Easter update!

Hello Hubbers. I've been without a computer! So I'm going to use that as my excuse for not having updated the blog in a while...

Happy Easter! (to those whom it may apply) Things have been good at The Hub! Spring will soon be in full bloom, Reno will no longer be an icebox, the sun will be shining, and we can all kick it on the patio and sip on some tasty espresso.

For those of you that missed out, this last Wednesday we hosted our first musical event at The Hub. Michael Grant, of Endeverafter, was the official MC of the little acoustic show, and many of our other wonderful customers flocked to The Hub, instruments in hand, to play along. It was great! Cozy and intimate. I believe the weather kept a large amount of people from coming out to the show, but we're shooting for another in a time of warmer weather! (patiO!!!)

We've recieved a few new coffees from Barefoot Coffee Roasters as of our last update. Brand new Rwandan Kopakama! Come and get it. Is good! And while you're at it, grab a cup of the new Finca Vista Hermosa Peaberry. Oh so nice. Along with these two, we're occassionally brewing up the Brazil Daterra Redcab and the Sulawesi from the Sapan Collective. You can read about all of these coffee-growing countries, regions, farms, and the specific lots of coffee themselves at Barefoot's website www.barefootcoffee.com!

Intelligentsia is still keeping us stocked with wonderful Black Cat espresso. Yum. The blend has changed yet again: Brazil Fazenda Sertaozinho now pairs up with an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe from the Dama Cooperative. But it's still got that same great Black Cat-ness. Same as it ever was.

End of February already?!

Here we are in the last week of February. It's gone by so fast! Our apologies for not keeping up so well with the blog updates... better late than never.

February has treated us well. We had a nice Spring teaser with the beautiful sunshine and 60 degree days for about a week. Can't wait for it to become a little more permanent, because let's face it, our little garage can only hold so many thirsty customers... we want patio weather!!!

Last week's artist reception for February's artist, Nicholette, was a blast! We had a great turnout, despite the rain and colder temperatures, and the crowd grew as the night went on and the Irish coffees kept flowing. Thank you all for coming out to support Nicholette and The Hub. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for info regarding March's festivities... perhaps more Irish coffees to celebrate the already-locally-famous works of that month's artist. But who will it be? Hint: It won't help to scratch this itch... he's that good. (I hope I'm not the only one that will actually be able to figure that out)

-The crowd inside the shop... so many that we had at least double this number stuck outside in the rain! Troopers.

We've been serving up some single-origin espresso (SOE) again at The Hub! The Guatemalan Honey Michicoy from Finca Vista Hermosa, roasted by Barefoot Coffee Roasters, has been hot. Sweet, thick, and chewy mouthcandy in espresso form. Mmhmm. For those of you that don't already know, SOE costs $1 extra, but it's a sure way to experience something you just won't get anywhere else (even more so than the usual Hub fare). Have it straight up, throw it over some water for an SOE americano, or have it with milk in a latté or cappuccino! Better yet, try it any number of ways and see how you like it best.

With the beginning of March just a week away, we'll be introducing a few new coffees to the lineup. Stay tuned to find out just what those new coffees may be!

Black Cat returns!

Here's the scoop:

We've been back and forth between the espresso blends available to us from our coffee roasters, Barefoot and Intelligentsia. The Boss from Barefoot has kept us more than happy since long before we opened The Hub 7 months ago.

Then we became curious... "Hmmm..." we said to ourselves,"I wonder 'bout that Intelligentsia." We just couldn't resist. Lovely stuff, really.

So here we are, having been back and forth between the two for a couple of months now, and we've finally arrived at a wonderful conclusion: Let's brew them both! Yeah... Why didn't we think of that first? Seems like a no-brainer now.

Swing by The Hub anytime, starting tomorrow, Friday the 29th of January, for a shot of The Boss, a shot of Black Cat, a shot of each?! Yay!

P.S. Keep your eyes and ears open for some single-origin espresso... it's a-comin'!

One last test run.

Intelligentsia's Black Cat classic espresso is back at The Hub for the weekend. Just one last test run as we prepare to make it official.

We've had nothing but a positive experience with Black Cat so far. Customers love it. And we can't get enough ourselves. For this reason, starting this coming Friday, Black Cat will take top honors at The Hub. Alongside that, we'll be alternating between Barefoot's The Boss and many of their wonderful single-origin beans as alternate espressos for your choosing.

