On Sunday in Ithaca we here at Gimme had an internal latte art throwdown. It was time to show off new tricks and old favorites that we can pour into lattes and cappuccinos. This competition was not only for fun, we were competing for an Aeropress. Aeropress is a fun, fast way to brew a cup of coffee that not many of us own, so the competition was fierce. We ran this competition head-to-head style, with two baristas steaming and pouring at once, with the better pour moving ahead to the next level. Think college sports brackets, but with milk, and you have the right idea.
State State veteran barista Benn Bartishevich took home the grand prize. He's always pushing the limit to learn new latte art tricks, and it was his creativity that won him the competition. Congratulations Benn! Keep an eve out for stunning art from this guy next time you are in our state street store. He keeps turning out beautiful drinks.
This weekend, Team Gimme will begin our fundraising campaign for the 2010 Southern Tier AIDS Prevention Ride For Life. The grand prizes for this years raffle are two bicycles that will be
raffled individually. The bikes are on display in the front window of the Cayuga Street cafe.
Tell me more about these mad whips!
The
first is a 1971 Raleigh Twenty, a 20-inch three-speed folding bike.
The folding frame is unique as it can be collapsed into a small, easy
to stow package that begs to tag along wherever the day takes you.
Modern folders are great utility bikes for large metropolitan areas,
but they don't have the style that the Raleigh Twenty
had. This bike is 99% original, and was given a complete rebuild from
the frame up over the winter. A huge thank you to Alice Heise for
contributing the bicycle.
We've had Clever Coffee Dippers in our stores for quite a while now, and I've had one at my house for just as long. It's a great little brewer that I've come to take completely for granted. It's not the only way I brew at home, but it's become my go-to method most mornings. I've gotten so used to it that I've forgotten how truly great the design is. I recently had a lot of family in town and my father started calling my Clever the "Magic Coffee Cone." I thought this was very cute and fitting.
Here at Gimme we recently had the pleasure of inviting local yoga teacher Rachel Bush into our lab to teach us how to better protect and use our bodies while on bar. It was a very helpful hour and a half session and I am eager to share a bit of what we learned. Retail managers Liz Clark and Emily Thompson are the gracious models for these pictures.
Shanika's been working with Gimme! Coffee for about a year and a half. She's a full time barista at the State St. location, where her sense of humor and stellar drink making skills have proven valuable assets to the team. It should also be noted that if there was a contest for the nicest smile there, well Shanika would probably win it.
Guatemala has been in the news a lot these past few weeks. First there
was the continuous eruption of Volcán de Pacaya to the south west of
Guatamala City that covered the streets in up to 8 inches of ash. Then
Tropical Storm Agatha bombarded the western coast
of the country, causing vast devastation to properties, infrastructure,
and even caused a sinkhole in the middle of the city. Meanwhile, an
international jury
of about 25 professional coffee cuppers withstood the environmental
conditions to classify the top 28 coffees of this year's Guatemalan Cup
of Excellence. Ok, so the Guatemalan Cup of Excellence may not have been
the most
interesting story to come out of Central America in May, but let me
tell you more about it anyway.
The coffee that we all love and drink daily is the end product of a long process. One crucial stage of this process is how the coffee seed is removed from it's fruit. We are lucky to have on our shelves coffees that reflect a few different ways this can be done. In particular, we have coffee from the Amaro Gayo mill in Ethiopia processed in two different ways: Sundried and Washed. We have come very close the end of our lot of Sundried Amaro Gayo and will only have it in stock for a few more weeks. To send off this coffee that many of us have grown very fond of i would like to cup it in the lab with you this Saturday next to the Washed version. We can talk about, and taste, the difference that processing can make. We will also taste a washed and a pulped natural South American coffee.
So, if you are interested in learning a bit more about coffee and coffee processing, come to the open cupping this Saturday, July 3rd, at noon. Open cuppings happen every Satrday at noon in the lab at the back of the State Street Gimme. I hope to see you there!
It's been a little over one month that I've been hosting open cuppings in the lab in the back of the Gimme! Coffee on State Street and things couldn't be going any better. Each week there has been a different, small, very interested group of people showing up to talk about and taste coffee. We have had a diverse group of folks attend; roasters from other coffee companies, students from the universities in town and many regulars from our cafes. It's great to see how information is shared, and misinformation dispelled, when you get a good mix of people together. For many people this tasting was the first time they realized coffee can be sweet without sugar. So don't worry if you don't know anything about coffee or feel like a pro taster. If you've got a tongue you are welcome to join us.
This past Sunday, Gimme Coffee brought home the trophy which Team Gimme fought for in the first ever Battle For The Bean against Team Coffee Mania. Here Gimme's Tomas Reyer is enjoying the thrill of the win surrounded by Team Gimme rollers.
It was nip and tuck in the first half as the two teams battled it out. But the 2nd half was dominated by Team Gimme leading to a final score of 113 to 157.
Check out the handmade trophy as it makes the rounds to each store.
The Ithaca League of Women Rollers is partnering with Coffee Mania and Gimme! Coffee for the first-ever intraleague bout on Sunday, May 16, at the J.M. McDonald Sports Complex in Cortland - the league's springtime home track.
