A conversation with Seattle
It’s approaching two years since I got my Hario “barista station” set-up, a major upgrade from my previous haphazard brewing system. Now a true coffee aficionado, I’ve tried some new gear. Here’s what I’ve added…and rejected. Continue reading New Coffee Gear Makes Mornings More Magical
Stumptown Coffee Roasters may not have been roasting green beans in Seattle last Sunday night, but its equipment made for a magnificent backdrop at a special pop-up dinner in the roasting facility. Continue reading An Evening With Stumptown Coffee (and Cocktails, and Wine)
Bloomberg says an SBC kiosk “brews a fresh 12-or 16-ounce cup of java through a press in 1 minute,” and that they’ll offer seven different drinks, including hot chocolate, for $1 to $2. This is not that low-tech machine burbling in the corner of a dilapidated service station–the Seattle’s Best Coffee beans are ground to order. Continue reading Redbox Adds Coffee Kiosks to Boxbot Sector
A leading way to commune with the locals anywhere is through food. Hawaii is home to coffee and vanilla companies, of course. Kona Brewing has been around since 1995, Maui Brewing since 2005 (try the coconut porter). How about a Hawaiian vodka? Hawaii’s beekeepers keep a list of honey pots you can try to get your paw into. Continue reading A New Hawaii Beckons Visitors From the Beach
The Parnassus Project is a grassroots chamber music collective that’s introducing classical music to local cafes and community spaces. Dana talks with founders Ruth Mar and Brooks Tran about the joys and challenges of coffeehouse concertizing. Continue reading The Parnassus Project Blends Chamber Music With a Coffeehouse Vibe
“More than 40 percent of U.S. coffee drinkers–or approximately 54 million customers–prefer a lighter roast coffee,” reads the release hand-out from this morning’s Starbucks (SBUX) announcement.
The lead-time on the introduction of Starbucks Blonde Roast puzzled a local TV reporter, since the product won’t hit Starbucks and grocery stores until January 2012. Continue reading Starbucks Admits Coffee Drinkers Prefer Blondes
App developer Jonathan Stark would like to buy you a cup of coffee. The only catch, perhaps, is that you have to be short of cash and thirsty, and yet also have a working smart phone. What Stark has done is create a screenshot of his Starbucks card app–interested parties are encouraged to download the picture onto their phone, and then “show” it to the Starbucks reader. Continue reading Socialized Coffee, One Smart Phone at a Time