Weekly Coffee Cuppings at West 9th Phoenix
Every Saturday at 3:00 pm, our lead barista, Kali Pavlac, hosts a coffee cupping at the West 9th Cafe. One of Kali's favorite ways to do a cupping is to set it up as a triangulation, which means that she sets up three cups of coffee, two of which are the same and one of which is different. This is a great palate development opportunity, because our participants can practice distinguishing which coffee is different. Usually this can be distinguished by the aroma alone! Coffee cupping is a standardized procedure that professional coffee tasters use to analyze and understand the taste characteristics of different coffees. Come join Kali and learn more about coffee, and have fun in the process.
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.
20/30 and Got*CityGame Document West 9th Phoenix!
Hot Shots at Hot Spots! That's a quote. Cleveland's Young Professional Group 20/30 and local TV/Video show Got*City Game document our very own West 9th Phoenix Cafe. We help sponsor 20/30, a non-profit group who's aim is to "retain Young Professionals in Greater Cleveland by providing events focused on both personal and professional development. The Club offers Educational events including speakers and presentations, Networking events, Philanthropic opportunities and Social events."
Check out the video with our very own superstar manager of West 9th, Marcie!
Cawfee Tawk with Heidi Robb
Nationally known food expert and Cleveland resident Heidi Robb wrote an excellent ode to coffee with a big shout-out to the 
Phoenix Coffee West Ninth coffee cupping she attended last month. Phoenix is committed to educating the public about all things coffee and Heidi did a great job capturing the essence and experience at one of our cuppings. She writes on her blog:
...If you are a coffee lover at any level of enjoyment, a cupping will definitely hone your senses towards a deeper appreciation for the roasted and liquified bean. In a Triangulation tasting, three cups of ground beans are presented – two being the identical, one different. The goal is to detect the odd cup by smell and taste. It’s definitely trickier than it sounds, and forces you to pay attention to minute characteristics generally passed by in drinking a casual cup, much in the same way a guided wine tasting alerts your senses to specific nuances. Notes taken reflect the aromas and tastes of ” blueberry, potato, wet dirt, leather, bourbon”, among others. Smell and taste alter as the grinds change from dry to wet...
Thanks Heidi! Please note, almost all of the Phoenix Coffee Cafes have weekly cuppings. We are adding the times and dates to our website as we speak. Look for details on the News page and under the individual store pages on the Phoenix Coffee website.
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 West Ninth Cafe
The newest Phoenix Café, opened in October of 2008, serves French Press coffee “on tap” as our regular coffees of the day. This café features rotating local artists, colorful walls and vintage furniture. Our pastry case is stocked with beautiful cupcakes, croissants, lemon squares and more from pastry chef Courtney Bonning from the Bonbon Bakeshop. You can also try one of our home made tartines, open faced sandwiches featuring ingredients such as roasted red peppers and smoked salmon.
This café is located across the street from the Map Room and next to Constantino’s Market, in the heart of Cleveland’s Historic Warehouse District, a neighborhood home to more than 10,000 downtown residents. There is on-street parking at meters, which is free on Saturdays and Sundays. When you stop in, you might meet Paulius, proprietor of the Velvet Tango Room, or one of the city’s public defenders, or see someone you know who lives in Bridgeview Apartments upstairs.
