Just Onyx Doing Onyx Things
Plus, a new way to roast using solar energy?
Some truly lovely Build-Outs
We had two Build-Outs this week, both from brands we’ve been keeping track of for some time now. First up is Demitasse in Santa Monica, who after 15 years in existence has made an extensive remodel. Then in Bentonville, Onyx continues doing Onyx things with yet another completely stunning and wildly ambitious new cafe.
Protect your laptop from coffee with coffee?
Spilling coffee on my laptop is one of my great fears in life. It’s where I do all my work and keep track of my various… business… papers. I’ve got stuff on there I’d prefer not to lose is what I’m getting at. But there’s a new protective case for your laptop made out of upcycled coffee grounds, and really, what’s not to like about that?
Five cups a day is a-okay says the AHA
Who am I to argue with the experts at the American Heart Association? So when they say that five cups of black coffee a day is perfectly fine, beneficial even, I take them at their word. But not all caffeine is created equal, and there are some drinks that don’t hold up quite as well as good ole black coffee.
Ants vs. coffee borer beetles
Coffee borer beetles are a scourge to coffee producers the world over. But new research finds that they may be making life easier for one of their predators. It found that the cavities created in coffee cherries by the beetles are being taken over by certain species of ants that feed on them, offering a potential natural way to curb the borer beetle population.
Local cafes pitch in during the Spokane wildfires
Multiple wildfires have been raging in the Spokane area for a week now, displacing nearly a quarter of residents. And as is so often the case in times of crisis, the local coffee community steps up to help. This week we featured just a few of the efforts being made by local Spokane coffee shops to aid those impacted by the wildfires.
Roasting coffee with the power of the sun
There have been many iterations of solar-powered coffee roasting, from using solar to power an electric roaster to supplying power to en entire roastery to even just cooking coffee by concentrating the sun’s rays using mirrors. But there’s another new way to use solar, and it may be the most ambitious yet. Using solar panels to trap heat that is then stored in a bed of rocks, this new method allows for roasters to then use that heat to roast coffee. And it may even allow already existing gas roasters to convert to solar.
Ivan Solis of Recuerdos Cafe: the Sprudge Twenty interview
Our Sprudge Twenty interview this week features Ivan Solis of Recuerdos Coffee in Atlanta, Georgia. With over a decade in the industry, Solis created Recuerdos to highlight Mexican coffees while also bringing underrepresented groups in coffee front and center.
Roaster’s Village
We’re highlighting outstanding coffees from some of our favorite roasting partners each week here in the newsletter. This week’s selection of tasty coffees are…
Portland Coffee Roasters – OPBEANS
8th & Roast Coffee Co – Ethiopia Hambella Station
Devoción – Verano Blend
Equator Coffees – Guatemala El Injerto Gesha
La Barba Coffee – Ecuador Hacienda La Papaya Typica Natural
Stumptown Coffee Roasters – Sunrider
Blueprint Coffee – Kenya Nairobi AA
Verve Coffee Roasters – Long Play Decaf
Klatch Coffee – Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Supernatural
Onyx Coffee Lab – Colombia Juan Jimenez Gesha
Partners Coffee – Burundi Gahahe
Night Swim Coffee – Colombia Ronaldo Hurtado Estate
Presta Coffee Roasters – Peru Gilmer Cordova Finca Ecologica Huabal Gesha
Joe Coffee Company – Cafè Feminista
Phil & Sebastian – Sure Thing
Madcap Coffee – Eureka
Olympia Coffee – Big Truck
Mr. Espresso – Java Garut
PERC – Super Power Plum
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
La Marzocco - Logistics Coordinator - Fort Wayne, IN
Devoción - Wholesale Sales Representatives - Brooklyn, NY
Equator Coffees - Bench General Manager - Burlingame, CA
Equator Coffees - Kitchen Lead - San Francisco, CA
Equator Coffees - Production Associate - San Rafael, CA
Equator Coffees - Associate Roaster - San Rafael, CA
Equator Coffees - Production Roaster - San Rafael, CA
Equator Coffees - Baristas - San Francisco, CA
Equator Coffees - Shift Leads - San Francisco, CA
Casa Libre - Shift Lead Barista - Costa Mesa, CA
Redefined Coffee - Barista - Brooklyn, NY
Devoción - Baristas - Brooklyn/Manhattan, NY
Do you have a news tip? Feedback? A funny joke? Send us an e-mail, use the contact form on Sprudge, leave a message at 1-888-55-SPRUDGE, or send us a letter at PO Box 86342 Portland, OR 97286.