#ruby colorful coffee

Probat Tribute (more photos)

Here is my tribute post to Probat coffee roasting machines, on which some of the best coffee I have ever had has been roasted. From the many coffee roasters in Central Europe I saw using them, to some of my favorites in the Southwest and Wisconsin. From the to the oldest vintage Probat I have ever seen at Kickapoo Coffee, to the newest machines at Luna Coffee Roasters and Coffeeville, and the in-between Probats at Ritual Coffee Roasters, Ruby Colorful Coffee, and JBC Coffee. I also offer this post as a tribute to the Probat roasters I have yet to see as I explore the 3rd-Wave of coffee, like the one at Kin Kin Coffee in Madison.

In coffee specialty coffee industry, I have often heard Probats referred to as a fine piece of German engineering, the Mercedes-Benz of coffee roasting machines.

SO-Espressos and SO-Americanos in Wisconsin

No other brewing method draws out more of the nuanced flavor from high quality Single Origins than the SO-Espresso and single and double shot 8oz Americanos (see Espresso Types). When properly temperature and pressure profiled on a quality espresso machine like a LM Strada MP or EP, Slayer, Synesso, or Modbar the flavor extraction an SO-Espresso is simply amazing.

Espresso can be a strong venue to present a great single-origin coffee, because the concentrated extraction highlights its attributes, emphasizing the lemon acidity and salty tomato notes of a Kenyan or highlighting the balance and chocolate of a good Guatemalan. - Fresh Cup

Yet in Wisconsin they are still a rarity on the coffeehouse drink menus, as most only offer traditional darker roasted espresso blends. To make things even worse, the Espresso and Americano are often obscured on the coffeehouse drink menus, hidden behind the overwhelming among of batch brewed,milk and flavor drinks. Rather than having true espresso bars, its seems like there are more dessert drink bars.

Never the less there are a few places that are breaking out of the chain coffeehouse model and offering some amazing SO-Espressos and SO-Americanos. They are either using their own Omni Roasted single origins or pulling their shots with Kickapoo Coffee, Ruby Colorful Coffee, or coffee roasted out of state. My hope is that in time we start to see more coffeehouses like these, as well as more than one option for SO-Espresso on the drink menus.

Known places in Wisconsin offering lighter and brighter SO-Espresso and SO-Americano:

Milwaukee

Kickapoo Coffeehouse in the 3rd-Ward neighborhood

Alderaan Coffee in the Lower Eastside neighborhood

Madison

5th Element Coffee in the Regent neighborhood

Sí Café in the Capital neighborhood

Bradbury‘s Coffee in the Capital neighborhood

Johnson’s Public House in the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood

Kin Kin Coffee Stand in the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood 

Appleton and Green Bay Area

TImshel Cafe in Neenah

Private Cupping - Ruby Colorful Coffee (more photos)

Was able to attend a private cupping at Ruby Coffee. This was an amazing even for me, because Ruby does such a great job at sourcing green coffee that is ideal for roasting lighter. At this cupping there were coffees from Central and South America, Africa, and South East Asia, each with its own unique flavor profile.

What I was most pleased to see, as the Ruby also includes pulling SO-Espressos and SO-Americanos and pouring the Kalita Wave as part of their cupping sessions. Taking this broader approach to taste testing the coffees is key, to ensure that the coffee is omni roasted and preform well in a wide range of brewing methods.

My personal favorites of the day were the Gasha Village and Kenya Rukira, as I greatly favor the fruit forward African coffees.

Burlap Coffee Sacks (more photos)

All Seasons Coffeehouse - Appleton, WI (more photos)

This is another one of the three coffeehouses in the Fox Cities that I visited that is following the 3rd-Wave of coffee. All Seasons was partly inspired by Seth’s Coffee and partly inspired by Ruby Colorful Coffee.

They are pulling their shots on a Rancilio espresso machine and grinding with a Mahlkoenig K30 Air. For their brew bar they are pouring with the Hario V60 and using the Vario-W grinders.

What i liked most of all, however, was the friendliness and skill of the barista staff. They pulled and poured everything with passion. It was also exciting to learn that their barstias complete in regional competition, as this has clearly help motivated them to advance their latte art skills.

Seth's Coffee & Bake Shop - Little Chute, WI (more photos)

My quest to seek out the 3rd-Wave of coffee led me to the Fox Cities and to Seth’s Coffeehouse. Here I was able to meet with Seth, who was one of the first to bring the 3rd-Wave of coffee to the Appleton area. His passion for quality coffee is clear from the moment moment you step into his coffeehouse and becomes even more clear when talking with him about coffee.

The first thing I noticed was the huge EK 43 Mahlkoenig grinder for use with their brew bar, which offers Hario V60s, as well as the Fresh Press, Siphon, and Chemex on request. They are pulling shots on the new LM Linea PB with Mazzer grinders with the Black Cat Espresso Blend from Intelligentsia.

Following in the multi-roasting tradition that is popular out west, for their brew bar and as whole bean sales, Seth’s Coffee offers both Intelligentsia and Ruby Colorful Coffee. I found their barista skills to be at a high level, great at pulling straight espresso shots, pouring latte art, and working the brew bar. They also had a good knowledge of the coffee and its origins they were brewing, as well as the equipment they were using.

In addition, I really loved the creative vibe of their decor theme, which was warm and inviting, as well as included a wide range of seating options, local art, a piano, and board games. 

Ethiopia Guji Uraga - Ruby Colorful Coffee (more photos)

This is one of five single origins I have tried from Ruby Colorful Coffee, most recently the Guatemala Consuelo. Was able to try this Ethiopia as Kalita Wave, Areopress, and SO-Espresso in Ruby’s tasting room on their LM Linea.  Although it tasted great in all of these brewing methods, the SO-Espresso pull as absolutely amazing. I would put this SO-Espresso experience right up there with my all time favorite pull from Verve Coffee Roasters, which was a Guatemala Dola De Oro. This is also in the same category of excellence as Kickapoo’s Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Idido.

This Ethiopia Guji Uraga from Ruby Coffee won them the Good Food Award in 2015.

Its a bit darker roasted and sweeter than the Guatemala Consuelo, but the peace tea and lemon pie notes shine through and balance out the experience.