Introducing Cold Brewed Iced Teas
Did you notice? Our Iced Teas are even smoother now, thanks to our new Cold Brew Method.
Is there any better way to cool off than with a large glass of iced tea? It seems doubtful after a glass of one of these new brews. Cold Brewing is a method for making tea without using any heat at all. Using cold water we let the tea steep for up to 12 hours before serving (like sun tea, just without the sun). The result is tea that's always delicious, smooth, and full of subtle flavors. Heat sensitive green teas are particularly delicious when brewed this way.
So what's the secret of Cold Brewing? Cold brewing makes smoother tea because there is no heat involved. Heat is what brings out the catechins and tannins in tea. Catechins are what makes tea bitter and tannins give tea its astringency. When using cold water a large portion of these chemicals are not extracted and remain in the tea leaves. You can try it at home! Just use about 40 grams of your favorite loose leaf tea for every gallon of water. Allow to steep for around 8 hours, strain and enjoy!
Another great aspect of tea is that, unlike coffee, tea hydrates the body so it's perfect for the long days in sun. So swing by your favorite Phoenix locations and try our new tea, I personally love our loose leaf Ceylon which is like being in the shade of an apricot tree.
East 9th Coffee Cupping
On Thursday June 24th, Nathan Lilly, lead barista, Samantha Bako, Elizabeth Jadud and Wes Johansen cupped two Ethiopian coffees in order to compare the difference between the two cups. Before they added the water, they noticed that the grounds from one cup had fragrant blueberry overtones, and the other smelled earthy and grainy. These differences carried into the brewed cups as well. The difference was that one Ethiopian cup (the fragrant one with the blueberry overtones) was our freshly roasted coffee, and the other cup was a stale sample of very old Ethiopian beans that Nathan had mysteriously procured. Nathan had set the table with the two cupping cups, a cupping spoon for each participant, a water glass, an opaque ceramic spit cup (GREAT IDEA, Nathan!) and a hot water spoon rinse glass at each place also. Great set up and very interesting comparison of two coffees.
Compostable Cups Are Here!
The new Phoenix Coffee compostable cups are just starting to arrive at our cafes. These cups are the culmination of almost a year's worth of thought and effort. They were painstakingly designed by our in-house designer, Sean Higgins. As the new cups begin to arrive at each cafe, we will now offer you a choice when you purchase a beverage to go: either bring your own mug or buy one of our new compostable cups for $0.10 each. This nominal ten cent "green fee" is our way of encouraging everyone to adopt sustainable habits, such as bringing your own mug and minimizing the use of disposables whenever possible. In Ireland, the country reduced the use of disposable shopping bags by 96% by introducing a similar "green fee". We hope to reduce our use of disposables by more than 100,000 cups this year, and to compost just as many, thereby reducing our ecological footprint. Thanks for helping with our efforts! You can read our press release here.
About the East Ninth Cafe
We opened this café on Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) 2008, and have had a line at the counter every day since. Our East 9th café is frequented by bike messengers, downtown office workers, and lots of other hardworking folks who enjoy the colorful ambiance that we’ve created in the first floor of the Key Bank Center parking garage. We’re easy to find with our prominent sign facing East 9th, and our spacious, grassy patio right outside our side door.
This cafe specializes in espresso based drinks, so be sure to try one of our gorgeous rosetta lattes, or try a straight up shot pulled by one of our professional baristas. A cozy escape from the bustle of 9th Street, our café is decorated with vintage furniture and oriental rugs. Don’t miss our back hall gallery featuring fresh local art.
