Reuben interview

Mecca Espresso and Qantas Helping Hands Community together are raising funds for Youth Off The Streets.

The target is to raise $3000 to replace the out of life oven in the kitchen at Don Bosco House, Marrickville in Sydney.

You can donate at any of our stores by placing your donation in one of the donation boxes provided. In light of the urgency of the sitiuation we are aiming to reach our target by Friday 21st October 2011. Your contribution will go directly towards the cause and help us reach our target and will go a long way to support the youth of Sydney.

Don Bosco House provides crisis and short term accommodation for young homeless people between the ages of 15-18. The refuge provides young people with a safe and supportive environment. Don Bosco House provides crisis and short termaccommodation for young homeless people betweenthe ages of 15-18. The refuge provides young peoplewith a safe and supportive environment. The kitchen facilities at Don Bosco house are used to prepare lunch and dinner for the residents. It is also used to prepare means for the food van that goes out every night of the year in Sydney to Green Park and Darlinghurst.

Youth Off The Streets supports homeless and drug addicted young Australians as they work to turn their lives around. The goal is to have these young people leave the care of YOTS drug free, with a high school education, living skills and a full or part time job in hand. Based on the philosophy that every young person has greatness within, these programs are non-denominational and non-discriminatory.

For more information regarding this project or to learn how to contribute directly, contactandrew@meccaespresso.com. For more information about Don Bosco House, or Youth Off The Streets visit http://www.youthoffthestreets.com.au.

Mecca Espresso and QHHC would like to thank you for your support.

Job Opportunity

Mecca Espresso is seeking a cashier for our Circular Quay store. The position would suit a motivated individual with good communication skills interested in working within an efficient, dynamic and lively team. Availability during mornings, Monday to Friday, is essential. To apply, send your CV to jobs@meccacq.com and/or call 0410 265 280.

Cafe Smart 2011, Friday 5th of August

If you only come into Mecca once this year, make sure you make it on Friday 5 August when we donate $1 from every coffee sold to StreetSmart’s “CaféSmart” project. We will also be donating all of our tips to the cause on that day in an effort to match the monies raised from coffee sales.

CaféSmart is being held during National Homeless Persons Week (1 – 7 August). It aims to raise money to combat homelessness and at the same time, bring the hospitality industry and its customers together to assist local organisations in need. Money raised will be donated to lesser known community organisations - for example, women’s refuges, drop in centres, youth services and outreach centres – that are committed to assisting homeless people or people at risk of homelessness.

According to Homelessness Australia, nearly 1 in every 200 Australians is homeless, without safe, secure or affordable housing and last year, 105,000 Australians experienced homelessness. There are many reasons for it some of the main ones being mental illness, domestic violence and substance abuse.

Clearly the problem is a serious one.

We thought the day would be a great way to take stock and remember that no matter how cold or uncomfortable we feel whilst getting to work or moving around in chilly winter weather, there are people out there who could really use some help to get warm.

Plenty of information about StreetSmart and the CafeSmart initiative is available at www.streetsmartaustralia.org and about the problem of homelessness in Australia at www.homelessnessaustralia.org . Alternatively email us at info@meccacq.com with any questions.

Coffee Cupping Sessions

Our recent run of coffee cupping sessions has come to an end. Thanks to everyone who participated in the sessions, we hope you enjoyed them as much as we did. These have marked the beginning of an ongoing coffee education program to help give those who are interested access to information about our coffees and where they come from, and information about specialty coffee in general.

If you missed out on a session this time or would like another opportunity to participate, the good news is we'll run some more sessions later this year. Sign up below to be notified by email when the next run of sessions is announced.

Find out about upcoming coffee education events

* indicates required

Email Address *

Email Format

• html

text

mobile

Close

New Feature Coffee

Today we will be introducing a new feature coffee from 'La Esperanza', a farm near Trujillo in Colombia. Perhaps the most notable thing about this coffee is the fact that it has been harvested from trees of the Geisha varietal.

The Geisha varietal of coffee tree originated in Ethiopia but was made famous in Panama at 'Hacienda La Esmeralda', in the mid 2000s when individual lots started auctioning for record prices due to the high quality of the harvest. Geisha is one of the few varietals that is generally considered to have unique flavour characteristics which are attributable to the varietal itself. Since the success of Geisha in Panama, many farmers across Central and South America have begun experimenting with the varietal on their farms. Owners of 'La Esperanza', brothers Rigoberto and Luis Eduardo Herrera decided to trial Geisha on their Colombian farm after it's success at another farm belonging to them in Panama (which happens to border the 'Hacienda La Esmeralda' farm). Having just spent some time serving the Esmeralda Geisha from Panama in various forms at our stores, it will be interesting to see the results of how this varietal performs in a different origin.

