DoubleShot Coffee Company

The Days of Independence

2009-07-02T08:41:00.001-07:00

As much as we, at the DoubleShot, would love to declare our own independence, we're going to stay the course and delay our secession.

We'll be open regular hours.

Today until 5p

Friday 7a-3p

Saturday 9a-3p

Support your independent coffee shop.

Colombia Report

2009-06-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

Isaiah and I returned Tuesday night from Colombia. It was a great trip. We went back to Concordia, Cristina Garces' hometown. I ran into some of the same people I met last time I was in Concordia, and everyone was gracious and kind. The people fed us too much delicious food- beans, rice, plantains, yucca, avocado, potatoes, pork, chicken, beef, fruit juices... sometimes all in the same meal. It was ridiculous and I ate every bite.

We discovered things we didn't know, like the tree tomato, which tasted like a tomato with apple-type sweetness. We did things we've never done, like riding fiery show-horses. We met people we've never met, like Cristina's boyfriend Ariel, who has agreed to help us learn even more about coffee. Ariel is doing some experiments for us. He is going to separate one lot of coffee during this fly crop harvest and process parts of the lot in different ways- no fermentation, 20 or so hours of fermentation, pulp natural, and fully natural. So, in theory, we'll get to taste the same coffee processed in these four different methods, so the resulting differences should be the difference in processing only. That's exciting. And what if one method is far superior to the others? Time will tell.

We were fortunate to spend a good deal of time with Alfredo and his wife. They are fantastic people, and I like them a lot. We took some coffee with us from last Monday's roast and we brewed Alfredo's coffee, San Rafael, for him to drink. He drank six cups of it. They don't normally drink their own coffee in producing countries. They only drink domestic consumption coffee (which is the worst coffee) or instant coffee (I don't have to say anything about that). So he was excited to drink this top-tier coffee that he produced, and unlike normal, he didn't put any sugar in it.

There isn't a lot of coffee being harvested right now, and it rained every day we were there. This time of year is a second summer for Colombia and they have what is called a "fly crop." Their main harvest is October-January. This harvest is much smaller. Last harvest, remember, they had so much rain that production was way down. The talk this year is that the weather has been cooler, but not the heavy rain they had last year. So it looks like they're going to have a good harvest, and it will be more of a slow-and-steady ripening of coffee. Which is better. Some years, the majority of coffee ripens at the same time, and they have to hurry to get it all picked and processed and dried. When it ripens slower and more spread out, they have time to pick and process more carefully and produce better coffee.

I brought a few samples back with me, so I'll be cupping some fresh Colombians this week. We cupped with Natalia (Cristina's cupper in Concordia) every day, and one coffee we tasted while we were there that was really good was one from Octavio Restrepo. His farm is called La Alondra. Hopefully soon we'll get a sample of that and maybe eventually have some for sale.

I know that the history of Colombian coffee has given most of us a negative slant on it. We talked about that while we were there. The mark "100% Colombian" isn't something to brag about; it's something you see on a can of Folgers. The Colombian Coffee Federation hasn't helped. With the creation of Juan Valdez and the standards they enforce, the Federation strives to maintain one standard for Colombian Coffee. They want all Colombian coffee to taste the same, which is ridiculous when you consider that no two lots from one farmer tastes the same. And there are 15 different coffee producing regions in Colombia with innumerable micro-climates. And at least seven different varietals of coffee tree. So I hope you will forget everything you know about Colombian coffee and join us in tasting the diversity of flavors, aromas, acidity, and mouthfeel in Colombian coffee. We're not buying "Colombia Supremo," we're buying coffee grown on Alfredo Correa's farm, Finca San Rafael, which is from Caturra trees grown around 6500 feet in the Andes Mountains near Concordia. They were picked, sorted, depulped in his small mill, fermented, washed, stored in clean water for 5 days, and dried in a static dryer that is heated with coal. Alfredo works the land with his hands, and incidentally he's a great guy to be around, with grand visions of buying more land, growing more coffee, and hiring more people to work so the community will be better and people can afford to feed their families. As I explained to him when we brewed his coffee, the best I can hope to do when I get his coffee is to not screw it up. I do my best to preserve the coffee flavors that he and the land created. And when we drink Alfredo's coffee, we experience all his hard work and vision in that cup.

In Colombia, there is a heavy emphasis on family and community. I miss that already. I hope to institute that more in my own life here in the states.

By the way, thank you Cristina Garces. A big thank you.

I want to write more soon about a community project that has been proposed in Concordia. Maybe it's something we can help with.

Sorry to ramble.

You can see my photos from the Colombia trip here: http://www.doubleshotcoffee.com/Origin/Colombia_09.html

Colombia

2009-06-15T09:36:00.001-07:00

Isaiah and I are headed to Colombia tomorrow morning. We'll be gone for a week- returning next Tuesday night. We'll be flying into Medellin and visiting Concordia, where the San Rafael comes from. Hopefully we'll learn a lot and bring back more info and great coffee for you.

