What an insanely busy week! We had guests from all over the world swing by our store to check out what we are doing. THANKS FOR ALL THE POSTIVE COMMENTS! It was a pleasure to have so many highly knowledgeable coffee professionals come through and give us so much positive feedback. It really reinforces what we are trying to accomplish here and that we are headed down the right path.
To start the week off we were able to welcome the Stumptown Coffee roasters from NY, Seattle and Portland. Awesome group of guys, totally passionate about what they do. They have done so much for the Coffee Community with creating awareness and sourcing great coffee.
After that Velton Ross from Velton’s Coffee Roasting came in to share in our cupping. He brought three of his own to cup with ours. WOW! Amazing coffee! His Bonsai Blend with 50% natural process Mexican was my favorite! Our cupping table had at least 20 guests around it that day, it was awesome.
Eric and Dan from Slayer Espresso stopped in again and purchased a half pound of our Puerto Rico to put on their machine. I can’t wait to get feedback!
The owner of The Hub in Reno and some of his baristas stepped in and we let them play with the clover as they don’t have one yet. Great Baristas!
We hung out in the La Marzocco booth with Joe talking about our new Machine. Soon it will land in 15th Ave bringing our technology into this Century with PID controls and a regulated pre-infusion. Joe always astounds me with how long he has been in the business and how much he knows, thanks for everything!
After that we swung by the Synesso booth to visit my ‘other baby’. Their three group that they had on the floor will be going into my Roy Street store with two beautiful Anfim grinders for both the Espresso and Single Origin. I am so excited to have a Synesso with the ability to have set pre-infusion times. Thanks Mark and Team!
Another contact that I made at the show was Oliver Stormshak from Olympia Coffee Roasting. Hands down it was the best shot of espresso that I had at Coffee Fest! The orange flavors that were in his single origin were surprisingly sweet and balanced. Check him out @ http://www.olympiacoffeeroasting.com/. Thanks for the amazing shot!
Lastly we were visited today by Deming Maclise owner of Cafe Fiore. He was so into what we are doing here and we had a great time showing him around. He was a huge fan of the Pu-erh Fusion. (See my previous blog for pics and explanation)
There were too many great guests to get through them all. Thanks to everyone who has been so welcoming as we step into the local coffee community. Keep watching as we open up our Roy St. Store!
My first Cappuccino in Italy was life altering. We were in a back alley in Venice, off of one of the thousand canals that run through the city. We found a tiny cafe with a polished espresso machine. I wasn’t even sure what I ordered because my Italian was so bad and we were so far off the tourist path that no one spoke English. Mixing fluent Spanish with a hodge-podge of Italian words at least guaranteed my recieving coffee in some form. In the crisp morning air I sipped from the small cup I had been handed and various angels and saints broke out in song as I tasted my first traditional cappuccino (ok, so that is the part of the story I embellished). The next day I tried 
to repeat the experience and find that cafe again. We walked around for two days straight, trying unsuccessfully to find that same cafe… in that same alley… next to the same canal.
There is nothing to describe a good cappuccino that will do it justice, you just have to taste it. Many things are called a cappuccino, but a traditional cappuccino is only 6oz and served in a porcelain cup.
The Cappuccinno below was poured by Jared at 15th Ave with Northwestern flair. He used a single origin bean from Puerto Rico to craft this beverage which comes through the milk with very bright flavor and color. 
When you get a chance come in and try one, whichever coffee option you choose it will satisfy your thirst for travel and adventure. If you have never been to Italy before, you may just start planning your trip as you sit and sip your Cappuccino.
Mi piacerebbe visitare l’Italia un giorno di questi!
Jacob
I just had to share my favorite tea.
Our full leaf Oolong Ti-Kwan-Yin tastes just as rich as it’s history in ancient China. It’s name is Iron Goddess of Mercy in English.
The story that has been preserved for years is that of a poor tea merchant in South East China who would pass the shrine for Kwan Yin every day. He was always very respectful and would clean and repair it.
One night the goddess of mercy came in a dream and told him to go to another shrine in a cave. In the cave he would find a remarkable tea plant that he must cultivate and always share with others.
He did as he was told and propogated the new tea plant, always sure to share it with others as it had been shared with him. It became the best known Oolong in the world and the merchant prospered.
Today this world renowned tea is 40% oxidized and wound tightly for preservation. As it awakens it magically unfurls and steeps into a wonderful tea with hints of honey and peach. Each time you re-steep it the flavors and colors evolve, making it possible for you to sit in our lobby with a friend and enjoy several pots from the same leaves. That way you can share it just as the merchant did with the world.
Be Merciful! 
