Joe Coffee Blog

Seed's Journey Through The Roast Process

2012-02-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken by Ed Kaufmann and Michael Eckblad. It shows the bean at about every 30 seconds of roast time. The full roast time can take 12 or so minutes, so this isn't the entire roast time, but definitely the most exciting.

Ed says that if you cut the bean in half with a razor blade while it's still hot, it cuts like butter!

Joe and the Chai Walla

2012-02-10T13:18:00.000-08:00

One of our regular customers at the Upper West Side shop, Dino, just returned from India, where he took along his Joe mug, into which he had a professional chai barista "chai walla" make him the special brew every day.

In this video, besides the well-traveled mug (yours for $10...), you can see immense skill and professional pride in what this man does every day. Not unlike a Joe barista, I am sure he has gone through a lot of training, and that people line up expectantly for the stuff that gets them through.

Enjoy the video!

Tom Matt at Waverly February 1-March 15

2012-02-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

Taking the paper-of-the-day as his canvas, the artist finds city scenes that captivate and spark his creativity. With pastel as his medium of choice, he draws these views 'on-site' on top of the front of New York newspapers. The merging of city-news and city-views forms a unique portrait and synthesis of a layered metropolitan landscape.

The series is available as commissioned artwork, originals, and limited edition prints.

http://www.tommatt.com

Marqaha!

2012-02-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a bit of coffee history. The Sufis, a branch of Islam, were the ones to thank for the spread of coffee from Ethiopia to the middle east, where it exploded in popularity, eventually making it's way to us and the entire globe.

The sufis worshipped at night because they all had jobs during the day, and since it was discovered that the coffee berry and seed promoted wakefulness, they drank a beverage made from it and were able to pray, a very physical act in Sufism involving hours of whirling into religious ecstasy.

The tattoo above is on the arm of a Joe barista, Alex Bernson, who enlightened me this morning over my cortado. The word is Marqaha, and it means "the euphoria produced by drinking coffee".

Nicaragua: here we come!

2012-01-30T13:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight 6 of Joe's staff are heading to origin for a few days of visiting farms, watching Direct Trade in action and drinking some pretty fresh coffee. Their host is Steve Miersch, one of our Ecco Caffe reps in NYC, but who's family owns several small farms there.

Stay tuned for some amazing stories and photos.

TEDx

2012-01-30T12:58:00.001-08:00

Joe was both thrilled and honored to be a part of this year’s TEDxManhattan: Changing the Way We Eat! Having the opportunity to serve coffee to some of New York’s most passionate, intelligent and influential Farmers, Foodies and Food Justice Activists was a fantastic experience. With a roster of presenters including Michelle Hughes of GrowNYC and Mitchell Davis of the James Beard Foundation, we were also very excited to be able to sit in on some of the talks in between coffee breaks. Early Saturday morning we sent 6 of our best baristas to make Chemexes and talk to attendees about one remarkable coffee, the Colombia Piendamo.

This coffee hails from the Cauca region of Colombia where growing conditions are great for producing tasty coffees. Our particular selection was cultivated by a collective of farmers whose small farms average only 2 hectares in size (approximately 4 acres). All of the farmers came together to agree on quality and production standards with the aim of forming a long-lasting, sustainable partnership for future harvests. The result of their hard work and collaborative effort is evident. Tropical fruit notes with vibrant citrus and milk chocolate, the Piendamo was the perfect coffee to share with folks interested in changing the way we eat.

Team Joe 5 Years Old!

2011-11-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Go Tom!

It seems that time flies almost as fast as that Kenyan who won the Marathon yesterday! 5 years have past since I started Team Joe on a whim. Because of Team Joe, I met my husband, my closest friends, had wonderful running, training and racing buddies, and created a community where people can meet each other. I actually can't take full responsibility for that last part. The team has become its own entity. It attracts great people. In my opinion, coffee lovers and runners are a great combination!

Anyway, yesterday, no fewer than 8 Team Joe members ran and kicked ass in the marathon. Unfortunately I only saw 5 and snapped pics of four...but look how peppy they look! I swear, it has to be the coffee! Well.., that and they are at mile 8 there..

The Team is open to all! No membership sign-ups, no fees, no hazing. Just a great run, a free coffee after(please tip the baristas) and awesome folks.

Saturdays at waverly joe 10AM, Sundays at Dekalf joe in Brooklyn, 10 AM.

Go Di!

Go Mary!

Go Alice!

Caffeine Body Art!

2011-11-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

My waitress at lunch today had this tattoo. She told me it's the chemical makeup of caffeine! How cool is that! She's never even worked in coffee.

New Art @ Waverly. Sara Beth Turner

2011-11-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

There's a wonderful new art show at joe Waverly! Now until December 15th you can see some gorgeous black and white photos. www.sarabethturner.com

Sara Beth Turner is not only a photographer, but also one of our dearest and longest-running customersat Joe.

Sara Beth doesa lot of professional portaiture of children and families. In fact, she just did a beautiful photo shoot of my brother/business partner Jonathan and 2 & 3/4 year-old niece Sally..I'll share a couple of those shots, along with some others from her show.

If you'd like to meet the artist, she'll be having a reception November 10th

from 6:30-8PM.

Field Trip!

2011-10-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

Some of our Baristas took a field trip to our friends at Dallis Brothers coffee roastery in Ozone Park, Queens to see the magic, the alchemy of coffee roasting happen in person. Here are a few pics and thoughts from the trip.

These were the green coffee cherry seeds before she started the roast. We chewed on the raw beans (for a while. They are quite chewy, like the seed of a fruit would be). They tasted fruity and green.

We got a chance to watch the whole process of green to roasted bean. We smelled the progress of the roast as it went by. At first it smelled like cooked fruit, then like a fresh baked baguette, then something deeper, then like perfectly roasted coffee. When it was done, the roaster dumped the beans into the cooling vessel. We ate a few fresh roasted beans right there. They were so tasty and crunchy.

They were raked in a circular tub for a minute or so to cool before they were shipped off into another area.

We saw all of thepeople who made the company run smoothly. All of there bags are filled by machine, but are labeled and finished by hand.

After a long day at the roastery, it was time to catch the train back to Joe. What lucky people we are.

-Andrew Yee, barista Grand Central Joe

Carly's Famous Latte and Ollie's Smooth Talking

2011-10-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, ABC Destinations used Joe Upper West Side (aka "Upstate") to stand in for their Castle coffee house. ABC Destinations shoots in the city that a show takes place and tries to recreate what it would be like to live in the city. Would it measure up?

Certainly the coffee must be better..

I happen to watch Castle, and I have to say, his character is a real high-level coffee aficionado. Not only does he have a sweet espresso machine at "home", but he bought the police station a rockin' machine as well. Probably why I like the show.

Meanwhile, our own Ollie went on camera to converse about what the character Castle might drink if he were a Joe customer. Definite macchiato man.

Carly, meanwhile, took the cameraman behind the scenes to show him the money shot..a beautiful latte pour.

Can't wait to see the show. No idea when it airs..will keep you posted.

-Gabrielle

New Art Show at UWS Joe

2011-10-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Deborah on bike with camels

Deborah Harse, a local UWSer and Joe regular, has spent the last 20+ years traveling the most remote and off-limits lands of the earth alone on bicycle. With camera equipment.

Seeking out what the Western world rarely sees and usually misunderstands.

"The dignity and perseverance exhibited in the face of adversity are among the highest common denominators in human nature." Deborah shows, through the eye of the lens, how amazing the human spirit is. In this show, she shows us the spirit of Cuba.

David Graham Photography Show at Chelsea

2011-10-19T11:52:00.001-07:00

These are a few of David's vibrant photos. The colors are radiant and the subjest matters very interesting. I love the juxtapositions among his work. Come to Chelsea Joe and see them in person. They are for sale, framed or unframed through the artist. As always, Joe does not take a commission; we are just honored to have great local art.

www.davidgrahamlocations.com

Cupping with Ecco Caffe!

2011-10-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

Last week, our lovely friends at Ecco Caffe and Intelligentsia came in from Chicago to share some time, knowledge and great coffee with Joe baristas! Below are photos from a cupping we did together. Photos were taken by 13th street Joe barista Shaun Behrent.

Irene, The Coffee, The Hubby

2011-08-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

The picture above is of me (partner in Joe, sister of The Prez) and my husband Anthony. Anthony works in the business world, in Midtown, and generally wears a suit to work, except on Casual Fridays. For me every day is Casual. That shirt I am wearing in the photo is dressy for me because it has buttons.

It's important you understand all this to appreciate Anthony's first (forced) day working at Joe.

Sunday morning, aka The Storm Of The Century, all seemed clear in the Brooklyn/Manhattan horizon by 10AM. With nothing to do after the Hurricane Pancakes at home, I decided we should venture over to Waverly where there might be possible damage and flooding.

What do you know? There were taxis about! 10 minutes later we were in the store. Damage free with little flooding, I brewed a pot of coffee and opened the doors for business. How busy could it be? I thought.

Anthony has rarely, if ever been on the other side of the counter. I spent about 10 seconds showing him the register before the lineup began. Luckily he had worked his way through college in Australia as a bank teller, so he was good dealing with cash.

The long story short of it is, there was a line out the door, down the stairs and halfway around the corner for the 5 1/2 hours we stayed open. I swear that man rang in 100 people an hour. He charmed all the regulars, the tourists and the curmudgeons. Amazing. Got to love the Aussies.

I hope we never have to deal with another "act of god" again, but it's good to know I have a great worker in my backpocket who doesn't work for money, but solely for love. Poor him.

Class Photo, Summer 2011!

2011-08-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

The Joe University classes have been so popular that we extended them year round! Two evenings ago was the last of the Summer sessions: Milk Steaming Techniques. In this class, Charrow takes a small group, hands-on, through the alchemy and the art (and the agony) of making the perfect milk texture for espresso beverages.

Although it's called an art, making coffee of any sort is really a science that can be perfected with mathematical equations, practice, and of course, great raw materials like high quality coffee, milk and machinery.

The next wave of coffee education will be begin next month! Check out the list at www.joenewyork.com.

Single Origin Espresso @ Waverly

2011-07-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

There are some in our small coffee world who are loathe to jump on the single origin espresso bandwagon, and while I applaud the spirit of their derision if not the conclusion, I do not count myself among them. A single origin, unlike a blend, comes from a single farm or a single lot on a farm, rather than a blend of regions and or farms within a given region. The naysayers will point out that a blend balances the characteristics of differing regions, mellowing out some and enhancing others. Yet there is something straightforward and blunt about a single origin espresso that I appreciate. The flavors are more immediate, well defined and salient. For those who have never tasted a single origin, I would recommend it heartily. However, I urge you to keep an open mind. Single origins, at least from Ecco, are often quite bright, tangy or juicy. This acidity, however, carries with it a beautiful sweetness and fruitiness.

We have just begun a single origin espresso program here at the Waverly Place store. After much pestering on my part, the bosses gave the go ahead and I have been working with the staff and trying to keep the customers informed about the changes. Single origins are known to be fickle and difficult to pull correctly; I have not found this to be the case as much as is rumored, and the staff is doing splendidly. It has been great fun tasting all the different origins—thus far Tanzania, El Salvador and Costa Rica, and discussing it with customers.

So come by and give it a try. Be aware that we prefer to serve it as an espresso or a macchiato, as these let the flavors stand out more. As I am writing this, it is a lovely coffee from El Salvador, the Finca Matalapa Cidra. It has a very juicy apricot tang with a cocoa backbone. It tastes, in the words of fellow Joe employee Shaun Behrent, “of fruit rollups”. Hope to see you soon.

Waverly Joe Coffee Educator,

Brendan Mullally

Pride, Caffeinated.

2011-06-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Last night was the 28th Annual Garden Party for Pride Week to benefit The LGBT Center. For Joe, this is the 3rd year (and counting) that we have participated.

Imagine this: Wendy Williams on the podium, crazy-loud fab d-j'd music by Madonna, Lady Gaga, and other danceable tunes, mostly about Getting Married...free-flowing Vodka drinks, delicious bites from neighborhood restos, and 2 flustered but happy "Joeys" making coffee just as fast as we could.

I got a tasty bite from North Square, a fantastic Whoopee Pie from This Chick Bakes, and then it was time to get down to business.

The business this year was 21-Hour Cold Brewed Granitas and Chemexed Nicaragua Finca La Escondida, described by Ecco as "a smooth and comforting cup with clear notes of Almondine, Raspberry Jam and Butterscotch". It went great with This Chick Bakes' Whoopee Pies, and luckily Jen Houston, the creator and baker, was in the booth next door!

The Cold Brewed Granitas don't actually exist in real Joe life. We make espresso granitas in-store. However, the espresso machine wasn't going to tbe able to keep up for the quantity we needed; something like 800+ people. The 21-hours helped make the cold brew very rich. Though the granitas were a bit softer tasting than the original recipe, they were a lovely, cooling beverage for Pride Revelers.

I can't wait for Garden Party 29. Hopefully we will have catered coffee for a bunch of same-sex weddings in New York by then!

-Gabrielle

2011-06-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

Check out what we've been working on! This Summer Joe is coming to Brooklyn. We're opening up in a shipping container as a part of the Dekalb Market. This project is the very cool brainchild of Urban Spaces, and we'll be opening up alongside some other awesome vendors, crafty folks and urban farmers. We're still in the early stages of design, but we couldn't contain our excitement.

...Ok. Bad pun. Enjoy the sketch.

Brewing it cold at home

2011-06-13T08:39:00.001-07:00

sounded like a great idea, since it had been close to 100 degrees for several days last week. I love the cold brew at Joe, and wanted to recreate it at my place. I have my stash of jelly jars waiting to go for bringing the liquid gold to picnics. Boy, were my friends going to be impressed!

I bought the kit, The Toddy, online. I'd made it before at Joe, and remembered it being really easy. I tried it by memory. Now, if this was a novel, you would know by the foreshadowing that a disaster was in the making. Sadly, this did not happen in my imaginings.

In short, I ruined the Cold Brew. Let me tell you how messed up it got so you can learn from my mistake. (Side note: probably most owners of coffee bars would never admit mistakes in their chosen fields, but I am putting ego aside using my failure to help others).

1. take the plastic Toddy and stop up the hole with the rubber stopper (check)

2. put wet filter into groove in the bottom, over stopper (well, I wet it, but it turns out you need to soak the filter for 5 minutes in boiling water. huh.)

3. pour 2 cups of cold water into Toddy (check)

4. pour half a pound of coursely ground coffee into toddy (check)

5. pour 4 cups of water over grounds, wetting evenly (check)

6. pour other half pound of coffee into Toddy (check)

7. pour 4 cups of water evenly over coffee (hmm...thought maybe 2 cups, then remembered it was four and added; not sure if that was the final death blow...)

8. steep for 12 hours (check)

9. un-stopper and place over glass decanter (check. though...because of screw-up on #2, the coffee was only trickling out.

What to do? How about I stir the grounds and see if that loosens it up? EHHH!!! Worse. Now no coffee coming through. I know, I'll stick my whole arm in there and scoop out all the grinds! Worse and worse. Now I just have coffee running down my arm and grounds all over my counter. I decided to quit while I was ahead.

Score: 1 LB coffee yielded about 2 cups of cold brew.

People at home. This is a public message. Follow directions. Don't try to recreate the wheel.

Meredith Ochs on Sirius XM

2011-05-20T11:26:00.001-07:00

Amanda Byron, Joe's Director of coffee, and I, just got back from the Sirius studios in midtown where we brewed some of our new coffee releases for Meredith Ochs on her show, Freewheelin' Meredith. Meredith is a great coffee enthusiast and a fan of Joe.

Amanda, who knows a tremendous amount about coffee, but more importantly is great at demystifying the info, did the talking and I brewed a few Chemex pots of coffee.

Among the topics discussed: How is decaf decaffeinated, what is Fair Trade vs. Relationship Coffee, Peaberry Coffee, and more!

We brewed 2 coffees from the same farm, one a peaberry, El Salvador Finca Matalapa. Both are our new offerings and are kind of surprisingly different. We also brewed a brand new Nicaragua coffee that we had an advance release bag, but aren't even selling it yet. It's really delicious!

Thanks Meredith! Hope to see you again soon!

The Competitor’s Journal

2011-01-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

Mike Morgenstern

A couple of weekends ago, I was lucky enough to be one of four Joeys to visit Intelligentsia’s Chicago Roasting works for their Wholesale Barista Competition. All of Intelligentsia’s (and sister company Ecco Caffe’s) wholesale accounts were given the opportunity to send baristas to compete in their in-house competition.

I’ve just got to say that the people in the specialty coffee industry are some of the best people in the world, and their working all over the country. The level of passion and insanity coming from all of these folks is just plain inspiring and a joy to see. I met as many people as the schedule would allow and everyone from sourcers and buyers searching the equator to the baristas pulling those delicious shots of espresso are all amazing.

The competition (consisting of a 15 minute presentation involving 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos, and 4 espresso-based signature beverages) blew me away with the care and creativity shown through the hands of my fellow competitors. Molecular gastronomy, culinary expertise, and vast expanses of coffee knowledge were displayed by all of the baristas representing Joe and although we didn’t place first, we made a great showing for each of our first competitions.

Countless pounds of coffee, too many broken pieces of glassware, and hardly enough recovery sleep later; we are back in New York delivering everything we learned at the greatest coffee compound in the world to you at Joe. Charrow and I are taking what we learned and moving on to the Northeast Regional Barista Competition in March and we are going to kick its butt while Jess works on getting the legs underneath the new shop on the campus of Columbia. Wish us luck as we continue to grow and study as baristas and bring that knowledge to the coffee and service at the shops!

Grumpy In Greenpoint

2011-01-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

I wrote the above title on a Facebook update Sunday. I got a couple responses more or less along the lines of, "I am sorry to hear that. I hope your day improves".

I giggled to myself and to my husband Anthony as I enjoyed my Best of Monserrate Competition Micro-lot Selections Colombian coffee at Cafe Grumpy in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Far from grumpy, I was enjoying my day immensely. By chance Caroline, the owner of Grumpy and a friend of Joe, was there.

Mererole Avenue may be a quiet street, but there was quite a line of locals who were devoted followers of the best coffee for miles and miles around.

We also had a chance to go to Peter Pan Pastry and (more importantly) Donuts for a red velvet cake. Oh lord, that was tasty!

Thanks Pater Pan for my favorite guilty pleasure and Caroline at Grumpy for making me smile with the contentment of a fully caffeinated tourist from Brooklyn Heights!

New Artist At Chelsea

2011-01-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

These are a few from Jackie's Santa Fe series.

Check out Jacqueline Etling's amazing photo show at Joe 23rd street. Jackie mostly works in black and white and her photos are beautiful and haunting.

Meet the artist on Saturday, January 15th from 6 PM-7:30 PM.

http://www.etlingphoto.com

London's got the good coffee!

2010-12-23T08:33:00.000-08:00

The simplest of menus at Prufrock

Beautiful coffee and labels at Monmouth Coffee

My second cup at Monmouth; Borough Market

I love London. I will happily take the red eye for a 3 day weekend anytime, which is what I did last weekend. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law live there, so that's as good an excuse as any to spend some time there.

Yes, the weather can be foul, as it was in epic proportions last weekend(they don't seem to invest in snow plows...), but that didn't keep us from some gorgeous meals and terrific coffee!

Let's just skip to the coffee and avoid going into the massive amounts of food we ingested (am trying to forget and hope it all doesn't stick; especially the Scotch Egg).

Firstly, I love Monmouth Coffee; am sort of obsessed with them. Why? Because their coffee is just no-nonsense deliciousness. They sell so much coffee that it boggles the mind and the lines are ginormous, but the service is quick and the coffees perfectly brewed.

We also stumbled apon Prufrock, which is run by 2009 World Barista Champion Gwilym Davies and is just a small counter in a fancy-pants men's wear store called Present. As you can see from the picture of their menu, they keep it simple. Instead of calling beverages Macchiato, Cortado, Cappuccino/Latte, you just pick what sized cup you want filled with milk and the same double shot of espresso. Genius.

The gentleman who served me was Scandinavian and made a delicious, impeccible 6-ounce beverage (known to us as a cortado). He also knows and has visited Joe. Brotherhood of coffee again.

Back at the apartment, my brother-in-law had gone whole hog and purchased a fancy home espresso machine, plumbed in and everything. Everytime I visit we have a lesson in shot-pulling and milk steaming. I had brought some of our new espresso blend. We got down to the lesson. The shots were running fast and scalding..we took the machine apart and lowered the temp, which fixed the problem with the espresso shots and with the milk which wasn't foaming up nicely. Lattes for all!

I only mentioned 2 coffee places, but London is chock full of great coffee. I know there was an article in the NY Times by Oliver Strand last year about the nascient coffee scene. Check it out here. Then get a red eye..and bring your Wellies!

Toby's Estate Visit

2010-12-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

Recently I was in Australia for my sister-in-law's beautiful wedding. My husband, an Aussie, thought it would be fun to meet up with some local roasters to see what the coffee scene is like.

We met with Will Young of Campos Coffee, a local artisan coffee company, who spent 2+ hours with us showing us his roasting facility, pulling shots from his Slayer(awesome!), showing us his cafe, and his (at the time) about-to-be-opened cafe, and taking us through a beautiful cupping experience. The amazing amount of personal attention speaks to the brotherhood of coffee, in which I truly believe.

Toby's Estate is a larger model specialty roaster, that has a lot of wholesale accounts as well as 6 cafes in Sydney and Melbourne. We missed him while we were in Sydney, but made a date to meet up in NYC when he was to come here.

That day was today. Toby met me at Waverly Joe with a couple friends, who just happen to be Aussie Joe customers. We had a good chat (I love Aussies; I did marry one, after all), drank some Cortados, (side note: I believe I have finally solved the Flat White mystery. It's basically a Cortado.), then walked over to 13th street Joe to cup 5 of his single origins against 4 of ours.

That was actually the first time I have cupped so many different coffees against each other. We threw away any high falutin ways, and just slurped and talked. No clipboards, no notes, just coffee slurping pleasure.

His coffees were delightful. There were 2 different Ethiopian coffees, a Kenya, a Brazil, and a Java. On our side, a Honduras, a Brazil, an El Salvador and a Kenya.

Then we had our trainer Lee Harrison pull a shot of the Kenya on the GB5 espresso machine. It was so delicious as a single shot. Smooth and sweet and chocolatey. It only took 2 shots to dial in at 17 grams for the perfect shot.

After 2 solid hours flew by, I made plans to stay in touch with Toby and to go drinking Aussie style with Amber and Adam very soon.

Long live the brotherhood of coffee!

Herbert's Point of View of Citizen Coffee Apprenticeship

2010-12-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

What was Citizen Coffee like? Well Citizen Coffee with Joe coffee was one of the best

experiences in my life. I am a coffee lover even though I'm only 14. I already liked coffee long before. Anyways, this experience was the best. I got to work with one of the best Coffee Shops in New York. Joe Coffee. We (the students in this apprenticeship) were learning about running a coffee shop. We learned how to make coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino, and things like that. We learned how to work at the counter, how to talk to the costumers, and how to treat them. If the costumer has a question we would know what to answer (unless we forget the question to the answer or we didn't review that question asked).

This is been a fun 10 weeks working with my Citizen Teachers Jessica (Ms. Bertin), Amanda (Ms. Byron), Gabby (Ms. Rubinstein) and Amy (Ms. Hattemer). These were and will be the best teachers I have known so far. Anything you need to know they seem to know it all. These 10 weeks went by pretty fast... and its sad not having them anymore. If I could, I would make them my everyday teachers or at least once a week teachers. I thank the Citizen Teachers and also I thank Citizen Schools for giving me this wonderful experience

- Herbert Alfonso

Citizens Schools: Weeks 6 – 9!

2010-12-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

Citizen Coffee has grown so much during the past 4 classes, and our WOW! is so close!

Week 6 saw the victory of Team Chicken in the smell contest. After a brief celebration, we broke the class up into only two groups to practice our pour-over and espresso techniques. With that many kids, it simply takes longer to get work done. We would get distracted and lose focus, but can you blame them? An espresso machine is terribly exciting for a 13 year old, and I had to respect that and give them time to explore, and to eat a bit of an extracted espresso puck because it looks like a brownie.

The pour-over group practiced skills and technique: weighing the right ratios of coffee to water, allowing the proper bloom time, pouring the water in circles so that it does not hit the edge of the cone, all things that were unfamiliar 3 weeks ago were now common tasks. This allowed the group to also explore tasting different coffees, but not a beautiful new Ecco offering; Chock Full o’Nuts and Starbucks French Roast. The apprentices identified smells and flavors and shared their overall impression of the coffees. These young pallets can indeed distinguish between commercial and specialty coffees as well as identify the flavor of roast.

Week 7 we divided into 3 groups at different stations: pour-over, bar, and hospitality. Smaller groups are much more successful. The pour-over group worked on flow and timing, and of course, technique. The bar group practiced pulling shots. They were on their way to becoming baristas. It was time for them to also become hospitalitarians.

In this group, we took turns reading aloud from the Joe handbook about employee expectations. Of course employees are required to make excellent coffee, handle cash properly, clean, stock and be knowledgeable. They are also required to be pleasant and make customers happy. We identified observable behaviors that demonstrate good hospitality, acted out customer interactions, and analyzed the levels of hospitality. It was reassuring how many of them already understood the need for hospitality and that it is not very difficult to deliver.

During week 8, we rotated through these same three stations, now introducing milk at the bar. Milk steaming is challenging; it requires engaging many senses, quick reaction time, fine motor skills, and a bit of art. And heart. Yes, there were spills and burnt milk, but also courage, positive attitudes, and no injuries.

At hospitality we continued to act out interactions, now with a menu, prices, cash transactions, beverage codes, sizes, and descriptions, and all the while demonstrating good hospitality. There was even a tip cup, which we know reflects the quality of service. Although the money was play at school, it will be real when Citizen Coffee takes over Joe December 8th, and the apprentices will donate the contributions to a cause of their choice.