The DoubleShot will be open regular hours while we're away. The dynamic duo, Jason and Garth, will be holding down the fort. Thank your baristas.

I'm not trying to say anything...

2009-06-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

I'm just saying. Shelley Olds? Yeah, she's fast.

Shelley won the Women's Pro race on Saturday and Sunday. She was first overall for the weekend.

I know she's fast and I know she's a great racer. But I also know that I made her a latte on Saturday and Sunday. YEAH!

Congratulations to Shelley and her teammates, Rachel Neylan and Cari Higgins.

Meet Shelley Olds

2009-05-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend is Tulsa Tough. If you don't know what that is, click the link because it's worth going to.

This Saturday is a very special day at the DoubleShot because our own Shelley Olds will be here from San Francisco. She's a pro cyclist and will be racing in the criterium races this weekend. She has volunteered to come to the DoubleShot on Saturday at 1p to meet our customers and talk a little about pro cycling and Tulsa Tough. She can't stick around too long though because she races at 4 o'clock in the Brady District. And you can be sure we'll head that way to cheer for Shelley as she out-sprints the field for another victory.

Lest you think Shelley is just some girl who rides a bike, she was the only female from the U.S. to be invited to the World Track Championships this year in the Netherlands. She's won numerous races and excelled in a short amount of time on the bike. And her next big thing is that she's been invited to race in this year's Giro d'Italia. To be honest I don't follow bike racing other than Shelley, but she tells me this is the toughest stage race in the world. The women's race is July 3-12. The mens' race is going on right now.

Shelley races for a team called Proman. She has a minor sponsorship from the DoubleShot, so she'll be warming up under our new tent. And her fiance, Rob Evans, will be racing in the DoubleShot jersey!

Ok, details one more time.

Come meet Shelley Olds

this Saturday 5/30

at the DoubleShot

at 1p

Tell your friends.

Custom

2009-05-19T19:34:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about custom products. Things that are custom-made just for you.

Partly I've been thinking about it because of the bike company I started, called Native Bikes. We don't build frames, but we take bike frames and build bikes specifically for one person. It's cool because when you get on a bike that was built just for you, it feels right. What's the difference between a stock bicycle and a custom bike I might produce? A lot. Stock bikes

come with pretty much

whatever parts the bike company could get the best deal on at the time and the frames are mass-produced. Stock bikes are like one-size-fits-all tshirts. They don't fit anyone. That's not necessarily true about bikes, but there are things about a bike that are important to riders but not to bike companies. Their job is to sell bikes. You say you want a blue frame? No problem. The bike that Chad Shanks and I put together for Joel Collins was the color and size that Joel wanted with all the specific parts he needs to ride solid for a long time. And it's a hot bike. Guaranteed people stopped in the parking lot at Keystone on Sunday and started asking questions. Ya damn right!

You want a vintage cruiser? Of course you do. Dr. Caren Eichor got hers. My dad and I took a 1950's cruiser bi

ke and painted it milk chocolate brown and Guinness cream, stenciled her name on the chainguard, doggie prints on the rack and flowers on the tank, and rebuilt this beauty with white-walled balloon tires and polished chrome fenders. The first bike we started working on isn't finished yet. I'll tell you about it later. But check out this custom head badge!

The point is, custom products are sweet. Jason and I were talking about how cool it would be to have a tailor make us custom suits. I was just reading this article in Esquire Magazine about custom suits and it got my interest up. So many things you wouldn't know about suit quality unless a professional told you about them.

And that's how it is.

That's the beauty of buying something quality from a small, custom- producer. I've been thinking about cars a bit. How cool it would be to buy, not a car from one of the huge automakers, but a car custom-built by a small car company. Someone who does quality work and makes cool cars to suit their clients. You'd never stop at a stoplight and have someone in the exact same car drive up and stop next to you. In the good old days it wasn't so uncommon to find custom producers. A few years back my dad bought an old, beat-up roadster that had once graced the floor of the St. Louis Museum of Transportation. He restored it to its original condition, which was beautiful. Along the way we found out that it was called a Falcon

Knight and was custom-made for Jim Howe, the man who invented Tums.

Imagine living in a house built just for you. Maybe you're like me and you have a problem putting away your clothes and you just need drawers to throw stuff in and a shelf to put all your jeans. And maybe your architect could design that into your house. I cook whenever I can and would love to have a bigger kitchen- and one of those big center islands with a butcher block maybe. And in the bathroom it would be cool to have a big shower that is open, like the one I used in Costa Rica. People like Joel Collins (of earlier custom bike fame) design these types of houses, and if you can afford it, why would you buy mass-produced floor plans off the internet? That doesn't make sense.

