Fancy Food Show 2012
This weekend is the 38th Annual Fancy Food Show and Mr. Espresso will be there again caffeinating the masses. We will be serving some of our signature espressos and cappuccinos from a brand spanking new 3 group Faema Emblema and pouring some exceptional coffees at The Brew Bar.
You’ll find us there all 3 days, so whether you’re come by and say hello. It’s always great to re-connect with our friends and clients in the industry. But if you haven’t met us before, come by to introduce yourself and enjoy some of our fine espressos and coffees.
This year the show will take place January 15th, 16th and 17th at the Moscone Center of San Francisco. You will find us in the South Hall in booth number #3720.
See you there!
Get Social with Mr. Espresso
For those of you who aren’t already doing so (WHY NOT!), we would love to have you interact with us through our social media platforms.
“Like Us” on Facebook for interesting news and notes from Mr. Espresso.
By following us on Twitter at both our main “handle” @OakWoodRoasted, and our South Bay/Peninsula feed, @oakwood_joe, you can see what we are up to on a daily basis. Send us a message or tweet a pic! 
Featured Coffee – Mr. Espresso – Winter 2011
Finca La Maravilla, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Estate
If we set out to build the ultimate coffee, we’d start out with an elegant floral aroma, layer in flavors of citrus and chocolate, support it with a heavy, velvety body, then finish with a sweet, lingering aftertaste. We wouldn’t be surprised that it came from a heavenly, high altitude farm nestled in the clouds, and if we tasted it, we’d certainly want to share it with everybody. Well this is that coffee! Fortunately, Mauricio Rosales and his crew at Finca La Maravilla did most of the hard work for us at by oak wood roasting this coffee has been allowed to reach its marvelous potential. La Maravilla translates from Spanish to “The Marvel” and we can see why.
Head down to Coffee Bar’s new location at 101 Montgomery where you can try this coffee on their Pour-over bar, and where the beans are also available for take home purchase. It’s also available at Coffee Bar’s Bryant Street location every other day by drip, and for take home bean purchase as well. Lastly, of course, you can purchase this coffee directly off of our website.
Barista Throwdown at Coffee Bar, September 16th
Our friends at Coffee Bar have put together quite the event, with San Francisco’s finest baristas getting together to throw down their finest examples of latte art. Also included are guest street food vendors Copper Top Ovens Pizza, Halal Halal’s NYC style street food, and Frozen Kuhsterd, who will be offering a variety of single origin coffee flavored custards! Come one, come all!
Spreading the word for a good cause!
Even as school gardens are becoming more common across the nation, funds are still scarce or altogether nonexistent. These programs are mainly run by teachers and parents volunteering their time and dollars to the school garden.
I am a volunteer in the Learning Garden at my son’s school and greatly enjoy it. Most of the students get very excited about being in the gardens. My son looks forward to his weekly classes because he gets to be outdoors and dig in the earth, learn hands on about nature, and some times he even gets to eat the direct results of the garden!
I recently heard about Eating for Education from a local teacher, writer and chef, Samin Nosrat, also the mastermind behind Bakesale for Japan and Haiti. Eating for Education is a grassroots effort to create national awareness about school garden and school lunch programs. The campaign will culminate in homes and restaurants around the country on August 27th with special dinners celebrating the building power of Edible Education.
How to get involved:
If you own a restaurant or cafe, the campaign is looking for more participants to sign up to host dinners on Saturday August 27th. This campaign asks that a portion of the profits (whatever you feel comfortable with) from the event be donated to a local school garden of the restaurant’s choice. Restaurants that do not have a specific school in mind will be paired up with one by Samin.
Each restaurant will be listed on the Eating for Education website, and the event will be advertised in the San Francisco Chronicle and online. It is easy to sign up: just go to www.eatingforeducation.org and fill out the participating restaurant form.
If you like to eat, and would like to show your support, please eat at a participating restaurant on August 27th. Check www.eatingforeducation.org for a list of the quickly growing number of participating restaurants.
If you wish to share a home dinner, you may feel free to ask your friends and family to donate so you can make a group contribution to a local school garden program, but really, it’s about getting people in the kitchen (ideally with kids) and around the table to share a meal together.
Be sure to support this….we are and wish to spread the word!
Please feel free to contact me via e-mail lzambrano@mrespresso.com if you have any questions, ideas or suggestions on how we can help you participate.
Temperatures are rising, and so is the demand for Iced Coffee!
With temperatures rising across the Bay Area, so is the demand for iced coffee drinks. With that, we thought it the perfect time to share some information on how to perfect the “cold brew” process.
Cold Brew: Step-by-Step*
*Note – the following instructions are based upon using eighteen (18) quarts of water with five (5) pounds of coffee. Water and coffee amounts will vary based upon your desired batch size.
Getting Equipped…
Lining up the supplies.
- A large, plastic bucket (preferably one that will hold at least 18 quarts of water)
- A mesh filter bag or cheese cloth-like bag
- Paper filters (size of filter will depend on the size of the plastic bucket you use)
- Five (5) pounds of ground coffee (French press grind)
- One (1) large wooden kitchen spoon
- One (1) foot of string
Placing the paper filter into the mesh filter bag.