Week 9 this past Tuesday was the most fun yet. We added a fourth station: Customers. With only 3 apprentices in each group we were afforded close supervision and support, attention to detail, and focus. Under these circumstances and with specific individual roles, the apprentices shone like stars. And there in the science lab, Citizen Coffee was operational!

Each group began by readying their station and reviewing their roles. When the customers approached the counter, we were in action! The customer ordered a beverage, the register team was all hospitality and good cash handling, marked the cup, and delivered the order to either the bar or the pour-over stations. At the bar, one apprentice pulled the shot while another steamed milk, keeping the station clean. When orders came to the pour-over group, they practiced individually making an entire pour-over, focusing on efficiency. Meanwhile the customers hung out in the café (which the register maintained and stocked), and filled out a hospitality survey. When their beverage was called, they thanked and the barista thanked, and the customer drank. And they were allowed to use sugar. They were thrilled. And we were thrilled to hear one apprentice warn another that if they used too much sugar they would not taste the bean. Of course, many did use too much sugar, but it did not matter because they were excellent. These 8^th graders ran an entire coffee bar right there in the science lab! I can only imagine and excitedly anticipate their take over of Joe, and hope that they realize how great they are.

If you have read all this, I hope you will come.

Wednesday, December 8^th. 4:30-6ish. Waverly Joe.

And don’t forget to tip your barista.

Thank You.

Jessica Bertin

Manager, 13^th Street

Educator

Skpye-Cupping

2010-11-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

Leave it Charrow - the multi-talented barista/ illustrator extraordinaire that practically lives at 13th street, as do her drawings - to take a two-week vacation and leave her job behind her. No, Charrow is clearly thinking about coffee all the time, and she's proven it in her roaming around Europe, drifting into any coffee shop she could find. To her credit, Germany's cafe culture boasts extraordinarily skilled and seasoned coffee experts that makes leaving cafe culture altogether difficult.

One such group of baristas works their magic at The Barn in Berlin, headed by Mr. Ralf Rüller – a pioneer on Germany’s coffee scene working to raise the café standards in Berlin to those he’s seen in London and New York. Charrow meeting Ralf was a match made in coffee heaven. As they picked up on each others' love and knowledge of coffee, they were struck with a brilliant idea: Skype-Cupping.

For those new to the coffee scene, Cupping is the process by which coffees around the world are tasted and rated by coffee professionals and aficionados. It involves a multi-staged interaction with the coffee that incorporates the sense of taste and smell and which allows the cupper to garner an understanding of a coffee's essence. It is typically done in a room full of coffee paraphernalia that doesn’t usually include a video-ready computer – unless you’re Skype cupping. What Ralf and Charrow decided was that our two groups of baristas would cup the same 5 coffees at the same time and interact about them. Live.

Some of the guests cupping “over there” were: Nora & Björn is from "Double Eye". It was one of the first independent coffee shops in Berlin.Natalie is from "The Coffee Shop". They work with specialty coffees from Solberg & Hansen in Norway. Kiduk owns "Bonanza Coffee Heroes". He is roasting his own beans. Oliver, Chris and Denise work with me at "THE BARN". Chris is from Perth Australia and worked for "Ristretto" amongst other places.

And that’s what happened. 5 coffees were chosen, most of which you can find on the shelves at your local Joe: Honduras Finca La Tina, El Salvador El Ausol, Guatemala El Tambor, Kenya Kiunyu and Ethiopia Dara Sidama Shilcho. Cupped in that order, their essence was taken in, offering enough taste-wise to carry us through an hour and a half of conversation about the beauty and uniqueness of each coffee.

Oh, and by the way, if you’re wondering where you can get your fix of cupping, we offer a free Public Cupping at our 13^th street location on a monthly basis. Check the schedule and come on by!

For more information on The Barn in Berlin, you can visit http://www.slowtravelberlin.com/2010/07/20/the-barn/ and can follow them on twitter at http://twitter.com/THEBARNBERLIN.

-Mike Donovan, Barista

Top of the cafe scene Down Under

2010-11-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

I have been in Australia for 2 weeks now. Below are some coffee highlights. While I have found good coffee in Sydney, Melbourne is more known for a barista and cafe culture. Filter, or as Americans say Drip coffee is not really done much. Here, it's mostly a latte culture. When you have tried a few, you know why Aussies are so devoted to them.

Simon Esposito. Former Joe customer and Team Joe runner, just moved back to Melbourne. We met for a coffee at Brother Baba Budan Cafe, owned by Seven Seeds Roastery

Ran into Chris, a daily customer at 13th street, just happened by my visit to Sensory Lab Coffee in the back of the David Jones store on Little Collins in Melbourne. Funky spot; had syphons, pourovers, Slayer espresso, Hario equip for sale. Made us a Nicaragua Cup of Excellence drip.

This is Will Young, owner of Campos Coffee Roastery in Sydney, and soon to open it's second AND third cafes! He spent 2 hours with us, showed us the slayer, did a cupping, made about 100 drinks for us! Yum!

Flat whites at Brother Baba Budan in Melbourne.

Me at De Clieu Cafe in Melbourne, owned by the Seven Seeds Roaster. Great food and coffee. So modern and stylish. Just opened 5 weeks ago!

More to come! Stories from the cafe life Down Under...

-Gabrielle

Annual Canned Food Drive and MORE!

2010-11-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

Every year we host a canned food drive for The Food Bank for New York. Every year, our amazing Joe community brings in hundreds of pounds of items that our city's poor need to survive another freezing winter in a terrible financial time. More people than ever need our help...not too get too heavy...I don't believe in making people feel guilty.

Now, you really don't have to shop in your own cupboards! You don't HAVE to bring in an old can of something nasty from when you moved into your apartment 7 years ago! You CAN go to any market, corner store, Target or Trader Joe's and grab one can or a dozen.

Here's what the Food Bank needs:

Canned foods: Already cooked and easy to heat up, like Stews, Hearty Soups, Ravioli, etc.

Canned meats: YES to Spam, Tuna, Corned Beef. Proteins are key.

Hygiene Products: Toothbrush, Paste, Deodorant, etc.

Baby Goods: Diapers, Wipes, Dried Formula, Powder. ALL YOU MOM'S WITH EXTRA STUFF! This one's for you!

The Drive will go on until December 1st at Waverly, 23rd street, 13th street and Grand Central.

Week #5? Halfway there!

2010-11-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

This week at Citizen School we started with a Cafe environment. For the first time, we allowed the students to use milk and sugar, to sit around in a circle and talk about their experiences so far in the Apprenticeship and also about how they envision their role in the Wow! final project. The students mostly envisioned themselves as working the register/greeting customers or as baristas making drip coffee and espresso beverages. It was split down the middle. We have a very strong staff for the project.

After that, we played a rollicking game of Blind Tasting/Smelling, which embarrassingly enough, I had picked up watching Hell's Kitchen. They were blindfolded one by one and given an espresso cup with a small or taste relating to things we pick up on in different coffees.

They mostly did really well and enjoyed the spirit of the game. There were 3 teams. 1. Team Chicken, 2. Team Chocolate, and 3. Team Awesomeness. We only had a short while, and the teams came out tied across the board!

Next Tuesday we will pick up on where we left off, then try to match the smells and tastes to the coffees we have been working with, namely the Guatemala El Tambor and the Kenya Kiunyu. The students will also begin their espresso training and start to learn about hospitality!

More next week...

Citizen School: Week 4!?

2010-10-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Already? The weeks are flying by! Yesterday was maybe the most exciting class yet. Our amazing friends over at Stumptown Roastery in Red Hook (219 Van Brunt, btw..) allowed us to come in for a private tour. Not only did Ryan take the time and effort to let us taste some of their freshly roasted coffee, but reviewed the coffee bean and the journey from seed to cup. Not only all that, but then he actually roasted a coffee just for us to watch, smell and feel!

We watched 80 pounds of Sumatra turn from green to beautiful mahogony in about 14 minutes. Ryan let the class get scarily close to the flames, so to speak(actually, there ARE some flames), and explained the way the beans are roasted with exothermic and then endothermic heat. Something like this: The beans are rotated in a hot drum where they start to take on the heat of the drum and air. Then when the beans reach the same temp as the air, an endothermic reaction takes place whereby the seed gives of moisture, energy, and pops like popcorn;it also sounds like corn popping. After the "first crack", as it is called, the coffee begins to caramelize and the sweet flavors are brought out. That's just the tip of the iceberg, but hopefully you get the gist.

At the end of the tour, we got to take a bag of the just-roasted coffee with us. Next week, we will get a chance to taste the coffee we saw roasted!

Citizens School: Week 3

2010-10-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

Above are the Hario kettle, the drippers up top and the decanters below.

This week at The Global Studies School in the science lab of the school, we finally had the 8th graders doing high level pourovers with the Hario V60, some Guatemala and some Kenya Kiunyu.

How did they do? Pretty awesome! They were able to walk through each of the several steps. I tasted the coffees they made, and like a proud teacher that I was, thought they tasted amazing!

I may as well share these steps with you in case you want to follow in their footsteps and make a single cup of delicious coffee at home. Hario V60 dripprs and Chemex really are the best and simplest methods once you have had a bit of practice.

Step 1: Boil water.

Step 2: Grind fresh coffee (I use the Baratsa Maestro grinder on the 23 setting), a little finer than you would for a regular coffee maker.

You need between 2 grams and 2.2 grams of coffee per ounce of water. That's about 2 TBSPs per 8 ounces water, but if you have a gram scale, you will have a more exact outcome.

Step 3: Put a hario filter in the Hario V60 ceramic dripper; Rinse the filter with hot water. This will erase the papery/bleachy smell of the filter. Dump water out of cup.

Step 4: Dump coffee into filter, shake for evenness. Measure out however amount of hot(just off the boil) water you are using into a Hario kettle or a measuring cup. Let's say, for example, that we are making 12 ounces of water and using 2.2g X 12 ounces=26.4 grams of coffee.

Step 5: Cover the coffee grinds with some of the measured water (just a couple ounces) to begin the BLOOM of the coffee: Set timer for 1 minute(can go up to 1:30 for optimal taste).

Step 6: Pouring in small circles in the center of filter, finish off the water.

Step 7: Drink and love it!

The Science of Steaming Milk

2010-10-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

I am sharing some really interesting information from a class on the science of milk steaming that a few of us Joeys took at the Mid-Atlantic NorthEast Artisan Coffee Conference in Rhode Island. Ever wonder what goes on in that milk pitcher in your Barista's hands in less than 30 seconds?

Milk has the following:

-Fat: the good stuff :)
-Sugar (lactose): made up of galactose and glucose which are both sweet on their own, however together as a compound (a disaccharide) they are only mildly sweet.
-Protein: a long chain of amino acids which, when in cold milk, is all wound up. The hydrophobic molecules of the protein are buried inside the coil because they do not like water.

When you heat the milk:

-Fat: gets thinner/melts
-Sugar: breaks into the smaller, simpler sugars which by themselves have a sweeter taste and will help the milk reach its sweetest point. If you keep steaming past the sweet point, the sweetness will go away as the sugars break down beyond taste. Optimal temperature for sweetness is 140 degrees.
-Protein-the coil loosens up and the hydrophobic piece becomes exposed, so it will look for somewhere to go: it can either go into the fat or it can go out in the air to get away from the water. The hydrophobic protein goes to the bubbles produced when air is introduced to the milk and a skeleton of proteins is created around each air bubble. The bubble becomes incapable of popping. Swirling the foam will rehydrate the bubbles again (when gravity kicks in and pulls the bubbles down into the milk), reinforcing each bubble with the protein, making it shine. There is motion and fluidity in the milk.

Action of steaming the milk:

The milk should be 40 degrees to start, and you will introduce air until 95 degrees. This is the time when the proteins have unraveled enough to start to attack the surface and surround the bubbles to lock them in. Only introduce air into the milk before 95 degrees and the bubbles will lock in at a tiny size and become microfoam. If you keep steaming the milk beyond this point, the protein will become completely denatured - the foam goes past the point of being resilient and fluid, and it becomes rigid and stiff. If you try to pour over-aerated milk, a big solid funky blob will land on top of your drink. Introducing air after 95 degrees creates a sea foam texture, and the milk does not slide across your tongue the same way that micro-foam milk does.

The real time thermometer during all of this is the feel with your hand. If the milk in the pitcher feels a little chilly to the touch still, it means that the milk is below body temperature. When the milk in the pitcher doesn't feel like it has any temperature really, then the milk is at body temperature (98.6 degrees). Ideally you want to stop introducing air into the milk just before it reaches body temperature. Once you have reached this point, then you tilt your pitcher up and continue the swirl, increasing the temperature, but not injecting any more air.

At around 140 degrees, the milk is sweet and delicious. The sugars have broken down to their sweetest form. Steaming/heating the milk above 140 degrees scalds the milk -there is no sweetness because the sugars have completely broken down, and the protein becomes completely denatured.

