21st Street Coffee and Tea

This week we’ll have a special guest in our stores!

Join us for a coffee tasting and discussion about Intelligentsia Coffee. Jay from Intelligentsia will chat about their Direct Trade purchasing model and Seasonal Approach to coffee while we brew up delicious samples of their Single Origin coffees.  The event and coffee samples are free and open to the public. 

Friday 12:00-1:00p at the Downtown location (225 Fifth Ave.)

Saturday 9:30-11:30a at the Strip District location (2002 Smallman St.)  We’ll have some Geisha to try, the world’s most expensive and revered coffee! 

About Jay Cunningham - Intelligentsia Sales Executive / Buyer

Jay began at Intelligentsia over 13 years ago packing coffee in the warehouse and has worked in Customer Service, Accounting, and Design before working in  sales, two years ago he became a member of the buying team. Although he loved working in marketing, and was thrilled to design the Los Inmortales, Cruz del Sur, and La Tortuga marks - he is happier in the field working with the diverse spectrum of eccentric, passionate coffee people. His time in sales is spent working with independent coffeeshops and restaurants- helping to expand and develop their coffee programs. An avid cupper and coffee lover, he is excited to be working with farmers and eager to be part of coffee’s continued evolution. He lives in Oak Park, IL  with his wife Chloe and their three kids and enjoys playing music, gardening, cycling, camping and taking advantage of Chicago’s culture.

Here’s a picture of Jay getting a coffee at our old Frick Building location back in the day (2007).

Today we are introducing a new offering to our coffee lineup- the Aeropress.  We’ve been serving 12oz coffees prepared exclusively with the Hario v60 for a couple years now, and while we continue to be very pleased with the quality of our pourovers, we’ve wanted to add a smaller coffee to the menu.  We’ve been tweaking our Aeropress method for a few months and we feel that while slightly different from the pourover the sweetness, acidity, strength and flavors that we enjoy come through very well in the cup.

We like the Aeropress for a couple of reasons.  First, we can now serve you an 8oz coffee that is brewed fresh to order… because sometimes 12oz of our coffee can be a little too much in the caffeine department.  Second, the Aeropress should be a little quicker, taking about 2 1/2 minutes to prepare versus 3 1/2 minutes for a v60.  Next, because we’re using less coffee and it takes a little less time… we can charge about $0.75 less for an 8oz Aeropress versus a 12oz v60. 

For those of you that like to enjoy an espresso (or macchiato, or cappuccino) and a filter coffee, this 8oz brew might just be the perfect fit for your caffeine budget.  We also carry the Aeropress for sale at both locations, and would be happy to share our method with you.

Yours in coffee,

21st Street Coffee and Tea

We aren’t currently hiring, but we’re looking for people that would enjoy working here- freelancers, folks looking for a second office, perhaps someone that’s starting their own business.  You may already come here regularly to enjoy a coffee, to get away from the home office, and to get some work done.  We think we can improve on that experience.  That’s why we’re setting up the loft area just above our bar as a co-working space.   

By signing up, you get access to the loft 7 days per week (during our business hours), meaning you’ll always have a spot waiting for you no matter how busy we are.  You’ll get your own desk and comfy chair, access to our WiFi, and best of all you’ll get our employee discount.  As a member you’ll get 20% off all food and drinks every day, 20% off retail coffee and tea, and 10% off merchandise.

To start things out, rates will be $10 daily*, $30 weekly*, or $100 monthly.  Once we are up and running we’re planning on adding some perks and amenities.  If you are interested, email us at info@21streetcoffee.com

Yours in coffee,

21^st Street Coffee and Tea

*If we are fully booked on a monthly basis the weekly and daily rates will not be available.

21^st Street Coffee and Tea

2002 Smallman St.

Pittsburgh, Pa 15222

February 1, 2013

Dear Customers:

It has been almost three years since our last price increase, when we opened our downtown location at Three PNC Plaza.  In that time, we’ve seen our costs increase in what we pay for coffee, tea, milk, wages, training, paper products, towels, and general overhead.  Our brewed coffee prices, which are linked to prices we pay for each crop, have gone up steadily in this time.  Espresso, tea, and milk drink prices, however, have been the same since Spring 2010.

Instead of using lesser quality ingredients, or spending less on wages and training, we’re focused on providing you the best possible service and product.  This requires a small price increase on espresso drinks and tea.  We know that you choose to visit our stores every day, and we want you to know that we appreciate your business.

