Highlights from the Jitterz Cafe LIVE Coffee Roasting
Earlier this month, Tampa had a MAJOR art showdown at the Tampa Etsy Craft Party – and Jitterz Cafe was there with some MAJOR dance, ahem, coffee moves! We featured a live coffee roasting demonstration, showcased coffees from Africa (specifically the Ethiopia Harrar and Ethiopia WP Jimma), and shared endless techniques and fun behind preparation and consumption. Here are the highlights from the show! Photo Credit: Sarah Fisher
Here are more pictures!
Live Coffee Roasting Demonstration in Tampa!
LIVE and in-person, we’re going to show you how to roast your OWN quality coffeehouse beans for a fraction of the cost! Live demos, piping hot coffee samples, and yes – GIVEAWAYS! Stop by and check out our live coffee roasting demonstration!
Which coffees would you like to see demonstrated and to sample? Peek at our offerings, pick your fave, then post it in the comment box below! Jitterz Offerings
Date: 6/10/2011
Time: 7pm – 11pm
Address: 108 S. 12th Street at Channelside | Tampa, FL
This event is hosted by the Tampa Etsy Craft Party. Visit the Tampa Etsy Craft Party page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=219420521415349
Visit the Official Etsy Craft Party 2011 Meetup Page: http://www.meetup.com/etsy/Tampa-FL/100657/
*Photo Credit: Gevon Knox*
Ethiopia Harrar: A Holy Ghost Rolling, Slap Yo Mama Coffee!
Our newest catchphrase? “Oh My Delicious Lord!” So we’ve talked about everything from coffee slapping us in the face to coffee making us salivate and even cry. But this one, Oh LAWD, this one is gonna make you SLAP YO MAMA, catch the Holy Ghost, repent, then repeat. Nothing short of an insane adrenaline rush, this electrifying wild fruit beauty is layered with velvety chocolate and butter cream almond. It has a highly concentrated very berry flavor masked with mouth-watering layers of milk chocolate. Roasted at City, City+, and Full City, we took this coffee all over the map with us and tasted the hell out of it. Our online store, Jitterz Café, offers this coffee at all three roast levels listed here – tailored specifically for your taste preference! Snag it for some holy ghost rolling fun! *Photo Credit: Gevon Knox, GServo Photography*
City Roast
Such an appropriate introduction to this coffee. It features bright characteristics over different types of preparation: a candy-like fruitiness, orange and tangerine, strawberry blanketed in mouth-watering layers of chocolate.
Grind & Prep: Coarse, French Press | Coarse, Pour-over
Dry Aroma: Nutty, Maple Syrup, Cardamom
Wet Aroma: Tussin, Syrupy Pancakes, Nutty Butty Bar
Mouthfeel: Smooth & Velvety
Full City Roast
Skip over to Full City and you get a much more mature cup featuring different herb and fruit elements: basil, lime, tangerine, pomegranate, warm buttery popcorn, gala apples, and milk chocolate almond. At this level we have a beautiful smooth velvet chocolate finish. Upfront, it has chocolate on the cusp and a hint of blueberry softness. As it cools we get to experience some strawberry layered with butter cream and cream cheese frosting. There is such a peaceful ambiance to the Full City roast. The Full City roast would likely pair well with a full-bodied Madura cigar that has a hint of woody spice elements.
Grind & Prep: Med/Coarse, French Press | Semi-Fine, Pour-over | Fine, Vietnamese Phin Filter
Dry Aroma: Nutty, Maple Syrup, Cardamom
Wet Aroma: Pancakes, Canoli, Baked Bread
Mouthfeel: Smooth & Velvety
City+ Roast, Ooooh-weeee, that Damn City+ Roast!
City+ roast proves to be an electrifying experience in both the French Press and the Vietnamese Phin Filter. This roast and preparation is the ultimate performance level for this coffee. City+ roast introduces an intense intimacy of boastful wild fruit, tangerine, raspberry, toffee nut, macadamia nut and finishes like a sexy chocolate fruit bomb. At this roast and grind, it would perform as amazing single origin espresso (SO, meaning from one coffee region, not a blend). The texture, acidity, brightness and the subtle chocolate nuances combined with its boastful fruit and herb complexities takes the experience to a whole other level.
