Voluto Coffee

Bigger Isn't Always Better

We could literally write an entire book about portion distortion, a phenomenon in this country taken by storm but we figured it wouldn't be worth playing those cards, nor do we have any intentions in discussing the food guide pyramid introduced by the USDA in 1992. When we designed the menu for Voluto Coffee in 2008, we knew that we wanted to introduce Pittsburgh to a more traditional espresso menu with smaller sizes right from the start and chose to completely omit the 20oz drink, a move that we stand behind to this day very firmly. Barb and I never even consume more than 12oz, but of course that's us and we are running a business where customers dictate some of our offerings. Larger portions ( whether it be food or drink) didn't become acceptable until the late 1980's if I recall correctly. "Super Sizing" was introduced more as a marketing tactic which would pour more money in the pockets of big CEO's and the like at a mere increased cost. The Extra Large Popcorn and Super Size Fries weren't created with the consumer's best interest at heart, nor is the 32oz TRENTA now available in Starbucks. Come to think of it, it is now hard to believe that Starbucks originally had a "short" (8oz) size on their menu, it was unfortunately taken off their menu in 1999 and the Venti ( 20oz) was then born. What happened to the original glass bottle of Pepsi Cola that was 6.5oz?

Our society has accepted this super sizing of the beverage & food industry to be the norm and we strongly believe that it has gone a little too far. Nonetheless, we didn't omit the 20oz drink to join in against the battle of obesity in this country. We want to make sure that you enjoy the best, and that the coffee is at the fore front of each beverage that is hand crafted by each one of us. If it the exquisite and intricate flavors & aromas of coffee you are after, than we should all be so happy that small independents like us ( & others in Pittsburgh, and around the country) dare to be different and stand apart from corporation nation. Support us and be loyal to us because of the utmost importance we place on the quality of our beverages, because we believe bigger isn't better. We'd rather you support us for those above reasons, rather than the selection of our cup sizes. Of course you can get a latte that's bigger than ours, and perhaps cheaper ( that's a whole other conversation) but is it better? Do you feel fully & utterly satisfied while nursing it the last drop over xx amount of time? Is worth a mere 4oz difference, is it that significant? IS IT?

Besides, when analyzing over the last year the smaller versus bigger sizes at our establishment, 58% of our hot beverages are 12oz. We honestly do not have that many customers demanding & asking for larger drinks and we've even had some of our customers downsize to the more traditional ones, which in our book, is worth more the extra profit to be had of a 20oz mocha.

The Gas Station Offers Coffee Too.

We've french pressed every single coffee that's come through our door since January 7th 2009 and we like it. We'd like to think that many of our customers appreciate the extra effort that goes into it, although we know it is impossible to please and appeal to everyone. We know that some consumers however, still regard coffee as just a pick me up and could care less how it's made, where it's from and the whys to our "pricier" offerings and that's fine to a certain degree. We're able to distinguish the consumers that are willing to hear our story from the ones that will always just call it a "regular". Regardless, we treat every single person that patronizes us the same and appreciate their business. We sometimes must bite our tongues and put snarly remarks behind us, but when customers leave their respect at home, well, we just have to dish it back, with class of course, and yes, I'm sorry Mister, but the gas station is down the street and they probably have the cheaper coffee you're looking for. As a brand new spanking business, we often think twice about what we say and make every attempt at diplomacy because we just can't afford at this point to lose any customers, but we won't take rudeness and barbaric & ignorant behaviors and comments. AND NO, That hot water tower sitting on our counter is NOT a drip machine, nor an espresso machine (that's the shiny monster to your right), this little baby delivers delicious FILTERED hot water to make our delicious coffee. Oy!

But In all seriousness, we didn't want to offer drip coffee because it is so much more fun to "brew" a nice cup of coffee manually, and really, the end result is so much better... and it's also something that you ( the consumer) can actually replicate quite easily at home, granted you have a decent grinder, a bodum press, ( which we sell at our shop) and well, some of our delicious coffee. There is so much talk now about manual brewing method since Starbucks decided to launch manual pour overs in the afternoon in what I believe all 11,000 stores...they're finally catching up with what many independents have been offering for some time now. I'm not sure that we agree with every aspect of their brewing methods, however, we do believe it will probably be beneficial for some of us as they have a much broader share of the market and will hopefully raise some sort of awareness... and then we can take it from there. Some say that we should all be switching to manual techniques and ditch the airpots and thermo's and as much as we'd love this to be reality, we find it difficult to grasp our heads behind the feasibility of this. We don't have enough fingers on our hands to count the rolls of eyes we've been given for telling someone, "oh, the coffee is french pressed and will take 4 minutes" ( mostly in the afternoon). "4 minutes?? what? I don't have time to wait". meanwhile, had they walked in at a local Starbucks, and encountered a few people in line ( a problem we wish we had on a constant basis), they probably would have waited the same amount of time, but for an average, acceptable cup of coffee (IMHO).

