* Crema *

CMT Lifestyles blog says “CREMA Coffee is Worth Crawling out of Bed.”

Read the whole post here: http://lifestyles.cmt.com/2008-05-05/crema-coffee-is-worth-crawling-out-of-bed/

This Friday, May 9th is Bike to Work day. Bikers across Nashville will commute in to downtown and meet at the Schermerhorn plaza. Check out the details here: http://www.walkbikenashville.org/

While on the Walk/Bike Nashville website check out the results from the 4th Great Commuter Race that pitted a biker, a car and the Music City Star against each other! CREMA was pleased to provide coffee for this event.

Just maybe we’ll have a couple free cups of coffee for anyone that stops by on their bikes on friday!

Soon enough we’re going to roll out our new menu. Don’t worry, we’re not changing much, but we’re adding some new things to the menu. Starting tomorrow we will have more options for iced beverages. Again, we’re going to stick mostly with more traditional drinks, but over the next few weeks we’ll slowly roll out some new crazy beverages. We’ve reached out to our neighbor, Andrew Chadwick for some help, and being the culinary genius that he is,  we came up with a drink that is awesome! Watch for it….it involves coconut milk, cardamom, and another secret ingredient. One more new thing we’re adding is a savory burrito from sweet 16th Bakery. It’s vegetarian, and eggless, but it’s simly amazing. Be sure to ask us about that. Well, we’ll be seeing you around!

Nothing goes better together than muffins and coffee. Nothing! Maybe Italians and coffee… but we’re not what ya call “wild cannibals.” Nor are we good writers. But we do know muffins and do so very dearly love us a wild muffin or two. Those jumbo organic Cinnamon Buttermilk muffins are so very tasty in the morning with a steaming cup of Drews Brews’ Gravel Springs roast.

The scrumptious all organic jumbo muffins that fly off our counter come from Nashville’s very own family owned “muffin factory,” the Wild Muffin. Mmmmm!

Read the entire wild story and order some of your own online here: http://www.thewildmuffin.com/index.html

Let us here ya: http://www.yelp.com/biz/crema-nashville

Thanks to Veer for pointing us in the direction of this neato coffee cuff: http://contexture.ca/bentwood/cuff8.php

If they weren’t $59 each we’d buy one for everyone!

The three plans for the Trolley Barns across the street from CREMA will be unveiled this Thursday.  Be there, or be square.

http://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:5282.1031861608/rid:152a40bd961d406a1845a4bb3f224d01

UPDATE (05/07/08) -  Here’s a link to the presentations that were given at the event: http://www.nashville.gov/mdha/trolley_barns_presentation.htm

….if you notice a little bit of change with your next espresso, or a brighter flavor from the Moka Harrar, it’s because the crops are coming in. Most of our coffees are coming in season, which means they have been harvested, washed, and shipped most likely in the last month. If you’re in this week, ask us to take a whiff of the Lost Weekend (a blend of Harrar and Sumatra), and note the bluberry-ish smell. Also, keep a look out for some new coffees. We’re tasting a Tanzanian this week, and hopefully a new Ethiopian Sidamo and El Salvador peaberry next week. Ask us to try some……the only requirement is that you have to let us know what you think.

Don’t miss the 5th Annual Live It Up! Downtown Home Tour, April 19-20, 12PM - 5PM.

CREMA will be featured during the Rolling Mill Hill stop.

Hope to see you!

By popular demand we are scheduling a follow-up to the full Secrets of Espresso class this Saturday (April 5th). If you’d like to attend a follow-up session sign up here.

We’re are always grateful when someone writes about CREMA. Even happier when it’s well written and the author is attentive to, or impressed by our passion for the perfect cup and the hard work we put into creating a better coffee experience, for you.

If you missed it, here’s the review of CREMA by Will Ayers from The Nashville Rage, Coffee’s King at CREMA,  The downtown shop is a true espresso lover’s haven.

Here’s what a few bloggers are saying…

“…the best Americano I have had in Nashville to date“

“…awesome atmosphere, and great coffee“

 ”Crema is my new favorite coffee shop.”

Seeing and hearing that CREMA is enjoyed by you is the measure of real success. Thank you for visiting, writing, and telling others, this is what makes it truly special for us.

What makes CREMA special to you?

If you’ve ever wondered how the Barista’s at CREMA craft the Cuban coffee, the popular Baccanerra or you just love espresso and want to learn more, here’s your chance!