We can't wait!

Currently brewing at The Hub...

Check out the brew list to the right of the blog homepage. We have some amazing coffees in the line-up currently.

We brewed up Barefoot's Kenya Nyeri Kiawamururu for the first time this morning and it blew our socks off! Hot buttered popcorn and caramel? Seriously though. It's good. Tasty berry goodness, the one and only Ethiopia Sidamo Amaro Gayo from Barefoot, is also available. Yet another coffee that'll convert any syrup and sugar addict to a black coffee drinker. It's that good! Along with the Barefoot beans, we have the delicate and delectable Colombia Finca Santuario from Intelligentsia Coffee.

We're bringing back the single-origin espresso very, very soon. All our S.O. espresso fans can look forward to thick blueberry syrup in a cup when we get around to throwing Barefoot's Amaro Gayo in the espresso grinder. Stay tuned!

Keep your ears open and your eyes peeled, we'll be receiving a few new coffees from both Barefoot and Intelligentsia over the coming weeks. Allow me to plant this little bug in your ear: The Brazil Agua Preta from Intelligentsia will make you squeal (only in the best of ways, of course).

The Foot, The Boss, and Intelli, too!

So... we just couldn't say goodbye. We at The Hub want our cake, and we want to eat it too. Then we want some pie, a couple scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce and colorful candy sprinkles!

I'll spare you all the pleasure of decoding the dessert talk. In short, The Boss espresso along with some of the wonderful single-origin coffees from Barefoot Coffee Roasters are back at The Hub. And they're here to stay. We just couldn't say goodbye for good to our first love and have therefore decided to play for both teams. What could be better than Barefoot or Intelligentsia coffee at The Hub? Why, Barefoot AND Intelligentsia at The Hub! (Yeah, you wish you had thought of it, right?)

Stay tuned for more details and updates as to the specific coffees we'll be rotating in and out over the coming weeks. But in the meantime stop by for a shot of The Boss, the tasty chocolate ganache fruit-bomb you all know and love!

Coffee for Christmas? And a Hub mug, too?

A bit last minute... but you know what they say, "Better late than never!" We want to throw out some wonderful Christmas present ideas to all of our followers, and it's all available at The Hub!

What could be better than whole bean coffee for those last-minute stocking stuffers? And just think how much more magical Christmas morning could be when your loved one opens up his gift only to get knocked in the nose with warm aromatics from those tasty beans? Then a fresh brew to get you through all those other presents... Mmmmmmm! Now with the big day only five days away, you can guarantee that the coffee won't stale as it rests beneath that 12-foot beauty-of-a-christmas-tree you have standing tall and mighty in your living room.

And to compliment that fresh bag of beans, we have custom Hub diner mugs for $10! The Hub logo graces each side of these 10 oz. mugs, and every time you bring it in for use at the coffee shop you'll get a 25 cent discount. For all our die-hards out there, we know it won't be long before these babies pay for themselves. Only 40 visits? We have some coffee crazies that could bust that out in a week's time! Not to mention you can show off to all your buddies where you get your coffee without even saying a word! Just a sip and a sigh of enjoyment and they'll have a hankerin' for The Hub, and you'll be the coolest coffee dude in town.

Buy either a bag of beans, or a Hub diner mug, or both! We have fancy gift boxes and a little discount if you go all out. $20 will get you 8 oz. of tasty coffee and a fancy mug! And if you're just not sure what to get, buy a gift certificate. We have those, too!

Cupping 10/9

Quick announcement: Coffee cupping at The Hub this Friday @ 10! or 11! Show up around that time and you'll be able to join in the awesomeness that is tasting coffees from some of the best farms in el mundo!

We... they, actually, because I can't make it :( will be cupping three separate coffees. The Ethiopian Sidamo Amaro Gayo that you all know and love will be there for you to wrap your lips around; the El Salvador Finca San Jose will be there as well, a fine representative of superior quality coffee, both in regards to taste and its social impact through Barefoot's "relationship coffee" initiative; and making its debut on the cupping table!!! pure Guatemalan goodness, the El Socorro monster-of-a-tasty-coffee! (Preview descriptions of all of these coffees, along with some more in-depth info, can be found somewhere else in this blog... keep scrolling down)

Hope you can make it!

