Easter - A Christian story and much more?

This Sunday past, my Church, Trinity Parish Church was filled to the gunwales (to use a naval expression!) . Why? - Isn't Christianity on the wane? - isn't going to Church a little old fashioned these days, we've heard that "God is dead" - as espoused by Nietzsche (countered by some wag who wrote "Nietzsche is dead - God!"). Then we've in more recent times had Richard Dawkins best selling book "The God delusion". With all this scepticism isn't it about time that we turned some valuable real estate, namely Trinity Parish Church into much needed housing?

As our Parish priest Geoff Houghton said to me - "blog about that David!"

What is it about the human condition that seeks spiritual as much as physical comfort? In an era where we have come to believe that science has an answer for everything why do we still seek comfort from something we don't even know exists? - Isn't it just a matter of time before science blows this God myth thing? Somehow I don't believe that that will ever be the case.

It seems as reflected in last Sunday's congregation of young and old that human communities have a great need to commune. To seek out that safe haven in times of turbulence, and what times they are - Unstable financial markets, soaring local house prices, massive borrowings and more recently Haut de la Garenne.

Rowan Williams (the Archbishop of Canterbury) wrote a great article in this weekend's press, when talking about Jesus's crucifixion; how it was all about Jesus being used as a scapegoat; "how groups and societies work out their fears and frustrations by finding scapegoats".

We only have to look around our own community; binge borrowing is all the bank's fault for making money too readily available; house price rises are the fault of unscrupulous speculators; turbulent markets are due to US banks lax lending; Haut de la Garenne - the result of out of control individuals. And so it goes on - but hang on a minute when are we as a society or as individuals going to take the can for our own actions - the actions that result in the problems we want to pass on to someone else?

What Easter reminds us is that a couple of thousand years ago there was someone prepared to die for all of us to save us from ourselves. So is attending Church at Easter just a big guilt trip? - Once done we return to our old ways having as Monty Python would put it "taken the curse off" our guilt.

A few years ago I would have said yes to that question, but today I think a message is coming down to us, a message that our ancestors knew milenia ago , that is one of the fragility of everything we hold dear. Today we use the word sustainability , but sustainability encompasses so much, that it's a bit like trying to picture the size of the Universe; almost incomprehensible in it's vastness.

I believe we're going back to basics - our desire for spiritual help as we try to deal with the powerful elements that swirl around us at an ever increasing speed is something humankind has always returned to and there is something in the Christian message that is enduring - "that you should love one another as I have loved you". By constantly reminding ourselves of the need to help each other; that we're all part of the problem as well as the solution will we ultimately fulfill both our material and spiritual needs.

I don't think we'll be bulldozing Trinity Church for a few years yet!

5 minutes with Annie Nightingale

That legend of BBC Radio 1 broadcasting Annie Nighingale recently did a "5-minute interview" with the Independent Newspaper today. The grand dame, now 65 stated "In a nutshell my philosophy is this" - "If not now, when? If not you, who?" - true wisdom!

Jersey Eisteddfod - the remarkable tallent of Jersey's youngsters

Yesterday evening I was privileged to go and see the work that has been entered for this venerable competition. This time the focus is on arts and crafts, and what a show it is.

I've always said that Jersey is remarkable for the sheer quantity of talent that exists in such a small population. I believe it highlights the benefits of living in a small community where education, the environment and family life are held so dear.

From the quality of the entrants you can see the pride of those who support them, whether they be parents, teachers or friends. Then there was the prize giving at which the Governor of Jersey handed out certificates and trophies to young and old alike. We got to see the efforts of each entrant projected onto a large screen and we never tired of applauding their efforts.

Where then was Sky News or for that matter any of the terrestrial channels? The national newspapers, Newsnight camera crews? Is this just too much of a "good news" story?

What has happened at Haut de la Garenne is appalling and I hope that those responsible will be brought to justice; as a society it shows what happens when we don't embrace those who are less fortunate and don't act like the biblical "Good Samaritan", but instead ask other agencies to sort out problems that society don't want to deal with. We must all learn from this lesson and move forward.

