Philz Coffee
It’s about Philz Coffee.
According to Sister?
“Philz started in Silicone Valley, but I discovered it here, and they only do individual pour-over.
“It’s obsessively roasted, and the individual cups are brewed right in front of you.”
Interesting process to observe, and the final product is a delightful cup of coffee — lives up to the vaunted reputation.
The beans are small-batch roasted, then ground right before the coffee is made. I mean, right before. Seemed to be about four stations, kindly counter person asks me what I want, a large, some catchy name with hints of grains and hickory, plus a slight fruit finish, sure sounds good.
The individual pour-over fixture was right below the high counter’s level, and me, in boots, I could peer over, “Watch it bloom?”
Poor counter person, she demurred, and her boss suggested it was technical coffee extraction term. Hot water, when it first hits the grounds, super saturation, it “blooms” as the grounds release their magical elixir.
The next step, and I guess this is a critical part of their process, the fresh pour-over coffee is poured from the cup into a clean pitcher, then poured back.
“Aerated,” she explained, and it works, “I try to get it as high as I can,” smiling as brown liquid goodness flowed back into my cup.
As far as the taste, process, and all? Well-worth it. Obsessively hand-crafted coffee, one cup at a time.
