What's Zoka up to?

My recent visits to the two in-city Zoka locations have me scratching my head. Rumors are afoot about changes at cobra kai west and things definitely look different from this side of the counter.

First of all, the clovers are gone. I can see going manual pour-over if you're just starting a shop and want to save the clover cost, but if you have already made the quality (and financial) committment to buy them and made public statements about how you plan to keep them, why ditch them now? I understand the case for selling them (even used models are fetching full price), but that seems like a short-sighted exclusively-fiscal move for a company that I usually associate with being singularly focused on coffee quality. 

Secondly, the coffees featured in the by-the-cup brewing area? All blends. What's the point of that? I can see wanting to sell cheaper (er, less expensive), higher-margin coffees during this economic patch, but why not feature them as the brewed coffee of the day so that price-minded customers buy a cup, realize they taste good, and then decide to take a bag home? I have no interest in paying a premium for a pour-over blend coffee and I don't think I'm alone. The stations don't seem to be set up to serve their purpose either. In my mind, the purpose of the by-the-cup station is to (A) serve a just-for-you cup of coffee at a premium price to justify the additional labor, (B) give the barista a chance to interact with the customer so they feel like they're receiving individual service worthy of the additional price, and (C) give the barista a chance to talk with the customer about this coffee so the customer wants to take a bag home. 

Third, Zoka dumped their drip program to focus on clover, so even though pour-over service has replaced the by-the-cup slot, Zoka has had to add press pot/air pot to the lineup so serve brewed coffee. It seems like killing one bird with two stones to this casual observer.

Finally, everything behind the bar looks very stripped down, but not in a streamlined way. The back bar especially reminds me of the time right after your roommate just moves out of the apartment. There are fewer menuboards, but the shelves and space behind their previous locations looks empty and under-utilized. The effect keeps me wondering- what was this space previously used for? Was there a grinder there before? The menuboards themselves are a mixture of the previous style (with detailed chalk work) right next a hand-scrawled board that looks like what you'd expect to see at ninth street. Maybe that's on purpose- I'd swear I saw a frosted cookie whose face was the grumpy logo.

Having said all this, there is some part of me that wonders if all these inconsistencies with the philosophy of other current-generation-of-quality-minded-coffee retailers (insert your favorite term here) are intentional. Blends instead of single origins? Behind-the-scenes roasting vs. daily cuppings? Is Zoka changing itself to become the Seattle's Best Coffee to Stumptown's Starbucks? That's definitely a way to differentiate one's coffee business in this town, but I didn't see it coming.

C'mon now Seatown, Illy?

I really intend to keep these ramblings positive. Walking into a recently renovated Ravenna restaurant/cafe of supposed high repute located umm, near a bookstore of DEFINITE high repute only to find an extra-spiffy illy-emblazoned espresso machine, serving illy dashed my hopes for restaurant coffee in a way I hadn't expected.

Sure, this restaurant could have fallen into the typical restaurant coffee trap of serving no-name espresso or poorly brewed airports. Instead, these folks actually put out a mental and monetary effort, only to emerge in a different trap that I wasn't aware was still happening in spro-soaked Seatown: dropping big bank on a fading foreign roasting brand and their "tools". Sure, the magical bean cans keep the coffee perfectly conditioned and the click tamper helps make sure you're getting a 30lb tamp, but the lack of a training regimen is obvious in the cup. No grinding-by-the-cup, no free-pouring milk means a musty, milky lump of a cappuccino- albeit in a beatiful cup.

Dear Seattle restaurants,

If you don't want to invest big bank in a serious espresso setup, then don't. Save your self some counter space, skip the big steel (and the electricity bill to heat it) and - buy a gs3, a single major, and get yourself a small, flexible wholesale roaster account. Fine, you're right, that's still a lot of cash-- how about a couple silvias, a super caimano, and a handful of bags of espresso and decaf that you sneak out of one of our fine local roasters? Between that and a little training for your staff, you'll be serving great coffee on the cheap in no time. You won't have an upside-down wholesale roaster contract to keep up with and there's a chance that you'll generate enough business to support a serious espresso setup... and be able to pay for it in cash.