Problems with milk steaming:

Frozen milk: the ice crystals in the milk are jagged and will pierce the protein coating around the bubbles.

Reheated milk: not sweet, kind of sour, and thin

Scalded milk: too hot on your taste buds for one, sweetness has gone, and it has a creamed corn taste and smell.

The awesome picture notes are courtesy of Charrow.

Citizens. Week 2.

2010-10-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday, our 8th grade Citizens were lucky enough to take a special field trip to Joe Waverly. Although it took an hour+ of the 1 1/2 hour class time we had to travel to a from Joe from the school in Cobble Hill, we had a powerful 25 minutes there to discover the wonders of the original Joe.

12 kids streamed into our 500 square foot space and broke up into revolving groups of 3-4. One group watched the register barista work his charm and hospitality (Chris Peck...) on the customers, one group watched Kirsten on bar make dozens of delicious drinks, the next group got to tour the basement and see what managers get to do as far as ordering, organizing, scheduling, etc., and the last group sat in the cafe as customers and drank mochas and lattes, experiencing things from the other side of the bar.

The Citizens seemed pretty stoked about their visit, especially since they will shortly be working there themselves!

Next Tuesday, we begin our journey into tasting coffee.

We'll keep you posted!

Pourover at 4000 ft starring Caleb and Adam

2010-10-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

The view from the top

Pouring the bloom

Caleb Pouring out the water to pre-heat the vessel

Caleb and I went camping this past weekend upstate and were smart enough to bring essential supplies. We were lucky enough to drink the Honduras Finca La Tina close to its growth height at upwards of 4000 feet. Next time we’re going to throw the GS3 on our backs and pull some shots.

-Adam Schleimer, 13th street

First Week Of School. Citizen Style.

2010-10-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

It was an eventful first day in the classroom at the Brooklyn School For Global Studies.

The kids in the class are all 8th Graders, and many are already coffee drinkers, though mostly they know and love DD and The Bucks with plenty of cream and sugar. It was a little bit of a rude awakening for them to sip black coffee, and we think it may take a while, possibly years, until they chose to drink it that way.

Each student was asked to write about why they had chosen Citizen Coffee as their Apprenticeship, because they all had chosen it as their first choice among several. Some of the responses were: I'd like to open my own business one day and want to learn to run a business, I love coffee and want to learn to make it, I hate coffee but want to learn to like it, I want to try something different outside my comfort zone, and many more.

Amanda, Jessica and I had a lot of info to get through about the journey of the bean. Jessica talked about how and where the coffee tree is grown, how the bean is picked, pulped and dried. Amanda and Jess had been last February to Nicaragua and had great pictures of the Mierisch Farm, which the kids really got into.

Something we have decided to add into each session is Coffee Break, a 10 minute slot when the students can sit around drinking coffee and talking about whatever they want. This will give them a sense of what being in a coffee house is all about. Each week a different student will be in charge of making the coffee for Coffee Break.

Next week's class will be held at Joe Waverly. The students will get a chance to watch the store run, drink some lattes, and talk about their impressions of a specialty coffee bar.

We'll keep you posted.

Citizen Coffee

2010-10-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

CITIZEN COFFEE
For the next 10 weeks, three of Joe's staff--owner Gabrielle Rubinstein, Director of Coffee Amanda Byron, and 13th Street manager/coffee educator Jessica Bertin--will be volunteering their java knowledge and their time, teaching middle school kids about coffee, careers in coffee, and life skills related to working in the hospitality industry, all as part of the Citizen Schools program in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

Citizen Schools (www.citizenschools.org) is an after school program whose goal is to fill underused classrooms and to continue to educate kids after school hours with valuable learning tools like study time, tutoring, and apprenticeships. This "Second Shift" helps motivate kids to get excited about learning by bringing real world skills into the classroom.

The teachers are all citizens who work in various fields and volunteer to teach the Second Shift at the school.

The program will be 10 intensive weeks, 1.5 hours each week. The kids will learn how to be baristas, how to work together to achieve goals, how to speak to customers, as well as how to design their own logos and create their own menus. Their final project will be to work at Joe on Waverly Place, running the shop for an hour or two in mid-December.

We will be writing weekly updates here on the Joe Coffee Blog. Follow along to find out how Gabby, Amanda, and Jess do as teachers!

Night School at Joe

2010-10-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Heng's Latte

Viktoria's Latte (above) Leonardo's Latte(below)

The fall semester of Joe University has kicked off with a great start! I had the pleasure of teaching Viktoria German, Leonardo Murcia, and Heng Hsieh beginning milk steaming. The objective of our milk steaming class was to have our students understand the techniques of milk steaming to Joe standards; silky and creamy microfoam that wraps around espresso like a dream.

Each student gets hands on experience with our two group GS5 La Marzocco in our training center in the basement of our 13th street location. After learning techniques and theories behind milk steaming our students try their hand at beginning latte art. What is beginning latte art you might ask, well, hearts! And our class excelled in hearts.

Here are some examples of the pours achieved by our beginner class, amazing. I cannot wait to see what they produce in our advanced latte art class....stay tuned.

-Charrow

Crider In Kenya

2010-09-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

My friend and Joe 2-a-day customer Adam Crider just joined the peace Corps. He was a business man for a few years and used to come in to Waverly on his way to work, and Grand Central for late afternoon coffee break.

Adam is a great lover of coffee, so I recently sent to him some of our beans, a Joe T-shirt and a mug. However, from the photo, it looks like I should have also sent him a Hario V60 drpper.. it seems Adam is making coffee through a pasta strainer..

Now, I normally wouldn't recommend this method, but a man has to do what a man has to do.

Meanwhile, you can check out Adam's blog on living in Kenya, keeping chickens and helping with local commerce at http://criderinkenya.blogspot.com

I don't know much about Kenya, except there are some great coffees and some fast runners. Hopefully Adam will enlighten us on these 2 subjects and much more.

Crider, I'll be mailing you some goodies soon! Hang in there with your crazy coffee setup!

50 Best Coffee Blogs

2010-09-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

For True Coffee Aficionados is a compendium of the best by Cindy Cullen, a trained chef, who started Culinary Arts College, a non-profit site dedicated to elevating American cuisine by encouraging a new generation of chefs to attend a culinary arts college. I love that she gets it that coffee is a culinary art.

Yes, Joe is one of the blogs (yay!), but also places like Pure Coffee which tracks and reviews coffee houses from around the world. Whether you’re in Italy or the UK, there’s a coffee house nearby. Also included are our friends over at Gimme! Coffee, Barista Exchange, an online social network for baristas to connect and chat with other pros in the industry to get their inspiration flowing, our own (and Counter Culture Rep) Erin Meister's blog, Meet The Press Pot, our friend Mike White's Shot Zombies, and ones I have just discovered like Man Seeking Coffee, a truly passionate non-coffee-snob coffee lover. He gets what coffee is about with these simple rules. I've hitchhiked his rules and added my opinions in BOLD.

Rule #1 – Keep your eye on the prize. Think about what you drink. Meaning: Geek out all you like, but don't forget it's all about the taste of good coffee.

Rule #2 – Good coffee isn’t just about good espresso. Agreed. Single origins brewed with a Hario ceramic dripper or Chemex can be sublime!

Rule #3 – There’s no place I won’t look for a good cup of coffee. Yessir!

Rule #4 – Don’t seek out bad coffee. Kind of goes without saying...

Rule #5 – Bring enough to share with others. Nothing more embarrassing than forgetting to bring a bag of beans. My husband only trash talks me on Facebook when that happens to him at home...

Thanks Cindy, for doing the legwork so that we coffee lovers and reap the harvest of ideas out there!

Meet the Farmer!

2010-08-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 24th at 8PM@ 141 Waverly Joe, meet Steve Mierisch, Ecco Caffe Representative and Educator, whose family farm in Nicaragua grows some delicious Direct Trade beans that Joe has been selling and brewing! This is an amazing opportunity to experience Direct Trade at its best.

Also, meet Jessica, Mikki and Amanda, 3 of Joe's staff, who traveled to the farm a few months ago. They'll share pictures and stories, and you will get to taste the farm's coffee that they watched being picked, as well and ask questions.

Please RSVP to gabrielle@joenewyork.com

Amazing New Kenya

2010-08-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

We’ve just received a Kenya Kiunyu, sourced and roasted exclusively for Joe by our partners in caffeinated crime, Ecco Caffé. One taste and you know this is no ordinary coffee.

It is intense, dramatic, unique and DELICIOUS! Take a sniff of the dry ground coffee and you’ll experience tangerine, lime, blackberry and even a hint of Cola. Brew it and take a sip and you’ll find complex but clear tastes of citrus and tropical fruit, especially as the coffee cools. My sister, Gabrielle, tasted Burgundy wine and maple syrup.

Kenya is one of my favorite growing regions. The soil, altitude and latitude are such that many agree it has the perfect conditions for growing high quality coffee.

Pop on into a Joe, try it on the drip bar or thru a batch brew, or grab a bag and brew it at home. It’s a juicy, summery treat, not to be missed.

Here are a few coffeegeek specs about exactly where these beans are coming from.

Location: Kirinyaga District

Factory: Kiunyu Factory

Coop: Karithathi Farmers Co-operative Society

Varietal: SL34, Ruiru 11

Elevation: 1600 - 1900 m

Harvest: November- January

Kiunyu washing station was established in the 1960s, and serves multiple surrounding villages on its 7 acre plot. Membership currently stands at 1200, 1100 of which are active farmers. Mathew Nthiga is the factory manager, and the factory has with 8 permanent staff members. The factory has initiated some environmental conservation measures, and actively engages in technical agronomy training with farmers.

My name is Joe. I am 7 years old.

2010-07-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

I was born in 2003 in the west village. 141 Waverly Place, to be exact. My Mommy and Daddy are named Jonathan and Gabrielle. My first year seems like so long ago. Back then, I was just about the only "kid" in the neighborhood. I met lots of nice people over the years. Artists, writers, photographers, therapists, kids, Moms, and many more! I now have 4 siblings. They live in different neighborhoods.

For my 7th birthday, Mom and Dad got me a new wardrobe. I look very snazzy in my new clothes, but underneath, I am still just Joe from the block.

I want you to come to my birthday party. It's next Wednesday, July 21st, 6-8PM. There's going to be cookies, cold brewed iced coffee and prosecco, which I am too young to drink.

I really really hope you can come! You don't have to bring presents. If you DO decide to bring something, I'd really like a pony.

Love,

Joe

The Center's Garden Party

2010-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Alex Bertin and Gabrielle Rubinstein slinging coffee

Last Monday, to kick off Gay Pride Week, The Center (LGBT) hosted its annual Garden Party, the only gay food festival in the US of A! There for the second time was Joe, equipped with cold brewed iced coffee and a pour over bar to fuel the revelers with caffeine, hot and cold.

We got a chance to taste some of the fantastic foods on offer, meet some of the local food community and even saw quite a few Joe regulars ambling about!

The pour over bar and cold brew were a huge hit and gave people a chance to ask questions about both brewing methods. There to answer such questions were long time Joeys (i.e. Joe employees/family) Jessica and Alex Bertin. Yes, they are also siblings. Jessica is our 13th street manager and also incredibly passionate about coffee. She teaches quite a few of our Joe University classes. Alex is, herself, in University, but loves coffee so much that she works here on all of her school vacations.

Together, the 3 of us had an amazing evening pouring coffee, answering questions and grooving in the glow of all the pride.

Thanks, The Center, for another great event.

May the pride live on!

Goodbye Joe.

2010-06-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

June 27, 2010

If you have read my barista bio, you’d know that I started working in coffee when I was a freshman in college in New Jersey because of the show Felicity. I never actually thought that I’d carry that idea to NYC where I’d spend 4 out of my five years in one of the best jobs that I can ever hope to have. So, with just a week left, I wanted to compile my “Joe Top 10”. This list is comprised of favorite moments, things I’ll miss the most and things that I have learned.

10. Making beautiful, delicious drinks and seeing people smile; I do not consider myself a particularly artistic person, so this skill allows my creativity to show.

9. Celebrity sightings. I have had the pleasure of working at all 5 Joe stores and it’s always fun to see who pops in for a caffeine fix.

8. Breaking records. Working at Grand Central does have its percs and it was a great day when we hit 200 customers in an hour.

7. Educational Opportunities; whether we are attending a free cupping or meeting the world barista champions, I leave feeling more knowledgeable.

6. Realizing that I wanted to travel to South America while pouring some Brazilian coffee.

5. Favorite celebrity sighting…actually serving Felicity! Or, to be accurate, Keri Russell. It was really exciting to serve her tea and an everything bagel (yes, I remember the order) and wanting to tell her so badly that she was the reason I was there.

4. Free coffee. I have to admit, that paying for good coffee and waiting in line will have to take some getting used to.

3. Customers; We know their names and their drinks and we see them every day. It’s been a pleasure getting to know such wonderful, interesting people and seeing them fall in love with our coffee.

