Coffee & Crema | Blog

Aeropress in Stock

2009-07-04T07:53:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to let you know that we have a limited supply of Aeropresses in stock. For those that are unfamiliar with the Aeropress, it is a coffee brewer that produces coffee similar to espresso. Using a fair amount of elbow grease to create a little air pressure you force hot water through coffee grinds directly into your cup.

It's a great way to make strong coffee for Americanos and lattes but is also convenient for travelers, since it's lightweight and made entirely of plastic. They make great gifts for campers or coffee geeks.

We only have a small initial stock at the moment so if you want to grab one, I'd do it soon.

Holiday Hours

2009-07-03T09:12:00.002-05:00

I wanted to wish everyone a happy Independence Day weekend and let you know our hours for this Saturday:

Haywood Mall 10-5:30
Forest Park 7-5:30

Have a great weekend!

Affogato it!

2009-06-30T09:33:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to let you know that for the next couple of weeks we'll be offering drowned ice cream.

Drowned? Drowned in what?

Espresso of course. We have a bunch of extra-creamy vanilla ice cream waiting to make the ultimate sacrifice for your sweet, summer hamaughandy. This is another traditional way of enjoying hot espresso on hot days that can be really interesting when done right. By interesting I mean delicious and by done right I mean by us. So come on by and check it out. Once the ice cream's gone, so are the Affogatos. (This drink is only available at the Forest Park location, unfortunately.)

And, in case you were worried about missing out on our Shakerado, it's here too. For the moment.

LatteArtHoedown.com

2009-06-29T13:02:00.004-05:00

As promised here is the Latte Art Hoedown page.

http://lattearthoedown.com

Here you will find pictures of previous Hoedowns as well as the prizes won. The site might get bigger and better as time goes on but everything looks elegant and pretty darned cool right now. There is even a twitter widget on the front page so that you can keep up with the Hoedowns as they take place.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

A First-Timer Takes the Prize!

2009-06-26T09:03:00.006-05:00

This month's hoedown went down really well and I want to thank everyone for coming out. We had a couple of first time competitors and one of them managed to win! A pretty impressive debut, if you ask me. Congratulations to Trey Lancaster of Liquid Highway for taking the prize last night and showing everyone his burgeoning skills. He got to take home an Aeropress for his troubles while Connie Park, the second-place finisher, took home a bag of the Burundi Bwayi.

Because I was judging the event I didn't manage to take any pictures but take my word for it, every pour was epic. The designs were intricate and thought provoking. Emotional even. I'm pretty sure I heard someone crying at one point during the competition.

We're working on a webpage dedicated entirely to the Hoedowns and some pictures should be up there, as well as the previous competitions, in a day or two. Trey's winning pour should be posted there as well.

Congratulations again to Trey on his win and thanks to everyone who bought a competition drink and gave to Meals on Wheels. It may be only a dollar or two for you but it's a meal to someone else. Thanks too to all the other competitors, some of whom came from as far away as Atlanta. And of course Counter Culture for their donation of espresso.

Mark July 30th on your calendar for the next Hoedown. This one is a full five weeks away so you have plenty of time to get ready.

The June Hoedown

2009-06-23T18:02:00.003-05:00

This is just a quick reminder that June's Latte Art Competition is this Thursday. Bring a friend and buy a competition drink to support Meals on Wheels. It's the best buck you'll spend all week.

The grand prize this time around is the Aeropress, a coffee brewer that has recently garnered a lot of attention (and rave reviews) from the coffee community. Coffee shops serving only aeropresses have popped up all over the country and some have suggested that it's only a matter of time before all other coffee brewers will go the way of the Dodo. (well, not exactly, since I don't expect the dogs of Dutch settlers to hunt to extinction other coffee brewers but you know what I mean.) The smart people want one. The cool people have one. The best barista will win one ...

In other news, there appears in the most recent issue of Barsita Magazine a little article about our grand opening at the Forest Park Shopping Center and April's Latte Art Hoedown. Check it out here. It's really a great piece and it's an honor to even be noticed.

See you guys Thursday night.

