“We are stoked to supply Julep Cafe with fresh roasted WestBean coffee. Stay tuned for more Julep cafe updates,” WestBean owners James & Andrew.
Learn more about our collaboration on San Diego Eater.
]]>As we all know, there’s a lot that goes into crafting the perfect cup of coffee. If you’ve ever been puzzled about what roast to choose for a satisfying pour over or French press, check out our roast-pairing recommendations.
For an Aeropress: We enjoy our new Ethiopia roast brewed with the Aeropress.
From our Bankers Hill Manager, Carl: “I find that it’s very delicious in making drip coffee. It’s the best quality for the time you put into brewing it--which is about a minute.”
For the Kalita Wave & Chemex: We recommend our rotating single origins, currently our Burundi Kayanza Gakenke with hints of caramel and dried fruit. Other times we will have coffees from Rwanda, Kenya or most recently Zimbabwe to round out our selection of pour overs. We recommend grinding towards a more medium to coarse setting for a delicious and balanced pour over in our cafes or at home.
From co-owner, James: “We try to offer something unique and different for those who enjoy pour overs. Those who order are quite often coffee enthusiasts so we rotate varietals occasionally to keep it interesting and so that they can taste coffees from various regions of the world. We roast and sample test each varietal before we add it on bar. ”
For Espresso Machines & the Bialetti Moka Express: Try our award-winning Sweet Sussex blend (grind to your preference). Hands-down a customer favorite, this espresso blend shines with notes of apricot jam, sweet chocolate and brown sugar, which come through best when brewed under pressure. And if you are looking to try something new, our blend Dawn Patrol has been a big hit as espresso as well.
From our Bankers Barista, Noelle: “Calibrated to perfection, I highly recommend trying our espresso prepared as a flat white or a cortado.”
For Drip Machines: We serve our Mexico Mocabe on drip at all our cafes & highly recommend that you give it a try on drip as well. With notes of malt chocolate, graham cracker, and black cherry, this single-origin coffee guarantees a delicious cup every time with this mostly hands-off brewing method. We will soon be replacing it with a Guatemalan that will be equally tasty!
Our Swiss-Water Process Decaffeinated Brazil roast is another great option. With either roast, we recommend grinding your coffee beans on a higher course setting.
From our Bankers Hill Barista, Jacob: “Simple but delightful, Mexico Mocabe is delicious prepared as a drip. I’d recommend trying it black first before thinking about adding cream!”
For a French Press: Our Mexico Mocabe roast and single origin Colombia work best for the French press. Grind your coffee beans coarsely for optimal brewing.
Here at WestBean, we’re fans of the Bialetti Moka Express for several reasons. First, the device’s material, aluminum, is an excellent distributor of heat and brews better coffee because each part and chamber are evenly heated. And because of the use of pressure and heat, the coffee comes out hotter than it would in a standard pot. The best feature of this method of brewing is that once seasoned properly (more on this later), cleaning the pot is as easy as rinsing with water--no sponge or soap needed. In fact, the coffee will taste better with each brew, thanks to its seasoning.
Its origins stretch back to the 1930s when Mussolini was in power and Italy was experiencing tremendous growth as an empire that Italians honed in on their perfect cup of coffee-- a drink which represented both modernism and urbanization. Opting for a thicker, stronger coffee, steam powered and pressured to perfection, Italians, through trial and error, created espresso.
It wasn’t until the early 20th century, however, when large, costly espresso machines could be widely found in espresso bars, fueling social and public associations with the beverage.
During the 1930s, the Mussolini regime also advanced a national campaign for Aluminum. Nearly overnight the precious metal became the quintessence of anything Italian, the hallmark of design and sturdy craftsmanship.
It was during this time of innovation that Alfonso Bialetti moved back to Italy from France, where he worked in the aluminum industry. He set up shop and in the 1920s the Moka Express was mentally conceived. Curiously, it was his observations on laundry practices that spurred the concept. He noticed that the launderers would boil the wash in a tub containing a central pipe. This pipe’s function was to redistribute the soapy water from the bottom of the wash back over the top of the laundry.
Bialetti reasoned that this was a sure way to make good coffee at home and in 1933, utilizing the national metal, invented the stovetop Moka Express. Bialetti’s invention has virtually retained its same shape and function since and can be found in nine out of ten Italian homes.
Interested in trying home brewing with the Bialetti Moka Express? Grab a bag of Sweet Sussex, our award-winning espresso beans that feature notes of apricot jam, sweet chocolate and brown sugar and get brewing!
Tip: You may want to brew a few “practice” cups first as the finish on the metal will distort the taste of the coffee. To curb economic impact, use cheap grounds for these brews and taste each cup until the flavor of the coffee emerges. This will also help season the pot.
]]>But what was the process that eventually ended with that cup of coffee in your hands?
For third wave coffee roasters, the emphasis is on the pursuit of quality coffee--striving to create delicious, complex coffee by focusing on the process from seed to cup. This begins with partnerships involving sustainable coffee producers and importers, and continues with careful and dedicated creative roasting practices, and finally innovative and precise brewing methods to perfectly extract the coffee.
