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Six Eight Kafe's Coffee Blog
We are a new independent coffee shop open in the centre of Birmingham, using cutting edge technology and award winning roasters.
Open Mon-Fri, 7:30-18:00
Sat, 10-5:30
Sun, 10:30-4:30
Six Eight Kafé
Address: 6/8 Temple Row, Birmingham, B2 5HG
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Welcome to our humble shop.
In my mug live at 6/8 - 25th September
Our roasters Has Bean celebrated their 150th edition of their weekly coffee videocast In My Mug by sending out some new coffees to their stores - one of which was us!
This past Sunday, a collection of regulars, friends, fellow coffee shop owners and passers by tried some unique coffees in both espresso and filter - as well as Sal and our own Liz supplying some tasty cakes.
We didn’t charge anything and instead asked for a donation to Macmillan Coffee Morning for as much coffee as we could brew and in the end we raised over £50.
The coffee was Sumatra Wahana Jantung Seed and Longberry. Both two great coffees and although we couldn’t connect to the others over the planned internet group sharing session, or loyal patrons enjoyed brews of filter, espresso and an aeropress by our regular and Foursquare Mayor Joe!
Check out the photos below
Geoff from Saints Caffe checks out the brew…
Our Foursquare Mayor Joseph performs tricks with his aeropress
A nice collection of brewing equipment
In my mug live - Sunday 25th September at 6/8
Learn more about coffee and get to sample some exclusive brews
In My Mug is a weekly video blog and coffee subscription service by our world class roaster Has Bean, and presented each week by Has Bean’s head roaster (and all round nice man) Steve Leighton.
With 149 episodes in the can, Steve decided he would do something special for episode 150, getting the shops he supplies together and bringing subscribers and fans together.
So, from 2pm on Sunday 25th September, we will be participating in the festivities. We will be serving up two exclusive coffees for your pleasure in various brewing methods, all for a small charity donation. During our coffee sampling we will be connected to Steve himself and other shops around the country via webcam, so we can all revel in a national event of coffee geekery.
So contact 6/8 through Facebook, email or Twitter informing us that you would like to attend; and be at 6/8 from 2:30pm and the drinking should go on no longer than 4pm (we go live at 3!)
For more information check out the Has Bean Blog
Watch the latest episode of In My Mug for Steve to get an easy to digest video explanation
2011 World Barista Champion Coffee as our Guest Espresso
Has Bean roaster Steve Leighton (red t-shirt) and 2011 World Barista Champion Alejandro Mendes to his left with the Viva Espresso (El Salvador) team
My word, do we have a treat for you.
As discussed in a previous post, Alejandro Mendez from El Salvador won the 2011 World Barista Championship using beans roasted by our espresso blend provider, Has Bean.
Well we have been lucky enough to get our hands on a couple of bags of the very same beans used by the champion coffee maker, named Finca La Ilusion from El Salvador.
We will be serving this as a guest espresso on Thursday 30th June and Saturday 2nd July on a limited run. We have a certain amount to use on each day, so get in there fast; once it runs out - it’s gone!
This beautiful coffee will be a shop exclusive and your chance to sip on an espresso recommended by the best in the world.
Alejandro Mendez (middle) after winning the 2011 World Barista Championship
Our Espresso Blend - Jailbreak Mark 3
Always looking to refine their blends and adapting due to the availability of coffee, Has Bean has recently changed the espresso blend we use, known by our coffee loving regulars as Jailbreak.
Since we get a lot of questions about our blend, I thought I would bring across the latest write up of the Mark 3 version of Jailbreak that is currently in our grinder.
JAILBREAK ESPRESSO BLEND MK3
Has Bean Premium Blend became so important to Has Bean, but we didn’t like the name. It infers that everything else was not premium, and of course it is.
So I decided it was time for a revamp to make all the blends a little more fun. So now we have ‘Jailbreak’ (a replacement for the Premium and Has Bean Espresso Blends). This is our house blend that we think is perfect for everyone from the home user right through to the best commercial espresso machines. There is a reason for the name, and lots of people I am sure will get it. It has lots to do with how I got into coffee.
For me a roaster’s espresso blend for home users should be:
1. Good in other brew methods as well as in espresso. This saves customers from needing to have two different blends to hand which is particularly useful for those that do not get through them too quickly.
2. Good in a cheaper home machine as well as a top of the range commercial machine.
3. Good across a range of temperatures and extraction times; it should be forgiving.
4. Just totally tasty.
This blend does all that and more.
We are very proud of what we do here at Has Bean Coffee. Some roasters will pretend that there is a dark art in blending. We think that good ingredients make a good blend when you think about what you want to achieve. We also don’t keep secrets, our blend contains 100% great quality coffee, from some of the best single estates in the world and we are happy to tell you all about them. Jailbreak consists of:
(30%), Brazil Fazenda Sao Judas
(30%), Peru Café Verde Cusco Organic
These are premium coffees that on their own are amazing single origin coffees, but as a blend bring sweetness, acidity, body and all around deliciousness.
In My Mug / Barista Jam 7/5/11
We were lucky enough to be visited by Has Bean’s head roaster Steve Leighton to record In My Mug Live (see here) and chat with his adoring fans.
We then followed it with 6/8’s first Barista Jam, inviting baristas from around Birmingham (and Shrewsbury!) to chat coffee, have a go on our Synesso and have a few beers.
This will be the first of many to come and keep a close eye out for upcoming events in the next couple of months.
In My Mug Episode - Episode 130 El Salvador Finca La Fany Bourbon
Recorded on Monday the 7th of May 2011 - in 6/8 Kafe!
Steve is doing his tour of In My Mug Live, visiting Has Bean suppliers around the UK and we had the pleasure of him starting off at our shop.
A write up of the day will be coming up soon. Until then, enjoy Steve tasting some El Salvador Finca La Fany…stop sniggering.
Mentioned by Has Bean’s Steve in this week’s In My Mug. He also talks about their delicious Bolivia Machacamarca Peaberry. Check it out!
6/8 Visits: The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse
This is the first in series of blog posts where 6/8 Kafe visits other independent coffee shops around the UK; often those that share some connection with 6/8 - more often than not, they will use the same supplier of our luxurious coffee beans, Hasbean.
Fitting this profile is The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse, a relatively large and cosy coffee shop nestled in Shropshire. Open for only a couple of weeks after this post is being written, the Coffeehouse is already a stellar success; packed with customers, excellent coffee and stellar reviews by local media.
Run by Jess (also Events Coordinator) and Chris (Operations Manager/Head Barista), the team run a tight ship in a comfortable and relaxed environment.
The coffee they use is Hasbean’s Jabberwocky, a bright blend that works really well with milk - especially recommend the Flat White - beautifully prepared with top latte art on a La Marzocco GB/5. Along with that the tea is excellent (great glass tea pots too) and a fresh range of sandwiches & cakes.
They are looking to expand their downstairs area to host gigs and other events. Well worth checking out if you love your coffee and since they’re only about an hour of Birmingham (and right next to Shrewsbury train station) you’ve no excuse.
6/8 Kafe hopes to work closely with these guys and hopefully you’ll hear a lot more about them in the future.
Website: http://www.thecoffeehouseltd.co.uk/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ShrewsburyCoffeehouse
