The Perfect Iced Coffee

In light of the scorching hot weather here in Southern California, I thought it would be nice to write about our currently-best-selling item, the iced coffee.

I think that the best iced coffee is brewed via the "filtron cold water system" method. To brew something in hot water in order to serve it cold just didn't sound right to me. Anyway they sell this filtron device for home use, but for commercial use, the thing looks ridiculous. It's huge. Like a water-cooler gone wrong. I brew 4 gallons of coffee concentrate at a time, but the system can easily do more. 

The idea behind the brewer is that you throw in a set amount of coarsely grounded coffee into a pot of water, and let it sit for 24 hours. The process is long, but it's definitely worth it. with the help of a cloth filter, you are able to extract a coffee concentrate that tastes wonderfully smooth, like Shaft. Or David Hasselhoff. 

When it's served, however, I think that the quality of the ice can also add to the iced coffee experience. At my cafe, I went through some pains to get the best ice machine that I could find. It's made by a company called Kold Draft, and to quote a colorful friend of mine, they make, "huge, C-cup-sized" ice cubes. Aside from such insightful commentary, one other advantage to big ice cubes is that they take longer to melt, thus allowing the coffee to stay colder for longer in this 110+ degree heat, and not have it get diluted with the water from the ice. 

Huge ice cubes in a huge, 20 ounce glass. 

Best way to beat the summer heat.

Confession #1

There's plenty of challenges in starting and operating a cafe alone. From the start, you realize that you have no one to hold you accountable for the things that you are doing. There is no other person to ask the questions you forgot to ask during the meetings with vendors. No one to go over your shopping list with. You end up searching on the internet to buy everything you need, since you can never leave the cafe.

But the worst of all is the unsettling feeling that you get when you're in the restroom. First of all, you are rushing as soon as you close the door, driven with the fear of losing a potential customer. Then, there is that unshakable feeling that someone could walk into your unattended cafe and empty out your tip jar. And although the chances of that tip jar being raided is quite small, the whole experience is nonetheless very dissatisfying, especially when you mistake that Jack Johnson song for a group of loud Korean men.

Not a barista in sight.

The Perfect Latte

A 'Cafe Latte' is an expresso shot (1 ounce), mixed with about 10-11 ounces of steamed milk. The word 'steamed' can be misleading, however, as making proper steamed milk, even with the best available equipment, is more art than science. A perfect cup of latte should be mixed with milk that is around 150-155 degrees, and has been "stretched" properly. This means that when the cold milk is poured into the metal pitcher, it is actually sitting at around 9-10 ounces, but the steam and the heat causes a chemical reaction (something about hot air molecules being attached to fat molecules) that causes the milk to grow in size, or "stretch". 

A perfect latte milk has more a creamy consistency than a foamy one, which is essential if the barista decides to form a little heart, or what is basically a variation of one. It is, in a way, a stamp of approval that the milk was steamed properly. The next time you see a perfectly shaped heart on your latte (or a broken heart at Bourbon Street Cafe ;D), tell your barista, "thanks a latte!" Baristas love that!!

Just kidding about that last part. 

Whoever made this latte is seriously dedicated to his art. I'd give him a huge tip if this was mine LOL