You've all probably seen the tv show about the dudes who build motorcycles. I think it's called American Chopper. They use their creative skills and expertise to build custom choppers for their clients.

And that's the thing about custom. You don't go to the Orange County Choppers guy and say, "I want you to build me this bike" and then tell him every little detail. And you don't ask him to build you a Harley Davidson. He's an artist. And a scientist. He knows what works best, visually and technically. You give him the gist and then give him the reigns.

My mom once told me not to go around asking just anyone for advice. She told me when I need advice I should find out who knows what they're talking about in whatever area I need advice, find someone whose opinion I trust. Ask that person for advice. And take it. Because it's rude to ask for advice and not take it.

I think THAT is good advice. Leave it to the experts. You don't have to know everything, just know people who do.

But wouldn't it be great to have everything custom made? I wish I could. But I guess we do what we can.

Maybe you can kind of think of your coffee here at DoubleShot like a custom suit. Certainly you don't understand coffee the way we do because we have our hands in it all day. But you don't necessarily have to understand. Just figure out what you want and leave the rest to us. It'll suit you like a fixie in Bartlett Square.

(By the way, if you're looking for a custom bike, I'm your man: brian@doubleshotcoffee.com)

Art Opening

2009-05-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late with this blog, but hopefully you all will still take the time to pop into the DoubleShot tomorrow evening between 6p and 830p for Marty Coleman's art opening.
Marty is the napkin guy. His art is hanging on the newly-installed gallery system on the walls of the DoubleShot. Marty's napkin art was featured in the Tulsa World a while back and that's when I first saw him. That story was about his Obama napkin, which was in Time Magazine this past December. You can check out his website here.

He was also featured on the blog Tasha Does Tulsa this week, which you can see here.

Never a man to shy from publicity, he's also in the Urban Tulsa this week, at the bottom of the art section, and he'll be on Good Day Tulsa tomorrow morning on Channel 8.

Stop by and chat with Marty tomorrow evening. I'll be open and selling coffee during the opening. Marty's daughter Chelsea will be here singing and strumming her guitar.

Latte Art Results

2009-05-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hey all you latte art enthusiasts! I hope you enjoyed watching the Latte Art Throwdown, whether you were in-house or online. It was all still a bit of an experiment for us, so hopefully it was enjoyable. If you have suggestions for ways we can make it better next time, let me know.
Our winners:
Janette from Nordaggio's took first place.
Taylor from Coffeehouse on Cherry Street took second place in a tight battle that required a rematch at the end.
Isaiah finished up in third place.
And Danny from Jude's up in Bartlesville followed up with fourth.
We had a good time, even though we discovered that the air conditioner is busted and we were all sweating bullets.
Hopefully everyone enjoyed the experience and were inspired to improve the craft of professional barista.

Channel 6 came down and did a story on the Throwdown. Check it out here.

Latte Art Throwdown!

2009-05-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

Thursday: the day of the LATTE

2009-05-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

I don't even like milk.

No, that's too understated. I dislike milk.

But tomorrow at the DoubleShot, we'll be featuring... milk! It does a body good. Seriously, you need calcium.

Two events you should know about tomorrow...

All day (until we run out) we'll be making Fruity Pebbles Lattes. That's right. You know the milk that's leftover when you finish your bowl of Fruity Pebbles? Just imagine making a latte out of that. So if you like Fruity Pebbles (and who doesn't?) and you like lattes, tomorrow is your lucky day. Small $3.75, Large $5.00.

Thanks to the culinary genius of the wild and ridiculous Jay Caragay for coming up with the FPL.

Tomorrow night we're hosting a Latte Art Throwdown. At least 20 of the best baristas in the area will descend on the DoubleShot to steam and pour rosettas, tulips, hearts, and whatever other wacky art they can make on the top of your coffee. It's going to be head-to-head competition, two baristas at a time, single-elimination tournament. It should be a blast. This place will be rocking and you are cordially invited to join in the festivities. Complimentary DoubleShot Coffee will be served, plus someone needs to drink all the lattes they pour. We're setting up a video camera and monitor so if you're in the crowd you'll still be able to see all the action. If you can't make it but still want to watch, we'll be streaming it live on ustream. I will put the live feed on this blog tomorrow.

For more information, go here: www.DoubleShotCoffee.com/LatteArt

Espresso, Americano, Coffee, what's the diff?

2009-05-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

Ok a friend of mine (let's call her... Jenni) emailed me today and asked a question that I thought was really good and deserved a few lines in my blog. It goes back to one of my college rules: "If I have a question, a lot of other people have the same question." So I'm sure a lot of you are asking yourselves these same things.

Now, on with the show:

During a lovely brunch in new york, the topic of coffee came up and my friends enquired on the difference between an Americano. Espresso and water. And just coffee. Coffee and also water?? We realize that one involves espresso. So I guess what exactly is espresso? How does it differ from just coffee? Etc etc etc…

Peas espain. Tanks.

Ah yes. Coffee, espresso, americano, etc etc etc.

I love it. I love it all.

Let me begin.

Coffee is a large, all-encompassing term. All coffee- and espresso-based drinks are made with coffee. Coffee is the name that begins with coffee trees and ends with... I just drank a cup of coffee. I guess.

Whenever I'm doing a talk on coffee, I always try to begin like this: "Coffee beans are the seeds of coffee cherries." Sometimes I go on and assume people already know that, when in reality most people don't have any idea that's the case. I won't take the time to describe the various coffee processing methods that take place between the time the cherry is harvested to when it arrives at the DoubleShot in sacks made of fique or jute. Let's just say, for now, that the beans inside the cherries are dried and sorted and bagged and sent to me. They're not usable until I roast them. I roast every Monday night and then again either Thursday or Friday morning (whenever we need it). I do that because coffee goes stale very quickly and I love the taste of fresh coffee.

These roasted beans are what we consider coffee beans (from coffee cherries that grow on coffee trees). In order to make coffee (in every way we currently know how) you have to grind the coffee (or crush it) to expose more surface area of the bean. This is where everything begins to deviate. Because depending on the type of brewing method you are planning to use, you need different coarseness of grind.

The answers to your questions are coming, I promise.

Coffee, as most people know it, in liquid form, is brewed using the drip method. Drip brewing is basically an automated version of the pourover method of brewing. Coffee ground to about the size of table salt is put into a filter basket and hot water is poured through it into a carafe. That's one brewing method, and the one that most people are familiar with and that is generally referred to as "coffee." "Like a cup of coffee, hun?"

Espresso is another brewing method for coffee. Still coffee. But this time, instead of letting gravity push the water through the ground coffee, we use a machine that pressurizes the water to push through the ground coffee at 9 times the force of gravity. Because of this force, in order to get proper extraction of the good stuff inside the coffee, it must be ground finer and packed into a small "puck." The amount of coffee that comes out during this extraction is less. With around 7 grams of ground coffee, you can expect about 4 fluid ounces of drip coffee or 1 ounce of espresso. So espresso is concentrated. In general, there is one-fourth the water and the same amount of coffee. That's why espresso is so intense. It's meant to be shot within a few seconds of extraction and then the flavor oils remain on the palate for a long time after, which can be enjoyable if the espresso was good.

An americano is espresso in hot water. It's watered-down espresso. When I say it like that, people don't tend to want it. I like to say it like that because it's ironic. It's like saying DoubleShot Coffee is not the worst coffee in flyover country. The americano, made correctly, is my favorite drink. Since it is made with espresso a more complete extraction is made from the ground coffee and the drink tends to be richer and have more depth. It should have a bit more body and more complexity, but that could be from the blend of coffees used in the espresso. It's really good. You should try it. It tends to be a bit sweeter than a straight drip-brew too, because it seems that more of the coffee oils and sugars are forced out of the ground coffee. It's really the flagship drink of the DoubleShot.

So when someone asks me if I want a coffee, I say yes; a small americano please.

Does that answer your question? Maybe I went too far. Or not far enough.

Thanks for asking. I like talking (and writing) about coffee.

Brian

ps. You looked really good in that blue dress you wore yesterday. I like those shoes.

Sticker Challenge - ONGOING!

2009-04-28T11:49:00.001-07:00

I challenged you to design a sticker that represents the DoubleShot and a few of you responded. I like what I see thus far. I have printed a few of the first two stickers: one from Andrew Saliga and one from BJ Zorn.

I'm still taking design submissions. If I like your design, I'll print at least 100 stickers and give you a pound of coffee beans.

I'm looking for variety in submissions. If you can make it cool and graffiti-style by drawing it with a sharpie on an express mail sticker, then that's what you got. Give it to me. I might think it sucks, but I'd still like to see it.

I have a couple more stickers going to the printer soon. I'll keep you updated.

Click here to see the original post.

Beef

2009-04-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

I love beef.

Ever since I started buying my steaks at Harvard Meat Market, I haven't been able to enjoy steak from restaurants or the grocery store. No matter how much I want a piece of beef, if I don't have time to go to HMM, I'm foregoing it until I can get the real thing. It's that good.

For a long time I've understood that there are numerous factors that influence the taste of everything I eat and drink. Learning about coffee has taught me that. So when I think about beer, I think about the variability that must exist in the taste of the wheat, barley, hops, and many other ingredients. Things that appear to be commodities are actually variable lots that industries strive to standardize. Beef is the same. It's much like coffee. Where the cow is raised, what it eats, how it is treated, the breed of cow, how it is butchered, and what aging it goes through are some of the factors that influence the steak on your plate.

