Bittersweet, the chocolate cafe

Merging our blogs, getting our act together!

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:50:00 +0000

As you may know, we have been a bit offline for the past few months. Why? We have been scurrying to get our new store opened in downtown Oakland. We did finally get open in early April, now attending to blogs, tweets, etc. Both Jake, our roaster's blog, and the overall Bittersweet Blog will happen here, from now on. Here is a post from Jake just after we moved in:

Hello All,

As you know we have been running for a few weeks now. Last time I left out news of the roaster thinking that I would dedicate an entire entry to our IR-7 and its travels.
Our little roaster has been a trouper. Coming out of the move with no scrapes, scratches or other damage. It started right up and took on its responsibilities of roasting tasty coffees from around the world for you.
With the new location comes new ways of doing things. The roaster is tucked into a space near the back door. This makes for good airflow and keeps me from being cooked. Along with this I have a variable speed exhaust fan that adds a layer of fine tuning that I did not have at the old location. I was adverse to the fan in the beginning but quickly came around. The more ways to tweak things is better. While the fan adds another aspect to keep an eye on, every layer of fine tuning that you add gives you more control over what the coffee is doing and what you are trying to achieve.

At the new space I have much less square footage than we had at the warehouse. I have had to grow up and not out. Sharing space in the kitchen has been challenging but the system seems to be working well.

I like keeping the active coffee close at hand without much of the mess that comes with having bags on pallets. Of course I have to go down to the vault and refill these white Brutes. This method makes inventory a little more difficult manage and I have to keep a close eye on things, but overall works very well.

Till next time.

-Jake

Bittersweet at the Pop Up Gorcery Store

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:01:00 +0000

Bittersweet is proud to announce its acceptance into tomorrow's (7/22) Pop Up General Store! We will be selling Bittersweet Origin Bars and Drinking Chocolates from 4 - 7 pm at 4629 MLK Way Oakland.

If you've never been to the Pop Up General Store, it is an incredible showcase of some of the area's finest food artisans. You can see more at: www.popupgrocerystore.com/

See you there!

Guess the origin, win a year's supply of chocolate!

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:48:00 +0000

Amano is running a great contest for all you chocolate lovers--guess the origin of their new release, and win chocolate for a year! Just fill out the entry form, and good luck!

Sadly, adieu Fillmore Street

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:16:00 +0000

Bittersweet closed our Fillmore street store in San Francisco today. Unfortunately, with our lease term up and negotiations coming to a rather abrupt end, we just couldn't sustain the 30% rise in rent the landlord was looking for.

All the very best to our loyal San Francisco friends, and sincere apologies for the sudden disappearance :-) We hope to see you in the east bay soon, and watch this space for some exciting news about our Origins chocolate bars, as well as further Bittersweet location developments in the near future!

Spring has Sprung at Bittersweet

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:09:00 +0000

Check here for more info on our Springtime offerings...

Coffee Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:04:00 +0000

Our fantastic roaster Ian is blogging about all things coffee here. Go keep him company, and learn about our great coffees in the process...

Blood drive at Bittersweet

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 07:10:00 +0000

Bittersweet Cafe is proud to be teaming up with the American Red Cross on March 25th at our Danville location. You can click on the link to set up an appointment time to donate.

Blood is such a valuable commodity these days and needed by so many. Please stop by and take the time to give the gift of life.

Chocolate & Beer

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:08:00 +0000

Come join us on February 6th for a classic but underexplored combination! Tickets and more information here...

Puerto Plata bars for Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:06:00 +0000

We here at Bittersweet want to do our part to help the people of Haiti. Our own Bittersweet Origins Puerto Plata Bar comes from the Dominican Republic and that is why, starting tomorrow and for the next week, we are donating all of the profits from the sales of that bar, both 65% & 75%, to the International Rescue Committee's Haiti Rescue Fund.

The International Rescue Committee has deployed its Emergency Response Team to Haiti to deliver help to the devastated city of Port-au-Prince. Their team includes experts in emergency health, shelter, and children’s welfare. They will be working with local aid groups to provide vital help to survivors of the massive earthquake that struck Haiti January 12. Meanwhile, the IRC has committed to raising $5 million for reconstruction work in Haiti over the next year.

Please help us help others in their greatest time of need.

Holiday Gift Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:33:00 +0000

If you're looking to get the early jump on holiday gift ideas for your office or family, check out this list of possibilities from Bittersweet! (PDF file)

They're guaranteed to love it!

A Chocolate Evening at SF Conservatory of Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:11:00 +0000

Our own Seneca Klassen, who spent the summer planting his own Cacao Plantation in Oahu, Hawaii, will be speaking at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park Thursday, September 17th, from 6-7:30 PM.

Please join Seneca as he shares information about the botany and cultural history of chocolate. You’ll also experience a “behind the scenes” visit to a hidden treasure – a fruiting cacao tree in a Conservatory greenhouse. And then… you’ll enjoy tasting of 5 origin chocolates while gaining an understanding about the importance of post-harvest processing and quality finishing.

This is part of a Chocolate Event that they are hosting as an Evening of Chocolate. You can visit the Conservatory site to learn more and purchase tickets. Space is limited.

