Coffee

Counter Culture Coffee’s Seattle Training Center is the sort of space you might stumble upon by chance. Located in a narrow storefront on 1st Street in the city’s Pioneer Square, its two-C logo affixed to the building’s facade just looks like it belongs. Has it always been here?

It hasn’t, but Counter Culture’s Seattle “TC”, as it’s colloquially referred to, has been in the making since 2016. The independently owned Durham, North Carolina-based company entered the market in the city with one customer—the diminutive Anchored Ship cafe in Ballard—but grew exponentially when hometown favorite Cherry Street Public House picked them up as a supplier that same year. Counter Culture cut the ribbon on its new space in mid-April. Seattle regional manager Amanda Byron explains that the company wanted to have a unique launch event, not just another coffee party.

Amanda Byron

“It wasn’t just an open house,” Byron says of what will surely be the first of many special events at the training space. “The idea was that we would do a book launch for A Reference Guide to Ethiopian Coffee Varieties.”

The book, written by Counter Culture’s Getu Bekele and Timothy Hill, is exactly what it sounds like, and sets out, according to its introduction, “to provide a more complete picture of the unique coffee varieties found in Ethiopia and showcase the work researchers have been doing in the country for over 40 years to make Ethiopian coffee more disease-resistant and better tasting.” Sounds like a lot to bite off? It would be, perhaps, for a roaster with less depth of knowledge in the field. The opening also featured Jeff Koehler, who wrote Where the Wild Coffee Grows, and showcased a limited-release single-farmer-lot coffee from Jose Sebastian Rodriguez in Colombia to commemorate the occasion.

Before opening their own space, Counter Culture’s Seattle operations were run out of the La Marzocco showroom in nearby Ballard. But having a facility fully their own is key to the Counter Culture model, says Byron.

“There are four corners to a complete region—education, sales account management, tech support, and a training center,” she explains. “We could’ve existed at La Marzocco for quite a while, but it never would’ve been our space.”

Operating in lockstep with other TCs, the Pioneer Square space features a Mazzer ZM, La Marzocco Strada and Linea PB machines, and a Marco Mix system.

“With each new training center,” Byron says, “you’ll see slightly different equipment, depending on what’s new at the time of its opening. But what we’re really doing in each is creating spaces that are easy to use, functional, and welcoming.”

That means the company’s popular Tasting at Ten series will continue in Seattle, and Counter Culture’s customers will of course have access to the space for trainings. Current partnerships include all of Cherry Street’s cafes, two General Porpoise locations, the Miir flagship, 5 Stones Coffee Company in Redmond, and James Beard Award-winning Seattle institution Canlis, which serves exclusive off-menu coffees whenever possible.

Tasting at Ten

“I’m interested in how [the new center] impacts our ability to expand in Seattle,” Byron says. “We have a support model like nobody else does, and I think that a lot of places here don’t yet know it exists. My hope is to get people in here to see this.”

Whether they’re invited in or just happen to be walking by, her hope seems a reasonable one.

Michael Light (@MichaelPLight) is a features editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Michael Light on Sprudge.

Some photos courtesy of Counter Culture Coffee.

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Source: Coffee News

Coffee conventions are great places to meet like-minded coffee professionals, but for the not-so-type-A types, these opportunities are often not as easily accessible. For this week’s Coffee Fest in Denver though, Oatly and Atlas Coffee Importers have teamed up to host Nice To Fika: A Coffee Centric Meetup. Like speed dating but for coffee friendship, Nice To Fika allows even the most reserved participant the chance to interact with many well-known names in the coffee industry.

Taking place this Friday, June 8^th at Zeppelin Station, all ticketed guests will be able to spend five minutes one-on-one with six panelists, and will even receive a list of questions “to help keep each chat flowing.” According the to Facebook event page, the panelists include:

After the conclusion of the speed round, the event will be opened to the public for music, food, and drinks.

