Flying in from Kansas City and Portland, we at the LAB team loved San Diego’s warm & sunny weather. January 25th, 2014, was the first (annual) San Diego Caffeine Crawl--and it was sold out! To kick things off with a bang, we met at Perfect Crema sponsor InterAmerican Coffee's headquarters, (IAC) where we had the chance to drink delicious bottled cold-brew coffee with the guys of The West Bean and espresso with David Kennedy (yep, of Angels and Airplanes!) of James Coffee Co. and check out Unic's beautiful Stella di Caffe espresso machine. The folks at IAC gave a fun presentation on their responsible sourcing practices and we picked up our swag bags with current Barista Magazines, coupons for DRY Soda, San Diego Coffee Network stickers, pencils, samples from Roaster Sponsor Cafe Virtuoso, and event programs
One of the things we love about San Diego’s beverage culture (other than the beer, of course) is how unique each shop and roaster is. We saw that as we sipped and listened our way through the city. Bay Park Coffee started the day strong with two tea samples, a chocolate sample, and lots of fascinating info on the health benefits of tea and brewing advice. At Roaster Sponsor Cafe Moto, we nibbled Mexican pastries and listened to Torrey Lee (who by the way is a founding member of the world-wide coffee community) talk about their sourcing practices. Roaster Sponsor Cafe Virtuoso demoed their Curtis Gold Cup brewer with two single origin coffees as well as giving us tastes and info on the traditional Spanish cortado. Virtuoso is 100% organic on all fronts, a first in San Diego.
Given the building’s origins as a bank, the green coffee at Caffe Calabria is kept in a safe, which is the coolest green housing we’ve seen! We drank pourovers and traditional Italian-style espresso here as well. Just down the street at the minimalist space of Coffee & Tea Collective, we tasted the difference that a grinder makes: burr vs. blade grinders, prepared in Chemexes. Nearby, standing on the sunny sidewalk in front of tiny roastery Dark Horse Coffee Roasters, we got to drink iced toddy and cascara tea (cascara is the pulp from the coffee cherry) while chowing down on vegan donuts.
To end the day on the perfect beachy note, we all convened at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in La Jolla for Saint Archer Beer, delicious tacos, a presentation from BRCR manager Jocylynn on her recent trip to Brazil judging the Cup of Excellence competition, and a brew-off with judges Emily from The LAB, Jess from San Diego Coffee Network, and BRCR head roaster Heather. Local roaster James Coffee Co. won the brew-off, teamed up with BRCR barista Jacob.
All told, it was a magical day in one of the best cities we’ve visited. We can’t wait to come back next year!
One of the things we love about San Diego’s beverage culture (other than the beer, of course) is how unique each shop and roaster is. We saw that as we sipped and listened our way through the city. Bay Park Coffee started the day strong with two tea samples, a chocolate sample, and lots of fascinating info on the health benefits of tea and brewing advice. At Roaster Sponsor Cafe Moto, we nibbled Mexican pastries and listened to Torrey Lee (who by the way is a founding member of the world-wide coffee community) talk about their sourcing practices. Roaster Sponsor Cafe Virtuoso demoed their Curtis Gold Cup brewer with two single origin coffees as well as giving us tastes and info on the traditional Spanish cortado. Virtuoso is 100% organic on all fronts, a first in San Diego.
Given the building’s origins as a bank, the green coffee at Caffe Calabria is kept in a safe, which is the coolest green housing we’ve seen! We drank pourovers and traditional Italian-style espresso here as well. Just down the street at the minimalist space of Coffee & Tea Collective, we tasted the difference that a grinder makes: burr vs. blade grinders, prepared in Chemexes. Nearby, standing on the sunny sidewalk in front of tiny roastery Dark Horse Coffee Roasters, we got to drink iced toddy and cascara tea (cascara is the pulp from the coffee cherry) while chowing down on vegan donuts.
To end the day on the perfect beachy note, we all convened at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in La Jolla for Saint Archer Beer, delicious tacos, a presentation from BRCR manager Jocylynn on her recent trip to Brazil judging the Cup of Excellence competition, and a brew-off with judges Emily from The LAB, Jess from San Diego Coffee Network, and BRCR head roaster Heather. Local roaster James Coffee Co. won the brew-off, teamed up with BRCR barista Jacob.
All told, it was a magical day in one of the best cities we’ve visited. We can’t wait to come back next year!
List of participating stops. Topics for each shop to come:
Bay Park Coffee
Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
Cafe Moto
Cafe Virtuoso Coffee Roasters
Caffe Calabria Coffee Roasting Co.
Coffee & Tea Collective
Dark Horse Coffee Roasters
InterAmerican Coffee
James Coffee Co.
The West Bean Coffee Roasters
Bay Park Coffee
Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
Cafe Moto
Cafe Virtuoso Coffee Roasters
Caffe Calabria Coffee Roasting Co.
Coffee & Tea Collective
Dark Horse Coffee Roasters
InterAmerican Coffee
James Coffee Co.
The West Bean Coffee Roasters
Sponsors / San Diego Caffeine Crawl
Thanks to these fine supporters:
Thanks to these fine supporters:
