Slideshow

Tag: kaldi’s coffee

  • Brunch: 11.10/11.12

    Croissant  11
    ham, swiss, over easy egg, aioli, potatoes

    Chicken Hash  13.5
    adobo sauce, cabbage, potatoes, spinach, onion, 2 sunny side up eggs

    Strawberry French Toast  11
    mascarpone

    We're also offering three new coffees on our menu today:
    Monserrate, Colombia roasted by Kaldi's
    Karatina Peaberry, Kenya roasted by Intelligentsia
    Didier Reinoso, Colombia roasted by Madcap

  • Brunch: 4.14/15.12

    Strawberry Pancakes  10
    whipped cream

    Salmon & Grits  15
    poached eggs, cilantro hollandaise

    Huevos Rancheros  12
    ranchero sauce, 2 eggs sunny side up, corn tortilla, queso fresco, pico de gallo

     

    We are also featuring two new coffees starting this weekend:

    Tairora Cherry Project, Papua New Guinea:
    Counter Culture Coffee (NC)
    Coffees from the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea are starting to garner attention and praise from the specialty coffee community. Their harvest comes at a time when most other crops are starting to show age and coffee lovers await fresh crops from Africa and Central America. This coffee is a unique project in which the Colbran family, owners of the respected Baroida Estate, have reached out to small farmers in their community to help seperate quality lots from being blended into average market coffee. (think comfort)

    Kinyovu, Burundi:
    Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Company (MO)
    The arrival of Kinyovu marks the revolution of our seasonal coffee offerings. We opened our doors with Kinyovu leading the way in May of 2011. I’m excited to welcome this coffee back and celebrate the quality sorting and washing efforts of the farmers belonging to the Kinyovu mill in Burundi. Since 2005, small farmers have taken control of the mills in Burundi and shown just how important tedious sorting and careful washing are to preserving the quality of high grown coffees. Before then, Burundi coffees were only sold as filler coffees in the commodity world. Today, Burundi coffees are among the best in the world. (think sweetness, vibrancy

  • from the bar: The new Coffeebar at Half & Half

    This week we feature two new coffees, both quite sweet (literally) options:

    Rwanda Dukundekawa from Kaldi's and Bolivia Anjilanaka from Intelligentsia. These are both great coffees, but they mark the end of our coffee program's first phase.

    When I joined Half & Half one year ago, I did so because I wanted to change the way coffee was perceived in St. Louis. I saw an opportunity to market coffees based on their own merits and erase some of the erosion that big sizes and milk/sugar-heavy menus create. I also had the opportunity of serving coffee at the first Coffee Common event at TED in Long Beach, CA one year ago. Coffee Common is a collective group of baristas, roasters, and equipment companies that joined together in order to introduce people to the nuanced joy of exceptional coffee.

    Over the course of our first six months in business, I made more exciting cups of coffee than I have ever made in my career. The amount of hand-brewed coffee, reasonably sized cappuccinos, and sidecars that I made was intoxicating, as was the press we received for our coffee and food. We moved forward based on this buzz and brought in some exceptional (and quite expensive) cups of coffee from around the country. Drinks continued to sell astonishingly well.

    Finally, after being open for 8 months, I started to notice something distracting: we were selling an intense amount of great coffee, but I'm not certain people were/are buying it because it tastes great. I started to notice that the more expensive a cup of coffee was (which is relative to its quality and the worldwide coffee market), the better it sold. Surely, some people will tell me to stop whining and accept the business, but I can't. When I joined Half & Half, I wanted to change perception. "The more expensive, the better" is not a change in perception. It is often true, but I want people to know why our coffee is better. What was missing from our coffee program was a conversation about coffee. It does not need to be long, it just needs an opportunity to exist. Our customers are enjoying great brunch on busy weekends and fulfilling our mission to provide a place for enjoyment, but there still is not much space for culinary curiosity (in terms of coffee) at this point.

    So, after being a pesky barista and sitting down with some of St. Louis' best coffee & food minds, we are relaunching our coffee program on March 19. We aim to feed customers curiosity about coffee and provide a much easier coffee bar to access on weekday mornings.

    First off, we will be open Monday mornings for coffee & donuts so that we can become part of your habitual routine. It will be a fun morning focused on coffee. On Monday thru Friday, we will dedicate the coffee bar side of the restaurant for counter service. You can still sit at the bar and enjoy any food off the menu, but we hope to increase the use of this beautiful space on weekdays. Feel free to grab an espresso at the counter, grab a seat at one of our bars or bar tables, and check your email or read the paper.

    Second, our coffee menu will be changing a bit. Instead of its current list form, we will start using icons to better identify how coffees are brewed. We will also offer fewer overall options so that you have the best chance of catching the nuanced joy coffee can bring. Each week different coffees will be pared with different brewing devices to illustrate the coffees multiple characteristics and demonstrate the features of each brewing method. We will likely feature three coffees from three roasters at a time (we are also brining in Handsome Coffee, in addition to Kaldi's, Intelligentsia, Counter Culture, and Madcap).

    Third, we will offer World's Fair Donuts (ed. not free - $1.50 each) and free wifi (both from 7a to 11a weekdays). These are exceptional companions with a cup of coffee. In order to also increase access to great coffee, we will offer curb side call in service. Pull up to a spot outside, give us a ring, and we'll have your coffee out as soon as we can (no skimping on quality). We realize that everyone is busy (including us), but great coffee doesn't always have to be a diva. Great coffee can enhance a commute, a morning meeting, or a car full of screaming kids. Let us help you find joy in your morning.

    Fourth, we will begin offering a monthly customer event focused on coffee. These events will push to explore that joy in coffee's nuance. In addition, we will offer customer loyalty cards and disloyalty journals. The cards will work like any other coffee bar (buy 10, get one free). For those in the mood for a exploratory coffee drinking lifestyle, we will sell coffee tasting journals for 6 dollars (with a free drink included). These journals allow you to chronicle your drinking experiences and build a taste memory. When you complete the journal (which you can do with our coffees OR others), simply show us your journal, and we will give you a new one and a free drink. Your journal is also a coupon for 10 percent off whole bean coffee at Half & Half.

    Last, just to help make it easier for folks to transition to our coffee bar, we will be offering 25 percent off all coffee drinks purchased at the coffee bar on weekdays thru April 30. We know you'll be hooked on the quality of our coffees by then, but we would like to thank you in advance for your loyalty. In the next couple of weeks, you'll probably see one of the postcards below floating around town. In addition, I will soon post our new menu format.

    In good coffee,

    Mike

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