Yesterday I was driving back from a mountain bike race and I listened to a couple podcasts on the way. The podcasts were from Food Philosophy, a podcast produced by a woman named Jennifer Iannolo. I really enjoy the audio podcasts she does, and I think you'd like them to. The one in particular I'm referring to now is number 83, entitled "What's Your Beef?" She interviews a woman named Carrie Oliver from Oliver Ranch. Carrie started something called the Artisan Beef Institute, which is an organization to educate people and try to understand the variety of flavors and textures in various types of cows and production methods. The things she talked about made me really happy. There are many parallels to coffee and what we do here at the DoubleShot. If you have time, you should listen to the podcast. I'm going to order an Artisan Steak Tasting kit from Carrie's website- consisting of four cuts of beef from four different farms and types of cow. I can't wait.

Here are some links:

Food Philosophy podcast page and iTunes link

What's Your Beef? Podcast 83

Oliver Ranch website

Imagine how good these steaks would be paired with the right coffees...

Twitter!

2009-04-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

If you're a twitter person and you want to know the snippets of what is going on at the DoubleShot, we're finally on it. You can find us here: http://twitter.com/thedoubleshot

I didn't really know what twitter was and when I started doing some investigation, I read Lance Armstrong's twitter and he talks about going to eat dinner with friends and about getting out of the shower and being really tired and stuff. And I don't care. So I promise never to tell you that about myself. Follow me!

We're having another latte art competition here May 7 at 7p. If you want to compete, there's a $5 buy-in and we're going head-to-head, two people pour- one person steps down. If you're a cheater, don't bother. But if you're interested, go to the webpage and let me know: http://www.doubleshotcoffee.com/LatteArt

Come watch. Last time the house was packed and it was a great event. If you can't make it, we'll be streaming live on the web. Look at the page mentioned above. Thanks to David Rechter for helping out with video and he also taught Isaiah how to pour a chicken.

One more thing. The coffee I sourced in Colombia finally came in. It's called Finca San Rafael. Alfredo Correa is the farmer. The coffee is fantastic. Hear about it on the last AA Cafe podcast.

Any questions?

Fresh Quotes

2009-04-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

A few quotes about coffee freshness from some people I respect:

"The bottom line? Freshly roasted coffee sold within a week of roasting is best."
-Espresso: Ultimate Coffee 2nd Edition - Kenneth Davids, page 83

"But roasted coffee begins to lose flavor after a week, ground coffee an hour after grinding, and brewed coffee in minutes, even seconds."
-Espresso: Ultimate Coffee 2nd Edition - Kenneth Davids, page 101

"The main point, regardless of what roast or origin you choose, is to get freshly roasted coffee at frequent intervals, buying only what you plan to use in the coming week or so. Otherwise, your coffee will get stale, no matter how great it was to start with."
-Uncommon Grounds - Mark Pendergrast, page 429

Schomer is the most straightforward of them. Chapter 10 of his book "Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques" is dedicated solely to freshness.

"Under ideal storage conditions, roasted whole bean coffee remains fresh for no more than ten days after roasting. Use it or lose it in ten days. That's the rule."

"Espresso made from beans over ten days old has less crema and creates a lighter density that is not heavy enough to hang from the spouts like it should. The espresso will suck in a bit off the bottom of the spout from surface tension."

-Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques, David C. Schomer, page 69

(Thanks to Matt Henthorn for looking these up.)

DoubleShot Menu

2009-04-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

I think a lot of people get the wrong idea of who we are because our menu is different. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I sometimes have to ask questions to figure out what customers are trying to order. To me, it's simple. I decided what drinks we are going to serve and I put them on the menu. When you come in, you can look up there and see what we offer, what sizes are available, and decide what you want. Of course, people are encouraged to ask questions and if someone shows interest in coffee, we are excited to tell them about it. So to me, it seems easy and obvious. If I walked into a sandwich shop, I wouldn't just walk up to the counter and say, "give me a BLT, but put an extra slice of bacon on it. And american cheese." If I don't look at the menu, I don't know if they even have a BLT. If I haven't gotten the BLT there before I don't know how much bacon they usually put on it and putting cheese on it before I even try it the way they serve it seems a little presumptuous on my part. I guess people are so used to going to nondescript, unoriginal "coffeeshops" that didn't put one bit of thought into their business and don't really care about their product, that customers think they're all the same.

So sometimes people walk in and say, "give me a macchiato." We don't make macchiatos. They're not on our menu. Espresso? Latte? Cup of coffee? We make those. But we don't make every single drink there is to make. That's not our shtick. We make a few drinks really well.

We have two sizes of hot drinks: Small and Large. 10- and 16-ounce. The small drink has two shots of espresso and the large has four. We have one size of cold drink, 16-ounce. We put four shots in iced lattes but only two shots in it if you ask for a flavored one. We serve double espressos. But not to go, only in a ceramic demitasse.