Jacob
FYI- The picture is from our collection of antiquities at 15th ave.
Here is a list of upcoming performances…
9/18 Rythem Mystic 8pm. Peter and Michelle bring their mix of R&B, world music and Jazz to 15th.
9/24 Synergy 8pm-11pm. Jazz Trio not to be missed!
9/25 Tamara Lewis 8pm-10pm. Returning guest and customer favorite, soulful singer songwriter.
9/26 C3 8pm. Back for an encore performance! A blend of folk, rock & pop music that becomes all their own.
Thanks, we’ll see you then!
Jacob
Just to let you all know we are changing our cupping time from 10am to 11am starting Monday 9/21. All are invited, please feel free to bring any coffee you would like us to cup alongside ours. If you want to do teas instead please call ahead and let us know.
Thanks!
Jacob
I wanted to let you all know that we have an amazing coffee that we just pulled off the roaster a couple days ago. It is from Puerto Rico and is fairly difficult to find in the States. It is less bright than South and Central Americans tend to be, but is not quite as earthy as our Indonesians. It has a great nutty aspect, full bodied and delicate. Apparently the coffee trees are direct desendants from King Louis XIV’s personal groves on the island of Martinique!
I also wanted to thank a few guests that we have seen this week.
Earlier this week Velton Ross from Velton’s Coffee Roasting Co came in. We had a great time discussing current roasting trends and the future of coffee roasting here in the PNW. His years in the industry and knowledge were very apparent. I was very impressed with our conversation and hope we get to cup some of his coffees soon!
Another guest was Andy Cronin, go read his blog at Raven’s Brew Coffee. Not only did we talk about roasting, but he gave us some great tips that we have already put into practice behind the bar. We are really spoiled to have such a strong coffee culture here in Seattle and passionate people excited to share their experience. He is roasting a Natural Honduras right now that sounds phenomenal (I have a soft spot for naturally processed coffee).
Lastly we had the Canlis Staff in and set up a cupping for them. I am very impressed by the quality of people they have in their Restaurant. It was great to teach such an eager group all about tasting and appreciating fine coffees, as they had very developed palates already. I am excited to see what plate they pair with the Aged Sumatra!
Thanks for your continued support.
Jacob
Fall is here and we have a drink that is equally as rich. A fusion of single origin espresso and aged black tea, combined with a touch of agave and chocolate dust. The pour on the right was from our rock star barista Jenna. It reminds me loosely of Starry Night by Van Gogh.
Come by and try one for yourself, you will be pleasantly surprised! Also check out several new single origin coffees while you’re in. One of which should be in our espresso grinder for your doppio. We have Kenya AB which we use in our fusion cappuccino, Guatemala Medina, and Aged Sumatra.
Here is the pic that I took of Jenna as she was making her Pu-erh Fusion. Focused and intent as she pulled the
perfect shot.
The passion around our coffee and tea has been great! See you soon!
Jacob
Jared and I were invited by Eric from Slayer Espresso to come play in their shop.
Eric and his team have put together an amazing machine! Great looks aside, it is solid and sure to set the bar in technology. I was very impressed by the control that we had as we pulled each shot of espresso. Our single origin Guatemalan Medina and Guatemalan Mayan Especial tasted great, pulling out strong notes of clove and pepper that were only hints before. The pressure profiling created some very impressive results!
As each shot was pulled we could watch it form in the bottom of the basket in a mirror that is mounted to the drip tray. Watching in the mirror you could decide when to kick the pump pressure up or down to create the perfect shot every time.
My favorite thing about the machine was the walnut paddles, steam levers and portafilter handles. The chrome and wood make a great contrast and the styling is Uber Cool!
Thanks Eric and Team for inviting us down, truly an impressive machine! Keep up the great work.
Jacob
Hello!
I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jacob and I will be managing your new store on Roy St. In the meantime I will be working at the 15th St. store and posting on this blog.
The picture is from our sailing trip through the San Juans on the 38′ Snow Goose that we chartered for a week. It’s one of my favorite pics so I thought I would use it as my intro.
I have been with Starbucks for about 10 years now and am excited to help build a new brand that will showcase how amazing our coffees and teas are. When I started in 1999 I trained on and operated a La Marzocco so it’s a bit of a homecoming as well. When I am not geeking out on coffee I am brewing beer, so I will be excited to get an amazing line up for you guys in that arena as well.
Come in and say HI when you can. Thanks to all the great visitors and customers that we have had so far, the reception from the neighborhood has been great! We appreciate your patience as we iron out the bugs, please come in and chat with me to let me know what we are doing great and what we could improve on.
Thanks! Jacob Weber