Chocolate Coconut Chill is back!

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:50:00 +0000

That's right--the Chocolate Coconut Chill is back in rotation for the season. This luscious combination of young coconut juice, dark chocolate and vanilla--delicious, exotic, vegan and perfect for a warm afternoon. Come on by and pick one up today...

Herrania

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:18:00 +0000

On a recent origin trip, we came across a collection of Herrania, a cousin of cacao with quite stunning flowers. Unlike Theobroma family members like Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) and Bicolor (Pataste/Pataxte), we're not aware of any food use of Herrania, but it was a site to behold nonetheless, as you can see from the photos below.

What to plant? What to value?

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:13:00 +0000

As the craft chocolate marketplace continues to develop from the demand side, we can increasingly see a critical need to engage cacao farmers (and whole farming communities) in the idea that we as chocolate makers and consumers are ready and interested in valuing their crops based more on their overall quality than their sheer quantity.

This seemingly simple change in perspective will in fact take substantial time and effort to get into place, and as we read further into the collective past of cacao cultivation, it's very clear that questions of yield versus flavor (and other related dichotomies) have been with us for at least 150 years or so.

As new origins are planted and established regions are revitalized with an eye to this new higher-value chocolate market, it's an exciting time to engage in what turns out to be a very long conversation with cacao about what we want from it--and what it wants from us as well.

Chaco Canyon inhabitants used chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:12:00 +0000

For years there's been speculation on just how far north and south cacao was traded during the precolumbian period. Now, for the first time, there's solid scientific evidence (theobromine residue, in this case) that chocolate made it at least as far north as Chaco Canyon in New Mexico.

This is the first proof of chocolate's use north of Mexico before European contact, and a nifty piece of the evolving picture of cacao's travel through the precolumbian Americas.

Thoughts on finishing Deep Economy

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:19:00 +0000

Having just finished reading Bill McKibben's thoughtful book Deep Economy, I was struck by the following passage's relevance to chocolate and cacao (emphasis mine):

"The poor nations of the world need to develop. But if they develop according to our model, the planet will break under the strain. We in the rich nations need to change, not just for environmental reasons but because our way has stopped producing as much human happiness as it should. That middle ground is hard to define, and we will take generations to reach it, because we start so far apart. But it is more local than the world we know now, and less individualistic. It measures not More but Better."

Barring dramatic changes in climate, locavores in the Northern hemisphere will never find cacao at their neighborhood farmer's market. And that makes it even more important that all of us who really love this food become more mindful consumers, supporting those parts of the chocolate and cacao economy that we find to be most viable and productive, not in the harsh glow of globalized economics, but instead in the warmer lights of human happiness and quality of experience.

New Year's cacao tree for everyone

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:13:00 +0000

My four-year-old was kind enough to draw the New Year's cacao tree. Not bad, if I do say so myself :-) Happy New Year everyone!

Bittersweet in WSJ today

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:18:00 +0000

We got a nice mention in the Wall Street Journal today!
Sweet Shops in Three Cities

Dark more satisfying than milk?

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:25:00 +0000

Another reason to focus your interest on dark chocolates: a little really does go a long way.

"We have known for a long time that it is healthier to eat dark chocolate, but now scientists at the Department of Human Nutrition at LIFE, University of Copenhagen, have found that dark chocolate also gives more of a feeling of satiety than milk chocolate."

Here's a link to the whole story...

New Temperer

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:25:00 +0000

One of the logistical challenges with our Origins Bars has been tempering capacity, so we just this week finally added a brand new piece of equipment. Below are a couple of action shots. Have to admit...it's pretty sweet not doing it all by hand!

Singaraja

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:10:00 +0000

Just released the first (very small!) batch of our new Balinese creation: Singaraja. It's 66% cocoa mass, 32% cane juice, and 2% cocoa butter, but those of you who like to know exactly what's in your chocolate :-) Photos below are of the dried fermented seed, then nibs, nibs and hulls, and finally the finished chocolate.

These beans come from coop PE01 on the north coast of Bali, and are of mixed parentage (to say the least :-) Much of the cacao grown in Bali has been distributed by the Indonesian government over the past few decades, and the strains sent out have never been properly analyzed to determine genetic heritage. The flavor we're experiencing is quite positive--very chocolately with just a bite of fruit at the finish. All in all a really snackable chocolate.

Come in and try it out! (And apologies if it's already gone by the time you do...but never fear--there's more coming very soon.)

Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:15:00 +0000

Just a reminder to everyone out there that the holidays are officially here at Bittersweet! Come by your local shop, or say hello online:
shop.bittersweetcafe.com/holiday

The sign we probably won't be using anytime soon

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:39:00 +0000

If only :-)

Twittersweet

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:22:00 +0000

As you all may have noticed at the top right over there, we've started a Twitter feed. We'll be using it mostly to focus on chocolate making, drink formulation and the like...just a little window into the behind-the-scenes world here at Bittersweet. Let us know what you think, and enjoy!

Blonde

noreply@blogger.com (Bittersweet) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:50:00 +0000