theReviewGuys

This cafe is next to my work place. I pass by on a daily basis, and I usually don’t stop. I’ve had an occasional cup of joe, and today since I neglected to get my shot of espresso from Blue Bottle, and also neglected to get enough of the freshest espresso from Moschetti, I figured I’d get a shot of espresso from The Coffee and Tea Leaf.

A “small” shot is $1.75 and a “large” shot is $2.25. I decided to see what they could do with a “small” shot. As is my usual habit, I planted myself in a place where I could watch the barista do her thing. She loaded up the portafilter with a mound of already ground coffee from the grinder’s doser. Then she didn’t bother to tamp the coffee and just stuffed the portafilter into the Cimbali Espresso Machine. A paper cup was placed on one side of the dual spout portafilter and a shot glass was placed on the other side. The shot was poured and it was all of a 5 second shot. The paper cup was handed to me, and the shot glass was unceremoniously dumped.

I opened the lid of the cup and stared at a watery bit of espresso that had almost zero crema. I took a whiff and the espresso had little aroma, and the taste was bitter, and little coffee flavor. There was zero body to the espresso and no-silky texture. One sip and I threw away the cup with the remaining espresso. It was a crappy experience and I’ll not buy another cup of coffee or espresso.

The curious thing to me is that there’s always a crowd there, and I see folks who are regulars, and I wonder why.

Don’t bother getting a shot of espresso from the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. They have no interest in quality coffee. It is obviously not fresh, since there is no crema, and I don’t think the baristas are up to the challenge of pulling a decent shot.

On an espresso rating scale of 1-5, they get a 1. Poor taste, poor execution.

I recommend that the owners, managers, and employees of the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cafe march down the street to Blue Bottle on Mint Street and experience what a good shot of espresso looks like, and tastes like. Then march right back to your cafe and practice until you can pull a good shot of espresso.

Tried one of those $2.50 Maple Bacon Beignets at the Thursday morning San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. It was a cream filled donut that had subtle flavor. I never did taste the Maple, and the bacon was only there after I’d eaten the “beignet”. I think I found a tiny nugget of bacon lodged on a tooth.

Still, a donut with cream filling is ok in my book.

Went to this little french bistro/jazz club and had a Croque Madame Рham sandwich on crunchy bread, melted gruyere, dijon mustard and covered with b̩chamel.

Bread wasn’t crunchy, had one very thin slice of ham, no mustard, and the bread was not toasted. Tasted like it was made yesterday and left on a plate in the fridge. I could have given Gordon Ramsey a run for his money on critiquing that limp, insipid and soggy poor excuse for a sandwich.

.

I’ve passed by that place a hundred times and wanted to try this sandwich. Only, the price is normally $13.95, and up to now I just keep on going by. Today they had a $9.95 special for the sandwich, fries and salad. There were three tables filled in the place, and now I know why.

This is what it should have looked like:

Here’s a Croque-Monsieur (with Mornay Sauce) Recipe:

Ingredients:
A loaf of Crusty French or Italian bread.
Gruyère cheese
Mornay or Béchamel Sauce (easy to make)
butter
flour
milk
salt
pepper
fresh nutmeg
Good quality, thinly sliced ham.
Good quality French sweet honey dijon mustard

Slice up the ham and quickly cook it in a hot frying pan to caramelize the sugars and fat. Set aside.

Make a Béchamel Sauce by melting one tablespoon of butter and adding two tablespoons of flour. Whisk until it is just cooked. Add a cup of scalding milk and whisk it together slowly. Cook slowly until thickened. Turn off the heat. Add half a cup or so of Gruyère cheese and stir until it is melted. Now it’s a Mornay Sauce. Add salt and pepper and grated fresh nutmeg to taste.

Take two slices of bread and butter one side of each. On the other side of each smear on a good helping of French Honey Dijon Mustard. Grate a good helping of Gruyère to each slice of bread on the mustard side. Pile on the ham and close up the sandwich. Grill it in an iron skillet until each side is brown and crunchy.

Pour several tablespoons of Mornay Sauce on top of the sandwich and grate a good helping of Gruyère on top of the sandwich. Broil in the oven or toast oven until the sauce and cheese are bubbly and brown.