As part of CREMA’s ongoing espresso & coffee education events we’re offering a chance for 10 people to get behind the bar and try out CREMA’s LaMarzocco GB5 espresso machine for themselves. Guided by Rachel, co-owner and CEO (Chief Espresso Officer), we’ll reveal some of the dirty little secrets behind the curtain of great espresso, our favorite of which is the naked portafilter!

Secrets of Espresso will be Saturday April 5, 2008 from 3:30PM - 5PM at CREMA.

This is a free event. Space is limited to first 10 people.

Sign up here

If you missed our first event, a meet and greet with our Roaster or will not be able to attend this class and would like to know more about upcoming events join the CREMA email list.

“A gnome is a mythical creature characterized by its extremely small size and subterranean free lifestyle.”

Come back free coffee gnome!

Are we open? Oh yes!

We were delighted to discuss the secrets of espresso with the Tennessean for their “Brew Your Own Espresso”  story in today’s paper (Life section). View it online.

To learn more about espresso preparation watch the Tennessean video interview with Rachel on proper espresso preparation, and join the Crema email list to be notified of our monthly coffee classes & events (many enjoyed free coffee and discussion at our first event last Sat with our roaster, Drew Park of Drew’s Brews)

Back by popular demand, Pumpkin Streusel Tart, arrives fresh from Sweet 16th today. Get it while it lasts.

Unrelated, more news about the historic trolley barns across the street from Crema. The City Paper reports today, Trolley barn rejuvenation is not folley (look for the Crema mention!).

Stumbled upon this article while perusing Intelligentsia’s website. It is an educated explanation on a complicated discussion, one we touched on here.

The good folks from the Tennessean stopped in to talk to us about the secrets of making espresso. Check out the video here.

Oh, and here is a nice post we enjoyed reading from a Crema customer.

Is there anything better than a scone and a cup of coffee? Nope. Tuesday (Feb 26) we get a fresh supply of goodies from the Sweet 16th Bakery. Sit down with a fresh cup of Crema coffee, a scone from the Sweet 16th, and just be. Just for a few minutes, simply enjoy.

Crema is pleased to announce and host an opening for the talented work of Aaron Grayum, February 22, 7PM - 10PM.

Browse Aaron’s clever art on his website, www.tinymusicbox.com, and purchase your favorite piece Friday, Feb 22 at Crema.

And just maybe we’ll mix up a special caffeine potion for the evening!

Everyone asks, “what’s going on with those trolley barns across the street?” Here’s a short answer from the Nashville Business Journal, published Feb 15: http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2008/02/11/daily31.html?ana=from_rss

Know more? Tell us.

Sit very still… put your hand on the screen…. be very quiet… we are reading your brain using our telepathic skills honed during years of alien captivity. Yes, yes, it’s working. Got it… Ok, yes, got that… yes, no, you what?! Ah, forget it. Must be caffeine interference.

Just send us your thoughts the old fashion way

Crema debuts on News Channel 5 this week. No, it’s not a feature spotlight, you’ll miss it if you blink. We received a 95% score on our first Health Department inspection. Yeah! Sure, you’ve seen higher scores, but probably “not downtown,” to borrow the Health inspector’s own words, and for that reason will be at the top of the list - thus being recognized on New Channel 5 as a top scorer this week. Regardless, it’s a big deal to us because we know good scores don’t happen unintentionally - we’ve put a lot of work into creating and maintaining a clean shop and will proudly display our first score. We think the Channel 5 Metro Public Health Department Restaurant Report is Thursday or Friday this week on either the 5 or 10 o’clock news. Let us know if you see it!

The Crema Grand Opening was, well, grand! We couldn’t ask for better customers.

If you haven’t seen, here’s what others are saying …

The Tennessean:
New coffeehouse stakes out Rutledge Hill
Barista’s love of espresso leads to birth of Crema
Crema Opens

Nashville Scene:
Wake Up Call 
Hill of Beans

The Fun Times Guide - Living Green blog, Go Local for MUCH Better Coffee

Downtown Details eNewsletter - New Coffee Shop!

We want to know! We want your thoughts on Crema, the good, the bad, just “spill your beans.” Or just tell us a joke. Send it all to us!

Hours:
7AM - 7PM Monday - Friday
7:30AM - 3PM Saturday

It’s time. Put down the slightly-warmed coffee-O-matic sludge. Wake up! You weren’t meant to be automated, neither was coffee. Discover your passion again. Begin at Crema.

