21st Street Coffee and Tea

Sunday, February 16th @ 1pm at our Strip District coffee bar we're having a tasting of three rare, never before offered coffees from the Cafe Inmaculada project.  The coffee is already sold out, and we will offer it one day only, so don't miss your chance to taste them!

Tickets are available for $18 at either location prior to the event, and $20 on the day of the event.

We are very pleased to announce that next week and for a limited time we will be offering some new coffees from a different roaster: Tim Wendelboe.  

Tim Wendelboe is an Oslo, Norway based micro-roaster, coffeebar, training center, AND a person (World Barista Champion 2004).  Similarly to Intelligentsia, Tim Wendelboe travels to origin and works alongside quality-minded coffee producers in order to source the best coffees in the world.  I've shared a couple videos on our Tumblr detailing some of the work they have done in Kenya and Colombia.  Also like Intelligentsia, their coffee buying process is transparent with the goal of rewarding quality coffee production with high prices.  As Mr. Wendelboe likes to say, quality costs more.  Tim Wendelboe has also become famous in the coffee world for the way they roast their coffee.  In their words regarding "Light Roast Coffees":

We wish to preserve and enhance as much of the natural coffee flavours as possible so that you will be able to taste the distinct flavours that is unique to each coffee we import. Therefore we roast our coffees very carefully in order not to cover our coffees with roasty or burned aromas from darker roasts and at the same time stay away from the undeveloped and sour acidity from too light roast.

I have admired their work for the past several years but I hadn't had the opportunity to taste their coffee until they implemented international shipping.  They were kind enough to send along samples from Finca Tamana, Colombia and Tekangu, Kenya.  Today they are shipping 25kg to us that we expect to receive on Monday.  Shipping roasted coffee from Oslo to Pittsburgh is not inexpensive, so there will be a small and temporary increase in prices on drinks while these coffees are offered.  

So I hope I've provided a good explanation of why we've added Tim Wendelboe to our offerings.  They are not replacing Intelligentsia, but rather they complement the delicious coffees we get from Chicago every week.  If all goes well we will place future orders.  

A very popular buzzword in coffee or food these days is "LOCAL".  We are encouraged to buy locally produced goods.  Coffee that is roasted across the Atlantic Ocean would not qualify as "local coffee" in most people's minds, but remember that all coffee is grown/produced in the tropics... far from the Strip District of Pittsburgh.  Coffee that is produced in Kenya or Colombia for example makes a journey to a coffee roaster and from there to a coffee bar.  The last leg of this coffee's journey is a bit longer than usual, but it is travelling to YOUR local coffee shop.  We here at 21st Street Coffee and Tea are committed and delighted to offer you the best coffees we can get into our hands.  We hope you enjoy them!

Sincerely,

Luke Shaffer

This week we'll have a special guest in our stores!

Join us for a coffee tasting and discussion about Intelligentsia Coffee. Jay from Intelligentsia will chat about their Direct Trade purchasing model and Seasonal Approach to coffee while we brew up delicious samples of their Single Origin coffees.  The event and coffee samples are free and open to the public. 

Friday 12:00-1:00p at the Downtown location (225 Fifth Ave.)

Saturday 9:30-11:30a at the Strip District location (2002 Smallman St.)  We'll have some Geisha to try, the world's most expensive and revered coffee! 

About Jay Cunningham - Intelligentsia Sales Executive / Buyer

Jay began at Intelligentsia over 13 years ago packing coffee in the warehouse and has worked in Customer Service, Accounting, and Design before working in  sales, two years ago he became a member of the buying team. Although he loved working in marketing, and was thrilled to design the Los Inmortales, Cruz del Sur, and La Tortuga marks - he is happier in the field working with the diverse spectrum of eccentric, passionate coffee people. His time in sales is spent working with independent coffeeshops and restaurants- helping to expand and develop their coffee programs. An avid cupper and coffee lover, he is excited to be working with farmers and eager to be part of coffee's continued evolution. He lives in Oak Park, IL  with his wife Chloe and their three kids and enjoys playing music, gardening, cycling, camping and taking advantage of Chicago's culture.

Here's a picture of Jay getting a coffee at our old Frick Building location back in the day (2007).

Today we are introducing a new offering to our coffee lineup- the Aeropress.  We've been serving 12oz coffees prepared exclusively with the Hario v60 for a couple years now, and while we continue to be very pleased with the quality of our pourovers, we've wanted to add a smaller coffee to the menu.  We've been tweaking our Aeropress method for a few months and we feel that while slightly different from the pourover the sweetness, acidity, strength and flavors that we enjoy come through very well in the cup.

We like the Aeropress for a couple of reasons.  First, we can now serve you an 8oz coffee that is brewed fresh to order... because sometimes 12oz of our coffee can be a little too much in the caffeine department.  Second, the Aeropress should be a little quicker, taking about 2 1/2 minutes to prepare versus 3 1/2 minutes for a v60.  Next, because we're using less coffee and it takes a little less time... we can charge about $0.75 less for an 8oz Aeropress versus a 12oz v60. 

For those of you that like to enjoy an espresso (or macchiato, or cappuccino) and a filter coffee, this 8oz brew might just be the perfect fit for your caffeine budget.  We also carry the Aeropress for sale at both locations, and would be happy to share our method with you.

Yours in coffee,

We aren't currently hiring, but we’re looking for people that would enjoy working here- freelancers, folks looking for a second office, perhaps someone that’s starting their own business.  You may already come here regularly to enjoy a coffee, to get away from the home office, and to get some work done.  We think we can improve on that experience.  That’s why we’re setting up the loft area just above our bar as a co-working space.   

By signing up, you get access to the loft 7 days per week (during our business hours), meaning you’ll always have a spot waiting for you no matter how busy we are.  You’ll get your own desk and comfy chair, access to our WiFi, and best of all you’ll get our employee discount.  As a member you’ll get 20% off all food and drinks every day, 20% off retail coffee and tea, and 10% off merchandise.

To start things out, rates will be $10 daily*, $30 weekly*, or $100 monthly.  Once we are up and running we’re planning on adding some perks and amenities.  If you are interested, email us at [email protected]

Yours in coffee,

21st Street Coffee and Tea

21st Street Coffee and Tea

2002 Smallman St.

Pittsburgh, Pa 15222

February 1, 2013

Dear Customers:

It has been almost three years since our last price increase, when we opened our downtown location at Three PNC Plaza.  In that time, we’ve seen our costs increase in what we pay for coffee, tea, milk, wages, training, paper products, towels, and general overhead.  Our brewed coffee prices, which are linked to prices we pay for each crop, have gone up steadily in this time.  Espresso, tea, and milk drink prices, however, have been the same since Spring 2010.

Instead of using lesser quality ingredients, or spending less on wages and training, we’re focused on providing you the best possible service and product.  This requires a small price increase on espresso drinks and tea.  We know that you choose to visit our stores every day, and we want you to know that we appreciate your business.

Sincerely,

Luke & Alexis Shaffer

21st Street Coffee and Tea

If you've been to the Strip District location since we moved, you've probably seen there is an upper level in the back of the shop. Lots of folks have asked about when we'll be opening it, what's going up there, etc.  We're in the early stages of it, but we're going to set it up as a small coworking space.

There will be desks, there will be internet, and of course there will be access to great coffee (and tea).  Since we are new at this, there are some things we have to figure out and some improvements still to be made before it's ready for use.

The Downtown location will be open regular hours today, and will reopen on Wednesday 12/26 from 8am-3pm.