Our continual search for new and interesting coffees from roasters around the country led us to Aaron Blanco, founder of The Brown Coffee Company and aptly appointed the “micro-microroaster” by imbibe magazine for his obsession over each batch of coffee. The response to his beans at CREMA has been overwhelming!
Grapefruit. Lemon. Blueberries. Chocolate. Oak. Pepper. Smoke. Bright. Crisp. Muddy. Syrupy. These are just a few words that may come to mind when you take a sip of a cup of coffee from your local coffee shop. Hopefully you’ll understand a little more about that cup of coffee after you read this blog post!
The man behind many of those hand-screened and printed posters from your favorite bands is the unassuming letter press artist Ryan Nole. Otherwise known as Kangaroo Press, or “Honey Bear” …a story for another day. For now, stop in to purchase an original hand made poster for your pad before they are gone,
Have you ever noticed how much effort it takes for a skilled barista to produce your expertly crafted latte or espresso? Even your drip coffee requires careful laboring, albeit somewhat minimal. Well, it may be surprising to know that your brew requires much more labor and human effort before it even reaches the roaster, let alone the grinder or coffee brewer!
We’ve been searching for a good burr grinder for quite a while. Finally we came across this grinder several months ago, but it was out of stock almost everywhere! It was well worth the wait, isn’t it so cute? The Hario Skerton hand grinder has ceramic conical burrs that can be adjusted according to the type of brew method you are using.
Chad McClarnon is a nashville photographer shooting commercial, editorial, and advertising images and portraits for clients in Nashville and all over the country. Artwork will be displayed March-April, stop by to check out this Nashville artists unique work!
Spring is a great time for coffee! New shipments arrive monthly as each come in season. If you notice a little bit of change with your next espresso, or a brighter flavor from the Moka Harar, it’s because the crops are coming in season. If you’re in this week, ask us to take a whiff of the Lost Weekend (a blend of Harar and Sumatra), and note the bluberry-ish smell.
You missed a great Brewing Techniques class March 13! No worries there’s more classes on the way. In the meantime check out our brewing guide on the Learn tab. Stay tuned, in May we will be tasting coffees from around the world, focusing on the three main coffee regions, Africa, Indonesia and Latin America.
Circus of the Umbrella Art Show to Highlight Husband and Wife’s Combined Talents
Show Features Unique Blend of Sculpting and Painting
Nashville, TN (January 18, 2010) Local husband and wife artists Aaron and Michelle Grayum will bring their dazzling parade of clowns, circus tents and whimsical creatures to Crema Coffee for their Circus of the Umbrella art show. An artists’ reception will be held at Crema on Friday, January 22 at 7pm, and the show will run through February 27. A portion of sales will be donated to the Wonderful Life Foundation as well as to Haitian Relief Efforts.
Circus of the Umbrella, a fanciful ode to the high-flying magic and splendor of the circus, features pieces of art that uniquely blend the painting talents of Aaron Grayum with the sculpting talents of wife Michelle, all on the same canvases. The couple, who have shared show spaces before, have never worked together this closely on an entire show from start to finish.
“This show is our first collaboration where we’ve combined painting and sculpture on each and every piece of an entire exhibition,” said Michelle. “Considering that both our styles reflect a sense of childlike whimsy and that they complement each other so well, collaboration seems to be a natural step in our careers. With ‘Circus of the Umbrella,’ we are bringing together our fascinations for the real and the surreal, for faith and disbelief, and for childlike amazement wrapped in the paradox that is the circus.”
Aaron and Michelle met as art students at MTSU and have been working together in graphic design ever since, winning nearly a dozen Addy awards along the way. Aaron’s particular style of painting has been well-received in many Nashville art galleries and shows over the years. He has recently started showing nationally, including galleries in Alabama, Florida, and Chicago. Michelle, in addition to showing her sculptures in local galleries and shows, has used her sculpting talent to start a successful custom wedding cake-topper business, Zoë Tops.
http://www.crema-coffee.com
http://www.thegrayumbrella.com
For more information:
Mark McCormack
615.429.2917
press@thegrayumbrella.com
If you missed the event last year, here’s the recap. We’re very close to the $2,900 goal we set out to raise, artists featured at CREMA have continued to donate to Safe Haven (and other charities) throughout the year. CREMA takes no commission from the sale of artwork, we encourage artists to donate a portion to a local charity instead.
Update: results from 2009 CREMA Christmas (scroll to bottom of page)
