Monday, October 30, 2006

San Diego: Village Coffee Shop

Mission Valley is a beautiful part of the central San Diego area. You will find Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego River, several large shopping malls and a number of good coffee shops. Several years ago, some friends of ours started a coffee shop just east of Qualcomm and called it Cafe De Villagio. The did an excellent job of decorating the coffee house to look like a very established and professional place to buy coffee. The coffee drinks and the service was perfect. In just a short number of weeks, the owners were receiving a number of daily and weekly repeat customers. A little over a year later, the original owners changed the name to Village Coffee and sold the business to fellow coffee lovers! My dad, Mike Chism, still enjoys a cup of coffee on occasion when he is in the Mission Valley area. I would highly recommend Village Coffee for those who are willing to explore Mission Valley. It is just minutes from Mission San Diego as well. You will be treated with a friendly staff and enjoy a fine cup of coffee.

They don’t have a website, and I can’t seem to find the address on the web. It is on the corner of San Diego Mission Rd. and Rancho Mission Rd (across the street from the 7-11). Let me know how you enjoyed the place.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

San Diego: Peet’s Coffee

Even though I am selling fresh whole bean coffee on my website, I still have to admit that Peet’s Coffee is pretty darn good. I have spoken with a number of people around the country who have never heard of Peets. From what I hear, Peets actually helped the guys who started Starbucks many years ago! Peets Coffee is located mainly on the west coast with at least 4 stores in San Diego. If you are in San Diego, look them up. Their coffee is a lot better than Starbucks. Starbucks has done an excellent job of marketing all over San Diego. They are all over the local supermarkets now. They know how to create the coffee spirit. Peets is quite a bit smalller, but they sure do know how to make a good cup of coffee. I spoke with one Peets employee awhile back and asked them about the difference between Peets and Starbucks, and she responded with the following: “Starbucks is all about real estate, and Peets is all about the coffee.” I would have to agree with that statement. They are in a growth mode, so you may find Peets in your city soon!

So, if you what a cup of joe on the go in my city, I would definitely look into stopping into a Peets. Another reason I like Peets Coffee shops is the way they design their stores. The colors and design creates a true coffee experience with monocramatic colors of coffee and relaxing classical music.

If you do go into a Peets, make sure you wear one of my shirts: Wear The Bean

Friday, October 27, 2006

Friday Morning: Coffee Choice of the Day

I just finished a perfect cup of fresh Turkish Roast. This is one of the darkest roast you can find, and it is phenomenal. The crema on the top is so thick. This coffee roast is best to drink within the first week or two after it is roasted. If you have not tried this roast yet, I highly recommend it for those who like very strong coffee!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

The Best Way to Drink Coffee: Black

What is the typical response you get when you ask someone, “Do you drink coffee?” I am hearing less people say they don’t drink coffee and more people responding that they like “coffee drinks.” Coffee drinks are different than drinking real freshly brewed coffee in my opinion. My favorite response is when people get excited and say, “Oh yeah...I drink my cup of coffee black!” I find it interesting that their is more pride and ownership when coffee lovers say they drink it black than when they say, “I like it with cream and sugar.” The conversations are not as strong and exciting when people drink their coffee with cream and/or sugar!

How do I like my coffee? Most of the time I drink it strong, dark, bold and hot with purified water! Wow! I know that is overkill, but it sure taste good! My love for black coffee has grown in the past several years ever since I returned from a mission trip to Holland. I stumbled across a cafe and ordered a cup of coffee. The sizes in Europe are called “short” and “long.” The coffee that was brought out to me was some of the best tasting coffee I had ever had! It had a very thick crema on the top and a rich flavor I will never forget. Ever since that time, I have been very picky about the way I make coffee and serve it to my friends and co-workers.

I would love to hear about why you all like your coffee black. If there are a few people that do enjoy the sugar and cream, you can respond too!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Capalanos Near Nashville

Thanks Jonathan for the coffee lead. I will post the coffee shops on this site as they come in, and I am in the process of organizing a coffee shop database of “approved” coffee shops to go to and enjoy good coffee. This will be posted when I get enough shops posted from major U.S. cities.