“Crema” is the mark of excellence in the finest espresso. When a shot of espresso is properly created, its rich foam topping is the “crema.” The dream of local Nashvillian and young Italian, Rachel, Crema is an original experience that is the result of her excellent Italian heritage and natural passion for fine coffee. Crema opens January 28, 2008 in the Rutledge Hill district of downtown Nashville, TN (directions).

A portion of all sales on January 28 will be donated to Safe Haven.

Hours are 7AM - 7PM, M-F and 7:30AM - 3PM Saturday.

Hi there everyone. Thanks for all your calls, volunteer work, and for stopping by to see what all the excitement is about. We made big progress today, we passed (with flying colors!) our Health Department inspection. We’re really excited and ready to be open, but until we get our final inspection, the Fire Marshall, we must continue “testing” the drinks ourselves.

You heard it here first, Crema announces Grand Opening January 28, 2008! We’re “going out on a limb” as they say, but 99% certain it’s a strong one. A “soft open” will be announced on the email list, but our Grand Opening is absolutely on the 28th!

In the meantime, here are some tidbits you might find interesting about Crema:

- Have you seen it? Our sign! It’s truly a work of art and labor of love by a person who is guaranteed many free Crema drinks. Drive by and check it out!

- We recycle. We are hiring a private company to take our recycling. Why doesn’t the Nashville government pick it up? A tangent we have not the space to write about. We are still on the hunt for a good use of our old coffee grounds. Can you use them? Email us and let us know.

- A right thing to do is support your local Habitat for Humanity store. We did. Every door in our space is from Habitat. And as many building materials as possible were purchased from the local Habitat for Humanity store.

- It’s hard work and expensive to use green materials. So we discovered. But not impossible, even on a small budget we’ve found it possible to think differently. Our counter top is renewable bamboo, we used recycled lumber for the bar structure, and best of all, with every light blazing (22 compact fluorescent bulbs) our total light wattage use is only 250 watts!

- Excited, privileged, ah, neither of those are the right word. We’re uber-glad (what?!) that Aaron Grayum will be our first featured artist!

p.s. please don’t mistake our excitement as boasting, we’re just passionate about a few too many things, possibly.

If your goal is to serve great espresso than you need a great espresso machine. We’re so happy to be the only shop (or at least one of only a very few) in Nashville who have one of the finest espresso machines ever made, the LaMarzocco GB5 built in Firenze Italia!

Just another week or two and you’ll see it yourself. Want to know the very moment we open the doors? Join the email list.

It’s so nice to see your smiling faces in our window! Thanks to all who have stopped by and offered encouraging thoughts!

We’re close! This next week is filled with final activities. We’ll announce a soft opening on the email list. We’ll announce a grand opening later, stay tuned!

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071228/ENTERTAINMENT02/712280338/1061

And the Rage:

Just as soon as we can and not a minute later.

The Elves continued to work feverishly over Christmas, nothing slowed, not even a mouse. We are 90% finshed with our construction. Yet to finish is drywall, electrical & plumbing final inspections, sign hanging, furniture arranging, and the grandest of all inspections, the Health Department inspection. Interviews for Nashville’s best Baristas are in progress and our hometown suppliers are ready to deliver yummy stuff.

Because our opening is dependent on government inspections we can’t give a specific date, as soon as we set one we’d miss it. Our goal is to begin serving Nashville by mid-January!

Tune in here for the latest or, join our email list to be the very first to know when we open (who knows, there might be free drinks for those savvy email subscribers!).

A whopping total of two people have taken our survey in response to this post: Females Treated Shabbily by Coffee Shops

Tell us what you think. Are females treated shabbily by Nashville coffee shops? Take the survey.

UPDATE: The numbers are in…

42% of you say yes, women are treated shabbily by coffee shops

33% of you say no

25% are unsure.

Hmmmm…..we’ve got work to do.

Ever wondered where the hip “always in the know” food enthusiasts get their info? Here’s their dirty little secret, the foodies feed here:

http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/bites/2007/12/hill_of_beans.php

P.S. They just wrote about Crema!  Thanks for the mention Carrington!

So tired, not much to say, we’ll let the pictures speak for us. Here’s a few snap shots of our recent hard work:

We’ve been watching with anticipation as an old house is renovated just up the hill from Crema, another sign that the Rutledge Hill district is Nashville’s newest hot spot. The work put into this house has been extensive, a constant buzz of activity, and then it ceased. No signs, street clowns, banners, etc., just nicely dressed Nashvillians with big smiles going in and out. What’s the 411 yo, the scoop, the down-low on this new joint we often wondered (to ourselves as not to sound like posers).