2. The Rubinsteins; I know that I will never work for a family more generous, passionate or kooky.

1. Coworkers; Not to sound sappy, but the people who work at Joe, past and present, have taught me so much about the person that I want to be. There are so many kind, artistic, adventurous, and funny people that I am going to miss so much.

Thank you for making my time in New York so memorable.

J Carrie

Joe('s) Recipes in New Cookbook

2010-06-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found out some exciting news! A new cookbook just came out for athletes! Runner's World Magazine published a compilation of every Athlete's Palate column from every one of their mags since they started the column in 2004.

Inside there are amazing recipes that are delicious and healthy! Some of the chefs are celebrities like Bobby Flay, Cat Cora, Dan Barber, and my favorite cooking show reality star Gordon Ramsey. Other chefs are more regional. All of them are athletic, from Iron Men to 5K-ers.

I cannot believe this, but it's true. I hate to brag, but there is a 2-page spread of your very own Team Joe Prez, me. heehee. I was as shocked as anyone! There're Joe('s) recipe for Espresso Granita and for Cold Brew Iced Coffee.

If you want to buy a copy(I am telling you, it's awesome!), I'll be happy to sign it for you. Just don't email Gawker immediately after till I've left the building.

Notes On New Seasonal House

2010-06-01T18:40:00.000-07:00

If you have spent any time at Joe or perusing our website you may have noticed that our roaster, Ecco Caffe, is committed to offering coffees when they are fresh from harvest. Ecco's commitment to seasonality is what really excites us at Joe because coffee, just like any other agricultural product, has a time when it is in season and at it's best. That's why we were so happy to introduce our new Seasonal House Blend last week. The cool thing about our Seasonal House coffee is that we specifically select our blend(NO "s" on blend) from season to season to maintain a basic flavor profile: clear notes of chocolate, nuanced fruit, and sparkling acidity--delicious and approachable. It's the best of both worlds: coffee available at it's peak, blended and roasted to be consistent yet never too drastically different (for all you creatures of habit!). The blend still features the Brazil Fazenda Sertãozinho and now we have introduced a beautiful Colombian into the mix to replace the departing Peru (because you helped us drink it all and, sadly, there is none left for this season). If you noticed anything about the new blend, it may have been a slightly cleaner, brighter taste in your cup.

The new Colombian comes from the department of Cauca; for you lovers of the Loma Redonda, it's the same department, more specifically, it was grown in the municipality of Inza, within Cacua. Most regions in Colombia have not one but two harvests per year: a main crop and a smaller one. This Colombian was harvested between December and January and it's 70% Caturra, 30% Typica and is grown at 1750 meters.

The Sertãozinho is also still being featured on it's own as a single-origin (for a week or more only) so come in and try it side by side with the new House blend just for fun! Yum!

-Mikki Koskie, Manager Columbus Joe

Coffee Buenos Aires Style

2010-05-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Here I am in beautiful BA, where the people are beautiful, the wine plentiful, the meat divine. The coffee...well, let's just say it's not been hit by the 3rd wave just yet, though it seems that's what's coming soon, based on the level of gastronomy and style.

Before I put my foot in my mouth David Chang-style (i.e.the comment about SF that got his book tour there cancelled), I haven't yet done a ton of research. I am, after all, on my honeymoon. That left me with the time saving choice of blogging or researching, but if I find 5 extra minutes after the rant, I will check it out and rewrite.

So far, the coffee isn't all bad, per se, but it's a lot of mass produced imported bags of beans. And although the beans aren't a dark roasted variety, the "mano" isn't highly skilled.

I have had a few passable cortados, and one that seemed to be made with much dislike, just as the foods we eat are made with love.

Luckily I thought ahead and brought, ahem, 2 bags of Ecco Caffe whole bean, one Hario manual grinder, one Hario ceramic dripper, one box unbleached filters, a gram scoop and, well I guess that's it.

In the morning here, whichever lucky lovebird gets up first gets to start the long, slow grind. Coffee grind, that is. I love my Hario manual, but it takes a good 5 minutes to gring enough coffee for 2 6 ounce cups of coffee..

After that, we call room service for a thermos of hot water. Then we are good to go!

I know it sounds like an awful lot to pland and the schlepp on a Honeymoon or on any vacay, but it is well worth it.

Celebrate Earth Day at 13th St!

2010-04-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Earth Day with 13th Street Joe!
Thursday, April 22

The people of Joe and all you lovers of coffee recognize that:

Only a healthy earth
can produce delicious coffee.

Reduce waste bringing your own reusable container on Earth Day for
50% off your coffee!

Celebrate everyday with 10 cents off when you bring your own mug.
Also, try having your coffee here, in ceramic! Coffee tastes better in ceramic anyway.

Please also check out our new Coffee World Map on Earth Day. See where your coffee grows and learn its story!

For the Love of Earth and Coffee,
Joe

LOVE Fundraiser

2010-04-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Remember that amazing photography show at Joe 13th street in February by the Non-Profit LOVE: Leave Out Violence? They teach teens who are at risk for violence how to channel their energy into art. LOVE's yearly auction and gala is coming up, and it is sure to be a great time. Photos by highly respected professionals will be sold to benefit LOVE.

Click below and buy your ticket now.

Images of LOVE

Annual Photo Auction Fundraiser

Wednesday April 21st, 2010

320 Park Avenue (cross street 51st)

35th Floor

Mutual of America building

6-9pm

Spring Cleaning and coffee: Take 2

2010-04-13T13:32:00.001-07:00

CENYC and Joe are adding another chance to exchange your old shoes, hats, clothes, etc.. for free coffee! This coming Saturday April 17th 8 a.m.-6p.m. (or whenever the cards run out) at the Union Square Farmer's Market. The first 50 people receive the cards.

Time to clean out those closets!

Help the earth, get a coffee gratis

2010-04-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

Since I discovered this, I have been schlepping my old clothes, bags, shoes, rag rugs and the like to the CENYC (council on the environment of new york city) recycling outreach stand in the Farmer's Market that happens each Monday.

I have been steadily trying to create less garbage by finding ways to reuse and recycle. My tiny journey has led me to such strange goings-on as gathering my vegetable scraps and keeping them in the freezer to take to work to the compost can, much to the dismay of and with much teasing from my fiance. Now my garbage is down to just wedding-gift-box-popcorn and plastic lettuce containers, which I vow to stop using.

Well, I want to help get Joe customers into the habit of investing in NYC's green future by giving you a drink ON ME for recycling your textiles!

This Friday, April 9th, at the 97th and Columbus Farmer's Market 8 a.m.-2p.m. and next Monday, April 12th at the Union Square Farmer's Market 8 a.m.-6p.m., the first 50 people who donate get a free drink.

What To Bring:

Clothes

Shoes

Coats

Hats

Linens

Bedding

Scarves

Belts

Handbags

Clean and dry items only

p.s. yes, it is tax-deductible and they have receipts.

p.p.s In the spirit of how cool you now will be or are, please show your barista some love and drop them a tip.

Upcoming Classes @ Joe

2010-03-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

After 7 years in the coffee biz, I realize that the more I learn about coffee, the more I find there is to learn. Coffee has a tremendously wild history, many ways of being brewed, all of them delicious and/or interesting and worth learning about. As well, in the artisan coffee world, people are coming up with new and cutting edge ideas all the time to improve brewing methods, coffee bean quality, as well as the lives of farmers and migrant workers. Our staff here at Joe has done a lot of research and training and teaches some awesome classes about coffee. They are all under 1 1/2 hours, and tailored to entertain, teach and touch us.

Here is a list of some upcoming classes that are still open.

In this Thursday's is Coffee 101 with Jessica Bertin and Samantha Attard, you will be taken on a whirlwind tour of the wild history of coffee, from the dancing goats of Ethiopia, through the middle east, into the coffeehouses of England, Europe and America. Through the slave trade and revolutions, and into the face of the coffee world today. 8p.m. at Chelsea Joe. $20.

RSVP gabrielle@joenewyork.com.

Additional date for this class is May 12th

Starting April 7, and for 4 consecutive Tuesdays at 13th street Joe, is the Cupping Series class with Director of Coffee Amanda Byron. Learn to smell, slurp and judge coffee's elusive and seductive qualities like a professional, for indeed, this the the way professionals taste and decide what beans to purchase, how they will roast, and many other variables. $80.

RSVP gabrielle@joenewyork.com

Thursday, April 15th is the amazing Chemex and Pourover class 8pm Chelsea. If you love a clean, fragrant cup of coffee and want more control of your coffee, as well as some cool gear, come learn how to use these two methods. They are a lot of fun to use, and very easy and quick.This class is limited to 8 people.

$25 RSVP gabrielle@joenewyork.com

April 21 Espresso Fundamentals. Ever wanted to pull espresso like the professional baristi? In this class, you will learn the importance of the grind, the dose, the distribution, tamping, and extraction. You will never look at espresso the same way. Even if you don't have an espresso machine at home, this will give you an understanding and appreciation for your favorite beverage. This class is limited to 10 people. $25

RSVP gabrielle@joenewyork.com

Additional dates for this class are May 4th and May 18th

April 22 Home Brewing Techniques. Learn the best way to buy, store, grind and brew coffee at home. You will learn how much coffee to use, optimal water temperatures, and methods such as French Press, Pourover, Vacuum Pot, Turkish, etc.. $20

RSVP gabrielle@joenewyork.com

April 28 Milk Steaming In this class, you will get an intro into how to steam milk properly to eventually be able to pour beautiful latte art. This class is limited to 8 people. Espresso Fundamentals is the pre-requisite. $25

RSVP gabrielle@joenewyork.com

Additional dates for this class are May 11 and May May 25

Our Trip To Origin: Nicaragua

2010-03-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Back in January I, along with Joe managers Jessica Bertin and Mikki Koskie, had the chance to travel to Nicaragua for a whirlwind visit to coffee country. A trip to origin, as it is referred to in the coffee community, is an opportunity that is not often bestowed upon baristas. It is a trip generally taken by green bean buyers, roasters and direct trade liaisons. The three of us were honored to accompany Steve Mierisch, of Ecco and Intelligentsia, to his home country and visit the farms owned by his family.

We hit the ground running as soon as we arrived and were initially most excited about kicking off our real shoes to change into flip flops! After a pit stop for some lunch at Pollos Frit (yes, fried chicken) where we were serenaded by traditional Nicaraguan music ("Sweet Home Alabama") we were off to visit the dry mill. The nutshell explanation of this portion of a coffee bean's journey is that after coffee has been picked and stripped of its cherry it is sent here to be laid out to dry. It was the end of the day, so many of the lots of coffee were already bundled up for the night but many of them are left open for additional drying time.

The next morning, after a perfect breakfast of huevos, bacon, farm cheese and gallo pinto, we were off to visit our first coffee farm. For all three of us I can safely say that one of the best moments of the trip was biting into our first coffee cherry. While different varietals have slightly different flavor notes, I found the cherry reminiscent of biting into apple peel. There’s a slight snap and then a small amount of flesh with subtle clean, fruity and floral flavors. In other words, awesome.

One of the highlights for all of us was the chance to travel to several farms with Geoff Watts, a buyer for Intelligentsia and a huge figure in the world of third wave specialty coffee. We visited a co-op and two farms that Geoff has been working with for a few years and we were able to observe him talking with farmers about how to improve their practices and their product. I realized that what was happening right in front of us was Direct Trade. I've been teaching our staff about relationship coffees and direct trade for years and while I know what it is in theory, this was the first time I actually saw it happening.

At one point Geoff pointed out some trees filled with bright yellow cherries and explained to the woman who owns the farm that these cherries should be kept separate from others. These were yellow bourbon cherries and if kept separate they could be sold for a higher price probably as a microlot. Typically these cherries would be picked and processed with the other cherries from the farm and though this will most likely produce a great cup, the coveted yellow bourbon microlot is something that could potentially bring her more money. Geoff has a true passion for coffee and the farmers who produce it and year after year he returns to Nicaragua with the belief that in such a beautiful country, there is opportunity for amazing coffee.

Several more cherries were consumed and several more farms visited and as our adventure continued, we began to see the true value of visiting origin. We live in a culture where coffee has become an obsession, a necessity and a product totally stripped of its economical and agricultural importance. We were able to see this product that the three of us work with and consume everyday in a completely different light. This is a product that is painstakingly sorted by hand by people who rely on its existence for their survival. I certainly don't want to get too political or preachy about it but I hope that the next cup of coffee you consume, you put just a bit more thought into where it came from and all of the people who had a hand in getting it into your cup.

-Amanda Byron, Director of Coffee

Throwdown Mania

2010-03-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

Rosettas For Relief is going to be a national barista competition, started by Sam Penix who owns Everyman Espresso, to raise money for REBATI and Partners In Health, to get mental health to the Haitian people. Last Thursday's Round 1 at 13th street Joe raised over $2500!

The entry fee to Throw Down was $100, all of which goes to Haiti.

It was also an awesome party besides. 13 cases of donated beer, 20 competitors, 3 judges, 3 winners. First and Second place were both Joe baristi! However, it was all for a good cause and everyone there was a winner.

1st Place went to Will Gross, Joe trainer for 13th street.

