A number of local shops are serving Organic Barista Milk as part of their lineup. Have you tried it? What do you think? Some shops are charging a premium since it is a little bit more expensive.
Liberty Market has said it will begin serving Barista Milk in early September and eliminate whole milk. It looks like they’re having it sourced locally, according to Joe Johnston.
Sola Coffee Bar seems to swear by it. It is served as a choice there, with usually a markup (but it’s worth it).
Giant Coffee serves Barista Milk (they said they were the first in AZ to serve it, but as far as I know that’s incorrect).
Seth Mills, who is a coffee roaster at Cartel Coffee Lab says “We ran into some issues with Strauss barista milk. We initially loved it, but its difficult to steam and can taste chalky…”
One of the first sources of Organic Barista Milk was the Strauss Family Creamery.
So, have you tried it? What do you think? Which shops are serving it?
Lola Coffee
4700 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ
(602) 265-5652
Brian Clemens sent over the poster below last night, and asked me to help distribute it. The event he’s promoting is the much touted Latte Art Throwdown at the Phoenix Cooks event.
If you are interested in competing, you should contact Brian Clemens by phone at (480) 221-9775 or emailing brian at cartelcoffeelab.com. There will also be an after party at Press Coffee, which sounds fabulous, and so you’ll want to make sure you go.
The New Times has a nice photo gallery showing pictures from the Latte Art Competition at Echo Coffee held last Saturday. Thanks to Todd Welfelt for sending the link.
I missed out on a lot of fun, but hope to make it to the next one. The winner at this event was Steve Kraus from Press Coffee. You can see an awesome photo of his drink taken by Ron Cortez.
Apparently Conspire Coffee is moving across the street and being renamed Jōbot. The move is planned for mid-September. More over at the The Phoenix New Times.
Elevate Coffee in north Phoenix has just recently opened its doors. Patrick Lagreid wrote in to let me know about the new shop.
Patrick describes it like this:
It’s located opposite the Harkins Theaters on the north side of that building, 2530 West Happy Valley Road. They’re having a grand opening on Friday but are open all this week and have been doing soft opens last week.
Their website is: http://www.elevatecoffee.com
Seems like a nice place, gets their coffee from a place in Seattle, has free wi-fi, good seating options, etc. They’re still fine-tuning their coffee and baristas, but the cappucino I’m having right now isn’t half bad.
Update: It appears they have a video showcasing their shop, so here you go:
Elevate Coffee
2530 West Happy Valley Road
Phoenix, AZ 85085
Phone: (602) 341-5480
@ElevateCoffeeCo
Below is a quick run down of coffee events here in the valley that I received from Brian Clemens, and have republished.
Latte Art Competition at Echo Coffee
When: SATURDAY, August 21st 7-10pm.
Where: Echo Coffee in Scottsdale
Cost: $3 entry fee. 5 minutes to make 2 drinks.
More details: 2902 N 68th Street, #135 Scottsdale 480-422-4081
http://www.echocoffee.com/barista-jam-2010/
Latte Art Throwdown presented by Phoenix Cooks – Let’s show them how we roll!
When: Saturday September 4th 9am-3pm
Where: Phoenix Cooks, held at J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge
Cost: $30 entry – Includes 2 tickets into the Phoenix Cooks event ($150 value) MUST COMPETE!
More details: Phoenix Cooks is an annual event showcasing the talent of great local chefs. There will be great food, classes, the latte art throw down, and much drinking. The $30 entry fee is ONLY for those competing. $30 fee will get you 2 tickets into the event, and you must compete.
After Party at Press Coffee
When: Saturday September 4th RIGHT AFTER Phoenix Cooks
Where: Press Coffee – Across the street from J.W. Marriott/PHX Cooks Event
Cost: Food/drink for purchase
More details: Steve from Press is holding a get together for the coffee community after Phoenix Cooks. Probably lots of coffee too be consumed! Will be a great time for building into the coffee community.
Steve Kraus mentioned that Press Coffee is hiring baristas:
Press Coffee hiring baristas for new Scottsdale Quarter location….seriously, if you don’t have the passion and or experience, don’t bother! Opening 10/14 training starts prior to the date listed…!
You can contact Steve at steve at presscfw.com.
And yes, they’re opening a second location at Scottsdale Quarter! I’ve heard a little bit about this, and can’t wait! It’s literally 5 minutes from my house! More on this next week after I get additional details.
Joe Johnston wrote to let me know they are hiring baristas at Liberty Market:
We’d like to hire and train two baristas. There are two criteria which must be met: (1) you must have a passion for coffee and (2) you must be excited about the prospect of serving others from the heart. If that describes you and you’d like to work in a lively environment with a quality brigade, please contact joe at libertymarket.com
Sean from Ground Control emailed me to let us know about their recent purchase:
Ground Control recently purchased the Guatemalan Coffee of the Year as judged by the Pacific Coast Coffee Association’s 10th Annual Pete McLaughlin Single Origin Cupping Competition. 50 Cuppers scored this coffee as the best from Guatemala for the year. It Q Scored at 89.75.
The coffee has a nutty caramel aroma. Hot it has tastes of dark cherries, as it cools a caramel nuttiness hits the mid palate and ends in rich cocoa powder. It’s a superbly balanced mouthful of sweetness, flavor and acidity, easily showcasing why this was the judged the coffee of the year. On tap as our single Origin Espresso.
3800 pounds of coffee purchased. For sale by the pound $15. It will go in our coffee of the day rotation and French press by request. It’s also our espresso.
Ground Control
14140 W. Indian School
Suite B1
Goodyear, AZ 85395
Phone: (623) 935-2604
I thought this was really sweet.
There is an upcoming event that every serious barista should consider attending.
It is the 1st Annual Arizona Latte Art Competition.
When: September 4, 2010 from 9 am to 3 pm
Location: The JW Marriot (Desert Ridge) during the Phoenix Cooks event.
16 competitors ONLY!
Format:
- Free Form
- Baristas can bring their own pitchers
- 2 drinks 10oz cup (cups to be provided)
- Bracket Format
- Brackets will be chosen from a hat from a neutral party
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be awarded!
- Competitors will be competing in front of hundreds of people
- Competitors to receive free DJ, food, drink and beer (id required)
To Compete: Send an email to AZlatteart@gmail.com
Entry Fee: $30 fee includes 2 tickets to Phoenix Cooks.
Barista Jam to follow at Press Coffee Roasters.
There will be a Barista Jam and Latte Art Competition at Echo Coffee on August 21st. The event is being co-sponsored by Echo Coffee and Cortez Coffee.
Sounds like a really nice competition, and Echo Coffee has a wonderful bar for observing.
Quick facts:
- $5 Entry Fee (the event is free to observe)
- 5 Minutes to make 2 drinks
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes
- When: August 21, 2010 from 7-10pm
- Latte Art Competition begins at 7:30 pm
I recommend calling Steve Belt at Echo Coffee to RSVP.
Echo Coffee
2902 N 68th St
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone: (480) 215-9490
Twitter: @EchoCoffeeAZ and @CafeCortez
