July 23rd, 2010
Posted by Alex Payson at 7:50 am
As we continue to grow and reach new markets there are fantastic opportunities to join the Blue State Coffee team! We are currently looking for a store manager in New Haven, CT and soon in Boston, MA.
If you are interested and think you have the passion and dedication to run a store, read more here: http://bit.ly/czO0HM
Posted in Blue State Coffee news, General news, New Haven/York St. Store | 
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June 4th, 2010
Posted by Drew at 11:03 am
A press release from New Haven Reads, one of the non-profit organizations we’re supporting in New Haven:
Contact:
Catherine Hogue
New Haven Reads Community Book Bank, Inc.
45 Bristol Street
New Haven, CT 06511
203-752-1923
www.newhavenreads.org
Drinking Coffee at Blue State Coffee Gives Education Efforts a Boost!
New Haven, CT – June 4, 2010 – An act as simple as drinking coffee in New Haven can help children improve their chances at a successful future. Blue State Coffee decided to take a stand against social problems locally and nationally by donating 5% of their sales to support worthy causes. Today, owner Drew Ruben presented a check in the amount of $3,000 to New Haven Reads Community Book Bank, Inc. These funds are the result of countless Blue State Coffee customers placing wooden tokens in large, glass jars for four different “causes” after they purchase a cup of coffee. “Thanks to our customers, we are able to help organizations that we believe are doing great work in our community,” says Ruben.
New Haven Reads will use the funds to provide free after-school tutoring to children in the Dixwell neighborhood and surrounding communities. Christine Alexander, New Haven Reads’ Executive Director, explains that “these funds will help us to combat the atrocious achievement gap in Connecticut. Nationally, our state ranks 50th in closing the achievement gap.” New Haven Reads provides tutoring to over 400 students every week with the assistance of over 300 volunteers from the community. Ruben feels so strongly about the work that New Haven Reads does that he signed up to volunteer as a tutor.
The other organizations that benefited from Blue State Coffee’s generosity—and their customers’ choices—are STRIVE, Music Haven, and Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS).
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May 29th, 2010
Posted by Alex Payson at 8:02 am
Brown alum, pediatric surgeon, and author Chris Coppola will be reading from his book Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq on Saturday May 29th at 9:30AM at our 300 Thayer Street Store in Providence, RI. Stop by for a Q & A, reading and book signing.
And happy graduation weekend to Brown as well!
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May 4th, 2010
Posted by Benjamin at 10:23 pm
Blue State Coffee opened its fourth coffee shop today, Tuesday, in downtown New Haven. In the wake of The Publick Cup closing, Blue State Coffee was able to paint, clean, and set-up in less than three days to prevent a serious caffeine deprivation during the finals week of Yale University.
Come by to see the new space and Blue State’s progressive coffee menu–and to donate 5 cents out of every dollar to exceptional, worthy causes.
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April 10th, 2010
Posted by Benjamin at 7:02 pm
Benjamin Wilkinson, of 84 Wall Street, is the Barista Guild of America’s Northeast Chapter Representative. A short article he composed on Blue State Coffee’s trip to Costa Rica was published in this month’s newsletter. The text follows:
Job Description:
Rainforest-trotting, relationship building, expert slurping, multi-language speaking, general all-round nice coffee person; Compensation: Limitless, but, intangible; Vacation Days: Every day is a vacation in paradise.
By Benjamin Wilkinson, Blue State Coffee
Northeast Chapter Representative
Over 3 years ago I took a part-time job as a barista with a local coffee shop for a shade past minimum wage (and tips!). I spent the next nine months learning anything I could about espresso, determined to improve the quality at the shop. Then, I quit. Pounding the portafilters was not paying the piper, or the bills. Two weeks later I received a phone call offering me the Manager position of the same cafe. I had spent the vast majority of my days plotting how I would run the cafe were I given the chance. I called my own bluff.
When I accepted the position, in that moment, I knew. I don’t know what you’d call it. Pick any one of the cliches: plunge, head first, deep end, holy coffee matrimony, etc. My fidelity was sealed to the industry. I was, and would be, beholden to coffee, until death do us part.
As a newbie barista, I hadn’t the faintest clue about Jeff Taylor, Peter Dupont or Duane Sorensen. I’d never cupped, never roasted, never seen a green bean. I’m not even certain I knew coffee grew on trees. But, I read and read and read. I posted articles from Home-Barista.com and CoffeeGeek.com on the walls behind the bar. I called Gimme! pretending to have the authority to buy just so I could get samples and a copy of Barista 1.0 (Sorry!).
