CityPaper review of our croissants & focaccia

although I'm not quite sure why we the writer said we were an "unlikely" source for good croissants, he nonetheless became enamored of them and the focaccia, two of our newest baked goods from our new pastry chef and friend, farid. he crafts them right next door, every day, just for you. more about farid in a later post, but in the meantime, treat yourself to what has become for me a 15-minute daily ritual-- one of his croissants, pain au chocolat, or a round cream danish, and a classic cappuccino. we would love to hear your reviews. the best time to get your soon-to-be buttery hands on these are at 8am-- as soon as they come out of the oven every day.

flower power

we've brought back iced hibiscus/ginger tea infusion for the summer. the hibiscus plant is known throughout tropical climates for its beautiful flowers and vitamin and medicinal properties. we steep the deep, deep red dried flowers with freshly grated ginger (also known for digestive properties) to create a juicy, somewhat tart, cranberry-flavored drink. try it as a healthy and caffeine-free alternative to iced coffee.

upcoming wireless changes

In a couple of weeks, we will be instituting a new wireless internet policy.

We will be shutting the router off between the hours of 1130a - 2p. The router will remain on the rest of the day, and free wireless will be provided for patrons of the coffeehouse. With purchase of an item, a password will also be provided to access this service, which will be reset every few days and will be printed on the bottom of your receipt.

It is something that we have tried before and believe it to be a good way of accommodating our diverse clientele. In fact, we have arrived at this compromise prompted by a request from Politics and Prose Bookstore's owners and management, who have found their own space compromised by the increased volume of laptop users - namely, folks sitting in the "Remainder Room," which primarily functions as a space for browsing large art books, book group meetings, and for author events, and, secondarily, as an overflow space for coffeehouse customers.

Of course, we are not robots behind the counter and feel that we can be flexible with the new policy. If we feel that we can have the router on during lunchtime then the service will be available without interruption.

Thanks and we welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions.

New Exhibit, Opening Reception June 13

This month's featured artist is Matthew Davis. Check out some of his work here and save the date of June 13 for a fun and fabulous reception we're holding in the coffeehouse. You may know Matthew if you frequent the coffeehouse during the day on the weekdays-- he's often behind the counter.

Matthew is deeply influenced by his family, his spirituality, music, literature, and fine art; from Jack Kerouac and Richard Farina to M.C. Escher, Jim Dine, and the Renaissance style. His modern inspirations include Shepard Fairey, the guerilla art movement/philosophy and the conviction that drives the people of Washington, DC.

UPDATE: Several of you have asked about Matthew's work already. YES-- it is for sale, and you can pick up his card at the counter or stop by when he's working to inquire about prices.

Review: Roasting Plant, NYC

Background: Roasting Plant has a handful of locations around NYC, founded by a former Starbucs exec and engineer. He developed a trademarked machine called a "Javabot" (no joke) where the beans are roasted on site, sent to vertical hopper tubes for storage (pic here), and then upon ordering, are shot across the store into the all-in-one Egro brand Swiss Coffee machine that grinds the beans and brews them to order.

Flavor: Customers are prompted to pick which beans they want in their drink, no matter what type of drink you order. I was a little overwhelmed by the bean choices (approx. ten) and after tiring of trying to read over each one, settled on the Kenyan in the middle of the row (beans are arranged from raw to roasted, lightest roast to darkest). In mere seconds, a full cup of coffee appeared before me, complete with a thick crema. The coffee was clean, with berry tones and low acidity and the crema was rich and fresh. I admit I was a little jealous of the machine to produce the perfect crema sitting on top of the brew.

Source: The beans available were sourced from locales in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia and the website describes "an eye towards organic agriculture and fair trade practices".