However what the Eisteddfod shows is the positive side of a community that encourages and nurtures and surely this is something to celebrate -

24 hour rolling news has a responsibility here too - rather than continually looking to be destructive in their coverage why can't you tell the world of the good that so many people do for a change?

Read all about it!

I've just found out that the BBC has discovered the Island's Blogging community and are telling the world - old news?

See the article on the following link: BBC JERSEY

Jura bean to cup coffee machine - problem solving

We had a call today from the owner of a Jura bean to cup coffee machine with a problem that we've now seen on a few occassions.

This lady went to replace the waste drawer in the machine, only to find that it wouldn't relocate properly. What appears to be happening is that for some reason the coffee brewing unit seems to get stuck in mid cycle. This results in a part of the mechanism "sticking out" and interferring with the waste box.

As usual with this type of problem no mention is made in the manual as to how to overcome it which really is quite simple.

You ensure that the machine remains switched on, you then remove the waste unit - this includes both the tray and the waste box. Now put the waste box to one side and slide the tray back in. Interestingly it is the one part of the machine that doesn't have a sensor telling you that you've left something out!

When you have replaced the tray, if the mechanism still doesn't return, try making a coffee to force the machine to reset itself.

We have found this proceedure to work 100% of the time, however clearly if the problem remains, it's time to contact your Jura service agent.

Don't forget that once the problem has been resolved to replace the waste box!

Don't forget the Engine Room of Jersey

This blog follows on from my last one and endeavours to remind our decision makers of the importance of looking after those people who desire no recognition just a fair wage for a fair day's work.

In the age of the global market place and the immense competition that the internet provides it takes quite some effort to differentiate yourself and have sustainable success in a market place of just 90,000 people, something I don’t believe is recognised by many of our decision makers.

I would like to pay tribute to those who work in what I would describe as the engine room of Jersey’s business community. Those like my staff who work hard, don’t ask for recognition, earn a decent wage and yet because of the ridiculous cost of housing are unable to contemplate ever one day owning their own property and having a deserved stake in our community.

If we as a community don’t do anything to redress this appalling inequity we will be sowing the seeds of our own destruction. Why should local people work for local businesses if they can never hope to have a stake in the future of their own society? If nothing is done about this problem local businesses will increasingly need staff from outside of the Island which can only leave any immigration policy in tatters if we want a diversified and sustainable business community.

Inevitably the development of St. Helier will have to look to the heavens if we want to keep the rest of this wonderful Island green, anything less and we’ll be simply doing the equivalent of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Here’s to the unrecognised heroes of Jersey enterprise – the engine room

The Enterprise awards that failed to recognise the enterprises

Last Thursday (28th Feb) was supposed to be the night when large and small local businesses were supposed to be given the red carpet treatment by the States of Jersey Economic Development Department led by Senator Ozouf.

Sadly for all the razamattaz and effort put into organising the event the businesses who had entered the awards competition must be wondering why they bothered.

In front of an international audience not one business was profiled, not one winner got an opportunity to speak. The small business winners, a software development company who many in the audience had never heard of, walked on and off without any of us being any the wiser as to why they won or what they do, why? - What a missed opportunity and how disappointing for them.

James Caan of BBC's Dragons Den fame who gave the keynote speech talked about the importance of people, and it is of course people who make or break businesses. I would therefore like to take this opportunity, an opportunity I wasn't given on the night of the awards to acknowledge the people who work with me every day and who helped get my business shortlisted in the small business category which contained between 50 and 60 entrants although you wouldn't have known it.

I start with a famous quotation by Sir Isaac Newton – 1642-1727

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”

And those giants and members of staff are:

Kathy Jehan - Who has been with the business for 18 years and who is the only true local. She has been unstinting in her efforts in running the office. Going way beyond her call of duty

Philip Bull - Originally from Wales who has been with the business for over 25 years and who has been key over the years in the operations of the business

Pedro Mendes - From Portugal who has been delivering customer orders for nearly 10 years now

Ania Emerli - From Poland who has run our shop for the last 3 years and made such an impact

Lorna Frow - Originally from Yorkshire, the new kid on the block who has filled the shoes of Stephan (who returned to Sweden) so well in the operations side of the business.

