barismo #local #coffee #Somerville MA

barismo at Aeronaut Landing in Somerville

Evaluating for Quality: Jaime VanSchyndel gives you a bit of info on barismo's new Somerville location at Aeronaut Landing, as well as some of our hopes and goals for the new neighbourhood. Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to see the new space!

In the still forming row next to Brooklyn Boulders and Artisans Asylum, we are moving into a collaborative Landing space that is best described as a 'food incubator'. Aeronaut Brewery, our next door neighbors will be brewing beer and serving as Somerville's first brewery in nearly a hundred years. They are often called 'science beer' but would recoil at the statement because it really misses the point. They are like us, quirky idealists stubbornly set on trying to control the production chain to effectively curate the ingredients in their product. A bit analogous to what we are doing as they are really attempting to treat their ingredients, not just as products, but as speciality items in an industry that treats it's ingredients as basic commodities. Expect transparency and acknowledgement for the craft/care of their barley and hops providers to be a trademark of their message. I doubt there is a better match for us in the beer industry. Somerville chocolates, and farm share, Something GUD will also be in the space, rounding out a unique marketplace for curated and specialized products.

We decided to go into Somerville for a handful of important reasons, beyond our kindred spirits in the brewery. When you look at the best coffee places in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville there are a few things that stick out. Boston is dominated by chains which use coffee from all over the US, but Cambridge and Somerville have the best independent cafes. We are well established in Cambridge and have wonderful relationships with cafes there.  The premier shops in Cambridge also appear to be fully invested in the local-MA-roaster-served-by-locally-owned-coffee-shops model. 

If you think about it for a bit, the list of cafes in the area using a MA based roaster is shorter than it should be given the quality roasting available. Somerville, however, has some of the better coffee shops in the area and a strong base of supportive coffee enthusiasts we want to introduce ourselves to. It is the one place that has come up repeatedly in customer conversations that's led us to believe the need for a local coffee roasting setup is there. While we acknowledge the lack of support many Somerville cafes have given local roasting businesses, we think that is a tiny obstacle in a community that is intensely supportive of #local #coffee.

The warm reception we got at the Somerville Winter Market and the Davis Flea over the last few years told us a few truths: Somerville loves great coffee and they will appreciate the hard work we are putting into sourcing relationship coffees and biking them around Camberville. We know it will take some time to become a real part of the neighborhood and we have a long road in front of us but we'll detail a lot more about our plans and ideas for the space of over the coming posts.
- Jaime | follow on twitter @jaime_vans and this blog for continued updates on this years harvest.


Stay Fresh Updates:Events, classes and education, new coffees, and much more. Sign up for updates here! We have a ton of events coming up as you can see, remember to follow us on twitter as well for up to the minute info.

Wednesday - Saturday, March 26-29th, 2014
New England Real Ale eXhibition at Aeronaut Landing
Get your tickets for NERAX Online. We are excited to be apart of the NERAX event that is taking place at Aeronaut Landing (this will give you a sneak peek at our new roaster setup as well.) We will be serving up samples of Cold Brew at the event. (Not cask conditioned, but still delicious!) 

Saturday, March 29th, 2014 from 9:30am-2pm
barismo at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market
Grab a freshly roasted retail bag of barismo coffee from the well stocked selection, as well as a fresh, made-to-order pourover or a delicious cup of cold brew iced coffee. This is the LAST MARKET for the season! More info about the market from their facebook page or on twitter @SomWinterMarket

Sunday, March 30th, 2014
TEDx Somerville at Brooklyn Boulders and clypd
Join us for TEDx Somerville, we will be hosting coffee for the event at both locations. Brooklyn Boulders Somerville is the main event, where we will be serving up samples of cold brew. You can get a full service coffee experience at clypd in Davis Square where they will be simulcasting the event for free (limited seating, get tickets online). Get tickets for your chosen spot, we will see you at one or the other!

Sunday, April 6, 2014 from 5pm-7pm 
Espresso 101 class hosted at barsimo in Arlington
"A barista will explain grinding, tamping, and more, then watch as you pull shot after shot. Like an espresso coach, he’ll give you pointers on everything from your mouse tails to your brew’s hue. Small classes are taught monthly on Sunday nights" - from a recent Boston Globe article featuring barismo's Espresso 101 class. Sign up Here!