For this special event the ILWR teams, the SufferJets and BlueStockings, will be reblended to form two high-octane teams--Team Gimme! and Team Coffee Mania. Whether you wear Gimme! red or Mania purple, you'll be able to cheer for your favorite ILWR skaters as these one-time teammates turn on each other for this special event - the Battle for the Bean. Come see which team will take home the Bean Trophy.
Doors open at 4:30 pm and the first whistle blows at 5:00 for this Sunday evening event. Tickets are $10 for adults. Kids aged 12 and under are admitted for free. Tickets for this bout and the entire 2010 season are now available through the league's newly designed website. Tickets are also available at the Ticket Center at Center Ithaca on the Ithaca Commons. For information on riding the ILWR Fan Van from Ithaca to Cortland, e-mail events@ithacarollerdery.com.
The J.M. McDonald Sports Complex is located at 4292 Fairgrounds Drive in Cortland. Join your favorite skaters after the bout for more fun and music at the Darkhorse in downtown Cortland.
This bout is generously sponsored by Gimme! Coffee and Coffee Mania. ILWR is sponsored all season long by platinum sponsors Cayuga Xpress, Gorges Website Design & Development, Clayburg Creative, and Angry Mom Records.
The NYC gimme! family (or staff) is pretty close and often spends time together both at work and in leisure, but it's a rare treat to find us all together in one room. Thanks to a recent staff meeting, all gimme! baristas from both our Lorimer st and Mott stlocations came together for an evening for information, sandwiches, cake, and fun!
Meet the NYC gimme! team! From Left to Right: (top) Rick, Pete, Laura, Aaron, Adah, Jason, Elia, (bottom) Alex, Theo, Ian, Joe, and David. Though present, Sheena was taking the photo, and sadly we were missing Marta and Aleks.
Have you ever looked into the back lab at state st and seen a group of Gimme folk standing around the table totally focused on small cups of coffee? You may have. We are back there several times a week cupping. Cupping is a specific kind of coffee tasting, a standardized way to evaluate coffee which is practiced all over the world. It's the way green buyers decide which coffee to buy. It's the way roasters decide on their profiles, and it's the way we baristas get to know the coffees on our shelves so that we can better describe the taste to you. Starting this Saturday we would like you to come cup with us!
Mark your calendars for the first ever Battle For The Bean, presented
by The Ithaca League of Women Rollers and sponsored by Gimme! Coffee
and Coffee Mania. More details to come!
Bright and early on a Saturday morning, dozens of people gathered at the State Street training lab to taste the new Las Mingas harvest. Our crew of awesome baristas served up Las Mingas Huila and Las Mingas Cauca in three ways: pourover, French press, and espresso shots.
Hello Friend! You are cordially invited to a coffee tasting and lecture at the Gimme! Coffee on State Street in Ithaca, New York. We here at Gimme really love the coffees we purchased this year through the Las Mingas program. If you've been able to try any of them on pour over this month, then chances are, you love them too. But, did you know we love the Las Mingas Program itself? If you would like to learn why, come to this event for a chance to spend some quality time with your favorite Gimme baristas. We'll tell you all about it! This is the time to come learn a little more about this different model of coffee trading,and why it is so unique and important. You will hear stories direct from Gimme's green buyer, Colleen Anunu, and have a chance to see pictures from her recent trip to Colombia to meet the people responsible for growing these lovely coffees.
Here's the details: This Saturday, April 17 2010, come to State Street Gimme for a free coffee tasting that starts at 11 am. We will have all three Las Mingas Lots available and will be brewing them several ways. Then, at Noon, Colleen Anunu will give a presentation on the importance of the Las Mingas program and share her personal experiences. There will be time for questions to be answered. So come prepared to get cafinated and involved.
Free Coffee? More info on how Gimme finds our exceptional beans? A chance to schmooze with baristas and other coffee enthusiasts? You better be there!
You may have noticed our pour over menu for the month is all Colombian coffee. Specifically, Colombian coffee purchased through the Las Mingas Program. Las Mingas is a quality based program for sourcing coffee created by Virmax, a Colombian specialty coffee exporter. The Las Mingas program connects specialty roasters like gimme with a multitude of high quality samples that we are able to blend into regional offerings. The samples are from farms as small as two hectares, a size too small for Gimme to purchase, market and sell. Through the Las Mingas program we are able to create specific macro lots, from several small farms, that represent a specific flavor profile of a region. This is the third year that Gimme has participated in the Las Mingas Program and the coffee keeps getting better. We have two Las Mingas macro lots on our shelves and offered as pour over this month. The lot from Cauca, a department in Colombia right on the pacific coast, is very floral and full of light sweet citrus notes. The lot from Huila, directly east of Cauca but separated by mountains, is very creamy and rich. The third option on the pour over menu this month is also a Las Mingas coffee, but it is so unique and beautiful we couldn't stand to blend it with anything else. The name of the farm this coffee comes from is Bella Vista.
The Retail division of Gimme! Coffee is currently seeking a Regional Manager to provide operational oversight and cultivate coffee skills for our NYC cafes and employees. The NYC Regional Manager will lead a portfolio of stores. The ideal candidate for this position will be a proven, mature, coffee geek extraordinaire with excellent management, leadership, and organizational skils.