You walk in and order an iced soy latte with an "extra shot"... Sometimes we just make it the way we always make it without saying anything: ice, soy milk, four shots of espresso. Sometimes we ask for clarification such as, "how many shots did you want in it?" Obviously this is a bit of a loaded question. The answer is usually, "Uh, I don't know." Or "Uhhhhh, two?" Clearly these are people who haven't really been to the DoubleShot before. The way we make coffee is the way we think it tastes best and we hope that people will like it the way we make it. Notice I said "tastes best." We're not trying to juice you up with a bunch of caffeine, but trying to give you a pleasurable coffee-drinking experience. If people didn't go to crappy coffeeshops that put one shot in a 12-ounce latte and two in a 20-ounce, they wouldn't have to ask for an extra shot. The extra shot thing is a ploy anyway. They cheat you on espresso so you have to ask for an extra shot, which is an up-charge. It ends up costing you way more than you'll pay for a superbly-crafter drink at the DoubleShot.

Anyway, all I'm trying to say is we're trying to serve you great drinks. We put them on the menu the way we think they are the greatest. Give them a try that way. If you want, after that politely ask us to modify. We'll try to educate you and influence you to really think about the taste of the drink at that point, but keep in mind we work really hard to bring you outstanding coffees and hate to see them compromised.

Wow, that got long and involved. I was trying to explain our menu.

We don't do "shot in the dark" or "red eye" or "depth charge" or whatever you call it. It's because we've spent a lot of time creating the espresso blend and we still spend time tweaking it to taste right. Indiscriminately adding a random coffee to the mix will not make for a good drink; try an americano instead.

We don't have frozen drinks. No blender. Only iced.

I'm sure there's more stuff we don't have, but I can't think of them right now (or have never heard of them). I hope this answers your questions. Do you have questions?

Shelley Olds!

2009-04-01T08:32:00.001-07:00

The DoubleShot must be doing something right. Superstar cyclist Shelley Olds has been drinking our coffee for the last couple years (not coincidentally, during her rise to stardom). I could see it in her the first time I saw her feet go around in circles- this girl is amazing.
The first year of Tulsa Tough I rode my bike over to the Friday night crits in the Blue Dome district and watched the girls warm up for their race. Somewhere in there I spotted Shelley Olds and I picked my winner. I watched her the whole race and cheered for her as she passed. And then I met her and her boyfriend Rob that night at the SoundPony.
I've been talking to Shelley and Rob and following Shelley's racing career since then. I know she's worked really hard and suffered her share of adversity, and she has overcome. If you meet her, you'll see what I'm talking about- she's a champion and I'm a big fan.

Last year she had three podium finishes at Tulsa Tough and was 2nd overall. She'll be back next month to lay some more wood.

Shelley was very excited to be able to race in the World Cup track races in 2008. Of course she raced hard and had some amazing performances. And was selected as the only woman from the US to race in the Track Cycling World Championships in Poland, which was last week. She narrowly avoided a crash in one race, which you can see video of here.
Shelley is the one who has her rear wheel kicked sideways by a dismounted rider sliding down the track. She wasn't so lucky in another race, where she unfortunately went down. I can't imagine what it's like to race with the fastest people in the world as hard as you can around a little track, with people taking more risk than usual because it's the biggest race of the year. Intense.
Anyway, there is a lot of info and pictures out there about Shelley. You should check out her site: ShelleyOlds.com
And Rob's site has links to a lot of Shelley-O pics.
I think the press link on Shelley's site is well worth the read. Stories, interviews and videos of Shelley that describe her personality and aspirations more than anything.

What does this all have to do with the DoubleShot? We're a sponsor of the great Shelley Olds. Check this out.

Just thought you'd like to know. Keep track of Shelley's racing, and be sure to come out and meet her at Tulsa Tough, May 29-31.

Pete and Repeat were in a boat...

2009-03-30T04:52:00.000-07:00

Now I'll be the first to admit that I ain't that smart. I'm just a good old boy, grew up in the middle of a mess of cornfields. I'm just working and having fun, trying to make sense of common occurrences. So help me out here, I think I'm onto something. (Something you've probably known for a really long time, and I'm just now trying to understand.)

I'm prone to the same mistakes in my head that economists commit when making predictions about markets. I assume that people will make logical decisions based on preferences and benefits that I think I relate to. For instance, we work really hard to make the best coffee we can (this is our main goal) and I assume that most people who come here do so to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Conversely, I'm puzzled and somewhat disappointed when I find out one of my regular customers drinks coffee from another place (that isn't as good), and I rack my brain trying to think of excuses why.

Some recent personal experience (that I think you'll appreciate) re-ignited thoughts about other possible explanations. While at the airport on the way to Portland we had a lengthy layover. At the beginning of this layover I went to the restroom. I walked in and observed a row of 15 sparkling-white urinals. I was alone. I chose urinal number three: not too close to the entry yet not too far of a walk. If you park too close, you might startle someone walking in who usually goes to the first one. If you go too far away, people might think you're paranoid. They were all the same really, I could've gone to any of them. But I went to number three.