I like to take my Tolman Skiff Jumbo out the Golden Gate, drop my crab traps or pots in a 100 feet of Pacific Ocean, and let them soak for a while to give the bait a chance to entice a bunch of Dungeness crabs to belly up to the bait bar in my crab traps. Early in the season a two hour soak works just fine. Later in the season it’s just about essential to soak overnight since the number of crabs tends to go down. Around here the Dungeness crab season is typically open the first or second weekend of November until the end of May. This season changes so it’s always best to check your local or state regulations just to be sure. Rock and Red crab season is open year round here, and those crabs are pretty tasty too. We are limited to 10 Dungeness crabs that are 5 3/4″ or larger. Though it’s legal to keep the females it’s highly recommended that your release all female crabs unmolested so they can return to doing what that do best, and that’s reproducing. Last time I went out I caught about 65 legal Dungeness Male Crabs to One Legal sized Female Crab. That gives you an idea of how precious these critters are.

Up next is to rig up my best shrimp traps and connect them to my Protoco Crab Pots so I can fish both at the same time. I will be targeting Coon Stripe Shrimp also known as Coon Stripe Prawns or Dock Shrimp.

I’m on season three of six Danielson Crab Traps, and they are showing their age, and I don’t get out that often to crab. I have broken pieces here and there where the plastic covering has gotten nicked, and they all seem a bit wobbly these days. I figure I can nurse them through another season, maybe two if my crew is gentle with them, and I quickly repair any nicks in the plastic. Danielson pots seem to work good for short soaks of a few hours, and I think they do fine for overnight. But longer than that they are known to “leak” crabs.

Last trip out the crew let the line knot up on one drop of the pot, and we lost it. I think the float is fifteen or so feet below the surface, and it’s proably gone forever. This fact and the fact that these pots are getting mighty long in the tooth, I’ve decided to slowly but surely replace them with much higher quality crab pots.

Today I took delivery of two of these pots. Both are made by Protoco, Inc, an Oregon company that specializes in Crab, Shrimp and Crawfish Traps and accessories, as well as other vinyl covered metal products for the automotive and exercise industry.

I got two of Protoco’s Round Crab Traps, an Ultra Light Crabpot with 3 Tunnels, and an X-Large 4 Tunnel Crab pot. Both are extremely well made and feature Commercial Dark Blue Vinyl Coating, and Stainless steel webbing. They have easy access lids for baiting and retrieving the Claw wielding Crabs that are intent on doing some damage to your fingers. The lid is secured with a commercial trucking type bungie, which in turn is secured with Rotten Cotten (required by law) that will release if the pot is lost, thus insuring that crabs can escape. There are also, two round ports for access, a bait cage, and four entrances that have one way swinging gates. The frame of the pots are welded and are of solid steel. The pots look fantastically well made and sharp with their dark blue vinyl coating, and are sure to last a long time even with frequent fishing in the ocean.

I need to rig these crab traps, and will do so with a harness made from trucker’s 3/8″ rope, and I’ll rig up several 100 foot shots of leaded line, and an appropriate float. I also plan on rigging these crab pots with a piggy back Protoco Shrimp Trap zip tied on top. Folks around here are having excellent results and one fellow caught several limits of Dungeness crabs the crab traps, and 1,000 Coon Stripe Shrimp in the piggy back shrimp traps. I aim to do the same.

More to come!

I am gathering up a list of San Francisco Bay Area Coffee Roasters. Why? Well, because I love coffee, and I want to try as much high quality micro roasted coffee as I possibly can. Here are a few I’ve tried and like.

San Francisco Bay Area Coffee Roasters

Moschetti Espresso -

Moschetti is a Northern California Microroaster of the finest organic, and pesticide-free, shade-grown, fresh roasted coffee beans. Small batch roasting insures the freshest coffee and finest control of the flavor profile of each single origin coffee bean or blend of the world’s most fascinating coffees. Located in the North San Francisco Bay Area, Moschetti roasts coffee on a daily basis insuring the freshest espresso.
Moschetti strives for dynamic, sweet, earthy, balanced and complex flavors by carefully choosing coffee beans from the world’s
coffee growing regions. We love and respect coffee. Contact Fabrice Moschetti for all your coffee and espresso needs, whether it be freshly roasted coffee beans or top of the line espresso machines.

Blue Bottle Coffee

Blue Bottle Cafe is San Francisco Microroaster.

Pacific Bay Coffee Inc.

Pacific Bay is a San Francisco Coffee Roaster

Ritual Coffee Roasters

Ritual Coffee is a San Francisco Coffee Roaster

Rogers Gourmet Coffee & Tea Market

Roger’s Gourmet Coffee & Tea Markets a San Francisco Coffee Roaster

Graffeo Coffee Roasting Company

Graffeo is a San Francisco Coffee Roaster

Just contemplating all the different words and terms and phrases used in the Coffee Business. This is a work in progress.

