Just in time for the half way point in the summer riding season, Canada’s Ora drops a collection of bags to compliment your day to day bicycle. “The Bike Bags attach to handle bars with an adjustable leather strap, so the bags will fit on any size bar and with any brake set-up. Silver buckles allow for the bags to be easily removed and carried as a satchel or tucked away. The bags are one of Ora’s unisex styles and would suit any type of bicycle.”

Last night, I had the best cup of coffee of my life.

It was the Novo-roasted Brazil Cup of Excellence poured from a French Press, hot and complex, and so good I wanted the owner of Crema Coffee House, who sells the java, to relinquish the whole pot, letting me blissfully drink myself into a caffeine-induced anxiety attack.

That cup of liquid gold was the send-off to seven fantastic courses prepared in a makeshift kitchen in an unassuming warehouse space in Five Points by a group of chefs from some of Denver’s best restaurants, including Jonathan Power from Root Down and Andrew Van Stee from Potager. Those chefs and a couple of cohorts are the organizers of the Noble Swine Supper Club, an invitation-only dinner group that now has five events under its belt.

While Hush Denver, the not-so-secret supper club in town, has garnered a massive following through events catered by big name guest chefs held all over the Front Range, Noble Swine has been plodding along quietly, turning out multiple courses with brilliant pairings for intimate groups of about thirty. I’m letting the secret out, though, because last night’s dinner was the best of its type that I’ve attended.

Three hours prior to that cup of coffee, we started our night with gin gimlets made with thyme and pink peppercorn on a sidewalk, entirely uncertain of what was to come. We made friends with our dining companions on the street, and as twilight settled, we were led inside Crema Coffee House to a long table of assigned seats. The Noble Swine crowd was a group from all walks of life brought together by food enthusiasm, and we made conversation about personal kitchen experimentation and recent meals, becoming better and better friends with each course and accompanying beverage.

Brandon Proff

Smoked blue gruyere stuffed cherries, whiskey gastrique

Noble Swine represents a chance for the chef-organizers to play outside of the confines of their home restaurants, and last night’s menu saw some inventive use of produce. Like a single cherry stuffed with smoked blue Gruyere served in an Asian soup spoon. A palate-cleanser was comprised of intense, crisp carrot sorbet garnished with a single leaf of cilantro. And the best course was a rye steamed bun wrapped around tender corned beef tongue, accompanied by spicy kimchi.

And the beverage pairings, which were all local, were outstanding. Mountain Sun’s XXX IPA played on the green notes of a chilled pea soup. A chef-brewed American black ale balanced a coffee-crusted pork loin. And that carrot-centric palate cleanser came with a Dark and Stormy that was light and crisp, made from Montanya Rum and Oogave Ginger Ale.

The Noble Swine supper club is taking a break in July, but it’ll resume in August with an event offered to an invite-only guest list. Want to be included? Email them at eat@nobleswinesupperclub.com to hear about the next party.

Iced Tea
Quench your thirst with these riffs on the classic summer beverage.
By Amanda M. Faison
July 2010, Top of town issue

Iced tea used to consist of the basics: Lipton, sugar, and a squeeze of lemon. But in recent years, it’s become big business—big enough that Tazo Tea now operates under the Starbucks umbrella, and, as of last spring, McDonald’s began serving Southern-style sweet tea at all of its U.S. locations. In Denver, we’ve got a handful of tea shops putting their own spin on the refreshing sip.

Crema Coffee House
While not solely a tea shop (in fact, Crema exists primarily to showcase the art of coffee making), Noah Price’s establishment infuses iced black, green, or white tea with freshly juiced fruit such as pear, pineapple, or strawberry, along with herbs like mint or ginger. Don’t miss the cool strawberry and basil. 2862 Larimer St., Unit B, 720-235-2995, www.cremacoffeehouse.net

Thanks Amanda & 5280 Magazine!!!

35mm from Pascal Monaco on Vimeo.

“35mm is a shortfilm about cinema itself. We picked 35 of our favorite movies and tried to simplify them as far as possible. The outcome is a 2 minute journey through the history of film. Take a close look and tell us if you’ve recognized them all!”

When Noah Price moved DVLP Clothing to Denver from Durango in 2007, he drove up and down every street until spotting a “For Rent” sign in the warehouse district near Five Points. Drawn to the rich history of the area, Price and the rest of the DVLP crew settled in quickly to the already transitioning neighborhood (these days referred to as NoDo, or northern downtown).

