As working baristas, we are often asked, "So, how many coffees do
you drink in a day?" However, this is actually a surprisingly difficult question for us and we are likely to answer with an anticlimactic 1 or 2. A better question to as is, "How
much coffee do you drink a day?" to which we answer with a predictable, "A
lot!"
This is starting to sound like a riddle, right? But there is a simple explanation:
Unlike most other brewing methods, when making espresso there is no set "recipe" to follow.
You see, in
brewing methods such as
French Press or
Pour Over, ground coffee simply sits and soaks in hot water, exposing each particle (and thus extracting) for the same amount of time, and then is gently separated using some form of filter. Because these brewing methods are so gentle, it's pretty easy to achieve the same outcome every time, enabling you to set and follow standard measurements.
But it's a little different with espresso where highly pressurized water is forced through finely ground and tightly packed coffee, pushing out the oils and gasses. And with such a forced extraction, coffee particles become volatile, exaggerating the smallest of variables into major factors; such as
roast date, weather conditions (humidity and temperature), equipment temperature, and the list goes on.
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That's right! Enjoy a freshly brewed cup of coffee when you buy a pound of any coffee that is currently featured on our in store
pour-over menu, free! Here's the deal:
Our pour-over menu consists of three coffees that we think are
extra special. Often the coffees being featured will be new, having
unique or outstanding flavors, and even select beans of limited supply. By brewing these coffees fresh by the cup using the
Clever Dripper we hope to share them with you, highlighting their most delicious points and giving them a chance to really knock your socks off!
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What is "mouthfeel", and why is it so important?
Mouthfeel is a term used to discuss the physical and chemical interaction of a food or liquid with the mouth. What makes mouthfeel important is how dramatically it can cause a person to react to a food or drink, despite the taste. To explore this concept and how it relates to being a Barista, we put ourselves to the test!
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Hello All! This last week in our NYC Lab, we took one coffee and brewed it using several different methods. Our goal in this experiment was a) get to know this coffee in a few different ways, and b) to explore the differences/similarities between different brewing methods.
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For me, November came and went, as pumpkin pie making season. In one short month I went from making my first pumpkin pie, to my seventeenth! Lucky for me, there was an absolutely spectacular coffee in my cup to keep me fueled!
Finca Trinidad! from Guatemala!
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Do you have a bean busting, electricity sucking, noisy old grinder at home?
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As autumn nears it's end and mitten season just around the corner, I often seek warmth in a delicious hot beverage from the espresso bar.
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Look at this hot little number.
Soon, we'll be offering three carefully selected gift boxes in stores and online - including free shipping in November and December.
Organics box will feature Ethiopia Amaro Gayo,
Costa Rica and Guatemala
Blends box will include Leftist, Mocha Java and Piccolo Mondo
Select box will contain Panama, Kenya and CoE
HondurasFire engine red, sturdy, reusable and filled with at least one of your favorite Gimme coffees.
Make it a complete purchase with the Hario
Skerton Ceramic Burr Grinder we'll be getting in. More to come on that soon!
September's secret password is
Amaro Gayo. However, we will also accept: "
WOW! It's like blueberry donuts" and "
Yum Yum Yum".
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This week in the lab we are deconstructing our leftist blend by pulling single origin shots of its components. The spectrum of flavors in the coffees pulled by themselves as shots was amazing. Boy did we find some gems! The
Kenya Gatomboya was by far the favorite!
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In celebration and in anticipation of our new Kenyan and Ethiopian coffees a few of us here at Gimme got together and cupped coffee, just African coffees!
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Two East African coffees, and two Centrals. We've been working since February to bring in these
coffees, which means the producers have been working for many months prior to
that. The process can be cumbersome, but the effort can yield unimagined results. This month's arrivals are proof that coffee is personal, coffee is political, and best of all, coffee tastes darn good.