Tickets for the one-on-one meet up portion of Nice To Fika cost $10 ($12.31 with the Eventbrite service fee) and include food and beverage. The after-party is free to attend, but Atlas and Oatly ask that you RSVP by “purchasing” a free general admission ticket, also through Eventbrite. All proceeds of the ticket sales will go to the Cafe Femenino Foundation.

So if you’re going to be at Coffee Fest Denver, break out of your shell in an inviting environment and make some new friends.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

*images via Nice To Fika.

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Source: Coffee News

We’ve been fans of Either/Or here in Portland, Oregon since they launched in 2013 with a sweet little cafe in sleepy Sellwood, in the city’s south. But now, after a furiously quick build-out on N. Williams, Either/Or have opened a new expanded version of the concept: quality focused multi-roaster, but now with drinks, good wine, and food.

With a sumptuous, forest green forward interior design scheme and a playful attention to detail, Either/Or has quickly become one of Portland’s major coffee openings in 2018. And yes, that is a coffee swag version of a claw machine in the back.

As told to Sprudge by Ro Tam.

For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?

We are a multi-roaster cafe in Portland, OR that opened in 2013 out of a 300 sq ft shop. We’re known for our different flight offerings, mocktails, and a house-made chai that turned into it’s own company called Tanglewood.

Can you tell us a bit about the new space?

It’s literally five times as big as our previous space. With this new location, we are able to actualize our original concept of the business which is to also be a bar. The cafe will have a full coffee menu available from 7:00am-7:00pm daily with some limited AM cocktails, and in the evening we will be a full bar with some limited coffee service late into the night (bar time). We built a full kitchen so will have food available all day. It’s also on a busy bike corridor.

What’s your approach to coffee?

We tend to lean towards lighter roasted, washed coffees. Everything we make is a palate-driven so our espresso is dialed in taste>tactile. In the true collaborative spirit of Either/Or, our staff blind cups coffee every week and its how we determine our menu. It gives us a chance to only serve what we are really excited about without any bias from packing or suggested tasting notes.

Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?

We have a claw machine filled merchandise (#coffeeclaw) and a couple of Orion dosing scales on loan from Acaia. I think Acaia will also be donating a golden Pearl scale for the coffee claw. Everything was built with ergonomics in mind for less wear and tear on our baristas. Instead of an under counter milk fridge, we have an ice well used as a cooler to hold milk within arms reach, and just about everything else you need so there isn’t a lot of moving around or bending that needs to happen. It also allows us to have soda water on a bar gun which is pretty fun.

What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?

May 31st was our grand opening.

Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?

Too many people to list. I do want to say that a lot of our contractors were women, which was a nice change from the male-dominant industry. Also, Marie Castorini who was been an employee since the beginning painted an amazing portrait for us of Jackie Shane, a Transgender Woman soul artist from Nashville. It represents our Queer POC roots and the other communities that we are a part of.

Thank you!

The Build-Outs Of Summer is an annual series on Sprudge. Live the thrill of the build all summer long in our Build-Outs feature hub.

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Source: Coffee News

Breaking news here via the Coffee Tycoons With Political Ambitions newswire, as Starbucks Executive Chairman Howard Schultz has announced he will leave the company at the end of June 2018.

The original report via The New York Times contains this great big venti half-caf extra whip bombshell of a quote:

“I want to be truthful with you without creating more speculative headlines,” he told The New York Times. “For some time now, I have been deeply concerned about our country — the growing division at home and our standing in the world.

“One of the things I want to do in my next chapter is to figure out if there is a role I can play in giving back,” he continued. “I’m not exactly sure what that means yet.”

Asked directly if he was considering running for president, he said, “I intend to think about a range of options, and that could include public service. But I’m a long way from making any decisions about the future.”

He throws a little bit of Starbucks Single Origin Nariño Cold Brew on the prospect of running for president later in the article, telling Times Deal Book reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin, “I want to be of service to our country, but that doesn’t mean I need to run for public office to accomplish that.”

Okay but still. The internet is freaking out, and perhaps for good reason. They’re at full Drudge Sirens over at The Drudge Report—and it’s much the same here at Sprudge.

In conclusion, Howard Schultz is running for president…maybe. Or maybe even probably! But definitely not definitely.

Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.

Photo by SeanPavonePhoto/Adobe Stock

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Source: Coffee News

Yesterday, Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala erupted, killing at least 25 people and injuring 20 others, according to CNN. Sitting just outside Antigua, the latest eruption by Volcán de Fuego has led to more than 3,100 people being evacuated and is expected to affect 1.7 million people in total—including many thousands of coffee growers.

While the eruption of one of Central America’s most active volcanoes has concluded, Guatemala’s National Institute of Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology, and Hydrology states that it created some 14.763 feet of ash that has spread throughout a 12-mile radius, with the potential for winds to expand that distance even further, per CNN. Already ash has traveled 25 miles northeast to Guatemala City, causing the closure of the country’s primary airport, La Aurora International Airport.

In a joint statement released (and translated to English here) by Anacafé—the National Coffee Association—and Funcafé—the Foundation of Coffee for Rural Development—the eruption affected coffee growing areas in the “departments of Escuintla, Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, Guatemala, El Progreso and part of the east of the country, specifically the coffee area towards the south-west.” The statement goes on to say that in the villages of “El Rodeo, Escuintla and Alotenango, it is estimated that the sand and ash affected between 15 and 20% of the coffee area.”

Anacafé and Funcafé have opened up their headquarters and regional offices throughout Guatemala to be used as collection centers. They are requesting for donations of non-perishable and canned food items, potable water, blankets, clothes, and medical supplies, including medications for burns and gauze. All donated items will be distributed in coordination with CONRED, Guatemala’s National Coordination for Disaster Reduction.

The total damage done by the eruption of Volcán de Fuego remains to be determined. Anacafé and Funcafé are helping lead relief efforts locally, but more aid will certainly be needed from outside Guatemala. We will update the story with ways for the international community to assist in the relief efforts as they are created.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Photo by Rainer Albiez/Adobe Stock

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Source: Coffee News

Picture this: it’s early morning and you’re walking along Flinders Street at the edge of Melbourne’s city centre, the sun is just starting to peek over the trees on the southeast side of the city, and you think to yourself, “the only way this could be better is if I were drinking a delicious coffee right now…” then, lo and behold, you stumble across a pastel paradise with a sign declaring “Vacation.”

Opened in August 2017, Vacation is the brainchild of Julian Bedford, Jimmy Tjoeng, and brothers Kael and Matt Sahely—a group that collectively has a wealth of experience working in and owning cafes, including the likes of Dukes Coffee Roasters, Pillar of Salt, Caravan Coffee (London), Sensory Lab, and Bawa.

As has been mentioned numerous times before here on Sprudge, Melbourne isn’t lacking in coffee shops. In fact, you could say the city is somewhat awash—okay, flooded—with coffee options. The flipside of this, however, is that the population’s appetite for good coffee appears to be near insatiable, which allows gems like Vacation to carve out a neat little niche for themselves in the competitive city centre.

Sitting on the corner of Exhibition and Flinders Streets, Vacation is a beautifully light and airy space, with a 6.5-metre-high roof, floor-to-ceiling windows (to take in the surprisingly expansive view over Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens and MCG), 1950s-style pastels, and a plenitude of satisfyingly rounded corners. Architecture and interior design of the space was undertaken by Alex Lake of Therefore Studio, with branding by The Company You Keep—with the brief by the Vacation team to the tune of “peaceful, tranquil, holiday vibes.” It’s an aesthetic that immediately feels calm and acts as a point of difference from the white-tiled, brass and copper, light wood Scandinavian stylings of many of Melbourne’s cafes, and has even been referred to as “millennial-pink Tatooine” by some visitors (which feels strangely apt).

Chatting with Bedford, it’s clear that they set out to build a cafe that didn’t take itself too seriously, “We think that coffee quality doesn’t have to come at the expense of approachability and service—so we just tried to make it a bit fun and kooky,” he says. Whimsical illustrations personify the flavour notes on their packaging (including a googly-eyed pineapple), part of the fun and lighthearted approach of the Vacation brand.