Rating: Having a cup of coffee brewed individually to order seems to me like an event that one should savor and feel a bit luxurious about, so ordering from a flatscreen menu and having the coffee appear in front of you untouched by human hands kind of put a damper on the experience. I was too skeptical of the Javabot's tamping skills and milk prep to get a latte, but will definitely try one out next time so I can fully judge the "woman v. machine" battle when it comes to preparing a coffee drink. I wonder if a Javabot that can produce latte art is in the works?

new brew

we are now brewing costa rican single origin in addition to the house french roast. this light to medium coffee has an almond aroma and a slightly acidic finish. david recommends making it in a press pot. if you don't own a press, get thee to a bargain department store and buy one now. I have seen them for as little as $7-$10 on sale. Many companies make expensive speciality press equipment claiming the perfectly designed container for brewing coffee, but really, every press pot I've ever seen looks exactly the same-- glass cylinder pitcher/beaker + metal mesh or nylon filter attached to metal plunger. The most important thing is making sure your beans are ground in a burr grinder, not a blade grinder, to produce evenly ground particles, which in turn will produce an even extraction. There are few readily available burr grinders available below $100, and we'll post a review soon of those. In the meantime, if you buy coffee from us by the 1/2 or 1 lb. bag we can grind it for you in our commerical burr grinder in the back. There's also a handful of other variables such as water type and temp, dosing, and brew time that make a difference when brewing in a press pot and I recommend researching that if you have the time. Here's a link to basic instructions on how to make coffee in a press pot.

NEW yummy salad on the menu

with the change in seasons come a change in the menu. we are now serving a chickpea side salad-- a simple salad dressed with colorful and bright flavors of lemon and cilantro, and ginger, cumin, and red onion for kick. pair it with an iced mint-green tea and a piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie and you can just imagine it's almost summer...

Review: Moloka'i Hawaiian Coffee, Trader Joe's

Background: Moloka'i is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago, where King Kamehameha had coffee trees brought in to grow his own "royal" supply of beans. Today these coffee plantations are a source of economic development, tourism, and pride for the islands.

Flavor: Brewed in a press pot, the beans produced a lightly acidic coffee with woodsy flavors and an almond aroma.

Source: This Trader Joe's exclusive of 100% coffee arabica beans lists the product as being grown, roasted, and packed on the island, where "growers control every step of the production process from irrigation and harvest to roasting and packaging."

Rating: The label descibes a dark roast, but the coffee wasn't as full-bodied as I had hoped. For the second pot I used a few more scoops of grounds than normal and it produced a darker brew, but the flavors still weren't coming out (This is supposed to be coffee fit for a king, after all.) Overall, I'm usually a fan of Trader Joe's coffees, for both the price and the variety, but this one doesn't make the cut. Their Bay Blend would be a more reliable choice if looking for a richly flavorful coffee.

what are you drinking/eating right now?

During a recent chocolate craving episode, I visited a corporate-chain coffeeshop for a hot cocoa. What really struck me was the number of non-coffee-related items on the menu boards. The majority were drinks that contained a small percentage of coffee or tea mixed with artificial flavor syrup/flavor powder/pre-made mix, candy bits, copious amounts of milk, and then iced and/or blended and/or topped with more artificial flavor dribbles and whipped cream. This led me to wonder what the most popular purchases are that are happening at our store, so I set up this nifty poll to the right. Of course as standard business practice we do reguarly assess what and how much we are selling and then adjust the menu accordingly, but this is informal and for fun. 

NEW art exhibit is up

Photographer Jacques-Jean Tiziou put the finishing touches on hanging his exhibit in the coffeehouse, and we're excited to have his dynamic images grace our walls for the next eight weeks.

For those of you that favor sitting by the far wall next to the windows, look for the large darkened glass box. Carefully flick the switch on the box sitting on the floor underneath to illuminate some eighty miniature photos inside. According to JJ, that box contains "the most expensive lightbulb I've ever bought in my life" so we ask that you please take caution and not crowd that area with too many electrical cords, bags, papers, or people of any size. We would feel really bad if the box fell and hurt someone or the things inside of it broke.