In this town, big and shiny doesn't impress... if you're serving bad coffee out of big steel, you overpaid or undertrained. The result is the same-- I'm going home for coffee.

There's Just More of Victrola to Love

Buried deep in the monthly email and mentioned NOWHERE on the website is the news that Victrola is opening (has opened?) a *3rd* location in Beacon Hill. I guess I'll have to cross I-90 for coffee someday afterall. Spy reports gladly accepted in the comments. In the meantime, congratulations Victrola!

SeaCprofiles: Bretts of a feather...

I was heading home after my dentist appointment for some spro cleansing among other things (sans harsh scrubbing mind you-benszo) when what to my wondering eyes should appear at the bus stop... but Brett Walker, his lovely wife, and their sleepy just-turned-one baby.

I was glad to chat him up about NWRBC since I botched my plans to attend it last weekend.  Brett, you'll remember, broke to the finals this year and performed quite admirably from what I've read.  I first met Brett back at the 2007 NWRBC when I was live blogging the festivities with Zoka's Wes and Nikki.  Brett had the privilege of being the only performance that I accidentally erased.  I had worked extra hard on his, too, with us sharing a name and his unparalleled facial hair making me question my own mutton-choppy-ness.  I still feel like a doofus.

Well enough about this Brett... more about Brett Walker.

It sounds like Zoka is keeping Brett's coffee journey busy and interesting-- helping with store activities, training folks, and even traveling to new accounts to help them get dialed in.  When Brett's not exploring the outer reaches of the coffee-verse, he can be found affectionately stroking his enviably-long beard and spending time with his terrific wife and kid-o.

Keep up the good work Brett!

wha.. wha... WHAAAT? Oh no you didn't, Michaele Weissman. (not really)

I was thumbing through my raft of coffee blogs when I read a passage on GiaCoC that made me double-take "a near perfect cappuccino at the legendary Cafe Vivace".  Michaele Weissman- you take that back, sister.  I have frequented Espresso Vivace for nearly a decade, even clandestinely when I was employed by others in the coffee industry and I have yet to have an experience there that was less than perfect, not to mention a drink.  

I really don't know why or how Vivace gets it right every time.  I'm no Vivace fanboy- it's just that they have their game (espresso) and they play it WELL.  

* Single origin espresso?  Take it down the street buddy.  

* Brewed coffee from a Clover, pour-over, or drip machine?  Don't let the door hit ya, foolio.

Believe you me, I have given them chances to disappoint- arriving very early in the morning uncaffeinated and irritable, showing up right before closing for a bag of chilly decaf-- they seem incapable of doing wrong.  The line's really deep?  Guess what- homeboy from the back is going to tool up, get synesso 2 firing and personally escort you to his machine, far away from the rabble where you're the only customer in the world.  

The only complaint I have ever lodged against Vivace is that they don't grind whole bean coffee for home use- a charge that is without merit after the first 30 seconds of any coffee class or first 30 pages of any reputable book on brewing coffee at home.

Espresso Vivace is unassuming, delivers the highest quality, and has come up with the most elegant solution I have seen to date for serving espresso- do it well, do nothing else.

### confidential message to David Schomer- what's a guy have to do for a part time gig as your bar back?  I have four words for you:  will work for spro.

Team Trabant... bringing the thundah

Beware NWRBC'ers... trabant is bringing their A-game.

I was lucky enough to wander into t2 today and catch Matt Longoria dialing in his competition blend. I won't bias the judges with my descriptors, but let it be known that the comp blend (in expert hands of course) delivers a tayyysty spro and delightful cap.

Spyz should return to their hidey-holes... but Seatown coffeegeeks should definitely swing by t2 PRONTO to taste the coffee warez that will be in the thick of competition at this weekend's NWRBC.

Good luck Matt and Alex! Hope to catch you there, too Tom.

outside = snow, inside = spro

Would love to be outside visiting shops and talking coffee, but this Seatown cold snap has trapped me in the house. I'm making the best of it, though. Getting some reading done for my new job, spritzing up miss silvia (long overdue), pulling some Dolce, and baking some bread.

Also hoping this guy's latest plan involves coffee...