…check out the article, “Uncommon Grounds,” on the current Seattle coffee scene in MyMidwest, the Midwest Airlines inflight magazine! There’s even a little blurb on the cuppings that happen every Wednesday at 11am at V2, and also about the wonderful atmosphere up on 15th. Thanks Midwest!
We smacked it down last Friday night at V2 complete with a pretty healthy pot, sweet prizes, a stunning trophy and many many balloons. I’ve never seen our Vickies so focused yet foul-mouthed, so driven yet manic, so resolute yet fevered.
The evening began with the BYOV competition (Bring Your Own Vessel) into which lattes were poured – some beautiful, some a complete disaster but all entries were way above the genius level of creativity, if I do say so myself. We saw rosettes poured into the bell of a trumpet, a paper boat floating in a pool of crystal waters, and a latex glove. But Kelleen’s leafy creation swimming in a tin of smoked mussels took the prize. New signature drink idea? Only in the Northwest. Way to go, Kelleen!
Bragging rights were accrued by the winner of our prestigious Latte Art Competition. Chuck walked away with the pot for his designs – if this photo had audio, your speakers would blow. It’s amazing that any recognizable design was poured that night given all the screaming and the iced tea being drunk. Way to go, Chuck!
The toughest event to endure (mostly for participants), was the 3-Arm Barista Smackdown made up of teams of 2 tied together by the legs and using one hand each to build drinks at the Synesso. Vickies were graceful and efficient – not a drop of milk was spilled or rosetta botched. Well, maybe not - 4 teams competed complete with their own soundtracks only to succumb to the calm cool and collected stylings of the dream team: Mark and Kelleen. The trophy will spend every other month alternating between V1 and V2, going to mom’s on holidays and dad’s on weekends. Way to go Mark H. & Kelleen!
Thanks to Dan for hosting such a great party and to all Vickies for making the first SMKDWN a huge success, paving the way for many more to come.
Check out more photos on Victrola’s new Flickr page.
When’s the last time you went to a rocking, billying, heck of a good time show? Too long? Then consider swingin’ on down to Victrola on 15th from 8-10pm TONIGHT to see the Roy Kay Trio. You won’t be able to help yourself from tapping your toes!
If you didn’t know already, you can find Half Pint at the Sunday Broadway farmer’s market, and the Thursday Lake City farmer’s market as well. Victrola Coffee Chip will be there, and rumor has it a lemon raspberry flavor? Oh yeah.
And that’s “bomb” in the best way possible, yo! We don’t know how he did it, but our rather charming Brasilian coffee importer, Bruno of Beccor, found this stunning new Brasil from Carmo de Minas. Read on:
Coming from the small Brasilian estate of Mariana de Carvalho Junqueira, this amazing pulped natural coffee has us reeling with its light, fermenty sweetness. The juicy, yet gentle acidity opens up to a tea-like flavor – leaving notes of sweet basil, almond, and fragrant rosewater. Its characteristics are so enchanting and ethereal, it leaves us to wonder about the magical properties of the Rancho São Benedito.
We were also pleased to find out that Sra Junquiera’s coffee was a Brasil Cup of Excellence winner in 2006 (they didn’t have it last year, if you’re wondering…), and it’s no wonder why! We’ve even classed this coffee under our “Extra Special Coffees” category. That’s right, we’re so in love with it, we want to marry it.
Try it at home, as always, from our online store, or in our cute little cafes on Capitol Hill. You’ll see us drinking mugs of Brasil with smiles on our faces.
Well, it came out over a week ago, but I only just found it. The New York Times Style section featured an article on the blossoming phenomenon that is coffee cupping, and it’s an interesting read on how this new trend has taken hold among the young and fashionable :)
Know this, that you don’t have to go all the way to New York City to participate in a coffee cupping, because we have them right here at Victrola! That’s right, every Wednesday at 11am, you can join the Victrola roasting crew in our dedicated cupping room at 310 E Pike St. It’s free, it’s fun, and we always have a variety of coffees on the table, so we’ll hope to see you there sometime!
We were so pleased and honored to see the review (with a score of 90!) as given by Kenneth Davids and Heather Perry (barista champion). Check out the review and related article! Or just see the synopsis below:
Flowers and tropical fruit in the sweet-toned aroma. For co-taster Heather Perry (88), “Floral notes turned to orange, berry, spice and cocoa, complex yet balanced and sweet” in the small cup. Ken (91) agreed. However, Heather found the shot in milk “very rough” whereas Ken liked it: “sweet, balanced, with a banana-toned chocolate.”
And you can try this delicious coffee in a mug of French pressed coffee in our cafes, or take it home and try it out. Available online and in our cafes, as always. Single origin espresso aficionados should note that we roasted the reviewed Harar a tad darker than our normal production roast, but it will still produce tasty results in your home espresso machine!
If you love the chocolate orange cookies or Russian tea cakes Hiroki makes for Victrola as much as we do, you’ll love the souffle cheesecake he bakes from scratch at his bakery in Tangletown near the Greenlake neighborhood. One of our favorite dessert and cookie bakers, Hiroki, was on KCTS9 last week teaching the world how to make his cheesecake dessert in your own kitchen - here’s a clip. Do not watch on an empty stomach!
Yes, you heard me right. You can now taste a combination of your two favorite things in this world — Victrola coffee and ice cream — in one superb treat. See how happy these people are? They’ve probably just tried Cappuccino Chip, featuring Victrola’s Guatemala Finca Vista Hermosa coffee!
And where can you find this deliciousness? Only at Half Pint Homemade Ice Cream, and only at Broadway Sunday Market (in the Bank of America parking lot off Broadway) from 11-3, AND starting June 5th at the Lake City Market on Thursdays from 3-7 pm. Get there early, because ice cream maestra Cle Franklin has sold out every time she’s rolled her cart out for the public! She makes four different flavors a week, and the menu changes often… so even if you’ve already partaken, swing by again for something new!
Our dear friends at Atlas Importers in Ballard have a special connection with the community of Monserrate, and we are happy to be a part of the larger picture. Not only is the coffee amazing (the cherry, tobacco, white wine tones, and chocolaty body received an excellent review with a score of 90 on Kenneth David’s Coffee Review!), but the bag graphic is stunning. You’ll find this Madonna and Child representation at the church in Monserrate, and also on the bags of green coffee imported from Colombia to roasteries like Victrola!
We are privileged to roast this coffee and sip it every morning, and now you can, too! Available in whole bean form: online, and in our cafes, where you can also try it on tap via a nice hot mug of French pressed coffee!
