January 17, 2008 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of Two |
Grounds for satisfaction at Hill Coffee Company
“Hi, Missy! Hi, Dick!” Tom Ewing, the friendly server behind the counter at Chestut Hill Coffee Company, 8620 Germantown Ave., never fails to give us this sunny greeting. “What’s new?” is next on his agenda. It results in brilliant ripostes such as “It’s cold!” “Well,” Tom replies, “it’s winter!” Our question to Tom: “Do you try to know everybody?” Answer: “When I started, I immediately had a tremendous feeling of welcome on the part of customers. I’m consistently impressed with the sense of community I have with everyone here; it’s an extension of my family.” Tom, Kate, Jason, John and Jorge, and newer staffers Dawn, Brian, Nicole, Ben and Kat, among others, make the Coffee Company a welcome destination. It’s ideal for the weary, the work-hooked (laptops decorate many tables), but above all, it’s the place for the Company’s magical coffee, made all the better for on-site roasting, a feature since early 2007. The coffee is so strong, so rich, so flavorful that, though you may not dance on the ceiling a la Fred Astaire, you feel you can conquer anything. For instance, why not get that new outfit today? Why not bag housework and take a nice drive? Okay, the coffee’s not Aladdin’s lamp, but the ambiance of the Chestnut Hill Coffee Company — its steady flow of in-and-out traffic, with a greeting to each person — makes it a welcome landmark. Tom, 27, commutes from Wilmington and works four days a week. A musician, he plays drums with three bands and writes music. On Mondays, it’s back to work where a different kind of orchestration takes place. As Tom says, “I put my heart and soul into coffee,” and, we add, he serves it with panache. And no wonder. Tom learned to be a barista (one who serves espresso, and by extension, a coffee server) at Brewhaha in Wilmington; he has 10 years’ retail coffee experience. Sultan Malikyar, the owner, and John Hornall, manager and coffee-roaster, both know that being in Chestnut Hill is a happy decision. Both now live in Chestnut Hill. Sultan, 43, came to the Hill from his native Afghanistan via Seattle, where he and John, same age, met 20 years ago. Sultan operated a restaurant for eight years while John was a quick-learning coffee specialist in the capital city for coffee in America. (Sultan’s family fled the Russian invasion of Afghanistan when he was 12; he did return for a visit four years ago.) Of Seattle, John said, “That’s a very friendly city where people in the service industry really like the people they serve. In Philadelphia, in my opinion, the standard of service — the attitude — is different, but still friendly. We try for a Seattle-high standard of personal service. If there’s not a smile and a greeting behind the cup, it’s just coffee.” Music, mostly vintage rock, blues and some jazz, adds a layer of pleasure downstairs, while up a flight of steps, deep sofas allow for a bit of laziness, with more tables and chairs. This upper area serves as an art gallery for changing exhibits, and, at times, as a live music venue. It is also home to the Company’s new roaster. Manager, John Hornall is also an expert coffee roaster and blender. Right now, the café has 14 different beans for roasting and blending. In addition to their house blend, they have six to eight different coffee blends by-the-mug and to take-out every day, plus one or two soups, pastries, lattés, teas and specially selected soft drinks. In an interview, John greatly increased our coffee education. Coffee comes from a worldwide equatorial belt of 20 degrees, 10 above and 10 below the Equator; including Central America, Indonesia, Africa, Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Kenya, Ethiopia and Bolivia. Using his near-encyclopedic knowledge of coffee, John compared its almost infinite variety to that associated with wine-growing, only coffee, he said, is even more complex. Rainfall and soil will determine a coffee’s characteristics. How it is roasted will determine its character, too. So will the variety of coffee plant. (There are many of these, just as there are types of grapes.) John told the almost mythical story of the coffee on one side of a certain mountain being the stuff of legend, while coffee grown on the other side of the same mountain is, well, just coffee. Some coffees, like some wines, can reach astronomical prices—how about one called Esmeralda at $130 a pound? John told us about the “Cup of Excellence” used to auction some prime Bolivian coffees. The Cup is a competition for auction that is open to all growers, big and small. Each grower’s coffee is graded 1 to 10 on a taste scale, and the top 10 go up for an Internet auction, one that benefits the growers and farmers rather than enriching brokers and middlemen. “The growers who receive the auction money use it to improve their growing conditions and their workers’ living conditions, which results in even better coffees from those growers.” Unroasted coffee beans smell like cut hay, not like coffee. Did you know that? We didn’t. Finally, to us, came the piece de resistance. The company’s own roaster, on the second floor, has been in operation since early 2007. It is a wondrous mix of chromed parts and sparkling yellow enamel panels. It has funnels, spouts, roaster drum and cover, and a roasted bean-cooling tray with rotating blade. The drum is cast in Turkey; all other parts are U.S.-made and readily available. It’s worth climbing the stairs just to see, and the advantage of freshly roasted coffee (with each bag dated) will make you want to fly, too, car or no. The Chestnut Hill Coffee Company, 8620 Germantown Ave., is open daily 7 to 7, Sundays 7 to 6. 215-242-8600. Richard S. and Mary Price Lee are long-time Flourtown residents and the authors of more than 20 books.
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