PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Our goal for this project this semester was to learn about coffee in chemistry and humanities and have have a pop-up cafe that would represent all the work we had done to sharing our learning. Our pop-up cafe we called 'Cafe Chaos' and our exhibition took place at Mr. Chickle's (a teacher at HTHCV) cafe; Project Reo Collective. Before we could begin to think about what our coffee shop would look like we got into groups to research coffee shops around an assigned area. Once we presented the coffee shops in our area we voted on what we believed was the best area and contacted a couple local cafe shops to visit (my groups being on Pacific Beach). When visiting these coffee shops we got to learn about their story and collected some data on design elements that make the space unique (as seen below, my group's name is "Small Great Things").
Some coffee shops even got us guest speakers to come to our classroom and teach us what they could. Above and below the text you can find photos about this process.
Some coffee shops even got us guest speakers to come to our classroom and teach us what they could. Above and below the text you can find photos about this process.
Guest Speakers
Since our project was based around the impact of coffee in our community we wanted to have people from local coffee shops come and talk to us about their environment.
Sterling From:City Heights Coffeehouse
One of our guest speakers was Sterling from City Heights Coffeehouse. The main message Sterling had for us was that she wanted to bring people in her community together through different cultures and an inviting environment. Her coffee shop brings people together by giving jobs to refugees, people with criminal records, and having free cups of coffee for the homeless. Sterling’s shop is also incredibly culturally diverse in her menu and learned all her recipes from people in her community so that she could make people feel at home.
Jonah and George From: Cafe Calabria
Jonah & George from Cafe Calabria came in twice to present their knowledge on their profession and general coffee knowledge. They taught us about their personal experience and how they came in thinking it was a temporary job and ended up being passionate about coffee. They brought in beans for us to have and smell then described to us different tastes on coffee wheel. They also taught us how to make french press and pour over, this impacted us the most when we actually made the coffee, which people actually loved.
Chuck From: Bird Rock Coffee
Chuck from Bird Rock Coffee came in and enthusiastically explained the process from coffee bean to cup regarding trades, fair trade, direct trade and commodity trade. He’s really passionate about quality coffee and creating good opportunities for his farmers and their community. He taught us about how direct trade is only about 1% of where our coffee comes from and why he thinks it’s the best for his business. He taught us that knowing where your bean comes from and having a personal connection with the farmers impacts the taste.
Sterling From:City Heights Coffeehouse
One of our guest speakers was Sterling from City Heights Coffeehouse. The main message Sterling had for us was that she wanted to bring people in her community together through different cultures and an inviting environment. Her coffee shop brings people together by giving jobs to refugees, people with criminal records, and having free cups of coffee for the homeless. Sterling’s shop is also incredibly culturally diverse in her menu and learned all her recipes from people in her community so that she could make people feel at home.
Jonah and George From: Cafe Calabria
Jonah & George from Cafe Calabria came in twice to present their knowledge on their profession and general coffee knowledge. They taught us about their personal experience and how they came in thinking it was a temporary job and ended up being passionate about coffee. They brought in beans for us to have and smell then described to us different tastes on coffee wheel. They also taught us how to make french press and pour over, this impacted us the most when we actually made the coffee, which people actually loved.
Chuck From: Bird Rock Coffee
Chuck from Bird Rock Coffee came in and enthusiastically explained the process from coffee bean to cup regarding trades, fair trade, direct trade and commodity trade. He’s really passionate about quality coffee and creating good opportunities for his farmers and their community. He taught us about how direct trade is only about 1% of where our coffee comes from and why he thinks it’s the best for his business. He taught us that knowing where your bean comes from and having a personal connection with the farmers impacts the taste.
Field Trips
Por Vida:
We went to this amazing little coffee shop in the mid streets of Barrio Logan. The theme was modern, Mexican coffee with a unique twist. They had a very large menu that included different roasts, and different types of methods including pour over, cold brew, and french press. Everyone was very nice and helpful; they gave us a Q&A session and let a very large amount of teenagers in their space which should be applauded. Their space was very useful, they had big community tables, lots of windows, natural light, and beautiful art on the walls. They did a very amazing job of incorporating the rich culture Barrio Logan has to offer.
Cafe Moto:
For our first field trip, we took a trip to the streets of Barrio Logan and visited 3 cafes. One of those was Cafe Moto. The design of Cafe Moto was inspired by the owner’s two passions: motorcycles and coffee! The have their small coffee shop in the front and a large warehouse in the back with lots of equipment and signature roasted coffee. They wanted to be able to have all the necessary things to start up a new coffee shop. Although their space as seems small it isn't they just use most of it for retail or roasting. They are very popular and had very nice outdoor seating.
Cafe Virtuoso:
This cafe was located in the outskirts of Barrio Logan and was in a big warehouse, they had lots of big machines and different types of coffee brewing in their coffee shop. They had a very large space available and all the workers were very inviting and friendly. This place had a very cute and modern area to sip you coffee and have great conversations. The space was very neutral and small in the little corner they had different furniture and windows all over the wall. They tables were very modern, but space did feel a little empty. This is most likely because their space is unfinished.
