La Marzocco: Out of the Box. Latte Art Jam

Drawing with milk. Could there be anything harder than drawing with one semi viscose liquid into another another? Perhaps painting with a bloody stump? Drawing with a pencil held only by your mouth or toes? Yeah ok, all of those are all pretty difficult, but this latte art thing is with a jug! I mean sure, Jackson Pollock painted with a jug, but he had the freedom to drip and splatter like some uncontrollable ejaculation. There's definite credit in the control required for well crafted latte art, which was why I was intrigued to check out the La Marzocco: Out of the Box Latte Art Jam in Tempelhof yesterday. The Italian Espresso machine manufacturer hosted a trade show from the 20th - 21st of July in Berlin which included the World Espresso Tasting Championship (which sadly I couldn't attend) as well as a fun Latte art competition for those baristas with Michelangelican free-pour finesse.
The general method to achieving a nice piece of latte art, is to first make a good canvas, i.e - a well pulled shot of espresso with nice crema (this is the kind of foamy layer of coffee that's in the espresso). 


Then, it's steaming the milk to a good microfoam consistency (I've been told it should look quite glossy, and have no big bubbles - this is why you'll often see baristas bang the milk jug a few times before they begin pouring). 


Then begins the pouring, often with cup in one hand, jug in the other. The pour begins with the cup on an angle and the jug close to the surface. The milk goes in steadily and goes initially slips under the crema, until you have a solid base and the milk breaks through the crema to the top as pure white, this is the point where you can start drawing. It's mainly squiggly shapes like rosettas, ferns and hearts that are achievable with the free pour technique. If you want to get super-anal you can get in there with a pointy object and start drawings, but meh, whatever.


The competition was to try and draw two identical drinks with points awarded for symmetry, contrast of coffee to milk, style and likeness.


It was nice to be at a venue with people passionate and excited about coffee, there was a competitive but friendly atmosphere, I spotted baristas from Gothenburg, Nürnburg, Bern, as well as native Berliners. At the end of the day, I wasn't there to publish results, just to enjoy the fruits of labour, and enjoy some good coffee.

Two very focused judges.

 

 

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Alles klar in Berlin

All my life in the last week has consisted of wandering, wonderment, loneliness, self assuredness, surprise, intrigue, alienation, miscommunication, my heartbeat.


Becoming familiar with new territory comes faster to some than others, but I've wasted no time trying to the crux of Berlin. On Sunday I went to one the city's largest (if not THE largest) fleamarket in Mauerpark, north Berlin. It was a huge breath of fresh air after experiencing the absolute commodification of anything vaguely antique or second hand in London. Generally, these flea markets have far less mediation & sorting from their stand holders than in many places, which means there are bargains for those who are looking with the right set of eyes!


I spent the day processing all of the visual input, enjoying people watching & searching for my own little trinkets to take home. Of course this post wouldn't be going anywhere without me consuming some form of food, and I have to say I had one of the best burgers of my life (and perhaps this was aided by the fact that it was only €3.50) made by Sun Day burgers.
Their burgers are completely vegan, and packed full of healthy ingredients & mouth watering flavours. It's basically a sunflower seed bun filled with fried tofu marinated in ginger & soy sauce, lettuce, capsicum, tomato, beetroot, fried onions, fresh coriander, alfalfa sprouts & sauced up on chipotle chilli chutney (or there is the option of peanut sauce or mango chutney as well).

I asked the the lovely staff if I could take a photo for my food blog, I sensed a little disappointment when the lady serving asked if I was a vegan and I said no, but she kindly said I could have a job as soon as I become vegetarian. I was flattered, & even though I am not a huge meat eater  (ignore the last post) & do enjoy vegetarian food a lot, I don't think I would ever want to be totally vegetarian, I just believe in meat in moderation.

The bad news is that means I will never be employed by Sun Day Burger, but the good news is that they also have a shop in Kreuzberg at EisenBahn Strasse 42/43, Kreuzberg (at Gorlitzer Bahnhof), so I can eat there till my heart is content.

The Sun Day burger

Sun Day Burger stand with suspicious customer

Happy burger makers, no dead animals here!



Ohh, lots of dead animals here...