When Life Hands You a Lemon …

2009-06-14T10:02:00.002-05:00

make a Shakerado!

Actually, life didn’t hand them to me, I had to go out and buy them. But that isn’t really important right now. What is important is that the only thing between you and the confounding heatumidity of the summer is this tasty little drink.

It isn’t much more than a little espresso, a little sweet, a little zest and a little pent up aggression – all in a martini shaker. It’s a great way to refresh and recharge on a hot afternoon. Our Shakerado will be available throughout the summer and is the first drink in a series of summer drenchers meant to keep the sweat off your brow and the dust from your throat. We’ll resuscitate some of the more popular drinks from the previous summer and introduce a couple of new ones too. Expect ingredients like: thyme, basil, ginger, citrus marmalade, hibiscus, Campobello honey and izu matcha to go with our usual espresso-based drinks, teas and smoothies.

To that end, tomorrow (Monday the 15th) we’ll be serving a very special single origin espresso Gerbicho Rogicha. It comes from the Sidamo region of Ethiopia and will be available at both shops for one day only. Expect it to make an exceptional Shakerado.

On a final note, don’t forget our Latte Art Hoedown is set for the 25th this month. That’s not far off so, if you’re competing, start thinking of what you want to pour, and if you’re just coming to watch, bring a few dollars to buy the competition drinks. All the money you put into the jar for the lattes goes to helping feed people that can’t do for themselves, via Meals on Wheels. Things kick off at 6 PM.

We’ll see you there!

Alternative Coffee Brewing Methods Workshop

2009-06-02T19:55:00.003-05:00

The computer caught some sort of really nasty virus and I have spend the weekend getting my laptop back in order. It isn't quite there yet but good enough at least to post a brief announcement for this Thursday's Alternative Coffee Brewing Methods workshop in Charlotte. I'll be heading up to the Dilworth Roastery as a presenter for the siphon brewing method. Siphons use the magical forces of physics to brew coffee. There are two chambers, a lower one, which is heated and an upper one where the coffee grinds go. When heat is applied to the lower chamber steam pressure pushes the water through a tube into the upper chamber, where it circulates with the coffee. When the heat is removed the pressure in the lower chamber transforms (magically) into vacuum and sucks the water (now brewed coffee) back down.

If that all sounds a little intimidating, confusing or remotely alchemical then you have a reason to trek up to Charlotte for this class. I'll be demonstrating the method and answering whatever questions participants have. It should be a lot of fun!

Here are the details and contact information (in NC) for anyone interested in attending.

Cost: FREE!
Time: 7-9pm
Location: Dilworth Coffee Roastery
2400 Distribution St.
Charlotte, NC
p: (704) 340-3005

The Hoedown Wrap Up

2009-05-29T10:45:00.003-05:00

Last night's Hoedown went over really well and I want to thank everyone that came out. There weren't quite as many competitors as last month's premier Hoedown but Josh and Melodie from Coffee Underground showed up and threw down some really beautiful art. Jason Dominy also came into town for the event, perhaps feeling an unnatural desire for unique and custom-made tampers, as well as Dustin Mattson from Liquid Highway. (I don't mean Jason has an unnatural desire for Dustin, just tampers.)The number of competitors worked out so that there was only one person given a wildcard last night and it proved to be Dustin that made the cut. He wasn't entirely happy about it though, muttering something about “the distinct pleasure of getting beat twice.” Still, he ended up pouring his way right to the finals. The pour for the final round was in five ounce cappuccino cups but the judges decided something bigger was called for, so out came the big cups.They were wide and flat and Dustin poured a beautiful rosetta but in the end the judges awarded the prize to my wreath and heart. I felt terrible but what can you do?

Either way, we managed to raise over $60 for Meals on Wheels and that's great. I also want to thank again Joe Buria for our grand prize custom made espresso tamper. He did a fantastic job and we're really grateful for the support.

Judges, you guys did great!

Thanks again to everyone that came out. We hope to see you next month!

May's Hoedown Prize

2009-05-26T19:29:00.002-05:00

Your barista arsenal is complete:

This post is a day late but I thought it would be worth it. What you see above is the grand prize to this month's Latte Art Hoedown! The base is Reg Barber and the top is a custom crafted piece of bocote wood from a Greenville area wood worker.

