l a c o lo m b epremier issue

Ron Robinson APOTHIA is available at: Barneys New York Searle Henri Bendel Bergdorf Goodman Hayden-Harnett, Brooklyn Kirna Zabete, Soho Woodley & Bunny, Brooklyn Apothia at Fred Segal, Melrose apothia.com

Put yourself on tonight’s menu. Season appropriately.

apothia_haute_life.indd 1 8/15/07 9:14:11 AM

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since 1994, Jp and i have let our coffee do the talking. Throughout the years, we felt confident that a cup of our coffee

could say much more than any brochure.

recently, however, it occurred to us that la colombe has come to mean much more. it has become an intimate part of the lives of

thousands: from farmers from ethiopia to brazil, and café patrons in philadelphia and New York, to a multitude of restaurants, cafes and hotels across america, that serve our coffee. in short, we felt it was

time to say a few words about a few things we find worthwhile; to be read alongside a cup of coffee that we trust still speaks for itself.

many thanks to you and all those who have made the dream of la colombe come alive. my hopes are that the world is indeed

a better place with la colombe in it.

Todd carmichael

welcome

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The fair trade movement, as we know it today, began in europe in the late 1960s. in general, it was aimed at helping marginalized workers

move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency. The movement was organized and reorganized in many forms over the years, with little mainstream success. finally, in the

1980s, an initiative to provide a common label for fairly-traded goods won acceptance. This made carrying these goods easier for businesses.

before labels, consumers had to go to Worldshops to buy fair-trade goods or coffee; now they can go to the corner store or local coffee

shop and find them regularly.

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in recent years, fair Trade coffee has become an expected part of the gourmet coffee experience. buying a pound of coffee with the fair Trade label makes that morning cup taste so much sweeter. The label, which typically is created by one of four non-profit monitoring organizations, is awarded to coffee beans purchased for a price set as “fair” to the farmers and laborers that produce them. after many years of paying top dollar to american purveyors for a pound of coffee, we can now rest assured that much of it goes to help the lives of farmers and laborers in Third World countries. or can we?

Todd carmichael, and Jean philippe iberti, founders of la colombe, explain that the fair Trade system is much more complicated. They feel that serving fair Trade coffee is just that: a very expected first step.

The fair trade movement, as we know it today, began in europe in the late 1960s. The movement, in general, aimed to help “marginalized” workers move from a position of “vulnerability” to “security and economic self-sufficiency.” The movement was organized and reorganized in many forms over the years, with little mainstream success. finally, in the 1980s an initiative to provide a common label for fairly-traded goods won acceptance and made carrying these goods easier for businesses. before.

“The problem that stands,” carmichael explains, “is that it’s too easy for American entrepreneurs and consumers to see these labels as the end of the story: a good deed done. In fact,” carmichael further points out, “most premium coffees sell far above the fair trade price of $1.32 per pound, so fair trade of gourmet coffee is almost irrelevant.”

The answer of course, isn’t to give up on fair Trade, but rather build on its momentum. an overwhelming amount of work still needs to be done to ensure that the system works as intended, and that purveyors go the extra step by investing directly in the infrastructure and helping to improve the quality of life in poor regions that grow coffee. as carmichael sees it: “If you work with any Third World country and you have blood running through your veins, then you have to stop and do something more—it’s just that simple.”

carmichael travels the world over to deal directly with coffee growers for la colombe. in the past year alone he has traveled to africa three times. it is only looking at the fair Trade system this close up that reveals its limits.

“The farming system in Africa is so complicated,” carmichael says. “You might have 200 different farms providing to one pulping station.” ensuring that the increased profits trickle down to the lowest coffee bean picker on that chain is incredibly difficult. and even then, what might be fair wage now just skims the surface of the fundamental problems workers in these countries face. With rampant poverty, violence and HiV, and very little in the way of education, securing higher wages is only half the battle. earning a fair wage does not guarantee laborers

Moving Beyond the First Step of Fair Trade

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decent educations or healthy lives for their children

finding answers to problems on this scale is difficult. “It’s overwhelming at first, even just knowing where to start,” carmichael confesses. “Jean Philippe suggested we prioritize and so I began to look at all the major issues, like HIV, poverty and violence, and realized that many of the problems stem from a lack of education, so that’s what we’re focusing on now.” While working in uganda, carmichael discovered a school for orphans that desperately needed support. He began by setting up scholarships to support individual children. “It’s a matter of a couple of thousand dollars per scholarship,” he explains, “and one scholarship can really make a difference in someone’s life.” carmichael is also planning to make a trip soon to Zambia, which is reported to be one of the most polluted places in the world. several serious clean-up projects are ongoing there. la colombe is working on a way to directly link profits from a designated line of coffee to help fund a project called conway Village. it’s la colombe’s way of taking that second step towards fair Trade.

carmichael clearly envisions a bigger role in philanthropy as la colombe continues its success. “You can’t have everything in life,” he admits. “You can’t have the best car or the best house, because someone always has more. But you can feel good about what you do and,” he adds lightheartedly, “you can achieve perfection in a cup of coffee every day.”

