Caffeine Crawl

Saturday we got to participate in our very first Caffeine Crawl presented by The Lab in Kansas City.  I've personally been a big fan of the event since they started four years ago, and we were all super excited to be a part of it. In all, about a hundred people came to Clarity just to talk coffee with us.

If you've never heard of the Caffeine Crawl, the basic premise is this: you buy a ticket and travel the city with a group to a half dozen coffee and tea shops, receiving caffeine and goodies along the way along with some information about the shop you're visiting. You might be traveling by car if you're visiting some of our friends in Norman or Edmond, or you may be biking if you're just sticking around the city.

Shops that were visited include Gray Owl, Second Wind, Syrup, Cuppies and Joe, Elemental, Junction, Mariposa, t an urban teahouse, Evoke, White Bison, and Compass.

We took the opportunity to introduce four groups of crawlers to Clarity and our brewing philosophy by making everyone a Chemex. We guided them through the brewing process, and what it takes to dial a coffee's extraction into the right taste. We tried an over extracted coffee using very finely ground coffee, an under extracted coffee using coarsely ground coffee, and one that's exactly the way we've been enjoying it here in the shop. The discussion was outstanding, with lots of audience participation and smiling faces.

Afterwards, we all headed over to Coffee Slingers for a party and, because why not, a latte art competition.

For a more thorough recap, check out this post from the Lab.