Last weekend Gimme barista Liz Clark performed in the Northeast Regional Barista Competition. She had been working with our Guatemala Santa Elena for the past few months, learning to coax out a range of flavors from her shots. It's the beauty of this coffee that made her decide to compete with it, and the versatility of it drove her presentation. In a Barista Competition participants are asked to prepare twelve drinks in fifteen minutes. They must make four single espressos, four cappuccinos, and four signature drinks of their own creation. The competitors are judged by seven judges on consistency, presentation, coffee knowledge and overall deliciousness of their drinks. The performance is more than just time to quickly make drinks, it's time for baristas to share their love of, and connection to, coffee with an interested audience. Baristas know that they are often the face that is associated with the coffee they are serving, but also that they are just the end point of a long journey.
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 PourOver, 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.
This weekend a few of us are headed down to Boston to cheer on Gimme barista Liz Clark in the the North East Regional Barista Competition. She's been hard at work in the lab for months and is ready to get up on stage and share her love of coffee. She's been playing with our Guatemala Santa Elena and is getting delicious shots from it. This coffee also yields the sweetest cappuccinos I have ever had, and I drink a lot of cappuccinos.
If you are in the Boston area and would like to come show support, this event is open to the public every day! The preliminary rounds of the barista competition run Friday and Saturday from 11am-5:30pm and the top six baristas of the weekend will perform again on Sunday from 10:30am to 1pm. This event is being held at the Summerville Center for The Arts at The Armory. Barista competitions are very fun to watch, and there will be free coffee drinks available all day each day.
Who doesn't love Boston in March? If you've got the urge for a road trip, head to Boston for the Northeast Regional Barista Competition this coming weekend, March 19-21.
We're a Sponsor of the NERBC Espresso & Coffee Bar at which we'll be serving our Leftist espresso and 3 of our favorite single origins on the brew bar - Panama Hartmann Honey, Guatemala Santa Elena and Colombia Las Mingas Huila.
Gimme! Coffee barista Liz Clark will be competing against the best of the Northeast again this year! Good luck Liz!
The Millrock Free Pour Latte Art Championship is a type of Barista competition held a few times a year at Coffee Fest, a Specialty Coffee trade show. As hinted in the name, this is a competition in art only. Taste doesn't matter, participants are judged only on the swirling patterns in their foam. Only forty baristas are allowed to participate, and competitors can enter from all over the world. Last weekend Coffee Fest was held in New Jersey. Being so close to home, a few brave Gimme Baristas could not resist the urge to strut their stuff.
On snowy Sunday we packed our bags and headed south to Scranton. We braved the weather to do what we love: talk about and share coffee! We were headed to Northern Light Espresso Bar a Gimme wholesale account located in downtown Scranton. We wanted to get to know our comrades in coffee a little better.
When a building-wide, freak power outage struck 228 Mott St yesterday just after sunset, panic broke out amongst the coffee-seeking, snow-storm-refugees at Gimme! "No Coffee?!"
But there was hope..
I adore the coffee from Amaro Gayo. It's been a pleasant month of enjoying both versions of this coffee.on pour over. The WashedAmaro Gayo is blowing me a away this week.
In that moment before the coffee actually reaches my lips I'm engulfed in the scent of fresh flowers;. It offers a sense memory of blooming flowers in the midst of this harsh winter. The floral notes I pick up vary from lavender to jasmine and rose. Once I get a taste, it's a very smooth and sweet cup, silky even. The spring floral scent is not overwhelming in the taste, it turns juicy, crisp and refreshing. Then, I get a warm feeling of cookies from this coffee; fresh baked lemon lavender shortbread. Yum. I think I'll be baking this weekend.
Almost too perfect to be real, this latte sporting the classic Gimme exclamation point was poured by Mott Street's own barista-in-training, Sarah! One might think that Sarah has been practicing this neat trick and has finally reached perfection, however this is not the case! What you see here is Sarah's very first latte! Although this untraditional latte art may have been unintentional, it's no mistake! So Sarah, if you have been unsure thus far, I think this is a pretty clear sign that you are meant to be a part of the Gimme Family!
If you combined Madrid with South Beach, added a little Brooklyn, some sweetness, and crossed all of that with a surfing bad ass you would get Maria Fuenmayer.
Have you been by our Green Streetlocation lately? Were you treated to a morning of Big Band classics? Or perhaps your afternoon was a journey through the discography of Brian Eno? Was it Crooner Hour? Our baristas choose what's playing daily in our cafes, knowing that the music helps set the mood. The cunning baristas at Green Street took their tunes one step further by installing a turntable.
I'm spending this Valentine's Day behind the bar at Green Street, and there's no where else I'd rather be! My sweetheart brought me flowers. I've got three Dean Martin records on rotation. I'm pulling shots of Leftist, that taste like dark chocolate covered orange peel, for all the lovebirds on their dates. I hope you are feeling the love buzz today like I am. What do I care how much it may storm? I've got my coffee to keep me warm.
Those who frequent Gimme! Coffee on Lorimer st. may have been a little confused to walk in last Friday afternoon and find a smiling new face behind the espresso bar. However this man of mystery is none other than Gimme Coffee's founder and CEO, Kevin Cuddeback!
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!
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.
Don't forget to look around. If you do you might notice all of the wonderful art work at our cafes. These are the artists showing until the end of the month:
Christina C. Larkin at Cayuga St. Gimme! Coffee 430 N. Cayuga Street Ithaca, NY 14850
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!
