Lo and behold, a resurgence of the low-tech love. I'm not kidding when I say I smelled this coffee coming more that a few months ago. I wandered into a new cute little place up by my house in Seattle called Neptune (Greenwood at 85th) where my good buddy, Reid Hickman, was appearing in a limited engagement.
First time I checked it out, Reid wasn't there, so I asked the girl for a cappuccino. All of a sudden a scrap of paper caught my eye:
"DANDELION COFFEE" was printed in sleek lettering above a list that I recognized as Stumptown's coffee selection. Incorporated into the logo was an image of a fluffy flower shooting out some drops. Hmmmm...intrigued, I asked the girl what the hell.
"Oh it's some kind of blend or something."
I decided to let her off the hook and just ask the owner, who later sidled up to my table to say a friendly howdy. I asked him, was this some kind of good-natured dig on the Clover? He admitted to it with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye, (Dan is kinda like that). Within the same breath he assured me that he desperately wanted a Clover, but could not afford one just yet. This was his way of showcasing the coffees with out it.
I came back later and took some pictures of Reid making a Dandelion...."dandelion" ha! That cracks me up!
Clever...so low-tech and so SO good. You see, Melitta pour-over is my all-time favorite. I make it for myself every morning. Practically every morning I wish I could go to a cafe and get some single origin brewed this way for me. (Sure, almost everyone in Seattle will make you a French Press, but I'm not enamored by the FP.) Now it looks as if my dream will come true in more than one cafe around town.
Just spoke to my old boss, G'pa Babcock at Zoka. He got all excited when I reported that many of "the kids" are going to be working the brew bars soon enough. I reminded him that it is HIS favorite too. (Sometimes you have to remind Jeff about things he already knows).
"Yeah! yeah...we're doing that too! I love it! LOVE it! *heh heh*", he practically shouted back at me with his signature maniacal grin.
Awesome, pour-overs are making a strong comeback here in NYC as well. Jamie from Abraco has a station set up, as does the brand spankin new Joe in Chelsea.
ReplyDeleteIf Melitta pourover is your all time favorite, that's good enough for me: I have to step back in time and try it for a while.
ReplyDeletePaper or gold filter (or is that a dumb question)?
I guess I'm one of the minority who think pourovers are technology we should let die... at least with regards to paper filters. I enjoy pourover coffee less and less these days, with the exception of one device in my stable - a Hario Wooden Neck Coffee Drip Pot (http://www.avenue18.ca/TEAPOT/Hario/coffee_series/paypal_pages/5110_DPW_1.htm)
ReplyDeletewith cloth filters. Makes all the difference in the world to my taste buds. It has the look of the Chemex, but coffee that tastes great (I'm also one of those minority who think the Chemex isn't all that, with the possible exception of how its folded - maybe the folding technique lets oils thru, who knows).
I'd rather see more bar setups with vac pots. You don't need to drop $20K either.
Dandelion vs. Clover... lol. Just the start of the massive third wave backlash that company's going to be facing in the next months / years.
Mark, How do you handle cleaning or keeping the cloth filter clean?
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, I'm a big fan of the single cup pour-over method using Melitta filters. I infuse in a press pot beaker then filter as fast as possible. To speed it up I drill the drain hole bigger and use a short section of spring (from the spring around the edge of a press pot filter) to keep the paper from covering the hole. I can easily get 90% infused and filtered in 1-1.5 minutes and usually toss the last 1/2 inch in the filter that takes dang near forever to finish.
I don't understand your comment Mark about wanting to see the pour over technology die. Fundamentally, brewing coffee is a chemical extraction process, and the pour over is a great way to implement that process. You need to use the right type of filter, of course.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge pour-over fan and have single, 4-cup and the big 10-cup Melitta.
ReplyDeleteI've modified my single cup Melitta to get a longer brew time with paper filters.
I've been trying other pour-over like methods and just purchased a bodum solo brew and very impressed! Brew time is nearly perfect and makes a great cup. It does excellent job retaining heat, so the finished brew is piping hot like I enjoy. I highly recommend it, $15
I started with a bodum solo brew but then an aunt introduced me to the Swiss Gold KF300 1 Cup Pour Over Coffee Maker. It makes the best coffee I have ever tasted at home, better than any Melitta filter, better than a percolator and better than any cafetiere. Ok, you do get some very fine solids in the bottom of the mug and if you put in more than three teaspoons of coffee into it, it takes a couple of minutes to produce a full mug.
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