Month in Review - June 2023
Hey New York.
June was a busy month for Lucienne. Here’s a review on what we’ve been up to.
Lucienne’s “P-02” on mizudashi @ Tadaima NY.
Coffee Roaster Showcase @ The Sultan Room
A doozy of an event on the sunny rooftop of The Sultan Room. Coordinated between Obscure Coffee Roasters and Pure Happiness Coffee, the venue was packed almost right when the doors were opened. It was great to see representation from not only Obscure, but from Loveless Coffees, thoughtfulcoffee, Honey Moon Coffee, and special guests Café Tio Conejo all the way from Colombia. Peculiar Coffee was also on the scene supporting the event which was a huge help for everyone.
Lucienne brought two coffees for sampling, the first being our Kivu Kalehe from the DRC, and a stunning experimental Diego Bermudez from Colombia called P-02.
Since this was Lucienne’s first “we have our own table” sort of event, I wanted to do something special to make our presence known. Since the P-02 tastes just like passion fruit nectar when brewed, I decided to riff on Anthony Douglas’ 2022 World Barista Championship winning signature drink, that also featured passion fruit as a primary ingredient. I’ve always hugely respected what these baristas at this level of competition do for the coffee industry. These people really do the heavy lifting when seeking out new ways to make coffees shine, and their signature drinks have always inspired me. I’ve always felt it was a shame that so many of those efforts only seem to benefit four judges in a very specific time and place. Why not try bringing some of these recipes a little closer to earth and serving them to a larger audience?
Thus, after many days of subjugating my boyfriend to terrible trial drinks, the Passion Fruit Shandy was created, and the feedback has been amazing. It tastes like a fruited, winey, and tart lacto-fermented beer. Of course it’s not perfect, but it’s the foundation of an idea that I want to explore further. I’ll post a write up on this recipe in the coming days, as it’s easy enough to recreate at home.
Thank you to everyone who came out to support, and thank you to anyone who purchased a bag of coffee! It was great to be able to put so many faces to names, and interacting with everyone in the New York coffee community in general.
New Roaster
After many years of roasting on the trusty Huky 500T, I’ve upgraded to something both larger and more modern, an Aillio Bullet R1 V2.
So far, the transition experience has been stress free, especially when paired with a decent ventilation system. It’s got a few quirks but in general, I love it, and it has streamlined my workflow greatly. After I’ve gained a bit more experience with it, I’ll write up a detailed review.
Roasting in the greenhouse.
As an aside, our entire Huky 500T setup is for sale at a deep discount locally in NYC. Feel free to send us an email if you’re interested!
Revised Branding + Packaging
I probably spend more time thinking about Lucienne’s brand image than anything else - Lani Kingston’s new book that dropped this month only added to this… highly recommended. So many ideas and so little time (and skill) to execute. Sigh.
I made a small change to the logotype of Lucienne, which now includes a subtext “Coffee” on the bottom. I’d been feeling for a while that “Lucienne” by itself was a little too esoteric, and a customer asking one day, “is this tea?” only confirmed that. I’m no marketing or branding genius, but maybe saying front and center what you sell is a good idea sometimes.
Some slightly revised packaging is on the shelves now, which also includes the slightly revised logotype. This design is far from finalized and will continue to see further revisions, but for now, I at least like the labels more. I am also seeking new coffee bags, but finding certified compostable, made in the USA coffee bags is surprisingly difficult.
On the same topic, we are looking for artists (preferably local to NYC, but not required) for branding, logo, and packaging work. If you’re interested or know somebody who might be interested in building a specialty coffee brand, please shoot us an email! Big pluses if you specialize in botanical, pixel, animals (especially synanthropes), militaria, or all of the above…but honestly I’m open to anything.
Finally, we finally have sample bags! Look out for them at future events.
New Coffee Arrivals
Three new coffees have arrived and are currently being cupped and profiled. The first, a Caturra from Colombia fermented for 120 hours with guava. Second, a gorgeous Ecuador from Hacienda La Papaya. And third, an ultra floral Ethiopia from Aricha. Look for their release in July.
And that’s all! Thanks for following our progress. Hopefully July will have even more news.
- Josh