We were featured in The Feast’s blog for our new bottled coffee, Pure Black!
Bottle Service by Collin Flatt Jul 26, 04:34PM in Eater:
A Closer Look at La Colombe’s Just-Launched Cold-Brewed Pure Black Coffee
“It’s a labor of love, man,” says owner Todd Carmichael at his roasting plant in Port Richmond, captured in the video above. “I’ve been researching this for years, and have been vigorously testing recipes and techniques at home the past few months. I was trying out 15 to 20 recipes per day until I hit this one. It’s driving my wife nuts.”
All of that research has paid off, as the swing-top bottled brew is the hottest new product in coffee since the Chemex. He’s getting hundreds of calls every day, some coming from as far as San Francisco requesting the intense coffee concentrate.
“We haven’t advertised it at all, and people are driving from Connecticut, D.C., and New York just to grab a bottle,” says Carmichael. Locals can get it at the Rittenhouse Square and Dilworth Plaza locations in town. “As of August 8, though, people in New York, Chicago, L.A., Las Vegas, and San Francisco can purchase Pure Black at our roasters and cafes.”
As of now, every step is done by hand—including the bottling—and they’re moving 100 cases per day. That is soon to change as Carmichael has purchased a beer bottling line from a Kingfisher plant in India that will increase production many times over. A bottle of Pure Black costs $4.50, and comes in a refillable bottle that can be returned to the roaster for a discount on your next purchase of the cold brew.
The Pure Black blend is made from intense Corsica beans, and hits hard with smoke and bourbon flavors, which Carmichael said steeps for 18 hours.
“So many roasters are working on acidic tropical flavors, but I really wanted something with smoky, meaty, masculine flavors,” says Carmichael. “We used the cuisine and liquor of the South when we were brainstorming a flavor profile. I think we nailed it.” [The Feast]
—Video shot and edited by Max Tubman/The Feast