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“If you work with any Third World country and you have blood running through your veins, then you have to stop and do something more—it’s just that simple.”

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pure, simple & consistent

la colombe is coffee crafted for purists and pleasure-seekers. la colombe cafés are all about coffee, nothing more and nothing less.

achieving simplicity is not as easy as one might think. la colombe’s founders, Todd carmichael and Jean philippe iberti have been striving to maintain the purity and simplicity of their coffee ever since opening in philadelphia in 1993. it has not been easy, particularly as coffeehouses continue to build their success on providing not only that morning cup, but breakfast, lunch and dinner, best-selling novels and cDs, kitchenware, gift-selections, and even art. stepping into a la colombe café can almost cause withdrawal. but that is it: that is exactly how carmichael and iberti want it, all the focus on making each cup of coffee the best you’ve ever tasted.

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since 1993, they have built la colombe slowly, focusing on maintaining consistency and excellence every step of the way. in philadelphia, where they now have two cafés and one roasting warehouse, la colombe’s philosophy of limiting the café to coffee and just a few pastries, or “coffee accompaniments,” has been a success. The café has become a daily meeting place, a social haven and an oasis. There is no rush, no sales techniques, and as a result, very loyal customers.

one patron, Nicolas o’connell, was such a committed customer, in fact, that he worked his way to partner after initially joining la colombe as a barista. originally from the french alps, o’connell came to philadelphia in 1993 for a year of study in the states. He stopped into la colombe, and was “seduced by the coffee as well as the passion of the founders.” after extensive training and essentially turning his life over to the coffee profession, o’connell began handling much of the sales in New York city, where la colombe has won loyalists among premier chefs like Daniel boulud and Gray Kunz. Gaining such notable clients has been part of the team’s organic, “underground” approach to building la colombe. o’connell explains: “We don’t really have a sales pitch, we simply let them taste a perfectly made cup and then guarantee them that every cup they serve will taste as good.” making that guarantee, however, isn’t simple.

la colombe goes to great lengths to ensure that each pound of beans they roast in philadelphia is distributed within three days on the east coast and five on the West.

but bean quality, roasting techniques and freshness are only half the equation for their success. la colombe provides training to in-house baristas as well as waitstaff from client restaurants that rivals an advanced degree in the arts. in their philadelphia cafés, a typical barista trains for three to six months before even being allowed to touch the espresso machine for a customer. in la colombe’s New York city café, which opened its doors in late august, training is equally rigorous. Doug Wolfe, store manager and la colombe partner, will himself spend many of his first months as a barista, much like when he began his career at the age of fifteen back in seattle, concentrating on creating and demonstrating the perfect cup.

each partner in la colombe’s quartet claims never to have imagined a life in the coffee industry. Their love of coffee and the art of making it well drew them together and ultimately drives their success. iberti adds: “We didn’t invent anything new with La Colombe, we’ve just fine-tuned it.”

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about forty different species of coffee exist, but only two, robusta and arabica, are harvested for consumption.

Arabica coffee trees grow in semi-tropical climates in both the western and eastern hemispheres, but the best of this breed are farmed at high altitudes. Their beans are considered premium because of the smooth-tasting coffee they produce and because they require more sophisticated growing techniques. arabica trees, for example, need constant monitoring to prevent just ripened beans, or “cherries,” from falling to the ground where they can immediately spoil. Though arabica beans are more expensive, coffee drinkers clearly believe the taste is worth the price; arabica beans account for about 75-80% of the world’s coffee consumption. Now that this bean dominates the market, different regions are vying to produce the superior variety. The result is a range of flavor and robustness, and a whole lexicon of taste for coffee drinkers to learn and enjoy.

Robusta coffee is the pedestrian cousin of arabica. it is a fast-growing, robust plant that can thrive in many climates. its beans are thus more readily available and cheaper, and produce the acidic, highly caffeinated coffee typically found in supermarket blends. italians do continue to blend a small amount into their premium coffees, claiming that it helps build a desired froth on their espressos, but most premium coffee-makers and coffee-houses avoid the bean altogether.

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Step 1. fill a stainless steel pitcher halfway with

cold whole milk. if the milk is not cold, a dry

foam will be produced. place the head of the

steamer 1/2 inch below the surface of the milk

and at an angle, aiming for the bottom rim. if the

head is too deep, it will heat the milk without

foaming; if it is too close to the surface, you will

get big bubbles.

Step 2. steam the milk on high until it is rolling.

it should rise quickly in the pitcher. Do not move

the pitcher up and down (as you may have seen

it done). feel the side of the pitcher with your

palm. it should be very hot, but not too hot to

touch. if you use an instant-read thermometer,

the proper temperature is 155 degrees.

remove the pitcher from the streamer and let it

sit while you make the espresso.

