Pacific Bay Coffee Co.

Pittsburg, CA will soon have it’s own coffee house that cares with the opening of Steeltown Coffee & Tea. They will be serving fresh roasted Pacific Bay Coffee. Adrian is doing a great job keeping local coffee fans up to date about the progress of his cafe and you can sign up for his newsletter and check on his progress at:

http://www.steeltowncoffee.com/Steeltown_Coffee/info.html

Bean there, done that…Roasting done right

by Adrian Badger, Steeltown Coffee & Tea, Pittsburg, CA – May 23, 2009

Earlier this month I was extremely fortunate to spend an evening roasting coffee with John Laird, the local roastmaster who will be supplying Steeltown Coffee & Tea with his exquisitely roasted coffee beans to be used in our espresso and coffee drinks. John is a charming man with a sparkle in his eye who followed his dream several years ago and began roasting coffee for his own coffeehouse, Pacific Bay. Since opening, John has been dedicated to roasting his coffees in a way that brings out the very finest flavors and aroma of each carefully roasted batch of coffee beans.  

I already had a general understanding of the coffee roasting process when John offered to show me how he works, but after spending several hours perspiring in the heat of the roaster (which, incidentally, is a beautiful work of art itself) I have a new respect for both the green coffee bean, and the roasting process. John’s roasting machine has all the computerized bells and whistles on it but, for John, they are but a tool with which he masterfully sculpts every roast by hand. 

Over the course of the evening I was able to witness the skill of an artist combined with the precision of an engineer. During every minute of the

 roasting period John carefully and accurately adjusted the roaster’s temperature in order to achieve the perfect roast “profile” for the specific beans being roasted. The appropriate roasting time of any given batch of coffee beans varies depending on many factors including the species, the country of origin, the age, and the desired darkness of roast. With many years of experience behind him, John is able to coax the optimal flavor from the beans

 by tweaking time and temperature to reach his goal for that particular batch. While constantly monitoring these variables, John also periodically samples the “darkness” of the batch to ensure things progress as planned and that the aroma, for lack of a better word, “matures” as expected. 

After spending the evening with John I clearly see a parallel between the art of fine wine making and artisanal coffee roasting. A difference, however, is that while wine ages over time in cellars, coffee “ages” during the relatively brief roasting process. Wine makers have a lot more time and flexibility to determine when their product has reached its prime. Coffee roasters must make the same determination within minutes or seconds rather than weeks or months. 

Artisanal, small-batch roasters like John bring something unique to the specialty coffee industry that you can’t find in mass-produced coffee beans; a respect for the bean that translates into a miniature masterpiece in every cup. Steeltown Coffee & Tea is fortunate to be able to offer John’s works of art and I look forward to sharing the enjoyment of his meticulously roasted coffees with you.

Local artist Catherine Fasciato’s paintings are on display through December. Her philosophy is that painting should be like music and affect the emotions. Her work strives to influence the viewer through the use of color, subject, brushwork and composition. We hope you’ll sit down at our bar with a cup of fresh roasted coffee and enjoy her work! Check out her work online at http://fasciato.googlepages.com

Leslie Wilson, watercolor artist and our neighbor here in Walnut Creek, CA, is exhibiting her latest works through the end of October.

The application of color is immediate and emotional, capturing the subject in the light, each time something new, whether a figure, object or landscape.  She receives great joy when she transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, reminding people of the places they’ve been, the people they’ve met and the truly remarkable light and color in our world.

“Marshview Reflections”, above, and currently display, was inspired by a rare morning view of the marshes and Mt. Diablo from Marshview Road, north of Benicia.

Leslie offers original watercolor paintings and commissions, including landscapes, still life and figures in an impressionistic style charged with light and color.  To view a selection of Leslie Wilson’s watercolors, please go to her website or contact her by email: leslie_wilson@pacbell.net.

Local Walnut Creek artist Ruth Kolman Brophy is exhibiting her colorful acrylic on canvas monotype abstracts through out the month of August – come check it out!

“I am a native of Austria and lived there until my early twenties. After high school I attended the College of Art and Design of the City of Linz, after which I studied at the University of Oregon in Eugene for a year. I enrolled in summer school at the Chicago Art Institute. I married and moved to Minneapolis. I attended classes at the University of Minnesota and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design while raising four children.I maintained my own studio and participated in the local art scene. I received awards and
commissions. I leased a press for monotypes and participated in Open Studio and Art Walk events.California and the West Coast beckoned, however, and I moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 2004.”

Ruth Kolman Brophy

Our July featured artists are photographers Michael Robinson and Verna Dow.

“It all started with a simple question, “Would you take a hike with me?” and the adventure began resulting in a memorable photographic collection of the East Bay Regional Trails depicting the beauty and spirit of the outdoors. Images were acquired while hiking the Regional Trails unknown to many residents.

For Michael the challenge is to always have an image in mind before capturing it, to always have an idea of the message that the image should convey. This is particularly difficult with landscape photography, making the hikes all the more enjoyable. Michael has a strong background in photography with degrees from University of the Witwatersrand – Johannesburg South Africa, the University of Colorado – Boulder Colorado, experiencing freelance Wedding & Travel Photography and is currently a resident of Concord, CA.

Verna is self taught with support of local park and recreational programs. Through her photography, she has captured the spirit of the earth using natural light to enhance the image. The excitement for her is the challenge of being in the right place, having the right light, and capturing the image. Verna is a resident of San Ramon, CA.

Michael uses both a Canon 10D & 5D digital SLR camera while Verna captures her images with a Sony Cyber – Shot DSC-F717. Michael and Verna have recently presented at the Lindsay Dirkx Brown Gallery of San Ramon.”

