The Joy of Barista

Rebecca, Ilenia and Devlin through the looking glass.

Maybe I've said this before, but I sometimes wonder if my crew knew what they were getting themselves into when they started down this path with me. Most baristas know how to make coffee using an espresso machine but few of them know how to tear one apart, move it and install it somewhere else.

Most baristas know how to wash their dirty cups in the sink, but few of them know how to install the sink and the plumbing to the sink.

And most baristas know how to work in a space, and few of them have learned how to build that space.


Jess, Kimmy and Jeremy install water lines to the lab sink.

For project hampden, it seems like they've done it all. Installed PVC piping, ran cable, pulled electric, wired boxes, painted walls, installed trim, painted floors, installed sinks, installed waste lines, fresh water lines, disposed of rats, patched walls, fixed toilets, installed shelves and even went across the street to install and hang a door, patch wall and trim work, install wall mounted tables and electric fans.

They're so handy, next week I'm sending a team to a Barn Raising!


Jeremy pulls the first shot of espresso in project hampden.

And finally, after a couple of delays, Lindsay finished installing the Linea 3AV and it was time to make coffee. Jeremy was the first barista to pull a shot of espresso in project hampden from Tulsa, Oklahoma's Doubleshot Coffee. Nice!

Riding In Cars With Grinders

The Mahlkonig VTA-6S on its way to project hampden.

It's corny, I know. But there's something about guys and their toys. Since I started learning about the coffee business, there's always been one grinder that I've secretly lusted after: the Mahlkonig VTA-6S. It's sheer, brutal grinding power unparalleled in a tabletop grinder. It's a monster and it weighs like a beast.

I had the opportunity to pick this grinder up over the summer and I couldn't let it by. It's a three-phase grinder, which means I still need a frequency converter to power it from a single phase source but someday...

Meanwhile, the dream lives on.

ph: Trial By Fire Saturdays - Sort Of

Kimmy and Jeremy in hope of customers.

Since October, Saturdays are for training and today was no different. Well, sort of. After quite a delay, the plumbers have finally returned to bang, hammer, drill and saw their way through project hampden to finish running all the water and waste lines. With all the hellish cacophony going on, we sought refuge across the street for an impromptu breakfast at The Breeze Restaurant to pass the time.

An hour later, we return when the plumbers have descended into the lower level to connect the lines, leaving our bar area in working condition to do brewing drills. It's a relatively lazy Saturday training session of brewing drills highlighted by lots of photography, Trickling Springs butter and crusty old bread.


Lindsay takes orders.


Ilenia and Kimmy brew coffee.


Album cover art.


Jeremy Hyman.


Lindsay Wailes.


The Onocoffee.


Devlin Rice.


Ilenia Madelaire.

Stew II

The 2640 dining space for Stew II

Since November, Spro has sponsored the coffee for Stew - a food and arts project fundraiser from the crazy minds of Dane Nestor and crew. Charm City denizens may remember Dane, Nick and crew from the blistering cold nights on The Avenue in Hampden where they sold grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries from a cart until 4am on weekends last year. This year, they've turned their attention to the more hospitable climes of the 2640 St. Paul Space and the culinary high stylings of Woodberry Kitchen's Matt Day.

I've known these guys for a few years now and it was an honor to be invited for the original Stew in November 2009. Due to previous commitments, I was unable to be there for Stew, so when Stew II came around tonight, I just had to be there.


Jeremy and Kimmy rock out coffee for 120 people in twenty minutes.

Unlike most charity fundraisers that require attendees to have deep pockets, Stew II cost ten bucks for a five course dinner (BYOB), some entertainment and a chance to donate to some worthy charitable organizations in Baltimore. Over a hundred people sold out the event.

For me, it's absolutely thrilling to watch Kimmy and Jeremy in action, brewing coffee in a near frenzy to serve all the guests in as narrow a window as possible. The action started off slow, with not much coffee going on through most of the dinner. Then, as the dessert course neared, the orders started flowing in from the tables.

A coffee here, a decaf there. Four decafs. Another coffee, or two. Suddenly, the intensity ratcheted itself up a notch: 21 coffees, six decafs - and it skyrocketed from there. In an instant, it went from more than enough coffee to a two press pot shortage.

