Oriole Mac Yellowbird Blend

Posted in coffee, cupping, espresso, john, Notes, oriole, oriole-coffee-roasters, Pulls, Rant, Roasts, taste, ting on December 27th, 2011 by Colin Loh

Oriole Coffee just announced their new Yellowbird seasonal espresso blend this Christmas week. Previous iterations of Yellowbird have been a duo-origin blend, Brazilian and Ethiopian, and this new YB follows in its ancestral footsteps. Made up of 20% Ethiopian Sidama, and 80% of a semi-washed Brazilian bean from Fazenda Machado, this YB proves to be another winner in… Continue reading

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Coffee Meetup During Grand Prix

Posted in barista, Meetups, Notes, Pulls, Reviews, Roasts, taste on November 11th, 2010 by Colin Loh

The latest CGSG (Coffee Greens Singapore) gathering was held in my humble abode during the time Grand Prix was in town. As usual, the gathering was called up at the last minute. And as usual, the CGSG Gang of Four showed up.

CGSG G4: Steve, Kai Seng, Melvin, Colin (L to R)

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Factors to Look Out For When Buying Freshly Roasted Coffee

Posted in Notes on November 21st, 2009 by Colin Loh

I’ve wanted to broach on this subject for a long time now, ever since some friends and I have experienced disappointments from roasters in Singapore. What typically happens is that we’re assured by the MBTC (Men Behind The Counter) that the beans we’ve bought are freshly roasted the week before or so, and then we get home only to find out the beans are stale beyond consumption. Before I go… Continue reading

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Americano Sans Crema Test

Posted in Notes, Pulls, Roasts, taste on July 8th, 2009 by Colin Loh

While I used to dismiss the americano as a watered down drink, I’ve grown to appreciate it much more after talking to fellow coffeegeek KS. It is much easier to discern the taste profile of the coffee if one is not used to the intenseness of an espresso. Of course, this intense taste profile comes only with freshness of the bean and quality of the barista and the machine preparing… Continue reading

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Espresso Sans Crema Test

Posted in Notes, Pulls, taste on July 8th, 2009 by Colin Loh

After reading James Hoffmann’s 1st video blog (well done, James!), I was prompted to do an espresso tasting session at 1 am, and I’ve done enough to give myself a caffeine high at this point. His last words were a shocker. I won’t give any spoilers. You have to watch the video.

The message is that he was also prompted to do… Continue reading

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Brazil Moreninha Formosa

Posted in Meetups, Notes, Roasts, taste on June 25th, 2009 by Colin Loh

Roasted on I-Roast 2 Rec 2, stopped with 2 minutes remaining.
Full City to Full City +

2nd day: espresso, slow drip, 45 second ristretto, gorgeous naked flow. Extremely creamy, long aftertaste. Hint of spice, chocolate notes. I think taste will be more pronounced when it peaks later. Will be better tomorrow or day after. Needs more rest. Fantastic RISTRETTO roast. I’m in love! What… Continue reading

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Brew Better Coffee in Your Hotel and at Home [NewsWeek]

Posted in Notes on October 22nd, 2008 by Colin Loh

Newsweek’s Budget Travel weblog discusses the limitations of most drip coffee makers, then highlights how to brew a better pot despite those limitations. For example, the post claims that your drip coffee maker probably never reaches the perfect brewing temperature. The solution:

Do a “trial run” of your coffee maker—without coffee—to heat up the machine. Pour the heated water back into the device

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[Pour Quality] The Emerald in the Coffeebloggosphere’s Crown

Posted in Notes on October 16th, 2008 by Colin Loh

Eliminating The Suspense

Esmeralda = emerald in Spanish, OK?

The Esmeralda That Was

Esmeralda is one of the coffees widely regarded as one of the world’s best; its reputation is that of a modern-day Jamaican Blue Mountain. Last year, my curiosity got the better of me and I arranged to procure some from Paradise Roasters. In blogging about it, I introduced it as follows:

I probably don’t need to write too much

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Great article on Crema

Posted in Notes on August 22nd, 2008 by Colin Loh

I’ve often wondered why the bubbles in the crema sink as a shot is being pulled. James Hoffman, WBC 2007, answered this puzzlement in his blog, jimseven.com. The ensuing article on the Guinness Effect is noteworthy… Continue reading

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Rate of Flow

Posted in Notes, Pulls on May 2nd, 2008 by Colin Loh

What is an acceptable rate of flow from a bottomless portafilter?


Brazil Moreninha Formosa Day 5

For me, I try to keep it to a mouse tail. While I know this is applicable
to those stock portafilters with their bottoms intact, I’m not sure
about… Continue reading

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