Not only that but we'll have your name engraved onto the handle and get you whatever Reg Barber base you want for it. We figured you'd need to have your name engraved on it because everyone will want to steal it!

See you this Thursday!

Well?

2009-05-22T17:05:00.006-05:00

I may not be a supermodel but here's the shirt! For anyone interested in getting one leave a comment about what size you'd like. The Memorial Day weekend is making it a close call but I have been assured they will be ready by the Hoedown this Thursday. For anyone buying a shirt that night the cost will be whatever the cost is to me.

Speaking of which, don't forget this Thursday, the 28th, is the Hoedown. Mark your calendar! Call in sick! Stay in your room all day so you won't injure your pouring wrist! I'm getting a prototype of the 1st place prize this weekend and if it looks good I'll make an announcement Monday.

All competition drink sales go to charity, same as last time. If you want more information about the competition check out the Events page.

Things kick off at 6 PM. We'll see you there!

May Hoedown

2009-05-15T08:01:00.001-05:00

Coffee & Crema's May Hoedown will take place on the 28th! It will be in the same format as April's and means: brackets, wildcards, customer judges, and raising money for charity.

We already have a couple of judges lined up and I'll be emailing them judging criteria shortly so they can become familiar with the rules.

As far as prizes go, there is certainly the pot and of course glory, but otherwise I'm working on them. There is something special I'm trying to get hold of but don't want to get people's hopes up in case I can't swing it in time. So let's just call them 'suPrizes' for the moment!

The competition should start around 6 PM and will definitely be a lot of fun. We'll hopefully be twittering the event as well so follow our CoffeeCrema account to get live updates on who's going up against who!

Come by for a couple hours of fun and Good coffee!

You Gotta Respect the Swan

2009-05-01T19:56:00.003-05:00

There was drama and there were tears. There was the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. It was the best of times it was the worst of times ...

No, actually it was pretty awesome all the way around! Coffee & Crema's first ever Latte Art Hoedown went over really, really well and I want to say thanks to everyone that came out and showed such wonderful support. Ironically Ben, Danielle, Byron, Dave, Sandy, Jason and Brady all came from far, far away to help make the Greenville coffee community come alive. But there were some great locals too: Dustin, Charlotte, Connie and the couple from Coffee Underground that arrived a little too late to compete.

And of course there was Alex ...

But we'll get to his tale in a minute. First I'd like to thank the judges for doing such a great job with such little prep time. They made the competition something to talk about and fun at the same time and I can't imagine how stressed they must have been trying to give a fair decision to all the competitors. Thank you Reggie, Gary and the aforementioned from-far-away Sandy.

And then there was Alex ...

He came up against Jason Dominy, a battle scarred and milk stained latte artist of the highest caliber, in the first round. Jason's design was good, great even and Alex poured over to the side of the cup, ruining the symmetry of an otherwise pretty rosetta.

But luck favors the bold and she knew Alex had another pour in him. So it came down to the semi-finals and there were only three competitors; a wildcard was needed. So Sandy holds out the cards of the people that fell in the first round and up comes Alex's name! He had another chance!

Unfortunately, he was going up against a grand masterclass latte artist, a man whose name strikes fear into the heart of anyone foolish enough to throw down against him, a demi-god of froth, Ben Helfen. And Ben's pour was good. I mean really good. But just like in the movies, where the beaten hero has a knife in his boot or an immunity to Iocane powder, Alex pulled out the swan.

Now, in retrospect, it's debatable whether Alex's swan in fact looked better than Helfen's immaculate heart-on-wings but at that moment it was so ballsy and so Rocky-taunting-Clubber-Lang that it HAD to win. It was awesome and the crowd went wild.

After that the final round was a foregone conclusion. Alex was the hero that could do no wrong and he handily took the title, Baratza Vario grinder, and winning pot of $70.

(Who says I have an overdeveloped sense of the melodramatic?)

Congratulations to Alex for representing the local talent to so well. It goes to show that there is talent everywhere if you are willing to look for it.