2nd Place went to Kenya Bovey, Joe 13th street barista and public classes instructor.

3rd Place went to Amelia West of Cafe Pedlar in Cobble Hill.

Kenya, coming in at 2nd place! Check out those guns!

Sasha competed, looking beautiful as ever!

Those are Shaun's arms, busy washing cups for each round.

13 cases of beer + great competition = happy spectators.

That will in foreground. He came is 1st place!! That's Charrow in the back. She was pulling all the shots!

Nobody was crying over spilled milk here. It's just part of the action.

-Gabrielle Rubinstein, co-owner

First Joe Engagement

2010-03-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

In this picture, Nora just thinks Adar surprised her for their anniversary.

At this point, he's asked her to marry her and produced a ring...she said yes.

While not technically the first engagement to come out of Joe, this past Saturday was the first couple to make it official AT Joe. Waverly, to be precise.

Let's start from the beginning. A couple weeks back, I received a voicemail at work from a young man, Adar, who was planning to propose to his girlfriend of 6 years, Nora, at the precise place they had initially met. Joe Waverly.

The story as they told me was this: Nora was sitting down studying when Adar walked in with friends. He'd never been to Joe, but was visiting friends in the city and they brought him to Joe before going to brunch. Glances were exchanged, blushes were blushed, but he left without speaking to her. He walked with his friends a few minutes, but his heart pulled him back. He felt anxious that he was walking away from his destiny. So he turned back.

Meanwhile, she was very disappointed that he hadn't said anything. When she saw him come back in, she was about to make an excuse to meet him. However, he walked right up to her table and asked if she'd like to join him and his friends for brunch. The rest is history.

So back to the present. I called him back and told him I'd be delighted top help in any way. It turned out all he needed me to do was to reserve a chair for them. When I suggested Champagne could be chilling for them after the engagement took place, he said he would prefer lattes. I suggested lattes served in champagne glasses. The deal was sealed.

Adar and Nora live now in Chicago. Adar got her to New York by having her friend make up a fake art show she was supposedly involved in that was a "big deal" for her. Good friend that she is, Nora flew out on her and Adar's anniversary, seemingly leaving him behind. Meanwhile, Adar took a later flight. His plan was to recreate the day they'd met, with him walking up to her sitting in the same seat. It was touch and go for a while with the weather, and I feared they wouldn't make it in, but providence was on their side that day.

I showed up with my Mom Alice and friend Lysa in tow. We sat at the desired table until they came in. I knew who Nora was because her friend, and Adar's accomplice, had made a special visit to me at work so I'd know who they were by sight.

To make a long story shorter, all wen according to plan, hearts in soy lattes-in-champagne-glasses and all!

LOVE tonight!

2010-02-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

Don't miss the chance to meet these wonderful up-and-coming photographers and poets

from 6-8p.m. at 13th street! Love (Leave Out Violence) is a not-for-profit youth-based organization that teaches young adults ages 13-19, who've been touched by violence, to use photography and writing to express themselves.

Joga

2010-02-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

Two years ago this month, ten Joe baristi sat in a studio together and chanted their first OM, and with it, our "Joga" program was born. Many of our baristi still come together every Friday at 3pm for this private, all level staff Yoga class. Why did we decide to do this? We wanted to say thank you to the staff by giving an ongoing gift of something healthy. It's a way for Joeys from all 5 shops to get together on a regular basis as part of the extended Joe family. It's a way for us to get our bodies moving and readjusted after a week of using our muscles to make coffee. It's a way to get great exercise, a tiny bit spiritual, and to focus on positive energy. Oh, and it's just plain fun. Led by our instructor Rachel Meyer of Laughing Lotus, a good half of our staff participates when they are able. Namaste.

LOVE Opening Moved To Feb 17

2010-02-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

Due to the oncoming huge snow storm coming our way tonight, LOVE art opening at 13th street has been moved to next Wednesday from 6-8. Come have a coffee, check out the photography and poems, and talk to the young artists of LOVE, Leave Out Violence.

The LOVE show is also bedecking our Waverly walls to fine affect! Both shows will be up for the entire month of February.

Prints of the work are for sale through LOVE for $100.

Next Time You Order A Dry Cap, Think Again...

2010-02-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

I am proud to be a barista at Joe because, as a general rule, we're a pretty inclusive bunch. No matter where you're from, what you wear, how you speak...you're probably good with us. But perhaps one day while ordering your morning cappuccino, you happened to say that one word that incurs the wrath of just about every Joe barista.......'dry'. Or 'extra foamy'. Suddenly, the kind person behind the counter gives you a strange look, perhaps shutters slightly and continues on, suddenly less cheerful than before. Why the big fuss? Since we don't often have the time to give the full explanation of milk textures and techniques when there's five people in line behind you, an explanation, so baristi and customers alike may be happy, joyful, and friendly!

How do we steam our milk?

At Joe, and most other specialty coffee bars, the idea with steaming milk is to create a microfoam. These are little tiny bubbles of air that easily say suspended in the liquid milk; we are not trying to create mountains of clouds that can be spooned onto your drink. Many of our patrons greatly appreciate latte/cappuccino art, and the fact of the matter is, those hearts and rosettas only can happen when the milk is steamed to perfection - a small layer of microfoam that evenly mixes the espresso and milk, to create a seamless, consistent beverage from start to finish.

What's the difference between a latte and cappuccino?

There's not a huge difference! A cappuccino has a slightly thicker milk texture: the barista introduces a little more air into the milk. Technically, there's "more foam", though the difference is not huge - there is slightly less milk than in a latte, but not so much less that you are saving yourself 50 calories.

So what's the problem with this dry thing??

Basically, we are trying to serve you the best drink possible. And for us, that means creating a drink that is even, smooth, and delicious. For the twenty or so seconds that the milk is steaming, we are paying attention to milk with all of our senses: we see the air being introduced, we can hear if the milk is getting too little air or is too hot, and we can feel the pitcher as it heats to the perfect temperature. Frankly, it's a cop out if we steam the milk to oblivion and dump it on top of the espresso with a spoon! It's a disservice to the espresso and to you.

Last thought on no-foam lattes: Don't worry your pretty little heads! You will never get a cloud of white on top of your drinks! Just a smooth, small, perfect layer of micro-foam to give the drink a little extra thickness. It's pretty delicious.

Hopefully this eases some of your ordering anxieties. Any other drink-making questions? Direct them to your nearest barista. Nothing makes us happier than explaining the intricacies of the perfect espresso beverage! Enjoy!

-Samantha Attard, assistant manager 13th street

Composting=Love

2010-02-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder where the grounds go after your delicious coffee has been brewed? Whether espresso or drip, all of Joe's used grinds go to organic composting with Action Environmental, the company that also takes our recycling and garbage. Action then sells to Converted Organics and makes this final produce, organic fertilizer.

What is Composting?

Here's what the Lower East Side Ecology Center has to say.

"The average New York City household throws out over two pounds of food waste per day, amounting to over 3,000 tons of organic matter that must be trucked off to distant landfills. In a landfill, organic matter breaks down in the absence of oxygen, creating methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, which together with transportation impacts contribute to climate change.

Composting recognizes biodegradable materials, such as food waste, as a renewable resource that allows us to close the natural cycle -- returning vital nutrients back to the soil, to nourish the earth and to green our City. By recycling food waste we are producing the very material that supports the growth of life itself: the earth!"

For years, before I found Action, all the grinds were garbage and I spent all sorts of time looking for an alternative. We would have many bags of garbage, heavy with grounds and wasteful, headed for the landfill. I called local community gardens asking if they wanted grinds. I even emailed Java Log about giving or selling them grinds, with which they make fireplace logs. Then I found Action. They recycle way more than the city recycles, compost, and now we have almost no garbage at all.

Action was small when we started working with them, but now they are the biggest garbage company in New York, working and composting for companies including Whole Foods!

As a person who in my personal life tried to live a sustainable life, composting my own cooking by-products, recycling as much as possible, I just couldn't live differently when it came to my business.

I am rambling, but just wanted to share this information, as Action recently brought me a bag of fertilizer. It is a beautiful thing.

Bad News Bearistas

2010-02-01T07:27:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentleman,

Meet the Bad News Bearistas of Chelsea's!!! You think you know, but you have no idea -

Janet "She'll Cut you!" Konz

Emily Lewis & Friend

Miss Emelyne Smith

Caleb "Skrilla" Ferguson, aka "The Duchess"

Frankie "Spankie" Tin

Britta "J. Splitz" Wolfrum

Caleb Ferguson

Hometown: Hopewell, NJ

Jersey Shore Nickname: Skrilla

Favorite Joe Drink: Espresso

Guilty Shameful Coffee Drink: deli coffee with lots of cream and sugar

Fun Fact: In addition to being in charge of quality control at Chelsea's, Caleb is also a descendant of Korean royalty.

Frankie Tin

Hometown: Iselin, NJ

Jersey Shore Nickname: Spankie

Favorite Joe Drink: Americano Misto with a little raw sugar

Guilty Shameful Coffee Drink: Starbucks Gingerbread Latte

Fun Fact: Not only does Spankie enjoy startling his co-workers by leaving unflattering photos of Kelly Clarkson taped to the espresso machine, he also is apparently the proud owner of a smile so dazzling it prompted a creepy stranger of a man to say, "I really like

your smile. How Much Does

your smile cost? I want to buy your smile! I will pay you for your smile!" Put a dollar in the tip jar and maybe he'll let you rent it for an hour.

Emelyne Smith

Hometown: Princeton, NJ

Jersey Shore Nickname: Qweekers (don't ask)

Favorite Joe Drink: Cortados! And King Crimson herbal tea for coming down from a caffeine high at work

Guilty Shameful coffee drink: Emelyne has been known to inhale piles of Hazelnut Coffeemate on occasional weekend benders. Her quote in her own defense? "Come on, that stuff is delicious!"

Fun Fact: Manager Emelyne's favorite place in New York, so far, is the Hall of Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum. Without an annual visit, this little lady gets nature withdrawal. Diva!!!

Name: Ben Heller

Hometown: Washington, D.C. a.k.a The Murder Capital

Jersey Shore Nickname: Barbie, Spongey

Favorite Joe Drink: Cortado

Guilty Shameful Coffee Drink: Frappuccino

Fun Fact: Ben has recently graduated from the position of our favorite (and only) barback, to a full fledged barista in training. In elementary school, 3 years ago, Ben was a Peer Mediator. He even has the hat to prove it! Seriously, this guy gives the best advice in Chelsea. Ask him a question before he wises up and starts charging, or just ask him for some K-Ci and Jo Jo because he sure as heck has "All My Life" on his iPod.

Name: Janet Konz

Hometown: Allentown,PA

Jersey Shore Nickname: The Janerator and/or Janitalia

Favorite Joe Drink: Americanos iced and hot (she didn't say this, but this is what we always make her)

Guilty Shameful Coffeel drink - Janet would be devistated if she weren't allowed to

ever have soy chocolate milk on ice

Fun Fact: Janet is starting a dance blog called the janerator, which will

feature her super sweet dance moves, step by step instructions and

interprative dances. Janet is not only is she a dance innovator, but also a hairstylist. Like the do's your baristas are sporting? They're all Janitalia originals. She'll cut you too. Just ask.

Name: Emily Lewis

Hometown: New Kent, VA

Jersey Shore Nickname: Baby Bottle

Favorite Joe Drink: Americano or a small drip

Guilty Shameful Coffee Drink: short soy latte with one pump of peppermint

Fun Fact: Emily is afraid of fire and electrical outlets and therefore is often late as she spends an absurd amount of time unplugging appliances. As a child, Emily once lost a tooth in a waffle house steak. Yes, they have steak. Emily also gets sad every now and then when she remembers that Mark Twain is no longer with us and will not be coming out with any more books.

Name: Britta Wolfrum

Hometown: Wyomissing, PA

Jersey Shore Nickname: J-Splitz, Brizza

Favorite Joe Drink: Iced Americano with an extra shot

Guilty Shameful Coffee Drink: small black vanilla from Dunkin Donuts

Fun Fact: Britta is the assistant manager of Chelsea Joe as well as a "y'allternative" singer/songwriter. She once worked for a radio station at which she specialized in indie music snobbery, but has recently developed an unhealthy obsession with Reba Mcentire, having seen her 6 times in 2 years...sober.

LOVE in February

2010-01-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

No, Valentine's Day isn't early. This coming Monday and for all of February we have a special art show going up at 13th street and Waverly Place Joes.

LOVE stands for Leave Out Violence, which is a not-for-profit, grassroots, youth-led organization. It educates and empowers youth, ages 13 to19, who have been witnesses, victims or perpetrators of violence – in all of its forms – to stop this destructive cycle in their lives and in the lives of others.

PROGRAMS

LOVE's Media Arts program provides a supportive environment in which to examine the violence they have experienced. The program includes photography, journalism, videography and broadcasting and serves as a vehicle of expression, communications and education. Using these tools, LOVE youth then reach out to their peers to articulate the impact of violence on their lives and on their communities. Since 1995 LOVE’s youth leaders have reached thousands of children and youth through our presentations and outreach to schools, community centers, group homes, and conferences.