And last but not least Robert Wheeldon who at the end of last year took over the job of roasting our coffee and has already made such a positive impression.

On the outside we have Harry Sutherland-Hawes who works in London, the man behind the Cooper's look and who keeps me on the straight and narrow!

Finally I would like to give a mention to those who have inspired me over the years

The recently retired ceo of the SCAA: Ted Lingle who has championed quality coffee and the cause of the industry for as many years as I can remember

Kenneth Davids, a great writer and reviewer of coffee whose tastings make you want to tour the coffee world for the rest of your life

Sunalini Menon from Bangalore, a massive supporter of Indian coffee who tours the worlds trade shows promoting Indian coffee and the person who introduced me to Monsooned Malabar coffees at a memorable tasting

To the growers:

From Daterra Farm in Brazil –

Isabel Pascoal – Her energy and passion for sustainability

Holly Nottebohm from the Nueva Granada farm in Guatemala who I first met in LA discussing the books she needed to get for the farms Creche

Simon Wakefield – Whose passion for sourcing great sustainable coffee is now paying off

And finally………….To Howard Schultz, who in 1987 bought Starbucks a small coffee business based in Pike, Seattle and revolutionised our coffee drinking habits and the reason why Coopers today is able to showcase so many of the great coffees of the world.

I salute you all

Difference - What are we so frightened of?

There's a famous coffee shop found in the souqs of Khan al-Khalili in the Islamic quarter of Cairo called Fishawi's - It's open 24 hours a day and all they appear to sell is tea, coffee and Sheesha (a water pipe used for smoking). The only question the waiter asks after he has identified that you want a coffee is "do you want sugar in it?"
All Cairo seems to pass through their doors - I say doors only in a metaphorical sense as it has no doors; in fact the only way you know where the coffee shop starts and ends is when the chairs run out! Like so many shops in the Souqs they exist in one of the many alley ways populated by hawkers and panhandlers.
The waiters will proudly show you an ancient photograph of the old King Farouk in his dark glasses, who used to frequent the place. What can you say about Fishawi's? It's so .........Egyptian!
It's the distilled essence of Cairo; King's have been deposed, Presidents have come and gone, but Fishawi's like the Pyramids of Giza has always been, please God don't let it disappear.

Then there's the Coptic quarter, the part of Cairo that came before Cairo even existed. When Byzantine Rome became a Christian empire and before the armies of the east brought Islam. Here stand the great Christian Coptic churches, side by side with the Islamic mosques - each respecting the others tradition yet each determined to maintain their own identity.

Finally there are the kilometers of bland anonymous-looking high rise flats, typical in its own way of suburbia that surrounds any of the great cities of the world. Yet even here in this apparent anonymity, people crave recognition. Many of the porches from which hangs so much washing are painted in vivid colours; some in single colours, others using quite complex designs. So everywhere you look over the eons of time humankind has always wanted to leave a mark - a plaintive cry, "remember me!"

All of which makes Cairo airport like so many airports around the globe such a depressing place - a synthesis of global mono-culture. Where Coke, Cappuccino, Pizza, Pasta and French fries dominate the menus. A sanitized, stainless steel and plastic society. One that subjugates individuality. Where now is the confidence in our own cultures; our own traditions; our creative addition to our world?

Is it no wonder therefore that despite being better educated, having more opportunity than any previous generation, so many in our society reject what is on offer and seek to disfigure and disrupt.

In Jersey where I live we don't appear to be able to trust our own people to even deliver such key projects as a design for our waterfront or our own tourism website. We like so many cultures today are frightened of being different - taking a chance; in turn our own society becomes indifferent.

