Filed and processed in the nick of time to still count as a weekend wrap-up, here’s a look back at last week’s coffee news from our trusty intern Ben Blake. Ben is very newly back in the United States after several months in Italy, so this week’s Draw Coffee doodle is taken from his fun-filled filter drawing archives.
Carlsen Does Milan: An Italian Coffee Crawl
Sprudge co-founder Zachary Carlsen was recently in Milan for the Dalla Corte & Urnex hosted “DC Campus.” While there, he took the time to wander the streets and find some of the top spots in Milan for the famous and romantic Italian coffee drink—espresso. Call it impulsive, call it compulsive, or call it insane, he went through a whopping eight (8)—that’s EIGHT—espressos in 60 minutes. When you’re surrounded, you just can’t stop.
Julie Wolfson’s Epic Crush on LA’s Single Origin / Short Cake
Our LA features writer Julie Wolfson sat down with Hourie Sahakain and Nik Krankl of Short Cake / Single Origin to talk about how the LA-based bakery created the coffee bar of their dreams. This beautiful space features Verve Coffee Roasters and Handsome Coffee Roasters and isn’t ashamed about offering up some vanilla and caramel lattes as added sweetness to their mostly simple coffee menu. Awesome pourover bars, baked goods, and fantastic coffees? Pinch me.
Speaking of interviews—Sprudge has more questions for coffee professionals in our ongoing “5 Questions” series. This week we sat down with Debbie Rebell of Urnex, an Ivy educated brand manager who compared herself to “Wipz” and managed Urnex’s involvement with coffee events around the world. We also talked with Joe Marrocco, who has just recently opened a new education space with Cafe Imports in Minneapolis, and still enjoys watching the Matt Miletto / Billy Wilson / Chris Deferio “Extreme Pours” video epic.
5 Questions With Urnex’s Debbie Rebell
5 Questions With Joe Marrocco
A few points of interest this week in cafe news— which I like to think of as the coffee version of “If I Had A Million Dollars.”
Water Ave. Teams Up With Enso Winery
Be on the lookout for stellar espresso and coffee service at Enso’s SE Stark space in PDX, which is in a lovely neighborhood of that city, or so I’m told.
Heart Roasters Sign Lease on Second Space
Portland’s own Heart Roasters just announced they’ve signed the lease on a second space and expect a new shop opening this August. he space is designed by Skylab Architecture and sits across from Tasty n Alder—expect an expanded selection of outside foods in addition to beautiful coffees. This feature was prominently linked & mentioned by Eater PDX!
Panther Coffee Expands to Miami Beach
Miami’s Panther Coffee is just hours away from opening up their second location, this time in Miami Beach. Be sure to check out the full article and pictures of the new space, who will be soft opening on Monday, May 12th. Huge congrats to them.