At the upstate stores, and in the lab, we've been playing the game of swirling foam too. Here's some worth showing off, starting with a rosetta in progress by yours truly.
If you are spending some time at Gimme studying, or just enjoying the ambiance of our newly renovated State St. store, I highly recommend giving our new Pour Over Coffee a try.
If you are a regular at either of our downtown Ithaca locations you may have noticed an abundance of new faces recently. They are all baristas in training.
At key moments I've encountered specific coffees that have lined up perfectly with what was happening in my life. Call it fate, call it synchronicity of the universe, call it me liking my job a little too much. I've had coffees comfort me during break ups, inspire me to take a chance to better my self, help me see a city in a whole new way and pull me out of the winter doldrums. The Honduras Linda Vista is one of these coffees.
Gimme! Coffee will be shutting down our Ithaca Farmers Market operations on October 11, 2009. We won't be back in 2010.
The
Market charter requires the owner of each business to be present for
25% of market hours. Unfortunately, I am not able to attend at that level, given my other responsibilities with
Gimme. In the past, enforcement of the rule was more lax. The Board of
Directors recently determined that strict enforcement of the rule is in the best interest of the
Market. So, Gimme! Coffee will no longer
be at the Market.
It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of
this community nexus all these years. I wish we could stay, but I understand the importance of enforcing charter rules evenly. I have confidence in the Ithaca Farmer's Market Board, and that it's governance will preserve and protect this important local treasure for years to come.
We very much look forward to serving you at our
Ithaca and Trumansburg locations.
At 6am on a rainy Saturday morning, the 18 members of Team Gimme (along with their motorcycle safety gang and their canine fan club) were already up and running.
Farmer's Ball & Live Auction - 5th Annual Farmer's Ball hosted by Full Plate Farm Collective to benefit Healthy Food for All. Bid on a Gimme gift certificate and other local items. October 3, Free, Everyone Welcome, Farmer's Market Pavillion, 6pm potluck.
Chamber of Commerce Annual Auction - Plan on attending one of the biggest and best auctions around - the Great Big Chamber Auction 2009. Our CEO, Kevin, was the auctioneer at this event a few years back. We've donated some goodies to the live auction. October 29, Celebrations, 5:30pm.
Arts For All Marathon - Fundraiser for CSMA's Scholarship program. A "moveable auction" book filled with items to bid on will circulate to Ithaca venues in which artists work and perform. Sept 28 - October 24, culminating in a Gala Finale.
Cornell Cycling "Red Cross" Cyclocross - a mix of mountain biking, road cycling and motocross. We're supplying the pre-race caffeine and some beans to enjoy at home for the top finishers. This event will bring cyclists from all over the Northeast to the Broome-Tioga Sports Center. October 24, 10am.
Upcoming bicycle events we're supporting this week.
Ithaca Cascadilla Hill Climb.This is a just-for-the-fun-of-it race up one of the steepest hills in Ithaca organized by the Finger Lakes Cycling Club. There'll be Gimme Coffee at the bottom of the hill to help the racers up! Saturday, September 26, 9am sign up, $5. 10am race.
New York City Bicycle Habitat weekly giveaway item - Gimme cycling hat, 1 pound of coffee and 1 gift certificate! Enter to win at Bicycle Habitat, two blocks west of Gimme Mott St at 244 Lafayette. Keep your stub for an extra chance to win prizes at the Bike Bash, October 8.
We support many fund raising events throughout the year and I'd like to begin highlighting them here. Here are some happening this weekend:
Ithaca
Coffee Tasting Expo at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Taste different organic coffees with Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification, such as our Guatemala Asobagri. Learn about the migratory birds that depend on shade-grown coffee farms for their survival. Free. Sunday, September 20, from 11am-3pm.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology Lecture: The Science Behind Bird-Friendly Coffee, by Dr Greenberg, Director, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Free. Monday, September 21, from 7:30pm-8:45pm.
New York City
The Mia Abides: Fundraiser for the Ocular Melanoma Foundation at the Living Room. An Evening of joyful music in celebration of Mia Jarlov, featuring Adam Levy & the Mint Imperials. $10. Sunday, September 20, doors at 7pm.
For months now this Synesso has been installed in the lab at the back of State Street Gimme, getting moderate use from the trainers and sitting idle most of the time.
As you may recall, we've been working for months to
increase our recycling efforts as part of our participation in the
Tompkins County ReBusiness Partner Program.
Next week, in
all upstate stores, we'll begin expanding our composting program by
leaps and bounds! Stores will begin to collect and compost nearly all materials we use. This will mean way less trash and, literally, tons more compost.
In fact, our Cayuga Street store began a little pilot project a few months back and they have decreased their trash to 1 bag per week - that is about a 90% reduction in waste! They went from a full to overflowing dumpster to one little bag, above. Cayuga Compost turns our diverted waste into fertile soil, which gets used by local farmers, landscapers, and wineries.
Please, when you patronize our stores, be conscious of our efforts and sort your waste into our compost bins. Thanks for your helping us do our part. You'll feel good about it, I promise.
We are proud to be the official coffeesponsor of the 11th Annual Southern Tier AIDS Program Ride for Life on September 12 in Ithaca, NY!
