While our March/April 09 article on Philadelphia focused on its thriving beer and cocktail scene, the city is also gaining recognition for its coffee and tea culture. “Philly’s coffee scene really blossomed only a few years ago,” says Bill Walsh, author of the blog Purecoffee.com. “The first coffeehouses in the area that really did something noteworthy were actually outside of the Philadelphia city center: Chestnut Hill Coffee Company west of the city, and a Southern Jersey roaster and coffeehouse right over the bridge called Crescent Moon Coffee & Tea.” Chestnut Hill and Crescent Moon both opened in 2005, but since then, they’ve gotten more company as the city’s coffee culture has continued to grow. Meanwhile, a growing number of tea shops have exposed Philadelphians to the joys of oolong and Earl Grey. Whatever your preference, here are some places worth checking out for a cuppa:

Beauty Shop Café 2001 Fitzwater St.; 215-546-1002

This coffee shop, located in what used to be a hair salon, serves Chestnut Hill beans and, at less than two years old, has garnered an impressive amount of praise from locals.

Brew Ha Ha 212 S. 12th St.; 215-893-5680
Already well-loved in its home state of Delaware, this coffee chain recently made its first foray into Pennsylvania with this Philly outpost.

Chestnut Hill Coffee Company 8620 Germantown Ave.; 215-242-8600
Despite its off-the-beaten-path location, this is the place locals take out-of-town guests to impress them with Philly’s coffee savvy.

Crescent Moon Coffee & Tea 141 Bridgeton Pike, Mullica Hill, New Jersey; 856-223-1237
This South Jersey roastery prides itself on its relationships with coffee farmers.

House of Tea 720 S. 4th St., 215-923-8327
The walls of this narrow space are lined with cubbies filled with jars of tea, holding everything from Prince of Wales to aged pu-erh.

La Colombe Torrefaction 130 S. 19th St.; 215-563-0860
Some Philadelphians grumble that this roastery has rested too heavily on its laurels, but this local institution’s coffee still has plenty of fans and is served in some of the city’s finest restaurants.

One Shot Coffee 1040 N. 2nd St., Ste. 601; 215-627-1620.
For many Northern Liberties residents, One Shot is a home away from home, thanks to its cozy vibe, free lending library, surprisingly delicious bagel sandwiches and vegan doughnuts—and excellent coffee and espresso.

Peregrine Coffee 215-240-4474
While not a coffee shop, this well-respected roastery will custom-roast and blend its beans and deliver them to your door.

Premium Steap 111 S. 18th St., Rittenhouse Square; 215-568-2920
With more than 140 loose-leaf teas on offer, as well as a dozen chai drinks and a tea bar serving both hot and iced teas, Premium Steap is a city favorite.

The Random Tea Room & Curiosity Shop 713 N. 4th St.; 267-639-2442
This tiny and eclectic Northern Liberties tea room is often used as a holding pen for people waiting to have brunch at the delicious Honey’s next door. But it’s worth visiting as its own destination for the custom tea blends and kitschy atmosphere.

Ray’s Café & Teahouse 141 N. 9th St.; 215-922-5122
This Chinese restaurant serves a wide selection of teas and pastries—and, incongruously enough, probably has the biggest collection of vacuum coffee pots in the city.

Remedy Tea Bar 1628 Sansom St.; 215-557-6688
Sisters Kristen and Courtney Kammerer opened this hip tea spot in 2005. Along with regular hot and iced tea, the menu includes elaborate concoctions like the Cool Green, made with green tea, ice, skim milk and vanilla.

Spruce Street Espresso 1101 Spruce St.; 215-609-4469
Small and friendly, but deadly serious about its espresso, Spruce Street has been gaining fans for its expertly pulled espressos, made with Counter Culture beans.

T Bar 117 S. 12th St.; 215-625-3936
Owned by sisters, Susan Chu and Julia Rugg, this tea shop offers not only 70 kinds of tea—including bubble tea—but also tea-based beauty and health products.

5. Those looking to brew the best cup of joe can take advantage of a free, personalized tasting at Peregrine Coffee. At the husband-and-wife-owned warehouse and roasting facility, the team steers visitors to try new flavors from around the world based on guests’ tastes. Once favorite roasts are discovered, guests can take part in what may be the world’s only coffee bean bespoke service. The owners will order quantities of the green beans, store them and then roast and ship them whenever the customer’s current batch is exhausted. 5017 Friendship Street, (215) 240-4474, peregrinecoffee.com

PHILADELPHIA, PA  February 2, 2009 – All of a sudden, people are talking coffee.  Superb small-batch roasters are spreading out across the country.  Coffee “cupping” is the new wine tasting.  Food and coffee pairings are the current curiosity on boutique menus.  In Philadelphia, Peregrine Coffee (http://www.peregrinecoffee.com) is adding something new to the brew with its full bespoke coffee service.

