First Impressions, La Colombe's A Different Drum Rum

Back in the Fall of 2013 I was treated to a tour of La Colombe's Port Richmond roastery.  At the end of my visit, owner Todd Carmichael revealed that he was working on a rum project and I got a brief glimpse of the ad hock still he installed.  I was able to taste a sample and thought the rum was promising although very much in its early stages.  Check out my blog post, "The Coffee MacGyver".

The Rum Distillery Under Construction

Fast forward a year later.  La Colombe's massive new Fishtown Philadelphia cafe finally opened after 11 months of construction.  I was invited to a tasting of the first batch.  About 15 of us sat at a long table with the 450 liter German still a few feet away.

A Different Drum Rum

The rum is infused with Panama Geisha coffee beans, considered among the best coffees in the world (and can cost from $10 to over $100 a pound green).  Todd and his team tasted a lot of coffee and found that the Geisha sourced from one farm produced the best rum so they committed to purchasing the entire lot that the Peterson Farm grows.  The rum produced in-house is blended with Brazilian rum and aged in small 10-15 gallon new White Oak barrels for 6-9 months.

This is a serious rum meant for sipping.  If you love your bourbon neat, you'll find this rum within your wheelhouse.  Personally I preferred an ice-cube or two.  The flavors are mellower and more fully integrated than the first time I tasted it.  There's a nice smokiness with hints of caramel and toast with a touch of sweetness, due perhaps to the coffee sugars.

Initially A Different Drum was $50 and  its new price at $29.99 is an absolute steal.  For now you can only buy it if you're in Pennsylvania or Washington D.C. but there are plans for limited expansion (get ready Chicago and NYC).  For the rest of you unfortunately you're SOL....or perhaps not if you have a relative from PA or D.C. visiting you for the holidays.

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

The Coffee MacGyver

La Colombe's Construction Of Their New Fishtown Cafe

Primary Colors: Red

Bouncing around Philadelphia I recently noticed that I'm more aware of color in my photography.  It' s a bit  atypical because I generally consider myself more of a black and white guy. Using color is a little out of my comfort zone so as a creative exercise I started a new project, "primary colors".  This week: "Red"

 "Where There Is No Vision The People Perish!"

Havana or Fishtown, Philadelphia?

Broad Street Ruin Porn

Cheerleaders, Rittenhouse Square

"Bar" Northern Liberties

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

La Colombe's Construction Of Their New Fishtown Megacafe

March 25, 2014, Exterior, La Colombe Fishtown

September 5, Exterior La Colombe Fishtown

Back in October local Philly roaster La Colombe announced that they were breaking ground on a major new project. Within the inside a former warehouse in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, La Colombe has been building their new flagship rum distillery, bakery and coffee shop. Throughout the winter, partners Todd Carmichael and Jean Philippe Iberti have been busy overseeing the design and construction of the huge 16,000 square foot space.  Todd calls the 150 seat cafe "JP's opus" and also has a cupping room,  sixty-meter German still, and bread oven (the retail bakery is headed by Parc veteran John McGrath)

March 6, 2014: In the beginning...the raw space

When I initially checked out the raw space, I was struck by the size and scope of the project. It's one of the most ambitious cafe build outs I've ever seen. I decided to follow the progress of the construction, photographing the interior every few weeks.   Using a method I've perfected through trial and error, each 180 degree panorama is a composite of 20-30 iPhone still images that are stitched together with the app AutoStitch.  After Snapseed enhancements and conversion to black and white, I finished each image in Lightroom and Photoshop.

March 19, 2014

May 7, 2014 Concrete laid, ductwork

June 5, 2014 Frameout

September 15, 2014: A Few Days Before Opening

Partners Carmichael and Iberti are not resting on their laurels.  The company has just secured $28.5 million in new financing for cafe expansion and Todd informed me that his TV show Dangerous Grounds is soon getting a rebrand (details are still being worked out but it should be more expansive in scope).

August 5, 2014, The Rum Still

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

Blog Post, Todd Carmichael, The Coffee Macgyver

 La Colombe

"A Cafe For Their Crafts" by Michael Klein

"La Colombe Secures $28.5 Million Investment" by Roast Magazine

"Dangerous Grounds", The Travel Channel

Playing In The Surf: Ocean City, NJ

Every year my cousins rent a house for a few weeks in Ocean City, New Jersey.  Visiting them for a few days is one of the highlights of the Summer.  This year I brought a cheap $10 waterproof case for my iPhone and took photographs of people playing in the surf.

































CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

A Week In Carlisle Pennsylvania

Part One: A Coffee Wasteland

I wish I could say that CoffeeGuru will help you find great coffee no matter where you are but alas that's not the case in Carlisle Pennsylvania.  My daughter was taking a Summer ballet intensive at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, one of the top schools in the ballet world.  So there I was stuck in Pennsyltucky.  When I checked out my app for coffee I saw two options in town, a bakery and an espresso bar that roasts their own beans.  I'm not going to tell you the name of these establishments because I hate trashing places I visit.  But the coffee was just awful.  The person behind the counter in the bakery couldn't even tell me who's coffee they served!  Oh well, fortunately I brought my Aeropress and a bag of Greenstreet Coffee to this wasteland.  My rental apartment suddenly had the distinction of serving the best coffee in town.

