‘Coffee Scientists’ of Old World Coffee Lab open Carson City cafe inside Union Brewery
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Wed, 03/06/2019 - 6:29pm
Reno’s Old World Coffee Lab has opened a new coffee shop inside the Union Brewery in Carson City, serving up coffee where recipes are half scientific, half pre-industrial.
Old World Coffee Lab opened its first shop in Reno’s Midtown four years ago on California Avenue. Its mission, owners say, is to bring light to the coffee world and its processes.
Manager Stevie Travenier said what makes their coffee different is the process their beans have to go through before they are ready to reach their future mugs or cups.
It begins with the picking of the coffee cherries, which Old World Coffee says they select from the highest quality farms from around the world. The beans are also picked by farmers who guarantee their workers are being fairly paid in their home countries. Every fruit is hand picked at their peak ripeness. If it’s picked too soon, the bean can turn out sour, and if picked too late, it can become bitter.
There are three different processes mainly used to process coffee cherries after they are picked, said Travenier. The first is to pick the coffee fruit while its ripe, and let it sun dry before removing the beans, giving it a fruity flavor. The second way is a “wash process,” in which the fruit is removed entirely before the bean is dried. The third is called a “honey process,” in which some of the fruit is removed, leaving a portion on so that the bean is left with a sticky, sappy residue, giving the bean a distinct flavor.
“We honor the process of the cultivation before the beans ever get to our roasting location,” said Travenier. “We personally roast all of our beans with very specific profiles based on how they were processed.”
Each profile is designed to get the most flavor from each type of bean, said Travenier, and they roast their beans much lighter than other big-chain coffee roasters. The reason behind it, she said, is that the bigger roasters will roast their beans very dark because it extends their shelf life, but they end up losing a lot of the natural flavors and integrity of the beans.
The scientific process doesn’t stop there, however. In the individual stores, there is a science to their methods, such as when espresso and pour-over coffees require different temperatures. This depends on roast or grind size, and how long the water needs to be in contact with each type of espresso.
“A lot of people don’t understand how much work goes into their one cup of coffee,” said Travenier. “So when someone comes to us and says, ‘wow this tastes so different from other coffees,’ we can then educate them on the coffee process. One of our main goals is to bring light to the coffee world, and show what it looks like from farm to cup. It’s very important to us.”
The Union contacted them directly to open their shop, since they were already selling Old World Coffee in their cafe.
They are currently in their "soft opening" phase, with the grand opening scheduled for March 15. During the opening weekend, they’ll be offering a buy one get one free deal.
“We’ve been lucky to have a great community and following in Reno,” said Travenier. “We’re dedicated to the science and craft of coffee, and we’re really excited to bring that culture to Carson City and reach out farther into the Northern Nevada community.”
Old World Coffee Lab is located at 301 Curry Street. The cafe is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
You can learn more about the coffee company by visiting their website at www.oldworldcoffee.co or by stopping in for a chat.