Espresso is brewed here on a white powder-coated La Marzocco Linea with Victoria Arduino Mythos One grinders, while filter is exclusively brewed with FETCO—showcasing the coffee that the Vacation team roast themselves at Bureaux Collective, a coffee roasting collaborative space in Abbotsford. The food offering sits neatly alongside the coffee, with a simple cafe menu: think sandwiches (with Meatsmith cured meat), toast with fancy toppings (avocado, seeds and sprouts, or peanut butter, banana, black sesame), and mueslis—as well as pastries from Noisette and Cobb Lane, and some raw and refined-sugar-free treats from Sarah Sivaraman who bakes in-house.

The response from patrons and the local coffee industry alike to Vacation has been a positive one so far: it’s still a rarity to see a specialty coffee shop located in the city centre that has such a substantial food offering, and it’s even more unique for somewhere like that to open on the weekends as it does (which thoroughly pleases the multitudes of local customers who live in the city).

Looking towards the future, Bedford and the team hope to open more shops, and also have their own roasting space. Keeping in line with their aesthetic, however, they’re going to take it slowly and let it grow organically, always making sure not to take it too seriously because, after all, it’s a Vacation, right?

Eileen P. Kenny is a coffee professional, winemaker, and Sprudge Media Network contributor based in Melbourne. Read more Eileen P. Kenny on Sprudge.

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Source: Coffee News

As professional brewers of coffee, many baristas dream of ascending the heights of competition, besting their foes to be crowned the… okayest barista? Sure, it may not sound as glamorous as being named the “best barista,” but it certainly sounds like more fun, at least when it comes to the Second Annual Colorado’s Okayest Barista Competition. Taking place next week at Huckleberry Roasters in Denver, the Okayest Barista Competition looks to find out once and for all (at least until next year) who is pretty, pretty, pretty okay at this whole coffee thing.

Corresponding with the start of Coffee Fest Denver, Colorado’s Okayest Barista Competition is a night of head-to-action, pitting two baristas against one another all for the deranged pleasure of judges Ryan Willbur (La Marzocco USA), Anna Gutierrez (Barista 22), and Omar Herrera (Cafe Imports). Competitors will have to be more okay than their adversary through five rounds consisting of latte art, triangulation, brew methods (random), and a mystery signature beverage, before the final round, a cortado evaluation.

And for those less okay, there will be “beer, fun, and mini-games,” with prizes and swag for the event being provided by Oatly, Department of Brewology, Cafe Imports, La Marzocco, Mahlkönig, Spirit Tea, AeroPress, Barista Magazine, Trade Coffee, and many, many more.

The competition will be capped at 32 entries, and those wishing to compete can reserve a spot by emailing pecos-cafe@huckleberryroasters.com. Total cost of entry is $5, but the event is free to attend. It all gets started promptly at 6:30pm on Thursday, June 7^th at Huckleberry Roasters’ Dairy Block location (which is easily their okayest location). For more information, visit the Second Annual Colorado’s Okayest Barista Competition Facebook page.

Do you have what it takes to be okay?

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

*top image via Huckleberry Roasters

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Source: Coffee News

It’s here! The 2018 Build-Outs of Summer is finally here. And it only seems fitting to start out our sixth season much in the same way that each of the cafes we will be featuring over the coming months begin their journey: with a blueprint. Blueprint Coffee, that is.

Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, Blueprint is a well-known brand in the specialty coffee world, and we are pleased as punch to start this year’s series of Builds with their second location, opening in no time flat just off the famed Route 66; they are setting a high bar for all who follow. So let’s get this summer started right and check in with Blueprint Coffee, shall we?

As told to Sprudge by Mike Marquard.

For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?

Blueprint Coffee opened in September of 2013. It is a collective ownership group of six passionate friends, most of who worked together in the St. Louis coffee and restaurant space from 2006-2013. Our first location on St. Louis’ famous Delmar Loop houses both our roasting operation and first coffee bar. Out of this space we have grown both in local reputation and customer-base as well as established ourselves as a national wholesale roaster.

