It’s in Kona, Hawaii where the unique “farm-to-roastery-to-cup” experience could give the artisanal roasters in New York or San Francisco a run for their money. Daylight Mind Coffee Company (DMCC) in Kona opened its doors in…
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Maybe it’s a cappuccino on a cold winter morning, an espresso during your afternoon fika or a cup poured from a French press after a dinner with friends—whenever and however you drink coffee, chances are you always feel it hits the spot. As one of the world’s favorite beverages—enjoyed in…
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While the legitimacy of these abundant “national” holidays that tend to pop up arbitrarily is definitely in question, we couldn’t pass up tomorrow’s opportunity—National Espresso Day—to pay homage to one of the purest ways to prepare coffee: espresso. The thick, concentrated brew packed…
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Mark Gravel presents a playful guide to radical beanmaking
Mark Gravel is a boss of beans, a leader of legumes, a pioneer of plant-based eating. His new book, “Kill the Recipe: A Cookbook & Visual Guidebook on the Basics of Radical Beanmaking & Plant-based Eating,” introduces beans to at-home chefs while championing the benefits of the food group….
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Stunning flavors from a purist bean-to-bar chocolate maker
The continued evolution of the bean-to-bar and new American chocolate movements seems to have spawned bars that range from tasty to grainy. A growing outfit out of the Bay Area has quickly gained a loyal following for their products, which are made with a purist philosophy that has yielded delightful flavor and texture. Dandelion Chocolate was founded by Cameron Ring and Todd Masonis as a venture out of their garage, selling their goods at the now defunct underground food markets of San Francisco. “We had to start by buying machines and we bought a few bags of beans and just started roasting them up,” says Masonis about their humble origins. “We sort of got lucky that our first couple of batches were really good.”
What sets Dandelion apart is the simple recipe informing their product—everything is left to the bean. “All of our bars are 70% beans, 30% sugar and nothing else,” says Masonis. “Our bars all have really distinct tastes because that’s what we look for in the beans. Our Madagascar bar this harvest tastes very fruity and tastes a lot like citrus and has some strawberry and cherry notes. We’ll go to farmer’s markets, people will try it and swear that there is fruit in the bar. In fact, it’s just the bean itself.”
Major chocolate makers are all about consistency. To achieve an even flavor profile and texture across the board, they throw in additives. This isn’t possible with bean-to-bar, which naturally bears the mark of particular seasons, geographies and harvest methods. Masonis and Ring embrace the idea of making pure chocolate without the help of additives, producing bars in limited batches that reflect a unique bean harvested from a single place at a given time.
The texture of Dandelion Chocolate’s bars is significantly more velvety than most bean-to-bar makers. Each bar has very distinct coloration, an artifact of the particular bean. We really enjoyed the Colombian bar, which had a dark coloration and deep, rich chocolate flavor—a purist’s dream. The Madagascar bar was marked by a bold flavor profile, bursting with cherry and a slight sourness. As for the Venezuelan option, the mellow smoothness was highlighted by moments of spice and fruitiness.
Masonis and Ring make it a point to visit the growers personally when possible to ensure they work with operations with sound labor practices. Not only does this cut out the middle man, it results in better beans that are harvested by well-treated workers. “Some of the cacao that we love the most comes from Madagascar because it has this really incredibly fruity flavor,” says Masonis, reflecting on a recent trip to the African island. “Some people find it too strong, almost overpowering, but we love it. We went to check it out and helped out on the farm for a couple days to make sure everything was on the up-and-up.”
Dandelion’s packaging is made from recycled paper from India’s garment industry, lending the paper a cottony feel. On the label is printed the bean origin, harvest date, batch number and tasting notes. On the reverse you find the initials of the batch maker and packager for the individual bar. Each creation is molded and packaged by hand, the chocolate made in small, well-tended batches.
The future of Dandelion Chocolate looks promising, and the pair are currently working on getting permits to open a factory and cafe on Valencia Street in the Mission District. “We still consider ourselves getting off the ground, but it seems that people have responded really well to the chocolate. Now we’re just scrambling to make as much as we can as quickly as we can,” explains Masonis.
For now, Dandelion Chocolate can be found online and at select retail locations.
Intense coffee knowledge in a casual environment at a new cafe in Brooklyn
The Third Wave Coffee movement is all about taking the bean and beverage to new levels of consideration, placing huge importance on sourcing, roasting and then brewing. As we could see on a tour of their soon-to-open Brooklyn location, Australian outfit Toby’s Estate Coffee seems to be fully on board, but founder Toby Smith is serious about keeping pure enjoyment at the forefront.
Smith’s laid-back attitude may feel slightly out of place in an industry cranking out caffeine-fueled drinks, but his casual approach allows customers to truly relax, and learn about the blend or bean origin. The teachers are professional baristas who might be pouring hot water into a ceramic double dripper from a Hario kettle, or pulling a carefully calibrated shot of espresso from one of only two La Marzocco Strada machines found stateside. Smith and head roaster Deaton Pigot aim to create a comfortable atmosphere, encouraging guests to remain at the bar and chat with the skilled barista while their drink of choice is being made.
A man who originally got into the craft by roasting beans in his parents’ garage over a decade ago—and who subsequently offered tastings in their garden—Smith keeps this art form alive with a massive Probat roaster and cupping room (equipped with a La Marzocco GB/5) on-site. This is not only where serious consumers can take one of Toby Estate’s highly in-depth courses, but it also serves as a place where Pigot and the team can taste each batch for quality assurance and make adjustments to the roasting and brewing processes.
Besides the extremely high-tech and relatively exclusive espresso machine, one of the other aspects that sets Toby’s Estate apart from other Williamsburg cafes is Smith’s fervent interest in sourcing the beans. Whether stalking small batches online until they’re up for auction, scouring the globe himself or keeping in close contact with his men on the ground in countries known for harvesting beans, Smith adamantly ensures that Toby Estate locations have some of the world’s most distinctive beans on tap.
Toby’s Estate marks a refreshing addition to the Williamsburg cafe scene with its enlightened staff and sun-drenched space, inviting customers to loosen up while learning about a complex beverage at the same time. The Brooklyn shop and roastery open to the public 9 January 2012, where you can expect an exciting menu of seasonal offerings to enjoy there or brew at home.
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