More on our Philosphy
Coffee Sourcing - As our name implies, coffee is central to what we do here. As such, we have been constantly evaluating, learning about and improving that aspect of Cottonwood.
We buy our coffee wholesale from PT's Coffee Roasters in Kansas City. In the world of specialty coffee roasters, PT's is highly regarded as one of the best. PT's has been in business for a long time and their buying practices have evolved as the coffee industry has changed. As they say themselves:
We source our coffees in the country of origin and work directly with farmers to improve their lives. We visit them yearly, often times taking customers with us to origin, and pay extraordinary prices for extraordinary coffees. We partner with producers that do an outstanding job. We don't just buy coffee from them, we work with them, it's a team effort - from the seed to the cup!
Some customers have asked why we only offer a handful of Fairtrade or organic coffees when we talk so much about quality. Hopefully the quote above gives you some indication as to the reasons. Working with PT's, we are far surpassing the constructs of marketing tools such as Fairtrade and working directly with farmers. Unfortunately, fairtrade and organic, while generally well intentioned, have no real bearing on quality. Working directly with farmers allows us to pay a premium price directly to the farmer (often as much as three times over fairtrade prices) while ensuring high quality coffee and appropriate environmental and social conditions.
The art of the barista - Making coffee and espresso is more than just a set of steps that produce a hot beverage. Properly preparing espresso takes diligence, training and an awareness of the nuances of complex coffee flavors. Some professionals say that there are as many 50 to 60 human-controlled variables between the bean and the shot of espresso. Given that a shot can be produced in less than a minute, it is easy to see how truly complex the process is.
We start with the best equipment. The Italian Mazzer grinder, Conti espresso machine and Fetco extractor provide us with the tools needed to make great coffee. Our water is filtered so that it contains the precise levels of mineral required for the Specialty Coffee Association of America's quality standards.
Our baristas (baristi technically) undergo indepth training that exposes them to all aspects of coffee production all the way to the science behind proper extraction. As they progress in their skill level, we allow them more responsibility and train them to create latte art. This latte art, which is simply an artistic pattern in the foam and crema of a coffee drink, indicates that the barista has begun to truly master the nuances of espresso drink making.
Community - We believe that business should be about more than making money. While the bottom line is always an important and unavoidable priority, we feel that we should be an amenity to our community. To accomplish this, we have attempted to be as inclusive and inviting as possible. We also strive to provide a central hub for social events and information. Our community is what allows us to exist, so we feel obligated to serve our community to the best of our abilty.