Round 2: Latin Love

It's time for Round 2 of the coffee lineup!

Two-week blocks seem to have worked out nicely, so coffee lineups will continue rotating on that same schedule. For those of you who especially liked the coffees we featured for Round 1 of the rotation, we have one last batch of recently roasted whole beans for you to come in and buy so you can continue brewing up your favorite coffee at home! If you don't already know, we sell in 12 oz. portions; and, depending on which coffee you choose, pricing varies slightly. That goes for the Ethiopian Sidamo Amaro Gayo (sweet, syrupy blueberry, orange marmelade, peaches), which we sell for $15.00; and the Kenyan Nyeri Karindundu (another syrupy one, tangy, lemon acidity, sweet sugar on the finish), for $14.25. Can't guarantee the last of these coffees will be here for long, so come in and get some while you can!

And now for Round 2! We've decided to feature strictly Latin American coffees this time. These three coffees are all of the Bourbon varietal of the Arabica coffee species. All of these coffees show an extreme balance in the cup when it comes to their depth, complexity, mouthfeel, acidity, etc. as is typical of quality Latin Americans. This will be an experiment of sorts, as this round of coffees will provide an opportunity for you to experience and taste the varied effects of growing region, otherwise known as terroir, and processing, the various methods of depulping and drying the coffee beans.

We have two El Salvadors, each very different in the cup, and a Guatemalan that tastes simply surreal. You'll notice that the first of the coffees is a repeat from Round 1, but we've chosen to feature it in a different light - as a single-origin espresso. It will also continue to be a french press option, however we were very impressed with the coffee as espresso, and we'd like to give our customers a chance to enjoy it as we have. I've provided a listing of the three coffees below, along with a sneak peak at cupping notes and general information about the coffees and/or their farms.

Round 2
Through September 27

El Salvador Finca Nejapa Santa Marta - smooth, sweet, and truly well-balanced. A perfect representative of the beauty of washed Latin American coffees. The one coffee of Round 2 that is not fully-washed in the depulping process, lending it what I would call a lower-toned acidity and a flavor of darker fruits in general.
(Daily press/Single-origin espresso)

El Salvador Finca San Jose 408 - this is a coffee I have yet to try. However, this is a lot of coffee that Barefoot has purchased in previous harvest years, and I must say it is a personal favorite. You can find Barefoot's cupping notes on this year's harvest on their website here.
(Daily press)

Guatemala El Socorro y Anexos Palo Blanco - green grape, apple, and apricot sparkle up front, backed by smooth creamy notes of butterscoth. This is truly a farm that tops the charts year after year. Upon our opening, we featured a coffee from El Socorro that won the distinction of 4th place in the Guatemala Cup of Excellence competition. Now, we have the pleasure of featuring a much more affordable cup from the same farm, produced with all the same love and attention of a world-class coffee.
(Daily press)

It all starts on Wednesday, as we will be receiving our first fresh roasts of these coffees tomorrow afternoon. Come by and experience truly exceptional coffee!

Coffee weather at last! Changes abound.

The first hint of Fall graced our fine city this evening. A swift sprinkling of rain rolled over The Hub as the sun fell closer and closer toward the horizon. Ahhhh. Sighs of relief and comfort; it was a wonderful change from the relentless Nevada heat, if you ask me. A calming cool fell over the coffee shop on this particularly slow Saturday evening, renewing my spirits and motivating me to take the lull in business as an opportunity to fine-tune the many things in the shop that require an occasional fine-tuning. I couldn't have asked for a more peaceful evening.

With perfect coffee weather just around the corner, we have equally exciting changes constantly taking place in the shop. As many of you may know, the list of goodies being offered at The Hub are growing: new seasonal scones from Dish Café; tasty croissants, muffins, and maple-bacon scones from Walden's Coffeehouse; not to mention the many amazing teas we now have from The Tao of Tea.


