Category Archives: Uncategorized

We have a couple of new items on our shelves this week that should be of interestfor those who drink decaf or dabble in the art of espresso at home. First up is a great decaffeinated version of Counter Culture’s Cinco de Junio coffee from Nicaragua. Like many of their other coffees, it is Direct Trade, organic, and full of incredible flavor;  basically, it’ll put your old decaf to shame.

Also fresh from Durham we have pre packed bags of Apollo 5.0 Espresso. This is 100% Organic Shilicho from Sidama, Ethiopia and is the same coffee that we’ve been loving on the bar for the past month. Single origin espressos can be tricky, often with a narrow window of optimal extraction parameters, but this one has impressed us with it’s multiplicity of good taste profiles – sometimes citrus, sometimes dark chocolate, and at other times dried dark fruit. If you, or someone you know, prepares espresso at home, this is at least worth trying while its here.

Finally, we switched out the Finca El Puente MICROLOT with the regular Finca El Puente on our Featured Menu. The difference is in the processing method (the coffee from the micro lot was soaked after having the fruit removed from it), and its interesting to try if you had the Honduras before. Available by-the-cup or by-the-bag.

Enjoy!

We’re making a pretty big change at the shop this month, with the switch to Counter Culture Coffee in Durham, NC for our espresso and decaf espresso. Counter Culture has been a real pioneer in Direct Trade, which means they’ve worked extremely hard to develop long-term relationships with artisan coffee producers around the world – and of course pay them well for their hard work and quality product.

Of course Direct Trade is only one of the reasons we ultimately decided on switching to Counter Culture. Their quality is also top notch, with a full team of roasters and quality control folks making sure every roasted batch is as good as the last. This is particularly important for espresso. The drink that ends up in your hands is prepared from 40 or so coffee beans by your barista so defect free coffee and consistent roasting is important.

Our first espresso offering from CCC is their Apollo Seasonal Espresso. Apollo isan interesting project in which they switch the component(s) out seasonally, as new fresh-crop coffees arrive and the old ones fade. The 5.0 version is a single-origin espresso, comprising of 100% Organic Shilicho, Sidama, Ethiopia. Taste notes have ranged from “chocolate and citrus to delicately floral, sweet and balanced, to all out pop-and-zing.”

Additionally, we are featuring three great coffees from Counter Culture Coffee for the next couple of month on our retail shelves and by-the-cup:

• Concepción Huista (Jacaltenango, Guatemala) Complex cup carried by clean notes of fresh fruit and chocolate.
• Thiriku (Nyeri, Kenya) Fig, coconut, and pineapple above savory undertones and a dry finish
• Finca El Puente Microlot (Marcala, Honduras) Intensely fruity, bright and aromatic, with clean, clear notes of dried plum, white grape, and pear above a juicy body

We are closed today, Monday July 4th, in observance of the holiday. We will be open again at 6am on Tuesday!

Have a great and safe holiday!

We’ve got a fresh shipment of George Howell Coffee on the shelves, and this time we’ve switched things up a little bit. Replacing the Colombia is a classic coffee from the iconic La Minita Estate in Costa Rica.

La Minita has been a of the pioneer of true artisan coffee production at origin. For over 20 years they have meticulously controlled the quality of their product from the farm, including direct trade with roasters around the world. George Howell was one of the first major buyers of their product back in 1988, and continues the relationship today.

Keith picking coffee at Hacienda La Minita

Keith and I were fortunate enough to visit La Minita in 2008. The operations there struck us as more akin to a vineyard than a farm, from the well groomed hillsides covered with ripe red cherries, to the spotless washing tanks and modern quality control facilities. Seeing how much work goes into coffee at origin makes you savor each cup of the finished product even more!

This seasons offering from George Howell doesn’t disappoint, with flavor notes of ”…maple syrup, nuts and hint of very ripe peaches.” Available now via various brew methods on our Brew-to-Order menu or take a bag home for $16.00/12oz!

So iced drink weather hit Nashville awhile ago, and our iced coffee sales can prove it. But today is officially the first day of summer and we wanted to remind you of a few drinks that can help you through it:

• Shakerato – espresso, milk, syrup. shaken over ice, served straight up. It’s back. Well, it never went away. Available in the with our original Vanilla-Bean syrup, or try it with one of our other great house-made flavors.
• Iced Ginger Latte - espresso, milk, fresh ginger syrup, served over ice. Ginger isn’t just for the holidays anymore – and what warms you up in a hot latte turns surprisingly refreshing over ice.
• Lavenderberry Ice Tea - freshly brewed rooibos tea, lavender, vanilla, and strawberry flavor. Unsweetened and caffeine free, a guilt free and tasty way to rejuvenate.
• Jasmine Green Ice Tea - freshly brewed, 100% pure jasmine scented green tea. Simple and pure with a wonderfully floral flavor, no grassiness, and a long-lasting aftertaste.

Just in time for Father’s Day, our shelves are once again full of great coffee and tea brewing devices and accessories. We have Chemex, Aeropress, Clever, ForLife Teaware, and of course great loose-leaf tea or coffee to go with them.

If your not quite sure how or why to use these methods for your beverage preparation, be sure and ask our staff for a quick tutorial. They are definitely our favorite way to enjoy coffee, and aren’t complicated or expensive.

We are now baking Gluten Free items daily, in addition to our fresh baked muffins, quickbreads, cookies, and scones!

These items DO contain dairy, but are made from a blend of GF flours derived from potato, rice, and tapioca.

GF Cinnamon Scones

  The George Howell Coffee Company is based just outside of Boston, MA and have been roasting high-quality specialty coffee since 2004. Its founder and namesake, George Howell, has been involved in the industry since the ’70s and is considered to be of the vanguard that has brought specialty coffee to its current level of appreciation.
The GH Coffee Co. and its Terroir brand continue to be on the forefront, working directly with craftsman farmers and showcasing extraordinary single-origin coffees from around the world. We’re excited to have a few of their current offerings available by-the-cup, as well as by-the-bag for your home brewing pleasure:

• Kenya Ndiara [notes of dark plum, honey, raspberry, orange]
  this coffee recently scored a 94 on CoffeeReview.com – one of the highest scores ever given. It’s a great opportunity to taste what a great Kenyan coffee can be!
• Burundi Kiryama [full body, creamy blackberry, long velvet finish] Scored a 92 on CoffeeReview! Definitely one of the best coffees we’ve tasted from Burundi. Exemplary of the Burundi’s burgeoning specialty production!
• Colombia El Roble [full bodied with a candied-apple caramel core] A farm we visited in 2007, and previously seen on our shelves from another roaster as “Mesa de Los Santos”, this is a great combination of sustainable production (the farm is Rainforest Alliance Certified, Certified Organic, Shade Grown, and Certified Bird-Friendly) and excellent quality. This particular lot from Terroir is one that you could drink all day, please your coffee-snob friends with, and take home to mom as well.

We will be closed today, May 30th, in observance of Memorial Day. Have a great one!

On display for the months of May and June at dose. are prints from the collection of long-time regular Frank Einstein. These are photographs that were taken by a family member in Germany during World War I. Frank has retouched the photographs and enlarged them for display and they provide some rare and personal visuals of the war.

For more information or to inquire about purchasing a print, contact EinsteinPhotos@me.com