A new coffee shop opened up the street from me and its name, Ristretto Roasters, focuses on what they want to be known for—great espresso (and coffee), and expertly roasted coffee beans. The other day I was in with my two girls having an afternoon cappuccino because they are perfect there and they don't that annoying Portland thing asking if I'd like it "wet" or "dry." There is a way a cappuccino should be made. They know it. Let's leave it at that. Anyway, as I was just finishing up my coffee and debating on whether I should get another one for the road, the owner came up with a steaming hot cup of Ethiopian Harrar and said, "Try this. I just finished roasting the beans." In a word, the coffee was, "Pow!" I don't think I have had coffee made from beans that were roasted and then ground minutes before drinking. He served it up black (I like my coffee "regular"), but even so, it was full-bodied and very smooth, with a hint of sparkling-acidity. I then bought a pound of coffee to take with me and the bags were warm when they were handed to me. If you are ever in Portland, Ore., you must check out Ristretto Roasters in "Northeast" on the corner of NE 42nd and Fremont. They serve fresh-baked treats as well.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-07-2005 @ 10:46AM
Gabe said...
Wow, well I drive past there twice a day and love me some good coffee. I guess I'll have to stop in there and check it out. I have had coffee right out of the roaster at Full City in Eugene and it is definitely unlike your standard cup.
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10-07-2005 @ 11:19AM
Marc said...
Last summer the S.F. Chronicle's Food Section had a story about the new wave of home coffee roasters. Home roasting provides a way to get ultra-premium beans at far lower prices, and to customize the roast. But home roasting '...takes some tinkering and can make a mess. Chris Wheaton found out a few weeks ago when he used a popcorn popper to roast his first batch in his Bernal Heights home. It was 10 p.m. "I filled the entire house up with smoke," says Wheaton. "All the smoke alarms went off, and the kids woke up." Smelly fumes and smoke are unavoidable when roasting. So is chaff, the thin skins that slough off as the beans heat and pop. It flies all over the place. '
(The full article is still on-line: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/06/23/FDGFC78MAP1.DTL&hw=home+coffee+roasting&sn=004&sc=679)
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10-07-2005 @ 12:33PM
Finished.Law.School said...
What is wet or dry coffee?
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10-07-2005 @ 12:51PM
Stefania Butler said...
Wet=more milk, less foam. Dry=less milk, more foam
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10-07-2005 @ 3:33PM
Crosius said...
After getting hooked on espresso - complete with home machine - I found a local seller of unroasted beans. They roast their own beans and pull a very good espresso, but I took the plunge into home-roasting.
For us espresso snobs, crema is important. Home roasted beans have the potential to produce the most crema because they are absolutely the freshest roast you can get. Plus, the garage smells fantastic.
It's messy (because of the chaff), but costs less in Canada (No GST on green beans) and tastes better.
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10-07-2005 @ 3:48PM
robbie said...
I hate you damn clueless snobs. You just babble about what you think is correct and sounds good when in fact you are completely wrong. Next time you write a bubble article about coffee culture try running it by a real coffee geek so he can cull the factual errors and detritus you bloggers love injecting into your prose. It's sickening.
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10-07-2005 @ 4:20PM
Berkana said...
The budget way of roasting coffee at home, with surprisingly good results, is to use a stove-top crank-handled pop-corn popper. Try it. . . you'd be surprised.
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10-11-2005 @ 3:58AM
Jackie Danicki said...
I can personally vouch for the baked goods: They are made by the owner's wife, the journalist Nancy Rommelmann, and they are the very best on this planet. (See http://www.gastroblog.com/archives/002190.php and links therein for details.)
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