Rather than being indifferent to our own cultures we must get back to celebrating them. Celebrating the creativity of each and every individual from whichever culture that goes to make the human race such an extraordinary force.

Long live Fishawi's and those who strive to be different.

Coffee pods and machine set up in Food Service environment

Coffee pods as opposed to capsules are playing an increasing part in low volume outlets, they're clean, they ensure a consistent cup of coffee and require very little training to use.

What though has not been very much analysed as far as I can see is the change required to the set-up of the traditional two group espresso machine. I refer to the pump pressure, the temperature setting, the group head and the type of inserts needed in the group handles to maximize coffee extraction.

Some manufacturers are now providing special group heads for pods, two that have come to my attention are Nuova Simonelli and Fracino, both systems work well. However it isn't just a case of simply changing the group head and all your troubles are over. It's vital that the "basket" in the group head is the correct depth to take the pod, either a single or double. Too shallow and the water struggles to get through the pod, too deep and the water rushed past the pod without picking up any flavour.

On top of this if you don't change the group head to a pod version, this in turn will impact on the type of basket you can use in the group handle.

Now assuming that you've sorted out the above two points, it's vital that the pump pressure and machine water temperature are correctly calibrated. My experience is that the pump pressure can be reduced to around 8 bar, or at least a bar lower than for conventional loose group coffee. Don't ask me why, but too high a bar pressure will result in the water passing through the pod too quickly.

Finally, I believe average pressure in the water boiler needs to be set a little higher for pods. The fact that the water has to get through the paper wrapper means that there is a definite loss of water temperature when the water eventually hits the coffee. The problem I believe here is that paper is not a very good conductor of heat.

All of the above do need to be tweaked in varying degrees to optimise the quality of the drink that ends up in the cup and are vital to ensure that the consistency you are looking to achieve through the use of pods isn't wasted.

Constable Gallichan’s cows

There’s a sign on the road that leads up to my house with the silhouette of a Jersey cow, it’s scratched and a little battered. I’ve often wondered when the last cow crossed this road to the fields across the way from my house which used to be part of an old Jersey farm.

Yesterday I was reminded of the poignancy of that sign by the announcement that Mr. Gallichan who lives down the road from me has decided to give up his herd of Jersey cows because the numbers simply don’t stack up any more.

How I’ll miss Constable Gallichan’s cows.

Every morning on my way into work I, like so many other Islanders who live in the Trinity area drive past Mr. Gallichan’s farm and over the years I’ve got used to watching the activities of these simple ruminants. If I was really early, maybe going to catch the “red eye” I would be in time to see the cattle gathering outside the milking shed, steaming in the misty early morning electric light long before dawn.

If I was a little later the cows would have vanished, but from the intensity of the light pouring out of the buildings one could tell that the milking was in full swing.

A little later still and the cows would be out in the field grazing away come rain or shine.

Then there were the slight irritations: Mr. Gallichan moving the cows across the road as early morning commuters impatiently waited whilst he battled with that last cow that had just spotted the perfect piece of grass, and then finally once across he waved us on; the smell of the slurry that reminded one of the less savoury jobs on the farm.

But this morning as I went past Mr. Gallichan’ s farm there were no lights, no cows looking dolefully at us fretting commuters, the gentle rhythms to which I have become so accustomed have stopped, replaced by the ghosts of what has been.

How I’ll miss Constable Gallichan’s cows.

Happy New Year - how was it for you?

Shopping trends around Christmas seem to have changed dramatically over the last 2 or 3 years, which makes humble retailers like me very nervous when it comes to guestimating what levels of stock to carry.

What we are seeing is a definite split in December. Early December seems to be internet time, whilst late December and in particular the last week before Christmas seems to be coming increasingly critical to the success of December as a whole for retailers. A case of having to hold your nerve.

Our experience was that in the first 2 weeks of December we were 10% down on the comparable period last year, however the final week and in fact the final day before Christmas turned this all around to see us improve by over 10% over the whole month, effectively a 20% swing in 7 days of trading.