Coffee Definitions

What is Espresso?

Is a concentrated, thick consistency coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Good espresso is sweet, and not bitter or sour, and has a characteristic layer of brown foam on top called Crema. Espresso is not a coffee roast or type of bean.

What is Crema?

Brown foam on top of Espresso that is an emulsion of coffee oils, proteins and sugars.

What is a Barista?

Your highly skilled bartender who makes espresso using an espresso machine.

What is Affogato? (drowned)

Espresso over vanilla ice cream or gelato

What is Cafe Americano?

Espresso and hot water

What is Antoccino? (priceless)

Single shot of espresso with equal amount of steamed milk.

What is Black Eye?

A cup of drip coffee with two shots of espresso mixed together. (red eye, or Canadian)

What is Bombon? (confection)

Espresso served with sweetened condensed milk.

What is Breve? (short)

Espresso with half-and-half

What is Caffe Freddo?

Pre-sweetened and served ice cold espresso. Not over ice.

What is Carajilo? (nothing)

Espresso with a shot of Brandy.

What is Cappuccino?

one third espresso and one third steamed milk, and one third foam.

What is Corretto? (corrected)

coffee witha shot of liquor, usually Grappa or Brandy.

What is Con Hielo? (with ice)

Espresso with sugar immediately poured over two ice cubes.

What is Cortado?

Espresso cut with a small amount of warm milk

What is Cubano?

Sugar added to the brewing container before brewing of espresso. Sweet.

What is Doppio?

Double espresso. 2 ounces.

What is Espresso con Panna?

Espresso with whipped cream on top.

What is Flat White?

Coffee drink made of 1/3 espresso, and 2/3 steamed milk.

What is Guillermo?

One or two shots of espresso poured over slices of lime. Sometimes served over ice and sometimes with a touch of milk.

What is Iced Coffee?

Coffee brewed and chilled and served over ice.

What is Cafe Latte? (milk)

Espresso with steamed milk and foam or not.

What is Latte Macchiato? (stained milk)

Espresso poured over steamed milk.

What is Cafe Macchiato? (stained or marked) (stained or marked) (stained or marked)

Small amount of milk or cream spooned onto the espresso.

What is Long Black?

Espresso added to hot water

What is Lungo?

More water allowed past the espresso for a watered down, weaker espresso.

What is Mocha?

Latte blended with chocolate.

What is Red eye?

Drip coffee with a shot of espresso

What is Ristretto? (restricted)

Espresso with less water for a more concentrated espresso.

What is Microroaster?

Small batch roasting of coffee allows for a hands on technique to insure that each batch of coffee is perfectly roasted to bring out the very best flavors.

What is Microfoam?

Steamed milk that has very tiny bubbles that add texture and body to milk. Big bubbles are a flaw.

Stopped by Moschetti Espresso on Saturday and got to sample a new lighter roast Moschetti Dolce Espresso. The espresso was roasted that morning, and so we got to enjoy the freshest possible coffee.

I was made the afternoon Barista, and I happily pulled shots for Fabrice and the crew from the Classic Conte Lever Espresso Machine. I love this machine. A few shots later I had the grind and tamp dialed in and we got to enjoy an intoxicating coffee that produces a huge aroma and crema and was sweet with a big burst of yummy flavor.

I also got to sample a just roasted batch of Guatemalan Espresso. This coffee has a more savory note compared to the Dolce Espresso, and has enormous chocolate and notes caramel and other wonderful flavors I’m still digesting.

I patiently waited five minutes for my shot of espresso. Most days the wait is twenty or twenty five minutes, and this is usually around 7:45 in the morning, Monday through Friday. Yep, I take a Ferry into the city and I pass by Blue Bottle every morning. I’d be happy to start my day with a shot of Blue Bottle Elixir, but I have to make a living and dragging my fanny into work late because I’ve been standing in line for 25 minutes isn’t going to cut it. So most mornings I stroll by Peets around the corner and get one of their inferior shots or big cup of tasty Joe.

Blue Bottle Cafe opened their San Francisco Ferry Building Cafe a few months ago. Early on they struggled with the basics. That is, making coffee drinks in a timely manner and getting people in and out. At first they opened their side window, with three-group La Marzocco Linea early in the morning and their normal line at the Lever Mirage Triplette three-group manual machine. This was good. Two lines moved way faster than one line. Now however, they don’t open the side window until 10am. And so you have one machine, and a big line of folks. It’s easy to overwhelm a slow moving cafe.

