Subject: Artis Coffee
Coffee Mugged: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Aricha
Rating [see key]: 4+
People like having choices and options. We like choosing where we'll have lunch, what program we'll watch that evening or whether we take the long or short way home. With coffee, most folks like to switch up the way they brew, the microlot they're ordering next or the roaster from which they will purchase it. But with the exception of home roasters or people with connections, rarely do people have the option to switch the roast profile of the coffee they got last week.
People like having choices and options. We like choosing where we'll have lunch, what program we'll watch that evening or whether we take the long or short way home. With coffee, most folks like to switch up the way they brew, the microlot they're ordering next or the roaster from which they will purchase it. But with the exception of home roasters or people with connections, rarely do people have the option to switch the roast profile of the coffee they got last week.
But the option to switch up your roast profile is one that is now offered by Berkeley cafe and roastery Artis Coffee. Equipped with fluid air bed roasters, they individually roast each coffee to the customer's wishes (which currently seems to consist of two choices, light or medium, for online purchases). Recently they sent me out a bag of their Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Aricha roasted 'light', of which I brewed via pourover, french press and siphon.
The pourover displayed notes of blueberry, cranberry, chocolate, Red Vines and virgin olive oil within a medium body, turning out to be a sweet, slightly tart and quite good. The french press proved a bit more diverse, with potent blueberry, bittersweet chocolate, sugary cake, minor cloves and a touch of balsamic vinegar, proving still tasty and flavorful, but a touch sour. Lastly the siphon proved my favorite infusion, with notes up front of coffee cake, blueberry, chocolate, followed by some balsamic vinegar, salt and very faint basil, moving for brighter infusion, sweet and smooth in a medium body.
While I can see the phenomenon of "roast to order" going awry in the wrong hands, it seems the folks at Artis have a good head on their shoulders, and that given more time the concept could gain some traction. If you happen to be in Berkeley or searching for a different coffee ordering experience, check out the offerings of Artis.
note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.
1 comment:
I swear, when I visit NYC, I'm going to go to the places you talk about on here.
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