Can you tell us a bit about the new space?

The new location sits just a half block off of one of the Route 66 routes through St. Louis. It was this heavy traffic that established many of the storied St. Louis businesses that will be our neighbors, such as Ted Drewes Frozen Custard (it really is good, boys and girls) and Donut Drive-In. The building has served as an auto-repair shop for the last 70+ years, but with some love and vision will become a very interactive coffee space. We have preserved four of the original five garage openings and will keep those doors open when weather permits so that our space stretches outside. Our original location on Delmar is extremely limited when it comes to outdoor seating, so this new potential on Watson is very exciting for us.

What’s your approach to coffee?

We buy coffee seasonally and, as often as possible, from the same partners at origin year after year. In the last five years, we’ve established some amazing relationships and gotten to work at origin on both actively aerated compost tea and processing projects. We typically offer three single origin coffees, a filter blend called Tektōn, an espresso blend called Penrose, and a single origin decaf coffee. The single origin and blend ratios last two to four months before being rotated. Even within our blends, we’re focused on mutual beneficial partnerships at origin and sourcing seasonal coffees.

Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?

For sure! We’re quite excited about our Marco SP9 single-cup brewer. We’re hoping it allows us to continue to offer a wide variety of black coffees every day like we’ve done at Delmar with our hand brew menu, but we feel it will only increase the consistency of these brews. We’ve also got a six tap system set up and plan to offer a wide-variety of cold beverages—from cold brew to nitro to our fruit shrubs… maybe even some sparkling and still iced teas. We feel like this will be a nice compliment to our menu in the hot summer months of St. Louis. Also the NA craft beverage industry is an market we feel like can only improve. Sugary soda’s and juice seem to dominate that market, but we’ve start tinkering with tea and coffee derivatives that are quite delightful and complex.

What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?

June 2018

Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?

Yes, we started with the direction of Allison Mendez and Jonathan Stitelman, two Blueprint Coffee regulars that teach in the architecture and urban planning realm. We then took some of their vision for the space to Mademan Designs (Nick Adams) and the Lloyd Brothers (Joe and Phil), who created many of our tables and fixtures at Delmar to bring some continuity to the Blueprint Coffee atmosphere.

Thank you!

You’re welcome!

The Build-Outs Of Summer is an annual series on Sprudge. Live the thrill of the build all summer long in our Build-Outs feature hub.

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Source: Coffee News

You like to laugh and you like coffee and sometimes you even like to laugh at coffee. That’s why you are going to want to check out The Knockbox, a new satirical website written by and for the specialty coffee community, at least the portion of it that recognizes how ridiculous we all are.

The Knockbox is the newest creation of RJ Joseph, the creator of the Queer Cup, contributor at Barista Magazine, and staff writer here at Sprudge. It is here we would like to note that The Knockbox is a wholly independent coffee publication from that of Sprudge, so separate in fact that I wasn’t even asked to write for it and I’m hilarious. Not that I’m upset about that or anything. I’m funny, right? Right?! Oh god, someone please tell me I’m funny. This is my worst nightmare coming true.

When reached for comment, Joseph had this to say about her newest endeavor:

Written in the vein of The Onion or The Borowitz Report, The Knockbox has come out of the gate blazing, turning a smarmy eye towards Yelp reviewers, roasters, and all manner of barista folly. “Too soon!” will be the cry of the barista who feels personally attacked, seeing themselves in the harsh light of satire.

But the rest of us—the ones who have already come to terms with our ludicrous existence—we can all have a good laugh at those who can’t (until they start writing about coffee writers, that is. In which case, TOO SOON!). So go check out The Knockbox, it’s all gold. And be on the lookout for a Kickstarter campaign launching soon. Laughs aren’t free, so cough up the coin, chuckleheads.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

*top image via The Knockbox

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Source: Coffee News

I had just given notice at my day job when United By Blue, a Philly-based eco-clothier, invited me to a preview of their new flagship store in Philly’s Old City neighborhood. With just three weeks left of financial security, I had no real plan for my next move, and the opportunity to see an ambitious 3,300-square-foot concept clothing store/cafe come alive during soft opening seemed a good place to find myself. They sold me on an adventure. They’d bus me from New York  to Philly and put me up for the night. There would be drinks and food in the evening on Thursday, when they’d tell me all about their ocean conservation initiatives. Most tantalizing was the promise of a campfire-inspired breakfast on Friday morning.

