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Inker Crockery

Posted on May 16, 2013

Inker cups and saucers are the choice of specialty cafes and roasters around the world. They hold the coffee temperature stable with their thick, high grade porcelain walls and vibrant colours stand up to scratches and knocks time and again, whilst having a beautifully smooth hand-feel.

Veneziano Coffee Roasters are pleased to stock the New Mocha range of cups and saucers, available in sets of half a dozen, in a colour range of black, white, grey, blue, green, orange and red, in espresso (80ml), flat white (150ml), cappuccino (210ml) and mug (280ml, available only in grey and white). Conveniently, sets of half a dozen saucers are also available separately.

The high quality European porcelain is fired at temperatures at over 1200 degrees Celsius from raw materials sourced from Germany, England, Czech Republic and Italy with the Croatian manufacturer exporting over 70 percent of its production.

Best of all is the price; for the quality they are surprisingly affordable. Available via our online shop. Wholesale and custom order enquiries welcome.

To view the range click here.

Latte Art Smackdown and Cupping US Roasted Microlot Coffees

Posted on May 13, 2013

Written by Veneziano

First Pour will hold a Latte Art Smackdown, preceded by a Cupping event hosted by Cafe Imports and featuring some exciting microlot coffees from respected US roasters such as Mad Cap, Stumptown, Verve, Sight Glass, Halfwit, Coava, Joe NY and more.

The Smackdown event will have some great prizes up for grabs, such as $1000 cash (sponsored by Pura Milk), Otto Stovetop Espresso machine, $500 cash (sponsored by Silverchef), Compak K3 Push Grinder (courtesy of 9Bar Espresso Services) and the winner will also receive a year’s subscription to Barista Magazine.

In attendance will be the Barista Magazine team, the guys from Cafe Imports and being close to the MICE event you can expect to see some national barista champions as well as some recognised Australian barista names also present.

If you wish to enter – get in QUICK!! As only the first 30 entrants will be accepted.

Look forward to seeing you all there!! Beers and snacks will be provided.

Times: — Doors open 6.00pm — Cupping @ 6.30pm — Smackdown @ 7.30pm –

Veneziano’s Craig Dickson Certified Coffee Judge in Three Categories

Posted on April 10, 2013

Written by Veneziano

Craig Dickson judges at WBC in Vienna 2012 - Photography by Glenn Watson buy coffee beans online of in our Melbourne shop

Craig Dickson judging at the WBC in Vienna, June 2012 – Photography by Glenn Watson.

Veneziano Coffee Roasters managing director Craig Dickson is the only Australian currently certified as a World Coffee Judge, qualified to judge in all three categories of Barista, Brewers Cup and Latte Art at international level.

World Coffee Events (WCE) conduct Judge Certification Workshops around the globe for the specialty coffee community, with workshops held in March 2013 in Long Beach, USA; Melbourne, Australia; Singapore; and Tolentino, Italy.

World judges must have a minimum of two years’ experience judging at their national competition level before they can try for the qualification. Craig has over ten years’ experience, including head judging duty (the head judge oversees all of the seven other judges, being sensory and technical) as well as having judged at New Zealand’s national competition in 2012. World coffee judges must abide by the WCE Judges Code of Conduct.

Australia currently has seven World Barista Championship (WBC) certified judges, two of whom are technical judges (Craig is a sensory judge), two World Brewers Cup Championship (WBrC) certified judges and two World Latte Art Championship (WLAC) certified judges.

Craig plans to put his certification into practice at Melbourne’s WBC and WBrC campaign in May 2013 and in Nice, France this June at the WLAC where another Veneziano staff member, 2013 Australian Latte Art Champion Jen Marks, will compete for the WLAC title.

He says his role as a coffee judge in the specialty coffee industry’s most valued competitions is one part of the long line of success behind Veneziano Coffee Roasters, that includes the career development and education of many baristas and cafe owners in the specialty coffee scene that now have successful stand alone businesses.

“Judging has been invaluable in helping us prepare our baristas for the competitions

that can change their career, and indeed their life”, says Dickson.