At this point, lesser baristas might lose their cool, lose their focus or just crumble altogether. My natural inclination was to step in and direct, but I also knew that it was time to sink or swim. They had to make it happen on their own. If I stepped in, that would put off their rising to the challenge. I stood back and watched them in action.


Chef Matt of Woodberry Kitchen confers with Katie of Charm City Cakes over dessert.

I've been there. I've been caught up in the rush of things, way over my head, barely treading water while caught in the weeds. Sink or swim. Do or die. In many ways, 120 eight ounce pressed coffees in 48z press pots is easy peasy - especially when compared to what they will attempt to surmount in project hampden, but it's a matter of keeping cool under fire, managing orders, keeping your mise together, going with the flow and working your way through the weeds.

In our little hamlet of Baltimore, there's been a growing anticipation for project hampden. Evidently, people have been talking about it and waiting expectantly. They're looking to see how we will execute and tonight our reputation is very much on the line as many of tonight's guests will be tasting our coffee for the very first time.

Secretly, I'm a bit on edge. But after all these months of training, I know they're ready for this challenge. In the end, I'm excited by their performance. Stoked, really. Proud? Very much so. They're dazzling and brilliant, and I can't wait until the day comes that we finally open the doors for people to try our coffee for themselves made by the hands of these fine baristas.

Visitors from Afar and Anear

Jeremy and the Cuban Extra Turquino Lavado.

In his other life, Jeremy is the drummer for Baltimore's Ponytail - a band described by the rock media as either being on the cutting edge of avant garde music today or something not suitable for pregnant women. Over the holiday season, Jeremy and Ponytail toured Australia and New Zealand where he picked up a bag of Cuban coffee (the bean not the drink) from Wellington's Havana Coffee Works.

Whether it's Cuban cigars, Cuban rum or Cuban coffee - as long as it's contraband and considered illegal for consumption in the United States, we're game to try it. The coffee itself wasn't bad but we couldn't tell how old the coffee was or how it should taste because all the bag had on it was a "Use by February 17, 2010" stamp. Oh well, it wasn't bad.


Isaiah visits Lamarie at The Spro in Towson.

Also on today's docket was a surprise visit by Isaiah Sheese from Tulsa, Oklahoma's Doubleshot Coffee. A few years ago, Doubleshot owner Brian Franklin made national news when he beat coffee behemoth Starbucks lawsuit over the name of his company (as though the public would confuse his company with their bottled coffee beverage). But recently (like this week), Doubleshot rocked to notoriety once again with the blog posting over their recent experience at the South Central Regional Barista Competition and telling my former portafilter.net podcast co-host to piss off.

Isaiah was in town accompanying his girlfriend as she toured the medical centers of the Mid-Atlantic and came to pay a visit to see how we do things in Charm City. It's always a pleasure to have coffee industry friends visit our little hamlet as we showed him project hampden, The Spro of Towson and a little lunch across the street at Puffs & Pastries.

ph: Stone and Carpets

Joy begins the arduous task of stripping the carpeting from the lower level staircase.

There's nothing like a carpet covered staircase with narrow treads to tempt the fate of tripping and falling down said stairs. With that in mind, Joy started on the final bit of demolition in project hampden revealing a surprisingly nice-looking set of wood stairs.

As the days grind more and more away from our original August 1, 2009 opening date, the list of things "to do" grows alarmingly short as I'm running out of tasks to assign to our intrepid crew of baristas. While many shops talk of their baristas building their business, our crew of baristas are actually physically building the business itself.


Jeremy prepares to apply the final coat of sealant to the stone walls.

In an ironic twist of fate, one of the most interesting architectural features can be found in the bowels of project hampden, and it's a feature I've been struggling to preserve.

Beneath the 1920s era pine floors are the original stone walls that frame a space with amazing potential. Early on, visions of late night, underground dance parties with international club deejays filled the minds eye, but the realities of running a speakeasy set in and I've had to make do with simply keeping the space open and fighting the occasional "suggestion" that we enclose the space with drywall. Yuck!

Descend into the lower level and you'll find large stones embedded into the walls that are the buildings foundation. What was once a dirt-covered crawlspace has been transformed into a cool and sexy, stone-surrounded den. All that is needed is a liberal application of sealant to maintain the stones natural beauty.

At first, we tried brushing to slow effect. Then Jeremy had the brilliant idea of grabbing a compressor and paint gun from his house and spraying the stone with the sealant. In a few quick hours in the haze of air suspended dust and sealant spray, the walls were coated and the dream of an underground speakeasy could live on - if only in the mind.

