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!

SILVER SPRINTS gold sprints for NORTHERN NV

sscxwc frameset.
crazy right....


SUNDAY December 13th
5:30pm

WALDENS COFFEE
Head to Head racing, beer drinking and good ol' times !
There will be cash and prizes for the WINNERS and FASTEST TIME !
and make sure to get on the RAFFLE for the

LIMITED EDITION (1 of 49) Raleigh Single speed
CROSS FRAMESET size 57..... what ? there's only how many..?

there are only 125 available at $10 each! So there's a GOOD CHANCE you might
actually win it... yep you. thats right, the one who's reading this. you.
go ahead and by em' all if you want - but chances are you're only gonna get a couple,
so hurry- get chu some.
a portion of the proceeds goes to the Northern Nevada food bank!! - there now . isn't that nice :)
don't ya feel good. go ahead now, run on, get yoself a ticket. get out there - slam a few beers (be responsible)
and sprint hard.

have a look at the site itself at the following link

silverprints

Tweet that!

We're officially "those guys" that Tweet exciting news to their supporters. Yay!

Follow us on Twitter: TheHubReno

remnants of friday .

friday afternoon , we started stackin em' . Lucas, Zeke, and JW. Matt came by a little later and stacked a couple. good times at the hub ! It stayed put, standing tall like the mighty ELM, for the rest of the day.

Jess the Baker made 8 Fresh HUGE cInnamon ROLLS this past Saturday morning ! They flew out the door in less than 10 minutes!
i can't even describe how good they were !! Hopefully we have talked her into doing it for our early morning saturday crowd this saturday as well ......
no kidding , 8 huge ones - gone in less than 10 minutes. people were crazy about it em !

DOLLAR wednesdays !

For those of you "HUBBERS" who don't know, Wednesday's are DOLLAR SHOT DAYS if you ride your whip ( thats your bike MAN ! ) to the HUB !! Alot of you are starting to catch on, and we are seeing more and more bikes line up outside the HUB gates every Wednesday ! So start riding that whip of yours to the hub on Wednesdays and get on some of that BOSS espresso (1 DOLLAR ) or even better- try a shot of our SINGLE ORIGIN espresso for 2 bucks ! ! This week's Single Origin is the Brazil Daterra Monte Cristo which is DECADENT bakers chocolate with hints of florals behind each sip ! Its got these crazy low bass notes that mix in with some light twinkling fruit hits . It will blow your mind, And yes - its straight from the Amazon ya'll !

so giddy up kiddo's - Ride your bike, get a work out in the cold and save the environment ! You'll be glad you did !!

we love you!

xoxo
the HUB

Making friends and slinging straight PUCKS at the HUB !

AMARO GAYO MILL = GOOD COFFEE AT THE HUB











(Photos from the Amaro Gayo coffee mill in Sidamo, Ethiopia)

sipping the BOSS Espresso on a Saturday at the HUB, and would you look at the pucks J DUB was slinging .....
Not to mention that the GLORIOUSLY balanced and thickly sweet , straight up SIDAMO Berried Ethiopian Amaro Gayo is back in the house ! taste like sweet berries and heavy cream... oh lawd!
We get a nice blueberry profile behind each sip. Come in and try one , tell us what you think !

We also had the privilege of meeting Wille (Vee-ley) who is the Owner and Roaster of HEART Coffee and Roasting. He brought in a GREAT single origin Ethiopia Mordecofe Espresso, we pulled a couple of shots with it and it truly brought the house down !
check their new place out in Portland on East Burnside if your up there. Its great to meet other coffee enthusiasts and Roasters who actually know about their coffees, care about how its prepared and make coffee not only a daily ritual but a mission !

see the link below

Heart Coffee and Roasting

some shots from the last cupping !

Remember to Come down to the Hub Coffee Co. on Friday around 10 a.m. for our free cupping. This is a complimentary bi-weekly event that we do to encourage our community to hone a more intimate relationship with its coffee. This Friday we will be tasting the deeply dark Brazilian Monte Cristo, the Seductive Colombian Reserva del Diablo and the Sticky Tablon 12 from Finca Aconcagua in El Salvador. These coffees were such a hit two weeks ago that we had more than a dozen attend the cupping. Please RSVP for this event if you can as we will do an additional cupping in the afternoon if necessary.

