The Mill

Here again; The Mill, the best place to stay all day.
The Mill is, as we all know, a joint venture between Josey Baker Bread and Four Barrel Coffee.  

The mill is one of few serves freshly baked sour dough breads, just out of oven!!!, together with a fresh cup of specialty coffee with freshly roasted coffee  beans, both with choices.  San Francisco has several nice cafes and Kiosk style coffee stands, but no other place manages to keep specialists there, both Barista and baker. 

Evaluating too high?  I do not think so.
The Mill opens 7am to 7pm( 9pm on Mon.) and you may have difficulty to find a seat anytime during their open hours.  This has a big enough capacity more than 50 person , but difficult to find a place to dine in especially in the afternoon.
There are many just come and grab a just-out-of-oven "Josey Baker Bread", besides clouds of people seated with a piece of favorite bread and coffee.  

Talking about coffee beans in a bag, it might be better to go Four Barrel Coffee Valencia if you have enough time.  Maybe just a feeling around, but it makes more tasty if enjoyable roasting aroma is there when we grab a bag.  

Amazingly, Josey Baker Bread has published the cook book , "Josey Baker Bread", already!!  Together with the book, there were a series of specialty ingredients, such as a package of stone-ground baking flowers and so on.  (Hope these promise to bring "juicy breads like the Mill offers here.)

This is the movement: A good cup of coffee needs a better pastries.  Not ordinarily, but tasty enough to compete with excellent coffee.  Even Starbucks offers La Boulange pastries nationally, although the flavor of them ditches "freshly baked" and "specially selected" copy.    

Anyway, Blue bottle has been offering Freshly baked waffles together with a cup of freshly poured coffee.  There are always a line at Ferry Building.  Four Barrel Coffee offers variety of toasts using Josey Baker Bread even at Portola Kiosk.  

San Francisco is the city for Foodies and we all welcome this lovely movements for coffee industry.

The Mill

In San Francisco, people use to desire a superior and excellent cup of coffee.  Now, they deserve more: a combination of "my Coffee" and "satisfying quality bread.

Located on Divisadero St., near Alamo Sq., there is a dream place combines wonderful German sourdough breads and selective high quality coffees:  The mill, a joint venture between Josey Baker Bread and Four Barrel Coffee.
There is always a long line, sometimes goes up to the door, but no other choice than staying at the end to make it longer.  Daily baked sourdough breads taste gorgeous and outrageous,  satisfy our hunger even with a half of a piece of toast.  There are 4 selected combination for eat-in, such as almond butter and seasalt, pumpkin butter with seasalt.  If eat-in selection comfort your appetite, there is the shelf offering variety of breads out of oven.      

Coffee there is certainly roasted by Four Barrel Coffee and served by  Four Barrel.  It may have less selection of coffee beans, but good enough to pair with wonderful breads. 
This time, the choice is a cup of almond Latte and the pumpkin butter & seasalt toast: Juicy flavor, naturally friendly, and satisfying.  

The mill is "the dream-team" cafe for San Francisco foodies. 

Ocotepeque la España

Beans: Honduras Ocotepeque la España 
Roaster: Four Barrel Coffee
Origin: Ocotepeque, Honduras
Roasting degree: Medium

【Impression】
Medium body, citrus sweet aroma, oranges, Mandarine oranges, tangors, lemon zest, fruity, soothing, aromaful, light texture, smooth and mild, well harmonized aroma, well-balanced, cooling acidity, light and soft tone, citric, white grapefruits, orange candy, juicy sweetness as white grapes, maple butter, cocoa, white chocolate, orange candy, thin layer of bitterness, solid, juicy comforting sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.
Suitable for non coffee lover.  Both dark and weak will make well established flavor.

【Note】
This beans were on "Cupping California" at SFMoMA, Aug. 2012.  This bag was brought in Nov. 2012 with a note, "limited" and forgotten to be posted since then.  Is this available in  Four Barrel now?  Well, there are always some Honduran beans, I am sure, but it is difficult to guarantee.
This specific Honduran beans gives astonishing flavor.  Hope this will be on the regular menu list.