“In addition to origin visits, cupping and roasting workshops, meeting coffee growers… Judging is definitely an important factor in growing my own, and Veneziano’s, coffee knowledge”, he says.

“They’re all forms of education and all the pieces connect together between grower, barista and coffee consumer”.

Veneziano’s Brazilian Microlots Program Continues

Posted on April 2, 2013

Written by Veneziano

(MORE IMAGES BELOW…)

Brazil coffees provide the base of some of our espresso blends. Recently our general manager Ben Romeril and roaster Jack Allisey visited farms in Brazil, touring the regions of Pocos de Caldas and Carmo De Minas. As a result of this trip are excited to share the news about our Brazilian coffee shipments.

Our Brazilian coffee program for our signature blends will draw from five main estates with lots that have scored 84 – 85 points: Fazenda Laranjal, Fazenda Sertaozinho, Fazenda Cachoeira, Fazenda Rainha and Fazenda Recreio. In addition we’re committed to some unique microlots that have achieved 85+ points.

We are pleased to announce that shortly we are expecting the arrival of Fazenda Serra Do Bone, Fazenda Rainha and Espirito Santo and we have more to follow!

Previous shipments were a Yellow Bourbon from Fazenda Laranajal (December 2012) and beans sourced from Fazenda Cachoeira and Fazenda Recreio. Depending on the attributes of each particular lot, we roast as a single origin, as a filter roast profile or as part of our ever changing seasonal coffee blend. Here’s an overview of the profiles of these Brazilian beauties:

Fazenda Laranjal: Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon (single estate bourbon specialty)
-Alt: 1,250m
-Pocos de Caldas, Mogiana region in the state of Minas Gerais, one of Brazil’s most important coffee bean regions
-Varietal: Yellow Bourbon
-Tasting notes: citric, nutty, caramel sweet and smooth; Cup of Excellence on many occasions

Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama: Natural Yellow Bourbon (single estate)
-Alt: 1,100-1,250m
-Varietal: Mundo Novo, Bourbon, Canario, Catuai, Icatu
-Pocos de Caldas
-Tasting notes: soft, clean cups, fruity lemon, nutty and sweet

Fazenda Recreio: Pulped Natural (microlot)
-Alt: 1,100-1,200m
-Sao Paulo
-Varietal: 50% Bourbon, 30% Yellow Icatu, balance Mundo
-Tasting notes: creamy, sweet, delicate; Cup of Excellence winner in 2004, top 5 from 2006-2010

Fazenda Rainha: Pulped Natural (microlot)
-Alt: 1,150-1,350
-Sao Sebastiao da Grama, Mogiana
-Varietal: Mundo Novo, Catuai, Yellow Bourbon, Icatu, Acai
-Fazenda Rainha #1 in 2011 Cup of Excellence

Fazenda Sertaozinho: Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon
-Alt: 1,000-1,200m
-Pocos de Caldas
-Varietal: Yellow Bourbon
-Tasting notes: cedar and chocolate, low acidity, high body

Fazenda Serra do Bone: Pulped Natural (microlot)
-Alt: 1,200m
-Mata de Minas, Minas Gerais
-Varietal: Catui
-Tasting notes: sweet, ripe, fruit acidity, delicate, lemon, nutty, rich; first organic farm in Brazil to win Cup of Excellence

Fazenda Sitio Sao Gabriel: Pulped Natural (microlot)
-Alt: 930m
-Castelo, Espirito Santo
-Varietal: Catui
-Tasting notes: Lemon/lime cup flavors, soft cups! with a clean and balanced tart acidity

Otto Stove Top Espresso Maker

Posted on March 24, 2013

Written by Veneziano

What happens when Craig Hiron, founder of Otto Espresso drops in at the First Pour Melbourne to give us a bit of a demo? Experimental coffee making sessions is what!

The Otto is featured in our Home Espresso Studio, where our baristas will take you through a hands-on experience with any of the machines in there (note: appointments are necessary, email: firstpour.melbourne@venezianocoffee.com.au) and we provide a free 1 hour lesson valued at $150 with the purchase of any machine.

