Say it ain’t so, Joe’s
A recent post propped Joe’s over on 30th and Bluff (at the Steelyards). This author visited today and was greeted with swill for an Americano. Seriously sour. But that’s exactly what I’ve come to expect from Allegro pours and yes, I’m getting tired of writing the same thing over and over about Allegro, but it’s fucking true. Joe’s, Ozo’s, can we change your minds? We have no idea why you slave to Allegro, but you can’t seriously think its quality coffee. Vic’s? Lost cause. You’ve got your formula, you’re sticking to it, and that’s fine. Newslands loves you for it. But Joe and Ozo, you guys really seem to be into coffee for the sake of coffee. How do you reconcile serving Allegro? Please answer, because we know you read us.
cafe commando said,
February 2, 2009 at 7:26 am
you are still asking yourself why these coffee shops serve Allegro? the answer is super simple. economics.
and quality. your hatred for allegro is misplaced. they have some seriously skilled people working for them.
bouldercoffee said,
February 2, 2009 at 9:09 am
Allegro may very well have skilled people working for them. so do Budweiser and Coors. (Their economics are better than craft brewers, too, right?)
we’ve been doing this blog for 2 or 3 years now. we’re not shills for a certain roaster or shop, we’re just average Boulder citizens who work from coffee shops often and appreciate and notice quality in food and drink. aside from knowing one person casually, we don’t even know anybody behind the various roaster operations. we don’t even know how roasting works. all we know is what we drink and what we like, and time again, even after having worked at Vic’s 2-3 times a week for a year, we keep getting the same results. that’s all we can say. if other Boulderites love Allegro, good for them and Allegro. We happen to think it’s inferior, but we’re not Boulder, just a tiny subset of it.
But let’s go back to the Budweiser analogy. If I survey all of my friends and family about beer, guess which beer comes out on top? Bud Light. Sad but true. Doesn’t make it better beer, it means most people like watered down, taste-free beer. So let Boulder drink Allegro, what do we care? Doesn’t make it good.
OzoBarista said,
February 5, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Out of 21 competing Baristas using different coffees from different roasters at the 2009 Mountain Regional Barista Competition, a Barista from Ozo Coffee used a blend roasted by Allegro Coffee and finished in FIRST PLACE! How do you explain that?! Simple. Quality coffee roasted from skilled roasters and pulled from skilled Baristas equals a good cup. There is no way to hide that. Why do you continue to lump Allegro in the same category as Coors or Budweiser? Do you not realize the vast product line of different roasts from Allegro? The variety of wonderfully sourced beans? The experience, expertise, and knowledge that Allegro embodies as a local (YES, they are still here roasting in Thornton) company? Yes, in the past the beans were roasted much darker than today, but consumer tastes have changed over the past few years. Take a fresh look and see clearly that the Allegro coffee selections used at Ozo Coffee Co. are of the highest quality and prepared by experienced and skilled Baristas.
Don’t be fooled; a micro-roaster does NOT mean quality. Be objective and open minded when sampling Boulder’s coffee selections. There is a lot of great coffee and a lot of bad coffee from all different roasters. Bias to roasters need not be encouraged here!
A challenge for whom it may concern: Come participate in a FREE coffee tasting (cupping) any Friday at 1:30pm at Ozo and see for yourself the differences in available coffee throughout the Boulder/Denver area. You may be surprised with what you learn…
Jim said,
February 9, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I don’t question your unbiased opinion, the only question I have for you is why you don’t tell the barista?
If you pay for something and you find it not to be up to par I don’t think that any coffee shop on here would not gladly replace your drink. Instead, you get the drink that you don’t like for whatever reason and can’t wait to go tell everyone BUT the barista that you don’t like it!
How about the next time this happens you say something instead of running to your computer to complain anonymously…
Sincerely,
Anonymous
bouldercoffee said,
February 9, 2009 at 3:36 pm
thanks Jim. point taken, but don’t assume we don’t interact with our beloved baristas. we do, all the time. point here is on consistency. all other things being equal (and of course they never are), I (personally) find I consistently don’t love my Allegro pours. very well might be bad barista’ing more than the coffee itself. we’ve said in multiple posts that it’s not just the coffee, it’s also the machine and the barista that have major influence on the final product
formerbarista said,
February 9, 2009 at 5:38 pm
As a former barista, who served Allegro Coffee, I heard many customer complaints about Allegro coffee. However, it seemed like the complaints had to do with the length of time the coffee sat on the electric warmer (burner!!). A fresh brewed cup always seemed much better than one that had sat on the warmer for an hour or two. I think that coffee shops that use electric warmers should get rid of them and I think most of the coffee shops that serve Allegro use electric warmers. However, even at it’s freshest, I prefer a cup of Brewing Market coffee over Allegro coffee any day.
Innocent Bystander said,
February 10, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I love Ozo’s coffee.
Justin is probably one of the most informed coffee shop owners in Boulder.
ozofan said,
February 11, 2009 at 11:12 am
I agree, Innocent, Justin is one of the most informed coffee shop owners in Boulder, and it shows.
Guys, maybe we should talk about this more in person, but what the barista does between the espresso grinder and the cup makes a HUGE difference. Thats why there are competitions for it. The competitions aren’t about what roaster you use or how dark the beans are roasted, they are about what the barista does. It is by far the most important factor (in my opinion) between a bad pour and a good pour. A great barista should be able to use any coffee and any equipment and still produce at least good coffee.
I used to have a fun time pouring Illy coffee. It was at least 6 months old, and up to 9months old, when I opened a can. The coffee had lost almost all of its sweetness and was really hard to make perfect, but it could be done.
My point is, that maybe your putting too much emphasis on the roaster, and not enough on the barista. There are many Allegro espresso roasts around boulder, and consistency from day to day from any barista is a monumental task, but the good ones can stay consistent. Just because you have mediocre coffee form one place that serves Allegro doesn’t mean the next will be mediocre too.
Being a barista means being an artisan, a skilled, passionate and excited coffee professional, and having integrity in what you do. There is a big difference between a barista and a coffee shop employee. Learn to make a distinction between the two, then we can start talking consistency and roast profile.
exboulderite said,
May 27, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Try a different allegro espresso blend/roast. the espresso sierra that is the standard blend at most shops including ozo isn’t that good, but the bel canto is excellent. You just have to request it at ozo. Other shops may offer different roasts as well.
camera said,
June 26, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Joes is now owned by Pekoe Sip house