I Heart Competition; 1-10

Picture of Chris Baca. Nicked from Liz Clayton

Watching the recent Western Regional (US) Barista Championships, I was blown away by the enthusiasm of a one Mr. Chris Baca. I’ve met this guy only once but he seemed like a pretty cool guy and right now he’s kinda my hero. Baca walked up the Judges with a huge smile on his face, introduced himself and declared “I LOOOVVVE barista competitions!”

I pretty much high-fived my laptop. He couldn’t have put it any better. He then went on to drag two competition newbies on stage and made 6 of every course so they too could understand why we all love Barista competitions. Chris went on to finnish 3rd in the WRBC and later placed 2nd in the US finals in late April.

I’ve decided therefore to make a list of some of the moments that have gained noteriety and legendary status amongst Baristas. Most of these stories are probably exagerated, some probably aren’t even true, some are great moments and some we wish had never happened but these ladies and gentlemen are my all time favourite competition moments, and the reason why I too love Barista Competitions.

1. The Goat Trophy;

Barista Trophies are usually a representation of the sponsor (i.e a portafilter or a tamper) but in 2006 Klaus Thomsen of Denmark won the World Barista Championship in Bern, Switzerland, in 2006 and was awarded what is quite possibly the most bizarre trophy I’ve ever seen. A Goat. Legend has it that the organisers had forgotten to get a trophy for the winner and in a mad rush picked up the first trophy they could get their hands on. The trophy has since gone on to be auctioned every year at the Nordic BaristaCup where it pretty much fetches EUR1,000 on an annual basis.

Klaus with his Goat

2. Morrissey delivers the espresso;

So many people have talked about this moment. Its ridiculous to suggest that it single handedly delivered him the WBC title but when Stephen Morrissey turned to deliver his espresso course to the judges he did so with one saucer in one hand, and three in the other. True, you can see this in any busy cafe in the world but Morrissey had broken the formality of a WBC final with a cheeky wink to all the hardcore-multi-saucer-yielding baristas all over the world and set himself up for a famous victory in Copenhagen 2008.

3. Big names missing the cut

This is the amazing thing about barista competitions, it isn’t always the best baristas that make the cut. Luck (and bad luck) plays a huge role in events and sometimes the big names fail to get through. Its not that I like to see that happen but more something that adds to the excitement. If everything was a formality the show would be very boring. When Kyle Glanville (2008) and Carl Sara (2009) failed to make finals it caused a huge shock, but added to the drama of two really great barista competitions. No doubt this year, and years to come, will see favouries fail to make the grade but its all pat of the show and we all compete knowing nothing is guarenteed to anyone.

4. Piccolo features in Black Gold

The Film “Black Gold” is perhaps the most well known coffee documentary ever made and it chose to unfortunately pick-on one of the greatest competition baristas of all time, Sammy Piccolo. Just before he was about to take to the stage in Bern, the film makers caught Sammy at his most uptight and intense (we all are at that moment) and turned one of the coffee industry greatest ambassadors into something of an intense stampeding lunatic through the power of selective editing. I met Sammy in Atlanta last year and he is as gracious as he is funny, something Hollywood unfortunately missed.

The Mighty Mighty Sammy P

5. Mr. Coconuts;

OK, this one I may need some help with. As far as I know (and I’m open to correction on this one) a Lithuanian competitor once introduced himself as “Mr. Coconuts” and proceeded to serve his signature drink in a hollowed-out coconut shell. The ingenius part of this routine was the moment where he presented the coconuts on cylindrical stands in front of the judges. When they lifted the coconuts from their pedastals, he took away the stands and therefore ensured they drank all of its contents or suffer the consequences of trying to put down the shells on a flat table. Brilliant.

6. Gwilym goes 17 seconds over and still romps home

After his first round appearence at WBC in Atlanta, I asked a down in the mouth Gwilym how he got on. “Shit” he said. “I didn’t get to talk about the coffee. Davies went on to make the finals and again I missed his performance. Backstage after the finals I asked him again how he got on. “Shit!” he said with a huge smile on his face, “but I got to talk about the coffee”. Despite going 17 seconds over, Davies had done what he’d traveled half-way around the world to do, talk about his coffee, and went on to to claim his place as one of the most worthy and popular of all WBC Champions.

