Courier Coffee Roasters

joel — Mon, 13 May 2013 05:43:33 +0000

roasting coffee after dark at home- in the driveway. There is a growler of Gigantic beer just inside the back door, and between bouts of roasting we pick snails and slugs off our herb garden starts, that are now taking refuge from the rain. With hands covered with soot there are now seven Nancys Yogurt containers of coffee samples to cup and talk about pre-seven am.

Our Milk tap system is going well, now all we need is a little breathing room and the actual tap heads. Are we the only ones outside of Scotland with Milk on tap?

hand painted lettering at 923 Oak

joel — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:56:25 +0000

BT Livermore reconstructs our menu on the glass front of Courier, handpainting it in white lettering. The building front, housing our bar on Oak, also just got painted this past week. From green to slate grey.

A legitimate commercial shop-vac resides at our bar (courtesy of Stark Vacuum). Unlike a Dyson, our commercial vacuum does espresso grounds and fiberglass without choking. Pre-emptive of a deep cleaning, the bar was taken apart, fridge removed, eleven hours of bar care on Sunday. And so there is a start to the improvements leading to our summer.

Thoughts leading to milk tap

joel — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:54:16 +0000

The coffee scene in Portland shifted in 1999, or really 1996 (or thereabouts), when a beloved Portland coffee roaster sold out, but so quietly that no one realized. After 96′ the spirit changed forever, but so did our focus.

Courier Coffee started with the desire to be local, hands on, and really many things that the future is not. One huge thing that set us apart, aside from transportation, was that our coffee bags were made of entirely paper, from Canada and Washington Pulp mills, not a deceptive plastic lined natural looking paper that many Portland roasters use today( why use plastic?). We also use glass mason jars for wholebean delivery (made in the U.S.A. and no not USA China). And we do take the jars back and reuse them for many more times to come. Then when we opened our bar We, along with Public Domaine, were one of the first to source compostable paper cups made in the USA from entirely USA material (genetically modified plant based lining- Monsanto, but still). The good news is that we are now not alone in this, and that others are joining in using the more expensive compostable cup.

The cost of glass is pretty enormous, as are paper to go cups. Surprisingly paper coffee bags are really almost the same price as poly-lined. Delivery fees are also pretty high, since honestly it takes more time to bike the city than to drive, yet we do not charge more than others.

This summer we think that putting milk on tap officially, will save the energy it takes opening and closing our refrigerator, which we hope will outweigh other environmental burdens, such as increased water usage and Argon use. It is constantly on our minds, reducing our energy footprint, and sourcing products from ecologically thoughtful sources (like our new eggs in the Canele!!!).

we are noticing

joel — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:16:01 +0000

increased moisture content below ground, More dramatic humidity swings from dawn to dusk, small spring flies, reduced coffee batch sizes for greater thermal control during roast.

We have finally made contact directly with Jarden corporation, who owns Kerr, who purchased Ball long ago. We have also made contact with Tri-S (tualitan!!), the same printing company that puts the images on growlers of beer ~~around town and 22′s like Rogue. We would like to make some Courier Coffee mason jar prints. This week we talk to Tri-S more about cost~~, but the talks with Jarden are going well. We would have images baked onto wide mouth and quart mason jars… The good news with the jars is that they are one of the few things still manufactured in the US. We are most certainly on track to have 1000- 2000 mason jars on a truck from the East coast in the next two weeks.

We are still thinking about the physical taps for milk on the bar, and finding someone to customize them. The Argon pressurizing the 5 gallon kegs has gone very well. We almost have a cleaning schedule on track, but more will depend on the tap lines in the coming weeks. All of this builds toward streamlining the bar for the summer. It has been very busy late winter and pre-spring, and we would like to keep moving.

At our bar the property owners are re-doing the tile in front of all the entry ways soon (within the next month we hear), this will cause a brief upset in hours, but should be rad. We are also told the green trim will revert back to their original slate gray.

UPDATE- Tri-S says that their machine will not work with Wide Mouth Mason jars. They do do Rogue, Stumptown, Gigantic Growlers. They say that the protruding top edge of the screw top and the raised lettering will not work on their equipment. FYI our quotes for simply making a mold of a wide mouth jar without “ball” or “

Noble gas Milk Bar + 200 records

joel — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 23:44:22 +0000

James biked the Argon in from NE. The Morse hole-saw bit (purchased later from Hall) fit the gas line through our bar fridge. Preliminary testing shows that Milk at 18 psi is enough to seal, and does not affect taste. We now think in the absence of O2 the life of milk may be extended. The next step is the Column, to house the shank and tap.

