Blue Bottle Coffee announced its first Studio residency in the U.S. Under the creative direction of Blue Bottle Coffee’s founder, James Freeman and working closely with Blue Bottle’s Global Head of Innovation, Benjamin Brewer, the Studio represents the company’s particular perspective specialty coffee through an eight-course tasting menu.
Open from September 27 through November 5, the Los Angeles Blue Bottle Studio residency will feature some of the most limited coffees in the world. The coffees showcased at the Studio are sourced from limited lots from long-time Blue Bottle producers. These include a Gesha microlot from Panama’s Finca Deborah; a Wush Wush from Colombia’s Eco Farm La Cereza; Aljidan X1 from Yemen’s Qima Coffee and an extremely limited California Gesha from Frinj Coffee in Goleta.
However, the setting is relaxed and elegant. Los Angeles-based pastry chef Kiyoshi Tsukamoto has developed two pastries that will highlight the flavors of the coffee used in the service. Both culinary offerings are nut and gluten-free.
“Benjamin and I have been working on these concepts for about twelve years,” said Blue Bottle’s Founder, James Freeman. “After the successful launch of this menu in Kyoto last spring, we continued to refine and revise it until we had a tasting that underscores the simple, inherent beauty in these extraordinary coffees.”
The modest, eight-seat space, designed in collaboration with Wrk-shp and Capsule Manufacturing, features a custom-made brass bar and vintage furniture which can be loaded up into a truck at the end of the residency and used in the next location. Also contributing to the visual elements of the space are curtains dyed using various blends of Blue Bottle coffee beans designed by Lookout & Wonderland.
A vintage stereo, selected by noted audio specialist Benjamin Brinkman, will play records chosen by James, Benjamin and the other Studio baristas, to underscore the way the coffee is being brewed. Additionally, guests of the Studio can purchase select coffee beans and merchandise used in the service such as Japanese cups and plates, Takahiro Haruka Shizuku kettle and an exclusive coffee-dyed tote bag, enabling guests to bring the Studio coffee experience home.
