The Revolutionary Cup of Joe

Over spring break, I sat in a well-known coffeeshop in south Orange County with a couple of friends.

Two things to address:

The first thing being that the atmosphere at this shop is outstanding. At the end of the bar is an in-store roaster. The wall that is lined with tall tables is also painted beige, but when you look closely you begin to see that the pattern in the wall is actually coffee bags that have been plastered over with open patches. The workers are knowledgeable, the coffee is amazing and the people were trendy. Overall, this place is a perfect level 4.

The second thing is revolution. Allow me to follow such an inspired, generic word with my own feelings. I sat at a table with my two friends. As I read Hemingway, one friend read a book on the Rwandan genocide, and the other listened to lectures on systematic theology. I began to think of all the sorts of things that have happened in cafes. Sartre preached existential thought to his fledglings in cafes. The beatniks found the poetry of the soul in cafes. Debatably, folk was revived in the acoustic sets of the 90’s in cafes. Sometimes I wonder why God has instilled this passion inside me. It seems as though He is taking me down a different path. Finding a passion for God in ministry has at times lessened and at other times greatened my longing to one day dive back into the world of coffee. I have come to find, while studying at a Christian University, that passion for God can be found in all kinds of ministry. I see entire departments passionate and waiting to serve and see God at work in their chosen professions. I see this university releasing thousands of twenty-something’s that are desperate to see the world worship the Lord. This sets a fire in me that screams for revolution. It reminds me that revolution begins in the strangest of places, in the churches, in the offices, in the galleries, in the universities, and -God willing- in the cafes. I feel as though I am thinking grandly of something so simple. Two brothers are sitting in wicker chairs on a patio, sipping espresso and discussing the depravity of man. A group of close friends has gathered on the sofa chairs in a corporate cafe to drink cheap coffee and hash out the concept of humanity’s necessity for Christ. A women’s small group gathering in the evening to drink tea and converse on the topic of absolute truth. Sitting nearby each of these scenarios is a curious person who might have never heard it put quite that way or a teenager who feels as though he has hit rock bottom. Truth is contagious. Revolution is all around us.

While I don't know if I will ever own that level 5 cafe that I have always wanted, there is one thing I do know. The coffee shop is my venue for the revolution my Lord and Savior has stirred up inside my heart. Do you know what your venue is?

Tour Life,
Hebrew Hammer Out.

Speaking of, Dreaming of, Hoping for...

There has been talk amongst the group of desires...

There has been talk amongst the group of a cafe...

Brainstorming places, possible styles, and even themes.  There was a house in uptown Whittier that was for sale until recently.  It would have been ideal.  I don't have pictures, but let me describe it to you.

Perfect.  There is no driveway, because the front of the house rests right on the edge of the main strip of downtown.  Cars passing by slowly and feet step down the sidewalk.  The brickwork stairs lead up to the door that is around 7 feet high and over half glass.  To the left of the landing where the door rests is an enclosed patio you can only step foot on by way of the inside of the house.

The door opens up to a massive main room with a kitchen counter, where the espresso bar would obviously be set up, and 4 rooms that branch off of it.  The walls beg to be painted with deep, dark earthy tones and the ceilings yearn to have dimly lit, artsy chandeliers hung from them.  In the back corner of the main room is a door that leads onto one more enclosed patio that could fit at least two tables on it.

It wouldn't take much more than the paint and the cafe machinery to get this place running and waiting for college students to study in rooms with coffee tables, sofa chairs and bookshelves filled with theology, philosophy and all kinds of fiction.

Buildings like these beckon to young-minded, innovative entrepreneurs to grab hold, only to morph them into the kind of coffeehouse that So. California has been waiting for years to show up on the scene.

Tour Life,

Hebrew Hammer Out.

The Levels and A Tale of Three Cities...

There are different levels of coffee shops.  Not every shop will fit into these categories, but more or less the scale works.

Level 1 = The Gift Shop - This is the store that hangs the sign in the window saying "Cappuccinos made here," or "Espresso" either in the form of one of those cheap tin looking sings or neon lighted words.  When you walk in you don't see anything coffee related except the espresso machine and instead you are bombarded by kitschy keychains, scented candles and t-shirts with the name of the city that you are in across the front of them.

Level 2 = Coffee stands - They are set up in strange areas most of the time.  Hospitals, Parks, Sections of the city where there is lots of human traffic.  The majority of them have a limited selection and are very difficult to work at because they lack an ice machine.