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There have been many shops in
Phoebe Aceto's life: there were the
Gimme Coffee shops (in Trumansburg and on Cayuga Street) where she worked for 5 years as a barista and a trainer. There's also the tattoo shop,
Model Citizen, where she can be found "bringing the pain" while apprenticing with owner, James Spiers. Then there's her mom's kitchen shop for her catering business, in downtown Trumansburg, where Phoebe grew up; there's also her dad's instrument shop. In any event, the question, "Where's Phoebe?" can often be answered in two simple words: "The Shop." Now open at 312 East Seneca Street, just up from the Commons, this new coffee shop venture certainly is aptly named.
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We'll be getting these lovelies in about 4-6 weeks. But of course they won't be blank. Picture a red Gimme! Coffee logo on both sides, full of our freshly brewed
Las Animas micro-harvest.
For sale and for use in stores. For sale online.
Mid summer marks the arrivals of new crop coffees from Central and
South America and Africa. If you don't see your favorite coffees on our
offering sheet this month, keep in mind that there are plenty more on
their way to the Gimme Roastery - like the Costa Rica Las Lajas
organic, Ethiopia Amaro Gayo and Honduras Linda Vista Cup of Excellence
lot! But that's getting a head of the game... this month we're releasing
two new Colombian coffees, and giving a little extra attention to some
old favorites.
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Outside the Scuola di Espresso, the smell of freshly finished and brick-oven browning baguettes mingles with the smokey, golden morning. A vineyard across the flinty valley is rusty-green. And I am wondering if I can expose my personal confusion about: WHAT IN THE H. . . IS pH, by quizzing il Professore. He is not a morning type guy, ya know, but I stumble onward.
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. . . and at the Scuola di, he is turning from the E 61, shot in hand: "You have an example of another variation, which will point out yet another surprising twist of blending. Remember the epiphany of Gimme's
French Roast and an addition of
Rwanda Bufcafe Epiphanie, a marvel of balance, depth, strength, and character. But, first, try this", says il Professore, as I stand in the sun-bathed lab of the Scuola. Lake Cuomo, out of the window, today is azure blue, calm, the temp outside is beehive warm, the air is dripping with volatiles--almond blossoms. I'm ready for anything. . . .
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Maybe you've decided to take our advice. You're standing in your kitchen with a bag of sweet
Hartmann Honey. Maybe you read Jeremy's
(RIP) awesome post
about grinding and decided to go ahead and purchase a modest burr grinder for home. You've chosen
Moka Pot as your method of extraction, and have the grind size and
dose exacted to your taste preference. But what about your water?
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... there is so much going on behind the scenes!
So... there are no new coffees this month,
but it's prime time for approving samples from some of our favorite Central and South American coffee producing countries. We have many lots of new
Colombia Las Mingas in the sample roasting queue, along with new
Panama Hartmann Honey and a whole slew of
Cup of Excellence auctions just around the corner. Tomorrow is the El Salvador CoE auction, and I can't wait to see how some of my favorites do! The CoE Costa Rica auction will take place next Thursday, and while we haven't even roasted these samples yet, I know there are going to be some beautiful mild coffees in that group. In any case, visit the blog on Friday to see if we bid on any El Salvs!
Later this month we will also begin to see arrival samples of some of the coffees we've purchased earlier this spring. We've got two (that's 2) east African coffees that are going to hit American soil in late June / early July.
Kenya Gatomboya is first on my 'Eagerly Awaiting' list. The Kenyan lots that we've purchased in March are really killer, and I really can't wait to see them on our offering list. The second coffee on its way is our new crop
Ethiopia Amaro Gayo. This will be the first of hopefully many years we will be offering this solid fruit bomb Ethiopian. Much more to come on the new release tip in July!
Welcome the Gimme Pint! This 16oz pint will be available for sale in stores beginning June 8. All for-here iced and blended beverages will also be served in these glasses to reduce waste.
... 1H-purine-2,6-dione, 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1,3,7 trimethylxanthine [58-08-2], wasn't it?
Since the druggist was sayin', over a cup of
"Coffee of the Year, Las Mingas", that caffeine, that trimethylxanthine, in the pharmacopeia is listed as a chemical that is odorless and tasteless, to be compounded where an increase in metabolism is indicated, I turned to il Professore of Scoula di . . , because all my references say caffeine contributes to the bitter taste of coffee as much as any other component.
