Cupping

Tasting comments of the next round of our Blacksmith Espresso.

Thai No.5 in CJ

We were excited to talk to the Courier Journal a few days ago about our newest signature drink - Thai No.5. Have you tried it yet?

“We want to make something that’s incredibly unique to us,” (drink creator Philip) Revell says, “that makes people kind of rethink what coffee is and what it does. We want to help people think about coffee on the same level that they would think about beer or wine or food or cocktails.”

Read the rest of the article HERE

Roasting... El Guayabo

Region: Intibuca

Country: Honduras

Variety: Pacas

Altitude: 1500 MASL (Meters Above Sea Level)

Process: Washed

Producer: Lazaro Aguilar

New Quills Signature: Thai No. 5

Quills launched a new drink yesterday. Mr. Philip Revell is the scientist behind Thai No. 5 and he's gonna tell us about it and the philosophy behind all of our signature drinks.  

When we approach coffee, we want to push the envelope. We want to do things that challenge preconceived notions of what coffee is; The possibilities of taste, and how vast the world of coffee actually is. 

When a person walks into Quills we want to be a guide- navigating our guests toward coffee bliss. While some may think it silly to put so much energy and dedication into this well-known beverage (after all it is just coffee right?), we want to completely obliterate the concept that coffee is merely a cheap way to clear one's head in the morning. 

One way that we do this is by creating unique, cocktail-inspired signature drinks. These drinks are meant to showcase certain nuances within; Complimenting and enhancing them to challenge the palate and create a whole new way to drink coffee. 

We've had our Smokehouse on the menu for about ten months now. The Smokehouse is a variation of a cortado which is a 4oz drink composed of espresso and steamed milk. Sorghum and liquid smoke are added to this concoction resulting in a drink which showcases the sweet and savory elements of our Blacksmith espresso. If you're into barbecue brisket, this drink is for you. 

We are now very proud to announce the arrival of a new signature drink we are releasing this week dubbed the Thai No. 5. Thai No. 5 is a conceptual drink based on Pad Thai. It's a combination of espresso, thai peanut sauce, and cayenne pepper.

There are several things happening with this drink. First- the espresso acts as the savory element that ties the sweetness and spiciness of the peanut sauce and cayenne together. The peanut sauce accentuates the sweetness and base notes of the espresso while the cayenne brings some clarity and unfamiliarity, allowing one to distinguish between the contrasting flavors.

So if you're feeling brave, looking to expand your palate a bit, and want to taste something completely unique to Quills, give one of these drinks a try. We've put a lot of time and energy into creating them and think you'll like them. 

Just coffee? Please. 

A Fun Drink Recipe

T.G.I.S.! We're known at Quills mostly for fueling your days, afternoons, occasional evening. We figured it's only right to finish the job well by giving you a fun drink idea for your night-time soirees. That is- IF you are 21 or over.

We told you about the fun night we had at Speed Museum's Art After Dark party. One of the sweet and small pleasures of the night was a cool little concoction that was dreamed up using Quill's own cold brew. It was so delicious we had to ask the bartender to share the recipe with us. And now we share it with you. (And please do remember to drink responsibly friends)

Weekend Coffee

1.5 oz. Vodka

1/2 oz. Quills cold brew (or espresso)

1/2 oz. Dark Creme de Cacao

TNT... Dynamite!

Thursday Night Throwdowns (TNTs) are free pour latte art competitions held all over the world including right here in Louisville, Kentucky. They occur here on the last Thursday of each month. The last friendly feud was held at Quill's Cardinal Towne location and our own lauded tadpole Houston Miller claimed the winning title (see below for a few photos via Megan Lawson. Thanks Megan!). The next TNT will be held October 25th at Spencer's Coffee in Bowling Green, Kentucky. 

Quills in the Dark

The lights went out at Speed Museum September 22nd and Quills was there for some dancin' in the dark. 

Louisville's respected au courant establishment closed its doors last week to begin a 3-year long expansion project. But first- the stately institution held a day of several celebratory events culminating in a lively tranformation into a big city's flashy nightclub for a late-night "Art After Dark" bash. Party attendees literally drew on the walls, bowled, drank, ate and danced (with New York City's legendary DJ Scratch) until 2am. Quills was there all day long serving up our brews on a fancy new traveling contraption (thanks to Prima) and simply enjoying the festive affair.

 

 Thanks to Prima Coffee Equipment for supplying us with this fantastic mobile drink-makin' rig  

New(ish) Guy Nick Langford

If you've been to our New Albany store in the past few months you might have met an exceedingly knowledgeable eager coffee-lovin' Texan named Nick. If you've had our coffee in the past few months you've at least tasted the fruits of his devoted labor. Nick Langford is our new Roaster/New Albany Store Manager and his obvious passion for roasting, tasting, serving and talking about coffee is rarely matched. Read on to find out more about Quill's newest skilled artisan. 

very picture of confidence 

From?

