Looking Back at 2012 (Part II)

This post continues our walk through some of our most momentous happenings of 2012. See Part I here. 

What else did Quills do and see in 2012?

We were photographed by and featured in an issue of the smart & stunning Original Makers Club - Louisville

We learned about cupping from champion Cory Andreen 

We treated the partying guests at the Speed Museum Lights Off event with a new-fangled super cool mobile coffee bar

We spread the Quills love even further by establishing some new wholesale accounts including Whole Foods Cincinnati, Whole Foods Louisville, Rainbow Blossom, Collective Espresso.... We even got to welcome some of these fine folks to our roastery for a tour and some good sharing.

Two Quills Signature drinks were born: The Smokehouse and Thai No. 5.  Now we looked in the Thesaurus for some other descriptive words besides the somewhat overused "mindblowing" and the following synonyms resulted: eye-opening, astonishing, mind-altering, wonderful... psychedelic? (ummmm maybe)... We think these could all work pretty well. 

{below image via this Courier Journal article written on the unique sipper} 

Looking Back at 2012 (Part I)

Like most people, we've spent some time looking back on the year we just wrapped up and it's hard to believe so much has happened!! We have learned and grown and sweat and celebrated a ton this year and we are extremely grateful. Thank YOU for being such a big part of it.

We would love to share some of those great events that are now permanently pasted in our yearbook of 2012. We may not have always been the coolest. We may even have been voted  "most likely to likely to be a geek forever" instead of "most likely to be a supermodel" or "..... to make a million dollars" or other coveted titles. But ya know what- we think geeks have more fun!! And don't they usually get the girl in the end?

Due to the sheer # of awesome things that took place, we're gonna have to break this one up into episodes. Here's the first: 

We opened our third store on the University of Louisville's campus

In January, we celebrated the grand opening of New Albany's store which houses both a cafe and our roastery

We introduced a few new coffees into the rotation: Finca La Bolsa, El Guayabo (a Quills exclusive) and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe ECX as well as continuing to influence and raise up right our baby: Blacksmith Espresso.

We participated in, and sent baristas to, various events and competitions like Coffee Fest, Thursday Night Throwdowns, the Southeast Regional Brewers Cup. We were privileged to host a TNT event at our store and be a part of the first ever TN vs. KY match-up (featured in Barista Magazine too). 

We won Best of Louisville !!

To: You

Merry Christmas! love, your Quills Coffee family

Making Magic

Cupping some new coffees & developing our next round of Blacksmith Espresso.

HWBB: How Would your Barista Brew? Part 3

And finally we reach our last installment of HWBB? .  First- let us say: If you have not checked out all of our holiday brewing packages and the magic-making tools therein, please do that now. You will find brief descriptions of the hows-and-whats here as well as in the store.

The last goodie in our big red features bag is The Clever... for the clever...and  the not-so-clever. Because that's how simple it is to use!

For our Director of Media & Marketing and world's most impatient gal Erin Ferguson, it couldn't be more ideal.

Erin sometimes stays up way too late watching her beloved IU Hoosiers play (*ahem* dominate) basketball. When she gets up in the morning, she wants the clean full taste of a manually brewed cup but she doesn't want to stand over it with a kettle (if you didn't know- 3 minutes feels like an hour for impatient people). 

Enter the Clever: The Clever -like the French Press- is a full-immersion brewing technique meaning that the water and the (coarsely ground) grounds hang out and play together for a while until the process is complete. Unlike the French Press, the clever features a "stopper" of sorts that releases only when you say so -- allowing the delicious extraction to drip straight into your cup. Basically- you'll end up with a much lighter, cleaner cup as opposed to the oilier, fuller, "sootier" French Press results. Of course- it all depends on how you like it. 

The best part for those like Erin- All it takes is a pour of the water and a trigger of the valve. After you're done, it only takes a quick, easy rinse and it's ready for that second, third and fourth cup. The Clever is made of BPA-free plastic and is super lightweight making it the perfect traveling companion.

The Clever is available with filters and a kettle in The Enthusiast Brewing Package.

HWBB: How Would your Barista Brew? Part 2

For the next edition of HWBB (see here for the first and a brief on what this is all about) we feature the Matts.