The Ride for Life is a 50, 85, or 100-mile bicycle ride around Cayuga Lake. Last year, the Ride raised over $250,000 to benefit AIDS services and education through the Southern Tier AIDS Program.
Congratulations to all the riders, staff and volunteers who make this event such a great success each year!
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!
I am glad you noticed it! The cute red folder in the front window
of Cayuga street is the grand prize of a fund-raising raffle for Team
Gimme, now in our sixth year of biking the AIDS Ride For Life. All the proceeds will benefit the Southern Tier AIDS Program, which is the primary provider of HIV/AIDS services in the region. A big hand goes out to Phoebe Aceto
for the generous donation of the bike to the cause. I gave it a
complete rebuild from the frame up over the winter.
Raffle tickets can only be purchased at Cayuga Street Gimme. Tell everyone you know to buy a handful! But, you don't have to participate in the raffle to make a donation. Please visit Team Gimme at www.firstgiving.com to make a donation online.
The Ride for Life is a big event in this area, with many participants
campaigning for donations. If no one has lobbied you yet, please
consider making a donation to Team Gimme. All of us -- and all the folks served by the Southern Tier AIDS Program -- thank you!
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.
Barista jams are the equivalent to business conferences, a place where baristas gather to exchange new techniques, make networking connections, see old friends, and hone their skills under pressure behind the bar. Back in June we were excited to attend the Mid-Atlantic / North-East Jam, hosted by Troy Reynard of The Cosmic Cup.
Okay, okay. So GreenStar Cooperative Market here in Ithaca has been carrying Gimme for some time now, both ready-brewed in the deli and for take-home in the bulk section. But just recently they made the decision to carry our one pound retail bags as well! Fabulous news for those who prefer one-stop shopping trips.
Welcome to the 12th weekly installment of State Street Gimme! Coffee renovation updates! The front portion of demo'd wall is almost finished, and you can almost feel what it will be like when that area is completely open, and everyone is free to roam from side to side.
Ashley Cake has been working for Gimme! Coffee for more than 4 years part time. She first started working the Gimme trailer at Cornell in January 2005.
Baristas from every Gimme espresso bar gathered at our State
Street location for a design duel. I snapped
250 pics and slapped them onto an old scrap from my music hobby. It's hyper-kinetic and herky-jerky, so find a friend with a peppy computer and look away if you get dizzy.
Hooray for talented baristas -- such technicians! Stay tuned for official reportage from event impresario Erin.
Welcome to our temporary store front!!! A HUGE thank you goes out to Kevin (CEO), Thom & Tomas (Techs), and James (State St. Manager), for all of their hard work in the wee hours last night, transforming the space above, from the space you saw last week.
I was reading up about wet processing on James Hoffman's site, jimseven, and thought I'd share. James, a former World Barista Champion, gave a lecture at a barista jam in Easton, PA a couple of years ago - he was charming and down to earth, and of course extremely knowledgeable about coffee.
Some of you (the ones that pay attention, or that follow a certain ShotZombie) may have noticed that about twelve feet of the front dividing wall at our State St. location has been removed.
Welcome to week 7!!!! Week of the walls. The gentlemen responsible for plaster round these parts are doing a phenomenal job. You may remember that last week I said that after the spackle it would be time to paint.
Tiborcito is a third generation Ratibor Hartmann. He is 4 years old and has won at least 3 trophies in Moto riding. On my first day on Finca Hartmann, Tiborcito led his mother, sister, uncle, and two visitors on an hour long tour through the nearly 30
acres coffee fields and 150 acres of lush virgin rainforest. Watch the video and read on for more of the story!
Last year at the Ithaca Festival 5814 local residents joined together to form the largest human peace sign, setting a new world record. This year there's no telling what might happen.
Join the Gimme crew Friday, May 29th and Saturday, May 30th on the Ithaca Commons and Sunday, May 31st at Stewart Park for coffee, music, dancing, shopping, and FUN.
Emily Hurst began working at the Trumansburg cafe in Summer 2007. She took off that Fall to finish her degree at Cornell, and returned to Gimme in May 2008.
Jacob was first hired at our State Street location in Ithaca. Jacob has been working the bar there for a little over a year. Jacob is soon to be taking over duties as retail manager at Gimme's Ithaca Farmer's Market booth.
Last week I promised that I would post weekly renovation updates, so that all a yous out there might stay abreast of what's happening behind the papered windows at our State St. location.
When the original "Gimme! Coffee" banner was raised above our Cayuga Street cafe in 2000, thirsty neighbors started flocking. But does the brand a-lure work at sea? Will the 40-pound striped bass who lurk around the Norwalk Islands be drawn inexorably to one vessel above all others? Edward B, a loyal customer from the shores of Long Island Sound, intends to find out this season.
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.
Good taste isn't born - it's cultivated.
And our Leftist Labs - they're real classy. I mean, check out that
espresso ring on the counter. The sophistication of the scattered grounds. In
our lab sesson today, each of the five baristas had ten minutes to step up to the Mirage espresso machine
and "dial in" the grind - that means adjusting the particle size that
the grinder is set to produce, in order to yield a good extraction.
Most coffee I drink is brewed indoors - in the house, in the roastery, or in the cafés. Today, feeling the residual stifling pressure of the outgoing Ithaca winter, I decided to take it outside.
