Pregnant Santas, Dancing Pandas, Darth Vader in Sequins, The Grim Reaper…
Here are a couple raucous vids from our annual Holiday Party; this year we invaded the Showbox and watched as Green Apple Quick Step reunited after a dozen year hiatus, Dr Dr strutted their stuff, DJ Greasy laid down the tracks, The Raggedy Anns got everyone on the dance floor, and bellies were sated by Big Mario’s sumptuous Italian cooking. Thanks for a great year!
Click here to order.
Rare Geisha Reserve = Very limited supply.
Order Today and we will get it to you before Christmas.
Cafe Epica. This farm is a remarkable organic property in Boquette Panama in the lush green mountain highlands of the Chiriqui province. The farm is heavily planted with the much sought after Geisha varietal, a unique strain of bean that has garnered intense press and unprecedented prices on the coffee market. The trees on the Epica farm are harvested using ancient lunar methods and the beans are carefully hand picked and dried on raised beds. The entire production is governed according to rigorous bio-dynamic principles. And the flavor profile is unparalleled reminding us more of a fine Ethiopian bean than a Latin American coffee. In short – this is a very rare coffee and it completely blew us away.
Huge aromas of sun dried blueberry dominate the nose, and nuances of cinnamon and dark chocolate abound. Epica is a full bodied coffee with moderate acidity. Prominent flavors of dark chocolate and blueberry fill the cup with hints of spice and citrus zest dissipating throughout the caramel finish. And this coffee will be gone within the next couple of weeks. $20 for one pound bag.
Order a subscription today and we will get it to you or a loved one before Christmas day… Click to order.
This incredibly popular collaboration between Caffe Vita and renowned chocolate-maker Theo has been featured in the New York Times, GQ, Gourmet, and made its way to hundreds of homes across the country.
Every month we hand select one of our Farm Direct coffees or expertly crafted blends and carefully match it with a remarkable bar of Theo chocolate. Expect a 12oz bag of Caffe Vita coffee and a bar of Fair Trade Theo Chocolate. We include tasting notes and specifics about the origins of each product. $66/3 months, $122/6 months, $250/year.
Seattle Times was spot on when they mentioned “La Medusa offers well-prepared Sicilian favorites”.
Wonderful coffees on the table today from Ethiopia, Mexico, Peru and Flores. Definitely a nice change of pace from Wednesdays coffee and chicory experiment!
Here are the tasting notes from todays cupping-
ETHIOPIA- Aromas of sun dried blueberry, sun scorched earth and enticing spice notes. A medium bodied coffee with moderate acidity displaying profound blueberry flavors upfront- tapering into subtle citrus notes balanced with layers of earth, spice and dark chocolate throughout.
MEXICO- Subtle aromas of tangerine, caramel and dark chocolate. Mellow and subdued in the cup, showing subtle smokiness up front with harmonious layers of dark chocolate, baking spice and nougat balanced with mild acidity and a lush, velvety body. A sweet, smokey finish beckons another taste.
PERU- Warm, alluring aromas of dark berry, creme brulee and milk chocolate. Prominent dark berry flavors up front tapering in to dark chocolate and citrus tones finishing with subtle honey and herbaceous accents. A moderately full bodied coffee with well balanced acidity and a sweet, lasting finish.
FLORES- Heavy, robust aromas of earth, spice and smoke. Deep, rich flavors of dark chocolate, earth and subtle smokiness throughout the cup with low acidity and a full body. Nice dark chocolate nuances in the dissipating, smokey finish.
A great cupping today displaying the complexity, depth and diversity of world class coffees from Africa, Central/South America and Indonesia. Thanks to all those who participated today and a friendly reminder to visit CAFFE VITA-Capitol Hill- 1005 E PIKE ST- EVERY WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY @ 10 AM for our FREE coffee cupping!
This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Caffe Vita is joining forces with renowned Portland rock band the Dandy Warhol’s to celebrate a Fellini inspired Italian Holiday fete. Vita will be providing free espresso and *gelato affogato at the three (nearly) sold out shows.
Grab Tickets here:
December 11th at Neumo’s in Seattle (21+)
December 12th at The Wonder Ballroom in Portland (21+)
December 13th at The Wonder Ballroom in Portland (All ages)
A Word From The Dandy Warhol’s
As Dandy Warhols, we like to take a different approach to Christmas: a little more Old World and a lot more jaunty. We are on a mission to convince Christendom that Italy does it best. But these things take time; Rome wasn’t bilked in a day. Easing into the task we commence this year with our annual Christmas shows with the introduction of a sliver of sunny Italy to the Northwest’s dreary environs. Just a taste, a Fellini twist on the usual Dandys holiday performance.