Also, note we are now open until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Coffee Cupping Nov. 7

Come down to the Hub Coffee Co. on Friday around 10 a.m. for our free cupping. This is a complimentary bi-weekly event that we do to encourage our community to hone a more intimate relationship with its coffee. This Friday we will be tasting the deeply dark Brazilian Monte Cristo, the Seductive Colombian Reserva del Diablo and the Sticky Tablon 12 from Finca Aconcagua in El Salvador. These coffees were such a hit two weeks ago that we had more than a dozen attend the cupping. Please RSVP for this event if you can as we will do an additional cupping in the afternoon if necessary.

Also, note we are now open until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

CUPPING 10/23 !

Quick announcement: Coffee cupping at The Hub tomorrow 10/23 ( FRIDAY ) 10:00 maybe 10:30ish! Show up around then and you'll be able to taste some of the new AWESOMENESS that has just arrived from our good friends at BAREFOOT Coffee Roasters!

On deck tomorrow, we'll be tasting some AMAZING coffees from El Salvador, Brazil and Colombia ! One of them being a much-anticipated new coffee arrival for Barefoot Roasters and the Hub, La Reserva del Diablo from La Trinidad Farms in the Cauca region of Colombia!!

So no need to RSVP, just show up and we'll see you then!

Best of Reno!

On behalf of everyone from the coffee shop, thanks to all of The Hub fan club that took the time to vote in this year's Reno News & Review "Best of Northern Nevada." Because of your votes, The Hub Coffee Co. took top honors in the Best New Business category; and Lucas and I took the top two spots in the Best Barista category! Truly an honor.

If you have yet to check out the RN&R's 2009 issue of the "Best of," just click on the picture and you're there! And remember to keep the words "local" and "independent" in mind when it comes time to vote next year.



Thank you again to all of our amazing customers. Whether you voted in the "Best of" this year or not, the vote that truly counts is the one you all make every morning when you're having trouble waking up: "Hmmmm... I think I'll go have some coffee at The Hub this morning!"

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!

Back Home!

The boys are back in town. (Sing along!) After a long weekend, splitting ALL of our time between sipping espresso and driving between the places where the espresso-sipping took place, the boys are back in town and properly-caffeinated.

I, on the other hand, find myself stuck in this land of abundant quality coffee, Portland, Oregon. You're jealous, I know. So, keep an eye out for a new voice on the blog. I'm handing over the reins to one of the boys still at The Hub.

So, dear Hub-ers, I will miss you all! But will see you again soon, because coffee not at The Hub is just not quite as good!

Geekin' out in Seattle!

Some of The Hub crew are geekin' out in Seattle this weekend! Coffee convention! Look forward to some exciting changes, both minute and extreme, in the coming months.

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!

Butter Capps and Baple Macon Scones

Updates two days in a row! (I think this is a new record for me.) Quite necessary though, and here is why...

Yesterday divulged a little secret about our goodies at The Hub. Walden's Coffeehouse is taking good care of the people of Reno, providing freshly-baked pastries from scratch both at The Hub and at Walden's. We raised the bar one notch higher today with some baple macon scones! (Maple bacon, actually... but that's not as fun to say.) And yes, it sounds crazy. Because it is. It is crazy good! I hope everyone has a chance to come in and try a baple macon scone over the coming weeks. By that, I mean I hope everyone has the desire to wake up a little earlier than usual so they can beat everyone else with similar intentions to The Hub to try a baple macon scone!

And it was a beautiful day in espresso land today. The Ethiopian Sidamo Amaro Gayo single-origin espresso (what a mouthful...) was finally gaining the recognition it deserves. Left and right, we were brewing single-origin espresso straight up, for cappuccinos, for lattés, and, best of all... drumroll please... for some tasty Butter Capps! Like butter cup, but it's a cappuccino! Get it?! HA! Anyhow, it really is quite the tasty little cappuccino.