We are pleased to provide you with some tips that we found useful while experimenting with it, that will help the Otto owner or future owner:

- First of all, the best approach is the same as any espresso machine – ensure you have fresh, high quality coffee on hand.
- To prevent the coffee coming in contact with water that’s not at the right temperature (to prevent sourness etc), we were playing around with warming the water up first (and the unit) before the coffee comes in contact with it.
- In addition we found that it’s best if you grind 23 – 26 grams of coffee.

Pls note we used the induction stove top that has been specially developed to work with the Otto (if using a gas top, the heating results will differ).

OVERALL, some very pleasing and quite impressive results! The quality of the milk steamer is as good as any other machine and considering it’s a passive espresso maker, you end up with a great coffee!

Check it out in our online shop.

The Otto Espresso Stove Top also has enough steam to produce a nice textured milk

A warmed up Otto producs a lovely espresso wth the right grind size of about 23 - 26 grams of fresh, quality coffee

Otto Espresso Stove Top with Induction Top availalbe from Home Espresso Studio at First Pour (Melbourne)

Home Espresso Coffee Machine Studio

Posted on March 19, 2013

Written by Veneziano

A question we get asked all the time is “what is a good coffee machine for home”? We are happy to announce that we now have a Home Espresso Studio based at our First Pour premises in Abbotsford, Victoria.

The great thing for customers is that they can come in and actually have a play around with the machine, have a go at making coffee (provided by us) and frothing milk so they can determine which is the right machine for them.

Customers can also take advantage of having our experienced baristas guide them on the workings of the machines and they’ll be able to answer any questions in relation to the machines’ performance. Beats having a department store sales rep trying to ‘sell’ you one, especially without a road test!

In addition, all purchasers of the home espresso machines are entitled to a complimentary training lesson with some of Australia’s best baristas (state and national champions), or else a $150 voucher to spend instore (or webshop).

Amongst our range of professional quality machines for domestic use you’ll find: Otto espresso maker, Oscar and Musica by Nuova Simonelli, Office Control and Minore IV by Expobar and a range of grinders and accessories for your home machine.

Check out our online shop for machine details.

*Check out Simo in this review in Good Food online with David Makin as they roadtest some of them!

Veneziano Produces 2013 Australian Latte Art Champion and Barista Champion Runner Up

Posted on March 4, 2013

Written by Veneziano

Veneziano Coffee Roasters Jen Marks 2013 Latte Art Champ, sponsored by PURA - Lion Dairy and Drinks.

Jen Marks – 2013 PURA Latte Art Champion!!! Pictured here with sponsor representative and Lance Brown of Lion Dairy and Drinks.

In an exciting, jam packed weekend that was the AustralAsian Specialty Coffee Association’s (AASCA) 2013 national coffee event, Veneziano Coffee Roasters are extremely proud of barista-roaster Jen Marks finishing in first place as the newly crowned 2013 Australian Pura Latte Art Champion whilst barista-trainer-production manager Craig Simon almost took out the Australian Barista Championship title back to back.

Well done Jen and Craig, it was an extremely close competition with the difference between first and second being only a matter of points in both categories.

A nail biting finish saw Craig Simon narrowly miss out on winning the title of Detpak Barista Champion of Australia for the second year running, finishing only seven points behind 2011 Champion Matt Perger. Craig suffered a 13 point penalty for going over time. Sasa Sestic from ACT finished in third place, in what can only be described as Australia’s finest finalist line up in a national barista competition to date.

Veneziano are also extremely proud of Mike Wells, South Australian Barista Champion finishing in seventh place overall and winning the honour of being the calibration competitor for the finals judges, and newcomer Jade Jennings on finishing in tenth place in her first ever AASCA coffee competition – a fantastic achievement and a competitor that has attracted a lot of attention from people within the industry.