Price worked diligently with partners Rustin Coburn and Mike Ossell for five years to establish DVLP as a lifestyle brand—up until last fall, when Price decided to trade fashion for food, opening Crema Coffee House (2862 Larimer St., 720-235-2995) just a few blocks away from the DVLP warehouse. “It just came to a point when I realized I didn’t have time for both,” the 28-year-old says. “Running one on its own is tough. I didn’t want to hurt DVLP with my lack of time. I had been looking for a good coffee shop in Denver for a long time—this neighborhood needed it.”

Businesses like Crema have been an impetus for growth in northern downtown—the old stomping grounds of the likes of Jack Kerouac—along with spots like the Larimer Lounge and the Walnut Room. Price and Ossell renovated Crema from a 400-square-foot garage, using mostly found objects. “The metal on the outside of the building is from an old refrigerator,” Price explains. “The front door is from an old school building. Everything aside from food-grade stuff is recycled or reused material.”

It’s commonplace to see Price sitting like a sphinx on one of the old red theater seats outside of Crema—a space he’s established as a creative crux for the network of acquaintances he’s acquired throughout his years in the snowboard, fashion, and coffee industries. Price’s demeanor is surprisingly calm for a coffee man. He sits, basking in the Colorado sunshine, watching luxury vehicles from the shop down the street circle the block, chatting up patrons who drop by.

“It’s awesome,” he confesses. “I get to hang out with my friends all day and drink coffee.” No doubt—way better than driving up and down the streets of Denver, looking for a sign.

–Megan Quicke

Os Gemeos presents a fantastic new mural, entitled “Don’t Believe The Hype”. The artwork is part of the exhibition “Viva la Revolucion: A dialogue with the urban landscape” organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego 2010.

More photos on www.hypebeast.com

Crema Barista / Bike enthusiast Jen Nordhem Told me about these guys in Brooklyn doing some rad stuff with coffee and bikes, and since you know I love anything to do with coffee and bikes..,

“Kickstand is committed to providing the best possible cup of coffee to community events in NYC with the smallest environmental impact possible. We achieve this goal by using bikes not only for all of our transportation needs, but also for a portion of the power we use in brewing the coffee we serve. At Kickstand getting people outdoors and bringing them together over coffee is our primary goal.”

When you are in Brooklyn check them out, and tell your friends!

http://kickstandbrooklyn.com/

In a snub to the Starbucks-driven craze for loading gallons of hot frothy coffee-flavoured liquid into cardboard pots, Italy’s National Institute for Italian Espresso is defending the traditional squirt of steamed milk over a shot of espresso that is knocked back by millions of Italians every morning at zinc-topped bars up and down the country.

The newly certified milky coffee, weighing in at only 150 ml and served in a ceramic cup, was offered to MPs and ministers at a Christmas event sponsored by the Italian parliamentary culture commission.

The institute has already given a government-backed certification to the perfect espresso coffee and yesterday the organisation’s president, Marco Paladini, stood up for the beleaguered cappuccino, promising “to protect this important expression of our national gastronomic culture… A great success abroad, but not always made with adequate sensory quality”, the newspaper Il Giornale quoted him as saying.

More froth than liquid, the Italian cappuccino can be swallowed in seconds, and according to purists should leave a smear of milk on the inside of the cup. Stirring the beverage to mix the milk with the coffee that lurks in the bottom should not produce an overall brown colour, but streaks of coffee in the pure white foam. A white moustache is de rigueur after drinking.

According to many Italians, the light brown colour is similar to that of the robes worn by Italy’s Capuchin monks, hence the name, while others credit Capuchin monk Marco D’Aviano with the invention of the drink, after he discovered a sack of coffee captured from the Ottomans during the battle of Vienna in 1683. D’Aviano was beatified in 2003 for his missionary work and miraculous power of healing.

There is no debate over when a cappuccino is drunk. Italians line up every morning in bars before steaming, shiny coffee machines to gulp down their coffee, possibly returning for a another cappuccino after a late night. One allowed variant is the caffelatte, usually served in a tall glass, with extra milk added.

Only tourists take a cappuccino or caffelatte after lunch, as Italians believe the milk plays havoc with digestion.

Nescafé may be making inroads in Italy through advertising of its instant granules, but Starbucks and other global coffee chains have yet to set foot in the bel paese. And if they did, they might find their margins shrinking. An average cappuccino, drunk standing up at a bar in Rome, costs around 78 pence, an espresso 47 pence – although prices may rise by 100% if the drinker takes a seat and waits to be served.

Italians are very proud of their traditional coffee, and even have a National Institute for Italian Espresso.

from the GUARDIAN