"What is in a Butter Capp?" one might say. Well, let me break it down for you: single-origin Amaro Gayo espresso, shining through all silky and sweet with flavors of orange marmelade, blueberry, and spice; add a pinch of maple pumpkin butter, a beautiful partner for the spice and marmelade of the espresso; and top it off with a cappuccino's worth of delicately-textured organic whole milk. Hubadub. The final product is an extremely well-balanced, smooth, sweet, and creamy cappuccino that tastes like something between pumpkin pie filling and creme brulee, with a hint of sweet blueberry coming through in the finish. Delightful.

If you're not as enthusiastic about it all as I am right now, well... go back and read it all over again because I think you missed something!

Teas and Goodies

Fancy shmancy at The Hub!

Moving right along. Had a wonderful day at The Hub! Fresh new goodies and a fancy new tea selection have made their presence known. Our sister coffeehouse, Walden's Coffeehouse, located at Mayberry and McCarran in Reno, has stepped their game up a notch (stay tuned for more on the Walden's front). Being the good sibling coffee shop that we are, The Hub gets a little kick-down of home-made goodies to tempt our wonderful customers: fresh from scratch, home-made croissants, warm and flaky goodness; not to mention sweet and crunchy yogurt parfaits, made with a Walden's house blend granola.

And teas! We gave in to the many requests from all those beloved fans that may not be as coffee crazy as we are and started brewing up some fancy teas! Fancy teas at two dollars a cup. Or a cute little tea pot's worth for three dollars. Now, we've always had teas to offer our customers, but we've gone soft and we've now made it an obvious choice. Look for the teas beneath our beautifully hand-crafted pastry case just as you step into the garage!

Best of Reno 2009

It's that time! And for those of you who don't know what time it is... it's this time! (Keep reading.)

We are all consumers here in the Biggest Little City. And certainly there are businesses here and there that we all frequent more than others, businesses of which we are particularly fond. The Reno News & Review's Best of Reno is a chance for everyone to voice their opinion. Vote! It doesn't matter what (or for whom or where) you vote. Just vote!

Do it in the name of community; do it as a way of furthering your support for this business or that business, this local event or that local event, this barista (!!!) or that barista; and vote in the name of independent, local business!

It's a quick process. Ten minutes max if you are super thorough. Just click here and it'll take you to the sign-up page at the RN&R website. Like I said, quick. Just create an account and vote away!

Happy (local, independent) voting!

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!

The Hub in the Media

Just back from a little vacation! Luca "I'm not really Mexican" Alvarez, our resident Italian at The Hub, and the big boss himself, Mark Trujillo, were able to hold down the fort alright. But I guess I had to come back some time so they could have a little break.

But while I was away on my little trip, I had time to take everything in. Serenaded by the sea gulls of the Southern Oregon coastline, dreaded golden locks wafting about in the frigid sea breeze, I began to ponder our first month of business... and I began to realize just how lucrative it really was. Case in point: The Hub was featured, in detail, in 5 different publications in its first month alone! One instance being a television report (click me!) by Tom Henkenius of the Channel 2 News! Others included a spotlight in the Green Guide (click me!) of the RN&R, and features on About.com (and me) and Downtown Makeover (and me). And we can't forget the great reviews we've recieved from our happy customers on Yelp (click me too)! And while you're on Yelp, feel free to write another wonderful review. Much appreciated!

So we're into month two now... and we'd like to say thanks to everyone that's made The Hub a huge success already! And for those of you who've yet to check us out, we hope to see you soon for a coffee experience you've never before had in The Biggest Little City.

New Harvests

Well into our third week of business (is that it?!? really?) and we will soon be overrun by a ton of new coffees from Barefoot!

As new harvest shipments reach their final destination as virgin green coffee beans, these coffees will be artfully transformed into ready-to-brew brown beauties. Barefoot will be receiving these new shipments over the coming months (some of them are already here!) and, just as soon as Roastmaster Christian Rotsko does what he does and hones in on the delicate perfection that is Barefoot Coffee, we'll be serving them up at The Hub for your enjoyment.