In the Latte Art category second place went to Ben Morrow from St Ali (VIC) (who was penalised on points for going over the allocated time) and last year’s

Veneziano Coffee Roasters Craig Simon first runner-up 2013 Australian Barista Championship, sponsored by Detpak

Craig Simon being awarded first runner-up in the 2013 Detpak Australian Barista Championship by Detpak’s Marisa Jones, sponsor representative.

national champion Scott Luengen (QLD) finished in third place. Despite an accidental milk spillage, Jen still managed to maintain her composure, clean up and calmly finish her latte art sets well within time.

Jen will now go on to represent Australian in the World Latte Art Championship in Nice, France, June 26 – 28, together with Elisha Mauger (from Gloria Jeans Coffees) in the World Cup Tasting Championship.

The Cup Tasting Championship final was dominated by the girls this year, with Lauren Stokes (5 Senses Coffee) finishing second. Jonny Pisanelli (From Scratch Patisserie), last year’s winner, finished third. Veneziano’s Jack Allisey (VIC) and Andrew Dickson were finalists in the Cup Tasting competition.

Veneziano also fielded two first-time competitors in the Brewers Cup Championship, Dale Parker (VIC) and James Thai (QLD), competing in the open heats. The top spots in the finals went to winner Lachlan Ward second place-getter Jamie Thomson, both from Sensory Lab (VIC).

The World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup Championship will be hosted in Melbourne, May 23 – 26 in an Australian first, against competitors from almost 60 countries.

Jade Jennings, 2013 Australian Barista Championship finalist (10th place). Photo credit: Syd-low.com

Mike Wells, 2013 Detpak SA Barista Champion, finished 7th place (just missed out on a finals place) in a repeat of 2012. Photo credit: Syd-low.com

Jack Allisey, roaster at Veneziano (VIC), in the 2103 AASCA Cup Tasting finals

Andrew Dickson, roaster at Veneziano (QLD) in the 2013 AASCA Cup Tasting finals

Veneziano Coffee Roasters through to its ninth national coffee competition

Posted on February 4, 2013

Written by Veneziano

The weekend’s AustralAsian Specialty Coffee Assocation (AASCA) Victorian coffee championships, held at Code Black Brunswick, resulted in two category wins and a third place for Veneziano Coffee Roasters, that will see the specialty roaster represented at the national competition for the ninth consecutive year, in March this year.

Held across two days Veneziano fielded competitors in each Victorian competition category of: Latte Art (sponsored by Pura), Brewers Cup, Cup Tasting and the highly anticipated Barista Championship (sponsored by Detpak).

Veneziano VIC Results:

1st place in 2013 VIC Latte Art championship – JEN MARKS (barista/roaster)
1st place in 2013 VIC Cup Tasting championship – JACK ALLISEY (roaster)
3rd place in 2013 VIC Barista championship – JADE JENNINGS (retail operations manager)
In other results Craig Simon (Australian Barista Champion 2012) placed fourth in the barista championship and Dale Parker (manager at Veneziano’s First Pour) placed fourth in his first Brewers Cup competition.

Coffee selected by the Veneziano competitors:

Jade, in a surprise third place getting amongst a field of Victoria’s seasoned barista competitors, used a blend of two Hawaiian grown coffees: a Kenyan-style washed (undergoing a series of soak times over two days then washed in clean water, using a Guatemalan typica grown in the Kau district on Hawaii’s big island; the second coffee is from Waialua Estate on the north shore of Oahu, a raisin picked natural (with cherries left on the tree until they’re overripe resembling raisins) and processed as a natural.

Craig used the coffee he’s been working with four years in a row, from the El Manzano Estate in El Salvador, a 100% red bourbon and a combination of washed and natural. He heads off to El Salvador together with Jen and South Australian Barista Champion Mike Wells (SA First Pour manager and head trainer) on Tuesday February 5 (today) to look into the new season’s crops.

Despite finishing in fourth place in the Brewers Cup, first time competitor Dale’s final score was barely a point behind first place getter and the experienced Remy Shpayzer. He used an Ethiopian Nekisse (natural) 90 Plus coffee, processed via their unique N2 method, which was specifically devised to ensure the sweetness is retained in the finish.

