Category Archives: press

Vita Noted In Food Republic’s Coffee Power Rankings

| May 3, 2012

Food Republic has released their annual list of “the people in the joe biz who have caught our eye, or palates. Those working on cool new projects. Or coffee purveyors just plain doing it right.” Guess who makes an appearance?

From the birthplace of Starbucks, a far less insidious coffee company is not quite aiming for world domination. Michael McConnell founded Caffe Vita in 1995…and just opened the first New York location. He already has seven locations in Washington State, two outposts in Portland, Ore. and others opening in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. McConnell dreams of going international… could a Viennese branch be in the cards?

Now Open: Caffe Vita Old Town

| April 16, 2012

Last Friday we opened our second Portland location next to Via Tribunali at SW 3rd Avenue. Our petite new space features sliding glass doors and a walk-up coffee window along the car-free block of Ankeny.

We’ve arrived just in time for warmer weather and brought a much-needed dose of caffeine and the spirit of Pulcinella with us.

As if divinely planned, Caffe Vita Old Town is located just steps away from Voodoo Doughnuts. We’re expecting some delicious friendships in the future.

Come visit. We’re open Monday through Friday from 7AM-9PM, Saturday from 8AM-9PM and Sunday from 8AM-8PM.

Vita Everywhere: Congratulations Willows Inn!

| April 12, 2012

The Willows Inn’s Blaine Wetzel

Congratulations to Blaine Wetzel of the Willows Inn, who was just recognized by Food & Wine Magazine as one of the Best Chefs of 2012. Dana Cowin, editor of Food & Wine, called Willows Inn on Lummi Island a “truly pilgrimage-worthy restaurant.” We highly agree, especially when fueled by a cup of Vita.

Read the full profile here.

Sweet Treats from Theo & Vita On CNN

| April 6, 2012

Image via Eatocracy

Today we bring you a recipe by way of Eatocracy, CNN’s food blog. Our neighbors and collaborators Theo Chocolate recently submitted a recipe to Eatocracy’s Fair Trade challenge. The results are in and they’re delicious. To read more, go here. To start baking, see below.

Theo Chocolate and Caffe Vita Gooey Double Chocolate Mocha Cookies

14 oz. Theo 70% dark chocolate
1 stick butter (114g)
4 eggs, room temperature
1 ½ C sugar (400g)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ C all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
2T finely ground Fair Trade coffee/espresso beans (we like Caffe Vita’s Theo Blend)
6 oz. Theo 70% dark chocolate, chopped

Melt the 14oz. of chocolate and butter together in microwave or in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.

Beat eggs and sugar together until thick and pale, either with a mixer or by hand, about 8 minutes.

Mix vanilla into egg mixture. Fold in cooled chocolate mixture. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together, add the ground coffee, and fold this into the chocolate mixture along with the chopped chocolate.

Right away, drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 350F about 8 minutes. Do not overbake! The cookies will be slightly puffed and very fragile at this point.

Remove from over and allow to cool. These are delicious when still slightly warm but perhaps even better after resting overnight!

Vita In the News: Zagat

| March 27, 2012

Via Tribunali and Caffe Vita were featured on NY1 & Zagat Buzz’s First Look. Our very own Mike McConnell speaks to the history of both shops and viewers get a tour inside Vita & Trib in the video above.

124 Ludlow Street

| March 14, 2012

We are here.

It has been quite the week, New York. Since opening our first NYC Caffe Vita location on the Lower East Side on Monday we’ve made new friends and, it goes without saying, lots and lots of coffee. In fact, we’ll be giving it away all week through Saturday.

200 square feet of brilliant coffee.

Yes, you read that correctly. We’re serving free coffee beverages until closing at 5pm on Saturday. Come introduce yourself and join our pizza-making neighbors, Via Tribunali, for another taste of Seattle by way of Naples.

Our Gothot roaster.

Want to really feast your eyes? Stop by again soon when we start roasting in the shop itself. Vita will be the one and only in-shop roaster in Manhattan. But first, sip Vita for free in our new location. It’s our way of thanking NYC for the warm welcome!

Caffe Vita NYC

| March 12, 2012

Caffe Vita opened bright and early this morning in New York City. We’re excited to serve the Lower East Side and beyond. Come see us at 124 Ludlow and stay tuned for more photos of the new space!

Announcing: Coffee from Papua New Guinea

| February 23, 2012

Way back in December we wrote about partnering with Woodland Park Zoo to bring you a truly unique coffee. Today, we’re excited to announce that PNG YUS coffee is now available.

For the first time ever, Caffe Vita and Woodland Park Zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) are bringing you coffee directly from the Yopno Uruwa Som (YUS) Conservation Area in Papua New Guinea. This limited harvest was grown under native shade at elevations ranging from 1200-1500 meters by farmers who have committed to conserving 180,000 acres for the preservation of the endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo.

TKCP initially approached Caffe Vita with an inspired idea: to create a better future for the farming communities of Papua New Guinea through land conservation and one of a kind coffee experiences. Three years later, through collaboration, travel and workshops, the people of YUS have found a home for their amazing coffee. This inaugural crop is mellow and honey-like, with flavors of toasted hazelnut, orange zest, guava, and sugarcane. We can’t wait for you to try it.

Last week, we welcomed our friends from the zoo and TKCP to our Capitol Hill roasting room for an evening of celebration and reflection. We even had a surprise kangaroo visitor (not of the tree kangaroo variety, but we’ll forgive him) grace us with his presence!

To learn more about Vita’s work with the farmers of Papua New Guinea’s YUS Conservation Area, watch the video below:

For more information on the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, go here.

PNG YUS is now available for purchase in all of our retail stores, ZooStores, and our online shop.

Little Seattle Shines

| January 30, 2012

Photo by Bowery Boogie

May we offer you a light? Bowery Boogie has posted an update with photos of our progress in NYC. Neon for the new store went up last week and we’re excited to see our Punchinello represented on the Lower East Side.

For more photos, including a few of Via Tribunali, go here.

Caffe Vita Featured in Diner’s Journal

| January 10, 2012

Last week, Caffe Vita was featured as a notable player among the new crop of coffee bars, coffee roasters and coffee training labs that have set up shop in New York as of late. Oliver Strand announced our impending opening (roaster in tow) on the Lower East Side in Diner’s Journal. We look forward to bringing our uniquely northwest personality to roasting locally in New York City.

Read the full article here.