It is like comparing a fine dining establishment such as Dinette or Il Pizzaiolo to a Domino's. Pizza it is, all appreciated for different reasons, but not everyone will dig and appreciate a $17 pie, however, the people that do will be forever thankful for that little moment of bliss, on the other hand, Domino's did do its job, it subsided my hunger.

YOU HeART Voluto

We've never been big fans of "cheesy" holidays such as Valentine's day,  we believe everyday should be a special day in any relationship! ( now that's cheesy..) Regardless of how we personally feel, you better believe we're going to capitalize from it. As I've tweeted here & there, we're going big on chocolate and it's going to be delish. Besides, with all this nasty weather we've all suffered this week, anything chocolate at this point would be comforting. We're probably going to be "frowned" upon by other "3rd wave" coffee establishments for going a little more frou frou than usual, but we've decided a while ago that we like riding our own WAVE here at Voluto & it's only for the day and I think some of you might actually enjoy it. Here's what we'll be offering that day, from 9am-5pm

DRINK SPECIALS:

12oz Spicy Hot Cocoa ( Feel the Burn )

12oz White Chocolate & Lavender infused Mocca (Sauce homemade)

SWEET TREATS From Vanilla Pastry Studio:

Orange Chocolate Chip Coffeecake

Heart Shaped Cranberry White Chocolate Scones

Forbidden Apple Muffins

Cupcakes: Raspberry Chambord, Chocolate Covered Cherry & Spicy Chocolate

FEATURES:

Chocolate & Brie  on Italian

Baked Egg ( Sunny side up), Goat Cheese & Spinach on Rosemary Focaccia

We'll have the usual Croissants & Pain au Chocolat...So kick start your Valentine's day the right way this Sunday & while you're at it, buy your lover a piece of heART from the Pittsburgh Glass Center that we have on sale here. Nothing says I love YOU like a personalized message picked from the relationship specialists...

Let It Snow.

Despite one of the biggest snow storms to ever hit Pittsburgh, Barb and I opened on Saturday, a little late, (10am instead of 9am) but nonetheless, we were here. Luckily, we had power and nothing was damaged during the storm unlike some other unfortunate businesses. Being able to walk here is one of the many perks of living & working in the same neighborhood and it was quite a sight in East Liberty that Saturday morning. A Beautiful white canvas, with just people walking up Negley, I felt as though I had been transported to the old days. All of us, bundled up and smiling & actually acknowledging each others presence, actually acting civilized while witnessing randoms acts of kindness. Funny how chaos always bring people together. I really thought we should have closed that morning, my mom called me & said even Starbucks is closed! But Barb insisted we opened, and so while mumbling & grimacing, we walked. We opened at 10am and by 11am, the place was packed with members of the community so thankful they could get their hands on a warm cup of coffee. I read on Twitter that Aldo Coffee in Mt. Lebanon had the same situation. We were the Friendship community Hub for the day and it was nice. Sunday was a little slower, I imagine most people were over mother natures' beautiful bountifulness and diggin' their car out & getting ready for a crazy Monday, and it was....We've had a few people ask us why we'd want to move so close to our "work" and this my friends, is one of the many whys.
We do not miss commuting back & forth, sitting in downtown traffic trying to get across that darn Fort Pitt Tunnel. It's been a little over 3 months that we live in the neighborhood and our stress & anxiety level has lowered drastically. While walking home from closing the shop a little early Monday evening down Negley Ave, I had a deja vue of what used to be a daily routine. Aggravated & tired, behind the wheel, cars jammed up another with no where to go, and here I was, just walking and smiling, I think my ass can handle a little frostbite.

And now we must prepare for even more snow, and although it's not the greatest for business...the feeling of being part of the community is priceless. We're glad to be here to keep all of you caffeinated & warm.

Espresso Feature: Evil Twin

As you many of you may remember, we hosted the "Sprodown" back in June 2009 in collaboration with PACA and got a good bit of people to come in and try this elusive beverage. Rich from Aldo even wrote an article in Barista Magazine about it. It was indeed a lot of fun, and ever since that day, Barb and I have been casually talking about "featuring" different espressos on our bar, however, we've lacked the third grinder. We've on occasions kicked the decaf espresso to the curb for the day, but wouldn't you know the day we're not offering decaf is the day everyone wants it, so that doesn't always work to our advantage. We've tried allocating some funds for it, but unfortunately, something usually pops up that must take precedence. Espresso, when pulled right, is a brewing method that highlights very well some of the unique characteristics in a certain coffee, and when blended with another, can create multilayer of flavors and texture in your mouth. We've really enjoyed pulling Epic from 49th Parallel and it shines well in all of the espresso-based beverages that we offer and is just superb as a double in a demitasse. Over the holidays, 49th Parallel offered their "holiday" blend, a Brazil & the ever popular Ethiopia Yergacheffe Wondo Worka. It was quite different than the Epic,  texture wise it was much more syrupy in our opinion and tasted quite fruity in a Porter kind of a way. It was truly beautiful in a cappuccino and I miss it that way dearly. I also remember pulling one of the sweet tooth from Ritual Coffee Roasters back in August or September that tasted really super in a short Americano. Some cafes around the country offer the choice of espresso for whatever beverage you choose, and some pull a specific one for shorter drinks and choose a different blend for "milkier" drinks and we think that's great. We have a nice following of people who enjoy a double espresso and shorter, more traditional beverages and we'd like to think that some of you may like to have a little variety on occasions when it comes to espresso. So, look out for us featuring different espressos from different roasters throughout the year at no specific time and without any particular roasters in mind...whenever something comes out that makes us itch, we'll go ahead and give it a try and let you enjoy it along with us.

With that said, we will be featuring Ritual Coffee Roasters' Evil Twin Espresso which is a blend of 2 Brazil, processed differently (one pulp-natural and one natural), the end product according to their notes is quite tropical: Our favorite espresso shots draw out rivaling tropical fruit flavors from both coffees—pineapple and banana flavors from Fazenda Serra Negra contrast with papaya and berry flavors from Fazenda Nossa Senhora de Fatima, resolving with notes of a 65% Madagascar chocolate. Hello! Who doesn't like the sound of that? It sounds more like a description on the back of a Vosgues Chocolate Bar. We received 24lbs of it on Wednesday and we'll be throwing it in the hopper on Saturday for the first time. We'll be featuring it for about 2 weeks so that we can experience it at different days off roast and see how it evolves.

Breakfast of Champions

Some of you may have noticed that we do not have "lunch" paninis available at the moment. Although our caterer created a sensational little menu for us and all were very tasty, we just didn't sell enough to meet the minimum order. It has to be profitable for all involved and we just wasted too many ( or ate them ) and we started losing money, besides the ridiculous amount of waste of food. So, we've decided to place them on hold. We've looked into making some ourselves, but with the limited working space, it's very difficult. We are also struggling with wholesale prices because we're ordering in such small quantities and lack proper prep equipment. However, we're really excited about some of the more breakfast type items that we are able to create in our so called kitchen/office/storage space! The peanut butter & Jam as well as the Peanut Butter, Banana & Honey on Brioche has been received well so far. We also are giving egg sandwiches a try since yesterday and that is going well so far. We bake the eggs ourselves ( not made from frozen, but fresh) in our oven, with Canadian bacon, muenster cheese on a toasted Mediterra bagel, add that to a french press of Kenya or Yirgacheffe, and you're good to go!. Now, there isn't any reason why you should go anywhere else in the morning, seriously.