The national coffee championships as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival are only a month away, and Veneziano will have a strong representation on March 1 – 3, with the likes of:

Jen Marks (VIC) competing in the Latte Art competition

Jade Jennings (VIC), Craig Simon (VIC) and Mike Wells (SA) competing in the Barista competiton

Jack Allisey (VIC) and Andrew Dickson (QLD) competing in the Cup Tasting competition

Dale Parker (VIC) and James Thai (QLD) competing in the Brewers Cup competition.

Veneziano are hoping that one of their baristas will represent the nation in the World Barista Championships in May. With Melbourne as the host city it certainly promises to be the most exciting Australian lead up to world competition to date.

Veneziano Coffee Roasters Jen Marks Latte Art

Jen’s latte art pics

Veneziano Coffee Roasters Dale Parker Brewers cup (alternative brewing method)

Dale Parker in the VIC Brewer’s Cup competition

Veneziano Coffee Roasters Jade Jennings Victorian Barista Championship 2013

Jade Jennings’ VIC Barista competition performance that earned her 4th place in her first ever AASCA competition

Veneziano Coffee Roasters Craig Simon VIC Barista Championship 2013

Craig Simon setting up, VIC barista competition 2013

Chemex – makes filter coffee taste great! Here’s how…

Posted on January 31, 2013

Written by Veneziano

HERE’S HOW YOU DO IT:

Step 1:
Place the Chemex-bonded Filter Paper in a cone (one side should have three layers – see folding instructions in the pack), then put the cone in the top of your Chemex with the thick portion toward the pouring spout.

Step 2:
Pour enough recently boiled water onto the filter to wet it out and pre-warm the device

Step 3:
Place approximately six grams of regular or automatic grind coffee per 100ml of water into the filter, aiming for an level spread of grounds – use more coffee if you like it strong (you will never experience any bitterness in Chemex brewed coffee)

Step 4:
Boil up some water (preferably natural spring or purified water), remove it from the heat until the boiling subsides (it should be at about 93/94°C, the ideal brewing temperature); saturate the coffee grounds through but don’t flood the filter so that they float – wait for the grounds to “bloom” – the all important step that release the desirable elements of the coffee

Step 5:
Once you have a nice bloom happening add more water soaking the grounds each time, making sure the water level doesn’t rise too high. The best method is to aim for a circular motion starting from the inside to the outside (without touching the edge); this encourages turbulence allowing the coffee to draw through and ideally you’ll end up with a dome shaped mound of coffee grounds, similar in shape to your filter

Step 6:
Once you’ve finished brewing, lift out the filter – and enjoy!

For more information about Chemex visit: www.chemexcoffeemaker.com

Or to buy a Chemex Coffee Maker at a great price, visit our online shop.

Purchase our customised filter roast coffee here.

Veneziano Coffee Roasters are Australia’s largest distributor of Chemex Coffee Makers.

The Chemex coffeemaker, designed by a chemist in 1941, makes a perfect cup of filter brew each time. Used in conjunction with the specially bonded filters, all the bitter causing elements such as the coffee sediment and oils found in the grounds stay out of your cup whilst all the desirable elements of the bean make their way through (this is what the Chemex folk call fractional extraction), for a richer coffee flavour.

Best results are achieved using a normal or medium grind to ensure the correct filtration rate and spring or purified water are best to prevent tainting the coffee flavour. A proper brewing method and infusion time are paramount.

Latte Art Smackdown Comps

Posted on January 24, 2013

Written by Veneziano

If you want a look-in at behind the scenes of a Latte Art smackdown (or throwdown), this clip gives an overview of this exciting and fast paced competition where competitors compete for time and presentation of their coffees. This style of competition is extremely popular at our First Pour cafes; we are always inundated with competitors and spectators alike. Judges look for good contrast, perfect symmetry (or best attempt at symmetry) and level of difficulty with the design.

Check out the video: