SF Chronicle
The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:www.sfgate.com/2006/05/10/
Dabney Gough,
For quite some time, we have comfortably lived in the age of the double-half-caf- skinny-mocha-mint-latte. Somehow, though, the simple cup of joe has remained immune from customization -- at least until now.
Several Bay Area coffeemakers are taking drip coffee to the next level by ditching the machine, and brewing each cup to order. Devotees of the single-cup filter drip swear by the method, saying the result is a super-fresh, bright cup of coffee that far exceeds even the best automatic-drip type.
"The coffee has already been roasted, why kill it by putting it in a machine?" says Phil Jaber, owner of Philz Coffee in San Francisco. Even though filter-drip coffee has been around for quite some time -- Monmouth Coffee in London has been brewing individual cups since the 1970s -- its popularity has been building in the Bay Area during the last few years. The rise of the Slow Food movement has also led to interest in hand-crafted foods and preparation.
Blue Bottle Coffee, which sells its beans as well as espresso and single-cup filter-drip coffee at stands at the Berkeley and San Francisco Ferry Plaza farmers' markets, opened a permanent kiosk in Hayes Valley last year. Philz Coffee, which began selling made-to-order drip coffee in the Mission District in 2002, opened a second outlet in the Castro last January. In the East Bay, pioneering Cole Coffee (formerly Royal Coffee) in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood has specialized in filter-drip coffee since it opened eight years ago. Now, individually brewed coffee is being served in restaurants as well: Bar Tartine and Silks in San Francisco and Tacubaya in Berkeley are among those that have adopted the method.
"It tastes so much better than in a thermos," says James Freeman, owner of Blue Bottle Coffee. "It's alive." This type of elixir is not for everyone -- this is no In-N-Out coffee experience. Because most filter-drip purveyors use only four to six filter cones and the beans are usually ground to order, orders can quickly back up. But there are plenty of people who don't mind, as a visit last month to the Ferry Plaza's Blue Bottle showed. Despite the rain and the long line, cup-at-a-time drip coffee fans continued to show up and wait.
Freeman, who serves as a concierge of sorts at the stand by expediting orders and helping customers select beans, is well aware of his responsibility to deliver.
"The waits are really epic on Saturdays," he says. "If you're going to wait 30 minutes for an 8-ounce coffee, it better be really good."
As with anything handmade, the extra care doesn't come without its price. Most cups of filter-drip coffee run $2 to $3, about twice as much as a traditional cup.
At Philz, the higher price tag comes with a few extras. Depending on what you order, you might get a pinch of ground cardamom or a garnish of fresh mint. The baristas will also mix in heavy cream and brown sugar to order. But the secret to any great cup of coffee -- regardless of extras and method -- starts with the beans. And aficionados of cup-at-a-time drip seem to be particularly fanatical about them. For Blue Bottle and Cole Coffee, brewing was a natural extension of their existing roasting businesses. At Blue Bottle, beans are roasted in small batches and shipped immediately so that they reach their destination within 48 hours. Aside from offering fresh, high-quality beans, many filter-drip outlets also let patrons choose from a variety of bean roasts and blends. Cole Coffee offers 10 to 12 different blends at a time, and they are ground and brewed to order. "We always wanted to do it like a wine bar -- you can have anything by the cup," says owner Mike Murphy.
At Philz Coffee, owner Jaber, who is always seen wearing a fedora, spent 25 years researching coffee and says he visited 1,100 other coffee shops before entering the business. He spent seven years perfecting his house blend, which he calls Tesora, meaning "treasure." He began blending his beans by counting out each one so that he would get the mix just how he wanted it.
The chalkboard menu hanging behind the counter lists about eight bean choices with intriguing names such as the Philharmonic. Additional blends are stored in plastic buckets.
The technique for making filter-drip coffee isn't complicated and can easily be done at home. Beans are usually ground fairly fine -- only slightly coarser than for espresso.
The process uses more grounds per cup than a typical drip coffee machine -- anywhere from 3 to 5 tablespoons per cup, which results in a richer, less bitter brew.
The grinds are dumped into a paper filter within a cone or cylindrical-shaped holder, which sits above the awaiting coffee cup. Steaming hot water is then slowly poured on top.
Cafes distinguish themselves with variations in their technique. Philz baristas simply let the coffee drip through the filter, while at Blue Bottle and Cole Coffee they stir the mixture to ensure that all the grinds are equally exposed to the water.
But most places agree that the coffee should be consumed immediately; it's fresh, and should be enjoyed that way, as opposed to sitting in an urn on the coffee shop counter.
"It gives you the feeling of a European cafe. You stand at the counter, and you enjoy the coffee in that moment," says Saida Benguerel, a Blue Bottle regular.
Devotees say the payoff is a truly transcendent cup. It's as if the beans are singing in a chorus, with every voice distinctly audible. "It doesn't taste like other coffee. I'm not interested in going anywhere else," says Heather Rigby, a regular customer at Philz. Ashley Barr, Philz barista, puts it like this: "The best things in life come with patience. People are amazed. It's not just coffee."
Dabney Gough is a freelance writer in San Francisco. E-mail comments to food@sfchronicle.com.
