A few weeks ago, we began introducing a new way of labeling our bags in hopes of offering a more informative approach at selling retail bags. As a trial they were initially sold at Sandbox Bakery, and then Bi-Rite Market. The feedback we’ve received thus far seems to be leaning in favor of this new approach. After a few months of toying with several different options, we believe we’ve settled on something informative enough to satisfy what we want our customers to read on a bag of coffee, as well as something that reads fluid and easy. Simply slapping a sticker on a bag riddled with coffee jargon, such as washed Bourbon from Santa Ana seemed obvious to us, however we realize not everyone that picks up a bag of coffee will know what those terms mean. Going forward, you should expect to see farm, country, region, varietal and process type on all of our bags, as well as blend recipes on all of our blends.

Shark

Last Wednesday while I was finishing the last roast of a few Indonesian samples that had arrived the day prior, our grounds keeper, Robert Smith nearly broke down the door in his, unintentional best Kramer impersonation; all flustered and short of breath yelling, “You have a delivery! And it’s from someone called lar-mar-zoo-ka” I didn’t know if I should be scared or excited. Turns out, it was the two months behind schedule delivery of our La Marzocco paddle group GS3. With the help of Bob and Ryan we had it plumed-in and pouring shots that evening. While this machine is rather small and compact, it holds temperature drink after drink much better than I had hoped- which is great as we intend to put it to use outside of the warehouse…..

Also,

Shark

The newest addition to our current offerings is a very special coffee from Fazenda Esperança. 744 is a small lot of peaberries, which occurs when only one seed is produced in the coffee cherry- normally there are two. When only one seed forms, two discerning factors arise. First, the physical shape of the seed is malformed. Most have one flat side which is the product of two seeds facing one-another. With the presence of only one, the seed takes on a much more rounded shape which resbles that of a pea. Second, the nutrients produced for two seeds is designated to only one, increasing it’s density and inherent qualities.

Generally, Brazils tend to score lower on the perception of acidity, mostly due to the overall lower elevation in which they are grown; however this peaberry cupped out much sweeter than any Brazil I’ve ever tasted. In addition to it’s candied- banana upfront sweetness, the pulped natural processing lends itself to this coffee’s mouth-feel which coats the palate like a chocolaty oil and follows into a pleasantly lingering finish of toasted almonds. This is a remarkable coffee and we are thrilled to have it on our current roster.

Shark

The holidays are approaching just as fast as our business is growing, which explains why we couldn’t find the time to make a kitschy season’s greetings, or put together gift packages to sell- as we had hoped. Sorry, perhaps next year! Besides being swamped in the best way possible, I did get a chance to make a small update to our online store which can be viewed here. Pictured above is the coffee that was delivered to Haus this afternoon. They’ve got such a stellar lineup right now- Finca El Retiro, El Salvador/ Fazenda Boa Sorte lot# 502, Brazil/ Cauca Tierradentro, Colombia and Finca Santa Clara, Guatemala.

We’ve got a ton of new things in the works for this up coming year and couldn’t be more excited.
Happy holidays everyone!

DLP

One of our newest accounts is the retail outlet for the brilliant baker Mutsumi, named Sandbox Bakery. After having cupped four coffees they decided on our Finca El Retiro, El Salvador to share the Hario drip stand with Ritual. Sandbox Bakery will be opening their doors Monday morning December 7th. I unfortunately will not be able to attend the grand opening due to some staff development with a few Huas baristas; however Jason will be there around 7:00am to check in and make sure things are running smoothly. If you are in the mission, I suggest biking south on Folsom, up and over Bernal- the view of the city is stunning!

Shark

This is Rob and our cargo bike built by Rick Hunter. Together, our coffee is delivered fast, efficiently and in a manner we believe in. Also, our friend Ian recently put together a couple rain proof rear bags which will certainly come in handy as we are approaching San Francisco’s wet season.

Earlier this morning I held a public cupping at De La Paz account, La Victoria. Among the coffees we cupped were two currently being served at La Victoria- Finca El Injerto, Guatemala and Cafetalera Herbazu, Costa Rica as well two of our newest offerings, Finca El Retiro, El Salvador and Cauca Tierradentro, Colombia. Owner Jamie, plans to hold these events monthly in-conjunction with De La Paz until February, when his shop takes over completely. Until then I will be leading, December 10th 6pm at La Victoria- 24th & Alabama. These cuppings are free and open to the public- you need no prior experince outside the simple desire to learn a bit more about coffee. We only ask that you do not wear any perfume or cologne.

Shark

Since this past Friday we have received five brand new coffees; all of which, we are more than thrilled about. With that however, comes the daunting task of developing all new roast profiles and brew specs specifically for each coffee. Going into the roasts we have a general idea of what to expect, though working (and then production) roasts give Jason and myself the opportunity to pull out the distinct and inherent qualities in each coffee. This is the part of my job I love most because the line between challenging and exciting is very blurry. From a roaster/ cupper’s perspective this is the barista’s equivalent of dialing in an all new espresso- exciting, right!? Following these new coffees, will be an update on the online store as well as a printed offerings menu.

Earlier this afternoon I did an informal/ preliminary cupping of our first roast of the Finca Santa Clara, Guatemala. The following are a few things that initially jumped out. Fragrance- apple, butter, mellon, deep spice. Aroma- anise. Acidity- pretty mellow. Red fruit, very sweet, approaching raw sugar. Body and finish- molasses! Brewed, the Finca Santa Clara did very well as a 2:1 press pot. Get a book, sit and drink this coffee slowly- it deserves it!

Shark

Perfect morning cup.

Ryan and I got an early start this past Friday with a cupping of a few of my production roasts from Thursday. While the coffee certainly needed to settle a little longer, we did get a bit of glimpse into how the batches came out. I always find myself too eager and jump the gun on cupping. From what I could tell the Costa Rica Cafetalera Herbazu was spot on- super crisp, clean, lots of lemon, relaxed body and well rounded. I’ll reevaluate on Monday and see how my notes compare those taken on Friday.

I will not be serving coffee at the Farmers Market tomorrow, however Ryan will be filling in for me. He’s got an amazing line up of retail bags, as well as a couple press pots for sale.

Shark