One last push of heavy lifting

We extracted the Joper roaster & the little guy from the Threehouse studio location last night. This time, we did not have to haul it up the stairs, but it was pouring rain. I don't like to make anything too easy. In climbing, Sarah & I would always say, anything that is harder than it needs to be gets chalked up to training. So, training it was...

We loaded the gear in to a trailer & headed on to Midtown. I wisely rode in the back with the equipment to see it through a tough transition. Coffee roasters are sensitive. (see ultrasound photo) I stared @ the increasingly humanoid face of the roaster as streetlights brightened and faded, and every bump sounded like the bottom of the trailer was going to give way. I have this picture in my head of myself careening away, clutching on to the roaster with a stream of sparks arching behind us.

It didn't happen. The roaster is now in-house. Stack is almost up. Should be operational within 24 hours. Yahoo.

Some pics to illustrate the last post...

Click Here!

"Gabriel"

A call came through late Sunday morning. Ben Jones, an engraving & print zealot, breathed excitedly into the phone, "got a Chandler & Price for you if you want it-just have to pick it up." "Uhhh, okay." I reply.

Three hours later, Ben introduced to the head of the KC Ink & Paper society, Calvert Guthrie. He was providing the trailer & outfitted us with all kinds of pry bars, leather hammers, beams & straps. As he rifled through drawers & boxes, tossing us random objects("might as well take that - might need it."), he reminded me of a mix between Hunter Thompson & a vampire hunter. We didn't know what half the tools did, but we suspected we would understand when the time was right. Oh, and yes, it was going to get ugly.

The deal entailed removing an old-style Chandler & Price platen press from someone's house in the Westside. We learned that the original owner of the press was the sole printer for the latino community in the mid-century. His son took it over, and now he was ready for the heavy heavy beast to be out of his house. Simple enough, right?

We called a few friends, and snagged a few to help us lift something heavy and be enjoying a cold beverage by the time the sun went down. We measured the door:27 inches. We measure the press:way wider than 27 inches... What we though would be a simple, yet ridiculous job, turned into a slightly more complicated, ridiculous job. That said, the friends we recruited were smart, & found reasons to go & be free elsewhere.

Crammed into this little basement, complete with bucket to catch water a leak, & a pretty sweet virgin Mary sculpture, was this beast of a press. We began to embrace the greasy metal, sweating and grunting. Ben's zeal is the reason this is going down. The prospect of taking the press apart, down to it's essential frame lit up his eyes in the name of science. I was there to help and use whatever brute force was necessary to get the job done.

Long story short, we got the press out one door, down two steps, across a room, up four steps into a trailer, and into our new shop in less than twelve hours over two days. Using the might of Ben, myself & the beast, Mark Beard(as well as some ancient Egyptian technology), the press is ready for a severe cleaning, which will reveal some lovely pinstriping on clean iron.

Now begins the meticulous process of assembling the machine, back to its former glory. We have named the press Gabriel, for that was the name of the original owner/operator. We will love, cherish, use & protect it.

Pictures to follow

grk

Got the keys...

We are very excited to get things rolling in our new space on Main St. in KCMO. It's going to be a couple weeks of demolition & minor construction before it's functional. 4 blocks from home, I can once again walk to work before my coffee is drinking temperature.

Time Capsule: The day arrived

The day the new-to-us roaster arrived, was a head-scratching day. The main question on my mind was, how am I going to get this 300 pound piece of steel down 9-10 steps? At the same time, how was I to keep it & myself in working order after the job was done?

Enter friend, & think-tank, Randy. He brings a stout perseverance to any table he approaches. I knew he would be interested in helping solve this problem.

At this point, the roaster is in a crate (about the size of a couple refrigerators)outside the shop. It's perhaps 38 degrees, & sunny. At my disposal, I have a fantastic oversized scraper a friend made for me in N.C. It was designed to scrape the underside of a two bag coffee roaster cooling tray. It's a fine piece of steel. It has been used as a pull up bar, an ice breaker, & potential self-defense weapon. Now it was being used as a pry-bar, and a lever to inch the half-crated roaster towards the shop door.

Randy arrives, we take a coffee break.

Break over, we head back outside & deliberate the preferred methods of overcoming this obstacle. Half-hearted attempts at mumbling brilliant solutions exit our lips, and dissipate weakly into little plumes of steam.

Enter friend #2: Wes. Phone call:"hey man, I was wondering if you were roasting today, and I could swing by and pick up a bag of coffee?" Me:"um, yep. C'mon by..." My response upturned not so casually at the last second with the optimism of a guy who truly almost believes this substantial task will "just take a second."

Accelerating the story now, Wes arrives, we all deliberate, and start moving the mother towards the doorway. Maybe we lugged it up a step onto the landing, when the idea that had been brewing, slowly dawned on me. One must draw upon what one has to work with when one is in a position of challenge, no?

Being a climber has aided me in a number of applications, as it helped me this day. I grabbed my harness, tied in, and tossed the rope over one of the supports of the warehouse. After tying the rope to the roaster, the fine citizen, Andy Michael stood near to grab on and hang off of me as I dangle. Wes & Randy lifted as I hoisted & Andy hung.

As you can see by the picture, the roaster and I made it in one piece. The other fellas survived as well. "Welcome to the coffee industry," I said, as another of the many foolish things done in the name of coffee roasting was finished.

We are moving the roaster again in a week. However, we will utilize the roll up door this time.

Post Ric Rac

Saturday was a good time. It was hot, it was breezy, & many folks came out to forage on the goodness that was there. We enjoyed meeting lots of new people, and a few who came back for more from last year.

Right @ 4 p.m., the storm came and threatened to blow us away. I think everyone got soaked in the effort to protect any goods the rain might pain. It's been a long time since I have been that wet from a warm summer rain. I definitely took a few minutes to stand and take it in.

Also, Friday night, we went out to check out the I-70 latte art competition @ the Roasterie. Thanks to them for hosting the event. It was fun to have the greater Kansas City baristas & roasters in attendance. We met some new folks & enjoyed connecting once again with some current ones. We are hopeful for the the progressing state of the coffee community here in K.C.

Cheers to you, coffee freaks.

we're back & inspired

Yep, we're back. Colorado was amazing. We were blown away by all we expected to be - creation, culture, people, altitude & positive attitudes. It's inspiring to see people going for it. Going for what? Pursuing passions & augmenting local community is the 'it' that fuels our fire.

I will expound on that thought process in the near future. This week, we are preparing, gearing for the Ric Rac Roundup in Westport KCMO this weekend. It's a collective bizarre bazaar of local artists and craftspeople. Last year was great, and we are honored to be back again.

We will be selling whole bean, fresh roasted coffees in printed and illustrated bags, as well as fresh & chilly toddy. We are experimenting on what coffee to serve, and I am leaning towards a washed Ethiopian Sidamo. It's complex, with a soft,warm-canned peach flavor, with big cocoa tones. What better to drink on a hot midwestern plains day? Beer? Touche.