Our Professore looks astonished and pulls down Flament, Coffee Flavor Chemistry (2002) to page 14. "No chemist doubts", says the Professore, "that caffeine is bitter, yet it's role in taste is limited to around 10% of total bitterness. It is unaffected by heat itself, decline is modest or stable in relation to overall weight loss in roasting, but increases in solubility by 10 times at least as the temperature comes up to drinkable hot, very soluble.
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"What it was", says il Professore at Scuola di Espresso, "is the idea that you ought to change the way, the profile, at which you are roasting, depending on what? What idea to pursue, say? Look at Williem Boot's 'Ready to Roast' in September, October issue of 'Roast Magazine', a roast set for hard, for soft, for large."
A new approach, right? Not by roast outcome or cup but by green bean. So we are gonna try what he's up to: roasting a profile to match beans by hardness, by size; we oughta see results.
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Colleen Anunu (Roasting Department Manager), Janet Murray (Purchasing Manager), Anne-Marie Robles (Director of Wholesale) and myself (QC Guy) decided to drive down to Atlanta for the annual SCAA trade show. Yeah, real smart guys, 15 hours in a 2001 Hyundai Elantra, with people you work with every single day. DEDICATION folks, DEDICATION.
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The summer menu rolled out today at all of our
retail locations. Stop by for a
cold brewed cup of iced coffee, some blended
espresso fanciness, or your favorite drink over ice.
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It's no small feat, this brew. From
farm to ship to roastery to your
kitchen counter, there are many variables at work which can make or break it. Does the prospect of controlling all variables overwhelm you? Does this photo overwhelm you? We're here to help.
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Escape your cubicle! Run away from your boss! Wheeee! Don't these 1970s pictures from the Hartmann family make you want to seek challenge and adventure? Okay, so creating a coffee finca isn't merely a jaunt in a jeep, but some days the thought of living closer to the land and being self-sufficient has its appeal. We received the snapshots with our shipment of the delicious
Panama Hartmann Honey. I think that might be
Ratibor Jr. in the back with a snack.
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Yesterday we unveiled the new labels for our coffees! All of
the coffee labels have been updated with accurate data, and we have
tweaked the label design to represent that new data. We've worked in-house to develop a solution to provide specific information about our unique coffees. It's been a long time coming!
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Enjoy
free shipping on orders over $20 in April. No coupon necessary! Just choose the Free Shipping option at checkout. Good on all orders over $20. UPS Ground. Contiguous USA only. Expires April 30, 2009 -- so
go shopping!
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Save on your favorite Gimme Blends in stores and online starting April 1!
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Panama Hartmann Honey beans ship in space-age mylar. The opaque, air-tight, puncture-resistant bags lock in freshness and repel the stray odors of neighboring freight.
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It's easy to forget that the beverage, grounds and beans that we sling and drink every day come from an agricultural commodity like any other. Well, not exactly like any other - it does hold the distinction of being the second-most traded commodity after oil.
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Gimme customers and staff were treated recently to a meet-and-greet with Alejandro Cadena and Giancarlo Ghiretti, founders of the
Las Mingas Relationship Coffee Project, who work directly with the farmers that produce our beautiful
Las Mingas beans. Our special guests from Bogotá lectured one night in Ithaca, and the very next night in New York City. That NYC lecture hadn't been scheduled until Jenni, our
Manhattan manager, asked Giancarlo and Alejandro if they could do a repeat talk the next night before leaving the States. Very gracious of them to oblige.
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Brazil is a beautiful country with beautiful people, beautiful food and most importantly: beautiful coffees. We are very happy to bring two new offerings on board from the number one coffee producer in the world, and some of the finest people on earth.
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Our
Decaf beans start out in Narino, Colombia, and are processed so
that the outer layers (called the "cherry") are removed.
After this
processing but before being roasted, coffee beans are referred to as
"greens". If coffee is going to be decaffeinated, the caffeine must be
extracted after the beans have been processed. The greens are then
sent to Germany to a decaffeination plant.