Last week, The New Museum in Manhattan kicked off it's signature triennial, "The Generational," with a performance work by Los Angeles-based artist Liz Glynn and her army of volunteers. Objective: Build Rome (then destroy it) in one day. Materials: Performance-enhancing espresso beverages and salvaged construction stuff. Volunteers drank free at our Mott Street cafe just 2 blocks away.
What does your Gimme sticker collection say about you? Is your bumper covered with !'s? Do you have a wall plastered? What about your bike frame or favorite parking meter? Have you seen a Gimme sticker in a foreign country? Here's a paw on the bumper of an obvious animal lover.
Send your pictures to janet.murray at gimmecoffee dot com. I'll put together an assortment of the best and post a gallery.
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.
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.
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.
The World Barista Championship is just about two weeks away. After taking place in Switzerland, Japan, and Denmark, us Americans are lucky enough to be bringing the 2009 event back home to Atlanta, GA.
Competitors representing countries across the globe will be competing for the coveted position of World Champion. A full list is available on the WBC website.
Several members of the Gimme! staff will be attending to cheer on our favorites. Will you be there?
From time to time I am forwarded emails from the feedback page of our website. I mainly receive inquiries from the 'Our Coffee Beans' option on that page, though I sometimes get 'Other' responses involving general roasting or greens buying practices. Basically, all questions with the common denominator of Greens and Roasting get fielded by my department. Pretty nice, huh? Chat it up with the minds behind the beans.
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.
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.
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.
You may have alreadyheard about Coffee: The World in Your Cup at the University of Washington's Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. We haven't made it out there yet, but they were kind enough to send some photos of the final exhibit. It looks great!
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.
Skaneateles Bakery has been a Gimme regular since early 2006. Located on the north end of Skaneateles Lake and an easy hour's drive from Ithaca, the bakery has carved out a nice place for itself amidst the classy shops and beautiful residences of this resort town.
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!
For baristas around the world there is no event more important than the World Barista Competition. In order to qualify for entry into the WBC you must first win your national title. Here in the States we go through a series of regional competitions (like this one) to determine who will compete on a national level at the USBC.
The 10th and final regional competition kicks off today in Chicago, Illinois. Hosted by Coffee Masters, the Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition (GLRBC) is taking place in conjunction with CoffeeFest. Also happening this weekend in Chicago is the Millrock Latte Art Competition. If this particular event sounds familiar, it may be because you read about the 2008 Millrock champion here, on our blog.
Chicago is definitely the place to be this weekend. To all the competitors, we wish you the very best. Hopefully we'll see you all at the USBC in March.
In an intercontinental expression of solidarity, Hiroshi Sawada, winner of the 2008 Millrock Latte Art Championship at Coffee Fest Seattle, sent these Gimme Gear pics from Tokyo to Ithaca.
Joshua Sperling is a barista at our East Shore and State Street locations. He is also a talented visual artist. A few of his works are on display at State Street this month.
NERBC/MARBC came and went last weekend over in Pittsburgh. Here in the picture above we have the six NERBC finalists waiting to hear the results. A lot of yins have been asking me for the breakdown, so here yins go:
Northeast Regional Barista Competition Winners:
3rd: Sam Penix, Everyman Espresso, New York, NY
2nd: Nik Krenkl, Taste, Newton, MA
1st: Amber Sather, Brooklyn, NY
Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competition Winners:
3rd: David Flynn, Peregrine Espresso, Washington, DC
2nd: Allie Turner, Murky Coffee, Washington, DC
1st: Katie Duris, Murky Coffee, Washington, DC
Jesse turned up the heat at this year's Northeast Regional Barista
Competition (held in conjunction with the Mid Atlantic Regional) in Pittsburgh last weekend, performing his routine in the semi-finals with grace and finesse, and securing him a place in the finals.
On Sunday he competed again, this time against the five other finalists from the Northeast region. He placed out of the top
three, but gave another extremely impressive performance.
In an effort to recirculate $3000 worth of Ithaca Hours, we've made large contributions to the Tompkins County SPCA and the Ithaca Health Alliance, Ithaca non-profit organizations that use Ithaca Hours to buy products and services for the people and animals they serve.
Nothing too fancy today. Just a pile of espresso machine parts that I found rather... attractive. Tomas assured me that every little piece is exactly where it belongs.
Allen was the first person hired at our NoLita location. This means he's been at Mott St. since the beginning. Those of you that tune in regularly know exactly how long that is.
"I love giving kisses. That's why my nose is so pink," says Laci.
This Valentine's Day, support the Tompkins County SPCA Lover's Loot for Cupid's Critters fundraiser and enter to win one of several Gimme prizes, including a demitasse, a pound of Nicaragua and more!
We are proud to support our local no-kill animal shelter dedicated to preventing animal cruelty and overpopulation.
Gimme! Brooklyn welcomed the launch of our Brazilian São João today with a free public tasting. This exclusive harvest is available only for a very short time.
Freshly pressed samples were lovingly prepared by our Baristas and distributed en masse to our coffee friends. We've done this before in Brooklyn and are always encouraged by the positive response we receive from the local community. Though not widely publicized, this event was primarily announced through our burgeoning presence on the social network Twitter (you can follow us here).
If you'd like more information on either hosting our attending our next event, let us know.