There were some local issues, the weather wasn't great in early December, however we didn't open on any of the Sundays as we had done the previous year (I personally have a moral issue in this regard- but I guess I'm a bit old fashioned!) and only went for one late night shopping opening. On an Island like Jersey it proves to me that opening all the hours God gives you only serves to spread the same trade over a huge number of additional hours; is totally unnecessary and in my view destroys community.

What does it all prove? Well I reckon that if you're in the consumable business any credit crunch which results in consumer spending reducing should have a limited impact. I think that is what Marks and Spencer found, with their food side remaining strong, whilst their clothing suffered.

I think consumers are starting to revert to item they need, rather than want. However having said that there was a great interest in speciality coffees that are competitively priced. Our customers increasingly want to experiment with coffees they've never tried before. The key is education; storage issues, cleaning, warming, shelf life once opened etc.

We've also found that recommending the local Jersey full fat (yellow) milk for use in Cafetieres (French press) has also enhanced many of our customer's experience of our coffees. In fact I've had two people stop me in the street they were so pleased.

The future though for speciality retailers like us I believe ultimately lies in "localness" - the network of local small businesses working together to produce a unique offering of which the community is proud.

Quality, quality, quality

Krups XP4050 - Case example of support in theory

It's that time of year when as a retailer you find out just how good the support is for espresso coffee machines you sold prior to Christmas.

We had a query on a Krups XP4050 espresso machine that we sold which wasn't functioning as expected. In anticipation of receiving the machine I took a brand new machine from our stock line and set up the machine ready for use.

The first thing you notice about this machine is its level of automation at such a competitive price which should be applauded. You sense that the manufacturers are a little nervous of "real users". Upon filling the water tank the machine primes itself, that is fills the boiler with water automatically, which is fine as long as it works. In my case no problems.

However just to make sure I made a few cups of coffee and deliberately ran out of water, like many a "real user". This results in the pump sucking air into the boiler.

I refilled the water container and then went to make another coffee only to discover that the machine couldn't get any water into the boiler - it was air locked. I turned to the troubleshooting page in the manual and found ............nothing!.................yes that's nothing on how to overcome a simple air lock. Extraordinary!

For those of you who experience this problem the solution couldn't be easier - simply press the water button on the front panel. This has the effect of opening the boiler valve and forcing the air out which in turn is replaced by water and away you go.

The second issue about which there is no mention in the manual is if you experience problems foaming your milk for cappuccinos. Again all is simple in theory, and the principle used is one used on much more expensive systems, so it should work well. What I got was a lot of "spitting" hot milk and only a hint of foam. Yes I used fresh milk, yes it was cold but now what? Manual troubleshooting? - you'd be lucky

So I turned to the "helpline" who couldn't or wouldn't deal with the problem but instead offered to send me a replacement part. Now I don't know if I even have a faulty part, all I want is someone to tell me what I might try, to improve the situation - surely in the computer vaults of Krups someone has had to deal with this very same problem a zillion times, sadly if they have, Krups are keeping the information close to their chest.

A solution I found and not a particularly satisfactory one was to raise the milk container from which the milk is being drawn so that the flow of milk down the tube into the steam wand
was much greater. More foam was produced, however I still wasn't comfortable with the amount of milk that ended up in the cup.

So Krups whoever is responsible for customer care at your multi-million pound organisation, please take a long hard look at your manuals, particularly the troubleshooting bit and put some really helpful tips in; and when it comes to a 'phone helpline, please allow your support "engineers" access to the kind of information that might just help me a simple user.

The beauty of language

This evening (Sunday 23rd December) was the annual "festival of nine lessons and carols" at Holy Trinity church in Jersey.

The Church was packed, the choir and congregation were in great voice and one got the sense that it was a wonderful community event. Community! such an old fashioned word in today's highly mobile society.

