Thanksgiving Break, Coffee on the Road

I made the annual trip to St. Louis for Thanksgiving again this year. This year, to accommodate the large crowd, I loaded up a commercial brewer and several air pots so that we wouldn't have trouble keeping up with the demand during the onslaught of relatives and friends visiting the homestead on Aberdeen Pl. Despite my parents large collection of coffee apparatus, including a new Frieling French press, it just seemed easier to take it upon myself to make the brew for our meals.

I usually take the Friday after turkey day to explore the coffee culture of St. Louis, but today, I just didn't get to it. Tomorrow, I'll most likely walk to Kaldi's Coffee, one of the early micro-roasters in the most recent Third Wave of coffee roasters. Their original coffee house is just 3 blocks down the street and although it no longer houses a roaster, it's still retains the quaint and bustling atmosphere of a local neighborhood coffee house. I've heard that there are a few more new kids on the block so I will seek them out and see what my compatriots are doing and hopefully sample some great coffees.

Winter Hours

We're changing things a bit for the winter. New hours are:

M-F: 7:30 - 7
Sat: 9 - 7
Sun: 10 - 5

See you at Mighty Good Coffee...

Perfect Cappucino

When I traveled to Costa Rica last February, Brian Franklin, a cafe owner from Tulsa was along on the trip. His cafe is Double Shot and at the time, we had just finished fighting off Starbuck's for the use of his name and trademarks. Fast forward to the release of The Perfect Cappucino, a movie about the cafe industry in Italy and the US. Much of the battle between Brian and 'bucks is documented in this movie along with what's wrong and right with the fast growing coffee business in both countries. The movie maker's quest is for a perfect cup, replicating what is found at thousands of small, family owned cafes in Italy. We're happy to say that we are doing our part to provide that experience right here in Ann Arbor. We've also ordered copies of the movie so you'll be able to get a copy right here too... Stop by and see us at 118 S. Main St. in downtown Ann Arbor.

Private Stash Coffee...

Tucked away at the roaster, I quietly stashed an unmarked burlap bag of green coffee that I was saving for a rainy day, which happened to come this week. I pulled out my roasting notes from the last time Red Sea Blend was on our menu, weighed out 10 lb. and fired up the roaster. We were cupping some new samples of coffee that I had test roasted and I wanted to slip in one of my favorite coffees to get a reaction from our staff at the cafe. I set up a table of many really great coffees that we were evaluating. Bali Blue Moon organic, Nicaraguan San Jan del Rio Coco FTO (available soon!) and Ethiopian organic natural Sidamo were on the table as was a cup of Red Sea Blend. We went around the table and everyone stopped at the Red Sea wondering what the hell was in this coffee! Since it's a blend, not a single origin, it was hard for the staff to really comprehend the complexity and richness of the flavor and aroma at hand. So I divulged the origin of both the coffee (2 different Ethiopians and a Yemeni) and that this was something I was saving for a special occasion. The occasion? Well, as most people who know me will attest, the occasion is my whim, or in this case, when I just couldn't stand waiting to have a cup of coffee that I want. And in this case, it's something I'll readily share with customers at our cafe. And don't worry Jim, I'll save you a few beans to savor before my private stash of coffee runs out...

Mighty Good over the Golden Gate

Mighty Good Coffee customer, cyclist and mass spectrometry guru Steve Arrivo sporting his MGC jersey on a ride this past Monday in San Francisco. Fueled by our coffee, of course...

Looking for latte artist

Join the MGC crew. E-mail Kate to find out more:
kate at mightygoodcoffee.com

Barista Profile - Angela Hockstein

Angela Hochstein has been a barista for over four years. She got her start at Cafe Europa in Denver CO. Starting out as a barista and working her way to operations manager. After three years at Cafe Europa in Denver, she moved back Michigan where she is originally from. She spent time working at other independent coffee shops in the Wixom and Novi areas before moving to Ann Arbor and becoming a part of the crew at MGC. You can find her most afternoons and evenings pulling shots at the cafe.

When she isn't at the cafe, Angela is usually spending time with her fiance, her two cats and working on her art.

Favorite Coffee : Ethiopian Natural Sidamo
Favorite Espresso Drink : Whole Milk Latte
Sign : Virgo