So, many people ask us about the “little flowers” or hearts on top of the lattes. Many wonder how it’s done, and many also wonder why it seems to be different every time they come in.

We’ll break it down just a bit for you…

Latte art is art that is attempted with every latte we make. It is a difficult skill to develop and hone, as it’s subjective to many variables. So many things can affect our ability to consistently make the same art on top of your latte, including the way the milk is steamed, what type of milk is used, how old the espresso is, the size and shape of the cup, and which barista is making the beverage. Side note: latte art is nearly impossible when using soy milk, very difficult with almond milk, relatively difficult with skim milk, and much more likely to impress with whole milk. Who wants to look at the same thing every time, anyways?! If you’re given a latte that even has a glimpse of art on top, that tells you a lot about the drink you’re about to consume. Milk that is steamed improperly can almost never be successfully used for free poured latte art. So if you see a relatively pathetic looking leaf on top of your latte, do not be dismayed, as this beverage is almost guaranteed to taste much better than if the top of your latte had froth that resembled soap suds. You may have seen the cute little puppy faces or smiley faces on some shared picture of a cappuccino on Facebook, but those are not the drinks we’re aiming for. In order to make a puppy face or Bill Clinton’s face in your latte, the froth has to be unacceptably thick and tools must be used. Our goal is to use free pouring only to make your latte art. The puppy face or Bill Clinton faces in lattes use a method called “etching”, which is not our method.

We hope to consistently provide you with an espresso-based drink that not only tastes stellar, but also is a piece of art. We take much pride in our attention-to-detail in drink production, and we hope you can enjoy this pursuit with us!

 

Did you ever look at a bag of coffee that you get from the grocery store and look for a roast date on it? If you have attempted that search, you’ve likely been unsuccessful. Although, you most likely were able to find an expiration date. Any time that you can find an expiration date for a coffee and not a roast date, that’s your first sign that it’s not fresh coffee, and it also tells you that the roaster is not committed to freshness. Any roaster who is committed to freshness, and stands by that commitment, has nothing to hide, and thus will have a roast date printed on the coffee bag. We buy our coffee from Intelligentsia Coffee out of Chicago, and they only roast what we order AFTER we order it, ensuring we’re getting the freshest product possible. When we receive our coffee, it’s always the day after it was roasted, and we will not sell or serve it to you for more than 13 days beyond that. Our commitment is to serve and sell coffee only if it is within 2 weeks of its roast date. You’ll find our roast dates posted on our whole bean coffee list. You can also ask what the roast date is for the coffee you are drinking that day. If you really pay attention, you’ll likely be able to tell the difference between 3 day old coffee and 13 day old coffee. Coffee loses so much as time goes on. This is why we not only are committed to serving coffee within 2 weeks of its roast date, but also grinding only to order as well. Pre-grinding coffee does irreversible damage to the quality of coffee. If we were to grind coffee and brew it immediately, and then brew a cup of the same coffee from grounds that had been ground an hour earlier, the coffees would taste remarkably different, as the pre-ground coffee has lost so much of it’s flavor due to sitting un-brewed, yet ground. The more you drink our coffees, the more you’ll be able to start telling the different not only between one coffee and the next, but comparing how old the coffee is, even within our 2 week limit.

 

If you want to talk to us about coffee freshness, or ask questions about how to make your coffee as home as best you can, just ask next time you stop in!

hi all! if you’re familiar with the staff at Seth’s Coffee, you may find yourself feeling like a stranger these days, as many of our staff have moved on to bigger and better things in their lives, and all within a very short amount of time! We’ll miss everyone who has been with Seth’s for so long, including four staff that have been at Seth’s either since opening day, or within a few months of opening 3 years ago. We’ll miss you Chase, Justin, Christopher, and Keli! Best of luck as life leads you elsewhere…

We’ve welcomed Kristi, Ben, Mel, and Nick to the family, and we are ready to serve you and yours! See you soon…

 

Welcome to Seth’s Coffee’s new website. We are pleased to now be accessible by you iPhone users finally! We changed the format of our website to be a bit easier to navigate, more accessible information about what Seth’s Coffee is all about, and what we have to offer for your enjoyment. You’ve already found your way to this blog page, which will be periodically updated with blogposts about things such as brewing methods, the rants and raves of the staff at Seth’s, photos of latte art, and the like. Enjoy! Be sure to follow us on Facebook for the most up-to-date information about special food/drink offerings, any special events, or a coercing message about why today is the day to come in and hang out with us.