THE HISTORY

Leave Out Violence was created in Montreal 14 years ago by Twinkle Rudberg, whose life was forever changed by one senseless act of violence. In 1972, Twinkle’s husband was stabbed to death while trying to help a woman who was being attacked for her purse. The attacker was a 14 year-old run-away boy who was homeless, under the influence of drugs, and recently had joined a gang. In response to this tragedy, Twinkle created LOVE to help identify and focus on the causes of teen violence – neglect, isolation, lack of mentorship and domestic abuse. Since its inception in 1993, LOVE has helped more than 40,000 youth with programs from coast to coast in Canada. LOVE U.S. was launched in 2003 in New York and in 2007 in Israel.

You have a chance to meet the artists on February 10th from 6-8p.m. at 9 e.13th street Joe. Prints will be available for sale through LOVE.

New Classes At Joe

2010-01-19T12:01:00.000-08:00

Just want to write a few words about a few exciting new classes here at Joe this semester.

Chemex and Pourover Intensive

If you enjoy a very clean cup of coffee, you will love using a Chemex or making a pourover (a single cup of coffee, otherwise known as a dripper). Chemex is that funny glass beaker that looks like something from your high school science class, and in fact, was developed by a scientist in a lab. This new class will teach you the intricacies and joys of this hands-on form of making coffee. These 2 coffee brewing methods give you a lot of control over the finished product, which is a truly delicious and clean taste.

This class is offered tomorrow, Wednesday, January 20th at 6:30pm at 13th street Joe, and also Thursday, February 18th at 8pm at Columbus ave. $25.

Email gabrielle@joenewyork.com to sign up.

Coffee and Society

January 26th at 8pm at 13th street, Jessica Bertin, the manager of 13th street, and passionate coffee and sustainability enthusiast, will teach a free class about coffee and the social, political and environmental implications. Coffee will be served.

Please email gabrielle@joenewyork to RSVP

Cupping Series I

If you want to really learn how to taste and talk about coffee, this class will certainly give you a leg up on coffee knowledge.

Cupping is the the manner in which coffee professionals, including growers, roasters, competition judges(such as Cup Of Excellence) and coffee importers, taste and judge coffee. During a cupping, one tastes and compares qualities in coffees in a very pure form, by smelling, slurping and talking about coffee.

Amanda Byron, Joe Director of Coffee, will lead a 4-week class on the art of cupping. Some of the possible classes are tasting coffees from the same region from different roasters, at different roast levels or from different plots of land on the same farm; comparing fresh coffee to coffee stashed in the fridge and the freezer, comparing coffees from the 3 different growing regions of the world, etc.

Cupping Series I, Tuesdays February 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd at 6pm. Held at 13th street Joe.

Cupping Series II will be offered in March.

Please email gabrielle@joenewyork.com to sign up.

Please visit our website for a complete list of classes.

Latte Art Throwdown Last Night

2010-01-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

The 3 finalists, Brian Jackson, Jordan Barber

and Will Gross, winner!

Will's winning latte

Stiff Competition

Want to get an inside look into the after hours world of being a top-notch NYC barista? Check out a Latte Art competition! 1 part cock fight (minus the blood and animal cruelty), 1 part wild party, 100% fun times! Although the baristas are competing for cash and prizes and the Barista Champion title, there's a really positive, supportive atmosphere. You'll never hear a barista disparaging another's pour, even when the one pouring is having an off night(like mine last night) or is new to pouring.

Mostly, it gives the chance for baristas from "the brotherhood of coffee bars in New York", as I like to refer to Joe's friendly competition like Everyman, Grumpy, Gimme!, Gorilla and Third Rail, the chance to get to know each other, see old friends and blow off some steam(no pun intended).

Last night was my first go at competing. After 7 years of making lattes, and thousands of beautiful rosettas later, admittedly I was nervous to pour. {It almost reminded me of my old Opera audition days, but that's a whole other blog entry.} It was good clean(ish) fun, however, and as the evening progressed, things got wild. Mad standing-on-the-bar karaoke ensued between pours, and as the PBR in the ice dwindled, it came down to two last competitors, both Joe family, Rickie Hecht, Waverly's manager and ex-Espresso Vivace barista, and Will Gross, trainer and ex-Ritual barista. Stiff competition by any means, but Will Gross came away the winner!

Thursday Night Throwdown happens once a month, moving among the different NYC Coffee bars. If you consider yourself someone who likes to try everything once, you definitely want to check this out!

To read more about last night, check out this article in The Examiner from today:

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-3438-NY-Shopping-Examiner~y2010m1d15-Latte-art-helps-Haiti--drink-up

Bottoms Up!

Gabrielle Rubinstein, co-owner of Joe, barista, recovering Opera Singer.

Our Hearts Go Out To Haiti

2010-01-14T06:37:00.000-08:00

The devastation is shocking. It's moments like these when we can feel powerless to help, but we're not.

A great way to help is to donate money through organizations likeYele Haiti, an organization started by Wyclef Jean.

Yéle Haiti is a grassroots movement that builds global awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment. Yéle’s community service programs include food distribution and mobilizing emergency relief. Grammy-Award winning musician, humanitarian and Goodwill Ambassador to Haiti Wyclef Jean founded Yéle Haiti in 2005.

100% of the money will go to relief efforts in Haiti.

http://www.yele.org/

Or text YELE to 501501 to donate $5

Direct Trade

2010-01-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

At Joe, we take our coffee seriously. In the past few months, we've been meticulously cupping, brewing, and tasting coffee so that we can appreciate the subtle nuances in coffees grown in different regions, at different altitudes, and at different times of the year. But I think it's important to remember that our rigor is about more than just taste: the coffee industry has a huge affect on the world economy as well.

Until twenty years ago, when the specialty coffee industry began to grow, nations such as the US and England were looking for cheap coffee. This motivation led them to create huge robusta coffee farms in Brazil and Vietnam, decimating the native flora and fauna and unleashing a glut of coffee onto the world market. The surplus of coffee lowered the prices of robusta and arabica beans more than thirty fold, and plunged many farmers and countries, including Nicaragua, into debt. This may sound extreme, but when you consider that 30% of the money Nicaragua receives from foreign exports comes from coffee, or that the Ethiopia's coffee industry accounts for two-thirds of its economy and employs more than 12 million people, you realize that coffee is a whole lot more than just your morning buzz. Coffee cultivation and processing is the livelihood of millions of people around the world (including the 50 young coffee professionals you see at Joe daily), and choosing your coffee can come with important consequences. As the specialty coffee industry has grown, more small-scale farmers have began to grow coffee using sustainable methods, paying attention to the surrounding areas of the coffee and ensuring that they are harvesting and processing the coffee in the best ways possible, so that the coffee crop tastes better and can be sold for more money.

Buying coffees that are Direct Trade, where farmers are rewarded for growing such great coffee, means that no one is being unfairly treated as the coffee makes its way from the farm to your home. And, you get to support the people who are working hard to bring you that coffee. As R.F. Schumacher says, "Small is beautiful," and that is certainly proving to be the case for the coffee industry. Sure, buying Direct Trade coffee that we serve at Joe won't magically reverse over 100 years of exploitation and subsistence farming, but it is a small step. By sourcing, roasting, and selling Direct Trade coffees, companies like Ecco Caffe are making a higher demand for coffee that tastes better and is better for the environment and the farmers who are harvesting and processing it.

Plus, these Direct Trade coffees simply taste amazing. It's really nice to have a coffee that you don't have to douse with cream and sugar so that it's drinkable. These coffees (a shout out to our current Ethiopia Sidama!!) can be sweet, savory, vegetal, fruity, or flowery, all on their own. The coffees we are currently serving are good for your taste buds, but they're also good for the world you're living in. By supporting these farmers, you support a better economy and business practices that are ultimately about creating sustainable relationships between the farmer, the roaster, the barista, and the consumer, so that we may all drink coffee with integrity and purpose.

These are the subtle ways that Joe supports your coffee habit.

-Samantha Attard, Assistant Manager 13th street

New Amsterdam Market

2009-12-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

Charrow and Andie brave the cold to bring

market-goers hot fresh coffee and beans.

Last Sunday, Joe took part in this amazing foodie's paradise down at the old Fulton Fish Market at South Street Seaport. New Amsterdam Market is striving, and succeeding, in making a mini-version of the famous Borough Market in London's Southwark area. I recently experienced Borough Market myself, and was completely floored by the expanse and quality of foods. And just like their Monmouth Coffee at Borough, there we were, serving pourovers (individually filter-dripped coffee) and beans.

There was an overall sense of comraderie among the stall workers and also with the customers, all of whom had braved the cold and slush for a bit of what the best farmers, bakers and cheese mongers had to offer. Every hour or so, the market mongers ring their bells, creating an almost Dickensian A Christmas Carol spirit (not the ghostly part of the story..).

I myself took home some aged goat cheese from Narragansett Creamery, a couple English-style meat pies, Finnish rye breads, and an adorable gingerbread man, complete with raisin eyes, and delicious to bite the head off of. My niece Sally, herself, enjoyed an arm or two.

Borough Market happens every month or so. You definitely don't want to miss it.

Happy Holidays!

Gabrielle Rubinstein, co-owner (and barista) of Joe

'Tis The Seasonal...

2009-12-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo example of Yellow Bourbon coffee cherries.

When we first made the switch to Ecco Caffe, one of the things we mentioned was their commitment to seasonality. Now we can finally show this off by announcing our new Seasonal House and Espresso blends. We are really excited about both of our new blends as well as a few new single origin offerings, all of which are at their peak of freshness.

Joe Seasonal House:
Region/Country: Sul de Minas (Brazil); Piuran Mountains (Peru)
Farmer: Jose Renato Goncalves Dias (Brazil); Cepicafe Cooperative (Peru)
Farm: Fazenda Sertaozinho (Brazil); Cepicafe Cooperative (Peru)
Altitude: 1200-1700 meters
Varietal: Yellow Bourbon (Brazil); Typica (Peru)
Tasting Notes: Cocoa-noted sweetness with lovely tones of brown sugar and a lingering honey finish for an elegant and approachable cup.

Joe Espresso:
Region/Country: Poços de Caldas (Brazil); Gedeo Zone, Yirgacheffe (Ethiopia)
Farmer: Gabriel de Carvalho Dias, Dama Cooperative
Farm: Fazenda Cachoeira Da Grama, Dama Cooperative
Altitude: 1250 meters (Brazil), 1850-2300 meters (Ethiopia)
Varietal: Yellow Bourbon (Brazil), Ethiopica (Ethiopia)
Tasting Notes: Gorgeous notes of bittersweet chocolate, vanilla and sugarcane. It exhibits a rounded acidity, silken mouth feel and lingering caramel finish.

All of these coffees showcase the qualities which made us fall in love with Ecco Caffe: amazingly fresh beans, unparalleled sweetness and a perfectly clean finish.
We hope you'll come by and raise a mug with us this holiday season, and keep an eye out for new single origin offerings as well.

2009-12-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

Come Visit Us at the New Amsterdam Winter Market!

2009-12-16T10:34:00.000-08:00

This coming Sunday, December 20, from 11-4.

We'll be brewing our seasonal house blend and a variety of single origin offerings and also selling 12 ounce retail bags for home use and gifts.

Located at the South Street Seaport, click below for more information and directions:

http://www.newamsterdammarket.org/

Coffee and Human Rights

2009-12-07T05:22:00.000-08:00

"When consumers purchase products bearing the Fair Trade Certified label, they're voting with their dollars to help improve lives for farmers and farm workers throughout the developing world."

transfairusa.org

Poor coffee farmers have long been trapped in cycles of debt to multinational corporations that buy a lot of coffee at extremely low prices. The farmers do not earn a living wage and cannot properly care for their crops. The coffee's quality drops, lowering the price further, and continuing the cycle of exploitation.

Human rights defenders and discerning coffee drinkers are creating an opposing cycle. Independent roasters practicing Direct Trade, like our own Ecco, and third party certifiers, such as TransFair USA, work with farmers to improve the quality of their coffee, as well as education, health care, and social services. Improved coffee earns higher prices. This positive cycle helps pull farmers out of poverty and delivers us a tastier cup. Each time we choose to drink Direct or Fair Trade coffees we make our world a bit more delicious and equal.

Raise your coffee cups and join me in a toast to fairly traded and skillfully produced coffee, and to the people who create it!

Human Rights Day

Thursday, December 10, 2p

Toast with us at 13^th St Joe,

- or raise a cup wherever you are

-Jessica Bertin, manager 13th street

Chemex 101.

2009-11-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

1. Grab Your 4 square Chemex Filter. Fold into cone shape keeping 3 of the 4 folds in the front.

2. Place the 3 folds side of the filter towards correct pouring end of the pot.

3. With hot water wet the filter and the vessel with a few ounce of water. This creates a better seal between the filter and the pot as well as pre-heat the vessel.

4. Add your ground coffee beans. 2.2-2.4 grams of coffee per ounce of water. Grind for Chemex setting with is more course then auto-drip but not as course as press pot.