After building up all this anticipation, I figure a little info on the new harvests already available at The Hub couldn't do any harm:

Kenya Nyeri Karindundu

This Kenyan will knock your socks off. Complex and captivating. We were amazed at the cupping table a few days ago to find an uncanny harmony of vine-ripe tomatoes, toasted sesame, green seaweed and soy sauce, and a tangy-sweet rhubarb fruitiness, among others.

Papua New Guinea Tribal Aromas

We've yet to cup this one for ourselves, however, if Barefoot's cupping notes hold true (which they always do) then we're certain that the Tribal Aromas will be an unsurpassed coffee experience in the history of coffee in Reno. Banana cream pie? What?! With whipped cream? Where will it stop?! Creamy, tropical fruits salad? Scrumptious and scintilating (look it up).

Flores Wongawali Bajawa

Wonga-what? You can call it "Flores" for short. Flores, Portuguese for "flowers", is one of the big islands of the Lesser Sunda archipelago in the Indonesian Ocean near Sumatra. It's not everyday we see anything of such remote nature in Reno, Nevada. And you can look forward to unique regional characteristics in this coffee, with flavors of ripe of tropical fruits together with sweet thai basil and sweet rep peppers.

And as stated, these three are not the last. We'll be rolling out the red carpet for many more fresh coffee harvests over the coming month: loads of new coffees from El Salvador; microlots from the lovely Finca Vista Hermosa of Guatemala; another beauty from El Socorro y Anexos, the farm that brought us last harvest's Guatemalan Cup of Excellence; and we'll be buried in infamous blueberry goodness with a new harvest Ethiopian Sidamo. And I may have missed some others... but that just means you have to check back at The Hub so you don't miss out!!!!!

Coffee never had it so good in the Biggest Little City!

Happy Fireworks Day

Happy happy holiday everybody. Stop by for coffee early tomorrow, because The Hub closes up at 12 p.m. so we have sufficient time to get ready to see some fireworks! And don't forget about the FREE cupping at 10 a.m. on Sunday!

Already home to many.

Smiles that only a $7 cup of Guatemalan goddess coffee could invoke.

It has been quite some time since our last update. Oops.

We're well into week two in our cozy little coffee garage at 32 Cheney St. And what a week our first one was! Spreadin' that sweet coffee love all over Reno. The Hub's the buzz all over town. Already, The Hub is already home to so many! Local cycling celebrity Bubba Melcher frequents The Hub for coffee and cat naps... And Mallory and her dog hold band practice on the patio daily!









We've had some big plans for the coffee crazies of Reno, Nevada. And already so many have come to find out just what The Hub Coffee Co. is all about. It says it all in the name: coffee. And only the best. Single-origin espressos... what?! Sunday coffee cuppings?... like a wine tasting? Cup of Excellence? Guatemalan coffee royalty! What is this stuff?!?!

We have some new coffees in as well! New Brazilian Daterra Farms Santo Colomba! Always at the top of their game, Daterra has pull all their TLC into these little brown beauties (the coffee beans, of course). And a Kenyan! Nyeri Karindundu... what did he just say?! East African's are alway's a joy. My personal favorites. So this one is definitely a must.

TRY OUR NEWEST COFFEES @ OUR FREE CUPPING! Traditional coffee tasting - this Sunday @ 10am sharp! And it's free! However, depending on how many people show up, I may have to cut the numbers so I make sure everyone that is attending gets the proper experience and education. That just means you have to beat everyone else to the cupping table! See you there.

We've had some more changes to our business hours... what can I say? After week one, we more or less realized when the money could be made... and also when the money would be lost. So here they are!

Summer Hours @ The Hub:
Mon: 6am-3pm
Tue: 6am-3pm
Wed: 6am-3pm
Thur: 6am-3pm
Fri: 6am-3pm
Sat: 7am-3pm
Sun: 7am-Noon!

And yes, those are final. For real this time. Until the Fall....

Opening Day Pics!

Big thank you to good friend and loyal customer Eliot Drake. Here are some pictures from our opening day last Friday. Check 'em out! eliotdrake.blogspot.com/2009/06/hub-opens.html

A promising first week.

