Coffee and Tea

Not too many people know this but I met my wife, Erika, while working at a coffee shop when I was just 15. Of course it took us almost 7 years before we started dating but little did I know that she was the one. However, looking back I can see why I was attracted to her. She is a bit competitive and when we were working the same shifts she would always challenge me to sell more than her, make coffees faster than her or to simply make better coffee than her. Her competitiveness actually pushed me to learn more about coffee and the making process. I have built upon that knowledge as I have had more experience with coffee over time and can say that I am a coffee nut no doubt. 

I won't bore you with the details of what makes coffee great but it basically comes down to three things: Freshness of the Beans, Blend of the Beans and the Technique of the Barrista. 

Most restaurants and coffee shops can handle the first two rather easily, by sourcing great suppliers and coffees as we have done with what will be our house coffee, Giancarlo from Melbourne, Australia.

The last however proves to be the most difficult. Training someone to understand the nuances of great coffee can be daunting, but not impossible. First, they must be passionate about coffee and love to drink it themselves immersing themselves in the history, 

geography and techniques that make great coffee great.  Second they must be detail oriented and perfectionists so that each coffee is made to exacting standards. All of this is not easy to find, so we are currently searching for a great Barrista to cure your morning and afternoon coffee fixes. 

Coffee often overshadows Tea and while metaphorically this may be true, from a flavor standpoint Tea often trumps its bigger brother. Tea in so many ways is about nuance and subtlety. Teas can often be beguiling in there many aromas depending on the blending, flavorings and quality of ingredients. In many ways tea blending is like making a sauce in the kitchen, trying to layer flavors so that it tastes full of dimension. We have chosen a tea that I think has all the characteristics of great blending in a variety of different styles and flavors, TeaDrop.