Our offerings are a little different than what you’d find in 99% of area “coffee shops”. Over the past couple of years we’ve had the traditional menu boards up on the wall. They’ve worked great for us but we’re always looking for ways to improve and focus our business. Sometimes customers see the words espresso, latte, even coffee and think they’re going to get the same beverage anywhere they go. We’re not changing the names of drinks or anything, but rather the way the options (and number of options) are presented. We aren’t going to be confused with the “fast food” coffee joints of the world.
Having said that, all of our menus are getting a facelift…
Food: We’ve taken down our existing food menu. Our focus is on the drinks, but you’ll be able to see what food items (fresh baked pastries, fresh made panini, etc) are available each and every day on the front of the deli case. We’ll also continue to have those wonderful belgian waffles… just don’t ask for syrup please.
Brewed Coffee/Tea: We’ve had menus on the front counter for a while detailing descriptions of our offerings, but we’ve decided for visibility they’d be better placed on the back wall. This is a big change for us as we feel this will put more emphasis where it should be… on the coffee and tea itself. We’ll probably (hopefully soon) come up with a small takeaway version of what is fresh for that week on the brewed coffee and tea side that is a little more informational.
Drinks: This corresponds to everything else… from espresso to italian soda. Keep your eyes peeled. As soon as we get our new menu board delivered to the Frick Building you’ll see something cool and new at the Strip. Hopefully this will all go down sometime this week. Be excited.
Starting today and for a limited time (we only have about 2lbs) we’ll be offering shots of Kyle Glanville’s USBC winning espresso- Finca Matalapa, courtesy of the Black Cat Project. This is the same lovely coffee we’ve been brewing on the Clover in the Strip, but with an espresso roast profile. This coffee took Intelli and Kyle to the top at the United States Barista Championships, and was only roasted on one day so you won’t be able to get it again this year. We’ve let it rest for one week and according to the brewing instructions they shipped with the coffee we’re ready to roll right now!
We’re only offering it as a double, and only as a straight shot, traditional cappuccino, cortado, or macchiato. It’s a super sweet fruit punch explosion, in my opinion… I’ve had two today.
Congratulations to Kyle Glanville of Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea - Los Angeles, this years U.S. Barista Champion. Kyle is one of the people in the coffee business that we admire for the way that he represents himself, his company, and the wonderful coffees they source and deliver to us every week.
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So the Trib PM had a write up today on latte art. They interviewed the fine folks at Aldo Coffee and they also stopped in to interview me. Here’s an excerpt:
Self-taught latte artist Luke Shaffer, 31, owner of 21st Coffee and Tea in the Strip District, said he’s been doing latte art for a year and a half.
“One day, I figured out what I was doing wrong, kind of the light bulb moment, and all of a sudden it’s working,” Shaffer said. “Then you start showing off and doing stuff for customers because it’s fun.”
Some 21st Coffee regulars have come to expect it.
“We gave him a hard time one time when he didn’t do it,” joked Kalman Pelhos, 39, of Squirrel Hill. “It’s much like going to a French restaurant — you have a certain appreciation for the presentation and not just the taste of the food.”
“People ask, ‘Did you do that on purpose?’ and sometimes we joke around and tell them it was an accident,” Shaffer said.
Click here for the PDF version
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Found another Clover article online today- here’s my favorite part…
The immediate consequence of the Clover and its precision isn’t necessarily better coffee, but more attention to coffee. By creating this rigorous laboratorylike brewing environment, it encourages cafes to explore the nuances of different beans, where and how they’re grown and dried and sorted and roasted. And the attention to nuance gets passed along to the customers: Grumpy’s clientele can choose from a coffee menu listing several brews, including the Cruz del Sur, “punchy and bright with pear and green apple,” and the San José El Yalú, “complex and crisp with butterscotch, grape, chocolate and plum.”
The Clover, and the precision control it provides the barista, has given us the ability to continually tweak our coffee “recipes” and increase our own understanding of the coffees we serve. Slight changes in grind, water temperature, dwell times, and even stirring methods lead to subtle differences in the cup.
Read the entire article on Slate.com