Where:

Walnut Bridge Coffee House
2319 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-496-9003

When:

Sunday, March 8th, 10am – 11:00am

Coffee:

Kenya Amukui Estate
Indian Monsooned Malabar Coelho’s Gold
Brazil Cerrado

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.

If you want to introduce someone to Peregrine, but don’t know if they might prefer a fruity light roasted Kenyan or a chocolatey decaf, a Peregrine gift certificate is the perfect choice.

“We are enjoying your coffee. The taste is very clean…the beans are excellent.” – JL

“Just wanted to give you some feedback on the coffee you sent.  We loved it!!  It has a great caramel flavor to it that I love.  I also loved how thick it tasted.  We liked the strength of it and the earthiness.” — BK

“I just wanted to tell you that I started with the Brazil Cerrado.  This is a really good coffee and probably the smoothest coffee I have ever had.  What a treat!” – JR

“We can not thank you enough for opening our eyes to the world of Peregrine Coffee.  Everyone enjoyed the tasting immensely…. Thank you for taking the time to educate us on what good coffee can taste like!” – KF

“I’ve just made some of the Costa Rica Santa Lucia Estate and think it is fantastic: the mellow warmth reminds me of the decaf. I think that I really enjoy trying different kinds of tastes and flavours, but ultimately my favourites are the absolute classic coffees, which are surprisingly hard to find in this era of Starbucks roast-everything-to-death coffee.” –SN

“It tasted like really, really yummy coffee to me.  I loved it — it’s going to be a wonderful addition to my list of gifts for friends and family.  Keep up the good work!” – JP

“And let me tell ya — he made a pot of the decaf this morning, and he was ecstatic.  He said that it tasted like dark chocolate! No bitterness at all.” — CL

“Wow. That is really good coffee.  So smooth.” – MP

“Your 2008 meritage espresso blend has been everything you described and I have really enjoyed it for cappuccini.” – JF

“The coffee is great!” – LT

“I have also really enjoyed last month’s Costa Rican, which is probably my favourite so far. In fact we had people over for dinner a few weeks back, and I made it after dinner and everyone was really raving about it.” – S

“We loved it! Kevin was so informative, and since I drink about 6 gallons of coffee a day, this was a very welcome treat! We’re probably going to be your best customers!” – ML

“WOW!!!!!!  That was, No Doubt, the BEST coffee I have EVER had. Wicked good. Not to mention the best decaf by EVEN triply further.” – AL

“The coffee was delicious!” — AR

“Unusually for me, I am having the second cup black because I am enjoying it so much.” – SN

“We are very happy with our brews.” — C

“I am still singing at how good the Colombian decaf is (ie, the best coffee I had ever had, let alone the best Decaf).” — A

“We are both enjoying the Matalapa. It is so smooth, light, and rich in flavor. ” — RS

“I’m hooked on the Brazil.” — ML

“That Kenya Amukui was something to taste!  So complex and delicious.” — KF

“Serious thank you for such grand coffee…” — AL

“The coffee has been extremely enjoyable. (You guys have excellent customer service, btw).” — DT

“The La Laguna was most excellent!” — BK

“He enjoyed his gift and tells all his gourmet coffee drinking friends about how great the coffee is…It was wonderful — the perfect gift for the man who is impossible to buy for!!!”  – BA

“Wow, that Moki’s Farm rocked!” — A

“Thanks for the espresso….it’s wonderful!” — NK

“Keep the delicious coffee coming!” — CC

“Hi Kevin, had your coffee (Tanzania) this weekend, nice!” — AC

“Your espresso was amazing! — ES

“So tasty! — TR

“Thanks as always for your excellent product and superb service!” — AL

“Your coffee is the sh**!” — JW

“Thanks so much for the special coffee.  Love the tasting notes!” — JG

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Yum!!!” — LJ

“The El Salvador is TERRIFIC!” – JR

“The coffee is, as expected, outstanding!” – SH

“We love your coffee!” – SJ

“Your coffee is unbelievable. The Laguna is amazing.” – MM

“That was the best coffee I’ve ever had.  I could smell it brewing throughout the house.” – SM

“That’s really good coffee.” GL

“Thanks again for such splendid stuff!!” – AL

“Yes, it was excellent!” – RL

“We love your coffee!” – DT