Author Archive | rolando

Spring pea soup is coming into the chilled soup rotation.

You can make this soup at home if you have a blender. We use caramelized onions, a touch of coconut & soy milks, frozen peas, vegetable stock and mint. It’s garnished with yogurt and pistachios. The secret is to blend it and thin it out so that it’s NOT A SMOOTHIE. You want a nice thin viscosity if you want it to taste good.

We’re doing a bunch of cooking classes this summer, including one on chilled soups. Sign up here.

Brown sugar lemonade was the result of a happy accident back in the Spring of 2009. I was back teaching and Ayr was running MIT truck.  It was a nice day, so he made extra drinks and he ran out of sugar. Midway through lunch, he needed to make more lemonades, and decided to try it with brown sugar instead. It was easy and a big hit.

Last Summer, as we were getting used to new volumes and logistics, we ended abusing the convenience of this recipe and ran it too often. So Ayr Continue Reading →

Intelligentsia reached out to us and sent us a few coffees to try, including this Zambian. First thing we thought was that we hadn’t tasted a coffee from Zambia before. It comes from the Mazabuka district, in the Lusaka region of Zambia. Grown on Mubuyu Farm by Jesper Lublinkhof. He named it Ljulu Lipati, which translates to “Very big up above” OR “Big heavens.”

We’re really liking this coffee. It’s clean and has a light, natural sweetness with cherry & cranberry notes.

Rolling out to all locations starting today in the $3 slot.

We are launching our next seasonal sandwich today, the Parsnip cheddar. I am quite fond of this one. It was one of the first sandwiches that we developed with our committee type approach to the development process, which of course you all (our customers), have the final say on. Click here to read about some of the iterations that we went through to develop this sandwich.

The parsnips are Spring-dug from Manheim farms out in Whately, MA. The sweet & creamy flavor is complemented by our pungent Spring onion relish. This is based on a Southern chow-chow I ate down in New Orleans. There is also a touch of mayonnaise, cheddar and spinach.

Starting today at all locations. Let us know what you think.

Spring is here, the sun is shining and temperatures are starting to rise, but it is a tough time of the year in New England. There still isn’t much being harvested for a little while. It’s at these times that we like to feature ingredients that are more regional to other parts of the globe. Actually plantains are the main reason why we even have 3pm specials on the menu at all. Click here for the story.

We take the plantains and ripen them until the skin gets black. That tells us that all of the starches have converted to sugar. I keep catching staff trying to throw them away, because they don’t look edible. Trust me, these are more than just edible. They just might transform what you think about bananas in general. They’re like candy.

$3 – Platanos maduros (ripe), at all Clover locations starting now.

We ran this coffee about this time last year.  Matt is developing a new relationship with Asocafe Coop. down in Bolivia. The coffee is grown by coop members in a small village called Taipiplaya, at altitudes of up to 1800 meters. Generally speaking, growing at high altitudes is a desirable condition for Arabica beans. It produces great tasting coffee.

This coffee has a subtle sweetness -malt & brown sugar, complemented by chocolate and nutty notes. Very satisfying.  Matt calls it “a warm hug in a cup”. Running now at all Clover locations in the $3 slot.

Considering that it’s March Madness, I had to include Matt’s description of this coffee he roasted for us.

Quality Peruvian coffee is like a good small forward who averages ten points, four assists, five boards, and plays solid defense for thirty minutes every night. It’s sort of easy to forget about it, and take it for granted. But if you pay attention a little, you can’t help but be impressed by its game.

I thought that was great. The beans are from a Coop, with 300 members, located in Chanchamayo, Peru. I feel the coffee’s flavor is nicely balanced, having rich, chocolatey, nutty notes balanced by a mild acidity. Rolling out, in the $2 slot, to a Clover location near you.

Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world, but it’s been producing some really amazing coffees. This one is called Mpemba, named for the region of Burundi where it was grown. It’s the first lot ever to be grown, processed, and exported by the Kazoza N’Ikawa Co-op.

Ryan from Counter Culture was telling us how this is really unique for Burundi. Usually in that country, coffee buyers like Counter Culture would work with a private washing station, not directly with the co-op. This past year the co-op was able to create their own washing station where they can process their coffee cherries themselves. It’s really cool step for the growers, and something I’m excited to be able to support.

You can get a cup of the Mpemba, in the $3 slot starting today. For me, the flavor profile is round with some citrus notes and a smooth finish. Let us know what you think.