Some of you may have noticed a small sign that sits at our register these days. It says: “To help us get your order correctly, Please finish phone calls before ordering.” The comments we have gotten on this sign have been surprising to me- people seem to love it.

The sign was created on a day where on three separate occasions we got drinks wrong because the person ordering them was on a cell phone. One woman said “ I’ d like a coffee. ” She was pretty engrossed in her conversation, so I held up two different cup sizes and she pointed to the smaller one . We got it for her and rung it up , but then she tasted it, put her phone down and said “ This isn’t a latte! ” I understand where the disconnect happened – I say to my roommate all the time “ I’m going to get a cup of coffee ” , but really mean a latte, mocha, or my favorite – a tiny breve. Now, if all you’re ordering is a small coffee, we can probably figure that out with hand gestures and miming – ( although I have seen staff get creative with the charades for “ room for cream? ” milking a cow, anyone?) but if it’s more complicated than that, we need a little bit of interaction to make sure you get the drink you want- what size, what milk preference, hot or cold, which kind of chai, and if you ’ d like whip cream to top it all off. If you’ve ever seen someone try to mouth the words “Large-decaf-soy-vanilla-latte-with-no-foam” you can begin to understand where this all falls apart . My lip reading skills are even worse than my mind reading skills.

But, I think people like the sign for a simpler reason. It reminds us all that, yes, you may just be running an errand or getting a cup of coffee, but more than that, we’re all people interacting. That taking a moment to stop and just do one thing might be a more relaxing way to enjoy your coffee. It’s too easy to get caught up and whisked away by the important things in our lives that grab at us , through our cell phones especially, and miss what’s happening right now, right in front of us.

Here at Pacific Bay, we really do want you to walk out the door with the exact delicious drink that you desired , but without your help, it might just end up being a small coffee. (which is pretty great too! But not if you were hoping for a latte.)

Home Town: Orinda, CA

When you’re not at Pacific Bay, what are you up to? Growing the business takes up most of my waking hours but during the spring and summer I coach girls fastpitch softball. It gets me outside and is a great diversion from the world of coffee.

If you could have one super power, what would it be and why? I’d like to have the power to travel in time. Then I could fix the mistakes I’ve made along the way. Did I say mistakes? Yes, I’ve made a few.

Describe your perfect day. My perfect day is spent with my wife and daughter, cooking breakfast at home and spending time “doing nothing”.

How long hav you been in specialty coffee? I started in the coffee business around 1997 in equipment design and engineering.

What is your current favorite drink, bean or tea? Tough to pick a favorite. I love a nice cup of drip first thing in the morning, a perfectly steamed Macchiato when I get to work. My current favorits would either be an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe or the “El Injerto” Guatemala.

Home Town: Davis, CA

When you’re not at Pacific Bay, what are you up to? I have a home office so when I’m not there I’m usually working at home. To feed my soul I create art: photography, pastels, painting, sculpture, glass, beads, fabric - anything. Of course I love going to my daughter Rosie’s fastpitich games and watching her and John have a great time. Lately I’ve taken a real liking to they gym (finally!). I also look forward to my monthly gathering of gal pals for games of Bunco & Left Right Center (one of the best group games ever…ask me about it).

If you could have one super power, what would it be and why? To fly. I used to dream I could as a kid and it would be wonderful to feel so light and free.

Describe your perfect day. To wake up to no must-do to-do list! Then I’d get a work out in and then start to move slow, get in to creative mode and let my hands go and my brain relax for a few hours. Then I’d come back to reality to a wonderful dinner cooked by my chef husband John and daughter Rosie would happily do the dishes!

How long hav you been in specialty coffee? John convinced me to attend a Specialty Coffee Association of America conference in 2002 and I met so many wonderful people from all over the world I was hooked – and I didn’t even drink coffee back then! (Now I think I never had a good cup, oh how that has changed).

What is your current favorite drink, bean or tea? I love a good cappuccino, perferably with a traditional monk’s head finish becuase the steamed milk is so sweet and velvety and the espresso cuts through it so nicely and tastes so good! I’m also still enjoying tasting and getting familiar with sublte differences of single origin beans. For lunch almost every day I like glass of iced Ceylon or Wild Island tea. Sometimes I steep it for 30 seconds and then pour off the water to remove most of the caffeine and then resteep – then I can enjoy it in to the evening and still get sleep.

What do you want your customers to know? That we appreciate each and every one of them and the suport they have continued to give us since we opened in Feb. 2004. Some truly amazing people have walked through our doors and I wish I could spend my days just hanging out and meeting everyone!

Home Town: North Bergen, NJ

When you’re not at Pacific Bay, what are you up to? I am usually making something like a painting or jewelry or clothing. I also love to do fire poi and dance to music like samba and salsa.

If you could have one super power, what would it be and why? Truly, flying would be awesome so that I could travel to wherever I wanted to go.

Describe your perfect day. My perfect day would involve being outdoors, taking a hike and relaxing on the beach. A day well spent.

What is your current favorite drink, bean or tea? My favorite drink is a cappunccino becusae of the great foam. I can taste the espresso and I love it.

Home Town: Escalon, CA

When you’re not at Pacific Bay, what are you up to?  I love to read, putter around my house, walk my dog and take in music and art events.

If you could have one super power, what would it be and why? To have the power and influence to make the world an environmentally cleaner/safer place and free from senseless wars.  It is a moral obligation to protect our planet and all that inhabits it.

Describe your perfect day. A perfect day is one where I can pick and choose whatever I would like to do without having any pressing obligations.

How long have you been in specialty coffee? Four plus years.

What is your current favorite drink, bean or tea? I am an “unadulterated” black coffee drinker. I enjoy experimenting with coffees from many regions and find my preferences constantly changing.