Ristretto Roasters Blog

What, No Multiple Choice?

We expect Ristretto baristas to be great with and knowledgeable about coffee; also, punctual, clean, friendly, smart. I also love it when they bring ideas to the table; when they look at what we're doing and feel at liberty to say, "I think we can build a better mousetrap" and then, show the enthusiasm to help build it.

Other cafes in Portland apparently want other things, as detailed in this New York Times piece, which focuses on one cafe, Ladybug, and its requirement of "a five-page job application form that includes 10 essay questions intended to weed out all but the most devoted and cheerful baristas." I'd never heard of Ladybug, and was curious as to why it merited a detailed article in the Times. That said, we know the Times loves Portland; that all manner of coffee culture is currently hot, and the piece is, I guess, as much about getting and keeping a job in a tough economy as one's literary prowess.

Anyway, ten questions of job applicants, in general. What would you ask?

Holiday Hours

Beaumont Cafe:

Christmas Eve: 6 AM - 4 PM
Closed Christmas Day
New Year's Eve: 6 AM - 4 PM
New Year's Day: 8 AM - 2 PM

Williams Cafe:

Christmas Eve: 6:30 AM - 4 PM
Closed Christmas Day
New Year's Eve: 6:30 AM - 4 PM
New Year's Day: 9 AM - 3 PM

Holiday Gift Packs

  We got 'em.

Ristretto Hablemos Espagnol

Or rather, we're tying to, with this. If you see Din, Josh or Nancy at one of the cafes, ask them (preferably in Spanish) how it's going.

Hermes Cuffs, Louboutin Pumps, Ristretto Yirgacheffe

Ah, the good life, by a woman who knows, and I should know, because though The Foodinista may be anonymous to you, I can vouch for impeccability, her beauty, and have I ever seen trickier hair? I have not, but you'll have to figure that one out for yourself. Until then, let us peek at her love-list:

TheFoodinista.com is where my love of all things food, wine, fashion and design unite.  Stuff I’m into: anything Helmut Lang (by Helmut Lang the man), Louboutin round-toe pumps, Hermès cuffs, Tod’s bags, APC tights, pearls, Shu Uemura mascara, M.A.C Dark Angel nail varnish, Campari, wine with bubbles, Old Raj, Alsatian Riesling, Barbera d’Alba, Bandol rosé, MAC Japanese knives (not to be confused with the nail varnish, but every bit as beautiful), all things pork, uni, bibimbop, steak tartare, cacio e pepe, tarragon, Ian Fleming, Lee Friedlander, John McEnroe, Heath Ceramics, Cherner chairs, Liberty of London fabrics, Farrow & Ball paint, first-edition fiction, Moroccan tea glasses and Champagne coupes.

But there’s one more category, about which I am most passionate, and which is ultimately what gets me up in the morning into a pair of Lanvin ballet flats and reaching for a cup of Ristretto Roasters Ethiopia Yirgacheffe coffee. And that’s family. This blog is dedicated to my husband, who wears Converse Chuck Taylors and drinks Ketel One and tonic, and our baby boy, who wears Converse Chuck Taylors and drinks milk.

Go Cup Yourself

Or rather, let us do it for you: Ristretto Roasters is part of a tasty online auction package over at the Portland Mercury. True, true, a cupping for eight at our awesome new store may not be as, uh, sexy as some of the other offerings, or as psychologically fraught as the one I just got outbid on, but anyway, go bid now!