We had our first official, full day of business on this wonderful Monday in Reno. A nice, cool morning made for good coffee-drinkin' weather. And the day brightened up just enough to make the patio area perfect for an afternoon iced coffee.

For those of you that have been following the blog or keeping up on the news as we've progressed up to this point, you may have heard a little bit about the hours we were hoping to keep on a day-to-day basis. The way it's looking now, after actually spending a few days in the coffeeshop, I believe the boss and I have come to a final agreement in regards to business hours. We decided that Sunday-Thursday we'd keep doors open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday, we're hoping, will be a little better for evening hours, and we've decided to keep the doors open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. But until we've built a solid customer base, gotten the word out about The Hub, and received some strong feedback from the community for a change to later hours throughout the week, we think early morning and early afternoon are our key points in the day. Either way, we hope everyone comes to Hub it when they can, and keep in mind that your feedback about what we're doing is important!

Today was a great day at the shop. From 6:30 a.m. to close, there was at least one person at any time hanging around and enjoying something from The Hub: lots of old friends, and many new customers as well. Thank you for your support! Let's hope that the constant flow maintains, but the strength of that flow increases exponentially!

We have some amazing choices at The Hub this week. If you haven't already been in to try our iced coffee, I highly recommend that you do. We use a cold brew process exclusive to The Hub in the Reno area, and coupled with the fact that we have some truly delicious coffees to brew up in this manner, it really is a treat! Refreshing, tasty, and a good pick-me-up in the heat of the afternoon. Learn a bit more at www.toddycafe.com, and make sure you come to The Hub for some one-on-one with me!

First day for pay!

I've just returned back home to get what little sleep I can before the big day tomorrow. Ah! I have to be back up at 4:30a.m. Times like these really allow me to appreciate them good coffee drugs in the mornin'.

We had an amazing day at The Hub. Finished some final touches in the shop. So many things, you'll have to just come in to see! (But quite a few more things still to do... work with us! Just as long as you can get your fix, right?) If you happened to have seen the garage before the remodel, you'll be in awe, I assure you. As one girl put it today, "Oh, it looks so cute!". I guess you could put it that way. But whichever way you look at it, it looks as if the garage was meant for The Hub! It all just fits so well!

As I said, today was amazing. We were not even officially open, simply had the garage door up and the espresso machine warmed up for some friends. Next thing we knew, we were serving coffees, talkin' it all up, spreadin' the coffee knowledge (or as we like to say, the coffee love!), and had a tip jar with nearly $100 dollars in it! And we were featured on News Channel 2 at 5:30 in a story on the redevelopment of the entire Midtown area! Money and free publicity before we were even open!!!!!!!! What?! No complaints here.

We certainly felt the excitement coming from those who managed to drop by today, and we hope we exhibited a high level excitement on our part as well. We just want to have fun, drink amazing coffee, make good friends, and hopefully, at the end of it all, make a little money so we can continue to do the first three things! So thank you to everybody who has already begun to show their support: Tim Healion and the entire Tour de Nez crew, all of our cycling buddies, our fellow business owners in the Midtown area, all of our customers from Walden's Coffeehouse, and everyone else who supported today, will support tomorrow, or the next day. You're all part of our big coffee-drinkin' family!

So tomorrow makes it official... we start wranglin' in those dollar bills and bustin' out some killer espressos for anyone and everyone that stops in at The Hub. From 6a.m. to 12p.m. tomorrow and Saturday, closed on Sunday (a little time for us to gather ourselves one last time), and then it's full tilt starting Monday at 6a.m. So have a wonderful weekend, make sure you check out the Tour de Nez in downtown Reno tomorrow starting at 4p.m., and we hope to see you soon for the best coffee you ever did have! And I'll leave it at that.

Opening update.

For everyone that hasn't already been learned about the big opening day, this Friday (two days away!) we will be having a soft opening in the morning from 6 a.m. to about 12 (2? eh?) p.m. Same goes on Saturday. Just a little introduction. A test-run, if you will: Part I on Friday; Part II on Saturday. We'll be serving up The Boss espresso (if you don't already know, you soon will), macchiatos, cappuccinos (all three done in traditional Italian proportions). Lattes, mochas with tasty cacao, and iced coffee that goes down smoother than water.

