The Reforestation PROJECT has begun!

OK, so maybe this won't effect or offset the alleged global warming conditions we are undergoing, but it will make a sit down at EPIC a little less like being up against a wall.

As part of our "Add greenery when adding pavement.", contribution to the community and as an offering for guests that enjoy a relaxing stay at the EPIC corner, we have begun enhancing the grounds with foliage, greenery and evergreen elements.

Yes, that is organic potting soil all over the new sidewalk. Pray for rain!

As we pot incoming vegetation friends, we will also be adding lighting, additional dog friendly watering zones and a new bicycle rack. Plans are also underway to add additional seating and side tables on the patio. Stop on by and kick up your feet. Before you know it, we'll be wearing mittens, hanging red bulbs on the evergreens and figuring out how many chimneas we can fit in between it all.

Evergreens and tropicals! 

We sincerely hope that you will always enjoy your stay here at EPIC and invite you to celebrate any or every day with us, as they are all special in some way as are each and every one of you!

Decaf without the Hmmmm...

Yes. Yes and Yes.

Does it taste good? Is it a natural decaf? Can we have some now?

The community of coffee lovers and roasters at Deeper Roots has a fine art way of roasting all of their imported treasures, and Decaf Columbian is absolutely no exception. 

If you have loved coffee, real coffee; all of your life and have recently switched to Decaf or you have always preferred the lower octane variety, then we have an upgrade we are sure you will smile about.

Decaf Cauca from Columbia!

Now that, is GREEN!

With a flavor as lush as the land it is grown on, the decaffeinated Columbian Cauca (pronounced: [ˈkawka] ) is a refreshing string of notes in an otherwise flavor challenged section of the coffee industry. Deeper Roots oversees a natural process to decaffeinate the varietal into one of their signature offerings that bares no embarrassment to the rest of the family of great coffees. In a side by side taste test to the slightly more famous brother La Palma, guests here at Epic are astonished at the similarities they bring to light.

Cauca is a bright & fruity type with elements of "orange, marshmallow, and banana" in it's symphony of notes and is a wonderful after dinner drink without any of the "all-nighter" prelude.

This is not your father's coffee farmer.

These folks grow a bit more than a few beans...

In addition to being a wonderful traditionally brewed daily coffee, at Epic we grind it fine and pull shots for all of our espresso bar drinks as well. Enjoy all of the luxuries of traditional cappuccino, macchiato, latte and more!

Espresso Cups are here and may be cuter than you would expect!

So, after two and a half weeks of pouring very short drinks into 12 oz. cups we decided to dive deep and acquire the mates to our ceramic collection that sleeps atop the espresso machine - the demitasse, cappuccino and latte cups. 

So from this day forth, or actually forth from last week, we will offer to-go Espresso, Macchiato, Cortado, Cubano & Cappuccino in a cup that will identify with the size and nature of the drink and not leave you feeling like something is missing - volumetrically. 

And so we introduce the demitasse ( 4oz to-go paper cup ), which directly translated should mean "the cutest cup of them all", but it really just means - [from French, literally ‘half-cup.’ mid 19th century].

The benefit is that you receive your drink in a cup that celebrates the tradition of the drink and is best suited to keep it warm going out the door. That being said, we always invite you to enjoy your drink here at EPIC, where we serve all our drinks in pre-warmed coffee demitasses, cups & mugs.

The other maybe even more inspiring benefit to the new "mini", is that you can carry about 8 or 10 of them out the front door to join with all your friends or make your next meeting an epic event!

Our new 4 oz. mini!

All canines rejoice!

      The Doggiatto is Here.

And the answer was soooooo LOCAL!

FROM PETS & PEOPLE

Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum, uh huh!

Right around the corner from us, these yummy treats are being made by an absolutely brilliant group of people that are positively - your neighbors!

Pets & People • Dog Treats

Made in West Carrolton Ohio, this company helps folks with disabilities make something truly unique, healthy and meaningful for people with furry companions and for coffee shops with guests who have furry friends along with them.

We ran out and got some with the distinct intention of placing it atop our dog friendly version of the affagatto. Come in today and witness the joy your pup can experience while you sip at your "for people only" espresso & coffee drinks. Too late in the day for coffee? Enjoy some ice cream while your pawed buddy gets to the bottom of a locally sourced, crafted with love, epic dessert!

Visit the Monco Enterprises site to see some of the wonderful things they are doing for and with wonderful people!

St Anthony, we found you!

Five brothers come together to deliver perfection.

From the perfect filter to the perfect pour-over. They've done it!

Five brothers, one company and too many great things to mention all!

Ever ground your favorite bean of the moment, made a pour-over for two and wanted to take it outside, enjoy the soft stillness of last nights snowfall and have it stay hot for more than 35 seconds? Yeah, I know. We all do.

And, St Anthony Industries has come to the rescue with innovation, design and elegance all synthesized into one system. 