"Okay, What's Wrong With You Now?"

Ever have those days where nothing major goes wrong but a string of unfortunate occurrences combines to just irritate you immensely? Yesterday was one of those days. It's when you need someone to ask how your day went and what's bothering you.

Days like these are when I call R. because she always seems to know what to say and when to say it. If things are messed up, she'll tell me. If I'm the one who's screwing things up, she tells me too - especially if I'm the one screwing things up. No hiding, no need for games, nothing to be coy about - just the straight dope, as only a woman put it so succinctly and so bluntly.

Perhaps it wasn't just the one day but the culmination of months of buildup. Most of the time, the days irritations never bother me, but tonight I just felt a bit off, like I wanted to pick a fight with someone. Instead, I called R. to see if she wanted to hang out a bit - happily, she always makes time for me.

"How are you? What's going on?" is how she typically starts things off. Like any self-aggrandized male, I give the terse "I'm fine" in reply. She's good because she can usually tell the difference between the normal "I'm fine" and the "I'm fine" that means I'm really running at 85%. "Okay, what's going on with you now?" and then we're off to the races.

I don't always need it, but it's nice to have someone who knows you enough to know when you need someone to listen to you bitch for a little while.

More Techie Geekiness

Jessie waves from behind the "nine group" La Marzocco.

The day that Lamarie has been fearing has finally arrived: the Linea 3AV has left the building.

Time to juggle the Lineas around a bit. Over the years, I've managed to collect a small number of La Marzocco Linea espresso machines: a 2AV, 3AV and 4EE. All I need now is a single group Linea and I will have the entire lineup. Crazy.

The 4EE has been sitting in storage for the past three or four years and with the 3AV moving to project hampden, I thought this to be the perfect opportunity to pull the 4EE out of storage and place it in Towson - where the bar is longer and can readily accommodate a four foot long espresso machine.

Unfortunately, when we first installed the 4EE last week, it leaked like a sieve and we had to return the 3AV to operation.


Lindsay replacing the steam wand assembly, sight glass and prepping the Linea for installation.

Today, we brought the 2AV for Towson to use while the 4EE gets serviced and the 3AV moves to Hampden. A quick replacement of the steam wand assembly and the steam boiler sight glass, along with a new drip tray and the machine was up, running and at temperature in 45 minutes. Not bad for a quick swap including shut down, cool down and draining of the 3AV.


Nine groups of delicious goodness.

Riding In Cars With Machines

The Linea 2AV during a Home Depot pit stop.

At heart, I'm just a tech geek. Give me more toys and I'll be a happy boy. Atari, Colecovision, AutoCocker, La Marzocco - I just want more and more. As a techie barista, nothing seems to warm the heart as much as driving around town with a La Marzocco Linea Espresso Machine loaded into the back of the truck.



The Linea 3AV being unloaded at project hampden.

ph: Juice, Sun, Rat

Jenny and Rebecca clear what will one day be project garden.

With temperatures threatening to hit 60F, it was a good day to get some cleaning done in project hampdens backyard. What will one day be a garden oasis in the middle of the city is today filled with vine clippings, broken concrete, soil, miscellaneous rubbish and a dead rat. Kudos to Jenny and Rebecca for cleaning things up and disposing of the rat - not girlish work, to be sure.


The electricians juice up the brew bar.

Meanwhile, our electricians were busy at work inside finishing up all the details that needed attending. Rewire the brew bar to accommodate the Fetco hot water tower, rewire the lab for a 30amp espresso machine, add a couple of outlets in various places and install the proper outlets for the 240volt equipment.

Now, it's just a matter of getting the plumbing squared away and installing the equipment.


Everyone comes outside to enjoy the sun and warm January weather.

ph: Through The Looking Glass

Dai ponders a future drinking coffee in project hampden.

"If you build it, they will come"

As the days grind forever onward at project hampden, I notice more and more people peering through the doorway for a looksee at what's going on inside.  Usually, they can see lots of dust, mess and perhaps a glimpse of what's to come, but not much.  The frosted glaze over the storefront windows obscure all but the tallest (or highest jumping) of gawkers.