On the espresso front, there has been a slight change in the house blend, The Boss, that you all know and love. Rest assured, it is still the same tasty, quality-roasted blend of coffees from Barefoot Coffee Roasters, but the seasonality of coffee calls for slight changes in blends offered by any roaster as they run out of certain harvests throughout the year. New harvest East African coffees have finally made their way into Barefoot hands. And just in time for the new harvest Ethiopian Sidamo Amaro Gayo (which we have been serving up both as french press and single-origin espresso!) to replace the waning harvest of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Dominion that was previously being used in The Boss. Same complex, sweet, tantalizing espresso, with a slight tweak of flavor specifics. Ask us about it, and we'll talk you through the tasting experience upon your next visit!

We've also been playing around with our top-of-the-line La Marzocco GB-5 espresso machine's temperature stability capabilities. A mouth full, I know. Generally, espresso ''should'' be pulled using water at a temperature between 198-202 degrees Fahrenheit. However, as is quite typical of us third-wave coffee pioneers, we're not afraid to break custom, playing around with temperatures as high as 204/205 degrees Fahrenheit when pulling our espressos.

There are various reasons for playing around with brew temperature. One example: certain characteristics of the espresso, notably brightness/sweetness and body/texture, tend to change inversely with temperature differences. A higher temperature, in general, yields a brighter/sweeter, perhaps more complex, espresso. A lower temperature, in general, yields a rich, syrupy body/texture, but a more mellow, perhaps smoother, flavor. To all of our avid espresso drinkers, see if you notice a difference, see if you can pinpoint that difference, the next time you order an espresso from The Hub. And speak up! Baristas are there to talk to you about what you're drinking!

We're super excited to keep improving, constantly stepping up our game, for all the coffee drinkers of Reno. See you at The Hub!

Busyness

¡Whoa! (Yes, that is an official Spanish "whoa") It has been forever since my last update. I've even had some complaints (concerns?) from a couple of our followers (you know who you are). My sincerest apologies.

Anywho, here it is. An update! A great deal of new and exciting things have gone down over the last few weeks at The Hub. Business has continued to grow, and those who have shown interest in the shop all seem to have continued their support! Thank you to everyone.

As mentioned in previous updates, new harvests are constantly arriving at The Hub. What with such a selection available to us from Barefoot, we have decided to instate a bi-weekly trio of coffee offerings starting this coming week. What it means: the staff at The Hub will be choosing three particular coffees to brew up for its customers over a period of two weeks. Over those two weeks we'll be rotating them through for our daily press coffee, and choosing the one coffee of the three that shows the most promise and intrigue as our single-origin espresso.

Round 1
Through September 13

Kenya Nyeri Karindundu - surprisingly sweet, tantalizingly tangy, truly unexpected flavor profile that will make you forget you're drinking coffee! A must try!
(Daily press)

El Salvador Finca Nejapa Santa Marta - smooth, sweet, and truly well-balanced. A perfect representative of the beauty of washed Latin American coffees.
(Daily press)

NEW! Ethiopia Sidamo Amaro Gayo - a sensory experience like no other. Simply luscious. A bombardment of blueberry, dusting of cinnamon, toasted pecan!
(Daily press/Single-origin espresso)

We've had the pleasure of redecorating our beautiful brick walls with the artwork of local artist Nick Blades! We were certainly sad to see our previous pieces go, but with artwork like Nick's taking its place we could not complain. Here are some pictures of the new pieces, but be sure to come in and see them up close and in person to fully appreciate their splendor.



As the title eludes, we are a busy little coffee bar. As such, we're extending our hours for the Fall and Winter seasons. Starting this Monday, you can come enjoy the same delightful cappuccino you had at 6 in the morning at 6 in the evening! Wonderful, isn't it?

Business Hours
As of Monday, August 31

Mon-Fri: 6 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Good stuff, huh? I believe everyone is up to date now.

We love that you love good coffee! Thank you for reading. And remember...

Coffee Cupping

We've been working to institute weekly cuppings at The Hub. For those that don't know what a cupping is, you now have a very good reason to show up!

We started out with Sunday morning cuppings, 10 a.m., free and open to anyone interested in tasting some wonderful coffees. It seems though, that everyone prefered to sleep in on their Sunday morning... We're all constantly caffeinated at The Hub, therefore normal sleeping behavior is a mystery to us. Yes, our fault, but it's now quite obvious that sleeping in on a Sunday morning will win every time.

