Cool fall temperatures, the changing leaves and the anticipation of the holidays are making us want to cozy up with some warm seasonal specials. These special drinks are all available at the cafés in Chicago, Seattle and Portland now through the holiday season.  Caffè al Pepe This spicy latte is back by popular demand! A few of our cafés had to keep it on the 'by request' menu from when we introduced it last year. Made with honey, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, the Caffè al Pepe has an unexpected and delightful mix of sweet and spicy.  You can watch Kara...

Our newest Portland café is located in a newly remodeled space in the 200 Market Building, a LEED Certified building. The café's color palette, inspired by this green building certification, features warm woods and greens. The café boasts a green La Marzocco Strada espresso machine, green Deruta cups, and a spacious and exclusive outdoor seating area. Partially covered and heated, this outdoor seating area can be enjoyed year round.   Wrapped in warm wood-tones with a polished concrete floor, the inside space is warm and inviting, with window seating and a shared communal table in the center.   Located in...

On August 7th, 2018, eight teams of three baristas competed for the grand prize at this brand new, ferociously fast barista battle organized by La Marzocco and hosted at our Armitage Café. The energy and excitement were through the roof! Our all-star barista team – Tony, Mackenzie, Cassie – used their mad skills and laser-like focus to calmly crush some of the best barista teams in the industry: Colectivo, Starbucks Reserve, Intelligentsia, Stumptown, Madcap Coffee and La Colombe. Each team was given the same list of 8 drinks to make – the drinks needed to be made perfectly in the...

Our cafés are now serving Rishi Tea Matcha Lattes. This green, powdered tea, dating back to the 10th century, has been taking the world by storm just in the last few years. Matcha was first introduced as a medical aide, but shortly after was consumed for enjoyment. Unlike brewed tea, you are actually consuming the tea leaves when drinking Matcha. Made from stone ground green tea leaves, matcha is a mood-enhancing drink that is full of antioxidants and, of course, caffeine. Traditionally, Matcha is scooped into a bowl and whisked with hot water to create a foamy texture. Using the...

Negroni Week 2018 is June 4 - June 10, 2018. Given our Italian roots, we love Campari at Caffè Umbria in all its beautiful, tasty iterations, so we were very excited when given the opportunity to create a coffee blend for Negroni Week! It was a bit of a challenge to create a coffee that captures the essence and taste of this iconic and familiar cocktail – bitter, sweet, herbaceous and citrusy. We chose the Mexico for the bitter-sweet taste and the Kenya for its citrusy aroma. We roasted the coffee medium-light to bring out the full potential of those flavors, resulting in...