Comments on: In San Francisco It’s Ritual Coffee Roasters Versus Blue Bottle Coffee

By: thefrontsteps

thefrontsteps — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:04:06 +0000

@45 y/o Hipster,

This is the tamper that just arrived a casa mia: http://www.espressozone.com/8942.html

Compare to the RegBarber one that was about $20 more! This thing is heavy and makes all the difference having it fit the size of the filter. I recommend it.

By: chocaholic

chocaholic — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:54:16 +0000

sorry for the followup comment, but i just it pretty ironic that starbucks can be thanked/blamed for the coffee craze that created a big enough market that blue bottle and ritual can both happily survive. and also allows independent coffee shops to thrive by positioning themselves as the “anti-starbucks” option. just a thought.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/waylon-lewis/starbucks-from-eco-zero-t_b_225945.html

http://www.slate.com/id/2180301/pagenum/all/

By: chocaholic

chocaholic — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:43:50 +0000

curious, does blue bottle qualify as a chain store now that it has hayes valley, mint plaza and ferry building locations?

the hypocrisy in SF attitudes is pretty mindboggling.

By: LucyLu

LucyLu — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:41:07 +0000

Trouble Coffee (Judah at 45th) – tiny and eccentric and I dream about their coffee every day.

By: CoffeMD

CoffeMD — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:40:02 +0000

I also ‘pull’ my shots from the Rancillo Sylvia and ain’t she a sweet thing too. I also highly recommend the expresso from equator coffees (boulange sells this) and prefer it over the Sweet Tooth Ritual Expresso. I haven’t tried Blue Bottle but it is on my list!!

By: Michael Straus

Michael Straus — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:34:38 +0000

Have you tried Equator Coffee? If not, it’s a local hidden gem, roasted in San Rafael, available at a bunch of SF cafes & restaurants, including Atlas Cafe, Urban Bread, La Boulange and Jardineire. Sounds like you’re quite the coffee connoisseur, and Equator should definitely be on your radar. http://www.EquatorCoffees.com

By: thefrontsteps

thefrontsteps — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:29:30 +0000

Now following sightglass on Twitter and will try them out too!

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:32:01 +0000

Newcomer, SightGlass, http://sightglasscoffee.com

By: asad

asad — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:46:17 +0000

Folgers! it’s good till the last drop don’t ya know actually the wife is a big fan of illy and didn’t see what all the hype was with Blue Bottle. I’ll stick with tea personally.

By: 45yo hipster

45yo hipster — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:17:52 +0000

My rec for the tamper is to go online. They are usually sized in mm via the diameter, so you should be able to find a good fit. FYI- I got mine free as a bonus when buying the machine. It’s a nice, heavy aluminum job, but also a few mm too small. I just tamp 3-4 times hitting the edges, and it comes out uniform…but I also have fantasies of getting the perfectly fitting tamper! Let me know if it’s worth it.

As for de la Paz google their web site. You can call the dude there and meet him at the roasting shop to pick up coffee.

By: thefrontsteps

thefrontsteps — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:54:29 +0000

oh yeah, I’ll have to try de la Paz

By: thefrontsteps

thefrontsteps — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:54:06 +0000

@anon,
Actually, no. Busier than ever, and enjoying not talking real estate.

@45yoh,
I have a Gaggia Classic, and love, love, love it! My grinder was a hand me down from an old Italian guy, so I don’t know the model. I suppose I could look it up online. Might be a Pavoni. Re: Ritual, I was going to buy the Sundae beans, but they were out. I’ll go back though. I generally do cappis in the morning and might treat myself to an espresso in the afternoon like I just did and WOW! that shot of Ritual tasted good. Really good. Very unique.

Regarding BB, I’m a big fan of the Hayes Valley Espresso, but recently found a new love in the Facenda Jacaranda. That is until I met Misty Valley. So damn good she is! Give her a try, and you won’t be disappointed. Look for John the Barista in a “Real Estate Sucks” tshirt too!

Know any good places in SF to buy a new tamper? Mine is a tad too small for my portafilter. Looking for that perfect fit, you know yo!?

By: 5th gen CA

5th gen CA — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:34:11 +0000

It’s not hip, but Capricon has been roasting and selling fine quality coffees in the City since the early ’60s without much fanfare. Freed, Teller and Freed (on Polk for more than 80 years between the big earthquakes) was the place many sophisticated natives went for top quality coffee throughout the 20th century.

By: 45yo hipster

45yo hipster — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:48:36 +0000

^ de la Paz on treat st/22

By: 45yo hipster

45yo hipster — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:45:42 +0000

He, yo. Nice coffee post. I too am a home espresso afficionado (I pull on a ranchilio Silvia & rocky grinder.). Personally I did not love the shots using blue bottle. But I religiously use ritual’s and really like their flavor balances. The shots always come put thick and carmely, and are always substantive enough for a bit of milk (the way I usually drink).

Sweet tooth is usually single origin and is fun to experiment with. But I usually prefer their espresso blend (espresso Sunday now) because it’s more balanced. They switch up their blend every few months too, and all have been great.

4 barrel (Valencia/14) is also a great cafe, and has is my favorite spot for French pressed coffee. For awhile they were pimpin’ stumptowns hairbender for espresso, which I thought royally sucked! Am not a fan of their own blend either (something like 6 coffees in there…too many IMO).

Another suggestion is de la Paz coffee. They are a renegade roaster, difficult for the public to access (somewhere on trat st near 22st in the mish). But their coffee is avail at the stable cafe (folsom/17). Their ethiopian drip is killer. But alas, I am not loco over their espresso.

So it’s ritual all the way for me when it comes to ‘spro, bro. But do tell me about your experiences with blue bottle espresso…i’m open to trying ‘em again. Cheers.