We got our answer in the Tennessean, it “is more creative and ambitious than at all but a few Nashville restaurants.” The name is Andrew Chadwick’s at Rutledge Hill. We’ll be dining there soon & you should too.

Read the Tennessean article.

Why choose Drew’s Brews? There are many great roasting companies out there to choose from, but let’s talk about why we think Drew’s coffee is well, awesome!

We, like many consumers are concerned with buying organic and fair trade coffees because we deeply believe these ideals are right. However, there are many other coffees that may not specifically fall under these stringently labeled categories. One of the coffee types that doesn’t always fall under the organic or fair trade labels is estate coffee, these are coffee beans from a singular farm vs. a cooperative of farmers, or the trademark name of an exporter, importer, or roaster. Estate coffees represent the hard work and uniqueness of a specific farm. Most estate farms grow organic, but a lot are not able to slap the official organic label on their beans due to the high costs associated with the certification process.

Drew’s Brews uses many estate coffees because of the wider selection, finer qualities of small batches, and it is the better thing to do because of a closer relationship with the farmers.

Often, due to the closer relationship in estate coffees between the purchaser and grower the coffee farmers are paid higher than what would be the “fair trade” price.

Drew and estate coffee buyers have many choices when purchasing. Estate farmers must be competitive, they must sell their coffee for the highest price to remain viable. They are more motivated to produce a superior crop than a cooperative farm who is paid the same price regardless of quality because they are not highly competing with other farms. Superior crop, superior coffee, which in turn means awesome flavor in your cup!

Drew is a true craftsman at roasting, and lucky for all of us, he is a local Nashvillian. We want to support local businesses that affect our local economy. Crema wants to know where our coffee comes from, when it was roasted, why it was roasted a certain way, and how to best translate that to our favorite people, you!

Thus, we have chosen Master Drew. You’ll never meet another person more passionate, more knowledgeable about coffee than Drew.

We’re making progress! Soon, very soon you’ll be sipping lattes and pounding espresso shots on this very bar. Here, our expert, expertly installs a shelf. These shelves will display delicious chocolate and hand-crafted coffee beans from around the world. Very important tasks for our recycled wooden shelves.

See more photos of our hard work.

See a poorly produced quick video tour of construction.

Be the first to know! Sign up for our email newsletter.

Crema is a new chapter in a story that began in 1895. It began when a 13 year old Italian boy, George Chiavario, fearing a fascist Italian government, fled Italy for the flat-lands of Illinois. He was looking for something better, something different, ironically something authentically Italian. In Illinois he found a place where he could do what he loved best, just as his family had done for generations in Italy. George pursued his passions in Illinois, raised a close-knit family, farmed, made good wine, and always drank fine coffee.

The Chiavario family thrived, sharing their passion for farming and wine making with their growing community. Their passion for family, good food and quality added a distinctively different flavor to the Illinois community. And so it was in this rich heritage that George’s son Joseph thrived. Inherently, Joseph raised his son Raymond in these same honored traditions handed down from generations of Italians before them.

Raymond’s daughter Rachel has begun the newest chapter of the Chiavario story through Crema. As you might expect, she is passionate about the same things George Chiavario weaved into her family’s heritage, most notably a passion for fine coffee and espresso. The Italian heritage has been intimately threaded through each generation and into the ethos of Crema, Rachel’s coffee shop located at 15 Hermitage Ave, Nashville, TN.

At just 25 years of age and ten years of experience in the coffee industry, managing, training, consulting and competing (winner of Bongo Java’s 2006 Barista competition), Rachel shares the Chiavario tradition of Italian passions and quality with Nashville, serving finer coffee and espresso.

“Crema” is the mark of excellence in the finest espresso. When a shot of espresso is properly created, its rich foam topping is the “crema”. In the tradition of her family, Rachel has crafted an original experience that is the “crema,’ the evidence of an excellent heritage fused with passion for fine coffee. These are the essential ingredients of great coffee.

George would be proud!

“How do I get there again?” We’ve heard this question a hundred times and unless you live in the Encore or have bought a beautiful flat at Rolling Mill Hill you might be unfamiliar with the quickly up-and-coming area just south of downtown Nashville, Rutledge Hill.

In addition to the exciting Rolling Mill Project that is directly across the street from Crema, we are a coffee bean throw from the new Nashville Fire Station headquarters, the oldest children’s theatre company in America - Nasvhille Childrens Theatre, both of whom are about to move into beautiful new and renovated buildings, Nashville’s best greasy spoon - Hermitage Cafe, and we’re just a short walk from Sole Mio and the Schermerhorn.

