Sorry to report that Tazza D’Oro will be closed on Monday 2/8/10.

It seems when it comes to electricity it’s all or nothin!  Yes, we have partial power back at Tazza D’Oro – some outlets work, some don’t.  A piece (wire) of the main line running to the building has snapped under the pressure of the snow and a broken tree limb.

We thought we could brew and press coffee today but due to minimal power getting to the building the equipment couldn’t keep pace with our demand.  We are waiting for Duquesne Light to show and fix the damn wire.  However, I’m sure their priorities are to get power to homes without heat and electricity…I’m totally behind that!  But man o man, Mother Nature you are a force to be reckoned with.  In the midst of all the stress around keeping the building safe and not being able to open for business, the absolute beauty and quiet have been such a gift!  Hang in there with us – K?

CMU – we will be open by 10 am.  We got the power but our baristas need the time to get there.  East End is still snowed under and were kinda waiting on what’s happening with PAT buses.

Some of our electricity is back – it’s complicated!  So on Sunday we will be brewing coffee, pressing coffee and serving pastries.  Unfortunately, we cannot make any espresso drinks or any other of our yummy food.  So come and see us – K!!!  We will be open at 8 am.

We are not sure if we will be open until 10pm but you can email us if you have any questions.  Our apologies…

Tazza D’Oro will be closed today…lost all power last night…ugh!  Stay tuned!

I am constantly reminded that Tazza D’Oro is about a couple of important things – community and relationships.  This past week Tazza D’Oro has lost a couple of amazing community members and friends.   The coffee hasn’t tasted as rich this week but my life as a result of knowing  Michael and Terri has.  Mike, Terri – thank you!

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!