Hi Beanbuffs,
You are reading about a 14 year old reboot of Shack Coffee Co. Every week Abhishek sends an update about the journey and interesting things about the world of coffee.
Breads are as old as the civilization. Imagine a cafe without a sandwich or cakes. Yet, it is so difficult to find a good cake or sandwich in the third wave cafes. But, first the update.
1. Coffee’s best friend
Most people pair coffee with their favorite eatables. Cakes, brownies, pastries, cookies, biscuits, wraps, sandwiches are a few. Sweets go well with black coffee, while milk coffees pair well with the both, sweet and savouries. My favorite is bread as a toast or hot pressed sandwich.
White or milk breads are great as butter or garlic butter toasts or jam/ marmalade toasts or good old cheese toasts. Ciabattas are great as hot pressed sandwiches. They pair perfectly with cappuccinos.
Why is this an update?
I have been trying breads from bakers for the tasting menu. Red Moon Bakery is a commercial bakery. I ordered a loaf of white bread and two ciabattas. I toasted the white bread. It tasted many times better than the ones from Britannia or Golden Harvest.Help me connect with your favorite bakeries. I want to serve toasts and sandwiches.
2. Less is more
Ino Cafe & Wine bar was one of the best places to eat panini or hot pressed sandwiches in New York City. It shut down in 2013, as the owners opened a bigger outlet. It could only sit 10 people. Ino means small in Italian.
The best chefs of the city went there to eat sandwiches, drink wine and coffee. Jason Denton opened it in 1998, after he toured Italy. Sandwich in Italian means panino. More than one sandwich means panini. But, English speaking world calls grilled sandwiches as panini.
The menu was small but great. As per CBS: In addition to the wines, the menu is short, simple – and to die for. It’s all about the bread – which is fresh and an ideal combination of crusty and chewy. The majority of the menu comes in sandwiches in the form of bruschetta, panini, and tramezzini, and the folks behind the counter really know how to stack a sandwich.
Our coffee cafes display a catalogue of food items. But, I haven’t found anyone going to a cafe just for the sandwich or the cake. My experience at Coffee Bond was bad. The Barista confessed serving me the last day’s cake, and had strangled it in the microwave oven.
You will love: Why panini isn’t as popular as it used to be Link
3. A serendipity
While I was looking to try breads and bakeries, I came across a tweet about ciabatta. An old acquaintance posted how she has been baking and sending breads to her friends. I requested her if she could send me a loaf. She agreed.
A week later she rang me to send the loaf. It arrived. Ciabatta looked and smelled great. I locked it away from myself, to make panini the next morning.
My sandwich build included chicken salamis from Venky’s, local toamtoes ( poomodori in Italian), fresh basil leaves from my mom’s garden, and dried oregano. I also made a vegetarian panini with tomatoes. I wish I could bake.
Worth your time: Magic of bread making Link
4. Beanbuff Ryoya Takashima
Ryoya is a chef in Japan. He runs a minimalist food cuisine channel called Peaceful Cuisine. He is also a vegan. His recipes are easy to understand and make at home. I have made soy milk and tofu with is recipes.
He is a beanbuff. He roasts his own coffee, and brews them with is lever espresso machine and manual brewers. I love his current set up. It has a 58mm Flair, a Mazzer grinder, and a steaming machine. Earlier he owned a La Pavoni. Since he only uses plant milk, he struggles with the latte art.
P.S: You will love his recipe of pumpkin spice latte from the scratch. Link