mmmm yummy iced coffee. we’ve got it now, making it every day, and it’s extroardinary. ethiopia yirgacheffe harfusa brewed pour-over-style onto ice to lock in the aromatics. it’s naturally sweet and creamy and so perfectly refreshing that on these warm days i’ve been drinking too much of it and haven’t been able to sleep.
Try some this Monday morning at 10am, when you come to our weekly free cupping. all of you who work from home, i know you want to!
well, spring is here, and with it all the herbs in our planter garden. really, the neighborhood is looking so beauitful these days.
coffee news: we are now cupping regularly, every Monday at 10am. free, public, no RSVP necessary.
We’re still brewing the Zaragoza, although we rested it a bit in favor of a pair of great Rwandas — the now expired Nyakizu and the Rusenyi. Now we’re on the hunt for the next house S.O. If the Kenya peaberry weren’t so crazy, you know we’d be having that. try it on the press pot menu. Anne played around with it today and figured out a good brewing ratio: up the dose slightly, brew it at 4 minutes, undisturbed. it really brings out the high notes in this coffee. if you’re interested in purchasing some whole bean of this, or any other, let me know, and i’ll order it. if enough people are interested, i’ll keep stocking 12 oz coffees prepackaged, from counter culture, for sale.
also, i don’t know if i mentioned it earlier, but now all of our milk is delivered to us in glass bottles. it’s the same milk (from trickling springs, from pastured cows) that we’ve been using for awhile, but it’s amazing the difference the plastic makes. this milk is so much sweeter (and better for you and our recycling bill).
and, off topic slightly, but i, personally, am working on how to master this:
that’s OUR kriston capps in that eerie photo, who failed to mention the cafe in the article about him and his roomates (and honorary employee catherine)
from el beit (is that dan?)
this photo comes from WBC James Hoffmann’s blog. He’s coming to DC on Friday for a talk at the CCC training center. open to the public, free, 6:30 pm, i think.
update: here’s the real info about James Hoffmann’s visit, from Catherine’s Washingtonian After-Hours blog:
Friday, March 7: If you’re a coffee lover and have a free morning, head over to Counter Culture’s DC Regional Training Center (1836 Columbia Rd., NW, Suite 202), where reigning United Kingdom and world barista champion James Hoffmann is chatting from 10 to 11:30 AM. Later, at 7, he’ll do a food-and-coffee pairing presentation as well as talk about prepping for barista competitions. Events are free; RSVP to rjensen@counterculturecoffee.com.
We now carry the Times!
(And no, the timing has nothing to do with that absolutely horrible opinion piece printed on Sunday in the Post, or the fact that the editor defended it by saying it was tongue-in-cheek.) (via The DCeiver)
just had to post these from danger dan up at el beit in ny.
above: “all bears dream of espresso”, “bears dream of biloya”, and “Bearly awake.”
from dan: “Bear drawn by worlds greatest bearista, Kristen Deets. “
(thanks, dan)
I love this! It’s a way to combine our french pressed coffee and knit night. Instructions here, at design*sponge (one of my favorite design blogs).
Anyone want to test out a prototype for our smaller individual press pots? I can give out the dimensions.
I just love the buttons on the back.
Local artist — from the studios at 52 O Street — Adam Eig was generous enough to let us display his art on our walls since our opening 9 months ago, and so, to celebrate, we’re throwing him a show closing party, this Saturday the 23rd, from 7-9 pm. Come on over to meet Adam, enjoy the art, have a glass of wine, and hang with your neighbors!
Adam’s bio, after the jump.
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Coffee Fest and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competition are both this weekend! And the WaPo has a little article to go along with it (and they mention us!), and some great latte art video. (updated to add: I think my favorite part of the video is when they swing it double-fisted, with 2 pitchers, at 1:55 sec.) I was trying to get our Joe here to enter the Millrock Latte Art competition, but he doesn’t want to. I think his work is just as good:
I’ll be judging a part of the barista competition, which I’m really excited about. No competing for us this year (I’d be the one to drop the portafilter, I just know it), but maybe next year we can drum up some of our staff to go for it.
update, again: If you’d like to go see either of the competitions, they are free and open to the public on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Main entrance hall of the the Convention Center in DC, before the booths and registration. There will be latte art in the morning, 9-12ish, and then the barista competitions from 12-5ish. The finals for the latte art are from 5:30-7 on Saturday, and the MARBC final will be held Sunday morning (10:30-1), with the awards ceremony from 1:30 -2pm.
I’m sick in bed with the flu (maybe? I feel pretty lousy) and can’t manage to take a nap, so I’ve been reading old emails (and reading “In Defense of Food”, for our book club meeting next week) and looking up coffee on the New York Times. I think they’ve begun taking notice of the specialty coffee industry, just judging by how many articles have been written recently. Look here for the Coffee topics page.