7. The Sunflower Show

Another rumour perhaps? A competitor gets his wife to dress up as a sun flower and sway side-to-side beside him as he presents his coffee. Amazing.

8. Hoffmann drops his caps;

A heavy favourite going into the 2006 UKBC  finals, James Hoffman brought his cappuccinos to the judges table and laid it on the edge. As he reached forward to present the first judge with their cappuccino the tray now holding only 3 coffees became unbalanced and proceeded to tip back ontop of Hoffmann in front of a shocked audience. Legend has it that Hoffmann was so far ahead that if he had served the half empty cups he would have won the competition. Instead he decided to go back and remake them, went over time and was disqualified. The following year he returned and won the WBC outright.

9. Paul Bassett breaks the mould;

2003 saw the first ever WBC Champ from outside Scandinavia in the form of Mr. Paul Bassett. The Scandos’ had such a strong hold on the tournament that in the first eight years of the competition only Bassett managed to take the trophy away from them. The most recent WBC in Atlanta saw the Scandinavians fail to procuce even one finalist despite having some of the best baristas and roasters in the World. Its my personal belief that it will be a long time before we see another final without a Scandinavian.

10. Israeli Footballers dream (kinda) comes true

Ok, I can see where this guy was coming from and I wrote about it here. This competitor came out on stage playing keep-em-ups with a football, dressed in a football kit and began to tell the judges that he always wanted to be a footballer. Having failed in this bid he decided instead to turn to coffee and at long last got to represent his country, albeit off the football pitch. He then volleyed the ball into the crowd and went off to pull some shots. I’d love to see photos of this one.

(p.s.  If you have any edits or additions to make just let me know and I’ll add/delete as appropriate. Next week I’ll add another 10 so let me know if you have any suggestions, especially ones with photos!!)

Coffee tasting this Saturday

After the success of our last event we are planning another cupping (coffee tasting) this Saturday at 3FE. Here’s a low down on whats gonna happen;

- 12 midday kick off

-€20 per person

-250g bag of coffee for every participant

If you want to secure a place in the event then drop into 3FE and we’ll stick your name down or just drop in Saturday morning before the crowds arrive

The event is open to beginners and experts alike, hope to see you Saturday!

Col

hello@thirdfloorespresso.com

Take it out back…

 

The blank canvas at the Twisted Pepper

Way back when we decided to open 3FE we were left with a conundrum. The space in the main bar of the Twisted Pepper was the best place for a coffee bar with comfy leather sofas, a killer sound system, tables, chairs and everything you need for a great set up. Unfortunately this space was set too far back from the main street so we decided to change tack.

Essentially the lobby became the new focus for 3FE and so we set about puting a coffee shop in a space that had no services and was, essentially, a hallway.

To say I was met with a few sceptical looks was putting it mildly. Opening a cafe in a nightclub lobby was not exactly the done thing but there was something about the space and the people that ran the Twisted Pepper that made it seem like a no-brainer. One of the many DJs that had played the city-centre venue had signed the wall of fame with a phrase that became a mantra for everyone involved in the setting up of 3FE; “Fail we may, sail we must”.

So we did.

Pete and Jordan cupping in 3FE 1.0

Getting going was tough, the weeks over Christmas were as quiet as they were cold as they were demoralising but slowly the numbers started to build. It was difficult getting people into the space but one by one they started to come, and more often than not they decided to return.

We started to gain some favourable reviews like the ones here, here, here and here. There were a few dodgy ones like here (ish) and here but you’ve got to accept the good ones with the bad ones. I’m a firm believer in taking positives from a negative situation and we’ve tried to understand the bad reviews and understand why we were being perceived that way. Luckily the good ones have far outnumbered the bad ones.

Great review from The Trinity News

After building a solid base over the opening three months  we recently hosted (well the Twisted Pepper did) the Irish Barista Championships. This gave us the opportunity to try something new and so when the doors opened on the Tuesday we set rolled the shop back into the main bar and plugged in. One advantage of having a collapsible shop is that you can pretty much set it up where you like. All our counters were built on casters  as we’d always anticipated moving out back at some stage and the competitions presented us with the ideal opportunity to do that.

So we did.

Its hard to believe there was once a Barista Comp on this stage...