Level 3 = Corporate America Coffeeshops - There are exceptions, but the majority of these are at their best just dependable.  We all know what they are.  We know that no matter where we are, sometimes even around the world, the drink that we get at home is going to taste the exact same.  You can go either way with these.  We all know what company I am thinking of when I say that the unfair thing about the corporate shops is that they put the independent shops out of business and misinform the customers of what real coffee should taste like...  

Level 4 = The "Corporatized" Independent = The difference between the 3 and 4 lies in the coffee and community.  There is an owner behind your level 4 shop who makes a living by how much people like coming back.  Instead of a CEO there is a face.  This owner, if they are smart, will choose the best coffee they can find, maybe they will even roast it themselves.  Atmosphere is the same though.  They go for the big chain look, because that's what America likes, because that's what America knows.  Not only can I not blame them, but I respect these shops!!

Level 5 = The "Indie" Shop - These are the ones that matter.  Hard to find, but worth the effort in searching.  These are the like your level 4 in the sense of the face of the owner.  However, these are the guys that decided to lash out and create something so un-corporate that it fills a person with joy to belong to something like this just by walking.  They have their own coffee, atmosphere, strange looking clientele, and a vibe that makes you want to come back tomorrow. 

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Big Sur is the last tourist stop before you hit about 50 miles of nothingness on Highway 1.  There was a coffee cart there.  The only thing that helped out with this was the stream that runs behind the River Inn.  Picture a stream running through the middle of hills covered in green trees that overlap leaving only about 20 feet of open sky above it.  The Inn put giant wooden chairs smack dab in the middle of this stream so that you can sit and really take in the beauty.  I read there for about an hour while I waited for the guys to catch up.  It was an experience to say the least. My battery was dead on my phone so I couldn't take pictures.  I apologize for that, but you need to see it for yourself.

This morning after pushing off from Plaskett Creek, I drove down into Cambria and along Main St. there sits a tiny storefront with a sign that says, "Cambria Cappuccino."  Underneath that read, "coffee, ice cream, candy etc."  That should have tipped me off, but I saw a free wireless sign, so I proceeded.  The coffee was alright, but the atmosphere was lacking...   I had stumbled into a gift shop that served coffee.  The only good thing that it had was a 4 foot long wooden work bench that set up against the window, threefold glass like you see on those old victorian houses.  It looked out onto the old downtown.  That was nice.  I tried not to look behind me at the keychains and candles.

View from the window

I now sit in San Luis Obispo at what used to be Uptown Coffee, now renamed Black Horse due to legal disputes.  My brother used to work here.  Amazing coffee and an alright atmosphere.  The training for the employees is extremely specific and it pays off.  They get fired if they don't know how make the velvety foam, which it proclaims itsef as being the home of, so they know what they're doing.  Great place in a great town.  Tomorrow I will visit my two favorite shops in SLO county.  This is reviving my passion.  

God puts passion into people.  It can be forgotten, but it's never lost.  The things that excite our hearts for life can be strange, but that should not negate the fact that enjoyment of what we have been given is something that the Lord wants from us.  Contentedness, Passion, and an Examined Life are things I am learning to pursue.  God has given me this passion for some reason or another and if there is one thing I am sure of it is that He will use it... if he hasn't already.

Tour Life, 

Hebrew Hammer Out.

Inspiration for a Cafe Lover...

After spending the past two days in an out of cafes as the guys tour the pacific coast bike trail, I have decided to tour life in my own way.

This will be an off shoot blog of the rest of the trip.  

Years have passed since I decided that one day I will open up my own cafe.  I've spent at least the last two years sharing this dream for some sort of nonprofit-ministry-financing endeavor.

Yesterday, I spent a couple  hours in this strange little cafe just outside of downtown half moon bay.  I walked in a trio (one old man on guitar, one old man on mandolin, and an old woman on fiddle) playing irish folk jigs.  It was amazing.  (pictured below)

View from upstairs. 

Where I was sitting in front of the window.

Today, I write from East Village Coffee house.  This is more of a modern look, large brickwork.  I really enjoy the atmosphere here.  I walked in to the sounds of the Pixies.  Debaser is always a treat to hear played in a coffeeshop.  (pictured below)

View of the front room of the cafe

This is the top of a beautiful brick fireplace

On a side note, if I ever have a son I want to name him Doc.  This would be a tribute to Steinbeck and his Character, Doc, from the books Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday.  Since I was in Monterey I headed down to Cannery Row and paid a visit to the house/laboratory of Ed Ricketts, the real life inspiration for Steinbeck's character.  (pictured below)

The Back of the Lab facing Monterey Bay

The Front of the Lab which sets on Cannery Row