1- starbucks is closing stores and getting rid of egg breakfast sammies. (don’t worry — we won’t be gettting rid of ours anytime soon.)
and 2, from yesterday, about the closing of starbucks stores and a little bit of how mom-and-pops fare better (kind of like that slate article a few weeks ago.
“hyper slow drip cold brew”
from chris baca’s flickr.
i’ve put a bookshelf by the notice board, for books. bring a book to donate to the library. i hope to have it operate on a “take one, leave one” system, once we get enough accumulated.
also, just a head’s up, on Saturday the 23rd of February we’re having a “closing party” for artist Adam Eig’s work, which has been up on display since we opened. Adam, a member of the nearby O Street Studios, was kind enough to offer his work for the past 8 months, so please come out for some fun and to look at some of his pieces. We’ll have music and light fare. Evening, (6ish) til later.
Update: bloomingdale’s own goshdarnknit posted a notice on
Ravelry.com about the knit night (reg req’d). Ravelry is a great social networking community for knitters and crocheters.
Tomorrow marks the first night of big bear’s own stitch ‘n bitch group! The group is meeting at 6:30, by the big couch. Anyone can come, bring your knitting project, have a cup or pot of tea (it’s Tea on Tuesday!).
And Wednesday! The first Book Club meeting, also at 6:30. The meeting will be mainly about logistics, reserving discussion of the first book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan, for the next meeting. See you there.
“almost 3 million gallons of biodiesel could be produced annually from the more than 200 million pounds of coffee grounds Starbucks alone generates each year in the United States.”
- article on coffee-powered cars
We will be pressing 21st de Septiembre, certified organic, shade grown coffee from Zaragoza, Mexico for the next few weeks, as our “house” blend. Peter G (from CCC, pictured above) says the dominant flavor is “a spicy chocolate note which mimics the spicy chocolate that has made Oaxacan cuisine famous.”
Enjoy!
also, we’re featured on their site.
from today’s NYT article, “At last, a $20,000 Cup of Coffee”
also has interesting commentary on the clover.
update. edited to add, from Mr. Jay Caragay, from ‘Spro Coffee in Towson, on the coffeed site:
“ ‘He’s invested time. He’s invested interest. He is ready.’ Gotta love it. It’s a story of a journey through our craft. A sample of the Japanese approach where mastery of craftsmanship is a life-long dedication that much more considerate, poignant and compelling than merely pressing a button on an automatic brewer. “
despite the snow!
It’s really warm and cozy at the Bear, so fear not, the show will go on!
As usual, the event begins at 8pm. Here’s the lineup:
2 poets + 1 essayist + 1 drummer + you > = yes
POETRY by CAREN SCOTT
Current NOVA-ite / Ex Floridian and Atlantite. Author of poems dealing with the supernova that is occurring between your lungs and below your sternum. Also, excellent at playing the singing-saw.
POETRY by CATHY EISENHOWER
Poet and author of the collections Language of Dog-Heads and the upcoming Clearing Without Reversal.
PROSE by JEN GIRDISH
Award-nominated essayist and journalist for places like the Washington Post and the Washington City Paper.
MUSIC by SAHBA SIZDAHKHANI
Drummer, soundscape artist and post-revolutionary composer. Visit him online at sahbasizdahkhani.com to listen.
For more info on future Readings (usually the 3rd Thursday of the month), or about reading inquiries, contact Joe at BigBearReadings@gmail.com
This Saturday the 19th we’re going to do our first ever coffee cupping at the big bear. For those new to this, a cupping is sort of like a wine tasting. From Wikipedia:
Coffee cupping, or coffee tasting, is the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. It is a professional practise but can be done informally by anyone or by professionals known as Master Tasters. A standard coffee cupping procedure involves deeply sniffing the coffee, then loudly slurping the coffee so it spreads to the back of the tongue. The coffee taster attempts to measure aspects of the coffee’s taste, specifically the body (the texture or mouthfeel, such as oiliness), acidity (a sharp and tangy feeling, like when biting into an orange), and balance (the harmony of flavours working together). Since coffee beans embody telltale flavours from the region where they were grown, cuppers may attempt to predict the coffee’s origin.
We’ll be cupping 3 different coffees blind, and offer small quantities for sale (1/2 lb of the single origins). We hope to do this about once a month. Free, 3pm, open to the public, although if you’d like to participate in the full cupping ritual, it’s best to arrive on time.
Also, don’t forget about Cheryl’s Gone (poetry reading) on Thursday night, 8pm. (more after the jump)
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