Grind & Prep: Coarse, French Press
Grind & Prep: Fine, Vietnamese Phin Filter, 10-min Steep, 2.5 Tbsp tightly packed, Slowly Releasing the Screw-Down Filter
Wet Aroma: Caramel, Chocolate, Fudge
Mouthfeel: Fruit-like texture, a bit dryer, gorgeous acidity
Pair With
Absolutely nothing – Harrar owns the stage, and totally deserves it! We wouldn’t want to rob it of its ultimate performance, i.e., no unnecessary distractions. But if you must…a handful of nuts (almond, pecans or walnuts), raisins, freshly-baked, warm buttery bread or mango.
Complexity & Balance: Kenya AA
Ok, so judging by the lit Christmas tree in the background and the Christmas gift suggestion, we all know that I may be a wee bit late on the video update… Anyhoo, we recently tasted the Kenya AA from BaristaOnDutY, and the sensations we received from this coffee was like taking a trip to the moon – that exciting. We tested this one over different types of preparation as well as different grinds and came to the conclusion that this was more than a “knock your socks off” kinda deal. This coffee’s characteristics are versatile enough to be both complex and balanced – but we’ll get to that part in a sec. The scent alone was like a buttery praline – it made me drool and get a little weak in the knees while yelling “GET IN MY BELLY!!”
Taste Test Snapshot: French Press, Coarse Grind, 4min steep
- Dry Aroma: Buttery, caramel, a hint of licorice
- Wet Aroma: Sweet, honeyed, almond, praline
- Taste: An elegant, nutty earthiness, very citrusy, lemon, bright, clean, winey, chocolate undertones, high acidity
- Overall Notes: A citrusy cup throughout that is eclipsed by chocolate undertones. As it cools, more berry emerges.
Taste Test Snapshot: Vietnamese Phin Filter, Fine Grind, 5-6min steep
- Dry Aroma: Buttery chocolate
- Wet Aroma: Sweet berries
- Taste: Profound nutty, earthy and chocolate flavors that accompany its caramel aroma, a hint of citrus, high acidity
- Overall Notes: This preparation revealed a citrus blast that was finished by almonds and chocolate.
- Click here to learn how to properly use a Vietnamese Phin Filter – by BaristaOnDutY
Taste Test Snapshot: Pour-Over, Medium Grind, 4min steep
- Dry Aroma: Buttery, caramel
- Wet Aroma: Caramel, nectar, honeysuckle
- Taste: Pear-like, fruit, chocolate, berries, high acidity
- Overall Notes: The first time in the pour-over, we got some of the chocolate and dark fruit. The second time around and with a little rest, this coffee had a much more intense punch of berry and fruit. All of these flavors were eclipsed by chocolate upon the first sip. As it cools, chocolate becomes very present. It proves to have a balanced complexity throughout the duration of the cup.
Now here’s where we get to complexity and balance. Can a cup be both complex and balanced – I know, awkward that we use these two terms as complimentary to each other within the same sentence – and if so, what does that mean? There were four key tastes that apply to this Kenya AA coffee: citrus, berries, chocolate, and lemon. Let’s watch to see how they all play a role in this coffee’s existence.
As we see, at different moments in time and over the course of a few different types of preparation and grinds, the Kenya AA reveals its multi-faceted characteristics throughout the experience of the cup while letting us know of its possibilities and its range – COMPLEXITY. There are no “random” moments that are unpleasantly tasted; however, it is a harmonious experience that may catch us by surprise, but it is a pleasant mix of the unexpected, and makes for a very pleasurable and desirable cup – BALANCE. Read more about complexity and balance here.
Jitterz Holiday Giveaway!
Photo Credit: Gevon Servo
We are gearing up for a Holiday Coffee Giveaway!
!!UPDATE TO TEXT BELOW!!
We just decided, instead of waiting until Friday, let’s start now! Screw the trivia, just go to our Facebook page anytime, type in “I Want Coffee!!” Then go to Twitter and post: “I just entered the Jitterz Cafe Holiday #Coffee Giveaway! Find out how you can win! http://bit.ly/e7jDqq #JitterzCafe”
Giveaway ends Friday, 12/10 @ 2PM. Winners selected at random. Happy Holiday Trivia!
Photo Credit: Gevon Servo
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On Friday, December 10th @ 11am, we will post a Christmas trivia on our Facebook page. Be one of the correct answers and you can win FREE coffee from Indonesia!!! The only rules are you must post the answer as a response to the trivia on our Facebook page, then go to Twitter and post: “I just entered the Jitterz Cafe Holiday #Coffee Giveaway! Find out how you can win! http://bit.ly/e7jDqq #JitterzCafe”
Enter as many times as you like. Winners will be selected at random. Happy Holiday Trivia!!
Jitterz Café's Confessions of A CoffeeJunkie 