I received an email a little over a week ago from Natália at COIMEX Traiding Company to inform roasters in Texas about their services.

Their website lists coffee under the “Commodities” category, which may or may not be telling.

Natália writes,

We are a full service worldwide coffee exporting company looking for small Texas roasters with whom to start a less-than-container load coffee selling/buying relationship.  We offer all Brazils, both mainstream and certified, including organic and Fairtrade.

Please contact me for more information.

Natália
nramos@coimex.com.br

If you’re curious, take a look at their coffee program information page.  http://www.coimextrading.com.br/conteudo/page_cont_68_2.asp

First of all, let me apologize for the lack of updates to the TX-Coffee.com blog.

I have had issues with internet connectivity lately, which should soon (hopefully) be resolved.

I promise that the supply of content will be back into full swing when this occurs.

In the mean time, here is some interesting news.  I received an email a few days ago from a Dieter Fischer to let us know about the SCAI.  Quite interesting!

Fischer writes,

Greetings,

I am working with the specialty coffee industry in Indonesia.  The industry here recently formed a trade group called the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia (SCAI).

If you are looking for contacts in Indonesia, please let us know.  SCAI has members who are farmers, exporters, roasters, retailers and importers.

We would love to appear in your list of external links.  The website for the association is www.sca-indo.org

Best,

Dieter Fischer

SCAI member

Very cool.

The SCAI has been added to our list of external links, as well as to the Internet Coffee Database, provided by TX-Coffee.com

No, they are not a TX Retailer, but our stately neighbors to the north have posted a job here, and have been like a close cousin to the TX Coffee Community.  I found this article from a Facebook post by Mike White of Gimme! Coffee in New York.

Where to Go Next: Best U.S. Coffee Bars

Food insiders are as excited to talk about coffee bars as they are restaurants: The quality has gotten that good. Here, the classic and new places around the country with the most fanatical devotees.

By Nick Pandolfi  more…

Fantastic!  Maybe now we’ll start seeing coffee retailer reviews where they actually talk about the COFFEE.  It seems all they can ever talk about is the food, pastries, decor, and the neighborhood it’s in.  Here’s hoping this article is a sign of certain change.  A movement in the right direction.

If you are too lazy to read the entire thing and see mentions of some so-called(by the article) “Old Guard” shops as well as some lesser known so-called(by the article) “New Guard” shops, here’s the important bit:  The nod to our friends in Oklahoma City at Coffee Slingers.

Oklahoma City

Coffee Slingers

Melody Harwell brought serious coffee to Oklahoma City when she opened Coffee Slingers in a renovated car dealership in March. She’s such a stickler for quality that she insists all of the cappuccinos be served exactly the same way, in seven-ounce ceramic mugs, and she’ll only make coffee with a French press using single-origin beans. 1015 N. Broadway Ave.; 405-606-2763 or coffeeslingers.com.

Kudos to Melody and crew at Coffee Slingers!
(we should see them at this year’s SCRBC)

]]> http://tx-coffee.com/2008/08/01/coffee-slingersok-city-mentioned-by-food-wine/feed/ http://tx-coffee.com/2008/07/30/gachet-coffee-lounge-a-visit/ http://tx-coffee.com/2008/07/30/gachet-coffee-lounge-a-visit/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:33:40 +0000 Jason Haeger http://txcp.wordpress.com/?p=264 ShareThis

(images from http://gachetcoffee.com)

This is a shop that has gotten some good reviews in the past, and I had never actually made the trip myself.  I was planning to be in the area, so I made it a point to stop by. (this was made stronger by the pounding headache suffered from a lack of caffeine intake.. apparently, I am addicted)

They serve a variety of loose-leaf teas the source of which I did not catch the name of.  They are serving coffee roasted by Coffee Eiland.

The first thing you’ll notice is the fact that it does not have a street front.  The front faces a wide open pedestrian space in the Victory park area of downtown Dallas.

You’ll notice the patio furniture, and the fact that it looks strikingly similar to indoor furniture.  (The chairs looked like overstuffed chairs you would not expect to find outdoors)

You’ll walk in, and notice a “news stand” book store to your left, and the striking white design of the space.

The space is beautifully designed and set up.

When you walk up to the counter, you’ll notice what appears to be a 1grp La Marzocco GB/5, a variety of loose-leaf teas, and a short menu that I could not find a “traditional Cappuccino” on. (or even a Cappuccino)

But, upon asking, they do indeed serve a “Traditional Cappuccino”.

It was served in a white flat-bottom mug-shaped cup at around 8-10oz in size.  The dome of foam increased this volume by another ounce or two.

The espresso was decent.  It was not bitter, but it was not too terribly complex either.  Nice if you don’t want to think about your coffee as you’re drinking it.  Of course, it could just be that the blend they use does not fair well in large quantities of milk.

The foam left much to be desired.  The bubbles were large, and the flavor of the foam delivered exactly what one would expect upon visual contact.  The temperature of the drink, however, was nearly perfect.

My companion ordered a small caffé latte in a to-go cup.  The cup felt extremely light in weight for a latte, but the attempted latte art was a nice touch, that I think would have been better had the barista stretched just a little less during frothing.

I was assured, the foam in the latte tasted good, and that the espresso agreed with my previous impressions.