I filled in the rest of the blanks. When I arrived, I would find strangers who would immediately seem like lifelong friends. We would swaddle each other in flannel and share our dreams of roaming a greener urban jungle while outfitted in sustainable clothing. After telling ghost stories over evening coffee, we’d mummify ourselves in sleeping bags and wake up the next morning for our “campfire-inspired breakfast.” There’d be a fire pit. An actual fire pit inside this store that would somehow not violate the fire code. Over locally sourced eggs and bacon, we’d make a plan to save the ocean and then we’d all do ayahuasca and throw up the fears that we brought into the store the previous evening. There was no way I was leaving this clothing store without certainty about my life’s path.

On the bus ride down, I received word that the “campfire-inspired breakfast” had been cancelled due to unexpected problems getting the kitchen ready. Ever optimistic in spite of the extinguishing of my Friday morning enlightenment, I put all my hopes on becoming one eco-savior entity with the other attendees of the Thursday event. I checked into my hotel, which I figured was a contingency for those not dedicated enough to the cause to get into those sleeping bags at the end of the night, and walked a few blocks over to the site where I would shed the skin of my previous life and emerge eco-conscious and lighter than air.

When I stepped inside to find my new friends, I discovered only polite strangers. They were warm, for sure, but not ready to bump chests with me and intertwine our hearts in a shared mission. The store had attractive displays of flannel shirts, tents, and industrial coolers that would survive the apocalypse. I also counted no fewer than six campfire-safe enamel coffee mugs sprinkled throughout with messages telling me to take a road trip and leave the world better. One told me “The Mountains Are Calling,” and, surrounded by reclaimed wood and many pairs of soft looking, but durable hemp socks, I believed the cup. I had to.

There were no psychedelics present, but there was whiskey, and maybe if I drank enough and ate enough of the pulled pork and catfish sliders going around, I’d get to where I wanted to be emotionally and spiritually. While I was trying to find myself, I found Lisa Brayda, the manager of the store’s coffee shop, the occasion for my dispatch from points north, located just feet away from the flannel. She made me a lovely shot of ReAnimator’s Keystone Blend from a Synesso Hydra, and told me about her hopes for the shop’s coffee program. She extolled the virtues of a well-executed FETCO drip coffee while expressing a desire to build a solid brew-by-cup offering. She was most excited about seeing people drink coffee at the communal table that sat directly in front of the coffee bar. Here was a coffee nerd who wanted to be accessible to any outdoorsperson who wandered over for that “campfire-inspired breakfast” I would never have.

I liked Lisa. She stood before me knowing what she wanted out of life and her career for the time being and didn’t need my imagined kumbaya soul awakening to reach her conclusions. She’d teach people how to serve coffee, foster a sense of community, and occasionally ring up a $300 Yeti cooler. Other team members from United By Blue put forth polished messaging about their commitment to picking up a pound of trash for every product sold across the nation. Their mission was clear, so how come mine wasn’t?

With some sliders, whiskey, and coffee swirling around my yet undiscovered spirit, I moved to go find an actual meal somewhere out in the world and was directed to pick up a swag bag on the way out. I checked the bag’s contents just outside and discovered those impossibly soft hemp socks and the mug that told me, “The Mountains Are Calling.” Was this mug telling me that my journey wasn’t over, but just beginning? I pulled out my brand new unsustainably produced iPhone X, held it up close to me, and said, “Hey, Siri, find me a fire pit.”

Eric J. Grimm (@ericjgrimm) writes about pop culture and coffee for Sprudge Media Network, and lives in Manhattan. Read more Eric J. Grimm on Sprudge.

Photographs courtesy of United by Blue.

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Source: Coffee News