The Cold Brewing Process…
- Secure the mesh filter bag into the plastic bucket. Make sure it is snug around the perimeter.
- Put the paper filter inside of the mesh filter bag.
- Pour the ground coffee directly into the paper filter.
Now the Fun Begins…
1. Pour six (6) quarts of cold water into the filter making sure to saturate all of the coffee grounds.
2. Take the wooden spoon and thoroughly stir the wetted grounds. Be careful not to tear or puncture the paper filter.
3. Tie the paper coffee filter closed with the saturated grounds inside.
4. Pour another six (6) quarts of water over the closed paper filter in order to saturate the top.
5. Close/tie the mesh filter bag with the closed paper filter inside of it.
6. Pour the last six (6) quarts of water around the edges of the closed mesh filter bag.
7. Allow the coffee to steep for 24-hours.
*Click on photos for image description.
After 24-hours Have Passed…
1. Pick up the closed mesh filter bag. Allow about 90 percent of the liquid to drip out of the bag. You may have to squeeze the bag in order to accomplish this.
2. Do not place the mesh bag back into the bucket. Instead, untie/open, and discard the paper filter and coffee grounds. Remember, the mesh bag is re-useable, but not the paper filter.
3. The iced coffee is ready to be served!
Serving Iced Coffee…
- Fill the customer’s cup to the brim with ice.
- Use a 2:1 ratio for the amount of coffee to pour into the cup. For example, a 12oz. cup will require 6oz. of cold brewed coffee.
- Allow a small amount of room for milk. (if requested)
A lot of people will use short cuts to brew what they think is “iced coffee.” By following the process outlined here, you will be preparing the perfect summer drink for your customers to enjoy. It is a process, but one that will provide you with a great product cup after cup!
If you have any questions about the process, please feel free to give us a call at 510-287-5200 or send us an email at info@mrespresso.com.
Featured Coffee – Mr. Espresso – Summer 2011
Kenya Nyanja AA, Kirinyaga – Top Auction Lot
Jasmine and Clementine Mandarines supported by sweet chocolate and Cognac undertones, followed by a subtle winey finish.
In today’s market finding a great Kenyan coffee at a reasonable price is a near impossible task. Thanks to the value driven philosophy of our Green Coffee Buyer and Roastmaster, John DiRuocco, we’re happy to offer this Top Auction Lot processed by the Nyanja coffee mill in the Kirinyaga growing district.
You can purchase this coffee on our website or at Coffee Bar in San Francisco, where they are also serving it as a single origin espresso.
Availability is limited. We hope you enjoy!
Tasting Kit
Our "tasting kit."
When working with new customers, we always extend an invitation for them to come to Oakland for a visit. We know how important it is for people to feel a connection with their roaster, and that starts with seeing things in action at Mr. Espresso. We understand, though, that sometimes life gets in the way, schedules are cluttered, and people are unable to pull themselves away from their restaurants/cafes long enough to make the trip to Jack London Square. Thus, we often find ourselves taking the experience to them!
The brewing process begins.
While not as comprehensive as a visit to 3rd Street, we think we provide our customers a great experience whether we are tasting coffee samples in San Francisco, San Jose or Carmel. As you will see in the montage of photos here, we are very proud of the “tasting kit” we have assembled! The kit allows us to present Mr. Espresso coffees the same way they would be prepared if being sampled from our showroom coffee bar in Oakland.
We won’t bore you with all the details (though if you would like to be bored with them give us a call because we love talking about them!), but the process behind sampling our coffees is fairly complex. We take a great deal of time making sure all the variables are properly monitored. From water temperature, to the grind setting, to timing each brew, we leave no stone unturned in the process. By focusing on each detail, we are able to provide our customers with the best sample possible. It’s a sample that replicates what they can expect from our coffee, paired with our brewing systems, as they serve it to their customers. We have a lot of fun with it and our customers do, too!
The "finished product." Time to enjoy!
Coffee Bar @ 101 Montgomery
Coffee Bar’s 2nd location at 101 Montgomery Street (between Bush & Sutter) opened in October of 2011. Coffee Bar’s goal was to deliver “coffee without compromise” in a high speed, customer service oriented environment. The 476 square foot space is flanked by two registers, two espresso machines, dual Fetco CBS-2032 coffee brewers, and a pourover bar featuring Mr. Espresso’s finest single origin coffees. Fantastic pastries are offered by Starter Bakery and Sandbox Bakery alongside grab and go sandwiches made in the Coffee Bar kitchen at Bryant Street. The espresso menu “keeps it real” by offering the basics, and offers an artisan approach to a few, simple flavored syrup drinks, which include caramel and vanilla lattes using house made syrups and an outstanding Mocha featuring chocolate from Recchiuti Confections. You can purchase Mr. Espresso beans in their new custom designed, private label packaging we worked to develop with them, and of which we are quite proud of
. Hope you have a chance to stop by soon and check them out!