Carlisle is about 20 miles from Harrisburg the state's capital.  Just before I left home, I heard that one of Philadelphia's best coffeeshops, One Shot was using a guest roaster Little Amps Coffee Roasters based in the capital city.  So on a raining morning I dropped my daughter off and drove about 25 minutes to check them out.

Little Amps Coffee Roasters

Little Amps has two locations.  I headed over to their original in the Olde Uptown section of Harrisburg.  The neighborhood is quaint and hip. My spirits started to lift upon walking in the front door.  The space is small but really comfortable.

Inside two baristas where behind the bar manning a beautiful two lever Victoria Arduino Athena espresso machine.  Matt made me a superb Cortado using their house LA3WAY, an espresso blend consisting of three different beans.  I quickly followed up with their house pour, a Kenya Muranga Gondo.  I was impressed by the clean stone fruit flavors.  While I was enjoying my coffee and scone, the owner Aaron Carlson arrived and we talked shop.

The Victoria Arduino Athena

Aaron grew up in the area and discovered great coffee when temporarily living in Oakland, California for a few years.  Aaron moved back to Harrisburg after his wife finished school and opened up Little Amps, combining his new found passion for great coffee with his love for music.  In the back there's a small collection of well curated records for sale.  To the side sit bags of beans waiting to be roasted.

Beans Waiting For Roasting

Roasting is done on a very small-scale, about 500 pounds a week.  The style leans toward a medium roast, emphasizing stone fruit flavors.  Honestly, I was very impressed and not because I was starved for decent coffee.  It was worth the side trip.

Part Two: Adventures In Central Pennsylvania

Coffee and scary people aside, Central Pennsylvania is quite beautiful.  The area is very economically depressed and I'd leave your Obama t-shirt at home but there is lot's to check out.  The Appellation Trail runs through nearby Boiling Springs and my daughter and I spent a few afternoons enjoying its trails.  The surrounding countryside is also quite pretty with lots of farms, old churches and graveyards.  Starting in August about an hour away the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is a great weekend diversion.  One of the largest of its kind, it encompasses about 35 acres and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors.  There's also a huge car show in Boiling Springs and of course Gettysburg isn't far.  Below are some photographs highlighting my week's adventures.

Water Slides, Boiling Springs Pool

A Walk Along The Appalachian Trail

Mount Zion Cemetery

Bonus Photographs: A Day At The Pennsylvania Rennaisance Faire

Circus Stella

 Ash Cary's Raptors

Glass Blowing

This last one needs a bit of explanation.  It was Doctor Who Weekend at the Faire.  I don't watch the show so I'm not sure how R2D2 is involved but my guess is she doesn't know either.

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

Little Amps Coffee Roasters

Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire

Summer In Philadelphia

Summer is a slower season and my favorite time of year.  Recently I've been photographing some of my favorite things about the season.

Let's start with a refreshing iced coffee.  The city is quiet, the pool is open and for me this is the hot weather drink.  Last week I checked out the new Peddler Coffee and came away really impressed.  Zachary James Urbanski and Richard Kessler veterans of several coffeeshops around town including Ultimo, Town Hall and Greene Street started introducing their small micro-roasted direct trade coffees around Philly via their tricked out coffee bicycles.  The operation is tiny.  The partners purchase very small lots about 100 pounds or so, focusing on high quality and single origin selections.

Peddler Coffee Cold Brew

Just a few weeks ago in a little storefront at 806 South 6th Street, where East Passyunk and Catharine intersect, Peddler hooked up with Koliyan Cambodian Desserts and opened a small coffeeshop. The boys prepare their iced coffee with Yama cold brew towers.  The brew I tried was close to perfection.

Beer Vendor, Citizen's Bank Ball Park

I'm not a big sports fanatic but once a year I take my daughter to a Phillies game.  It's a wonderful bonding experience.  She loves to stay to the very end, gorging on popcorn, cotton candy, and hot dogs,  screaming and doing whatever it takes to get on the Jumbotron.

A Homemade Shrimp Boil

Of course Summer is also about being outdoors with friends and family. My favorite time of day is dusk when the temperature and humidity start to drop.  I live in the suburbs (a blessing and a curse) and love watching  the fireflies doing their nightly light show as bats feed overhead.

Fireflies At Dusk

July 4th Sparklers

High School Graduation

South Warnock Street, Philadelphia

  

Back in Philly, the city gets really quiet as residents go "down the shore".  It's fun exploring the small colonial streets where houses date back to the 1700's.



CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8



Peddler Coffee

Photography Around Philly Part III

When I was younger I thought my calling was Photography.  I got a MFA and for a while was an assistant in New York to a famous fashion photographer.  After years plugging away at it, I came to the conclusion that, while I'm a good photographer, I wasn't talented enough to make it a career.  I packed my Nikons away and didn't touch them again.

In the last two years I've rekindled my love for the medium and started shooting again, exclusively with my iPhone.  I have no idea where this path is taking me but something inside has reawakened.  Recently I purchased a digital camera but still feel far more comfortable shooting with my iPhone.

When I'm not checking out new coffeeshops, I'm constantly inspired to photograph Philly, my hometown.  Here's some of what I saw the past few weeks.

Beer Vendor, Citizen's Bank Ball Park

Crosstown Cab With Elixr

Under The Ben Franklin Bridge

 High School Graduation

Pure Sweets, Rittenhouse

Diner, South Jersey

Spring - Summer

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8