Monday the 22nd will be our first full day of operation!!!!! I hope everyone stays up really late partying in the name of the Tour de Nez so they need their coffee come Monday morning. We will be opening at 6 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m. So come down for your morning coffee, or for your afternoon espresso, or your evening latte, or all three! Come once and I guarantee you'll never even want to leave!

See you soon!

Business license... check!

We've finally secured our all-necessary business license with the City of Reno! (Applause?) Yes, we are stoked!!! I felt like a giddy little kid on Christmas Eve! I think Mark nearly chewed his hand off he was so overwhelmed by the suspense as the city health inspector scrutinized every little bit of our coffee garage. But we're golden! And now it's a two-day prep to get ready for opening day! Or morning, I should say. Friday, June 19th will be our first time opening the doors to the community! Opening at 6 a.m., bright and early, so you can get your fix at the coolest little coffeehouse in Reno and then head on over to the park to watch the coolest bike race in America!!!! The Tour de Nez!

The Tour de Nez is back in downtown Reno! And the community should be super excited. Last year just didn't feel complete without the Tour gracing us with its presence in downtown Reno for a kickass bike racing event. I hope you'll all go out and support the race (after you stop at The Hub, of course), so we can welcome the Tour back to downtown Reno with a bang. And, seeing as The Hub is deeply rooted in this Reno cycling scene, we may actually be closed for the afternoon on Friday. I'll be doing my part volunteering and coordinating some aspects of the event, and Pops will be spinning his legs, warming up for the Old Man's (I'm sorry... the "Masters") race at 4:00p.m. Who would run the shop?!

Saturday, again, will be a "Part II" of our soft opening. We'll be making sweet coffee love for the community coffee crazies all Saturday morning. Monday, then, will be our first full day of operation. A good start to the week, if you ask me.

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!

Yet more "finishing" touches?

I'm sorry!... I may have spoken too soon by saying we were to the finishing touches as of my last update. I'm not sure if we can group all of this stuff into what I'd think of as the finish of our little coffeehouse. There is still a lot of work to be done. We've had our first inspection with the city, and there are many more to come over the next few days. Keep your fingers crossed! We think we got it in the bag, but these city officials are tough.

Anyhow, The Hub is finally starting to look like a coffeehouse! A business, at least. The old brick garage we've been converting doesn't look like a garage anymore! Take a look for yourself:



The pictures: the very necessary wheel-action shot, with our custom steel, laser-cut signage off in the distance!; the infamous La Marzocco GB5 (now you know); reflections on the back wall of the work area, adorned with 24 4 x 4 in. mirrors; the legitimitization (that's right) of our garage with the heavy-duty, glass-paneled overhead door!; and yet another shot of the GB5, close-up of its elegance (And there's no such thing as too many pictures of the La Marzocco, I assure you. It will be the lead singer in our coffee choir, singing beautiful song for your caffeinated ears).

The plumbing has been finished for a day or two, and all of the electrical was wrapped up today. That's mostly good news!!! We can hook up the equipment now, and maybe even serve up some espresso for ourselves as we slave away on the rest of our "to do" list. But let's hope tomorrow is more productive for us than today... Oh, you mean we needed to put this crap up under the counters before all of the plumbing fixtures were set and now we have to work around them all when we have no idea what we're doing? Thank you, Mr. Plumber.

And on a side note: Tomorrow's the boss' birthday. He'll be working hard scrubbing brick walls and installing hot water towers and espresso machines on his 43rd birthday. We should all be so lucky! (Forget 43, and make sure you congratulate him on 48... it'll be hilArious)

Finishing touches.

We've constructed many of the finishing touches to our petite coffeehouse on Cheney St. The infamous Bike Wall has been erected. And we couldn't be happier with the design. Here's a picture to see the beauty of it all and there's even a shot of the Bike Wall in action: a Redline crossbike has been hoisted up onto one set of the many arms sticking out from the steel structure. (Try to forget about the moving van in the background... I'd move it out of the way if I could... and don't mind the lady in pajamas in the second picture... that's just Mom.)


