PODcast #54 : Espresso Pods News

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Tales of the Torrefattore

Caffe' del Doge

Continuing our Tales of the Torrefattore series, this month we highlight Caffé del Doge. (Torrefattore (tohr~ray-faht~toh-ray) is Italian for "roaster.".)

Caffé del Doge (cuff~FAY dell DOE-jay), or "Coffee of the Doge" ~ The title of Doge was used for the elected chief of state in a number of Italian "crowned republics" — in this case, Venice. "Doge" and the English "Duke" are both derived from the Latin "dux." We've carried their Caffé Rialto pods since we opened in 2005. Searching for Italian espresso pods, I came across this brand and was fascinated by the logo and artwork. After reading about the roaster I was eager to try their coffee. I'm very glad that things worked out.

Caffé Florian in Venice, which opened in 1720, is said to be the oldest continuously operating coffee house in Italy. So we can see that Venice has a very long history of coffee culture. Caffé del Doge is headquartered in the heart of Venice, just a short stroll from the famous Bridge of Rialto. (Please see our PodMerchant Map of Roasters). This, of course, is the very bridge which provides the signature graphic on their Rialto pod.

Caffé del Doge was originally founded by Ermenegildo Rizzardini who opened the Torrefazione Artigiana ExtraDoge in 1952. Since 1995, Caffé del Doge has been under the guidance of Bernardo Della Mea and his partner, Francesco Palombarini. Compared to some Italian roasting houses, Caffé del Doge is a relative newcomer. Yet today's team is fiercely adherent to traditional methods inherent to the character and aroma of "Venetian Style."

While some roasters have opened espresso bars as part of their expansion plans, Caffé del Doge's bar in Venice has long been a central part of the company's essence. Visitors to the popular Rialto Bridge can sip on one of Caffé del Doge's famous espressos while watching gondolas pass underneath the bridge.

The Caffé Rialto pod that we import is the same blend as their whole bean "Doge Nero." It is a blend composed of only two cultivars — washed Arabica beans from the Crystal Mountain region in Cuba, and washed Robusta beans from the Taneerullah plantation in Karnataka, India. Both cultivars are exclusively imported by Caffé del Doge. They are roasted together to obtain a uniform aroma and to incorporate their opposite qualities forming a perfect blend. Both the Caffé Rialto and Blu Decaf are among my favorite and most consumed pods. I highly recommend the Blu Decaf as a stand-out decaffeinated pod.

Caffé del Doge is famous for their Seasonal Coffees, which unfortunately are not always readily available in pod form. The Seasonal Coffee initiative started in 1997 with the acquisition of an oak barrel of 150 lbs. of Jamaica Blue Mountain beans from Wallenford Estate, and several sacks of Cuban origin beans — the cost of which totaled over 25% of the company's annual sales. I wish we could access more of del Doge's artisan offerings — with exotic names such as Guatemala Huehuetenango San Pedro Necta, Venezuela Isla Margarita Perla Verde, Cuba Caracolillo Crystal Mountain, Ethiopia Yirga Abaya Lake, and India Plantation Barista Blend. Frankly we've hesitated to import such specialized coffees and they are not always available in pods. But next time we order, I'll see what is available.

The Italian firm has been expanding, even into America. There is a Caffé del Doge espresso bar at 419 University Avenue, in Palo Alto, California. If you can't visit the bar, you might at least want to visit their Facebook page. And of course the Caffé del Doge company website, www.caffedeldoge.com.

If you haven't yet discovered the fabulous coffee of Caffé del Doge, I highly recommend you add some with your next order. I think that drinkers of illy Normale in particular may appreciate the similar Northern (light) roast applied to a more interesting selection of beans, combined with far more artisanal production.
 

PodMerchant News

Sea Shipment

Waiting on this last shipment from Italy has been very frustrating — we even ran completely out of all Lucaffe products. Delays in shipping, and then further delays in customs, as our shipment was selected for full inspection by the FDA. It seems as if it took forever, but we finally got it in house. We've got back in stock all our Amigos, Compagnia dell'Arabica, Izzo, and Lucaffe products. If you've been holding off on ordering, hold off no longer!
 

Pricing

In reviewing our pricing, I discovered that we had made an error in the prices of Segafredo Zanetti products. Prices on Segafredo have gone way down — from a 13% to a 33% reduction.
 

Subscription Espresso Club

As mentioned last issue, we are planning an espresso subscription service. I thought this program would be ready by now, but I have to report that it is not (tax season, you know...). Keep your eyes on this space for news of the program.
 

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'Till we meet again...


Kevin Garrett, The PodMerchant.