, but the second, a very very expensive one. For just a couple of days much was spent on entering, getting the coffee right and there on time, and on two hotels (more to follow).

So as always last minute plans to go, tied in with not being able to leave until the last possible minute I had to take what hotel I could find. I arrived at 1am in the morning, to one of the most horrid hotels in the history of man. Dirty smelly and in a shared house. Fearing for my life I left at about 7am and got a taxi driver to take me to the most expensive hotel in town, that way I know I would be able to have a bath to ease my bites from the last place.

Nordic Barista cup I think is the perfect home for me, as it is also as mad as cheese, with people dressing up as Elton John and having raffles for a trophy of a goat and an opportunity to jump through paper cups

Build you a tower from Stephen Leighton on Vimeo.

It was also the month that Has forum started. Something I’ve avoided doing for a while because I reckon its been done well by others well. But I caved into the emails I received. Although steady were 160 odd members in the short time and people are using it. I hope to do more with it in 2010.

October

October was a HUGE month for me. This is where I got to meet Gary Veynerchuk. If you don’t know who he is go look at the blog post here

http://www.hasblog.co.uk/video-interview-with-gary-veynerchuk

Gary is a hero of mine and the opportunity arose to do a video with him and it was amazing.

http://www.hasblog.co.uk/my-wine-libary-moment

That explains it better

November

November was more airplanes, and the huge trip to Brazil. Brazil has been the one place I REALLY wanted to go to but had never gotten the chance. When for the third time this trip looked in danger, I phoned some friends and got it sorted myself. The first time it was not an organised trip and was all down to me. My Spanish is bad, but my Portuguese doesn’t exist so not the best place to start this dangerous strategy, but I survived thanks to some very good friends out there.

To Bahia and the Minas Gerais meant I got to see a lot of the country too. Good times all summed up by the video posts, non better than this one

Final Diary Post from Stephen Leighton on Vimeo.

Getting bitten while I was out in Brazil and an adverse reaction to it meant I had the first two days off sick since I set up Has Bean. Horrible time on IV antibiotics, but the kindness of friends made it a whole lot better

http://www.hasblog.co.uk/the-best-customersfriends-in-the-world

December

Every year I plan nothing but roasting coffee for December, so normally a quite month for news, but Mr Colin Harmon opening his Shop in Dublin was a real highlight and us both receiving an award for the tamper tantrum vid casts we do from the guys at www.sprudge.com

December was very nice icing on the Christmas cake, and a great end to a great year.

Sorry its taken me so long to get these out, and sorry its stopped me blogging normally normal service resumed in the next couple of days

I wanted to share with you a new coffee we have just added to the store.

It’s called Guatemala Antigua Santa Clara 2009-2010

But I wanted to tell you all about it in a way that’s a bit different. I guess at some time in the future I may do an In My Mug on it, but for now its an audioboo that I hope you enjoy

Listen!

Call to all Irish friends. Colin Harmon (of tamper tantrum fame, apparently he did OK in some coffee making competition too), is having his official opening of Third Floor Espresso on the 24th of January 2010. I’m going to be there also, and will be filming an In My Mug, drinking coffee and chatting. We want as many people as possible to come down so please do. Look forwards to meeting some of you.Kicks off Lunch time I think and we will be there until mid afternoon at the very least. Conact the normal channels if you need any further information

The address is

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