And if you haven't already noticed it in the background of this last picture... we've put up some countertops for the work area and the overhang signage above the garage door! All of the metal work was done by a good friend and loyal customer, David Kardonowy. Thanks to him and all his hard work, and we hope you all enjoy the pieces he's put together for The Hub as much as we do.

The design has all been laser cut from the piece. We plan to illuminate the cuts from behind, and give it an explosive, glowing effect to grab attention of passerbies. It's not visible in this picture, but at the far end of the piece to the left, there is even a quaint little coffee cup design cut from the steel. The sign says it all... Coffee and bikes.


The small amount of space we're working with in this tiny little car garage-turned-coffeeshop is proving to be a pain. But we're making some headway. One set of countertops are in... and we're pretty sure we've found a layout that will allow us to work behind the counter with sufficient room. In the end though, it will definitely be a cozy little squeeze to get back there. Anyhow, all that's left is to put up the counter directly opposite this one (the piece is cut and ready to mount) and then it's time to start moving in our equipment! And our beautiful little La Marzocco GB5... and if you don't know what I'm talking about you will soon enough.

It will open soon.... I swear!

It's almost open!!!!!!!!!

Been working on opening up shop just outside of downtown Reno, NV. Perfect location: centered along a long strip of tattoo parlors, independent eateries, thrift stroes, you name it. Perfect set-up: an old brick garage, small enough to maintain with ease, but just big enough to cram in a cozy little coffeehouse. And the perfect time to open up if you ask me: the start of summer, a time when customers may come to enjoy some wonderful outdoor seating at The Hub, and a time when Reno is picking up the pace and redefining what it means to spend time in downtown Reno.

We are all very excited for the shop. We already have a great group of enthusiastic and eager employees to take care of operations behind the counter, and we are very close to finishing up the construction side of things! Our wonderful bike wall (way better than your average bike rack) has been erected; all the necessary machinery has been tracked down and purchased; we're putting on the finishing touches for the decor in the shop; and all of it eagerly awaits the 15th of this month!

Now you know. June 15th is our current projected date of opening for The Hub Coffee Co., just in time for cycling mayhem at the Mighty Tour de Nez!!!! Keep your fingers crossed, minor setbacks certainly aren't outside of the norm in this kind of situation. In any case, we're still working hard to bring The Hub to Reno, NV, and it WILL be here eventually!

Time for an update.

So... I'm obviously not very good at this blog thing. It's been a while since my first post and the media debut of The Hub Coffee Co. Yes, I promise, we are still here. Good coffee is still on the way.

It looks as though The Hub will not be opening up as soon as expected. June 1st seems quite impossible at this time. BUT! Don't try and get used to your Starbucks motor oil yet! We've only had to push back the prospective opening to the middle of June.

A little update to hold you all over: Drywall is up... painting has begun! We're cleaning up those beautiful brick walls over the weekend. And we're pouring concrete in the front for the outdoor seating area in the coming days! Yessir.

Construction!

Build-out of the shop has officially started!!! Actually, it has been under way for several weeks now.

We set out to reconstruct a simple brick garage on Cheney Street, in Reno's Midtown area just south of Downtown on Virginia Street. An area for a bathroom sectioned off in the back quarter of our 400 sq. ft. area... electrical outlets strategically positioned along the west wall of the commons-area... exciting stuff, right? Right?! Hmmm....

Well the really good stuff is yet to come. We have many friends helping out in the development of our lovely little casa de caffeine and, with the collaborative genius of these friends, we only expect wonderful things as we get closer and closer to our projected opening date, June 1!!!

In the mean time, here are some pictures of the garage at this point in the process...


Front of the shop... and the driveway that will be the future patio for those beautiful summer evenings in Reno!

Contractor and Papa Trujillo, the man with the vision... standing in what will soon be the bar area for our knowledgeable baristi of the Hub Coffee Co.

Looking back towards the seating area... tables? an espresso bar? comfy couches?! We don't know yet!