The feedback after our temporary move was universal. Everyone liked it, but everyone thought it was too dark and people were worried that we wouldn’t be seen by passers-by on the street. We decided to give the place a bit of a make-over, install some book shelves, brighten up the paint work, give the place a good scrub and make it a bit more day-friendly. The interesting thing about the footfall question was that we had never, and I mean never, attracted the average passer-by. The only people that ever visited 3FE were those that had read/heard about us and those who had been before. Our experience since moving out back has been as expected, those people are still coming and if anything we’re attracting more passers-by!

New Bar

So, this is now a work in progress. We are conscious of losing that intimacy that we enjoyed in the front and so have constructed our own take on the traditional snug, although in a more inclusive way so that we’re still able to chat with the regulars and coffee geeks. In saying that I think we were losing the crowd that just wants to have a coffee and be left alone, and I think the booths are ideal for that. 3FE 1.0 was a great space but if you were shy or didn’t fancy a chat you were in trouble.

The main reason for this post however is that we need your help. The coffee offering is still the same, and will improve further in the coming weeks, but we need some feedback on what you’d like to see, what you miss and what you think we could do to make 3FE 2.0 better.

Beer Tasting Event @3FE

We’ve recently started biweekly cupping events, we’re going to include brew classes soon and hopefully a lot more coffee-centric get togethers. As well as that there’s the Beatyard, a foodie-forum (more on this shortly), new craft beer offerings, jazz, clothes markets, comedy and every other random thing you can think of to compliment the Twisted Pepper.

Cupping last Saturday Morning

The point is that this is a really cool space so if you think of anything you’d like to see there’s a pretty good chance we can do it so we’re all ears. The Twisted Pepper is going to become the go-to place for weekend daytime activities and we’re really excited about being part of that and will be dropping lots of ideas their way. So drop me a line hello@thirdfloorespresso.com if you’ve got any ideas/feedback or you simply wanna get on the mailing list

Col

Saturday Morning Event @3FE

We’ve been going behind your back. Every Saturday morning for the last few months, we’ve been dropping the shutter and indulging in something very secret where prying eyes can’t see. We’ve been cupping.

Cupping, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, is essentially a coffee tasting where different coffees are tasted side by side with (hopefully) tasty consequences. It’s an invaluable learning exercise and a great way to expand your knowledge of coffee in a very approachable way.

Therefore, this Saturday we’re opening up the shop for cupping on Saturday morning. We’re gonna open the doors at 10.45am and close the shop for an hour between 11 and 12 and cup 8 coffees from all around the world.

It’s completely open to the public and we’ll be joined by “friend of the show” David Walsh, the current Irish Cup tasting Champion who’ll be at hand to guide everyone through the process.

We hope to do this as a public event at least every other week going forward and because it’s the first time we’re doing this it’s gonna be free of charge for anyone to join in!

So if you fancy coming along we’ll see you 10.45am on Saturday morning!

Col

hello@thirdfloorespresso.com

The difficult second album

Around two months ago I paid a visit to London to watch the heats of the UKBC and meet up with Steve Leighton for yet another brain-dump on our competition strategy. By this stage I had already been to Copenhagen for a weeks training with Fritz Storm and was well and truly in competition mode.

I’ve never been really able to watch competition, and true to form as James Phillips of “Dose” took to the stage I in turn became quite nauseous and worried…so I turned away. Something else was at play I felt and the following day I had a brief chat with a former competition barista about the pressures involved in retaining a title when everyone is expecting a lot from you. That expectation was something I was going to have to address.

To say I entered IBC 2010 as the favourite is not a statement based on arrogance or ego but one that I had formed from daily visits from industry people who kept reminding me so. On top of the expectation though was a feeling that I needed to repay the huge faith people had laid in me, especially Steve himself who has sacrificed so much for me this year in anticipation of this event.

He has not only been instrumental in the launching of 3FE but has also spent the past year shipping me coffee to sample, ensuring I had a steady stream of work (Thanks Joe!) and ensuring that my education as a Barista didn’t slow down after the crash course that was 2009.

So when my first round slot arrived on Wednesday all this pressure culminated into a performance that I was bitterly disappointed with. I left the stage to cheers and congratulations but I knew myself that it just wasn’t good enough.

I think at the root of the problem was that I wasn’t allowing myself to enjoy it. I let the pressure get to me, like I never had before, and in doing so had only increased the likelihood of what I feared the most. So I stopped.

