Monthly Archive for January, 2008

The coffee menu gets a facelift…

Published
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Luke
on January 31, 2008
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This week our coffee menu gets a little more informative- we think you’re ready for it. 

We’ve added some tasting notes next to each coffee on the menu to help you make your decision about which coffee to try.  There are so many great choices on the menu, however, that you may want to try them all.

This week added some coffees as well- bringing back the very popular Los Delirios and introducing the latest Peruvian coffee- Cruz del Sur.  We also have an awesome new seasonal blend to celebrate with your Valentine (only through February).  Finally we’ve added a new decaf Sumatra in place of the decaf Black Cat.  If you still want the Decaf Black Cat it’ll always be around as we use it for our espresso drinks… just ask.

Now featuring:

cruzdelsur.gifThe Southern Cross…

“From two growing regions of Peru, Chirinos and Tingo Maria, our Cruz del Sur provides a refined and elegant cup. This coffee is defined by its peaceful and balanced acidity of lime and green grapes. The sweetness comes across gently as cane sugar, light molasses and fresh pear. The body is affable and soft as it finishes with hints of milk chocolate and honeysuckle.”

Enjoy everyone!

Support Pittsburgh Coffee

Published
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Luke
on January 27, 2008
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Do you love Pittsburgh? Do you love coffee? Do you love Pittsburgh coffee?  Do you like to vote in online polls?

If you answered yes to one of the above, or if you’ve ever been to our shop and appreciate the way we do things, head on over to CoffeeGeek and vote in the latest poll:

“What city would you like to see the SCAA Trade Show in?” 

coffeegeek

Thanks to some local Pittsburgh geeks, our city was added late last night (wasn’t part of the original poll).  Let’s show the Specialty Coffee Association of America that Pittsburgh belongs on the map- right up there with Seattle, Portland, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc.  Certainly there are enough quality shops in this town that could go head to head with any of the top cafes in the US, and I happen to think we have the coolest convention center around (not to mention we’re just down the street from it).

Go forward and do your duty as coffee drinkers.  Make us proud.

Forbes Traveler - Best Coffeehouses

Published
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Luke
on January 23, 2008
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Check out this article from Forbes Traveler as they highlight the top ten independent coffeehouses in the US of A.  A lot of the usual suspects are in there- from Alterra and Intelligentsia to Stumptown and Zoka.

“It’s about getting back to the basics,” says Eileen Hassi, owner of Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco. “There’s a real emphasis on the flavors and terroir of coffee, and on brewing espresso for the taste of espresso, not just as the base for milkshake or big, sugary, milky drink.”

AMEN to that.

At Last, a $20,000 Cup of Coffee

Published
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Luke
on January 23, 2008
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Pretty neat article in the NY Times today regarding a Japanese coffee siphon bar recently installed at Blue Bottle in San Francisco.  The article talks about the growing appreciation of brewed coffee as a nuanced and delicate beverage.  The word caffeine also fails to make an appearance in the article- meaning that coffee is something that can be consumed for the simple joy of it.  The article also covers the Clover, and has some nice quotes from coffee luminaries such as George Howell and Doug Zell (of Intelligentsia).

Could this be the age of brewed coffee? “We’re right there at the threshold,” said George Howell of Terroir Coffee, a retailer of roasted and green beans. “Coffee has never been a noble beverage because the means to perfectly produce it haven’t existed,” said Mr. Howell, who is also a founder of the Cup of Excellence, an annual competition that seeks to identify the best beans in each coffee-producing nation.

But, he said, with recent advances in coffee-making technology, “now you can get perfect extraction.” 

“You get more of the delicate and floral flavors, the subtle sweetness, the notes of perfume and citrus,” said Duane Sorensen, the owner of Stumptown. “The delicate, pretty, sexy flavors show in a Clover.”

“A Clover gives you greater control over the variables,” Mr. Zell said. “It’s a clean, crisp cup, and it tends to play better to coffees that are higher toned, brighter. Like the coffees of East Africa, or the more intricate coffees of the Americas.”

It is those brighter notes that excite serious coffee drinkers as they take an interest in single-origin, micro-lot and direct-trade beans — those from specific regions, even particular growers, that are prized for their distinctive characteristics.

Tres Santos Micro Lot-La Dorada

Published
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Luke
on January 23, 2008
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The second of three fantastic Tres Santos Micro Lots we will be featuring is arriving this afternoon.

“Golden, as its name suggests, the Tres Santos Cauca Micro-Lot, La Dorada, augustly displays a front-forward candied maple sweetness with undertones of mandarin oranges and red cherries.  The firm chocolate body provides support for its impressive balance between notes of molasses, tree nuts and caramelized sugar. The finish is delicate, leaving you with hints of sweet cocoa to remember it by.”

For those of you unfamiliar with the Micro Lot terminology- think of it as a “best in show”.  The three Micro Lots we will feature were chosen blindly from well over a hundred submissions for the Tres Santos program.  The Tres Santos Direct Trade Coffee has been one of our best sellers every time it is featured on our menu and now we get a chance to try the cream of the crop.