At 15 years, Caffe d’bolla, based in Salt Lake City, has set yet another precedent in the local coffee market, as part of its ongoing efforts to set exceptional standards in espresso principles, coffee roasting programs, and siphon brewing.
The shop recently installed a new roaster, built by IMEX in Seoul, the only one of its kind in the U.S. Identified as a customized sixth generation roaster with a five-kilogram capacity, the unit, according to Caffe d’bolla co-owner John Piquet, is a culmination of the manufacturer’s study of roasting technology developed over the last century. To enhance efficient methods for heat creation and absorption, the roaster uses an optimized halogen heating system, and bi-directional drum rotation. The roaster emphasizes environmental-friendly features, including built-in smoke suppression and automatic steam cleaning of the drum.
“And they have developed a framework of adjustable algorithms by examining more than 40 years of roasting data based on a structural analysis of internal bean development,” Piquet adds.
With the arrival of the new roaster, Piquet and his wife, Yiching, who also owns the business, decided that the holiday season starting with Cyber Monday would be an ideal opportunity to expand its coffee subscription offerings. These include the newest option: The One Thousand 3-Month Subscription with free shipping. Customers selecting this subscription will have the option of having one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of roasted coffee beans shipped once or twice a month, with a minimum three month subscription. For customers who order this new option by Dec. 9, a 15 percent discount will be applied.
Caffe d’bolla also will offer its classic coffee subscriptions, which also include free shipping, at a five percent discount through Dec. 9. Piquet says there also will be new premium options at various levels of discount for both coffee subscription types.
It should be emphasized that the Piquets do not purchase commodity grade coffee whatsoever and rely exclusively on specialty grade coffees coming from small farms in which pricing is based on quality and sustainable and effective coffee agricultural practices with clear benefits to the farmers and growers (an important distinction from the popular yet misconceived notions of ‘fair trade’). This means that coffee beans are assured of being consistently high quality. Caffe d’bolla’s coffee beans have come from farms in various countries, including Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Sumatra, Burundi and Kenya.
“The coffee is exceptional,” Piquet explains, “and I do this by understanding when to use artistry and experience and when to use science and technology. By knowing how to use the best tools available, I can roast the best coffee for our customers.” This is notable in the two of the shop’s most popular signature offerings: siphon brewing and the introduction of a new espresso blend approximately every seven to 10 days.
Caffe d’bolla introduced the Salt Lake City market to siphon brewing, a technique that definitively is the best way to let the ‘beans speak’ in the purest sense of their aromatics and tasting notes. Caffe d’bolla stands among a very few places in the United States to offer siphon brewing, a technique has gained widespread acceptance in Japan and other Asian countries, including Yiching’s native land of Taiwan. As noted in a 2016 feature at The Utah Review, it is “a continental destination for any serious coffee consumer.” That excellence also has been acknowledged with honors coming from, for example, Utah’s ‘Best of State’ program and Salt Lake Magazine. In 2018, it was one of a handful of food and hospitality businesses featured in a Chefsfeed.com video hosted by Viet Pham, chef and owner of Pretty Bird, and Val Cantu, of the two-Michelin-starred Californios restaurant in San Francisco.
More information about coffee subscriptions is available at Caffe d’bolla’s website.
I am a native of Toledo, Ohio, having received my Ph.D. in journalism and mass communication from Ohio University’s Scripps School of Journalism in 2002. In addition to teaching at Utah State University and the University of Utah, I have worked extensively in public relations for a variety of organizations including a major metropolitan university, college of osteopathic medicine, and community college.
When it comes to intellectual curiosity, I venture into as many areas as possible, whether it’s about music criticism, the history of journalism, the practice of public relations in a Web 2.0 world and the soon-to-arrive Web 3.0 landscape, or how public debates are formed about many issues especially in the political arena. As a Salt Lake City resident, I currently write and edit a blog called The Selective Echo that provides an entertaining, informative, and provocative look at Salt Lake City and its cosmopolitan best.
I also have been the U.S. editorial advisor for an online publication Art Design Publicity based in The Netherlands. And, I use social media tools such as Twitter for blogging, networking with journalists and experts, and staying current on the latest trends in culture and news. I also have been a regular monthly contributor to a Utah business magazine, and I have recently conducted a variety of editing projects involving authors and researchers throughout the country and the world, including Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Lebanon, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. I’m also a classically trained musician who spent more than 15 years in a string quartet, being involved in more than 400 performances.
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