ONE YEAR of EXCELLENT COFFEE

It was one year ago that Voluto Coffee opened its doors, on a similar cold January day, but come to think of it, it was 8 years ago that the little dream of this started. It's hard to believe that a whole entire year has passed as it seems only yesterday we were feeling the butterflies in our stomach, anxiously serving our first ever cup of coffee. Were we going to live up to the expectations we set for ourselves and of others or were we going to fall flat on our faces and realize we've made a big mistake...In retrospective, we thought we were going to be busier than we have been and that's the honest truth, and we certainly underestimated the power of foot traffic. There are days when it is difficult to stay on a positive path, but we look towards the future with big hopes. We never imagined that we'd grow such a strong following of committed regular customers in such a short period of time. We're actually a little baffled with the amount of people who appreciate the efforts we pour into our coffee and that in an essence speaks volume, LOUDLY. Although this year has been exhausting and stressful to say the least, it is our customers and the love of coffee that has kept us going strong. It is the one customer that drives across town for our french press coffee, and the one that drives out of her way in the morning for our latte, and the one that comes every day for a macchiato...It is the many businesses such as FDA, Pittsburgh Glass Center, & The Cotton Factory that has helped us pull through by their continued support ( monetary & mentally) and words of encouragement. We also couldn't have done this without the love and support of our family & friends. My entire family has been so supportive throughout the year with helping us move, cooking us meals and being regular customers ( even though they no way reside near the area). We have worked hard this year, and we've worked many hours on a continuous basis, but we can say that we most definitely enjoy our craft and almost every moment spent at Voluto. Although there are many things on our to-do list that weren't accomplished for 2009, I strongly believe that we've over exceeded in so many other aspects. Coming into this business with no coffee or business background and a little practice on the Synesso ( remember that it lived in our basement for 5 months), I believe we've achieved being able to stand up next to all of the other 3rd wave coffee establishments of Pittsburgh. When we opened Voluto Coffee, we knew that the bar on coffee had been raised and we felt a huge amount of pressure coming on board with a roaster of such strength ( 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters) and in our opinion, there was no room for error. We knew that the moment we opened our doors, the coffee and the espresso had to speak for itself and the experience we were creating for our customers had to be excellent I believe that our product since we opened has only improved and that our commitment to quality is making an impression, and we can honestly stand next to our product and feel proud.
There are many more goals that we've set for ourselves for 2010, and we hope that you will stay tuned to find out what they are. May 2010 bring us more awesome customers like all of you, so that you may enjoy great coffee and espresso beverages for years to come! From the both of us, we wish all of you a lovely new year and we want to thank everyone again for letting us be a part of your waking moments.

Enough of sappy talk....for our 1 year anniversary, we wanted to have specials on the traditional drinks in order to encourage some of you to try them ( hopefully naked)(not literally, please!, I mean, no sugar)....So, all day from 9am-4pm, you'll have the opportunity to have these:

$1 Espresso

$2 Cappuccino

Lastly, even though we don't necessarily prefer sweeten latte, we are indeed excited about our switch to all homemade syrup ( almost official).. so we're offering our homemade vanilla latte for $3

One of our goals for 2010 is to increase our presence and identity. Although we're really proud of being the only carrier of 49th Parallel Coffee in Pittsburgh ( and I believe PA, could be wrong)..we do live in their shadow. Our cups say 49th Parallel, our bags and so on...so, one of the ways to increase our presence is to have people wear us and parade us around, that is why we created our T-Shirts. So, tomorrow, every 10th Customer ordering a drink will get a free shirt! 

So come down, get an awesome cup of coffee and check out our t-shirts and let us know what you think!

Upcoming Vacation

We know it's a little early to post the following, but we want to make sure it's known ahead of time...We're going to be closed for a week in January. Actually, it's officially starting on New Year's Eve as we'll be closing a little early and we won't re-open until Saturday, January 9th at 9am. As many of you know, we're a family run business ( well, us girls)...and it's been a long and exhausting year and we're looking forward to have a week to rest our bodies,minds and to catch up on some accounting. We're also getting our concrete floors re-sealed for winter and we need to be closed for 3 days just to get that completed. Our suggestion...stock up on 49th Parallel coffee before we close for one week!

Oolong Time, So Long Blood Orange.