What though was it that made this service such a wonderful event? For me it was the language - the readings were mostly taken from the King James bible which turns the English language into an art form. The opening lesson from Genesis3: 8-15 with Adam complaining that "the serpent beguiled me"- What if instead of beguiled, the word "tricked" or "deceived" were used in its place? No sometimes the beauty of the English language is that we have a word when used in its correct context adds so much to the imagery and immensity of the occasion.

The language though that I wish I had learnt at school is Latin - the choir sang two pieces with Latin titles - "In Dulcie Jubilo" and "Laudamus Te "; it's so frustrating when you don't know what these titles mean so with apologies to all Latin scholars this is what I came up with from the dictionary: "Good Christian men rejoice" - incidentally there appears to be no "e" on the word "dulci" but I stand corrected.

As for "Laudamus Te", it appears to be a shortened version of the full sentence "Te Deum laudamus: te Dominum confitemur", which translates to "O God, we praise Thee: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord." - a few words that mean such a lot.

The one hymn that I felt could be improved by not being sung in English though is "Silent night, Holy night", I've always thought that the German language gets across the magic of this hymn, not that I have much knowledge of the German language , I think it's just the sound. For the record here is the hymn translated:

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb' aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'.
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt!

Silent night, holy night
All is calm all is bright
'Round yon virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia;
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

It's a difficult decision for a Church in Jersey to sing a hymn in German on such an auspicious occasion given the history of what happened nearly 70 years ago, but surely that's what Christianity is all about forgiveness - I hope that one day we'll have the priviledge of hearing this wonderful hymn sung in what traditionally isn't a language particularly renowned for its beauty.

Now we move on to Christmas, and I wish all those who read my blog a very Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year

Ethiopian Coffee Trademarking & Licensing Initiative

We're really pleased to be mentioned in dispatches on the CSRwire web site. We recently signed up to the above initiative as we believe that it is vital for inidividual countries to keep control of their unique coffee heritage.
Our job as coffee roasters is to communicate this wonderful heritage to our customers and endeavour to highlight those unique characteristics that come out of each origin by roasting the coffee as carefully as possible. In our case we sell Ethiopian Harrar as a single origin coffee, as well as using its unique characteristics in some of our finest espreso blends.
Where better a country to start such an initiative than in the true homeland of coffee.

Briel Espresso machine cleaning - updated

I was reminded the other day when two Briel espresso machines were recently brought into us that I first did a blog on this topic back in August 2006, however we still seem to be getting the same issues.

HEALTH WARNING

Before you attempt any of the following take great care to ensure that you are aware of which surfaces are hot and give them time to cool down. When using any chemicals flush the machine thoroughly with clean water afterwards, and should you splash any chemicals on your person wash away immediately as they can be quite aggressive on the skin.

A further issue though was brought to my attention, that of the steam wand becoming blocked. This part is usually blocked for one of two reasons:

1. Scale

If it is a scale problem, "pray" that you can still get some water through the wand. If you can it means that you can get descaling solution into the heart of the wand by filling the water tank, then turning on the water pump and opening up the steam wand immediately. Once you see a trickle of water coming out of the end of the wand switch off the pump and turn off the machine. Leave for 10 minutes, then switch on the machine repeating the process of switching on the pump and opening the steam wand valve. If there's any justice the flow of water should increase as the scale falls away or is dissolved. Run plenty of clean water through the machine afterwards prior to using it.

2. Milk

The problem occurs because after the steam wand has been used no attempt has been made to "flush out" any milk that may have gone up inside the steam wand. Gradually this builds up to the point where it is impossible for any steam to escape.

We have tried chemicals in the past to clear these types of blockages, however because nothing is moving it has not proved to be a good approach. As usual the simplest methods tend to be the best.

You will need to dismantle any plastic attachments found on the end of the metal part of the steam wand. Check if any of the holes are blocked, they tend to be very small and usually only a pin or "unbent" paper clip will do the trick.

You can very quickly establish if the problem lies in the plastic section by checking if any steam is coming out of the metal part of the wand, if it is all problems lie within the plastic section.

