Blue Bottle Coffee Old Oakland ★ 4.4
Blue Bottle's Old Oakland cafe at 480 9th Street pours single-origins from the company that started in a Temescal potting shed in 2002, with espresso service.
Signature drink: Single-origin pour over
History
James Freeman started Blue Bottle Coffee in a 186-square-foot potting shed behind Doña Tomás in Oakland's Temescal in 2002, roasting single-origin beans in small batches by hand and selling at Bay Area farmers markets. The brand grew to define third-wave coffee in the Bay Area before its sale to Nestle in 2017. The Old Oakland cafe on 9th Street pours the legacy.
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 25g freshly roasted single-origin coffee, ground medium-fine
- 400g filtered water at 96 C
- Hario V60 dripper and paper filter
- Gooseneck kettle
- Carafe or mug for serving
Method
- Rinse the paper filter with hot water; discard the rinse water.
- Add 25g ground coffee to the filter. Tap to level the bed.
- Start a 30-second pre-infusion bloom: pour 50g water, stir gently, wait 30 seconds.
- Pour the remaining 350g water in slow, even concentric circles, finishing the pour around 2:30.
- Total brew time should be 3:30-4:00. Discard the filter and serve immediately.
Tip from the editors. Use coffee within four weeks of roast date. Old coffee is the single biggest reason home pour overs taste flat.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat blue bottle pour over
Blue Bottle pour over in Oakland
Highwire Coffee Roasters ★ 4.4
Highwire roasts in Emeryville and pours at the Rockridge Market Hall cafe on College Avenue. Big bold cups that still read of origin, with a public cafe.
Sources from: Colombia, Rwanda, Peru, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea
How they serve: Espresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
Awaken Cafe and Roasting ★ 4.3
Awaken Cafe at 1429 Broadway roasts in-house and runs an all-day downtown coffee room. Espresso, pour overs and beans for retail since 2007.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Pour over, Whole bean retail
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