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Step 3. Just before serving, swirl the milk and

foam in the pitcher. The milk will suspend itself

in the foam, moistening it and giving it a sturdy,

creamy feel. if this is done correctly, the foam

will go from being matte to having a glossy

sheen.

Step 4. pour the milk directly in the center

of the cup, so that the crema on the espresso

comes up and around the sides in a neat thick

rim, the color of dulce de leche. The center will

be a light golden caramel color.

BARiStA tiPS:

• always clean the steamer with a wet cloth after steaming milk

to remove build up.

• When making a single espresso, use exactly 7 grams of freshly

ground coffee and exactly 14 grams for a double. using

more or less will affect the taste of your drink tremendously.

• Temping the espresso is crucial to making a perfect crema.

use 13 lbs of pressure for the perfect espresso.

• always leave the group handle on the espresso machine after

you are done making your drink. using a cold group handle affects

the espresso extraction.

• store your coffee in an airtight container away from the light

and humidity.

perfecTlY prepareD

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“We came to New York from the underground, and that’s exactly how we wanted it,” iberti explains. many premier New York restaurants have been serving la colombe coffee for years, including the four seasons, the Waldorf-astoria, and restaurant Daniel. many independent coffee shops that care about coffee have also signed on over the years. “We’ve been in the back of New York kitchens for a long time and now and we were ready to bring La Colombe to the street level.”

The new café on the corner of lispenard and church street is a window into la colombe’s operations. Wolfe, the partner in charge of the café adds: “it’s a place we can be sure our coffee will be prepared perfectly.” beyond that planning, the café will be left to take its own natural course.

each of the four partners grew up in a coffee culture, two in france and two in seattle. To them, a café is not only about the coffee but what the patrons make of it. “Coffee is a social drink,” says iberti, the partner and roastmaster (who has never even owned a personal coffeemaker). “The barista has a relationship with the patrons; it’s about eye contact and getting to know what people drink, and then serving it to them quickly and perfectly.” and it’s also about being part of a neighborhood, a community.

The partners chose an historic building on a busy corner below canal street for their flagship New York café. “We chose the neighborhood because it doesn’t have a really defined personality or stereotype,” Wolfe notes: “In Seattle, neighborhoods are not as clearly defined as in New York, so we wanted to find somewhere like that, where people of all ages, types and backgrounds can come in and out and exchange ideas. For us, that is what a café is really all about.”

The opening of a café in New York city is a mark of success for la colombe. from their earliest days in the industry, the founders envisioned a café in the city, carefully mapped into their steady plan for growth.

la colombe spreaDs iTs WiNGs

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Smeg

It’s not hard to fall for these sleekly designed, 50s-style “retro” refrigerators with dreamy curved corners and a palate of colors that add just the right splash to any kitchen (pastel blue or lime green, anyone?) Finally this Italian company (name formed from the initials of their metal enameling factory in Reggio Emilia, Italy) is stateside. We’ve been waiting on these after spotting them in European magazines over the past few years…

www.smegusa.com

Richey table

New Yorkers are used to small spaces: cramped subways, tiny cubicles and tight living areas. But one Big Apple architect, Eric Richey, has found a compromise to enhance his in-apartment dining experience by capturing the essence of form, functionality and style in a new multi-use table. Richey’s table measures 30”x 66”and is crafted out of 1/2 inch aluminum plate with a chrome finish. As a dining room table, it comfortably fits four people. Space is no longer the ultimate sacrifice. It’s lightweight, thin and ultra sleek. A savvy combination without surrendering aesthetics. Available in December (sales@richey-design.com).

HAutE NotESFrom the publisher, Haute Notes is about the discovery of all things innovative and exciting in

food and wine, art and design, and style and travel.

Publisher MIcHAEl GolDMAN

Editor-in-chief PAMElA JouAN

Design Director JANA PotASHNIk BAIRDesign, Inc.

copy Editors MIRIAM FRIED RoBERt DAvIS

contributing Writer JENNIFER MuRPHY

Advertising advertising@hautelifepress.com

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Haute life Press a division of c-BoN MEDIA, llc. 321 Dean Street Suite 1 Brooklyn, NY 11217

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Photography: HlP, la colombe

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La tourangelle Roasted Walnut Oil

la tourangelle brings its products — and a new mill — stateside. the 150-year old French artisan oil-mill that continues to produce uniquely flavored nut oils in time-honored tradition, now has a sister-mill based in california, complete with custom fabricating century-old equipment and a French oil roasting master to train the staff. the result: new offerings from nuts picked on neighboring orchards, sun-dried and hand-roasted before cold-pressed and light-filtered. For fall, we love the roasted walnut oil. this highly versatile oil pairs with just about everything—from salads to grilled meats—or just on its own with bread!

www.latourangelle.com

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www.planewrap.com