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Don't let the end of winter get you down. Lift that shroud of cold and gray with a fresh spot of
Rwanda!
This is not the Rwanda of old. Indeed, it's
fresher than fresh and ready to raise your spirits. This year's crop is now replete with
honey and floral aromatics, with wonderfully puzzling
middle eastern spices that are heightened by a
blackcurrant sweetness.
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Last night before a crowd of 50 people at our State Street cafe, Gimme Roasting Manager Colleen Anunu gave an introduction to our work with the
Las Mingas Relationship Coffee Project. In the audience were Las Mingas founders, Alejandro Cadena and Giancarlo Ghiretti, as well as staff and customers.
Gimme Manhattan manager Jenni Bryant and colleagues came all the way from New York City. It was great to rally so many people around a common interest.
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Colleen and I went to Geneva, NY to pay a visit to the Food Research Lab for Cornell University. She was giving a talk about our involvement with the Las Mingas project. We will be giving our own presentation this coming weekend, check it out!
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The Cenaproc Cooperative grows coffee at about 6,000 feet up in the Andes, surrounded by the
Yungas cloud forest. When they sent us their newest harvest of
Bolivia Fair Trade Organic, they also sent this great picture of the clouds hanging right over the forest canopy.
Cafe Life New York is almost out of stock - get one of our last copies today!
While you're here, pick up the perfect ceramic cup for sipping one of our newest crops, Colombia Las Mingas.
For many coffee roasting companies, there is a need to have a variety of roast levels and a variety of coffees from different coffee growing regions. The regions are Latin America, Indonesia and Africa (the major ones anyway, I am NOT touching the Jamaica Blue Mountain one). The photograph above demonstrates Java at two different roast levels. Our pursuit of perfection is endless, and our obsession with coffee profiling is somewhat, well, obsessive.
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Ratibor Hartmann Jr., the farm manager at Finca Hartmann, has helped to develop the farm's unique approach to coffee.
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It's a veritable bargain buying bonanza! All you have to do is:
1.) Head on down to
State St. Gimme! Coffee2.) Buy a cup of coffee*
3.) Choose the Daily Roast**
4.) Chat with Devorah about the
Panama Hartmann Honey5.) Brag to your friends about your daily accomplishments
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Q : What's fresher than fresh?
A : Colombia Las Mingas, Rwanda and Panama Hartmann Honey!!! Today we're releasing the newest crop from each of these origins.
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If you already receive our monthly
News & Discounts email, check your inbox for an exclusive coupon:
30% off all coffees. If you're not a subscriber,
sign up today. Don't miss another discount!
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The Las Mingas Program is one of the most responsible and direct source models available to specialty coffee roasters throughout the world.
Still, it only represents 0.025% of Colombia's annual coffee production.
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Our newest Brazil coffee is grown on the hilly highlands around Rio de Janeiro.
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Chris and Kathy Beatty have been coffee hardcore aficionados for years.
So when they heard my wife and I were moving back east for me to work for Gimme! Coffee again, they were stoked. As were we, because Gimme! feels like a family, and I feel at home here on the east coast for sure. Living in the Bay Area taught us an immense amount about the importance of food, beer, wine, and cooking. For my in-laws, these things were always important and played a significant role in their lives, even in a small town in Ohio. For them, knowing where their food comes from, sourcing things as locally as possible and supporting small businesses is something they live their lives by.
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If you already receive our monthly
News & Discounts email, check your inbox for an exclusive coupon:
35% off all coffees. If you're not a subscriber,
sign up today. Don't miss another discount!
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Coals from the stove. To spark a little campfire.
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The Chemex is a simple pourover brewing device that uses heavy, unbleached filter paper to slow the brewing process and prolong the exposure of the ground coffee to water.
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The Moka Pot has been brewing coffee on household stovetops for over 70 years. Using steam pressure, it yields a strong brew with a heavy body, similar to press pot extraction. It even produces a small amount of crema.