Enough about us, let’s talk about you. Here’s 3 easy ways to get to Crema (click images for details):

From Downtown (Broadway St), just .5 miles …

From East I-40, just 1 mile …

From East Nashville, just 1.5 miles …

So get off your suburban butt off the coach and come visit us and many other new exciting studios, restaurants, venues, galleries, and shopping downtown Nashville!

A study by American economist Caitlin Knowles Myers finds that females wait 20 seconds longer than men to receive their coffee. The study was conducted in the Boston area and involved 8 shops. Read more…

The study can be downloaded here: http://www.middlebury.edu/services/econ/repec/mdl/ancoec/0711.pdf

Tell us what you think (poll)

Loss for words here…

“Chicagoans… are among the top consumers of energy drinks and coffee… they are also likely to say caffeine is good for you…”

What other cities are most caffeinated? Read the entire article on Yahoo! News: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071106/lf_nm_life/cities_caffeine_dc

While scavaging for CHEAP finds at the local architecture salvage we came across two old wood beams that followed us home. We’re certain they’re from a very historic and famous building that will double our business value (if ever it should be out for bid) but can’t provide you documentation of such, you’ll have to trust us.

After a nation wide hunt for a steel artist to assist in crafting a unique (and very heavy!) steel sign for the fledgling business we’ve been lucky to be discovered by a local Nashville philanthropic steel artist who is crafting a one of a kind sign for Crema. Come see Mark’s expertly crafted Crema steel sign when it’s finished in January, in the meantime here’s a preview of the ongoing work (it’s so neato that our cheap camera can’t fully capture its neato-ness, come by now and take a look at it in progress - 15 Hermitage Ave.):

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See more pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/benlehman/sets/72157602404921497/

Here’s a first glance at the Crema menu (yes we know there are misspellings).

NBC Today show correspondent, Joy Bauer, clears up 5 coffee myths in this interesting article. Discover if coffee can help your memory, prevent skin cancer, and enhance your workouts.

Check it out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20187977/

First, for those who don’t know master Drew, a bit of background on the master. He was the master, best of the best, coffee roaster for Bongo Java Nashville for a long, long time. He knows his coffee. He’s now sitting on his own empire of coffee admires who await his fresh roasted beans, daily. Bean heads, check it out: http://www.drewsbrewscoffee.com/.

Speaking of addictions, why can’t I stop watching Blues Clues? Shouldn’t this be easy? Early one Saturday I’m enjoying my cup of Drew’s Moka Harar, a blissful morning, and the next moment my mind is erased by a small children’s educational show.

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The most common topic I’m asked is how should you store beans. Well, there is conflicting opinions and research out there about this, but I’ll give you an experiment to try and some basic principles in coffee storage. In Roast magazine this month, there is an experiment that was done storing coffee in different containers, and then storing that coffee in different places in the home. Group one is the freezer, group two is in the Fridge (Yikes!), and group three is in the cupboard. Now they varied the packaging using a foil bag with a one way valve, glass jar, plastic ware, and a kraft bag with a tin tie. Now, I believe most consumers just leave their coffee in whatever bag they purchase it in, which can be a mess. After 30 days of storage the experimenter cupped all the coffees. They ranked as follows: Freezer-Plastic ware, Freezer- Foil bag with valve, Freezer glass jar, cupboard foil bag with valve, and refrigerator- foil with valve. Now remember, none of these coffees tasted good compared to if they were consumed 3-10 days after roasting. It appears that the foil bag was the most consistent in storing the product, and the freezer slowed down the aging process. So, there you have it, which do think is the best? This might have changed my mind about all those people who store their coffee in the freezer, but I still always recommend to people to buy only enough coffee for one week, know the date it was roasted, and grind only what you need per cup. Remember, coffee is like a sponge, it picks up flavors, and ages quickly once it is ground. Hope that helps!

Try it….package your coffee in different ways and then cup it, and see how it tastes.

Crema rhymes with “Emma.” Get it, got it, good.

…is the heart and soul of true espresso flavor. Crema is the foamy, golden brown extraction that develops in the filter and encrusts the top of your espresso serving.
….is evidence that the right amount of fresh coffee was ground to the proper consistency, and a precise amount of water at the correct temperature was quickly forced under pressure through the fine espresso grind.

…is not easy to achieve. But learning all the secrets to good espresso makes the reward well worth the effort.

Crema is the evidence of excellence.