I stopped worrying about the expectation, stopped fretting about mistakes and stopped behaving like someone with the weight of the world on their shoulders. The funny thing about competitions is that essentially you end up worrying most about the thing that you do day in and day out. I decided to just get up, make some coffee, and hopefully enjoy myself up there just like I did in Atlanta and in the RDS at IBC2009.

In the end this change in tack proved to be enough in retaining the crown of Irish Barista Champion. The sense of relief I felt as they called out my name was immense, if only for the fact that I hadn’t let Steve down for all his efforts in the past year. Last year it was euphoria, tears and screams but this year, although just as rewarding, was more a collective sigh of relief by everyone involved.

Everyone that helped me had put in such a huge effort that I felt anything short of winning would be a discredit to all their endeavours. Coupled with that was the huge pressure I put myself under to plan and achieve something that I almost accidently happened upon this time last year.

3FE is located in the front of the IBC venue (The Twisted Pepper) and as a consequence I got to see first hand all the hard work and dedication that the organisers Jackie, Damian, Joe and Julie put in. Theres also a huge team behind them involved in the running of the competition and everybody really did an amazing job and rarely receive any thanks or praise for their efforts.

My signature drink was concocted with the help of one my customers and a friend-of-a-friend, Darren Free. He donated a lot of time and energy in helping me and I’m very grateful for all his efforts. Hopefully I haven’t dissuaded him from more experiments in the lead-up to London.

My run-throughs were scrutinised continuously by team 3FE (Jordan, Ger and Pete) as well as my brother Ian who worked tirelessly to help me prepare despite knowing little to nothing about competition. 

I must also thank Paddy Sands, as well as Michael and Stephen, at Food Solutions for helping me get to grips with the competition machine (Astoria Plus4You). There help was instrumental in helping me get the most out of my coffee and being able to use the machine to its best ability.

The competition was blessed with presence of two of the UKs finest in John Gordon and Gwilym Davies who worked the 3FE bar, did some MCing and were invaluable to me over the 3 days. I can’t thank them enough for making the week such an enjoyable experience for all the competitors, the watchers and the 3FE customers.

London’s calling, we’ve got lots to work on and I’m gonna enjoy it.

-Title inspired by that wordsmith of wit, Paul Stack

All in a years work

The last year has been a big one. Winning the 2009 Irish Barista Championships has enabled me, both personally and professionally, to see and do things that I never would have thought were possible. Its enabled me to visit a host of different countries, meet some great people and has given me a foundation to open 3FE, something I could only dream of doing less than 3 years ago. Its been incredibly tough but I’ve had a ridiculous amount of fun doing it, and now just when things were starting to get settled its time to start all over again.

In truth I havent really stepped out of competition mode since Atlanta. As soon as I got back I started talking competition with Steve and we started working towards competing again. We pulled every part of the competition apart and really nit-picked on where I went wrong. We decided that I had to grow as a barista and in order to do that I had to go ask a lot of questions from a lot of people. So I did.

The backbone of my last year was working free-lance jobs with Joe O’Hara at Ristretto. It was tough work but getting to work with a group of dedicated and professional baristas was something that really made me up the ante. I can remember I was mid flow, 300 shots into 1000, on a 13 hour shift in Barcelona when I really only began to understand how much work I needed to put into my espresso. I was lagging behind the others and I needed to smarten up but it was a lesson I needed to learn. The other guys were so much more consistent than I was and it forced me to readdress what I thought was acceptable in a bar situation. The standards that you implement day in day out then become your standard, not the ones that you like more than the others.

Going to Cologne to see the SCAE show was another massive trip for me. All of a sudden I was thrown in amongst a group of people who knew their coffees better than anyone and I was being asked my opinion. Having your opinion quizzed by Messrs Morrissey, Kaminsky, Helgebostad, Stack, Davies, Helfen and Storm (amongst others) was a little humbling but really forced me to look at what I knew about my profession, and more importantly, what I didn’t know. Manning the über boiler Stand also put me in the spotlights a bit and all of a sudden I had renowned coffee folk critiquing the coffee I was preparing. Daunting but again rewarding.