Guatemala Antigua Chuito

Beans: Guatemala Antigua Chuito
Roaster:  Fourbarrel
Roasting degree: City
Area: Sacatepequez, Antigua, Guatemala
Altitude: 1,650m ～
Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra
Processing: Traditional Washed
Screen: N/A
Grade: N/A

【Impression】
Full body, medium dark to dark, fruity, fresh, refreshing, strawberry and raspberry, a tip of lemon with cacao, smooth, juicy flavor, sweetness of dried fruits and fresh fruits mixed, heavy raisins, cocoa, high crisp acidity of blackberries and black cherries, blueberries hidden, light but sharp bitterness of dark chocolate, berries sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.   .

【Note】
This post has been hidden, actually forgotten, for quite a long time, but assuming that FourBarrel  still carries this with other Guatemala origins.  Also, Ritual carries Chiuto, under the name of "Concepcion Chuito" from same estate.  
Chuito has characteristic similarities with Pompeya, so it may fun to compare these two and profile flavor.

Rwanda Cotecaga

Name: Rwanda Cotecaga
Roaster:  FourBarrel
Roasting degree: Medium Dark
Area: Macuba, Nyamasheke, Rwanda
Variety:  Bourbon
Grade: N/A
Screen: N/A
Altitude:1,500-1,700m
Defect: N/A
Processing Method: Washed

【Impression】
Light to medium, light smooth texture, fruity, earthy, spice, blackberry, dark cherry, black currents, high passion fruits acidity, refreshing freshness, layer of condensed fruitiness of tropical fruits and dark cherries bottomed with flat stable sweetness, dark sugar, soothing bitterness as a long lasting aftertaste with juicy, clear finish.    

【Note】 Fourbarrel beans at RedRock in Mountain View.  I would say, this may not be as fresh as the one sold in Mission, the main location, but still good enough to sense the roaster.  Although RedRock serves good enough coffee for Mountain View, always wish there are investors to support Fourbarrel to open their own roastery in Silicon Valley.   

Four Barrel Coffee: Time to roast!

Just in case, if you do not know...

Four Barrel Coffee 

is 

The Coffee Roaster. 

Here is a little entertainment while waiting for a order to come.
Four Barrel has their roasting factory at the back of the cafe.  This "Bottega", if appropriate to call so, is widely open to entertain sensory cortex; olfactory perception, visual perception and auditory perception.  

There is a bar, a narrow, long, waist-high table, facing roasting machines, which may be highly attractive and adsorptive for coffee "geeks" like me.  

Opening up a coffee roasting factory is somewhat brave step to take.  
Certainly this opens to authorized people only; however, the space is filled sounds and aroma rising from roasting machines as well as  jute bags filled with green beans, which have names on.

Stay at the bar whole day watching the factory may allow us to lead the mind to imagine "SECRET" of Four Barrel coffee...maybe, after a year spending there.

Enjoy the factory while waiting and having your cup.   

    

Four Barrel Coffee

Home coming Coffee time !

As usual, there are a long line and no empty seat&table around 10am..

Well, it is very understandable.

Four barrel serves the best cafe latte among the third wavers in SF/South bay, as far as I know.  Although there are the brew bars offering various specialty coffees, often called "hand crafted coffee" now, espresso is the way to enjoy "Four barrel" the most.



Here is the best barista!
The best cup of latte satisfies you when you see him in front of espresso machine.

According to my friend, he won the first place twice in United States Barista Championship, former known as the North American Barista Competition.

Does this matter?
Actually, I would say "NO".

"How may cups do you serve a day?", we asked.
"Well, I don't know.  I cannot count.", he replays instantly.

Making hundreds of espresso drinks everyday, his skill improves cup by cup, maybe second by second.  Nothing can teach more than experience, especially meister job like this.   

Amazingly, a cup of cafe latte, actually soy latte, kept its silky foam, over an hour, to the last sip!!  Cafe Latte means "Mariage of strong, flavorful espresso with fluffy, silky foamed milk"; not espresso poured in milk.

There are hundreds of cafe's here in San Francisco Bay Area.  Many coffee lovers enjoy, some may visit to enjoy, edgy coffee drinks from various cafes/roasters such as Blue Bottle, Sightglass and do on.  If  Four barrel sounds new to you, keep this name on the top of your list. Try espresso drink when He is in front of the machine.

Beautiful Hand brew Bar by the entrance

Various beans to pick of