Also a great success was the drink giveaway for charity. We managed to raise $115 dollars for Meals on Wheels, through fewer than 25 drinks. Everyone who gave, gave generously and I'm sure the people they are helping to feed are grateful. Thank you so very much guys.

And the great thing about it is that we've learned some good lessons for next time. Our next Hoedown, this month on the 28th should be even better. I'll announce more as we get closer to to that last Thursday of the month.

... there seems to be a problem with the file upload and I can't get any more pictures into the post. I'll try and post more later ...

The $5 Ante and The Drinks

2009-04-28T07:25:00.003-05:00

After some consideration and discussion we have decided to give all of the collected entrance fees for Thursday's Latte Art Hoedown to the winning barista. Originally we had wanted to give the money to a local charity like Meals on Wheels but wanted to reward the barista monetarily as well as help the community.

At the same time I also wanted to give out the competition drinks to the spectators. It seemed a waste of such good coffee that if the crowd wanted some, why not give it to them? Then it hit me that we can use the drinks to raise money for the community. So, what we will do is this:

Give all the entrance fees to the winner of the Hoedown.
Give all the drinks made during the competition to the crowd, who will throw a dollar donation (or more if they desire) into a jar meant for Meals on Wheels.

That gives everyone something to be happy about.

See you Thursday!

Le Nez du Cafe Workshop

2009-04-25T08:20:00.001-05:00

Today at the Haywood Mall Coffee & Crema we will be pulling out something special: the Le Nez du Cafe set.

This will be a workshop designed to test and hone your sense of smell. Le Nez du Cafe is a set of 36 vials containing the most common aromas found in coffee. It is a lot like Le Nez du Vin, which was designed for wine, but with coffee-specific scents. The goal of the workshop is to match the vials to their smell on corresponding worksheets.

It's more challenging than you think.

Time: 1 PM

Latte Art Hoedown Specs

2009-04-20T22:14:00.002-05:00

I've posted on the events page a general outline of how this month's latte art competition will go. There's only a bare bones explanation but it should be enough to get a pretty good idea of what to expect.

After having just returned from the SCAA conference and WBC in Atlanta this past weekend I'm really excited about holding our first throwdown! We're hoping people from all over the southeast come out for a good time and camaraderie.

We hope to see you all there!

Milk Art Hoedown ( i.e. Latte Art Throwdown)

2009-04-08T15:34:00.005-05:00

Coffee & Crema is proud to announce its first ever Milk Art Hoedown! The last Thursday of the month everyone from Maine to Montana should make their way here for an evening of coffee, competition and prizes. For this first throwdown I wanted to get something pretty geeky. It also had to be something people would want. Since most of the people competing in these sorts of events already have access to a great espresso machine in their professional lives (and I couldn't afford a machine that could compete against a La Marzocco or E61) I decided against a home espresso machine. I considered a Scace device but that's a little too geeky and quite frankly not all that sexy. I even thought about a pitcher rinser like the one we use here at the shop. But who'd want one of those only to install it in their bar and let their boss have it?

So, in the end I decided on this: (drum roll please ...)

This is the new grinder by Baratza, called the Vario. It has 54mm ceramic burrs manufactured by Mahlkönig and three user programmable buttons that allow for a grind time setting within 0.1 second. That means you can set it for espresso, drip and press settings at the push of a button. The Vario also has an ultra-quiet belt drive transmission and its own portafilter holder! That sounded sufficiently geeky for me! And sexy.

Second place goes home with a 3-cup coffee syphon system by Yama.

It comes with its own burner and spare filter cloth. This is the same brewer we use for customers here in the shop, sans the butane burner.

Things start off at 6 PM and go until we have a winner. I'll put the details of the competition on the events page in the next couple of days. Call or email if you have any questions or want to make sure we reserve you a spot.

Whew!