However should the metal part of the steam wand be blocked you will once again need to use (and I have found this to be the best) an unbent paper clip to try to dislodge any congealed milk. Once you think you've removed any solid bits, let the machine heat up again and open up the steam wand valve. Pay a lot of attention at this point as you might find that nothing will come out immediately, however after a few moments the steam pressure may suddenly blow out the last vestiges of crusty milk so don't have your hands or face too near the end of the steam wand.

This process may need to be repeated a few times if the blockage is really bad, however do persevere we've usually got everything working again after a few attempts.

The lesson ultimately is that when you have finished foaming or steaming your milk always flush out the steam wand to air, otherwise you face the challenge of the above activity.

The following is a copy of my earlier blog

Briel espresso machine maintenance (Aug 2006)

We've had a couple of machines in recently which if our customer had been more sensitive to the maintenance requirements of their machine, we wouldn't have seen, so I thought it would be a good idea to highlight a couple of things you can do to increase the longevity of your machine.

The following refers in particular to Briel coffee machines, however the principles can be applied to all domestic machines.

1. Maintenance of the group head

When you take out the group handle and inspect the area from which the water emanates, you will notice a large brass screw. Around the edge of the screw there are a series of notches at regular intervals. It is vital that these remain clear of any debris, otherwise the machines pumps will be put under severe pressure, and you will struggle to make a coffee.

The main causes of blockages are ground coffee, and limescale.

When the machine is cold, use a short handled screwdriver to remove this brass screw. It's important that you get the right sized screwdriver, otherwise you are in danger of damaging the screw.

If you experience problems removing the screw, it's sometimes a good idea to descale the coffee machine first. This can help to remove any scale that might be causing the screw to stick.

When you have released the screw you will find that there is a spring and rubber "bung" that comes out at the same time.

This bung helps seal the boiler so that no water escapes into the group head whilst the machine is heating up. The spring helps keep the bung in position. So suffice it to say, don't lose either of these parts.

There are now a couple of things you can do. If you haven't already, now is a good opportunity to descale the machine, following carefully the manufacturer's instructions.

Once you have done this clean the notches that surround the screw with either an old tooth brush or some other tough scarifying material. Wash thoroughly after you have finished.

Once everything appears clean, replace the screw, spring and rubber bung. Hand tight should be sufficient.

Switch on your machine and flush through with water to ensure that any remaining loose material is removed.

If you use your machine regularly then you should look to do this procedure I would suggest once a month. In hard water areas probably weekly.

Remember, if you do have to switch on the machine at any point during the cleaning process ensure that you leave an appropriate amount of time for it to cool down before you continue working on it.

Local heroes

Not quite sure that we justify such an awesome tag "local hero", but great to see a local restaurant highlighting the quality of all things Jersey. We are truly fortunate on the Island of Jersey to have such a wonderful heritage of small businesses doing outstanding things. Thank-you for the public acknowledgement Boathouse, a great idea and may it bring a lot of benefit to all those passionate about food and drink here on Jersey.

Costa Rica - Dota Tarrazu

Traditionally we've always stocked the classic "San Marcos" Tarrazu coffee, however we've decided to give Coope Dota a try and I must say haven't been disappointed.

As you can see from the title the coffee still comes from the Tarrazu region which is near San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica and is grown at altitudes between 1,100 and 1,800 metres.

This coffee is certified by the Speciality Coffee Association of Costa Rica and rightly so,
we love the sweet aroma and caramel notes that come with this coffee particularly when made through an espresso machine.

Another coffee for the connoisseur. The following link will take you to the product on our website

Costa Rica Dota Tarrazu

Papua New Guinea Fair Trade Organic Coffee

Yet another great new coffee for us. It comes from the Eastern Highlands Province and is grown at between 4,800' and 6000'.

We've put it through a Cafetiere (French press) and got wonderful nutty and citrus notes.

For the techies amongst you it's 100% Arabica with a combination of varietals that include typica, arusha and bourbon.