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If you go on over to the Costa Rica La Union page and check out the bag label, you'll read the descriptors snap peas, jasmine and alfalfa flowers. During recent cuppings, I've also perceived cocoa, fresh earth and peaches.
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We can't wait to roast your coffee.
Bum-Pa-Dum! Sound of trumpets. The first wave of
Coffee Gift Boxes is on the move. If someone ordered a box for you this past weekend, one of these puppies is yours. And it's already on the way. If you're certain that nobody ordered a box for you...
get one yourself!
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What's in the box? This stylish, reusable gift box is filled with 3 pounds of coffee goodness. Select from 3 Coffee Gift Boxes - Organics, Blends and Limited Edition.
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Announcing the addition of the Gimme Hat to our family! This embroidered black Thermax performance hat is perfect for keeping your noggin warm and dry. This guy will be available for sale in stores and online very soon!
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I am the official Gimme! cupping spoon. I am instrumental in the daily decisions that are made at the Gimme! roasting headquarters. Let me take you through my typical routine.
I like to wake nice and early.
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Sigri Plantation is located in the Papua New Guinea highlands. Growing conditions here are well-suited for coffee: about 5200 feet above sea level, with a cool climate and plenty of rainfall.
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If you already receive our monthly
News & Discounts email, check your inbox for an exclusive coupon:
20% off all coffees. If you're not a subscriber,
sign up today. Don't miss another discount!
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This holiday season, you'll be able to spread the cheer with Gimme! Coffee ceramics! No one will say, "you shouldn't have."
These hand-crafted Italian ceramic demis, cappuccino and latte cups are printed with our logo on both sides and the saucer has an ! in the center.
Available for sale in stores and online in December!
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Once again we've indulged our penchant for rejuvenating vintage equipment. We were lucky to find this demure, 30-year-old beauty in decent shape. Now, tuned and tested, it is ready for title transfer and an opportunity to shine.
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The families at
La Union wrote to say, "Gracias!" and included a colorful enamel cup too. I thought I'd share this hand written note on behalf of the Vindas-Camacho family. They're keeping it real.
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Daterra Estate's commitment to quality and sustainability has made it one of the best-known farms in Brazil.
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We got a call from "Saveur" this summer. They said, send us some beans. What kind, I asked. Something good for breakfast, they said. With nothing else to go on, I queried our coffee strategists. They debated quickly and chose a half-dozen bags to send. Weeks later, we got word that the editors loved our
Sumatra Iskandar.
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Here's a rare look into the coffee mind of John Gant, Master Roaster at Gimme! Coffee. John's signature style of working with coffee -- roasting, tasting, tweaking, and communicating the nuances -- goes on full display in this cupping report that he penned about our Rwanda Bourbon Bufcafe. It's a joy to read John's expressive, exuberant prose.
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Shoye is one of 45 cooperatives in the Sidamo growing region of Ethiopia.
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Mill owner, Epiphanie, shows the Gold Cup that the cooperative won in Rwanda's national coffee competition.
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Fresh-picked beans dry on raised beds at Mesa de los Santos in central Colombia.
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In Colombia the hills are lush with coffee fincas (farms).
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Several different lots of coffee beans dry in the sun at the Malinal cooperative in Narayit, Mexico.
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Coffee beans are raked out on patios to dry in the sun.
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The traditional grip.
(Note: All mugs are printed with the Gimme logo. This picture is of the sculptor himself in studio.)
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Maria Elena Camacho and family, at home on “La Unión” farm near San Rafael, Costa Rica.
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The farmhouse at La Virgen, near Estelí, Nicaragua.
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In the old-growth forests of Elk Hill Estate, wild elephants sometimes stop in for a visit.
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Cup of Excellence winner El Bergel, a brilliant harvest from the small farm of Colombian Alvaro Cruz.
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There's precious content inside, but can “Barista Manual 1.0” take the punishment of fieldwork? Before getting our stamp of approval, the “Manual” got a whoopin' in our espresso lab. Here, a 30-second blast from the steamwand.
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I spent my holidays in south Florida, where the coffee pickings were slim - it was a good thing I brought a French Press and some 
The 