Sincerely,

Luke & Alexis Shaffer

21^st Street Coffee and Tea

info@21streetcoffee.com

If you’ve been to the Strip District location since we moved, you’ve probably seen there is an upper level in the back of the shop. Lots of folks have asked about when we’ll be opening it, what’s going up there, etc.  We’re in the early stages of it, but we’re going to set it up as a small coworking space.

There will be desks, there will be internet, and of course there will be access to great coffee (and tea).  Since we are new at this, there are some things we have to figure out and some improvements still to be made before it’s ready for use.

In the meantime… if this sounds interesting to you or you’ve always wanted to “work here”, give us a shout.

Considering new sizes for 2013.

We will be open our normal hours this weekend and Monday 12/31 in the Strip but we will be closed New Year’s Day.  Downtown will be closed Monday and Tuesday, resuming our regular hours Wednesday 1/2.

Dialing in the Santuario Geisha for tonight- the aroma is unbelievable!

The Downtown location will be open regular hours today, and will reopen on Wednesday 12/26 from 8am-3pm.

The Strip District location will be open regular hours today and this weekend.  We will be open Christmas Eve from 7-1’ish for any last minute shopping.  We will be closed Christmas Day and be back to regular hours on the 26th.

So we made these little stands to hold an iPad for our point of sale system, but overall we think they are really cool and could have other applications.  In order to do a small production run we decided to launch a Kickstarter to raise the necessary funds.  Have a look and if you like what you see, support us!

Join us at our Strip District location on Friday Dec. 14th at 6pm for a tasting of various foods often used to describe the brightness of coffees, followed by a coffee cupping. Never been to a coffee cupping? That’s ok! Beginners as well as seasoned coffee vets are encouraged to come!

Tickets are available at both stores now! $10 per person

A short video of our iPad stand in action.

Earlier this year, we decided to change our bulky, costly, point-of-sale systems to the iPad-based Square Register. Before rolling out the new registers, we built some prototype stands to hold the iPad’s because we couldn’t find anything that met our needs. As it turns out, they worked great. Customers enjoy paying with Square and using the stands. It has made paying for stuff a little more fun. Now after months of testing we are making a new and improved version available for sale, and we’re excited to tell you about it.

Some background:
iPads are small, lightweight, and attractive. This could be a problem in a commercial setting, though, as without a way to secure the iPad it could be dropped, damaged, or stolen. We also found it was really awkward to hand someone an iPad or slide it across a countertop to complete a sale. Sometimes a customer only has one free hand. Looking at existing iPad stands, they all seemed to change the appearance of the device by enclosing it in a box of some sort. Also we didn’t simply want a base for it because there was still the issue of having to turn the whole thing around to let the customer use it. What we needed was an affordable, rugged, practical iPad stand that gives users both privacy and security without changing the iPad’s appearance.

Design criteria:
- Securely mount an iPad to a base so that it is not easily removed.
- Allow the base to rotate on an axis to provide privacy to users on opposite sides of the service counter.
- Construct from materials designed to last in a busy commercial setting- steel, aluminum, etc.
- Maintain the look of the iPad by minimizing the size of the mounting brackets.

The prototypes:
- Prototypes were made from oak and machine parts we had lying around the workshop. These units have been in heavy use for about six months.
- We looped a steel cable around one of the legs and fastened it to the counter for additional security. This would keep the iPad & stand from falling off the counter.
- We found that with it’s elevated position off the counter, the iPad is less likely to get wet. Important in our business!
- The motion of flipping the iPad over from cashier to user is intuitive (my one-year-old daughter knew how to use it immediately).
- It still looks like an iPad and doesn’t turn the iPad into a clunky touchscreen.
- By clamping the iPad on the top and bottom it is held securely in place and is not easily removable.
- The rotation provides a good viewing angle for users.

Version 1 changes:
- The base itself is now solid oak
- The brackets holding the iPad to the pivot point are slimmer. On this version there is even less material to detract from the iPad’s appearance.
- The pivot bracket is simpler and more robust than the prototype
- Added an optional thumbscrew to tighten /loosen the clamping brackets. In a commercial setting the thumbscrew could be replaced with machine screws that would require a tool to remove the iPad.
- Added padding to cushion the iPad and minimize contact points (no scratching).
- Works with both iPad 2 and iPad 3

We are offering the units (haven’t decided on a name yet) for $100. If you use Square Register at your business you need this!