That trip indirectly led me on to Norway where I spent a week at Kaffemisjonen. This has really given me an insight into what it means to be a professional Barista. My admiration for the work that Rasmus, Jan, Oda et al do is pretty obvious but I think it’s the manner in which they do it that impresses me most. This also got me out of my comfort zone and really tested me to improve further.

Japan also had a massive effect on me and gave me the opportunity to work with some amazing baristas and see a really beautiful country. Visiting the roastery of Maruyama Coffee was perhaps a once in a lifetime experience and again opened my eyes to a whole new world in coffee.

All of these trips were enjoyable but often a lot more difficult than I would have envisaged. One thing that has become abundantly clear in the last year is that whenever I’m returning home I know its been worthwhile when I’m coming back with more questions than I have answers. There’s something enormously rewarding about coming home thinking you know less than you did before. It’s important to feel dumber.

In the meantime Tamper Tantrum has been a conduit through which myself and Steve could work towards this years competition. We decided that we needed to meet at least once a month in order to progress on from where we had left off. Tamper Tantrum has enabled us not only to meet a lot of cool people but also to educate ourselves and bash ideas off each other on a regular basis.

On top of all this I’ve also managed to open my first cafe in the unusual form of 3FE. We’ve already had a host of special guests over and day by day the shop continues to grow. Although the feedback has been immense I still feel we are only at about 30% of where I want this to go but we will get there through hard work and patience.

Right now I’m typing this from a Hotel in Copenhagen where I’m one day into a three-day intensive training regime with Fritz Storm. Already I feel like there is a massive amount of work in front of me but that’s something I’m no stranger to and with 5 weeks to go I intend to leap in head first.

3FE Launch Party, This Sunday 24th

To celebrate the opening of Third Floor Espresso I’ve invited some of my favourite coffee people from Ireland and further afield to come together and present the people of Dublin with a demonstration of everything thats great about coffee.

Flying in from sunny, sunny Stafford will be one of the worlds finest and definitely most passionate coffee rosters Steve Leighton. Steve, as most of you know roasted my coffee for the World Barista Championships and does our espresso blend (currently “Frosty”) as well as a lot of our filters.

Steve on the left, with James Hoffmann and yours truly

He’s agreed to talk people through a coffee flavour wheel on the day so you’ll get a chance to understand the complexities and flavours of some really great coffees! He’ll also be helped on the day by the owner of Irelands finest taste buds, the Irish Cup Tasting champion and the man behind this, David Walsh. These two are two of the most knowledgable coffee people around but also really cool people. All you’ve gotta do is try the samples and have a chat, lotsa fun!

Oda!

We’re also lucky enough to be joined by one of my favourite baristas, the current Norwegian Barista Champion,Miss Oda Misje Haug! Oda is flying in all the way from Kaffemisjonen in Bergen and she’s gonna bring some of her favourite coffees with her. Some of the best roasteries in the world are based in Norway so thats gonna be an amzing opportunity to try some incredible coffees.

As well as all of this I’ve also invited some of Irelands finest coffee people to join in the festivities on the day. Karl Purdy from Coffee Angel is going to have a demonstration on Hario Pour-over brewing. This is something that we are really passionate about here at 3FE and there is no finer man than Karl to talk you through the virtues of drip filter coffee. Karl stocks a wide range of hand grinders and drip filters for what is an excellant and cost-effective way to brew coffee at home.

Me with an Uber, thanks to Ben Kaminsky Coffee Hero.

The good good people at Marco are also sending us down an Uber Boiler for Sundays event as well as the obligatory Paul Stack to man it for the day

An Uber boiler for those of you that don’t know is a water delivery system that is the first thing on every baristas wanted list (including ours!). Its an amazing piece of equipment that enables the user to brew perfect filter coffee.

On top of all this 3FE will also be open on the day for business dishing out espressos and cappuccinos and we’ll also have a shed-load of beans on sale for anyone who fancies bringing a bag home. On top of all that we’re hoping to get Brock from Badger and Dodo to pop along with some coffee as well as Michael from Ariosa, just so Ireland’s specialty scene is fully represented here too!

The event starts at 12 midday this Sunday (24th) in 3FE 54 Middle Abbey Street (The Twisted Pepper Building) and will run until 4pm. Everyone is invited and there’s no need to book. Just arrive up and we’ll do the rest. hope to see you there

Col      colinharmon@gmail.com 

Phone; 085 752 2573

p.s. if we have enough baristas at hand we may even have a latte-art throw-down

Start the Press

The French Press is one of my favourites. Anyone thats kept an eye on this blog will know that its one of my favourite brewing methods and if your any way interested in why then have a quick look here.

