Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/131835
CHARACTERS IN COFFEE Q: Continued from page 39 What was the decision like to sell Ecco Caffe to Intelligentsia Coffee? A: AMBER FOX At that time, in order to do some of the things that were integral to my vision of Ecco, I felt that we needed to have a retail spot in a major urban center—San Francisco and New York were the cities I had targeted. But we didn't have the resources. Intelligentsia is a company that we had a lot in common with: They had supported Cup of Excellence and the WBC, and we had purchased Cup of Excellence lots together and then shared them. So it just made sense. Q: A: Tell me about the new venture you've launched, Linea Caffe. It's an espresso bar in San Francisco in a very small space in the neighborhood I live in, the Mission District. I've always felt a larger space doesn't equal a better-tasting product—some of the tastiest food I've had in my life has been in little food stalls in Thailand. I'm partnering with a chef named Anthony Myint, who's involved with four different restaurants, including Mission Chinese in San Francisco and New York. He's designing a food menu that will partner well with coffee. We'll be serving espresso and also selling whole-bean coffee from awardwinning farms. I'm trying to actively identify and roast coffees that are scoring 88 points and higher. Q: A: Why will you only be serving espresso at Linea Caffe? Espresso is just one way of preparing coffee, but I really happen to love it. I have a very personal vision of what I want the espresso to taste like, and I can't find it in North America. It's a focus on something that's very sweet, very balanced and very clean. I think there are some very interesting espressos in North America and in the Bay Area, but I can't find exactly what I'm looking for. Hopefully people like these flavors and I can turn people onto this style of espresso. To read more from this interview, go to freshcup.com for a Web-only article. 40 COFFEE ALMANAC • June 2013