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.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, China is quite the anomaly with respect to cafe culture. They are only recently "turning on" to coffee as they embrace some of the symbolic luxuries of Western culture. Fortunately, this is not a barista, but a waiter in a theme restaurant.
In the very early 1900's, there was still lots of traffic on N Cayuga St, the location of our original Gimme! Coffee espresso bar. In this historic photo, we're looking northwest at Cascadilla Creek flowing toward Cayuga Lake under the Cayuga St bridge. Our first Gimme opened on the corner of Cascadilla and N Cayuga St in 2001, about 100 years after this photo was taken.
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!
We had the remarkable pleasure of donating coffee to the African Diaspora Inaugural Ball, hosted by the African Diaspora for Change, held on January 18, as part of the inaugural celebrations in Washington.
Just got our invitation to Coffee: The World in Your Cup at the University of Washington's Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. We can't make it out to Seattle next weekend, but the exhibit will be on display January 24 - June 7, 2009. If you want to deepen your understanding of coffee, and you're in town, don't miss it.
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 Deep Disco. I was awake enough to fill my Florida tourist days visiting rescued manatees Hugh and Buffett at the Mote Aquarium
(this place is rad) and biking around the beach in shorts. Shorts. It
was like an alternate universe where the sun sets at 5pm in the
summertime.
I was in Beijing in late Spring, 08 trying to develop an understanding of the local coffee culture. As I've mentioned previously, the scene is very much nascent. Fortunately for me, the internet discussion forums have a global reach and I was able to get a couple suggestions from Peter Tam. He recommended I pay a visit to Lanzi at Tarot Cafe. That's her in the next photo.
Our handy friend got a package that was plastered with stamps depicting a comet screaming to earth. The shape of the comet struck me as near and dear, nearly identical to one I built into the original logo back in '00.
If something lame happens while you are using our web site, like you click a broken link or the server poops out, you'll probably see the Jolly Roger flying high. It seems to say, Something died here. Was it your patience? Your faith in us?
When our old delivery guy went West to pursue his comic art, Andrew Lunn took the wheel as our new coffee driver... and resident funky ass jewelry artist.
Right after I posted about the snow at State Street, Jenni sent me back a response: "Wow! Looks great, Amina...we are getting a ton ourselves, first of the year, yipeeeee!"
As 2008 comes to an end, I'd like to take a look back and highlight our philanthropic activities. We've proudly donated coffee and goods valued at over $10,000 to more than 150 local and national organizations!
As proud sponsors of "A Murray Little Christmas", four lucky Gimme! Baristas were invited to witness the miracle show created by the "hardest working middle-aged man in show business".
Each Gimme cafe features works of art by local, regional, and national artists. Shows change monthly, if you want to display your art in a Gimme espresso bar, please contact that location. This is a piece by Ruth White, and is currently on display at our Lansing location.
Drive your Toyota like a jackrabbit. Gun it at the greenlight, catch air off a speedbump, carve donuts in your neighbor's lawn. Do it 15 hours a day, 365 days a year. How's that little Corolla feeling now?
Illustrator Christoph Niemann just posted some love notes to coffee at his NY Times blog, all rendered in brew-on-napkin. I especially like his story about trying coffee-flavored ice cream for the first time -- it reminded me of the first bitter sip I snuck from my dad's coffee cup.
Gimme! Coffee, along with several other Ithaca retailers, is participating in the Local Lover Challenge, an initiative that encourages shoppers to buy locally and keep holiday dollars in the community.
Tonight the Rainforest Alliance threw their annual Holiday Party. Although not quite all of the 33,000 members attended, there was a large turnout. Luckily for us, their headquarters are located just a few blocks from our Nolita location.
I had the pleasure of meeting the folks at Cafe Imports last week while in Minneapolis. Amanda gave my family and I the grand tour of their warehouse, roasting lab and offices.
Nolita was lucky enough to be graced by Joseph Brodsky from Ninety Plus
last Wednesday, who regaled us with tales of searching the underbrush deep
in Ethiopia. His mission? To find the best Beloyas, Arichas, and
Geishas in the world.
What's the proper verbiage? Diamondz! Dag! East Shore Skate Park is now open, right out behind our Lansing espresso bar in a reinvented factory space. I'm definitely a poser with a camera so I had a hamster of a time shooting x-games in the dimly lit warehouse. The young gent pictured above and his bros kept flying by my face in the dark. I promised Ben that I would come back in a couple weeks to capture some serious shreddage for a photo gallery. Meanwhile I'll try to learn the camera. They'll add heat and continue the buildout.
I recently plugged Mimi's photos of Mesa de los Santos. Halfway through her gallery, you might trip over this image. I did. On first glance I wondered if Mimi had discovered an exotic rendering of our brand name.
If you haven't browsed Mimi Wysong's splendid photos from Mesa de los Santos, Colombia, here are the photo gallery and travel report. Mimi has a naturalist's eye to match her knack with a camera. She also manages our Cayuga Street espresso bar — the original Gimme location and a perennial favorite of Ithacans.
All 30 baristas from Gimme's four upstate New York retail stores hit the Upstate Training Lab this past Tuesday and Thursday for a tasting of our Nicaragua Linda Vista Cup of Excellence coffee. They learned about the Linda Vista farm, French Pressed the coffee and talked at length about the Cup of Excellence auction.