So, we've made some changes. We will now be testing out our little coffee cupping sessions at 10 a.m. on Friday mornings! Yay! If you can't show up for a free boost to get you through the last day of the work week, well...

I do realize that many people haven't heard of a cupping. And since there are already so many wonderful descriptions and opinions on the matter scattered all over the Web, I'm just going to let them fill you in. The following is an excerpt from an article published at CoffeeGeek.com. Geoff Watts is the owner and primary coffee purchaser for Intelligentsia Coffee, a Chicago-based company that is just one of the choice few that are taking coffee to a level unimaginable in the minds of your average coffee drinker. More on the entire cupping process and the reasoning behind it can be found here (please keep in mind, this is a general reference; basic reasoning is more or less the same, but cupping procedures may vary a bit from place to place).

''I’m a firm believer that understanding is developed through the act of comparison. Learning to talk about the character of a coffee from a particular origin requires that one have some frame of reference, and if the goal is to figure out what makes a coffee from Kenya great it is important to know what makes it different than other coffees. In other words, what does it mean to taste like a “Kenya”? What tastes distinguish a Guatemalan coffee from a Nicaraguan?

''By evaluating coffees in a comparative setting and with an inquisitive, reflective approach one can learn to identify the most essential flavor traits of coffees from different origins. The goal should be to build a reference library of flavors and taste sensations that can become a background against which one can examine new coffees. Over time a cupper will begin to associate particular flavors with geographical regions and different botanical varieties of coffee. Eventually, a phrase like “this tastes like a bourbon from the Santa Ana region in El Salvador” can have some real meaning. It is important to remember, though, that dogma has no place in coffee tasting. Every time I think I’ve got a region figured out, a coffee comes along that shatters my expectations. Keeping an open mind and sense of curiosity is absolutely essential to becoming an accomplished taster.''

Geoff Watts, Intelligentsia Coffee

So hopefully you're as excited as we are to cup some wonderful coffees! And if you've been following the blog, you already know that we'll be phasing in new harvest lots over the next month or so as Barefoot Coffee Roasters recieves their newest shipments from abroad. See you at The Hub!

First espressos!

We pulled some of the first espresso on the La Marzocco GB5 earlier this evening at Reno's new coffee epicenter, The Hub! Sweet and tangy tangerine, thick caramel wrapped in rich cacao, hints of cherry and molasses popping through intermittently to slap your taste buds silly... as close to coffee heaven as you'll get. Only at The Hub.

The Hub's espresso is the finest. The big daddy of 'spro. The boss. And it really is named "The Boss"... what better to name an espresso that, in my opinion, shines so high above all the others? Barefoot Coffee (the 'foot) doesn't just outdo themselves, and spoil coffee fanatics like you and me, with their killer 'spro; Barefoot Coffee takes it above and beyond the industry norms in their day to day relations with the hundreds (thousands?!) of rural coffee farmers and coffee-farming cooperatives in countries like Guatemala, Brazil, El Salvador, India, and Ethiopia, just to name a few. Purchasing coffees directly from farmers at often much higher prices than the minimum guaranteed by Fair Trade certification, Barefoot supports and promotes a way of doing business that will ensure long-standing relationships filled with trust between the producer and the buyer and a product that is not just of high quality in culinary terms, but of high quality in sustainable terms: ethically, environmentally, and economically.

Often times, because of economic reasons, farming communities do not have the financial means to obtain any of the many premium certifications available on the world coffee market. Despite this "official" labeling, Barefoot coffees are quite often still farmed organically, in natural, shaded forest or mountain climates, and purchased at greater-than-Fair Trade prices. Why? It is all in keeping with their high sustainability standards. At The Hub, you know where your money goes; and you can appreciate and feel proud of the fact that you are paying for more than just an amazing sensorial experience, because you are also helping to prolong tradition and communities all across the globe.

All these wonderful coffees and the ideals that their purchase promotes will be available for those in Reno and anyone else who happens to stumble upon The Hub Coffee Co. on their way through the Biggest Little City! This coming Friday, the 19th, will be our first morning serving coffee to the masses (Let me qualify that... If all goes well with our final inspection tomorrow! Hope your fingers are still crossed from the last time I mentioned inspections...). Hope to see you then for your morning coffee!