STiR coffee and tea magazine

Volume 4, Number 2

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60 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 2, 2015 (April/May) Coffee In America The new Starbucks Reserve in Seattle is a roasting palace. ortland is the coffee hot spot among West Coast hot spots from Vancouver and Seattle to SF and LA. The East Coast is booming with roasters popping up in rural and urban areas of NYC and Brooklyn. Toss in Austin, Tex. and we can map our cross country journey by the coffee we drink. North America is all about innovation, creativity, and delicious coffee. Portland is a city of originals which carries over to the café world. Watch the indie absurdist Portlandia TV series for a glimpse. Funky mismatched chairs and tables from thrift stores decorate hipster cafes staffed with attitude-rich baristas and customers who simply stare at their iPhone. Many cafes no longer offer free Wi-Fi to encourage a conversation over coffee. Design-savvy roasters build their roasting chops on in-store roasters, but also con- struct parts of their cafes by hand (or at the minimum have a hand in the design). Cool inspiring elements of nature are detailed and brought inside — reclaimed barn box beams, counter tops of wood from origin countries, white subway tiles on coun- ter facings and backsplash, authentic elements add drama. Simplicity is in. Industrial metals without the sterile feel, open space, polished wood, and rusty beans. Metal and wood play off one another like fire and water. Serving counters once crammed with equipment are going minimal to be approach- able and welcoming. Lower counters afford baristas an opportunity to engage the cus- tomer. Open spaces with tall ceilings and a wall of windows, sometimes featuring ga- rage doors are popular. Stairs were once a "no no", but small lofts are appearing in shops. Coffee shops are loosening their skinny jeans to allow more personality in space. There is whimsy in the light fixtures, eye catching centerpieces such as pendant lights fashioned of Hario kettles, coffee cups, and cupping spoons. At Portland's Case Study Coffee where I enjoy a cappuccino there is a crazy light fixture which hangs above the barista. The fixture is either Sputnik or the caffeine molecule with Edison bulbs. I determine it is the caffeine molecule. Operators are more confident molding their surrounding elements. They are com- ing from different professions and turning to coffee for fulfilment and bringing their other life's passions along for the ride. There is a sense of style and freedom in the new designs. No holds barred in the perfect café now, except for high quality coffees. A Guinness in the morning Nitro brewed coffee is making appearances on menus everywhere. A little nitro narra- tive: Take a delicious brewed coffee or toddy and pull it through a tap infusing it with P By Sherri Johns Dapper & Wise in Beaverton, Ore. is styled in metal and worn wood.

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