“It is imperative that our guests experience gourmet quality in both food and service. So, you know you are serving great coffee when each day at least one customer of ours asks how they can get Fonté Coffee at home."

~ Chef Philippe Boulot, Heathman Hotel Restaurant
Portland, Oregon, 2001 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef

“I take pride in serving the very best to my guests.  Fonté’s commitment to excellence is second to none and gives me a confidence that I want from all aspects of the dining experience.”

~ Chef and owner, Jason Wilson, Crush Restaurant
Seattle, Washington 2006 Food and Wine Magazine’s Best New Chef

"Fonté Coffee's robust flavors are really delicious, but the best part is getting the coffee fresh shipped within 24 hours of being roasted. Their unique roast-to-order philosophy enables us to serve the best quality coffee possible to our customers, who really do know the difference. We are very proud to serve Fonté Coffee."

Chef and restaurateur Suzanne Goin, AOC and Lucques Los Angeles, California, 1999 Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chef
2004 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: California

Pulling a great espresso shot is an art form.  In fact, there is even a world competition among baristas to find out who does it best.  

To enjoy the fullest expression of flavor from your espresso at home, Fonté’s master roaster Steve Smith offers a simple way to achieve exceptional cup quality each time you pull a shot, just like a world class barista.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING CREMA

For most of Fonté Coffee Roaster espresso blends, standards are set at 20-22 seconds for a one oz. shot and 16-18 seconds for a ristretto (3/4 oz. shot).  For Fonté's Italian blend, pull a 26 second shot. This is an ideal amount of time to develop the perfect crema, the essential fats and proteins found in espresso that rise to form a creamy layer on top. An espresso shot should have a dense layer of crema, similar to the white bubbles on the top of champagne when it is first poured. Pull too long of a shot and the espresso will be over-extracted and contain too much acid, too short leaves the flavor in the bean and not in the cup.

UNDER PRESSURE

Water pressure is critical – the right pressure allows the water to flow evenly through the bed of espresso grounds, gathering rich flavors along the way.  Water should be pressurized at a level of nine atmospheres. Not all espresso machines have water pressure gauges or the ability to adjust pressure. Make sure to invest in a quality one that does.  Fonté recommends that you get a pump-driven machine. Those usually have the correct water pressure already set.  Two examples of this are Saeco Classico Stainless Steel Machine and Pasquini Livia 90 Espresso Machine. Both are available at www.fontecoffee.com.

TAMP AND GRIND

Using freshly ground coffee can make a huge difference.  Even an hour out of the grinder can drastically affect the results, causing a loss of crema. Make sure to always start with freshly roasted coffee in whole bean form and grind beans just before you are about to use them.  The type of grind determines how fast the water passes through the coffee and the amount of time it goes through the grind affects the flavor.

Too coarse of a grind results in a pale under-extracted shot; too fine and the espresso will be dark and over-extracted.  The perfect espresso grind is like soft sand rather than powder. Some home coffee grinders may be able to achieve this consistency, but aficionados prefer Burr grinders because they can produce an optimal grind for espresso.  Burr grinders retail for about $150. 

Tamp, or the amount of pressure used to compress the ground espresso in the portafilter, is the easiest variable to adjust when making espresso.  First you must start with the right dose.  Fonté recommends about seven grams for every single shot and 14 grams for a double. Generally, the tamp should be medium pressure or about 30 to 40 lbs of pressure and should be clean, no stray grounds around the mouth of the portafilter. Is the espresso too weak?  Up the pressure when you tamp.  Too strong?  Adjust the tamp contact time and use less pressure until you get the right flavor. If water pressure is at the right level, beans are ground properly and the shot is being pulled with the right dose and the recommended time, then tamp can be manipulated to achieve your desired flavor.

FINAL NOTE:  Fonté recommends keeping your whole bean coffee at room temperature.  Do not put into the refrigerator as the coffee beans will be sensitive to the condensation, from taking them in and out, and the moisture will damage the beans.  Also, the beans will absorb the odors that are permeating throughout, which can affect the flavor of your shot.

A lot of emphasis in recent years has been placed on high quality single origin coffees, and many treasures have been brought to the cup as a result (just check out Fonté’s award-winning line up). But outside the espresso arena the art of blending has languished to some extent, which prompted us to develop and introduce our Bin 16 blend a few years ago.