Matt Park is one of our store trainers and our Catering Events Coordinator. Matt Stevenson ("Matti Steves") is the manager of our U of L store. 

Both of them chose the dashing Chemex as their favorite home brewer. 

What sets the Chemex method apart from other pour-over methods is its need for an extra thick filter that sits flush against the walls of the cone requiring a coarser grind.   

Similar to the V60, a slow and controlled pour will achieve the best results. The Chemex is known for bringing out the brightest notes of the cup.

The Chemex was invented in 1941 by Chemist Peter Schlumbohm who used his familiarity with lab apparatus as well as methods of filtration and extraction to design his coffee maker. 

The Chemex is a cone dripper and decanter in one. It's made of glass - in the coveted hourly shape -  and is fastened with a wood collar and leather tie. The Chemex is so impressive- in fact- it even made its way right into the Museum of Modern Art. Can your Black & Decker say that? 

And here's a few fun cinematic facts about the Chemex from good ol' wikipedia: 

 In From Russia, with Love we learn that James Bond uses a Chemex. In the 1966 Detective film Harper, Paul Newman used a Chemex to brew his morning coffee. Mary Tyler Moore used a Chemex in her kitchen on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Mia Farrow used a Chemex in the film Rosemary's Baby.

Join the glamorous ranks by purchasing yours at Quills. Filters and the right kettle (a necessity for that perfect pour) are thrown in for $100 total. 

Cousin Eddie's Eggnog Veloce

We only wish we could provide the moose cup too. 

Have you had the pleasure of tasting one of our many specialty signature drinks on the menu here at Quills? We are pretty proud of what we’ve been doing lately to showcase our coffee in unique ways.

For some time now, one of our staple specialty drinks has been the Veloce. It’s a shot glass of three distinct layers: vanilla and cream topped off with our famed Blacksmith Espresso. We call it the Veloce because it’s intended to be consumed in one quick delicious gulp. This symphony of science & love begins with a concentrated burst of outrageously great coffee, followed by a subtle & refreshing melody of cold cream & finishes with sweet notes of vanilla. The unique experience of the Veloce has gone unrivaled... until now. 

This day- from our bright and enterprising team in New Albany -comes a successor. Think of it as the Veloce’s crazy cousin that likes to have a good time. You know- the guy that spikes the eggnog at all the family holiday gatherings just to see grandma do a special rendition of the pledge of allegiance. That’s right. "Cousin Eddie’s Eggnog Veloce" is not only a spin on it’s predecessor, it takes your favorite holiday flavors & gives them a little Kentucky kick. Here’s the twist:

We’ve created our own House-made Bourbon Brown Sugar Syrup, added a layer of Eggnog, topped it off with a shot of Blacksmith Espresso & finally we garnish with a dash of nutmeg. 

Exclusively available through the holidays at our Roastery, you’ll have to make the trip across the river to try it out. While you’re visiting take a peak behind the bar to get a glimpse of our Roastery. There’s a lot that goes into bringing you great, freshly roasted coffee each week & much of it happens behind the scenes in New Albany.

HWBB: How Would your Barista Brew?

As you hopefully know by now we are featuring a few home brewing packages (and free classes) over this holiday season. We want you to feel confident and awesome in creating a fantastic cup at home for yourself and/or for your friends and family. Out of these specific featured tools- our baristas each have their favorite. Over the next couple of weeks we're going to share what those are and highlight the respective virtues of each device.

Houston Miller and Michael Butterworth both chose the v60 dripper which is part of our Perfectionist Brewing Package

The V60 is all about the pour (meaning it's a very very good idea to make sure you have a good kettle. Good thing our package includes it!). Because of the large hole in the bottom of the dripper, this method requires a slow and steady circular pour pattern. The result is a delicious clean cup for one. This is definitely one of those practices that makes you feel all cool and maverick for knowing how to perform it. Go on and impress everyone now. 

A good resource on v60 brewing: Prima made this video using our Rwandan coffee. As always- ask your friendly Quills barista any time who will be more than happy to give you some tips and education (Even better- come to one of our classes)