After three years of use we are servicing the doser on our Robur for the first time (later this week). The star is not connecting fully, but that spring is solid (we have replaced the collar screw twice to aid adjustment however).

Two new coffees on bar. The espresso (which is so so so lovely right now) only has a few days before we are out of the Ileja, Mbeya as well.

Thursday evening extended hours to receive a show curated by BT (oh and a customer just sold us her collection of vinyle- thank you- you records are rad 200 new ones on bar). best ccr

Courier Coffee Trinidad

joel — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:47:17 +0000

Sizzle Pie/ Veloforma- the bike racing team we sponsor- is killing it. They just did some grass track racing in Trinidad, which means our logo and branding is probably doing its work and Courier is huge on the island. Check out the story here.

Brent of formerly Veloshop, now Portland Bike Studio, races with team Sizzle Pie/ Veloforma, hence our connection. We still have fond memories of having a bike shop on the block. The bookstore that has moved in is awesome though (Division Leap is truly a wonderful store), and we get to keep ties with the Veloshop crew.

This week Alex of Courier is on a West coast Tour with one of his bands The Woolen Men. They have just released their second album on Vinyle (both albums on bar at Courier). im going to link to bandcamp because i cant bring myself to link to fbook. They go on an east coast tour in a few months as well. With Alex away we are too busy to hire anyone and its very much a catch 22. So both Courier and Speilman Coffee are missing a roaster this week.

Our spare bike was rebuilt by WTF this week. Sturmey Archer two speed kickback hubs are indeed superior to Bendex. The next time one of our fast bikes burns out you may see us riding a beach cruiser on delivery (mental note- get a rack for said cruiser).

joel — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 04:46:00 +0000

espresso on bar at Courier and Kenilworth- Ileja, Mbeya, Tanzania “hope” project N5 and N39 varietals, January arrival Oakland. After a perhaps too long stretch of Gakenki, Rwanda espresso that held a gritty finish, the Ileja comes as a sleeper. It took the staff more than a second to realize the Ileja kills it as an espresso. Order a little buddy and see how this opens up with a little more water, then wait for it to cool and the true depth of this coffee will show. Super lovely, and we have not bought much of it, so expect it not to be on bar long.

On the home front WTF bikes is hooking us up with a Sturmey Archer 2 speed kickback hub for a 1991 Shimano beach cruiser, kind of an awesome bike and kind of not. It was perhaps all the wrecks on this bike that led us to the safe business we are now- that and our monthly OSHA meetings (hahaha).

Portland in a day

joel — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:04:20 +0000

We took an editor from Tokyo around the city (by car- yeah we know- but he rented a bike the previous day and rode the city). There was urgency, because we were attempting the impossible. The focus of the trip was coffee culture, and mostly Stumptown Coffee (interesting right?). Stumptown Coffee is the first coffee from Portland to be served in Japan, or outside the US and Canada (except for that summer in the Netherlands). Stumptown, despite their growth, started in Portland, which is their hub, and has retained many qualities of a caring and compassionate business (which would be awesome for a growing rad coffee culture). And so this is how we started on our Wednesday, rainy all day, in Portland.

Our trip, and i want you to know we pointed out everysingle coffeeshop, roaster, breakfast spot, record store and bike store along our travels and whose coffee they served.

- Stumptown/Ace Hotel pick up, Sterling (rad rad rad), (point out world cup roasters), Stumptown Belmont (thanks Jason), Pine State (the girl at the counter was the sweetest ever), Courier Roastery to eat our Biscuits (test ride cargo bike in Parking lot), Waffle Window, Fresh Pot Hawthorne, Petes and Starbucks point out, Woodsman Tavern (we found the door unlocked and toured!), Woodsman Market (we pointed out all the Housemade and Locally made products, and the girls probably thought we were nuts, but they said Duane was just there- founder Stumptown). Stumptown Division- meet Duane- enjoy a macchiato, point out bake goods from Little T, head to Little T American Baker and buy Croissant and salted Foccachia, Broder (meet the chefs and watch food being plated), head to St Jack (she said the best Cannele in Portland- sweet- different than ours, and you should try!, great crust), Speilman Coffee Roaster (Rick Speilman can speak Japanese- purchase a bagel), A Better Cycle (our guest almost cried), New Seasons.