Later during that same layover, I went to the restroom again. Must've been the Fat Tire I was drinking at Quizno's. I walked in to the same restroom. Same scenario- no one but me. Instinctively I went to urinal number three. And as I was peeing, I started the analysis I'm writing about now. Why did I go back to the same urinal? I could've had a slightly different experience at a different urinal. Maybe I would've noticed something while peeing in a different location. But I chose to repeat my safe experience at number three. It wasn't even that it was safe; to my knowledge all the urinals were safe, all identical. Why did I go to the same one?

There are unwritten rules about public men's rooms. If possible, you skip urinals- so oftentimes you'll walk in to a restroom and see men peeing in every-other urinal. If you walk in and there are several urinals but only one guy using one, you generally go as far from him as possible. Though there's probably some primal signal given based on how far away you pee.

Anyway, if I had walked in to that airport restroom and "my" urinal had been occupied, or if the urinal next to it had been occupied, I would've used a different one. Without hindrance I chose to use the same one over again.

I do the same thing with other seemingly-identical, insignificant choices. I usually go to the same gas station and use the same pump. When I pick out a spin bike from the lot of 15, even if I have to move one to get to it, I always try to use the same bike. I'm sure there are other things, but these are the ones that made me think.

So let's say you're a person who thinks there's no difference between one coffee shop and another. All coffee is the same. All coffee shops are basically the same. You go to that coffee shop over on 15th Street one day. No, not that coffee shop; the other one. Under this premise, it seems that there would have to be something barring you (even slightly) from going there again or else you would continue your same choice, if for no reason other than the fact that you'd been there before.

This could explain why people who habitually come to the DoubleShot might go to another coffee shop with dramatically inferior coffee. (That something hindered them from coming to the DoubleShot and another coffee shop was convenient and fit the bill.) I tend to think that most people would immediately recognize their mistake and choose not to do that again in the future. And some people do- they tell me about it. But a lot of people don't. I think. I'm not sure.

I can understand thinking of Starbucks like a urinal. But the DoubleShot?

Help me out here. Does anyone out there follow my logic? How do you decide which coffee shop to go to? It's not the coffee so much, is it? No, don't tell me that. Oh, go ahead- I need to know the truth.

Comments, please.

Sticker Challenge

2009-03-20T04:51:00.001-07:00

If you know DoubleShot Coffee Company, you know we're crazy about the finer things in life: great coffee, the perfect ribeye, single malt whiskey, single barrel bourbon, the pineapple in Costa Rica, and stickers. (Lots of other stuff too...)

Yeah, we love stickers. Just ask us for one and see the excitement in our faces. We've gone through tens of thousands of stickers in the past five years and we hope to go through even more in the days to come.

But I want YOU to get involved. Design our next sticker. I don't mean that I want you to send me an idea for a sticker. I want you to design it. You don't have to be an artist. Or even good with design programs on your computer. You can create the design any way you want. Draw it with a sharpie if you want. Or crayons. Or buy yourself a Mac and design it in Illustrator. However you do it, send me an image of the finished product. (Actual size or larger, .jpg or .tif, 300 dpi please.) That means you'll have to scan or photograph if you do it by hand. If I like your design, I promise you I'll print at least 100 stickers and distribute them far and wide. I'll also put your image on the DoubleShot website and make you famous. And the big, big prize... I'll give you a free pound of (too) fresh roasted DoubleShot Coffee.

But here's the catch. The sticker you design has to represent the DoubleShot. That means either the image describes the DoubleShot in some way or the words "DoubleShot" or "DoubleShot Coffee" are on the image, or you use the circle-2 icon in the image. Those are my guidelines. Be creative.
Need some ideas? Google: sticker graffiti. Or try it in flickr.

Email me your finished product: Brian@DoubleShotCoffee.com

DoubleShot 5th Birthday

2009-03-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

I don't mean to cut off the last post. I still want to continue that discussion, so please post responses.

But I wanted to make you aware of the DoubleShot 5th Birthday party. It's this Saturday, March 14 from 7p to... whenever.

We'll have coffee, beer, whiskey, and some entertainment. Feel free to bring your own beverage if you want something particular.

We're celebrating the unlikely success of the DoubleShot these five years, so please come and hang out with us. We'll be all smiles.

Thanks for supporting us through our endeavor to make BETTER coffee.

Back to the warmth of T-town

2009-03-09T07:02:00.001-07:00

Say whatever you want about Tulsa, but the weather is nice. And it's good to be back.

It's nice to type out a blog on a keyboard instead of the tiny buttons of my iPod Touch. It's nice to drink DoubleShot Coffee. It's nice to see our customers, who appreciate what we do day in and day out. It'll be nice to get back into a bit of a routine.