A few years back I had little or no interest in coffee other than the knowledge that I liked the taste of good coffee, whatever that was. One day I bought a cheap French Press, some coffee beans (pre-ground I must admit) and sat down with a hangover and a fry up and began to brew them. Effectively what I did was lob some grounds in, throw some water on top and it tasted great! Job well done, happy out.

The following week however I recreated my little masterclass and to my utter astonishment the coffee tasted awful. I couldnt understand it. All the variable were the same as far as I could tell. I was hungover, it was Sunday, the coffee brand was the same and I’d used the same kettle. What else could it have been? The frustration was too much so I googled “how to brew coffee” and a few years on here I am.

Its also true that the vast majority of my customers who buy bags of coffee from me will use a French Press/Cafetiere as their weapon of choice. I therefore have a vested interest in making sure they brew it properly so they get the most out of it, and hopefully they’ll come back and buy some more coffee from me in future. Its a no brainer really.

Therefore this past Sunday we held the second of a monthly series of events here at Third Floor Espresso where despite the arctic conditions here in Dublin a full house braved conditions for our own brand of French Press group therapy. Most people had a pretty good idea of how to brew a good press but we decided to focus on the killer elements that really make it worthwhile; temperature, freshness, brew ratio, grind size and steep time.

There was also a chance to try some really great coffees on the day. Steve’s Sidikalang Natural was a really great way to burst some pre-conceived conceptions of what coffee can be. Its a controversial coffee in some circles but “fermented banana” was the descriptor that kept popping up. Incredibly sweet though and despite the funkiness it is an incredibly drinkable coffee, especialy in the press.

We also had a Costa Rican coffee in the form of La Pria at hand. This one is probably my preference at this stage but in saying that it was interesting to see the 50/50 split amongst the attendees (and relieving too, I’d sold out of most of the coffee that week so the split decision ensured there was enough of each to go round!). 

Although I loved both, my prefernce was with the La Pria, but it was a timely reminder for me to acknowledge that sometimes my customers will have a different preference. My job is to merely offer them a sufficent choice.

These monthly meet-ups will continue, perhaps not always in the guise of a brew class though. I’m planning on perhaps doing a “milk steaming” class, an “Ethiopian Coffee Event” with Irelands Ambassador to Ethiopia , a beer vs. coffee tasting as well as a host of other events. If you’d like to get in on the action drop me an email colinharmon@gmail.com and I’ll pop you on the mailing list. (also, if you didnt get the last email but you had put your name down, please let me know).

In the meantime 3FE continues to grow, and I have many of you to thank for that. Happy New Year.

Col

Week One

So, we’ve lasted a week.

Seven days into Third Floor Espresso I’m looking back on a week that has been really pleasing for me both professionally and personally. The culmination of weeks of planning and organising has culminated into a tiny little shop in the heart of my home town that I really really love. True, there are points to improve on, areas to fix and a lot more hard work in the future but if someone had offered me this opening week I would have bitten their hand off.

There are 3 things that have perhaps been more pleasing than any other aspect of the shop. Firstly, the coffee. I thought Steve would throw together a blend and maybe garnish it with a decent coffee but true to form he really went all out on our first seasonal blend, “Frosty”. Machacamarca, La Illusion and Sao Judas are all spectacular coffees on their own but collectively they become what is quite frankly one of the best, if not the best, espressos I have ever tasted. It makes my job very easy.

Secondly is the response of the customers. A huge part of me was afraid that the insistence on small cups, pushing filter coffee, not doing syrups and other coffee-nut tendencies might scare off Joe public but the opposite has been the case. Customers are really embracing the “enough” policy of 3FE as well as the approach to coffee as a luxury and not a fuel. (Having Dave Walsh there to help out is a value add if ever there was one too)

Finally, the thing thats really made it for me is the fact that I really love the shop. I opened today for 4 hours, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. There are hard times ahead for Third Floor Espresso but this week will always be something that I’ll look back on with an enormous amount of pleasure.

p.s. Thanks to all the coffee folk who dropped in this week to lend their support, your advice and opinions are very much appreciated. I will refrain from naming you lest I leave someone out

Third Floor Espresso

Whilst touring the worlds airports, exhibition centres and train stations in the last 6 months I have also been on the look out for a premises to call home. I was very tempted to go looking for work in another country (Ahem, Norway!)but my aim from the start has always to open a really great cafe in Dublin and I felt that abandoning that now would  be something I’d always regret.