Today I let loose Rebecca, Jenny and Ilenia on the interior polishing the floors, cleaning the bathroom and prepping some equipment in anticipation of our first group training tomorrow.  The Saturday sessions we've been holding in Towson will move tomorrow to project hampden - even though there's still a bit more plumbing and installations to be completed.  Time to get everyone used to the space they will be inheriting as their home in a couple of weeks.

While there's still much to be done, I thought I'd give the readers a glimpse of what the public sees when they peer through the glass entry doorway into what I'm hoping will be an exciting experience for them.

Ye Olde Ebbitt

A plate full of oysters.

It's been a long time, but last night after a visit to the Thursday Night Throwdown - that monthly gathering where baristas drink and hold latte art competitions, we hit the Old Ebbitt Grill.

For the uninitiated, a latte art competition is simply that - pull a shot of espresso, steam some milk and pour the milk to create nifty little designs in the cup using the contrast between the espresso crema and the milk foam as your medium. This was my first ever Thursday Night Throwdown and I never made it to my pour.

Unlike the other latte art throwdowns I've experienced both as a barista and judge, this one has the barista make the art then submit it to a panel of judges for scoring instead of the head-to-head, sudden death style of the others I've participated. Sadly, this scoring format takes longer to administer and doesn't generate the excitement or hold the interest of the sudden death style where each new latte art is pitted against the current winner creating tension and the agony of defeat with each successive pour. After nearly two hours waiting, we decided that it was time to head out and do something else.

That something else was the Old Ebbitt Grill and their half-price oysters after 11pm.

It's the not-so-secret hidden gem of DC's restaurant scene. The Old Ebbitt sources oysters from around the nation and at 11pm each night, that twenty-two dollar plate of oysters drops magically to eleven dollars per dozen.

Time to run to the Old Ebbitt again...

Thank You Baby Jesus

My phone has been quiet lately and I've been wondering why.  No more incessant messages about whatever stream-of-consciousness BS someone out there in Twitter-Land is tweeting about.  No more non-stop messages to my iPhone about @this and @that person, or "re-tweets" - Good God, I've had enough!

Twitter is much more enjoyable in small doses, and this morning I logged in to the web interface to see what's been going on with the people I know in Twitter-Land.  Nice to see that some of my friends are doing fun and interesting things, while others continue on their daily diatribe, publishing tweets every 33 seconds.

As I logged in, I noticed the message above.  They tried contacting my phone but were unable to and suspended sending me Tweets... THANK YOU BABY JESUS!

Now the only time my phone beeps is when the chicks are texting.  A much more satisfying method of communication...

ph: Working Baristas

Jess and Kimmy silicone the counter backsplash in the project hampden coffee lab.

Rebecca and Lindsay install PVC lines on Charlotte - the three compartment sink.

Lindsay installs the electric and plumbing for the Linea 4EE.

Lamarie shows her displeasure on moving the Linea 3AV to project hampden.

Girls of Spro Construction Calendar

Linsday Lawless

There's still much to be done at project hampden in terms of finish work and I've let the girls loose inside with hammers, drills, box cutters, paint brushes, caulk guns and more.

Caught up in the frenzy of the build, Lindsay and Rebecca shot some quick images of them in action.  A prelude to a Girls of Spro Construction Calendar 2010?

Rebecca Raven

ph: Cylon Toaster!

Cylon Toaster - 'nuff said!

ph: Trial By Fire Saturdays

Jenny, Jess, Ilenia and Lindsay prepare themselves for the onslaught at hand.


After a couple of weeks of holidays, the tribe has gathered again for another group therapy session.  This time the task is to start putting all of the lessons together and delivering drinks in mock customer sessions.

For project hampden, we're making coffee with seven different brew methods.  Add a mix of six to eight coffees per day and top it off with everything being made to-order, on demand and by-the-cup and you're asking for trouble.  Swirl in a complete menu of espresso drinks made-to-order, hot teas, cold beverages and baked goods and you've got a veritable storm on your hands.

With such a radical change in service, there is no current working model.  The shops I know of stick to one or two main brewing methods, and if they have a setup where additional brewing methods are offered, it's on a very limited basis and not part of their standard operating procedures.  At project hampden, those seven brewing methods will be part of our daily operations.

Team Kimmy considers their menu options.