'Introduction to Cupping' Sessions

Cupping is a process used by growers, buyers and roasters to sample and grade coffees. Small samples of different coffees are roasted and brewed to very specific and controlled specifications and then tasted side by side for comparison and evaluation. Cupping is a great way to look at the different and complex flavours that coffee can exhibit, and learn more about the differences between coffees from different regions in the world.

We are offering the opportunity to participate in a cupping session where we will offer an introduction to the cupping process as well as an opportunity to cup a variety of coffees for yourself. These sessions take place every Friday at 12.30pm.

The events are free of charge, though each session will be limited to 6 places. Send an email with your name to info@meccacq.com to secure your spot. If you have any queries call us on 9252 7668, If you would like to be kept up to date on other events please register your interest here.

New Mecca Store, Harris St. Ultimo

Some of you may be aware of the new store at 646 Harris Street, in Ultimo, Sydney.

The store opened for trading in late January and so far has been a hit.  The space offers a little more of a 'coffee lab' experience, with two clovers in operation plus a range of other brew methods in operation.  Public cuppings will be held frequently so enquire with the staff there if you wish to participate.  Of particular note is the lunch menu, which is more exhaustive than the other Mecca stores and I can tell you from personal experience is well worth the visit.  I recommend the Wagyu Beef salad.  Yum!

Below are some photos of the new store taken by Mayu from Organic Photogaphy, Sydney.

Mecca Coffee Co. Harris St, Sydney

Check out Mayu's other work at http://www.organicphotography.com.au.

Australian Cup Tasting Championships

Congratulations to Mecca's own, Sam Sgambellone on his 3rd placing in the Australian Cup Tasting Championship over the weekend.

After taking out the NSW Championship earlier in the month Sam was up against the other state winners for the right to represent the country at the World Championship's in the Netherlands later this year.

The competition sees competitors faced with eight sets of coffees with each set consisting of two identical coffees and one that is different, the Competitors must choose the odd one out.

The title was taken out by Luca Costanza from Melbourne and we wish him all the best.

For more information on the World Cup Tasting Championship click here.

Last Minute Christmas Gifts....

We have just taken delivery of some Hario products just in time for Christmas...we are stocking Syphons, Hand Mills, V-60 pour overs any of which would make a great gift for a coffee lover.

We also have the Aeropress Coffee Makers as well as our range of coffee beans to add to your Christmas stockings.

Call us on 9252 7668 to confirm availability or just pop on down.

Closing Dates for Christmas/New Years 2010.

Mecca Espresso Circular Quay will be closed over the holiday period:

From 12:00pm on Friday 24th December 2010
Until 7:30am on Monday 10th January 2011

We wish everyone a restful and safe Christmas and New Year, and thank you for your support over 2010. We look forward to sharing with you many great brews in 2011.

Article in SMH and Good Living

Two articles appeared in the SMH Today, both coffee related and both mentioning Mecca Espresso.

The first article was on the Cup Of Excellence program and can be found here, the second was an exploration of the Coffee Cupping process in Good Living that unfortunately i cant seem to find online.

It is good to see mainstream media is starting to provide some interesting and informed coverage of the Specialty Coffee industry, it all helps in our goal of introducing consumers to a world of amazing coffees.

For anyone who read the Cupping article and is interested in the process, a reminder that we are holding a public cupping this Thursday (see our earlier post for details).

* Photo courtesy of the SMH Website taken by Quentin Jones

Arrival of the Aeropress...

We have just received a shipment of Aeropress Coffee Brewers which we will be retailing in our store. We will also soon be offering our light roast single origins brewed through the Aeropress.

More details to follow soon... in the meantime checkout the Aeropress site or for brewing instructions, follow the Aeropress links at Brewmethods.com

Event: Coffee Cupping

Where? Mecca Espresso, Circular Quay
When? Thursday 4th of November, 12.30pm

Cupping is a process, used mostly by Roasters, to evaluate and assess coffees before purchase. It is also a wonderful way to develop a sensory appreciation for coffee and to get to know the differences between coffees from different regions in the world.