A minimalist approach to pour over coffee brewing. The Phoenix70 creates a taller brew column than other brewers. The design promotes success in single serve coffee brewing because the shape of the Phoenix70 creates a longer, narrower path which results in more water to coffee contact. This simple design creates a cleaner, more evenly extracted cup. Enjoy! http://stanthonyind.com/products/phoenix70

At EPIC, we carry as many St Anthony items as we can fit on the shelves. Stop by to see our Filibusters in use, making incredible pour-overs. Sit on the patio and sip away at any varietal we have in stock and we'll pour for one, two, four, six, twelve, you get the idea.

We'll carry the double wall blown glass decanter of your selected single origin or community blended custom extraction right to your table, inside or out. Accompanied by St Anthony snifters, one per!

Cheers' not just for beers. St Anthony "snifter" lifted high!

Want the experience to go on and on? Take your very own Filibuster and St Anthony Snifter(s) home with you and pour on. We grind any of our beans to meet your method so setting the dial in to make your residential pour over experience perfect is as easy as asking. 

Guji Natural is well, Natural!

Deeper still are the roots that bring you the absolute finest coffees from around the world!

Passion of the people!

Guji natural is here. And so glad we are as it has quickly become one of our favorites, which is becoming a bit of a grey area and with good reason. It is hard to choose a favorite when all of the signature notes to these coffees touch on such diverse aspects of the palette. Guji is no exception. There is a distinctly "Africanesque" nature to it as would be expected in part by the geographical relationship to nearby Yirgacheffe. This coffee has what can best be described as balance. A fruitiness that's a good pint shy of pungent and a resonance that might well be defined as softly smooth if not delicate. If you favor African varietals or have a place in your heart that yearns for all things Ethiopian, open your mind's eyes to this truly remarkable bean!

Come in to try this amazing coffee as a pour over or French press any day of the week, except Sunday.

Or, watch the daily brew announcements to find it as our grind of choice for the whole day!

We don't get this sort of color on the ground for another 40 days or so...

Deeper Roots has this to say about this incredible varietal:

In Ethiopia’s Oromia region, Guji is a southern zone, snug up against Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, which are across the border in the SNNPR (the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region).

This coffee comes via Sibu Coffee, a family-owned business that was established in 2014 though the family has more than 20 years of experience in coffee working in domestic supply to the central auction.

Today, Sibu owns three washing stations—two in Karcha Guracho and one in the village of Hambala Damedabaye—and works directly with farmers on a number of agricultural practices. Focused on improving cup quality and crop sustainability, these practices include seed selection, planting specifics and harvest and post-harvest management. They also provide nursery and farm support.

Sibu Coffee both owns its own farm and works with approximately 3,000 farmers in the area; 300 farmers contributed to this coffee. 

While the coffee is not certified organic, no chemical fertilizers are applied to the Guji coffee, making it what Sibu calls “organic by default.”

QUICK FACTS

Country/Region: Ethiopia / Guji

Farmer: 300 local, contributing farmers

Cultivar: Typica Heirloom

Altidue:  1900+ masl

Processing: Natural

Keeping our Cool!

Well, you know, there has to be that thing that happens that initiates you into handling real life cafe challenges. And the winning contender is... the Air Conditioner. Yep, it decided to heat up and then refuse to cool down. Fortunately we made some really great friends throughout the buildout phase of EPIC and the awesome crew at Butler Heating and Air Conditioning came to the rescue!

Again.

24HRS in a day and every one of them covered by the Butler team!

So, you may be as disappointed as we were that the cafe kitchen was closed today to host Wade and the crew from Butler Heating & Air to help us bring the temperatures back down below scalding on a fairly hot August day. Just short of the morning lunch migration we began the ascent into extreme temperatures in the kitchen area and after a quick diagnostics it was evident that immediate attention was needed. So, a big shout out to the team at Butler for reigning things in and putting us back in order for taking French toast orders in the AM!

That's right, it's game on at EPIC...

Thank you all for keeping your cool while we restored ours.

ARTy at our house!

They've decked the walls in the truest sense of their namesake! We are proud to host a beautiful grouping of Michael Glass paintings. In support of local art and on loan from Deck the Walls these paintings will be with us for a short time only. Please stop by to meet them and see if they might be just the perfect addition to your residence or work space. The following is Michael's BIO and we invite you to visit a wonderful display of his work at:

Michael Glass creates art in a studio, located at his home in Greenville Ohio. He has been painting and drawing since the 1990s. He was born in Columbus Ohio 1973. He grew up in Westerville Ohio and attended school in the town of Sunbury. He attributes his pursuit of fine art to teachers and friends exposing him to drawing and painting. He is also thankful for two loving parents who created an open environment to explore different types of art medium. He studied at Columbus College of Art and Design 1993-1997. He recalls this as a very challenging and rewarding part of his life. His focus of study was visual communications. He had a strong love for illustration but also enjoyed the graphic design world. After college in 2000 he married and later the couple brought a daughter into their world. Michael has worked mostly as a commercial designer for ad agencies and retail. Up until today, exploring the fine arts has been accomplished by many late nights and early weekends of painting and drawing. His ultimate goal is to be a full time studio Artist creating many piece of art.