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.
Open Mic Wednesday Nights at Lee Road Phoenix - Hosted by Charlie Mosbrook
Every Wednesday from 8:00 till 10:00 pm, we offer an open microphone for budding local musicians, poets and other performance artists. The evening is hosted by consummate open mic professional and local musical talent, Charlie Mosbrook. Charlie creates a nurturing yet creative ambiance at his open mics and we are so proud and pleased to have Charlie's talents featured at our cafe. Sign ups begin at 7:30 pm.
Here's a video of Charlie playing Sing Out from his 2009 CD:
Weekly Coffee Cuppings at the Lee Road Cafe
Every Friday at 6:00 pm at our Lee Road cafe, Adam Heffelfinger, Lead Barista, hosts a coffee cupping that is open to the public. A coffee cupping is a standardized, methodical way that professional coffee tasters use to systematically evaluate coffee characteristics. These weekly cuppings are a great palate development opportunity and a fun way to see what coffees are new at Phoenix. Come join us!
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 Lee Road Cafe
Our Lee Road café has been in operation as an independent café serving Phoenix Coffee, since it was opened in 1992 by Mickey Szilagyi as Miklos’ Coffee Bar. We bought it in October of 2000 and turned it into a Phoenix Coffee. This café is almost always full of neighborhood folks, ranging from Harsh and Kate from the CWRU Physics Department, or your favorite HVAC repairman, Mike Borkin, or the high school kids who come in after school lets out. Our large patio out back gets quite full in the summer as well. Spanish Club meets on Tuesday nights and Wednesday night is open mic night, hosted by the illustrious, professional and talented Charlie Mosbrook.
We recently renovated this café, replacing the worn countertops and cabinets with repurposed and refinished cabinets from an old John Carroll science lab. You’ll notice that the menu boards (like at all our other cafes) are made from repurposed multiple-pane window frames. The new artwork was designed by local artist Jen Craun and crafted by Polly Wilson using repurposed and found materials, focusing on the use of burlap from our roastery. We also feature rotating art by local artists, curated by Heights Arts. The Lee Road Café is located in the vibrant Cedar Lee District, featuring many independent restaurants, innovative retailers such as Revive Fair Trade store, and the iconic Cedar Lee independent film theatre.
