This photo was sent to us by a Tazza D’Oro customer with the caption : “Tasting commences”!   The coffees on the table were Nicaragua Esperenza, Panama Esmeralda and Panama Volcancito.  The really rad piece of this is our customer’s cupping notes were point on with ours and more.  In fact,  I went back and re-cupped the Esperanza because I missed a few points about the coffee.  Notice the French Press and Chemex – what coffee shop owner wouldn’t be doing cart-wheels over this?  Thumbs up, dudes!

I had the opportunity to figure out what to do with several hours of idle time today.  As I logged onto my laptop I was reminded that today was a day of celebration for Martin Luther King.  I decided to read through many of his historic speeches.  As a small business owner and as someone who is passionate about what I strive to create everyday this quote rang true for me:

1956 in Montgomery, Alabama:

“If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music; sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well.

Go “sweep your street”!

Yes indeed, Tazza D’Oro loves bicycles – we love to ride them, collect them, hire baristas who ride them, talk about them, look at them and collect any gear and gadgets that are bicycles!  We love bikes so much we have named our exclusive espresso blend – Bicycle Love!

Thank you to all the bicycle lovers out there who participated in the Bike Pgh “Best of Pittsburgh Cycling 2009” poll.  Tazza D’Oro was named “Best weekly ride” (thanks to Team Caffiene and Team Decaf) and “Best Bike Friendly Business (excluding bike shops)”.  Please support safe cycling in Pittsburgh and continuing to make Pittsburgh a bike friendly city by supporting Bike Pgh – become a member!

We closed early last Thursday for a staff “training”.  The venue and concept pushed the envelope for barista training. But as far as Tazza D’Oro is concerned this training ranked in the rad category…beer tasting at East End Brewing (check out the pics)!

Scott Smith, owner of East End Brewery, closed his chilly, rad, beer brewing palace for a private tour and beer tasting for Tazza D’Oro baristas and a few friends – not to drop names but Rich, Belle and Frank from Aldo’s!

The goal of the night was to hang with another small business owner who is passionate about his craft, works day and night to tweak, tweak and tweak to deliver incredible quality.  Scott gets that being one of the” best” encompasses more than being a great beer master, but having his skill and craft accessible to customers, caring about sustainability, purchasing local and purchasing quality and being a leader in his community – industry and neighborhood.  I think we all learned how amazingly similar the micro-brewery business and the coffee brewing business have shared the same paths and continue to do so.

Scott spent a considerable amount of time talking about his craft, answering our questions and giving us a tour of a small, cramped incredibly chilly, comfy, romantic brewery!  We tasted the freshly brewed beers as we listened and walked.  Snow Melt, Monkey Boy, Fat Gary, Bitter End, Along Came a Cider…they all sound like great fiction, poems or nick names but they are names of some amazing beers we tasted.

We moved to the 2nd floor – whoa, – malt, hops, beautiful bottles, strange equipment, dangling lights and an old bar.  It felt like the heart and passion of the place  – where all the creativity comes to life as the recipes fill the brewing tanks each day.  We got to crunch on different malts and hops.  Our taste buds were going wild and we had more beer to wash it all down.

Yea, we definitly expanded our palates, but we also expanded our experience of what it takes to be one of the best.  Scott, you are one rad guy and an inspiration!  Thank you.

Now, for the rest of you get over to East End Brewing and pick up a growler!

Tazza D’Oro will be closing at 6pm on Thurs (1/7/10) for a staff training that we are calling “Expanding our Palates”.  All I can say – yes, it is a training in expanding our palates, if doesn’t involve coffee, but it does involve a passionate, local business owner, incredible ingredigients, acute attention to detail, chilly conditions, kinda hard to find place (no locaton, location, location happening here) and we’ll be taking pictures and blogging before the end of the night.  Sorry for the inconvenience but we appreicate your patience.  Oh, and we will be bringing Tazza D’Oro/ Verve roasted coffee for the rad dudes helping to expand our palates.  Stay tuned!

The last couple of months have been a little hectic with the opening of our new location at the Gates and Hillman Centers at CMU.  But over the holiday break I had the chance to get caught up on cupping all our new coffees.  On my time off there was lots of cupping happening at home- one of my favorite things to do!

We are back in the cupping saddle again at Tazza D’Oro beginning this week.  We are now cupping every Weds at 3:30 pm and you are all welcome to attend.  No experience necessary just bring your rad selves and enjoy the experience of slurping in public!  After each cupping we brew the coffees in a French Press and Chemex!

(pic: downtown Clinton, NJ)

Clinton, NJ is very Cape May like but without the ocean.  Like many awesome places there isn’t a good coffee shop or espresso bar.  But, I’m reminded once again that Pittsburgh is really lucky to have several rad places – Aldo’s, 21st Street, Espresso a Mano, Voluto, Tazza D’Oro…very lucky indeed!

Before I travel the 1st thing to get packed are the coffee beans and lots of them!  It’s possible to be in an awesome place AND still have great coffee.    So, BYOC the next time you travel!  Oh, and Go Steelers – can’t watch it here cause I’m in Jets and Giant country – I’m trying to cope!

(never get tired of this guy)

Tazza D’Oro at the Gates and Hillman Centers will be closed until Jan 4th.  Our hours for the week of the 4th will be 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.  We will resume normal hours on Jan 11th – 7 am – 7 pm.

Tazza D’Oro Highland Park -

Thurs, Dec 24th – 7 am to 2:30pm

closed Dec 25th

Dec 26th -  8:00am to 10:00 pm

Thurs, Dec 31st – 7 am to 5 pm

closed Jan 1st (FOOTBALL!!!) and resume normal business hours Jan 2nd

I’m taking a long weekend off and woke this morning to awesome snow storm (sled riding in the park this afternoon, dudes!).  Couldn’t wait to make some coffee – grrrr, not one bean in the house – lol!!!  Oh, but there’s this rad coffeehouse in the Highland Park…Tazza D’Oro with lots and lots of amazing single origin coffees bagged and waiting for you!

Here’s what we have in stock and more arriving this week:

Guatemala San Jose Ocana, El Salvador Siberia Estate Bourbon, Kenya Kirimara Peaberry – Wet process, Sumatra Blue Batak, Ethiopia Yirga Cheffe Koke, Guatemala San Pedro La Laguna, Ethiopia Washed Sidamo Haile, Panama Elida Estate

ahhhhh!

(you gotta see this pic)

I have often written about my amazing trips around our coffee, but the last few weeks have been another trip.   Most of you may know that we opened a second location at the Gates and Hillman Centers on the CMU campus on Nov 18th.   It’s has met every expectation  – great staff, quality, a space that we helped design and have embraced and at the same time it’s been surreal and humbling.  At CMU there is no such thing as a soft opening – it has been awesome!  We have also felt the impact in our Highland Park location; much to my surprise – more people coming to HP to see what Tazza D’Oro is  all about.

In one of my most intense days thus far I decided to take a break, while working at home, to make some coffee.   It’s really easy for me to lose perspective while I’m attending to business but there’s my Frankie.  This poor guy is also feeling the impact of a new business – hardly any walks, less wrestling and long days alone.   Somehow he has put this whole new venture in perspective – couch, blanket, pillow and a nap – a new perspective!  Thanks Frankie.