If you are curious about the results of the USBC, some dude from Intelligentsia won. Some other dude from Intelligentsia got second. Scott Lucey from Alterra Coffee in Wisconsin got third.

Four of the top six were from Intelligentsia.

Five of the top 25 were from Intelligentsia.

I think it's interesting to note that, of the tens of thousands of cafes and hundreds of thousands of baristas in the United States, so many of the top spots were from one. What are the chances?

Anyway, one question that occurred to me during our time in Portland was: What is espresso?

This is a serious question. Obviously espresso is a brewing method generally using 7g of finely ground coffee, compacted, and brewed with water between 195 and 205 degrees F at around 9 bars of atmospheric pressure. That's the mechanism. What are the parameters for the beverage produced as espresso? So much of the time when we are at industry events or talking to industry people, they tell us for whatever chemical reason or another, that one should not use coffee to make espresso until it has aged a certain number of days. This number varies, but generally we hear 7 days, 10 days, 12 days... and that's when they say it "PEAKS!"

The problem for us is that we love FRESH coffee. The word "fresh" is sort of a dirty word in the coffee industry. It has a negative connotation. In fact, when someone in the industry is trying to say that they like coffee that isn't stale, they try to avoid the word fresh. Because in the specialty coffee industry, the word "fresh" is usually preceded by the word "TOO."

So let's say they're right. Let's say coffee has to go stale before you can properly brew it using an espresso machine. What then? I'll tell you what. That means we stop making espresso.

Clearly I don't agree with this idea, but it seems to be the generally accepted principle of espresso in the industry. And one conundrum we keep bumping up against.

Please comment. I'd like to know your thoughts and opinions on this subject.

ps. Don't forget the DoubleShot 5th Birthday party is this Saturday at 7p.

USBC Aftermath

2009-03-07T17:02:00.000-08:00

Today Isaiah and I slept unusually late. He's been coming down with something and I'm just a lazy bum. We had breakfast at Mother's which was pretty great and extremely busy. I had the best coffee of our trip there, a Costa Rican from Stumptown brewed in a presspot. Then we went to Billy Wilson's new coffeeshop, Barista. It was good...

So as you can imagine, we have had A LOT of conversations and debates during our time here. About what we do, how we do it, if it's right or good, what we might do different, what our goals are, why we're doing what we're doing, etc. I don't think there are necessarily right answers, or one answer. In fact, until a question comes up that doesn't have an easy answer, I'm not particularly interested. The hard questions are the important ones. Of course I think about it all but not all of it can feasibly be addressed.
One thing I often keep in the back of my mind during opinionated conversation is the fact that I OWN the DoubleShot. I am the final decisionmaker. I can listen all I want but no one else is going to steer the ship. It is what it is today largely because of the decisions I have made every day for the past five plus years. And it weighs heavy on me because I know many people are affected by my decisions and I don't know the "right" course of action.

I do know this: I'm never going to win a popularity contest. Isaiah maybe, me no.

We're still trying to figure out what these competitions really are, what the SCAA is, where do we fit into the industry, and most importantly: how do we make our coffee even better and how do we share that coffee with more people?

And what the hell is espresso?
Hopefully we'll delve into some of these questions publicly via the AA Cafe podcast and this blog.
In the mean time thank you for all the support of Isaiah and DoubleShot Coffee Company.

USBC Round One

2009-03-06T23:43:00.000-08:00

Well today was the big day. The first time anyone from the DoubleShot has ever competed in the USBC. Isaiah represented us really well, as you would expect. If you watched it live you know they ran behind and we had to wait a bit longer. Isaiah competed like a champ. With nerves of steel he made espressos, "cappuccinos" and his signature drink for the team of judges hovering on his every move. Out of 52 competitors the top 15 were selected to move on and compete against the 10 regional champions. Isaiah wasn't selected to advance to the next level. But we're sure proud of him and we're out asking questions, learning, and trying to expand our understanding. More on this tomorrow. For tonight, I'm signing off and getting some much-needed beauty sleep. Thanks for watching! Stay tuned.

Running late

2009-03-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

If you're hoping to watch Isaiah compete on the live feed (below), I have to apologize because they are now running about an hour and 15 minutes late. He was supposed to compete at 221p Pacific (421p Central) and it looks like we're shooting for somewhere around 340p. Please check back. See below for the live feed.

Portland day three

2009-03-06T08:30:00.001-08:00

Isaiah's competition time has been changed to 221p Pacific Time, 421p Central. Yesterday they were running way late, so that could change one way or the other. Here are a few links. If you want to learn more about the Barista Competition and what we're doing out here, check out: www.USBC2009.com
If the live feed for the USBC isn't working, you can go here to watch it: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/2009-us-barista-championship
Isaiah's practice time is coming up in a few minutes, so I need to get back and help out. More updates as I have them...

Live Broadcast by Ustream.TV