2009-04-06T16:41:00.001-05:00

What a day! From 7 AM to 9 PM and I was there for all of it! Unfortunately I was busy during many parts of the day and didn't take pictures of hardly anything. But there were reunions and celebrations, tribulations, balloons, a throwdown, lost car keys, shoplifters, music, food, news cameras and lots of coffee. We gave away a couple hundred free Americanos throughout the day and sold as much as we gave away. So all was good. Friends came from near and far for the event and I want to throw a special thanks out to Wilson Hines and Dave LaMont for making the drive and making the day as great as it was. And to Ben for the 'French' pastries. And Ishai for the ibrik. Actually, thanks to everyone, it was so great to see all of you!

The Sweetery came through for us as well and were handing out their sublimely delicious Strawberry Cake in the afternoon. Those guys make some seriously good cake. Even the music was stellar, with one person being added to the venue at the last minute. They rocked! Acoustically speaking.

There was a point at about hour twelve or thirteen, when the music was in full swing and I had just replaced the Toscano with a handful of Misty Valley roasted for espresso, when all was as it should be in the universe. I was trying to dial in the shot without using any espresso, trying to determine how the roast would change the shot, and how the change of dose would in turn affect that, watching the reluctant pour and the expectant customers. I remember remarking that I could do this every night.

It was all, like, mystical. Ya know?

Anyway, the Coffee & Crema at the Forest Park Shopping Center is now officially open for business! Thanks to everyone that helped to get us to this point. The future looks bright and beautiful and full of promise.

Grand Opening!

2009-03-31T20:42:00.003-05:00

The espresso machine and water tower are working. The WiFi is up and running. The pastries are in. The Menu is up. We have a mop. There's nothing left to do or get. Well, OK there is always something left to do or get but since that will never change the quirk-crushing soft start is officially coming to an end. Come join us this Saturday between 7 AM to 9 PM for our grand opening celebration! For one day only we will be offering free Caffe Americanos brewed to order. That's free coffee! There is no better opportunity for you to experience our coffee and see the commitment we bring to our craft.

At 11 AM and 2 PM will be coffee cuppings hosted by Arabica Informational Expert Extraordinaire (AIEE! for short), Dave LaMont from Counter Culture Coffee. I have no idea which coffees are planned for each session but you can be sure Dave will be the most engaging discussion about coffee anywhere in Greenville that day. Come armed with questions!

Throughout the day will also be pastry samples from our pastry supplier, the Sweetery in Anderson. They're the little shop I mentioned a couple of posts back. If you haven't had the chance to try their strawberry cake in a cup yet, don't miss this opportunity!

Finishing the day off will be live music from 6-8 PM. It will be a relaxing acoustic ending to what will otherwise be a fantastically busy day. If you are an old friend from the Mall location, come by and say hi. I miss seeing you guys. If you are new to Coffee & Crema come by and see why we think we have the best coffee in the Upstate. It promises to be a great day. Don't miss it!

Body Cupping!

2009-03-24T17:52:00.002-05:00

Now doesn't that sound exciting! This weekend at the Haywood Mall shop we'll be cupping coffees that have traditionally been thought of as heavy bodied or syrupy. The Indonesian archipelago has produced some amazing coffees in the last few years and we'll be cupping some of those. On hand will be the French Roasted Gayo, a Sumatran from the Dolok Sangul community and a coffee that isn't technically Indonesian but is part of the same archipelago - Papua New Guinea's Waghi Valley, Kuta. They can all be described as heavy, rich or deep but we're going to try and go a little farther and pick out unique characteristics of each coffee - what makes them similar and what makes them different.

This same cupping will come to the Forest Park location the following Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how the coffees have changed over a few more days of degassing.

Cuppings are formalized sessions akin to wine tastings, except you can drive home afterward. This Saturday's event is geared for beginners and veterans alike. It's at 1 PM. There will be a moderator to lead you through from beginning to end and the cost is nil, nix, zip, nada, nothing. That means all you need is curious taste buds and an hour of free time. We'll see you there.

Pastry Goodness

2009-03-13T07:59:00.004-05:00

From today we have available to our customers at the Forest Park shop pastries from the Sweetery, in Anderson. The Sweetery is a local bakery committed to using natural ingredients and bringing unique perspectives to the area. They have been very willing to work with us on making interesting pastries for our Haywood Mall shop for several months now. Both the excellent biscotti we sell (actually, giving away at the moment) and our delicious cakes in a cup are a credit to their artisanry.