There are many obstacles in the way of opening a cafe in Dublin, the most obvious one being cost. Any place that I found that I was really happy with was well in excess of what I budgeted for. Anything I could afford, or felt was a realistic price, just wasn’t sufficient for what I had in mind. I felt I could make money in the majority of places I saw but the other side of that was asking myself how happy I would be selling twenty ounce double mocha vanilla spiced lattes.

shortly before the WBC finals in Atlanta I was in my training room that I had constructed in my apartment’s spare bedroom when I got a call from a friend of mine Alan Coleman who heads up a sea swimming club at the local “forty foot” swimming area, aptly known as the Forty Foot Walruses. Alan is perhaps the worlds most enthusiastic person and he told me he was fresh out of the water, dying for a coffee and wanted to show a friend how insane I was. Fair enough says I.

Al brought along his mate Trev who unknown to me at the time was the man behind the hugely successful “Bodytonic Music” who are event organisers, pub owners (The Bernard Shaw in Portobello) and recently had taken over a club and music venue on Middle Abbey Street in Dublin. Trev was a bit bemused by the whole set up but was equally impressed with the coffee I served him.

A few months down the line I stood in the Twisted Pepper on Abbey Street with Trev and he told me about how he wanted to offer Dubliners a day-time option to enjoying yourself in the city. There were tons of places to at night for a good time but if you wanted to go out during the day, have a laugh with some friends and perhaps not drink (god forbid) where do you go?

He spoke at length about the idea of holding lectures, forums, exhibitions and get togethers of all sorts in the venue during the day but getting people in there before 7pm was proving difficult. What they needed was a day time draw in order to develop the Twisted Pepper into a Daytime Nightclub, so to speak. Thats where I step in.

Trev emphasised that he wanted me to make coffee the way I was doing it in my third floor apartment training room. He could help me by providing publicity and a bit of business acumen training and I could slowly provide him with a day time audience to maximise the Twisted Peppers daytime capabilities. We had a deal

So yesterday we opened the shop for the first time. It was a real effort helped in no small part by my family and friends who seemed to pull out all the stops in coming up with ways to make the shop work in the daytime and be out of harms way come 2am. The good people at Nuova Simonelli also did a great job in pimping up my Aurelia to full competizione spec, leather portafilters and all.

I am also hugely grateful to Paul Stack and Shane Prender at Marco as well as Russel and Mark at bailies for solving every ridiculous problem I threw their way. Thanks must also go to Ian Kelly at the coffee doctors for swinging by to ensure I didnt break everything during install.

In the end however it always comes down to thanking the same three people for their tireless persistence in helping me get to where I need to be. My girlfriend Yvonne is perhaps has been ridiculously supportive and hopefully the new shop will allow me to be in the same country as her more often.

Dave on Bar

The other two are of course Steve Leighton and Dave Walsh who have been instrumental in everything I have done and achieved so far. Steve had put together our first seasonal blend ”Frosty” that really is incredible. A combination of Sao Judas, La Illusion and Machacamarca give an indication of the quality of this espresso. Dave on the other hand gave up his day off yesterday to make his “barista debut” and introduced Dublin to the concept of a brew-bar. So successful was it that I think we sold more filter coffee than espresso yesterday…and they said it couldn’t be done

There is a long way to go and despite yesterdays success I am quick to remind myself that I wont always have a music fair to rely on for sales. In saying that, the vast majority of customers were really impressed and I think we already have some regulars from the local offices!

The next few weeks I feel are going to be slow and painful but slowly, very slowly, we’ll build up the new shop. So, may I introduce to you Dublin’s newest coffee shop; Third Floor Espresso

p.s. Thanks also to designers Conor&David who held back the giggles all year and really got to understand what I wanted to achieve in the coffee shop. This picture shows them unveiling the ambigramic logo at OFFSET 2009 to a spontaneous applause from the audience.