Then, as the manager, I insisted on cupping with my staff, going to barista jams, competing in the regional competitions. Here I connected with a community I sensed was ‘out there’, one which Barista Magazine and Coffeed.com hinted at. I found roasters, equipment techs, trainers, sales reps, etc, who were all real, wonderful people with a passion for coffee excellence. I talked with Peter Giuliano and Jaime Schoenhut. I was forced to pull an espresso for James Hoffman, WBC 2007. I thoroughly embarrassed myself with excitement when I met Heather Perry (I think she’s forgotten). I witnessed Jon Lewis’ famous ‘Let it flow…’ keynote address.
Every time I turned around someone was saying how exciting it was to visit the farm where your coffee is grown and talk with the farmers themselves. Origin this and origin that. I started reading about the aforementioned coffee traders and more. If I could have written a job description, it would have read something like my opening lines. Enthralled, but, discouraged, I dreamed of one day, a decade away, vacationing in a coffee producing country, probably on my own dime.
Fast-forward two years and a job change later. I’m standing on the side of a mountain in a ramshackle building toasting contraband 100+ proof hooch with a group of farmers, baristas and a roaster. ASOPROAA! It’s 10:30 am. ASOPROAA is a cooperative of farmers near Asseri and Acosta, Costa Rica. We’ve used some of their coffees before, and, will use some hopefully for the indefinite future. The contraband guaro is hardly the best or most important part of trip. The people in that shack, The experience we are sharing in that moment is.
The company I work for is supportive of the specialty coffee industry and understands our commitment to traceable sustainability. Through diligent study, participation in SCAA events and competition, and a bit of luck I finally achieved my goal of a visiting origin. The experience is like none other and not as far away as you (Jo(e) Barista) may think.
I’m still a barista, still a cafe manager, and, in less than three years, I’ve had the opportunity to visit two coffee producing countries. I’m not exactly following in Geoff Watts or Peter Giuliano’s tracks. But, I’m not far behind. The community that I have foolishly thrown myself into has become my home, and, a place of endless opportunities, fanned by the flame of relationships. We like to call it relationship coffee because it sounds fancy, but, in reality it is just exactly that. The entire supply chain, from farmer to barista, is a product of human interactions. Those exchanges build the relationships that tell our story. Not my story, but the story of our coffee. This is what we, as baristas, sell: a demitasse with 1.5 oz worth of story.
ASOPORAA COOP Hooch Hut
Posted in Humor, New Haven/Wall St. Store, Personal, Stores | No Comments »
March 18th, 2010
Posted by Drew at 10:43 pm
Benjamin and Ryan will be representing Blue State Coffee at the Northeast Regional Barista Competition. Watch it live Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and e-cheer them on!
NERBC
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March 1st, 2010
Posted by Benjamin at 6:46 pm
Watch owner/founder/CEO Drew Ruben featured as part of the Project:Report in partnership with the Pullitzer Center.
Blue State Coffee
Posted in BSC in the press, Blue State Coffee news, Our causes, Personal, Video | No Comments »
February 26th, 2010
Posted by Benjamin at 1:18 pm
Today at 2, Benjamin will be giving a seed to cup presentation on Blue State’s trip to Costa Rica and Colombia.
For those who can’t make it, here’s a brief slideshow.
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February 21st, 2010
Posted by Benjamin at 3:59 pm
This weekend at 84 wall street BSC is offering two educational opportunities completely free to our customers!
Friday at 2 pm, Benjamin will give a brief presentation on Blue State’s trip to Costa Rica and Colombia. We will also taste coffees from the farms he visited. This ’seed to cup’ talk will be the first in a monthly series.
Saturday at 8:30 am, we’ll host a home roasting workshop. Did you know roasting coffee is as easy as using a popcorn maker? In an hour class, Mike Wenrick of Medical Teams International will teach you how to have the freshest possible coffee every morning. Space is limited. Comes with a 1/2 lb of coffee freshly roasted by you. Free!
Email events (at) bluestatecoffee.com for more information or to reserve a spot!
Posted in General news, New Haven/Wall St. Store | No Comments »
January 12th, 2010
Posted by Benjamin at 11:29 am
While we’ve had the trip planned for months, we’re finally en route to two coffee producing companies to meet with farmers who grow the product we are so proud to serve.
We’ll be visiting 3 or 4 farms and coops in the famous Tarrazu and Naranjo regions of Costa Rica. Additionally, we’ll be skipping south to Colombia, and, visit the renown Finca El Roble, home of our Mesa de los Santos and Colombian Don Telmo coffees.
We’ll be forging new and building on top of existing relationships with the farmers of the coffees directly. Many thanks to our roaster, New Harvest Coffee, & importer, Royal Coffee NYC.
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