To facilitate the exercise, I divided the crew into two teams.  The task was simple: prepare yourselves.  Each team would order any drink off the menu while the other team prepared those drinks.  The entire menu from coffee to teas to espresso to cold drinks was up for ordering.  How would each team fare?  Would they be able to handle the load from a sympathetic group of "customers"?

Finding your groove can be a difficult proposition - even when you know your brewing methods.  Working with others in a confined space while trying to prepare a continuous stream of drinks in a timely fashion can be downright grueling.  Quite simply, there is no other way to get a team of people into their grooves than just throwing them into the fire.

Kimmy and Jeremy plan their macchiato strategies.

Each team would prepare three rounds of drinks for the other team.   Espresso, cappuccino, macchiato, latte, vac pot, eva solo, french press, pour over and everything in-between.  Not to mention finding a way to squeeze in the drink orders for the real, revenue-generating customers who happened to stop by for a coffee.

Each drink would have to meet my standards in order to be served.  Bad shots, bad milk or a screw up, and the drink would be rejected to be made again.  The proper cups had to be used, preheated and the service had to be correct: with the proper saucers and spoon positions.  While we would stop or pause to clarify certain aspects of the flow or service, timeliness was of the essence.

Some things went smoothly.  Others went not so smoothly.  While the crew wanted to remain positive, I could tell that they were stressed by the exercise.  What they thought they knew and could handle, they weren't as sure at the end of the day.

But that's to be expected.  We're working without a model and writing the book as we go along.  These exercises are meant to be brutal and difficult to encourage the best performance out of them.  Even with a few hiccups today, I'm very excited to see things as they progress and learn to find their groove together.

Until then, we'll keep at it!

ph: Just A Little More

Here are a few more images from the recent progress at project hampden...

Soda fountain rinse station prep and installation.

Getting ready to attach the undermount stainless sink in the brew bar.

Nothing like freshly wrapped stainless steel to excite the tech geek in me.

Getting ready to cut the granite for the insert-ables.

Thinking About Brewing: Aeropress, Pour Over, Clever, French Press, Chemex and Vac Pot.

ph: Continued

It has been awhile since I've posted updates on project hampden, but rest assured, things are still moving along. At one point, I started to obsess about opening before the Christmas holidays but now I'm past that and re-focused on getting it right before opening the doors to what we hope will be an expectant public.

Meanwhile, here's a few photos of the progress:

John and John from Artisan Interiors install the shelves.

A pair of circuit breakers, 120 volt.

The guys from JPS installing Tan Brown granite.

Hampden Sunset

Vacuum Pot Brewing - Hai!

Why I Get Into Trouble

I'm sitting here, writing this from project hampden. It's coming along nicely and I've stopped trying to rush things along since the holiday season is over and we missed it.

Today the final granite counters were installed. Tan Brown. Looks quite nice. Suddenly, the place is looking real. Like maybe we might be able to open. Soon.

Which is when the detour wants to happen.

Alex and Aki, on their Ideas in Food Blog noted the release of Paris Patisseries where they relate that you might just jump on a plane to Paris. Oh God, how I wish.

Suddenly, my mind is filled with schemes to hop a United flight out of IAD to CDG for a weekend excursion. My room at the Hotel Eiffel Park is waiting. That little patisserie on the Rue de Grenelle will have those delicious almond croissants for me. Stephane Secco will have my baguette at the ready, and next door Bellota Bellota's Jamon Iberico can be had freshly sliced.

I see myself gazing longingly at the wonderful Laguiole knives and corkscrews at the fly fishing shop on the Rue de Grenelle on the way to the metro La Tour Maubourg, drinking coffee in the Marais at Soluna Cafes, and finally visiting that mysterious olive purveyor by the Canal St. Martin. Later, it's shockingly expensive macarons at Pierre Herme and a late night dinner at Robert et Louise where, if I stay past closing, I hope that they'll invite me to screw French law and enjoy my cigar at my table.

Yes, jetting off on a weekend holiday to Paris is reckless and sure to augur financial ruin when on the verge of opening a new shop, but Paris is a tempting mistress and I struggle to resist. Maybe my Sugar Mama will oblige me and jet me off to Paris via London in Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class Suite where I can gingerly sip Sapphire Tonics at the bar, crunching my ice cubes lovingly, all the way across the Atlantic and back.

Instead, I'll probably remain at project hampden eating cold, leftover pizza and ice tea chilled by the exterior door because it's that cold outside...