Typically, on a Friday morning or afternoon, I like to pick up a couple pounds of fresh espresso beans for the weekend. I’ll be pulling a ton of shots and making Lattes and Cappuccinos non stop over the weekend, and I want fresh beans. Peets isn’t always so fresh. Blue Bottle is, but most Fridays they are out of beans. Totally. I mean no beans at all on the shelf. Or if there are beans on the shelf then they are not espresso roasts. I’ve suggested to the Blue Bottle folks that perhaps they could consider stocking the shelves Friday morning and taking advantage of all those folks heading home for the weekend. You can’t sell what you don’t have. Well Blue Bottle said I should order my beans online, and that way I get them fresh delivered to my door. Well at $15-$16 a pound plus another $5 or more for shipping, that’s an expensive habit.

I will say however that when I do hold out and stand in line for a shot of espresso, it is amazing. It’s as though an Angel has pissed on my tongue. The intensity, and complexity of the fragrant and floral overtones of Ethiopian and the deep rich undertones of earth and chocolate, leave me weak kneed.

Yesterday morning the line was short and I jumped into line. Looked on the shelf for espresso beans, 17 foot Ceiling or another offering, and as is usual there were none. Sigh. Placed my order and watched my lovely Barista pull five shots until she got one that was good enough for my indulgence. She reset her grinder once, and set a timer a couple times. Each pull was discarded until number five. I deeply breathed in that fragrance from the Heath Espresso Cup, and quickly filled my mouth with the 1/2 ounce of goodness. Every tooth got a coating, as well my tongue and mouth complete. I breathed in through my mouth and my nose and swished and swallowed, and was almost overwhelmed by the amazing flavor. I thanked my Barista over and over and I think I even bowed as I asked if it was ok to lick my cup.

I am obsessed. Stopped at Blue Bottle Cafe in the Ferry Building this morning.

One $2 shot of espresso. Less than one fluid ounce. That’s $256 a gallon of espresso.

And we complain about $4 a gallon gas.

or

$20 a gallon bottled water from your 7/11.

I ordered a whole mess of boat building books back around the year 2000 after deciding that I wanted to build a boat to suit my tastes. I picked up a book on building aluminum boats, several on the subject of the stitch and glue method (tack and tape) of building and a few other general tomes on the subject. Hands down the one book that captivated my interest was the “boat building plans, in book form”:Renn Tolman’s, A Skiff For All Seasons.

After reading and re-reading the book over a period of a few weeks, I ordered Renn’s Wide Body Addendum and a while later the Jumbo Addendum. I now had three versions of the boat to contemplate building. I’ve bugged Renn and several other Tolman Skiff Builders for details and pictures of their home built Tolman Skiff masterpieces and now through their generosity you too can study these very interesting and aesthetically pleasing vessels to your hearts content.

A Tolman Skiff is a Stitch and Glue wooden boat. It is built using marine grade plywood, and is encapsulated with epoxy and fiberglass. It’s a tough boat that is a boat of Dory Heritage with a modified V type hull with a very pronounced flare. The hull has substantial reserve buoyancy and is very light for its size. It rides up and over rough seas and is a stable fishing platform and performs extremely well in big following seas that would cause much lesser boats to broach or swap ends. Commercial fishermen have used their Tolman Skiffs to treacherous Alaskan Waters and lived to fish another day. Even when severely damaged from hitting a buoy in open waters, as experienced recently in Homer, Alaska, a Tolman Skiff didn’t sink. Though two fishermen were thrown in the water, they were able to climb back on board and make it back to safety with a giant hole in the bow. They simply tied on a tarp to keep water from flooding in.

So you want to build a boat? Looked for free boat plans and didn’t find anything that floated your boat? Or perhaps you’ve purchased boat building plans that didn’t quite make sense, or perhaps no one had actually built one of these, including the designer. Well, you’d be wise to contact Renn Tolman and check out one of his books on the subject. Not only does he give you plans for three models of Tolman Skiffs, he also tells you how to use epoxy, and fiberglass, and lists all the materials and tools you’ll need to build a beautiful and extremely sea worthy skiff, at home in both the ocean, lakes and rivers.

http://www.tolmanskiffs.com

A huge number of Tolman Skiff Standard, Tolman Skiff Widebody and Tolman Skiff Jumbo projects can be found at http://www.fishyfish.com.