July 2018 Newsletter
The end of our machine era has arrived. My service tech has retired to sunny Barletta (Italy) and is not missing Melbourne's currently wintry climes at all. I've inherited whatever Rancilio and Lelit etc. spares he had (not many) so if you need a part feel free to enquire. Even if we can't help we can probably suggest a supplier. We won't be doing any repairs or maintenance from now on, but again we may be able to suggest who can help.
You may have noticed that this month's newsletter is quite late. In fact, this is a combined July and August newsletter as I'll be taking a couple of weeks off in August. We'll be closed from MONDAY 6th August until THURSDAY 23rd August. Unfortunately a lifetime of wear & tear has caught up with my right knee and a bit of post operative downtime is recommended. I'll send out a short reminder at the end of this month so that no one forgets.
There won't be an August Newsletter or an August special coffee, so if you fancy something different you'll have to have a shot at this month's special. It's a tiny amount of an experimental lot from India.
Indian Gesha/HBT Cross
$50.00/kg
Subtle front palate lemon acidity melds into mid palate smooth caramels and a long vanilla finish.
The purpose of the cross was to try and combine the Gesha flavours with the disease resistance of Hybrido de Timor. Certainly the fine acidity of the Gesha comes through, but the floral and tea tastes do not, and it's too early to tell about the disease resistance. Still, it's an interesting coffee which rates in the high 80's.
Speaking of health issues, there has been some research released suggesting that 6 cups of coffee a day can help to prolong your life. Personally, I'd take this suggestion with a substantial serving of salt. I believe the research involved to be on a par with that suggesting that tiny amounts of alcohol can cause cancer and/or birth defects. As with fad diets, superfoods and supplements, consuming a lot of anything is unlikely to be good for you.
On the other hand, moderate consumption of some of the pleasurable things in life, like coffee, chocolate and red wine, is certain to improve your outlook if not your health. And a better temperament and reduced stress may in turn lead to a longer life.
In today's newspaper there was an opinion piece by James Le Fanu of the London Telegraph decrying the majority of the "studies" and referring back to a definitive survey of doctors from the late 1950's. The results were clear: smoke over 20 cigarettes a day and you have 25 times more chance of lung cancer. Drink 4 glasses of wine a day and not only live longer but cut your chance of heart attack by over 40%. I suspect moderate coffee (and tea) consumption does aid survival a bit. In my case my morning coffee gives me the alertness and reflexes to survive the freeway and its manic B-Double truck drivers!
There will be a few changes to our list of available coffees in the near future coinciding with the arrivals of new crop beans. In particular we'll be cutting back to one New Guinea bean (the Tungei Peaberry) and towards Christmas we're hoping to get hold of a spectacular organic coffee. Since Java Arabica now seems to be unobtainable the Mocha Java Blend will be discontinued around mid-September (unless I can get some more Java, the Mocha isn't a problem.)
Until September
Alan