Lofty Coffee:
This cafe was located in Little Italy and had a very urban and modern vibe. It was on a corner and everything was very open and had lots of light coming in. This cafe also included food and a variety of different drinks. They also had a variety of organic drinks and had good prices. They were environmentally friendly and 100% natural. They also had a nice view too, the baristas were preparing the drink in the counter. It brought the community together and had a big area relax and have a good time.
Bird Rock:
Bird Rock is a very famous cafe located in Little Italy, and was direct trade. Everyone was very friendly and very interesting to talk too. We all got to try a sample of the cold brew and it was delicious. They care a lot about where there coffee beans comes from and the owners travel the world looking for different farms to find the best coffee beans for there valued customers. The place was very cozy, modern, and urban everything was very hip and cool, the colors would pop out the turquoise against the dark wood, and had lots of natural window and lights to make your mood a little better.
West Bean:
The cafe was a very business looking cafe. Everything was dark and black and the lights were very low. This is a perfect place to really focus and work. They were not as friendly as the other places, but they are very well known and had a simple but unique menu.
Coffee and Tea:
They were located toward the baseball stadium and was a very unique and cute cafe. It was a little hidden but everyone was super friendly and willing to talk about their history. They had a simple menu and had many machines and roasters located in the back. This place was very modern and had a hipster vibe. It was overall was very delicious and very helpful to our project; Inspiring us with the decor and their space in general.
James Coffee:
This coffee place was so amazing, they are located in San Diego in a big warehouse surrounded by other little shops which is a perfect to look around while you are waiting for your drink. The coffee and pastries was very good and the flavors were all there. The space was a little dark but had lots of seating and tables with chess boards which is perfect to start conversations with other customers. They talked to us about the all the methods they use in their coffee (pour over, french press, cold brew) and the history behind the warehouse.
We went to this amazing little coffee shop in the mid streets of Barrio Logan. The theme was modern, Mexican coffee with a unique twist. They had a very large menu that included different roasts, and different types of methods including pour over, cold brew, and french press. Everyone was very nice and helpful; they gave us a Q&A session and let a very large amount of teenagers in their space which should be applauded. Their space was very useful, they had big community tables, lots of windows, natural light, and beautiful art on the walls. They did a very amazing job of incorporating the rich culture Barrio Logan has to offer.
Cafe Moto:
For our first field trip, we took a trip to the streets of Barrio Logan and visited 3 cafes. One of those was Cafe Moto. The design of Cafe Moto was inspired by the owner’s two passions: motorcycles and coffee! The have their small coffee shop in the front and a large warehouse in the back with lots of equipment and signature roasted coffee. They wanted to be able to have all the necessary things to start up a new coffee shop. Although their space as seems small it isn't they just use most of it for retail or roasting. They are very popular and had very nice outdoor seating.
Cafe Virtuoso:
This cafe was located in the outskirts of Barrio Logan and was in a big warehouse, they had lots of big machines and different types of coffee brewing in their coffee shop. They had a very large space available and all the workers were very inviting and friendly. This place had a very cute and modern area to sip you coffee and have great conversations. The space was very neutral and small in the little corner they had different furniture and windows all over the wall. They tables were very modern, but space did feel a little empty. This is most likely because their space is unfinished.
Lofty Coffee:
This cafe was located in Little Italy and had a very urban and modern vibe. It was on a corner and everything was very open and had lots of light coming in. This cafe also included food and a variety of different drinks. They also had a variety of organic drinks and had good prices. They were environmentally friendly and 100% natural. They also had a nice view too, the baristas were preparing the drink in the counter. It brought the community together and had a big area relax and have a good time.
Bird Rock:
Bird Rock is a very famous cafe located in Little Italy, and was direct trade. Everyone was very friendly and very interesting to talk too. We all got to try a sample of the cold brew and it was delicious. They care a lot about where there coffee beans comes from and the owners travel the world looking for different farms to find the best coffee beans for there valued customers. The place was very cozy, modern, and urban everything was very hip and cool, the colors would pop out the turquoise against the dark wood, and had lots of natural window and lights to make your mood a little better.
West Bean:
The cafe was a very business looking cafe. Everything was dark and black and the lights were very low. This is a perfect place to really focus and work. They were not as friendly as the other places, but they are very well known and had a simple but unique menu.
Coffee and Tea:
They were located toward the baseball stadium and was a very unique and cute cafe. It was a little hidden but everyone was super friendly and willing to talk about their history. They had a simple menu and had many machines and roasters located in the back. This place was very modern and had a hipster vibe. It was overall was very delicious and very helpful to our project; Inspiring us with the decor and their space in general.
James Coffee:
This coffee place was so amazing, they are located in San Diego in a big warehouse surrounded by other little shops which is a perfect to look around while you are waiting for your drink. The coffee and pastries was very good and the flavors were all there. The space was a little dark but had lots of seating and tables with chess boards which is perfect to start conversations with other customers. They talked to us about the all the methods they use in their coffee (pour over, french press, cold brew) and the history behind the warehouse.