My Relationship with Coffee

Back in 2011, I was a 17 year old San Diegan going to college in the upper left of the US. I was starting fresh in a new region as well as a new, rigorous schedule. I joined the rowing team at Western Washington University and most people know that the schedule of a rower is very intense. Practice begins at 5:00am, sharp, seven days of the week. Then at around 7:30am, you leave the boathouse and head to 8:00am class. Often, I would get caught dozing off in the amphitheater of Math 102 (very embarrassing, btw). In order to be awake enough to row a boat in the dark on a large lake, caffeine must be absorbed in the system by at least 4:45 am. And then again on the way back from practice to be ready for the first class of the day. On the team, we would joke that our rowers got more done before 7:30am than most of our peers did throughout an entire day. To further complicate matters, our dorm didn’t allow most convenient types of coffee makers in the room. So alas, I was stuck with those packets of instant coffee and a kettle of boiling water. I would stash a bottle of sugary creamer to help cut the bitterness of this new-to-me substance.

As I spent more time in the coffee capital of the country (the PNW) and my taste for coffee became more refined, so did my morning set up. I graduated from instant coffee with coffee-mate, to a drip coffee machine using a bulk bag of Costco beans and eventually to a french press with a local roast. By the time I graduated, I had a favorite drive-thru espresso stand with a barista who knew exactly how I liked my sludgy cappuccino. (Shoutout, The Bean Stop).

When Bryson and I started our life together, we upgraded to a very simple single boiler espresso machine. I dipped my toes into espresso making, but with a newborn it was difficult to really spend time fine-tuning my skills. So, I continued to rely on home-brewed moka pot espresso and local coffee shops for my afternoon espresso fix (I have you to thank, Steady State!)

Fast forward a few years and I affectively have every mode of coffee-brewing possible, rotating as I see fit.

The Big Leap

As motherhood often does, I became consumed with my baby and her strict routine. This meant I was most definitely home every afternoon to make sure that second nap was never missed. But my Lord, how the second half of the day slumped. Parenthood was draining and with a newborn it was actually pretty boring. Each day, at around 1pm, I’d look out the window longingly for some comfort. For me, that would be a cup of high quality espresso. If I’m being transparent, I definitely considered having a drink delivered to my door for almost $20. In my woeful deprivation, I dreamed up an ice-cream-truck style espresso business that would cruise through our neighborhood each afternoon so I would have the ability to creep out to the street (baby monitor in hand) and get a delicious, fresh iced latte. I know that would somehow get me through to bed time. It occurred to me that this idea was actually a stroke of genius. Like, YES, parents would absolutely love this. We all know that for any outing to the park, Momma needs to stop to get an iced coffee to have in hand. What if the coffee source was already there, waiting for her to arrive?

Fast-forward a handful of years and I gained enough confidence as a home barista to fulfill my afternoon latte desires with either cold brew or my Nespresso (FB Marketplace, I’m forever indebted). If I was desperate, I had the courage to take all the kids with me to our favorite espresso spot in the city. (That’s you, Press Coffee!) But the idea of mobile espresso was nagging at the back of my mind. My friends got used to me forcing my amateur coffee into their hands whenever they came over. No visit was complete without trying my maple syrup, heavy cream cold brew latte!

Finally, on a camping trip, I was handwashing our french press. You know how gnarly dishwashing can be when you’re off the grid. I’m talking, coffee grinds all over my hands and fresh brew smells abound. As I was finishing up, with leftover coffee under my nails, I thought, “Wow, I could actually do this every single day.” On the drive home, I told Bryson about that thought and he said ”You should actually do that. It would be so simple to build a little cart and serve coffee to people!”

And boom! That was it! I spent the rest of that long, six hour drive home dreaming up a mobile espresso service to bring high quality coffee to parents where it is most convenient. I literally dreamed about it night and day. Thinking up every detail of the setup. That will eventually look like posting up at our favorite park or weekly story-time at the library.

The Ringleaders need caffeine to manage their circus.

How beautiful to think I can bring parents some comfort when they may be struggling to find a positive moment from their day.

I find great comfort in knowing that this pursuit is the integration of what I love, what the world needs, and what I am good at!

The post How it All Started – Coffee Lover’s Origin Story appeared first on Ringleader Coffee Club.

If you are a home-barista or a coffee-cart barista with a moderate flow of customers, you may be looking for a review of the popular Vivaldi II. This buyers guide will help you root through some details that are important to consider when spending a large amount on a quality machine.

In the planning phase of the coffee cart I did a lot of research to find the perfect espresso machine. After hours and hours of reading about what I thought I would need, I landed on the La Spaziale Vivaldi II. The following includes details that have made an impact on my experience with the Vivaldi II and is certainly not meant to be an exhaustive overview of the specifications. You can find that in many other places. Here is my honest, personal review and a little more insight into why I chose this machine.

Whether it is your first espresso machine or you’re a seasoned barista, this machine may be exactly what you want. It is simple enough for a novice to figure out with information aplenty on the internet. But customizable for a barista who likes to dial-in to the Nth degree. It is a great machine for the home barista who is exciting about getting a nice layer of crema on top of their shots.

The Vivaldi II is a double boiler machine with a 2.5 liter steam boiler and a 450 ml group boiler. Double boiler home espresso machines have become more popular over the years with a handful of machines on the market today. This means you now have the capacity to steam milk while your machine pulls the perfect shot of espresso.

POSITIVES

With a direct plumb line you need to either connect to your building’s water line or use a flo-jet and 5 gallon jug of water, like me. If you want to fine-tune your shot, you can program a pre-infusion to get a nice even layer on your puck before the pressure kicks in. You can also customize the temperature of the water and volume.

The size of this single group machine is another factor that helped me pull the trigger. With a small footprint and only 16.5” wide and 15” tall it fits easily next to the kitchen sink (where I had it before the cart was built). It is easy to transport to events because it weighs in at about 70 lbs.

Unlike most high power espresso machines, this little powerhorse uses a 20 amp plug and if you buy from the right wholesaler they’ll include a 15 amp adapter in your starter kit. This means you don’t have to figure out where to plug in your machine! Any outlet will do. This is major!

I give myself about 15 minutes to let the machine come to full-temp before brewing a shot. In my opinion that isn’t much time at all! Both boilers hold their temperature well and the detection is really precise. This helps steam milk perfectly and with changing variables to make the best espresso possible.

NEGATIVES

I’ve been using this machine daily for the last 4 months and tested the limits for the first time last week at a private event. After having it running for about 2 hours and serving about 18-20 drinks, the machine completely shut off. I am working on the issue but after more reading I have found it isn’t an uncommon issue. The lights don’t come on at all. This means something has blown and I am hoping there is a quick solution. I learned that the fuse can be really sensitive. Some wholesalers even ship the machine without the fuse installed and teach customers to install it themselves at home. I am working with a technician on the issue and I am hoping its a simple fix of replacing the fuse. Thank the heavens for warranties!

The machine has a stylish look but one tiny detail that irks me is the font on the buttons. Why did they choose comic sans on such a sleek machine?! Once I have more time you might catch me scrubbing off the labelling and adding my own.

OVERALL

Once my electrical issue gets solved I am sure to have many more delicious shots of bean juice. The Vivaldi II is my first real run with a barista-worthy machine and I hope it will continue to help me bring yummy espresso to a lot of customers. The wholesale team has really helped with answering any and all questions I have had from plumbing, to moving, to programming my machine. Whatever machine you end up with, make sure you buy it from the right people.

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