The short story is this:  It’s definitely worth dropping in if you happen to be near by, but it’s not worth going too far out of your way for.  Its’ a great atmosphere, decent coffee, and I wish I had had more time to sample the loose leaf tea offerings.

If you are interested, here are some reviews from Yelp.

Gachet Coffee Lounge
2336 Victory Park Ln
Dallas, TX 75219
(214) 953-1234

]]>

We are now officially on a private server (so you’ll probably see some changes happening here and there as we go along). This opens up a whole new range of options that were never available before.

Naturally, it will take time for me to learn the ins and outs of everything now at my fingertips, but such is the nature of things.

Thanks to those who clicked through at a mild inconvenience.

It seems comments were lost in the move, and I’ll see what I can do about bringing them over.

I know the header image is too small, and I know that there are a couple of missing page links up top, but sit tight.  I’m working on it.

Enjoy the new and improved (improving?) TX-Coffe.com - Texas Coffee People.

As taken straight from the official Beatnix Myspace blog.

Beatnix Coffee House to Close Saturday

7/23/2008 / Waco, Texas

This Saturday, July 26th, will be the final day that Beatnix Coffee
House opens its doors to the public. A “Closing Bash” will be held,
featuring performances by local musicians.

Beatnix’s owner announced on Wednesday the closing of the coffee house
and cultural venue at 1826 Lake Shore Drive, due to poor economic
conditions and lack of capital for expansion.

Opened in 2005 by Penney Simpson, Todd Millerd, and Sandra Hapenney,
Beatnix quickly became known not only for its gourmet coffee and
sandwiches, but as a haven for poetry, art, and music. It was awarded
the Music Association of Central Texas’ Groovy Award for Non-Club Venue
of the Year in both 2007 and 2008.

Simpson said “Beatnix has been my dream, and I had so many plans for it,
ways that it could be a gathering place and creative spark for Waco’s
culture. But it had to move and grow in order to survive, and our
attempts to find investors or purchasers for the business have all
proved to be dead ends.”

Beatnix Coffee House will be open for normal business through Saturday.
On Saturday evening, it will hold a final “Closing Bash” at 6 pm, with
local musicians performing on stage for the last time.

Lack of capital for expansion? Was the business failing, or has it just been stagnant too long?

In any case, nobody ever likes to hear of a shop closing. As a coffee professional, I can’t help but be curious as to why it happens. Each case is different, and it’s often, though not always, due to failing financially. (or being marooned by the city *coughtpanthercitycough*)

What good is a Groovy Award if it can’t save your business? It must be defective!

Thanks to Badger for the tip.

I received an email from Jonathan A. at White Rock Coffee letting us know about this place near the heart of Dallas.

Jonathan writes,

Just wanted to let you know about a new independent shop in the DFW area. Crooked Tree Coffeehouse opened about a month ago in Dallas’ uptown area, at 2414 Routh Street. It’s in a pretty “hip” area of town- a residential neighborhood rezoned for business. It’s nice to find a coffeeHOUSE in a big city. Cozy location, comfortable furniture, live music is very intimate but can get kind of crowded (no actual stage, just set up in the corner). The owners and baristas are VERY passionate about coffee. They make some great espresso drinks, and also serve your usual fare of teas, chai, smoothies and pastries. All of their coffee comes from a company in Colorado Springs called Bywell, and it’s all Fairtrade organic. You can find there website at crookedtreecoffeehouse.com.

Cool! The last time I visited a House converted into a coffee retailer was at Common Grounds in Waco.

Has anyone else visited this place?

Thanks for the heads up, Jonathan.

Crooked Tree Coffee House has been added to our List of Retailers.

Pictures taken at the Jam can be viewed here.
(Thanks to Brittany Reed for bringing a camera!)

9am tomorrow morning at the Mosaic Cafe in Carrolton hosted by AAH! Coffee, and sponsored by Pallo (www.coffeetool.com).

it’s mostly cupping centered, and it will feature coffees from various roasters in Texas.

Don’t miss the customer interaction lecture given by Aaron Heil(AAH! Coffee), and stick around for the Culture of Excellence presentation headed up by Eldon Hooley(Javataza).

Enter the friendly competition(s) if they occur.

Expect it to run for most of the day.

I will not be in attendance. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I intend to spend it leisurly with my significant other. I hope everyone has a blast!

I received an email a few days ago from Lon Hart letting us know about their roasting operation in Austin. Lon writes,

Please add me to the list of roaster on this site. We are located in Cedar Park(austin).

We have been suppling Central Texas with fresh roasted coffee for over 5 years now. We see the need to educate shops and barista’s on the basics of coffee and espresso in our area. Too many time do we visit shops in the area and the barista’s have no clue on basic technics…which tells us their training was poor. Our focus over the next couple years will be to offer free training since the shop owners dont seem to have the time or even care to show anyone how to pull an average shot.

thanks, Lonn Hart

Their website, admitedly, needs some work, but that never stopped anyone from roasting coffee to perfection. I cannot speak for the quality, since I have never tried it, but 5 years is plenty of time for learning if one pays attention in earnest.

www.republicacoffeeroasters.com

Republica Coffee Roasters has been added to our List of Roasters.