At the moment we have in Strawberry, Italian Cream and Carrot cakes in a cup. In addition there are an assortment of muffins for your enjoyment.

We are talking with a Colombian restaurant for traditional baked goods. They are different from the usual croissants and bagels you might find in another coffee shop but pan de queso with the morning coffee rocks!

This is far from being set in stone, however, so we'll keep you updated as things develop. Until then stop by and try the pastries - or the free biscotti!

Forest Park Update

2009-03-12T08:14:00.002-05:00

I finally have a moment to sit down and post a quick update on how things are going at the new shop. As you'd expect, I've been in three or four places at once lately and it doesn't seem to be enough. There still seems to be so much to get done.

Some signs are good though: One couple came in and, between them, filled up a rewards card in two days. That's twelve drinks! Simple espresso mostly. I don't expect to see that every day but it's nice to get some good response.

On the other hand, I've had a customer or two walk out because of the pricing. This might be a reflection of the economy, or maybe Greenville but it could very well be that I simply haven't communicated adequately what we stand for or what we hope to achieve. So let me do that right now: Coffee, carefully and ethically employed, has the power to improve the the livelihoods of farmers, roasters, retailers and even customers. For each of those respective groups that means different things - farmers need more money and customers need something Good to drink.

Coffee & Crema is a ridiculously small company. Seriously, it's ridiculous. But even ridiculously small things sometimes move big objects. And that's what we want to do. Stay small (somehow removing the ridiculous bit) while positively impacting every single person with whom we do business.

OK, enough of that. I've three or four other places I need to be right now! Hopefully I'll update happenings here at the shop a little more regularly now that some of the crazier stuff is over. Till then, wish us luck (and lots of business).

Unveiled!

2009-02-27T18:49:00.001-05:00

I've been up since 4:30 this morning and feel pretty wiped out but wanted to let you know that the inspectors came by today and everything went off without a hitch (a few fire alarms but no hitches). And a couple hours later the space was turned over to me!

I'm too tired to celebrate much but I'll be at the shop bright and early tomorrow morning so stop by and say hi if you have a chance. I'll find you a chair, somewhere ...

Getting Close

2009-02-25T20:50:00.002-05:00

Things have been pretty hectic here at the shop and I haven't been able to post much lately but things are still moving! In fact, we are only waiting on inspections. We have started moving equipment into the space and that includes the centerpiece of any coffee shop: the espresso machine. Strange that coffee shops require an espresso machine and not a coffee machine, but who's nitpicking right?

So what we have here at the new Coffee & Crema is a La Marzocco GB5, shipped out from the west coast last week. It uses some of the highest technology available for brewing coffee in the United States. And came broken. The problem was clogged ruby gicleurs. In layman's terms that that means no water would come out of the espresso machine. But it proved only a minor problem to my expert installers (thanks Dave & Byron!) and we were ready for fun in no time.

As you can see the knock box is built into the counter just to the left of the machine. I was afraid it might force us to lean over too far to reach the top of the espresso machine but everything works great! Grind left, tamp center, knock left, repeat. On the right side is the pitcher rinser and fridge. This should, ideally, be the place to froth and build drinks. Two people would be able to work on a two group machine without getting in each other's way. All that's left is the pudding, or the proof in the pudding, or maybe just the proof with a little pudding on the side …

Anyway, the teamwork thing will require some testing before we pass verdict on it but I have high hopes.

I'll be at shop tomorrow morning at 6 to get into the swing of things, though technically we can't open for business until the inspections have all gone through. If you have a moment stop by and say hi, but be warned I might put you to work!

Keith Poulos Tonight!

2009-02-18T14:24:00.000-05:00

I know I should have reminded everyone Monday or something but Keith Poulos is coming to the shop TONIGHT to play from 6-8 PM. Definitely come by and make him feel welcome! After all, he came all the way from Virginia to perform at a mall ...

And so you have money to throw in his hat at the end of the night: From 6-8 PM $1.00 off any drink on the menu!

I hope to see you all tonight!