Kobrick Coffee Co. -- Comin' In Hot
Ah, that steaming hot cup o’ Joe. For many, there is nothing that quite compares. While the findings on the benefits of coffee are still unclear (researchers have conducted more than 1,000 studies with mixed results) one thing is certain: Tons of folks feel they can’t start the day without it. That means Cater To You needed to find a local coffee company that we could feel good about serving to our school faculty, staff and parents. Enter fourth-generation Kobrick Coffee Co.
In 1920, almost 100 years ago, Kobrick Coffee Co. was founded by Samuel Kobrick at a time when many young entrepreneurs were starting up new business in New York City. The coffee trade was bustling on the seaport of Manhattan, which is where Sam began roasting. His focus then, as is still the company’s today, was on quality and customer service. His philosophy was to take the best green coffees on the market, roast them to perfection, and charm the city with this product. It worked; and each generation that came after has tended to Sam’s passion.
Now, still growing, Kobrick Coffee Co. inspires New York City’s chefs, restaurateurs, boutique cafes, neighborhood coffee shops, food and beverage experts, and coffee drinkers everywhere with a variety of carefully-sourced coffee.
At their certified organic roasting plant, they source, cup, roast, and package select coffees including Direct Trade, Fair Trade, Certified Organic, and Rainforest Alliance selections (more on that below). Their experienced coffee buyer and roastmaster has been there for 27 years along with three generations of the Kobrick family, ensuring that they combine the best ingredients possible with keen skill to craft delicious coffees, in part by roasting coffees to their peak flavor, revealing the individual region or estate’s distinguished character. Each green coffee sample gets sniffed, slurped up and vetted through silver spoons in a cupping laboratory. The delicate hand-picked seeds containing sugars and natural perfumes are roasted in an old-school, cast-iron Burns sample roaster. Roasting itself is a fine art requiring a delicate hand, split-second timing and an ability to judge when the coffee bean is at its peak of flavor. Unlike many other coffee companies, Kobrick’s hand-roasts all their coffees using a century-old method, adjusting and monitoring the temperature at every step of the process. It can take up to 18 minutes to roast coffee the Kobrick way, which allows for a greater depth of flavor from every bean. At Cater To You, we proudly serve up Kiss of Africa, Dark Velvet, Decaf Colombian, and Broadway Decaf.
In selecting vendor partners, it is also very important to us that we serve offerings from organizations for whom sustainability is serious business. We feel good about Kobrick’s Coffee strong awareness around the issues concerning carbon footprint—our own and that of our society and communities around the world. As for what’s brewing for the future, Niki Kobrick, great-granddaughter of Sam, promises more of the same with “A continued passion for the art of coffee, a strong focus on sustainability, and continuing to explore ways that coffee can do good and give back to people and our planet.” If you are out and about New York City and looking for not only a good cup of java, but also delicious brunch or dinner and some stellar coffee cocktails, head over to Kobrick Coffee Café at 24 Ninth Avenue. And, for more information on Kobrick Coffee Co.'s charitable efforts visit https://www.kobricks.com.
In the meantime, if you have ever wondered what it means to drink Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee, read on for a quick Kobrick-supplied primer.
Direct Trade Coffees are very beneficial, offering direct communication between the roaster and the coffee farms. Not only does this help the farmer receive a fair price of the coffee, rather than a percentage given to the importer/exporter middlemen, but it also helps the farmer to understand the needs of the roaster. With this connection Kobrick is able to offer feedback to the farmer to help them make improvements to their growing or processing methods, thus, fostering improvements in coffee quality. For example, direct trade helps Kobrick connect and work with the farmers, planting trees for the company’s Canopy Tree Project. The benefits of canopy trees are many and include, but are not limited to; improving the quality of the coffee, improving the soil on the farm, improving the water retention in the soil, providing natural pest control through increased bird habitat, saving the lives of beautiful tropical bird species, providing the farmers with another form of income and fresh fruit or nuts to provide food to their families and neighbors from their new trees. All Kobrick Coffee sales give back to support the Canopy Tree Project.
Fair Trade Certified Organic Coffees are certified by Transfair USA. This organization offers a better price to farmers who in turn commit to strict standards for environmental practices, quality control and investing back in their business and their communities. All of the Kobrick Fair Trade Coffees are also Certified Organic.
Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee is focused on sustainable farming methods including "biodiversity conservation, improved livelihoods and human well-being, natural resource conservation, and effective planning and farm management systems". Kobrick’s Espresso blend, Tiger Stripe Reserve Rainforest Alliance Certified Espresso, also donates a percentage of the profits back to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to help endangered wild tigers and is their best-selling coffee.