“Bespoke coffee means coffee sourced, stored, and roasted to order to suit your particular palate,” explains Peregrine Owner/Roaster Kevin Lawrence.  “If people care enough to grind and brew their own coffee at home, they should be drinking something they really love, something chosen and roasted just for them and supplied whenever they want it – that’s what we do here at Peregrine.  Just think of me as a coffee sommelier.”

Lawrence began roasting coffee six years ago when his coffee maker broke and he started to research what it would take to brew a better cup.  He soon discovered that the magic of great coffee lay in the fresh roasted beans, and began to experiment at home, moving to progressively more sophisticated roasters as his skill grew.  By June 2008, he was ready to launch Peregrine Coffee.

When Lawrence started roasting his own beans he was amazed by what really fresh coffee tastes like.  “There is no bitterness, no sourness, and the range of flavors in beans from different parts of the world is astounding – who knew coffee could taste like blueberries?  I wanted to share my discoveries with everyone who loves coffee as much as I do.”

Peregrine Coffee is the way he does that, by showcasing a carefully chosen selection of single-origin and single-estate coffees, roasted to order through the online store, and by providing his unique bespoke service.

This is how the bespoke service works: The first step is a tasting, which can be booked through the free “bespoke coffee for the curious palate” option in Peregrine online store.  In the Philadelphia area, customers can come to Lawrence’s roast shop in Northeast Philadelphia, or he will bring coffee samples to homes or workplaces.  In addition to tasting coffee, Lawrence discusses other sorts of flavor preferences with prospective clients – when ordering dessert, do you always go for chocolate or lean toward the berry option?  Do you prefer white wine or red?   Do you drink coffee first thing in the morning, with meals or only after dinner?

The client’s responses help build their personal coffee flavor profile, which Lawrence uses to source the perfect beans for that particular customer’s palate.  After the tasting, Lawrence prepares a proposal outlining several different selections he thinks the customer will enjoy.  He then purchases the green beans, stores them for the customer’s use alone, and roasts them to their specifications on demand.  Bespoke orders are priced according to the individual coffees chosen and the amount desired (once-a-week for six months, a year’s worth, etc.) with minimum purchases beginning at $45.

Customers outside of the Philly area can purchase a Peregrine Pack ($9.25), which provides whole bean samples of three distinct Peregrine coffees.  From there Lawrence follows up by phone or email to discuss the flavors sampled and hone in more precisely on the customer’s taste preferences.  Peregrine Coffee can be shipped anywhere in the U.S. and abroad.  The company also custom-roasts coffee to complement the specific flavors of a wedding cake, or to go with any specialized menu.

“People are staying home more, cooking at home more,” points out Lawrence.  “You may not be able to afford the vintage Bordeaux this year, but you can treat yourself and your guests to your own custom coffee for a fraction of that price.  It’s an affordable luxury for coffee drinkers who want to explore just how good their own coffee can be.”

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CONTACT: Luise Z. Moskowitz
luise@peregrinecoffee.com
(215) 240-4474

Obama Java

From T-shirts to rap songs to sold-out Washington hotels, there’s enough commercial activity surrounding Barack Obama’s inaugural to resuscitate the economy (if it lasted more than a week).

The Peregrine Coffee Co., based in Tacony, has its own entry – a $17 Presidential Pack featuring two bags of custom-roasted coffee beans, one from an estate in Kenya, the birthplace of Obama’s father, the other from a farm in Hawaii, where Obama was born and spent most of his childhood.

The company’s owner and chief roaster is Kevin Lawrence, 40, a former marketing specialist with American Express and the Franklin Institute, who was drawn into the business after his coffee-maker died six years ago.

“First I was trying to find the best coffee pot, then I hooked up with a Web site for coffee geeks, next I found a subset of folks converting popcorn poppers into coffee roasters in their backyards,” Lawrence said. “The Internet is a dangerous thing.”

He opened Peregrine last June in a converted garage on Friendship Street, with a view of I-95. Lawrence imports raw beans from single-origin coffee farms around the world, roasts them to order for specific customers and delivers by priority mail in small batches, about half a pound, enough to sustain an average household for a week or 10 days. Any longer, he says, the coffee beans can’t be considered fresh.

“If you toast and brew it properly, it’s a totally different beverage,” said Lawrence, who compares his job to that of a wine steward, helping “clients” identify their tastes and match them to specific beans and roasts.

His analysis of the Presidential Package? The Hawaiian beans have a “chocolatey, nutty taste,” Lawrence said, while the Kenyan beans hint of grapefruit and black currants, sort of “fruity.” He denies that Republican spinmeisters have any influence on his descriptions. “Peregrine tries not to take a political stance,” he said.

Staff writers Bob Warner and Michael Hinkelman contributed to this report.

Have a news tip? Gossip? Suggestion? Contact Bob Warner at warnerb@phillynews.com, call 215-854-5885, or fax 215-854-5910.

Thanks to our good friend at The Social Grace for thinking of us during her spot on Good Day Philadelphia.