Man Seeking Coffee » Central Coast

coffee@home: Streetlevel Espresso

ManSeekingCoffee — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:00:07 +0000

Beans: Streetlevel Espresso Roaster: Verve Coffee Roasters Rating: 4

I sang my praises of this espresso blend when describing my trip to Verve, where it’s pulled as the house espresso. Interestingly, Verve’s bay area wholesale accounts have tended to favor other other blends, like the Sermon, which are likely a bit more forgiving and universally appealing. The natural coffee [...]

The Verve is the Word

ManSeekingCoffee — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:15:41 +0000

Name: Verve Coffee Roasters Location: 816 41st Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA Rating: 4-

Staying in a house with 12 adults and 9 children under the age of 3 was a total blast albeit a little chaotic. Still, it didn’t take a lot of coaxing for me to volunteer to run an errand when the opportunity came up. I knew [...]

coffee@home: Decaf and Dale

ManSeekingCoffee — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:00:28 +0000

Beans: Ethiopia Sidamo Dale and Vancouver Decaf Roaster: Verve Coffee Roasters Rating: 4- and 3

The best analogy I’ve been able to think of for dry processed coffees so far is game meat. While I often like it, if not of the right quality or not well-prepared, the gaminess can overwhelm. And even when done right, it’s not a [...]

Busy Ritual is a Bee in My Bonnet

ManSeekingCoffee — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:02:55 +0000

In case you haven’t noticed, Ritual has been a busy, busy coffee company in the past few months. Here’s a bit of what’s been going on.

Ritual’s new website is online. Amongst other things, it includes some great videos on cupping, brewing and other tips and tricks for appreciating good coffee. Staff have revamped the coffee menu. That’s [...]

WRBC 2008, Part 2

ManSeekingCoffee — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:47:33 +0000

Name: The 2008 Western Regional Barista Championship Host: Pacific Bay Coffee Company Location: Gaia Arts Center, 2120 Alston Way, Berkeley, CA Rating: 4

The 2008 Western Regional Barista Competition took place this past weekend in my hometown of Berkeley. Of course, the fact that I’m only just now getting around to posting my summary of events is pretty lame. I [...]