We’ll be waiting for you at the end of the tour.  Save room for good coffee.

We are once again OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!!

Of course it makes sense now that we needed to open on the 21st of the month.  If we had thought of that we would have moved out a few days later.

To update you all from where we left you yesterday, we hand delivered the remaining applications (fire alarm, sprinklers) to the building inspector at his office this morning. His response was “you’re persistent”.  We have no complaints with the city, they’ve been awesome though this process and sympathetic to our situation.  Their job is to make sure things are done properly and that public safety is the number one concern.  

So until the sprinklers are installed… no restrooms.  No restrooms means no seating (health code).  BUT we can sell you any drink you like, you can have it in ceramic, and you can lean on our beautiful new bar and enjoy the hell out of this new place.

Come on back customers, we miss you!

bitterpress:

The goal of most specialty coffee roasters is fairly easily boiled down into a basic mission statement: to bring great quality coffee to as many people as possible.

It’s great for business. That’s an easily identifiable, sustainable factor of this mission statement. But the “great quality”…

The night before? We think so. (Taken with Instagram)

It has been a challenging couple of weeks.  

Originally we had planned to move our Strip District location on or before September 1st.  Our lease at the old spot was up at the end of June, we were then in a month-to-month lease, and we gave our 30 days notice to our previous landlord July 31st.  It was the right thing to do as we were on schedule with the new store and we wanted to give ample notice out of respect to the building owner.

As we neared that date we realized that things would not be quite ready, so we extended another half month.  Until about a week and a half ago we were on schedule, so we began moving everything that wasn’t absolutely critical to the operation of our business.  The store was a bit of a mess, if you didn’t notice, but we were able to serve customers and keep everyone employed.  We planned on having inspections last Friday the 14th, and then move out the 16th and if we were lucky reopen the 17th.

Last week we started having serious problems with our plumber Jeff.  He wasn’t showing up for work, and when he did show up he was very late and would not complete his tasks.  At least a week was wasted.  Ultimately he walked off the job last Thursday afternoon.  When he left he also took with him most of the restroom fixtures that had already been paid for and did not belong to him.  

We scrambled for a day before we found a new plumber, Joe Renners, who went to the Plumbing Division in Lawrenceville to get the permit put into his name.  Backs against the wall and two days before the move out, we went into our own pocket to pay him to complete the job, plus redo a significant amount of work that had been done incorrectly by the previous plumber.  Joe and his team did a tremendous job working through the weekend and battling through several issues until we passed our inspection yesterday morning.  

In the meantime, we had our usual busy weekend and pulled the plug for good at the old place at 2pm Sunday.  By 6pm we had the place squeaky clean and by 8pm we had finished peeling all our branding off the awning we put on the property 5 years ago.

We knew that Joe would not be able to complete the work in time for us to avoid shutting down operations for a couple of days, but our hope was that by end of day Wednesday we would be through all inspections and be permitted to open.  He held up his end of the bargain.  We then passed our ADA (handicap accessibility) inspection, and had previously passed our electrical and HVAC inspections.  We were feeling hopeful.

Building Inspection, however, found an issue very late in the day.  The sprinkler system did not adequately cover the restrooms and our “prep room”.  They were absolutely correct in pointing this out and we learned that this was missed during construction.  Oops.  The Building Inspector has been very sympathetic to our situation, but he needs proof that this work will happen, so plans need to be submitted and need to appear in his system.  We’ve been working the phones to get the fire prevention company on site, get plans drawn up, and submitted.  We’re hopeful that once submitted that will be enough to get us open and the work will happen right away to get us to compliance.

So here we are- with an incredible staff, a beautiful new store, a great landlord, all the right equipment, and a bunch of amazing coffees… but we can’t let you come inside!  

We’re continuing to keep everyone that works here on the payroll, because it’s not their fault and they have bills to pay.  This is the situation we are in.  We made decisions based on the best information we had, now we just need to get through this and get this place reopened.  

We truly miss seeing our Strip District regulars, and we’re sorry we weren’t able to get this done the way we had planned.  We just want to make you coffee, it’s just that there is a lot that goes into making that happen.  If anyone is interested in producing a reality show about this place, hit us up.

See you soon (in the meantime please patronize our downtown store),

21st Street Coffee and Tea