We are offering the opportunity to participate in a cupping session where we will offer an introduction to the cupping process as well as an opportunity to cup a variety of coffees for yourself.

The event is free of charge, the session will be limited to 8 places, please RSVP to info@meccacq.com to secure your spot.

Job Opportunity - Trainee Barista

We are on the lookout for a Trainee Barista to join our team at our Circular Quay store.

In short, the position would suit an energetic and enthusiastic individual who is passionate about coffee and is looking for the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the Specialty Coffee industry.

No experience is required, as all training will be provided.

If you would like to find out more about joining our team, please phone 0410 265 280 or email jobs@meccacq.com

Good Living Article

If anybody is interested, there is a write-up featuring Mecca Espresso in today's Good Living section of the Sydney Morning Herald.

The article deals with the alternative (to espresso) brewing methods for coffee that are gaining popularity across Sydney, Australia, and the World at present. Our King St. store is currently offering some of these methods for the premium single origins, well worth a visit if you're interested in learning more about the possibilities for coffee appreciation. Start with a Clover coffee, for which our King st. store offers a daily selection of Origins. These coffees are roasted light to suit more delicate brewing methods, ensuring that the maximum complexity and full spectrum of flavours are extracted from the bean.

Australian Coffee

Today and tomorrow we'll be serving some single origin coffee all the way from exotic Australia.

Traditionally, coffee has generally been grown in areas with reasonably high altitude. Recently however, some plantations have popped up in locations further away from the equator but at lower altitude which can give comparable conditions as far as agriculture is concerned.

One such farm is the Mountain Top Estate near Byron Bay, in far north NSW. If you add these reasonably good conditions with the technological advantage that a more developed nation has, you have the potential for some high quality beans.

Now I'm not saying that these guys are producing the best, as they often claim. That would be a flawed statement, since the upper band of quality coffee is not about a simple ranking of quality but about what the drinker gets out of the cup, which will vary for each individual. They do however prove that a solid bean can be produced in non-traditional circumstances. Regardless of the claims they may make to sell their beans, the operators of this small NSW plantation do genuinely have a passion for producing the best coffee possible, and will use all innovations and experimentations to improve the process. Often old plantations in traditional countries of origin are operated with heavy tradition built up over generations which can hinder progress to new methods of growing and processing.

One point of difference though is that due to the high cost of labour in Australia compared to many coffee growing nations, most of the processing and sorting must be done by machines rather than human hands which are capable of a much more thorough job.

I'm interested to see how projects like this in nations like Australia will ultimately aid growers in developing nations to produce better coffee and to live well and sustainably.

WBC Result

Here are the results for the final six of the WBC. Congratulations to Australia's Scottie who placed third. (It seems there has been some confusion over whether he was third or fourth but they seem to have settled on third.) Either way it's a huge achievement.

Michael Phillips (USA) 706 points

Raul Rodas (Guatemala) 691 points

Scottie Callaghan (Australia) 672.5 points

Colin Harmon (Ireland) 659.5 points

Soren Stiller Markussen (Denmark) 644.5 points

Stefanos Domatiotis (Greece) 632 points

Congratulations as well to Michael Phillips on winning. Special mention to Stefanos who Sam met with a matter of weeks ago in Greece, clearly he is a passionate and gifted barista.

I couldn't help but take note of the prominence of countries of origin this year also. There were four entrants from coffee growing nations in the top twelve, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. This in combination with the location for next years WBC (Bogota, Colombia) should make for an even heavier level of interest from South American and Central American nations. My prediction is a much more open field, and heavier competition from a higher variety of nations.

WBC Finals Update

Scottie Calaghan has progressed to final six. The finals are due to take place over the next couple of hours.

So close! Bring it home Scottie.

WBC - Quick Update!

Just a quick update to let you know that Scottie has made it through to the final 12. Considering there are 50 odd entries this is already a great result.

Today he will be performing in the semi-final around 11am London time, you can watch it here online. The Top 6 will make it through to a final later Today.

Go Scottie!

***NEWS FLASH***
After a highly polished performance, Scottie has made it through to the final. He should be on stage just after 3pm London time. Will keep you posted...

***NEWS FLASH II***
Just announced, Scottie finished in 3rd place behind Raul Rodas from Guatemala and the new World Barista Champion Michael Phillips from the USA. A wonderful result and one we are very pleased about. Congratulations Scottie from all the Mecca Team.