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Copyright 2006 SF Chronicle
Wednesday, May 10, 2006 (SF Chronicle)
The ultimate cup of joe?
Dabney Gough,
Special to The Chronicle
For quite some time, we have comfortably lived in the age of the double-half-caf- skinny-mocha-mint-latte. Somehow, though, the simple cup of joe has remained immune from customization -- at least until now.
Several Bay Area coffeemakers are taking drip coffee to the next level by ditching the machine, and brewing each cup to order. Devotees of the single-cup filter drip swear by the method, saying the result is a super-fresh, bright cup of coffee that far exceeds even the best automatic-drip type.
"The coffee has already been roasted, why kill it by putting it in a machine?" says Phil Jaber, owner of Philz Coffee in San Francisco. Even though filter-drip coffee has been around for quite some time -- Monmouth Coffee in London has been brewing individual cups since the 1970s -- its popularity has been building in the Bay Area during the last few years. The rise of the Slow Food movement has also led to interest in hand-crafted foods and preparation.
Blue Bottle Coffee, which sells its beans as well as espresso and single-cup filter-drip coffee at stands at the Berkeley and San Francisco Ferry Plaza farmers' markets, opened a permanent kiosk in Hayes Valley last year. Philz Coffee, which began selling made-to-order drip coffee in the Mission District in 2002, opened a second outlet in the Castro last January. In the East Bay, pioneering Cole Coffee (formerly Royal Coffee) in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood has specialized in filter-drip coffee since it opened eight years ago. Now, individually brewed coffee is being served in restaurants as well: Bar Tartine and Silks in San Francisco and Tacubaya in Berkeley are among those that have adopted the method.
"It tastes so much better than in a thermos," says James Freeman, owner of Blue Bottle Coffee. "It's alive." This type of elixir is not for everyone -- this is no In-N-Out coffee experience. Because most filter-drip purveyors use only four to six filter cones and the beans are usually ground to order, orders can quickly back up. But there are plenty of people who don't mind, as a visit last month to the Ferry Plaza's Blue Bottle showed. Despite the rain and the long line, cup-at-a-time drip coffee fans continued to show up and wait.
Freeman, who serves as a concierge of sorts at the stand by expediting orders and helping customers select beans, is well aware of his responsibility to deliver.
"The waits are really epic on Saturdays," he says. "If you're going to wait 30 minutes for an 8-ounce coffee, it better be really good."
As with anything handmade, the extra care doesn't come without its price. Most cups of filter-drip coffee run $2 to $3, about twice as much as a traditional cup.
At Philz, the higher price tag comes with a few extras. Depending on what you order, you might get a pinch of ground cardamom or a garnish of fresh mint. The baristas will also mix in heavy cream and brown sugar to order. But the secret to any great cup of coffee -- regardless of extras and method -- starts with the beans. And aficionados of cup-at-a-time drip seem to be particularly fanatical about them. For Blue Bottle and Cole Coffee, brewing was a natural extension of their existing roasting businesses. At Blue Bottle, beans are roasted in small batches and shipped immediately so that they reach their destination within 48 hours. Aside from offering fresh, high-quality beans, many filter-drip outlets also let patrons choose from a variety of bean roasts and blends. Cole Coffee offers 10 to 12 different blends at a time, and they are ground and brewed to order. "We always wanted to do it like a wine bar -- you can have anything by the cup," says owner Mike Murphy.
At Philz Coffee, owner Jaber, who is always seen wearing a fedora, spent 25 years researching coffee and says he visited 1,100 other coffee shops before entering the business. He spent seven years perfecting his house blend, which he calls Tesora, meaning "treasure." He began blending his beans by counting out each one so that he would get the mix just how he wanted it.
The chalkboard menu hanging behind the counter lists about eight bean choices with intriguing names such as the Philharmonic. Additional blends are stored in plastic buckets.
The technique for making filter-drip coffee isn't complicated and can easily be done at home. Beans are usually ground fairly fine -- only slightly coarser than for espresso.
The process uses more grounds per cup than a typical drip coffee machine -- anywhere from 3 to 5 tablespoons per cup, which results in a richer, less bitter brew.
The grinds are dumped into a paper filter within a cone or cylindrical-shaped holder, which sits above the awaiting coffee cup. Steaming hot water is then slowly poured on top.
Cafes distinguish themselves with variations in their technique. Philz baristas simply let the coffee drip through the filter, while at Blue Bottle and Cole Coffee they stir the mixture to ensure that all the grinds are equally exposed to the water.
But most places agree that the coffee should be consumed immediately; it's fresh, and should be enjoyed that way, as opposed to sitting in an urn on the coffee shop counter.
"It gives you the feeling of a European cafe. You stand at the counter, and you enjoy the coffee in that moment," says Saida Benguerel, a Blue Bottle regular.
Devotees say the payoff is a truly transcendent cup. It's as if the beans are singing in a chorus, with every voice distinctly audible. "It doesn't taste like other coffee. I'm not interested in going anywhere else," says Heather Rigby, a regular customer at Philz. Ashley Barr, Philz barista, puts it like this: "The best things in life come with patience. People are amazed. It's not just coffee."
Dabney Gough is a freelance writer in San Francisco. E-mail comments to food@sfchronicle.com.
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Copyright 2006 SF Chronicle