Next off was Bonanza Coffee Heroes at Oderberger Strasse 35, Prenzlauer Berg. These guys do seriously good coffee, their latte is so smooth it's like supping on a soft, milky cloud; I doubt breast feeding is even this good....probably... I followed up with a Flat White which had a little more punch, it kind of gave me that "fuck yeah, COFFEE" feeling that I was after. I won't waste words trying to pretend I'm an expert at coffee characteristics, but these guys are roasting their own beans and the mere 3 metres that they have to travel from the roaster must make a shit load of difference, because this is some of the best coffee I've ever had.

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Tiki Taster - Pacific Social Club

When winter arrives, & London turns it's lights down, it becomes one fuck of a dreary place. The sky turns to stone, the grey expanse of tenement houses & asphalt roads all unite in drab homogeny. Grey, dark, dark, grey. Just as you're giving oral sex to a shotgun, ready to paint the skyline with your own grey matter, you remember that other people have been feeling the same way in this city for centuries, & that some have had the initiative to craft escape-pods, incubators & time machines to hide from the oppressive dark seasons. Nestled in a Hackney side street, I found my own little parallel world to escape the London doldrums. Pacific Social Club is an all in one incubator/time machine/escape pod. Stepping into this little cafe, father-time's whip was suddenly too short to reach my back, I felt calm away from the hustle & bustle, I was at ease amongst the colourful bunting, 78-sleeve wallpaper, pacific island tiki carvings, wood panel transistor radios, the LP player wooing me with it's warm analogue patter, the gentle clatter of antique cups & saucers, straight out of a time-warp. This felt like home, & I didn't want to leave.

Now it's all very well & good having a carefully crafted aesthetic, but it can easily look trite or hackneyed (double-entendre) in an age where "vintage" is the old new. This place not only brims with authenticity, but it has two other key ingredients which really give it the trifecta: friendly staff, & most importantly, great food. I was fairly ravenous when I arrived, as I hadn't had breakfast or lunch, & it was already 1pm. I settled in to the Venezuelan sandwich with chorizo, beans, avocado & cheese. This toasted treat was so packed with flavour, I had to curse Jesus aloud. Once my savoury craving was satisfied, I whet my appetite on the carrot cake with cream cheese icing (it might have had cinnamon on the icing, I think?), to be honest I was still so blinded by the afterglow of that toastie, that I could've been spooning dogshit into my gob & still been happy, but nah, the carrot cake was actually great too. In the word of California's former Governor, I'll be back...Pacific Social Club...

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Wilton Way Cafe

I've been in need of a sleep in all week, and after a relatively early night following Plaid's album release for Scintilli, it was exactly what I got. Peeling my lazy carcass out of bed this morning, I went about the kitchen in search of victuals. It was Old Mother Hubbard all over again, I was hungry & angry, but decided to forget about grocery shopping for breakfast & just set out on my bike in search of a delicious lunch (it was no longer morning, & I was about to rape someone if I didn't get a coffee). I had remembered that Wilton Way cafe near London Fields had been recommended by Time Out a while back, so it seemed like the perfect destination to venture on an empty stomach.

Now, I'll be honest, I approach many places around London Fields with an air of caution, as it's well known as a spawning ground for annoying, vacuous, trendy-cunts...not an ideal crowd if you're starving & about to brave the public to breakfast alone. I had every hope that this wouldn't be the case at Wilton Way Cafe...and thank fucking god it wasn't! I was greeted by an affable young lass at the counter who was not only friendly, but patient with my misreading of the menu (I had asked for the chorizo, rocket & roast capsicum on sourdough instead of ciabatta, but she told me I could have it on sourdough if I wanted, which I did want!). The interior of the cafe is beautifully styled with warm raw-wooden furniture & floors, corrugated iron, white walls, colourful DEVOesque lampshades & their own radio station apparently!

There is a variety of seating to accomodate people eating/drinking alone or in groups, & there is natural light coming from both ends of the cafe, as well as a few tables street-side. My flat white arrived, after my first sip, I was convinced who ever was at the controls of their machine must have divinity in their DNA, because it was PERFECT. Next up, my sourdough, chorizo, rocket, capsicum sandwich. It was almost bordering on epic in size, & everything tasted super fresh. It was delicious, & also very well priced (I got at least a few pound change from a tenner for the lot). The whole package of this place had me quite tickled; the staff, the food, the atmosphere - Time Out was really on the money with this review, & will be revisiting for sure. Well done Wilton Way Cafe.
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