  Originally from Lubbock, Texas, which everyone knows is The Giant Side of Texas, though we moved here from San Antonio.

Family?

  My beautiful bride is Dr. Sheridan Langford who is a resident in the Pediatrics program at University of Louisville.

How did you get into coffee roasting?

  When I moved to San Antonio, Texas to live near my then fiancée Sheridan, a coffee friend from Lubbock told me to find The Brown Coffee Company. It was there that my coffee world was taken to new heights through meeting Finca Las Delicias Reserva and Edlina Microlot. I joined owner/roaster extraordinaire Aaron Blanco as his roasting assistant and I was never the same.

What brought you to Quills New Albany?

  My wife matched to UofL's pediatric residency program and I found Quills through their connection to Brown.

What is the deal with armadillos?

  One time, late at night, I saw an armadillo while walking to my car. It was digging into the ground looking for critters. It looked at me with its hairy beady eye and I was afraid, then I got in my car and left. The End.

What childhood cartoon character do you most relate to?

  Bugs Bunny

What is your current favorite roast and brewing method?

  Finca La Bolsa Microlot 3 as V60 or Chemex

What do you drink at home?

  Cold brew, neat.

Do you like to eat with your coffee? If so- what?

  Usually no. However, in the evenings Quills coffee goes quite well with something sweet.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

  Happy, Healthy, and Wise

You spent time abroad. Tell us about that.

  三年前我住在中国云南州。在内边，我学习中文也傣族文化。我帮助我的朋友们做生意。那时间是很好玩！

What deep life lessons/metaphors can you inspire us with that come from a profession of roasting?

  Roasting is both art and science. It is creative expression and meticulous execution. It is both primal and professional. To roast coffee is to connect yourself to the earth in a way that's been done for thousands of years in land in and around modern day Ethiopia, the birthplace of all coffee. Remember that.

Anything else you want us to know about you?

  If you really want to know where the coffee magic happens, come to New Albany.

Champion Cupping: Learning from Cory Andreen

Quills Barista Michael Butterworth has a way with coffee AND words. So we've asked him to tell us about the fun and informative visit Louisville received from Champion Cupper Cory Andreen last week. Michael spins coffee tales over at The Coffee Compass as well. Check it out (after you read this post). 

Cupping is an essential practice in the coffee industry. Simply put, cupping is a way of evaluating  the aromas, flavors, body, and finish of a coffee by repeatedly smelling and slurping coffee that's been brewed in cups of hot water over a prolonged period of time. At Quills we cup samples of coffee from our importer to decide which ones we want to buy and we cup a sample from each batch we roast for quality control. In a nutshell, cupping is how we guarantee that the coffee we serve will be delicious. 

 Considering the importance of cupping in the coffee industry, it's no surprise there's an international competition each year to see who is the best at it. Competitors are given eight groups of three cups of coffee. In each group two cups are of the same coffee, one is different. Competitors have to identify the matching coffees by flavor and aroma alone within a set amount of time.

 The current World Cup Tasting Champion is Cory Andreen, the owner of Cafe CK in Berlin, and we were lucky enough to host Cory at Quills New Albany last week. Cory gave a talk about his cupping philosophy at an event sponsored by Prima Coffee and later led some of our baristas through a cupping session. Some of Cory's tips include:  

-Taste everything blind without prejudice

- Especially taste coffee after it has cooled. Heat shocks our taste buds and interferes with the tasting process. 

- If coffee tastes good on the cupping table, it should taste good when you brew it. 

-Coffee is the most aromatically complex beverage known to man. It is far more complex than even wine.

-Baristas are not rockstars or artists. We are more like gallery owners displaying someone else's art. 

 Our friend Brian Moats artfully captured the event. Evidence below...

 

 

Quills Coffee periodically hosts public cuppings. If you are interested in participating in a cupping please email wholesale@quillscoffee.com

More Cupping... with Nick

I had the pleasure of enjoying a Tuesday morning cupping session today with Nick (Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Top Lot, Monte Rosa Estate Costa Rican, Finca La Bolsa Guatemalan). I'm a newbie with the process and I'm always amazed at how different the coffees taste as the temperature cools. I am not so amazed at what a bad slurper I am (John is definitely the loudest slurper). Must be due to my highly ingrained manners or something. Quills is excited to bring many more of these educational opportunities to the public. In fact, we just enjoyed a fun event with the world champion this past Thursday. A recap (recup?) on that comin' up soon... 

 

For more info. on What the H is coffee cupping? see...

NPR's The Salt

Wikipedia

That one time those stylish boys came over to learn about cupping from Quills