5. Add your correct amount of water preferably using these coffee specific kettles which create a perfect stream of water for better pouring control and insulate heat well.

6. Add a few ounces of hot water into the center of the coffee grounds.

7. Let the coffee blossom and let out some of it’s oxygen. The bigger the bloom the fresher and higher quality the coffee.

8. After letting the coffee bloom for about 30 seconds, start adding the rest of the hot water slowly. Pour the water in a spiral motion starting from the center out towards the filter keeping the water from getting onto the side wall. Work the water back from the outside in towards the center until all of the water is emptied from the kettle.

9. The coffee should start flowing through the center of the cone.

10. Watch the magic happen.

11. Take out the filter. Pour.

12. Enjoy!

-Rickie Hecht, Manager of Waverly Joe

Coffee and community: a love story

2009-11-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday night, Jess, manager of 13th Street, and I taught the Coffee 101 class on the Upper West Side as part of Joe University. In this class we always review coffee history, processing, and everything than happens to a coffee bean as it makes its way from a farm in a tropical country to your kitchen (or Joe!). At this class, however, we did a new activity that really shed some light on what coffee is all about. At the beginning of class, as students were sipping their El Salvador Guayabo (some delicious stuff, I might add), we had the students think and write about the first time they fell in love with coffee. Were they young? Old? Was it strawberry cheesecake flavored at 7-11? Were they in a foreign country? It was a really great exercise that got me thinking about why I fell in love with coffee at such a young age. (12. Daily espresso and cookies with Italian Grandma. Enough said.)   The really amazing thing was that a lot of people’s stories involved community. It was not only about caffeine, or the comfort of steamed milk, it was about the people they shared their coffee with.
    I learned recently about the traditional Ethiopian custom of serving coffee to guests. It involves roasting, grinding, and preparing three separate cups of coffee! The wait for this coffee makes our lines look like nothing! But once again, it is not merely about imbibing a delicious beverage, but about the ceremony of enjoying the company of others.
    This activity helped me rethink my morning cup of coffee, and also what we do it Joe. Sometimes people scoff at the latte art…”why do you take the trouble to do that? I’m just going to drink it down!” But we still do it anyway, hoping that one day you’ll see that pretty heart on your latte and take a second to enjoy and savor that beautiful beverage, and whoever you are sharing it with.

-Samantha Attard, assistant manager 13th street Joe

Everything But The Coffee

2009-10-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

Author and Temple University Professor Bryant Simon will be spending an evening at Joe Waverly, on November 19th at 8pm, speaking about his new book about Starbucks, Everything But The Coffee.

"Everything but the Coffee casts a fresh eye on the world's most famous coffee company and looks beyond baristas, movie cameos, and Paul McCartney CDs to understand what Starbucks can tell us about America. Bryant Simon spent five years visiting hundreds of Starbucks around the world to ask, why did Starbucks take hold so quickly with consumers? What did it seem to provide over and above a decent cup of coffee? Why at the moment of Starbucks' profit-generating peak did the company lose its way, leaving observers baffled about how it might regain its customers and its cultural significance?Everything but the Coffee is the first book about Starbucks that probes the company's psychological, emotional, political, and sociological power to discover how Starbucks' explosive success and rapid deflation exemplify American culture at this historical moment. Most importantly, it shows that Starbucks speaks to a deeply felt American need for predictability and class standing, community and authenticity, revealing that Starbucks' appeal lies not in the product it sells but in the easily consumed identity it offers."

November 19th at 8pm at our 141 Waverly store, come hear the author speak, answer questions, and sign books. There will be free drip coffee as well.

Special Announcement

2009-10-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

We're Now Using Ecco Caffè Coffee Beans

Dear Friends of Joe,

We are extremely excited to announce that starting tomorrow (10/21) we will be using Ecco Caffè as the roaster for all of our espresso and drip coffees. Ecco is an artisan coffee roasting company located in Sonoma County, CA. It's considered one of the top boutique roasters in the country, and we are thrilled to be using its amazing coffees and selling its beans. This is a big change for us, and one that we know will enhance your Joe experience in many ways. But you probably have some questions:

Q: Why the switch?

Ecco's beans are amazing--and this is the first time they're available for full-time use in a shop outside of the West Coast. Andrew Barnett, Ecco's founder, and his staff are passionate about the beans they choose and the way they roast them; we know you're going to love the taste. Weve had--and continue to have--a wonderful relationship with Barrington Roasting Company, and we think its coffees are of the highest caliber, too. But Ecco offers us the opportunity to explore a new and exciting side of coffee: seasonality.Ecco is on the cutting edge of providing the highest quality beans at the peak of their "season"--that is, as close to when they were actually harvested as possible. Just as a good chef buys and cooks with what's fresh at the farmer's market, Ecco only buys, roasts, and sells beans that are recently harvested in their respective countries of origin--which means the coffees have the freshest, most complex flavors and aromas possible. It's a leap forward for coffee, and we're excited to be a part of it. Ecco also establishes Direct Trade relationships whenever possible--dealing one-on-one with superior coffee farmers around the world and ensuring that they're rewarded for their hard work, great beans, and conscientious stewardship of the land.

Q: Will my coffee beverage taste different than before?

Yes--but we think you'll love it. Part of what's so exciting about serving coffee that's at its peak in terms of harvest season is that it will offer customers a chance to expand their coffee horizons. Most notably, our house drip coffee--now called Seasonal House Blend--will actually change every few months to reflect the freshest beans available. (And we'll also be offering a rotating selection of Ecco single-origin drip coffees alongside the Seasonal House Blend.) Will the Seasonal House Blend taste a little different throughout the year? Yes. Will it be consistently great, whether the beans come from El Salvador or Ethiopia? Yes again. While the specific flavor characteristics of the coffee may not be exactly the same year-round, there will always be a consistency of high quality because of Ecco's top-notch beans, its house roasting style, and our brewing methods. To use another restaurant analogy: if you enjoy a great peach crisp at your favorite restaurant in July, and then return again for a meal in October, you can trust in the restaurant to serve you an equally delicious apple crisp, using what's in season. The same is true with Ecco and Joe: we promise consistency of quality in every drink, every day of the year, with the most in-season ingredients possible.

Q: What else is new at Joe?

With our changeover to Ecco for our coffee beans, we're also taking the opportunity to enhance a few other offerings: we're now serving a new chai tea blend (it's got a little more spice and more "pure tea" flavor--we're pretty crazy about it); we've changed our soy milk to Pacific Natural Foods, which uses all organic soybeans; we're using a single-origin chocolate from Ghana for our mochas and hot cocoa; and we've invested in some really cool new coffee equipment (check out the shiny Mazzer Robur E grinders) to get the most out of our beans.

Q: What won't change?

Everything else you've come to expect from Joe will stay the same, and in some cases get even better: the drink menu and drink prices will stay the same; you'll still have the same friendly, talented baristas making your drinks; and you'll still be able to buy Joe beans in-store and online (only now there will be an even greater selection, and with more information about the coffee's origin, varietals, and characteristics). Think of it as the same Joe, just version 2.0.

Still have more questions or concerns? Please don't hesitate to talk to your barista or the store manager--they can tell you everything you'd ever want to know about Ecco. Or feel free to email us anytime at jonathan@joenewyork.com and gabrielle@joenewyork.com.

Jonathan and Gabrielle

LIFE IN THE ESPRESSO LANE

2009-10-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

Seattle’s famed Capitol Hill- and my treasured alma mater - seems to have become the most densely populated area of mind-blowing cafes. All sporting the big leagues of espresso, these heavy hitters are smashing shot after shot right out of the park. Places like Stumptown, with its stoic followers and clean organic design, are popping up like weeds in between the millions of new condos slowly smothering the pop-culture histoire of such a cherished neighborhood. What once was an area teeming with addicts, bums, and Dick’s Burger fanatics has somehow turned into a mecca of cafe culture and foodie delight. An Epcot Center of the world’s best, with Vivace at one end of Broadway, Stumptown at the other, and the tried and true Vita, Bauhaus, and even a few places carrying the influential Intelligentsia acting as the filling in the middle. A slew of the best macchiatos and straight shots bless the locals like rampant rivers of holy water, leading straight to Watertown on Cherry and 12^th: a newish cafe with an ambiance emulating the old days, when our college apartments consisted of mismatched furniture, and a prized ping-pong table in the dining room. The menu procures the perfect blend of the finest espresso and our favorite beer labels. Watertown, owned and operated by original Vivace cast members from the early nineties and onward, creates a new atmosphere accentuating the social similes of espresso and alcohol, a factor rarely seen. Though my trip home was felt hardest on the hill, my family lives in Seattle’s other, less trendy spots. Though even outside the espresso mecca, it still seems that the highest percentage of the employed are baristas- right after Microsoft of course.

When you’ve been in the industry for 15 years like myself and have been drinking coffee for almost 20, lets just say you acquire a taste for caffeine. One could definitely refer to it as an addiction and mine is, well, severe, to be kind. When my brain feels as though it is going to explode out through my eyes with jackhammer force, espresso’s layers, nuances, and tones of acidity just don’t seem too prevalent. Not that I can’t spot or appreciate their existence, and of course, if I could afford to employ a Vivace veteran and the barista version of a traveling wet bar, I definitely would. Unfortunately this leads me to alternate routes to espresso when traveling outside Capitol Hill’s Epcot Center.

Herkimer is a beloved spot and a lovely three-block commute from my sister’s home in Greenwood. One of my top three favorite cafes in the country, this relatively unknown spot illuminates this quaint and quiet neighborhood. Though as my visit took me to North Seattle, Bremerton, Bainbridge, and a two-day Winnebago trip to Fidalgo Bay in Anacortes, the espresso bars became a wildly more colorful experience of everyday caffeination. Only in the greater Seattle area would a garden nursery also provide an espresso bar- The Coffee Spigot, a cute mishmash spot in Bremerton where the barista, rather well versed and no older than 16, comfortably discussed her chronic headache from the past three days. Or most impressive The General Store, a quaint bar/ restaurant on the tiniest of islands in Anacortes, where men in flannel shirts taking lunch breaks sat at a bar in front of a pristine espresso machine while the bartender prepared americanos and cappuccinos for the everyday workers. This sight was the closest I had ever seen to the traditional Italian barman where espresso is an experience when you stop questioning its wonder and simply enjoy.

And of course, a trip to Seattle is not complete without visiting at least one of what seems to be billions of Starbucks, which my Aunt and I did right off of Aurora Avenue. We pulled right into the parking lot. Did we go in? No way! This is Seattle- we drove around the side of the building to the huge drive-through microphone. Aunt Barb leaned out the window of her revving mini-van and relayed our order into the box. Tall iced latte, for her, and a short soy pour moi. Six dollars and thirty-five cents was our total, which we paid at the next window. Aunt Barb tipped a dollar per drink and as the two bills slid back into the hands of the green covered worker, a familiar expression of delight and surprise lit up his face, a recognizable appearance I have mirrored when a generous and respectful person bobs up from a sea of stingy customers and tips appropriately. We thanked him, and with the new apparent spring in his step, we drove away. My headache finally subsiding and my Aunt proud of herself at the difference she made in someone’s day for a mere two dollars.

Espresso is everywhere in Seattle, the good, the bad, and the ugly. The purists, the pretentious, and the addicts- and I, of course, am all three.

Erin Hulbert:trainer

Ode to a Grinder

2009-10-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

We all love coffee and hate to waste it. We baristi try to grind just enough coffee for the shot, but estimating volume is tough and too little coffee will not give enough flavor. After grinding and carefully distributing the coffee in the basket, the excess is wiped away cleanly.

Into the compost bin.

Witnessing this waste breaks the hearts of coffee lovers who appreciate that each bean is precious. Selected for their quality and taste, artisan coffees are carefully hand grown and processed by many passionate professionals before reaching our coffee bar.

What is the conscientious barista to do? Careful focus on grinding only exactly as much coffee as you need has been the only answer at 13th Street Joe, until the arrival of our Mazzer Robur Electric Grinder! This electric version allows the barista to program how long the grinder will run to within a tenth of a second, measuring just enough coffee for proper distribution and a perfect shot. The grounds shoot cleanly through a funnel – another new feature – directly into the basket of the portafilter instead of all over the counter. Though an electric timer and a funnel seem like small technological advances, they significantly reduce the amount of coffee we waste.

Therefore, I publicly declare my undying affection for our Mazzer Robur Electric Grinder, for helping us save our precious coffee. This is one more way we can show our respect and admiration for the intense processes, the passionate people, and the beautiful beans.

Mmm...Cookies!

2009-10-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Stop by and try our new cookies at 13th and 23rd Street Joe! We tasted these classic cookies and couldn't resist adding them to our lineup of baked goods.

Dan Guerrera found Downtown Cookie Company in 2008. In 2009, his chocolate chip cookie won Best Cookie in New York magazine. We'll be carrying these as well as old fashioned peanut butter, and classic oatmeal raisin. Come taste and you'll know why we had to add them!

-Jonathan Rubinstein, Joe Founder