Aldo Coffee Company

Aldo Coffee: So Fresh It Scares Dogs

Got this email today from a Pittsburgh ex-pat:

Dear Rich and Friends,

This coffee you guys are roasting? It's like.. fresh. Like.. dangerously fresh. I put it in a jar and two weeks later, when I open it the gas still sends the lid bouncing off the ceiling and the *pop* scares the dog to death. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO US?

But seriously, this was the first chance I've had to stop in and grab a bag, and it's delicious. Luckily for me I'm moving back to the area this month!

Thanks :)

No dogs were scared during this post.

It's Not Blogging, It's Just Our Website

Slides from last week's panel presentation at BootCamp Pittsburgh, courtesy of Star Dot Star Comics. We're still surprised how few folks use the cheap content management tools like the one we use to manage their websites.  Amy Enrico's Tazza d'Oro has been blogging for a few months now.  As has Caffe Intermezzo. Those two shops are regularly included in coffee geek discussions on the best coffeehouses in Pittsburgh (as is ours). 

So, does blogging correlate to higher quality coffee?  Perhaps - you do need an honest, ongoing story to tell.  And that implies a drive to continually improve and inform customers and readers, and not just continually bleat meaningless marketing copy.

Esquire's "60 Things Worth Shortening Your Life For".

Black Cat Espresso Blend is #5 on Esquire Magazine's list of "60 Things Worth Shortening Your Life For".

Oddly, many of the items on the list will in no way shorten anyone's life, including drinking Black Cat or any other espresso.  No risk in that.  Not like dropping 15 feet from a helicopter to ski a 60-degree pitch with an impossible to navigate left turn to avoid a rock wall.

Or eating a Danger Dog (#1) - a frank wrapped in bacon and drowned in mayo.  After a night of imbibing.  In Tijuana.

However, the Danger Dog only makes the Jersey Breakfast Dog (#2) look downright healthy in comparison.  We might even have to add it to the menu someday (c'mon Mel, you know you want one).  Sadly, although they sound delicious, Duck Fat Potatoes (#35) are out of the question due to lack of grease traps and ventilation in our tiny kitchen.

And we loved reading Barry Sonnefeld's comments on #60: Directing: 

"So why direct? It's the closest a guy like me will ever come to being a general. I have a thought, and suddenly manly men are building gigantic sets. Plus, being forced to make thousands of decisions a week on topics that you didn't know you were ever going to need to have an opinion about (Lara Flynn Boyle's girdle comes to mind) is exhilarating. I also get to send back cappuccinos because the foam looks too much like a latte and work with people smarter than me, who make me look good. If every couple of years I have a psychological breakdown, well, at least I've got a thick head of foam on my cappuccino."

We're not sure how dry Barry really likes his capps, but we're impressed that he knows there's a difference.  That's progress.

Rainy. Cold. Busy.

It's 4:11pm on a damp, cool Wednesday.  Every table is occupied.  Ages 15-65.  And only one laptop.  No lines, just a steady flow.  Fifteen different conversations rising and falling in tune with a 3/4 jazz bass line.

It's a moment worth bottling.

BootCamp for Novice Bloggers and Podcasters

For those of you who want to know more about blogging n'at, there's a great free conference for novice users and users-to-be of social network tools and technology. 

It's called BootCamp and a whole lot of local folks who've been blogging and podcasting for awhile are involved and donating their time and expertise this Saturday down at the Art Institute where the event will run pretty much all day.

Yours truly is on a panel at noon. And I'll actually be attending morning sessions on WordPress and podcasting.  (Assuming I can get done with preparing panini and soup... ack!)

Mt. Lebo Isn't All About Soccer Moms

Pop City Media looks at Mt. Lebo... and likes it.

And there's a photo of our shop to boot.

The soccer mom thing... that would be Upper St. Clair  ;-)

A Good Night to Own a Coffeehouse

Fun night as advertised with AcoustiK Rootz.  And a packed house. 

The crowd enjoyed, the band enjoyed, we enjoyed.  A good night all around.

We Got Hearted

We feel loved.

Thanks Lindsay for including us in your list of good things about Pittsburgh (or, as you noted, just outside Pittsburgh proper).

We're compelled to note that we're not exactly in Siberia.  The shop is a mere 10 minutes south of the Liberty Tubes by car.  Certainly close enough for hard core urban-dwelling coffee geeks.  And, as Lindsay mentioned, a half block walk from the Mt. Lebo T stop.

Parting Gift

John the Chef is on a train to New York to begin another chapter of his interesting life.

Noting that he no longer needed his chef implements since he was intending to go back to eating at "all his old haunts in Queens," he left us his chef's knife and steel.  The knife's history dates back 46 years through a half dozen NYC restaurants and a couple here in Pittsburgh.

We're touched by the gesture.  True to Italian tradition, John did not give it to us for free.  It cost us a nickel.

Good Neighbor Tom

Tom Purcell's latest Trib column talks about civility, neighborliness and a certain unnamed coffeehouse in Mt. Lebanon.