Update

A couple of new employees, Chris Bonde and Jessica Devine. Come say hello!

Check out the current coffee offerings. (----> over there ---->)

Single-origin espresso is back in action (at least it has been for about a week now). SOE means you're in for something special, something unique, and something explicit. In your face espresso. The luxury of a blend is the ability to fill in the gaps (lack of body, sweetness, acidity, etc.) with one coffee where another coffee in the blend may be missing the ball. With a SOE (single-origin espresso) you have an explosive representation of that specific coffee, in the raw, it is what it is. One may exhibit an immense sweetness, but be lacking in body or mouthfeel, for example. But it tastes dern good nevertheless. Come get it!

Weather in Reno is crazy! Not news to anyone really... same as it ever was (!). But thanks for sticking with us and keeping the garage packed and your bellies addicted to coffee!

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!

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!

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...