Now at New Seasons i think our visitor almost cried again. We did taste a French Roast from Portland Roasting, we looked at all the coffee on the shelf and their color, we talked about cage free vs free range vs pasture raised, but the produce section was Mindblowing. Tags in green and red for seafood that are Abundant vs Overfished. Bulk bins. OMG the produce is just sitting there- not individually packaged. You mean we can buy by weight- very very very cool for Japanese people. Hey, look up, there are pictures of the farmers who grown the produce above!!!! Beer and wine section, what!!!!!! look at all the oregon beer. run run run to next location. Water Avenue Coffee (on the way point out Apex, IPRC, EM Space, then its to Stumptowns new HQ to meet Matt and Bob.

After Stumptown we head to Keegan and Meegans Studio, then Joseph Ahearne bicycle frame builder (again tears, but now jumping up and down- questions- why are the bikes light, why does it feel so solid, how can steel be so light. Lowell (point out all the locally made stuff, Eggy Records, Angies metal work, Leather), Beam and Anchor (poin t out Widmere en route), look upstairs at B&A (wow, wow). Stumptown Printers (Linotype!, unbelievably nice), Liberty Glass for pints of Beer, first time having Mac& Cheese (mindblowing), Por Que No? tacos, Rebuilding Center, Altura Furniture self tour, (point out Albina Press), Mississippi records, Portland Museum of Moder Art, Saraveza beer tasting (such cool people), Red E, Peoples Farmers Market (nori in bulk bins, radiation testing, OMG everythings in Bulk bins and you can bring your own containers from home to fill- laundry soap, honey, nut butters, spices OMG OMG OMG), Meet the farmers!!!!!!!,

AND Then- we head to a lovely Portland Home where the Portland Preservation Society is meeting, courtesy of Brooke Weeber. Thirty people met where there was wine, and beer and snacks in abundance and people brought preserves to trade and showcase (love). Then visit another Portland home, stop by Dovevivi Pizza to get our order, head to the Record Room to see the Woolen Men play a show- cool.

We drove by parks, though Tabor, pointed out forest park. Its nice to get perspective on things, and of course living here its a great goal to see if you can visit everything in a day. We are thinking. Perhaps this trip will have us generating new ideas at Courier for the Summer, and if you are in Japan please visit Paddlers Coffee and say hi to Daisuke- LifeSon restaurant with Tarui Bakery, Shibuya.

joel — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 02:40:30 +0000

sitting at our bar, after hours, listening to two new excellent records purchased at Jackpot (around the corner). Sometimes we visit nights to play records.

dreaming about summer. The coffee bar on Hawthorne. New seating for the current bar, and new bicycle parts. Thinking about why we serve coffee, in a city made of coffee roasters and beer brewers.

since we are mechanics, we maintain.

joel — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 05:16:19 +0000

The bench knife, or pastry scraper, is dull with a purpose (our favorite is entirely SS and made in Japan, no plastic or wood for us). We have one SS knife that is shiny and probably has a little carbon, this is also not-so-sharp, but dainty and beautiful and we use to check the muffins with (stabbing them to see if batter clings). Then there is the antler handled honing steel, for aligning the electrons in our sharp knives (grandma may be dead, but geez her knives were razors when she moved on- serious, and very memorable). A large carbon high carbon blade Alex found on the street, this is one of our best. A small carbon blade for the customers who want to share their pastry. The Japanese Takeda Sakichan gave me does not stay on bar but travels with me at all times. Made of Aogami super steel from Hitachi, carbon sandwiches stainless, in a super thin eastern edge. This knife is very sharp, yet also brittle and delicate. With such a knife only the force necessary for the cut is made. Certain appreciation for well kept edges we picked up via Evan and Ali courtesy of their friends- the Hot Knives. “sharp knives save lives.”

While making our way to the pizza shop today, we fell in with a gang of street kids. One interesting thing was their belt knives, very large, as if for deer hunting. Deer hunting in the SW hills? the knife that Rambo carried, that size. We think about this when making pastry.

At the roastery we have a Benchmade Tanto mini-Griptilian, used for label adhesive cutting every day (this is a knife).

all of the knives that want, get sharpened. Two stones float back and forth between roastery and bar, our Naniwa 5000 superstone (japan), and combination 500/1000 stone. some of our friends even bring their knives in for us to sharpen.

we hope this thoughtfulness extends into all things (wu-tang, the last samuri, code of the samuri reference, and by extension Liquid Swords).