Coffee Shop Near Nashville, TN

“Right now the only real coffee shop in my area is Capalano’s in McMinnville, TN. It’s actually pretty good. They have an artsy, laid back pub sort of feel...”

www.capalanos.com
117 East Main St. McMinnville, TN 37110
931.507.CAFE

Selling Our Shirts

I recently received an email from a customer who said he knows of a coffee shop in Tennessee that would like to begin selling our shirts. My plan is to offer our shirts to the coffee shops around the U.S. to promote the bean!

If you are a coffee house looking at selling our t-shirts to promote Good Coffee, please email us for a t-shirt quote. We do sell our shirts to coffee shops at a discounted rate. If you would like your company name added to the shirts, we can arrange that as well (minimum of 100 order).

Friday, October 20, 2006

Exceptional Espresso & Coffee Maker

In the past several years, homeowners have been moving away from buying the $25 Mr. Coffee coffee maker and making larger investments into automatic espresso & coffee makers. Starbucks has created the coffee craving, and now people are on the lookout on how to brew their own they way they like it. Automatic espresso machines are very expensive but make an excellent cup of espresso or americano.

I have purchased several machines the past 3 years. My first machine was a gift for a family member from William Sonoma: the Jura-Capresso E8 This machine sells for about $1,000 and grinds, brews and disposes of the coffee grounds. It is an acceptional machine. William Sonoma also cares another model that is almost $3,000 (for home use) that makes lattes and capuchinos with the push of a button.

Because I love the art of making good coffee and my budget was a little limited, I decided to invest in a regular espresso maker. I purchased two of these machines for work and home use: The Breville 800ESXL. This machine has 15 bars of pressure, which is a perfect amount for producing any type of coffee drink. I like my very dark and strong but not bitter. If you invest in a good coffee grinder and use this machine, you are bound to never go back to a Mr. Coffee.

Coffee Shops in America

Please send me your favorite coffee shops in America. Once I get a good
long list, I will make it into a database that people can easily discover. The idea is for coffee purist traveling to cities around the U.S. to be able to discover and taste good coffee from shops other than Starbucks.

When you submit your coffee shop, please tell me why you like the coffee shop, what the atmosphere is like, the taste of the coffee and why others should consider stopping in for a cup. 

Monday, October 16, 2006

How It All Started

Welcome to our new website! My name is David Chism, and I am the creator of the coffee shirt called, “Bean Wear.” I created the shirts for several reasons.

1) Because I love a good cup of black coffee.

2) I have been on the lookout for quite some time to see if there was a clever apparel brand specifically for coffee lovers. I did not find a lot of success except for Starbucks. Starbucks doesn’t really count in my opinion. While I admire their excellent marketing tactics, I wanted to do something a little different.

3) I wanted to create a t-shirt (and brand) that would really click with people. As you know, coffee is a great conversation starter. People will see me wear the shirt and will not only talk about coffee but other things that come to mind as well.

4) The Bean Wear logo was designed to promote real coffee: black or with with some cream and sugar. Therefore, being a bean wear supporter is for you who enjoy a fine cup of coffee: freshly ground and brewed to perfection. We will not be promoting the colorful and sweet drinks that supposedly have coffee in them (i.e. frappachinos, mochas, gingerbread latte, etc). Bean Wear is for the purist!

5) The Bean Wear website was also created to support local coffee shops around America. Starbucks has done a great job in making coffee popular once again to the American people. Because of Starbucks, more people drink coffee and have grown to love a good cup of coffee. However, people have also become more picky about the kind of coffee they like. This is why you now see a lot of small coffee shops and cafes starting a business and selling decent coffee. I plan to spread the word. I look forward to hearing your suggestions on coffee shops you have visited, the location and what you liked about it. My customers can check my website for recommendations of good coffee around the U.S.

So far, the plan is working well. I am in the beginning stages of growing my company. I will have more colors, shirts and coffees to offer in the near future. If I do not have something on my site, please feel free to email me to see what I can do for you.

Please spread the word about Bean Wear as well. I relish all the referrals I can get.