ottawa foodies

Hey Folks,

I'm a newbie to this site and hope I'm not breaking any etiquette here by promoting a product.

I wanted to let espresso coffee enthusiasts in the Ottawa/Gatineau area know that my wife and I have the exclusive distribution rights to sell Miscela d'oro espresso coffee in the area.

This is an artisan-made product that comes direct from Sicily and it cannot be purchased from a store yet. You can learn more about it here: www.misceladoro.com/

Please feel free to contact me if you would like to purchase this product or learn more about it. Prices vary depending on the variety and its quantity.

No minimum order or shipping costs, I can deliver or we can meet up somewhere downtown.

This is a great alternative to mass-produced espresso coffee.

misceladoro.ottawa@gmail.com

Is there anywhere one can sample it?

Why bother - it was roasted probably months ago and shipped here.

Not really possible to be as good as freshly roasted coffee.

Instead, go visit one of the many local roasters like Barking Barista, Happy Goat, Shanti and the likes ...

Why bother - listening to an opinion about some coffee, when that opinion is based speculation without investigation?

(Regardless if the person expressing that opinion sells coffee or not)

Thanks for the quick reply folks.

There are numerous independent reviews on the web. See this link for example:

www.1st-line.com

Two containers of this product arrive in Montreal every month and directly from Italy. It's consumed largely in Montreal and New York, but has yet to arrive in Ontario or Ottawa for that matter. Like all imported products, it naturally has a shelf life - 2 years.

If you like Italian espresso coffee, this could be to your liking.

OSoloMeal - feel free to follow up with me directly.

Kudos for taking the high road and not stooping to the level of another commenter in this thread. Perhaps some people here will be interested in your product and story.

Just expressing my opinion. I'd be happy to try this myself if there are free samples available. I am always open minded and eager to be proven wrong. But I have yet to find a coffee roasted months ago that is anywhere near as flavourful as coffee roasted a week ago.

And for what it is worth I am not in the coffee business anymore, but I got into the business for precisely this reason - because freshly roasted coffee is so much better than coffee roasted even a few weeks ago, let alone months.

I can't imagine any self-respecting espresso junkie advocating espresso from beans that are up to two years old. I can imagine a shill doing that though.

In fairness he said he gets a fresh palette of it every month so I would expect the product to be not much more than a month past roasting.

He's offered me a free sample and I will make a connection to collect one, and report back. And I will be as fair as possible in reviewing it - something I pride myself on.

I look forward to seeing the results, especially as to whether the product is palatable, paletteable, or palletable.

Sparrow Seed...your coment on spelling is funy and sarcastic. I luv it.

I can't imagine how coffee roasted in Italy and shipped to Canada could be better than Ethiopian beans, hand-selected, then roasted weekly in Ottawa by a Roastmaster with 15 years experience. As in Happy Goat.

I think we need a coffee glossary!

palatable - acceptable flavour
palettable - impressive colour
palletable - ship me some!
pale table - keeps a flat white level
palliation - euphoric effects of caffeine
palpable - coffee can burn you
paleoish - caveman coffee
palilalia - see above list :P

It really depends on what you want - Italian espresso is a style, a taste, (a memory? maybe something else even more esoteric) and it's different than something that was freshly roasted a week ago. Is it worse? Maybe, depending on what you like. But I can tell you that the espresso I had in Italy was miles better than what is being served at "locally roasted" shops (with exception to Equator and possibly Francesco's), and from what I could deduce had more to do with the machines and operator experience than simply being a freshly roasted week old bean.

Reserve judgement, get your hands on a decent espresso machine and some of these beans and give it a shot (ha!). I'm really curious to try this out, I'd love a sample for my machine.

There's a scene from Mulholland Drive that involves espresso, I think it accurately captures the absurdity here.

I'm sure you are right Chimichimi that good espresso is more than just fresh beans - but everything else you said means you can also not just buy it in a can.

Pardon my ignorance but what makes a coffee bean expresso? From what i undersand there are different ways (lengths of time? techniques) that make a "dark" or "french" roast. And of course the beans can come from different parts of the world (african countries, south and central america, etc.). I know there is arabica beans is this the same as columbian (I think columbian "standard" type coffee doesn't mean columbia but maybe a roast ...).

Nothing makes a coffee bean "espresso". Espresso is a method of brewing. Not a method of roasting or a type of bean.

EDIT: Columbian refers to where it was grown. Technically that could be Arabica or Robusta - which are the two major coffee cultivars. Though I believe with the strict controls that the Columbian government puts on the name, maybe not Robusta.

But there are a number of sub-cultivars of the Arabica bean. Most good coffee is Arabica. Robusta is higher in caffeine and a lot more bitter.

To avoid preconceived bias'(conscience or subconscious), blind taste testing is usually done with food and beverages.... just like Fresh Foodies experience with the Great Ottawa Egg Roll Challange.

Forum - Ottawa egg roll challenge

Hey again folks - writing to let you know that free samples (solo shots) are available at Vie Bella Market and Deli located at 87 Sparks Street.

The proprietor has a commercial Gaggia grinder as well as Rancilio espresso machine that pulls great shots.

Enjoy. All feedback is welcome.

If espresso is a type of brewing then why do places sell espresso beans along with other types of dark roast? I suppose espresso beans from Italy may have been grown in an area closer to Europe rather than the Americas. I think espresso uses fine ground beans while other types of brewing use less fine to coarsely ground beans. All of this such a mystery ...!

A bit off topic is what's up with Starbucks and Bridgehead these days ... I find their coffee extremely bitter to the point of putting in lots of sugar (when I normally use none) and not being satisfied. At starbucks (which I don't go to often) I would have to order a blonde blend if not an espresso (americano) coffee. I feel like I am almost considered to be someone who does not like coffee these days at these places as I tend to order espress as their brewed coffee (dark roast) tastes almost "super" (over?) roasted and "coffee flavoured" to me these days. I once ordered a Harar coffee at Bridgehead, I think, I assume this is Ethiopian, it was not at all drinkable ... this is really saying something as I *need/love* coffee and almost never let it go without draining the cup ...

Unfortunately, I recently moved office and am no longer downtown near Sparks Street. Miss downtown ...!!!

Here is the referenced 'espresso scene' from Mulholland Drive.

www.dailymotion.com

@flexie - I've noticed that too at Bridgehead downtown recently and it's weird... I think they changed their bold/dark source. Not happy about it... They're my go to caffeinator in the am.