Teas are sometimes overlooked in many coffee establishments and often not represented very well, leaving the palate dry and bitter. This is quite sad, because not only does tea have many health benefits, but each tea has unique flavors and characteristics. Tea is unfortunately another product that's been tainted by big industries, and what you find in the supermarkets is often time a powder like substance or something that looks like left-overs of what real tea leaves should look like. If you think you're drinking tea when you buy Lipton, think again. There are different types of tea, but all come from one species of plant called Camellia sinensis. The difference between all is quite similar to coffee, in such that it is based on the tree varietal, the region it's grown and the way it's processed. White teas are the least processed out of all, and also contain the least caffeine and some say they also contain the most anti-oxidants (cancer fighting cells), after being picked, the leaves are air dried. Green teas are pan fried or steamed after being picked, sealing the flavors inside. Oolong Teas are usually rolled, which is a process of rolling to bruise the leaf to release some of the oils. Black teas on the other hand are the most processed. The leaves are left to wilt, than rolled to release the oils, but unlike Oolongs, they are left to oxidize much longer, and then are heated, this gives the black teas their bold-like flavor. Much like coffee, tea is seasonal, and the process of picking the leaf and the afterward processing is time consuming. 49th Parallel has done a fine job in sourcing some of the best teas available out there, and they've just recently added some new teas to their offering, but they've also taken a few away. Our tea menu is going to change slightly over the next few weeks to reflect some of these new offerings. We will now only carry one herbal (Apricot/Cinnamon), since the African Summer and Blood Orange will no longer be available from our roaster,however, we will now have an Organic White Silver Needle, which has a very low caffeine content. We will also add a Reserve List Milk Oolong, An Organic Lu An Melon Seed ( Green) and an Organic Buddha's Eyebrow (Green). With these new additions, the tea prices are going to change. When we first opened, we priced our tea menu like many other coffee houses, all one price for a 16oz teapot. We averaged out the tea prices and found the median. Not knowing which teas were going to be popular, it made sense at the time...After being opened for almost a year, we've learned ALOT and we've gathered that the pricier teas are the most popular, and it no longer makes sense to offer them at an averaged price. An Herbal shouldn't be the same price as a reserve oolong and so we've made the decision to price each tea accordingly, and honestly, it didin't make sense from the beginning. All will still be served the same way, in a 16oz teapot on a platter, and our re-steep policy will remain the same. Some of you will notice a small decrease in your favorite tea and some of you will have a small increase. We think it's more sustainable, and we will be representing the Teas accordingly. We certainly hope that all of you will understand the rationale behind our move. We also will no longer allow any teas to be iced. We charge $2.75 for Iced Tea, and if we're going to be pricing each tea individually, a Jasmine Pearl Iced for example would cost almost 6 dollars ( we use double the amount of loose leaf for iced). Until spring, we may purchase some loose black tea that would be suitable to be iced to order and that would fit in the $2.75 price range. As usual, in spring and summer, we will continue to feature an iced tea that we steep and press ahead of time. In our quest to offer Pittsburgh the best coffee and tea, we hope that you will continue to support us.

Transition

We're making an exciting so-called transition, or perhaps we shall say Voluto Coffee is getting a face lift. We're being pro active and also trying to stay at pace with everything else around us. Ever since we opened, some of you have been asking for more food items, and well, you know very well how much we've been fighting against all of it. We strongly desired to put 100% of our focus on the coffee experience, but quickly realized that it is a tough business approach...although it may work for some if all the variables are right. With this said, we're a young company, and haven't even been opened for a year yet, we're still trying to figure out our footing. I'd say we've succeeded in creating the ambiance we dreamed of, and the coffee, although always trying to figure out how to improve it, is pretty darn tasty. The Espresso, although temperamental like any other, pours like a brown sugar covered cocoa nib most all days. We've build a really nice group of loyal customers and we're seeing new ones come in. All this rambling I'm doing is basically just to announce that yes, we do listen to your suggestions, and yes, pressed sandwiches are soon making an appearance on the easily erasable chalk menuboard. We're also going to be partnering with Vanilla Pastry Studio for some sweet treats and Fraiche Confections will be bringing some awesome chocolate sweets. Yum. We finally have bagels from Mediterra Bakehouse that we can toast for you. And the coffee, well, it's still our focus, but I think we've also realized that it is perhaps possible to still place an emphasis on what we love, and still provide what you want...just don't get crazy or we'll have to hire Bon Qui Qui  ( one of our Favorite Clip of all times). We have alot of new ideas that we're tackling and trying to see their feasibility, just hang tight. We're currently working on the panini menu, it is going to be limited, however it's going to be packed with flavors and it is going to change seasonally. There will always be a vegeterian option. So for those of you who've been sitting here awhile, then leave for lunch to then come back, you just won't have an excuse anymore, unless you're in the mood for Vietnamese or Indian, and well, the answer to that is no. But again, that's what we said for paninis, and look at us now.................