It's a great looking coffee, carefully processed by the "wet" method with no discernible defects. We've roasted it to a full medium colour to accentuate those wonderful flavours.

You can find it on our website by following this short cut

http://www.cooper.co.je/product/productinfo.aspx?id=368&cid=3

Steam wand issues in domestic espresso machines

Two of the most common problems in the steam department of home espresso machines are:
1. Lack of cleaning
2. Air locks

This blog is based on the assumption that the machine is actually producing steam

Today most modern espresso machine steam wands come pre-fitted with an "auto-frothing" device, whilst being a very clever idea, guaranteeing foam when working properly, they can also be very frustrating to use. The main problem is one of cleanliness.

If the holes which let in the air within the frothing device become blocked you will end up with some very hot milk but no foam. For foam to be created air has to be driven into the milk by the steam. What I have found on many occasions is that the user is unaware that the frothing device can be taken apart and washed, as a result the foam mysteriously disappears and the machine gets blamed for its inability to create vast quantities of foam.

Foaming devices can be easily pulled apart - once inside you will find lumps of dried milk - give each part a good clean, reassemble and hopefully frothy cappuccinos can once again be yours.

If this doesn't cure the problem then issue two as mentioned above, an airlock is likely to be the cause of your problems.

Airlocks can be created if the machine runs out of water and can usually only be removed by driving water through the steam wand and group head of the machine. This is done by opening fully the knob that controls the steam and then switching on the pump that is usually used to drive water through the coffee.

Place a receptacle under the steam wand to catch any water that comes out - When you have a good flow of water, turn off the pump, and shut down the steam wand using the controlling knob. Allow the machine to heat up again and hopefully steam pressure will have returned.

As I experienced the other day, this proceedure may need to be carried out two or three times to remove all airlocks, do persevere because unless there is a more major problem such as an element failure in the machine (which would mean that no steam was being generated) it should be perfectly possible to achieve a good steam pressure once again.

Enjoy your cappuccino!

Population growth - Politics versus Reality

Why is it possible for a brand new Hotel on the Waterfront to get 10’s if not a 100 licences for unqualified staff, yet many existing small businesses on Jersey struggle to get given one un-qualified licence?

Why is it that there are youngsters in our society who struggle to find a job yet many small businesses complain that they can’t find qualified staff to fill critical vacancies?

It all stems from the thorny political problem of wanting economic growth without excessive population growth – So on the one hand we encourage a new Hotel development as a welcome addition to our tourism offer, however sweep quietly under the carpet the reality that there are insufficient locally qualified individuals to staff the Hotel, hence the liberal sprinkling of unqualified licences. What population growth problem?

So why then instead of surreptitiously handing out licences on a case by case basis doesn’t the minister put his cards on the table and openly state what the policy is? Surely if a small business knew they could automatically have at least one unqualified licence then a lot of the heartache, ill will and suspicion that many businesses have towards the Regulations of Undertakings department would evaporate as at a stroke a small sliver of red tape was removed.

But of course if we are going to make any attempt to control population growth long term we have to ensure that we maximize the use of our existing Human resources. To this end an initiative has been put forward to bring the many disparate areas namely Social security, Careers advisory services etc. under one banner called the “Skills executive”.

A commendable idea, but I fear it doesn’t tackle the core problem, that of the right data being in the hands of the right people. It’s a huge challenge particularly when the obvious source, namely Regulations of Undertakings could well be restricted by the Data Protection act. Yet another hurdle, but then what’s new!

If students don’t know about the opportunities, and businesses can’t tell them how can Govt. know what training is required? I know there are careers advisors in schools but they are fewer than 10 versus the 2,500 businesses on the Island who employ 10 or fewer. They are only going to put forward industry sectors, and small business is not an industry sector.

I have been talking with Andrew Gibbs at the Highlands careers advisory service to see if there is a way to set up a central database that can be used by both students and businesses alike.

A relevant, reliable and flexible system; get this in place first, then and only then will in my view a skills executive succeed in delivering its intended benefits.

David Warr