This is possibly the finest blended coffee we’ve ever produced. It is special because sourcing coffee for Bin 16 is done on an opportunistic basis, taking advantage of unusual and exquisite micro lots of green coffee as they become available. We continuously track coffees in several growing regions and through our longstanding (approaching 30 years in some cases!) network of coffee contacts, we secure the exceptional components from which Bin 16 is created.

Bin 16 boasts bright, tart fruity notes as well as delightful cocoa and spice aromas, all within a lavish mouth feel. It is built around a framework of auction lot Kenyas and displays in full measure the sweet acidity unique to them. We augment this bold foundation with top grades of classic and award-winning Latin American and Indonesian coffees. Genuine Guatemalan Antiguas, 100% Bourbon Brasils and AA grade Estate New Guineas have all played a part in the Bin 16, contributing a variety of captivating qualities ranging from honey lemon to lightly smoked hazelnut. Because the beans sourced for this blend change from time to time, Fonté allows for a wider latitude of variation than we permit our other blends, in order to keep the emphasis solely on creating exceptional cup quality.

Look for the impact of our Genuine Antigua Santa Clara in the blend this spring and summer, a coffee painstakingly selected from among the 12 top estates of the noted Antigua region. Santa Clara lends a distinctive cherry note to the cup, reinforcing the bright Kenya acidity, and then dissolving into a satisfying dry cocoa in the finish.

Regardless of its subtle variations, Bin 16's strength lies in the quantity of character that it delivers. The quality is assured, but the intensity of the flavor of Bin 16 is difficult to match. Due to the limited amount we produce, we only roast this blend once a week, gathering orders daily for a Tuesday roast.

Fans of Bin 16:

“We’re very fortunate indeed to have Fonté Coffee Roasters.  Just try their Bin 16 bean and it’ll all be over.  Yes, it’s a little expensive ... but it is an unbelievable roast. And, if you can, order it and go pick it up at their roastery to enjoy uber freshness. Please don’t hog all the Bin 16 ... you all now owe me one.”

Review by Mitch M, Seattle WA on Judy’s Book

“Coffee is a simple pleasure that I enjoy every day, sometimes several times a day.  I used to drink Bin 16 when I wanted an extra special coffee treat, but now I’ve allowed myself to indulge in the rich, bold flavors it offers every day.”

Tiffany McGehee, Seattle, WA

Congratulations to Fonté client Jason Wilson, chef and owner of Crush Restaurant in Seattle, WA, who was voted 2006 Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chef.

Chef and owner Jason Wilson, Crush Restaurant, Seattle, WA

Crush was also named one of Seattle Magazine’s 10 very best restaurants in 2006!

(excerpt from website www.chefjasonwilson.com)

Crush revolves around the food. Chef Wilson selects the region's finest ingredients each day to create his Modern Northwest Cuisine. His musings will tempt your eyes and seduce your palates.

The Crush menu migrates through the seasons, with food procured from local, artisanal producers.

Every evening you visit offers a fresh surprise, coupled with an ideal wine culled from our expansive wine list.

“Crush offers carefully crafted cocktails, a wide world of wines and an oft-changing menu of ‘Modern American Cuisine’ as gorgeous as it is good.” 
~ Seattle Times

“Glamour with a warm touch.”
~ Seattle Magazine

“It all comes together in a modern mix whose quality lightly vaults Crush onto the latest list of the city's best restaurants.”
~ Seattle PI

Not only are we committed to crafting the finest coffee in the world, we are committed to giving back to the community.  Here’s a recap of what Fonté did last year in 2006.

In February, Fonté was a product sponsor and hosted a table at the Children’s Museum’s “A Night in the Neighborhood” at the train station in downtown Seattle. The event raised more than $75,000 its first year to help fund programs and museum improvements. 

In April, Fonté owner Paul Odom hit the Aloha bowling lanes to help raise money to benefit The Boys and Girls Club for the second year in a row.

In September, Fonté was a product sponsor for Tools for Peace in Los Angeles. The event was a private concert for 100 people by KD Lang in a private home in Bel Air. Elton John made a surprise appearance and sang with Lang to help raise money to educate children on peace.

Fonté gave a $3000 cash donation to the Ronald McDonald House which benefits kids with cancer at the annual fundraiser in September. In addition, Fonté made other cash donations to Amigos De Las Americas in Laguna Beach and to the Epicurean Charitable Foundation in Las Vegas.

Fonté was also a product sponsor for events benefiting The Boy Scouts, The Machen Foundation and The Ryther Child Center.

Each year, Fonte donates nearly 200 pounds of roasted coffee to Northwest 2nd Harvest to help fight against hunger in the Inland Northwest.