All three of these shows will be celebrated in the spirit of Italian Christmas, complete with themed drinks at the bar, hand picked by each band member…plus, keeping with our Italian theme: Limoncello! Fancy Italian Coffees! Gelato! Oh my!
As you know, CAFFE VITA goes through great lengths to source, roast and serve the finest quality coffee available. In pursuit of this endeavor, CAFFE VITA regularly pays premiums far and above the industry average to ensure that we receive coffee of superior quality and support all levels of the coffee supply network.
Recently I have been reading a lot on the history of coffee and, in the midst of our current recession have become rather intrigued about periods of economic hardship and limited coffee supply. What happens to the coffee world during such times and what steps do roasters, cafes and coffee houses take to keep people drinking their beloved coffee? What lengths would you go to if coffee as we know it was simply no longer available?
You’d be surprised at the possibilities, alternatives and substitutes people would try to pass off as coffee, none of which come anywhere remotely close to the aromas, flavors, nuances, comforts or other distinguishing qualities we know as coffee. But, necessity is the mother of invention and during difficult times, one variation -coffee blended with chicory- was developed and actually found a niche amongst coffee drinkers in Europe and in parts of the southern United States, notably, New Orleans, LA.
I was able to track down some of this blend of coffee and chicory and thought I would do a taste test to see how palatable this coffee alternative is. This of course was a blind taste test in order to give each sample a fair chance of being identified. I brewed the coffee and chicory through a french press and compared it to a french press of our CAFFE LUNA, a robust french roast blend of coffees from Indonesia, Central and South America. The results were shocking!
The coffee and chicory blend had some interesting robusta like qualities of earthy, peppery aromas layered with depths of cinnamon and sweet tobacco smoke. It was tremendously viscous in the cup looking like watered down motor oil. The flavors were borderline unbearable, tasting like generic coffee with overwhelming acidity and a tremendously bitter aftertaste. Very little resemblance to coffee at all- the only real similarities were in the body, full and viscous and the color of the brew as well.
This was really no contest for CAFFE LUNA- a standout coffee in any arena displaying heavy, smokey aromas complementing maple, vanilla, nougat and dark chocolate flavors. A full-bodied, low-acidity coffee with a sweet, buttery, lingering finish.
A fun experiment in coffee tasting and rest assured CAFFE VITA will continue to go through extraordinary efforts to source, roast and serve the finest coffee available and WILL NOT be brewing up coffee and chicory any time soon! CAFFE VITA is, however offering 12 oz bags of our featured coffee of the day for $8.95 as well as our HOLIDAY BLEND for $10.95 at ALL of our retail locations, so stop by and try some of our world class coffees!
And dont forget to visit our FREE weekly coffee cuppings EVERY WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY @ 10 AM @ CAFFE VITA- CAPITOL HILL- 1005 E PIKE ST.
Every month we hand select one of our Farm Direct coffees or expertly crafted blends and carefully match it with a remarkable bar of Theo chocolate. Expect a 12oz bag of Caffe Vita coffee and a bar of Fair Trade Theo Chocolate. We include tasting notes and specifics about the origins of each product. $66/3 months, $122/6 months, $250/year.
ORDER BY DEC. 15th and we will have the first shipment delivered to you or someone you want to surpise by DEC. 24th. Click here to order.
A great time was had by all today at CAFFE VITA Capitol Hill, where once a month we host our FREE coffee and chocolate tasting with THEO Chocolate.
Today we cupped some exceptional coffees from Ethiopia, Peru, Papua New Guinea and Panama along side some delectable chocolates from THEO. THEOS cacao roaster, Nathan brought with him some 100% cacao from Madagascar, 84% cacao from Ghana and the always delicious coffee and cream chocolate.
The Fair Trade/Organic coffee from Peru stood out in this heavy weight arena with complex aromas of citrus, dark sun ripe berry, vanilla, cocoa and baking spice. A well balanced, medium bodied coffee boasting opulent flavors of tangerine, cocoa, and honey with a snappy brightness throughout the lingering, candied finish.
Pairing the coffees and chocolates proved to be quite challenging and all combinations seemed to spark myriad conversations. It was great to hear everyones feedback about the different combinations and the dialogue generated about the truly subjective nature of such an exercise. The result of this session was a lot of smiles and discussion leaning towards the similarities and differences in tasting, sourcing, roasting and serving world class coffee and chocolate.
Thank you to all who participated today and especially to Nathan from THEO Chocolate for providing the amazing chocolate. It is always a pleasure to taste these wonderful chocolates from THEO and have someone with the knowledge, passion and expertise such as Nathan to discuss the processes involved in the world of cacao and chocolate.
Please visit us at CAFFE VITA Capitol Hill-1005 E PIKE ST -EVERY WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY at 10 AM for our FREE coffee cupping.