Essentially, every step of the process is done to the highest ability to craft a quality cup of coffee.
Another tenet of third wave coffee roasters is to refrain from roasting the coffee too dark, like many of the large coffee roasters. A third wave roaster’s goal is to develop a roast that allows interesting and complex flavors and varietals to shine through. There is definitely a roast spectrum within specialty coffee, and while some roast a lot lighter, we prefer to roast a more medium and traditional tasting coffee, with none of the bitterness.
The third wave also extends to the customers cafe experience. In continuing with a focus on quality, the expectation is that baristas are knowledgeable about the seed to cup process, and are excited to share their knowledge with the inquiring customer. Third wave coffee can be enjoyed for the stories behind the coffee, the labor that goes into pursuing the highest quality cup of coffee and for excellence in hospitality and intention that put that cup of coffee into your hands.
All of this is why we support the third wave coffee industry and hope you will too!
]]>Latte art, built out of the combination of coffee oil and brewed coffee with milk foam, comes “directly out of the flavor of the espresso,” said U.S. latte art pioneer David Schommer in a 1994 edition of CoffeeTalk Magazine.
Though latte art cropped up in different countries at different times, it was popularized in the United States in the 1980s by Schommer. He developed his latte art in Seattle, and credits Jack Kelly of Seattle’s Uptown Espresso for developing microfoam in the city in 1986. Schommer soon created the heart latte art design, which became a signature of his roastery and coffee shop, Espresso Vivace. Working off of a picture from Italy’s Cafe Mateki, he soon perfected the rosette (aka “rosetta”) pattern.
Deconstructing the image, Schommer said “I knew when I saw it the petals must be formed by each swipe of the pitcher during shaking. Overcome with the beauty of these patterns, I became obsessed with getting them under control.”
We are grateful for the creativity of latte artists and coffee connoisseurs throughout the world and share our love for latte art at our four San Diego cafes. Have you gotten the chance to enjoy a cup (or two) of WestBean coffee with a beautiful latte art design? Stop by and we’ll pour you a cup!
]]>Each of our coffees have been carefully selected, with countless hours spent refining and adjusting each roast until the perfect flavor emerges. This process ensures we’re confident in every bag of beans we sell, in every cup our customers enjoy.
Interested in becoming a wholesale partner? Our program includes client features on our website’s partner page, complimentary initial training of manager/staff at our Roastery and Wholesale headquarters, a dedicated account manager, once-a-week deliveries and the potential for story and post features on our growing Instagram page of 7,500+ followers.
To qualify for our program, a minimum of 20lbs of coffee must be ordered each month, with additional fees for grinding. For more details on the program and to schedule an initial order, visit our wholesale page.]]>In addition to the roastery, which you can view through glass doors, we have a 24 seat cafe (and 12 seat outdoor patio!) where we serve our full drink menu and occasional unique specials. Choose from one of our house-sweetened signature lattes, nitro cold brew on tap, classic espresso drinks or pour overs. We get our pastries from the local San Diego bakery, Bread & Cie. We also offer breakfast including housemade breakfast sandwiches, yogurt bowls and acai bowls.
Visit our new location for your caffeine fix and to take a peek at our roasting process, open from 7am to 2pm daily. The WestBean Roastery Cafe is located at 4140 Morena Blvd Suite A, San Diego, CA 92117. Follow us on instagram for the latest WestBean happenings.
Our beloved barista, Marco Laguna, concocted the winning recipe - 75% Ethiopian Tafachi and 25% Guatemala Flor Del Rosario La Cascada roasts to create a delicious and full-bodied brew.
Cold Brew City's third installment was held at Bread & Salt in Barrio Logan. Cold Brew City is a gathering of coffee lovers, vendors, and a friendly competition to be named "Best Cold Brew in San Diego." For more information on the event and upcoming events, click here.
Stay tuned for news about when Marco's winning cold brew recipe will be released at our Bankers Hill location!
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Speaking of National Geographic, the shoot was for a story the magazine is doing in conjunction with the San Diego Tourism Board - and WestBean was named as the "go-to" coffee shop in San Diego!
We're thrilled to be mentioned in the story and to have gotten the chance to work with such a prestigious photographer as well.
We'll post a link to the story when it comes out!
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Roasting coffee can be a challenging task. If you roast the coffee too dark, it will taste burnt and bitter. If you roast the coffee too light, it will taste acidic and sour. Our goal at the WestBean is the find that sweet spot in the middle for each coffee, blending the fruity and floral acidities of lighter roasts with the bold mouthfeel of caramelized chocolate found in darker roasts. These flavors will vary with each individual coffee, and it is our job to find the right balance every time.
Now, you can enjoy your favorite WestBean roasts from the comfort of your home by shopping our online store!
]]>Check it out! Read more!
]]>"Eater has learned that West Bean Coffee Roasters will be moving into a ground floor anchor spot in the 13-story building which is crowned by iconic restaurant Mister A’s. WestBean, which was founded in 2009, has a roastery located in Grantville and opened its first storefront downtown on Broadway back in 2014; last year, the local roasters became the main coffee tenant in Liberty Public Market."
Read the full Eater WestBean Coffee article here!
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