Mike forwarded me an article promoting his hometown. Is Ithaca an idyllic bedroom community for der Ciudad? If only we had a high-speed rail connection...
Boneshakers is a cycling-themed cafe in Williamsburg opened by Brad Baker, co-founder of Trackstar,
and Megan Blackburn. Along with a strictly vegetarian eats menu and bike-friendly atmosphere, they're
pulling shots on a Gimme-reconditioned vintage 2 group Faema Prestige, nicknamed "the Cannibal" (after three time world cycling champ & team Faema member Eddy Merckx.)
Check out some of our other wholesale clients here.
We are pleased to participate in the Ithaca Youth Bureau Mentoring Discount Program which matches adult volunteers with youth in need of positive role models and supportive social networks. Our espresso bars provide a third place for mentors and mentees to come together for fun, learning and discovery.
Other donations to the Ithaca Youth Bureau include prizes for the One-to-One Big Brothers Big Sisters annual fundraiser, Bowl for Kids' Sake, and the Recreation Partnership's first annual Ithaca Festival Mile. The program coordinator said of our coffee donation for race competitors, "I even heard squeals of delight from the winners."
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!
What's good for the goose is good for the goslings. Gently used duds get the kids looking sharp, are easy on the wallet, and make minimal impact on the environment.
There are few things in the coffee industry that celebrate the art and skill of a passionate barista as effectively as a barista competition. Some of you may recall the NERBC which was held in our hometown of Ithaca. What you may not know is that the NERBC is part of a much larger competition circuit that spans not only the States, but the entire world. Regional winners move on to compete nationally, and national winners compete in a global competition. The next World Barista Competition is being held right here at home, in Atlanta, Georgia. But before that happens, the national circuit must be completed. Enter Canada. The Canadian Barista Competition just completed a tight race in Montreal, Quebec, crowning Sammy Piccolo of Cafe Artigiano in Vancouver the 2008 Canadian Barista Champion.
A. I should have been a bricklayer. B. I like to PhD (...pile it higher and deeper). C. We charge triple for this government contract work. D. All this coffee is making me twitchy.
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.
How often is it that a barista gets a full-page interview in "The New York Times"? Aleks Shineleva got hers in the cool new column Entry Level that profiles people in early stages of their work lives. Aleks is the manager-in-training at our Brooklyn espresso bar.
Hillcrest Dairy is the new milk vendor for our upstate espresso bars. 70 Holstein cows graze on lush grasses and exercise on 20 acres in the fresh air and sunshine.
Mike White, our NYC Regional Manager and a true Gimme veteran, appears in the current issue of "Barista Magazine." Mike's story with Gimme began at our first location and spans 8 years, 5 cafes, and 3 cities.
It should come as no surprise that Starbucks is making aggressive moves in Pacific rim emerging economies. This particular outlet is about a mile from Peking University, the same general area as Google.cn HQ. The Western-culture loving Beijing capitalists are prime targets for adopting coffee culture and fostering a trickle-down effect, helping to introduce the most populous nation to coffee.
Colleen Anunu of Gimme! Coffee explained her love of roasting in a recent tell-all exposé: "It's a pretty positive head space to be in, just me and the beans. Beans don't write comment cards, I like to hang with them."
I need to give a shout-out to TPM, the sharpest investigative news organization I'm aware of. I sent a few pounds of coffee over last week and it arrived in the nick of time, averting a bodega coffee death spiral. The lawns of the fourth estate need some tending every now and then.
Gimme! Coffee sponsored one of the Ithaca Area Ultimate Alliance teams this year, and they called themselves Pwn. Team members were provided with drinks to fuel their game-day spirits.
If you already receive our monthly News & Discounts email, check your inbox for an exclusive coupon: 25% off all coffees. If you're not a subscriber, sign up today. Don't miss another discount!
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.
Two intense years have passed since Peter Meehan reported on the arrival of specialty coffee in New York City -- a few decades after the niche industry got its start on the West Coast. Gimme and our peers have been hammering away at "new wave" practices, with special attention to barista craft, artisan roasting, sustainability, and working closer with farmers.
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.
Before the Coffeelands presentation at the 2008 Barista Jam in Easton, I wasn't sufficiently aware of the problem of land mines in coffee-producing countries. Upon returning home, I did some searching and found 2 videos on the subject. After watching them, I decided to go one step further and donate to the Landmine Victims' Trust.
Dozens of small wineries surround Cayuga Lake. When you're on the east side of the trail, stop at Gimme 34B. On the west side, visit our Trumansburg espresso bar.
Black Gold is a "vivid and galvanizing" documentary (Time Out New York) that explores the international coffee trade and its effect on Ethiopian farmers.
The Gimme blog is a collaboration that gives voice to people across our company. Opinions expressed by our authors are uncensored, and are not necessarily the opinions of Gimme! Coffee. If you need a company statement, or any other type of response, please contact us.
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Photos
Welcome to the 
"I love giving kisses. That's why my nose is so pink," says Laci.
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 
This is what it looks like at 
I recently 
Two intense years have passed since Peter Meehan reported on the arrival of specialty coffee in New York City -- a few decades after the niche industry got its start on the West Coast. Gimme and our peers have been hammering away at "new wave" practices, with special attention to barista craft, artisan roasting, sustainability, and working closer with farmers.
