Bitter+Sweet Blog

Here is the lineup of ice cream flavors now available at...

Sat, 12 May 2012 13:28:49 -0400

Here is the lineup of ice cream flavors now available at Bitter+Sweet - new flavors include Eaton Mess (strawberry & meringue) and After School Special (vanilla ice cream, chocolate-covered potato chips & caramel swirl). I really, really enjoy the Eaton Mess……taste some and you will understand why I love it so much!

Prosciutto & Fig Jam panini, anyone?

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:36:54 -0400

We are really excited to serve our new panini, starting today……prosciutto paired with mozzarella cheese, served on bread that has a light spread of fig jam. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? In addition. we are bringing back the Spicy Salami panini, using Boccalone Nduja spicy salami spread. See you all at lunch!

Meet a Barista: Allen

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:31:00 -0400

Well, we figured it’s time to feature our next barista on this page. So, we had Daniel draw a name out of the hat, and tada! Allen got picked. The interview with him was pretty interesting, to say the least. Read on…..

So, Allen, Coffee or Espresso?

Yes (followed a LONG pause and a puzzled look from Janice). I like both as I don’t discriminate.

At Bitter+Sweet, each of the barista has a signature latte art design. What is yours?

Daniel.

Hmm, you’re a pretty sharp dresser….when you feel like it. How much do you spend on clothing each month?

If you know how much I am making per paycheck, well, that’s how much I would spend.

So, what is the most expensive clothing item that you have purchased?

These (pointing to the pair of jeans he had on). They are Flat Head jeans from Japan and had cost me $379. Come on, they are really comfortable and have lasted me a long time (2 years)!

What are you gonna be doing on your 21st birthday?

(Laughs) Stop drinking.

You’re leaving us this summer. Where are you headed?

Somewhere down south (as in SoCal)…….away from Janice.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be just like Janice.

What do you do in your free time?

Sleep and eat.

You seem to play a lot of oldies music when you’re on shift. What’s your favourite music genre?

Folk rock.

** Which is your favourite muppet?

Is Elmo a muppet?

Pick one item from each of the following pairs:

Superman or Batman: Batman.

Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys: What?!??!?! Nancy Drew.

In ‘N’ Out or Five Guys: Five Guys.

Wings or Ribs: I like them both! Awright, Wings.

Shakespeare or WIlliam Wordsworth: WIlliam Wordsworth.

** Round or Square shoelaces: Round.

Anything else you want to say?

I’m SINGLE and I’m ready to MINGLE.

** These questions were posed by a customer who was listening in on the interview with much interest.

The BBC is here!

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:16:47 -0500

Yes, the Bacon, Brie and Chocolate (BBC) panini is finally making its appearance at Bitter+Sweet! Now, now, who says you can’t have chocolate for lunch? Or even dinner? Sure you can! Combined with creamy brie and some savoury bacon, it’s a pretty darn good sandwich, if I may say so.

We will also continue serving the following paninis:

Salami (dry salami, red peppers, mushroom & mozzarella)

PG&J (prosciutto, goat cheese & apricot jam)

Portabella & Mozzarella

Another exciting flavour just joined the existing cast of...

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 20:51:40 -0500

Another exciting flavour just joined the existing cast of Humphry Slocombe flavours - Apple Bacon Brittle. Sounds good? IT IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coffee offerings for rest of February

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:47:28 -0500

We have run out of the Guatelama (Finca Rosma) and Kenya (Nyeri Kaiguri). Here’s the list of coffees we have on bar starting today (February 23) - Blueboon Blend, Rwanda (Kibuye), Colombia (Dos Payosos) and Decaf Guatemala.

Now you can all enjoy some really good ginger ale at...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:27:11 -0500

Now you can all enjoy some really good ginger ale at Bitter+Sweet! When I sampled Bruce Cost’s Fresh Ginger Ale at the SF Fancy Food Show, I immediately fell in love with it. Not too sweet, and absolutely refreshing. A perfect palette cleanser. We have all three flavours available in the store - Original, Jasmine Tea and Pomegranate. Enjoy!

Ice cream flavours

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:37:32 -0500

We have 2 new flavours for you, starting January 19………here is the lineup:

Tahitian Vanilla

Secret Breakfast

Bittersweet Chocolate

Vietnamese Coffee

Black Sesame

Harvey Milk & Honey

Maple Walnut

Brown Sugar Fennel (NEW!)

Salted Caramel (NEW!)

Ice cream flavours

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:58:57 -0500

Here is our lineup of ice cream flavours, starting today (January 13):

Tahitian Vanilla

Bittersweet Chocolate

Secret Breakfast

Vietnamese Coffee

Black Sesame

Butter Beer

Maple Walnut

Harvey Milk & Honey

Rwanda coffee on drip

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:44:00 -0500

We are now serving the Rwanda Kibuye at our V60 drip bar. This graceful coffee presents orange blossom and violet floral aromatics with refined flavours of mandarin orange, currant and lemon rind. These flavours and the coffees’ sweetness seem to intensify as the cup cools.

Also available on our drip bar are - Blueboon Blend, Guatemala (Finca Rosma) and Kenya (Nyeri AA Kaiguri).

I hate sandwiches.....

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:11:12 -0500

Yes, I truly hate sandwiches….cold ones, that is. 2 slices of untoasted bread, with cold meats and cheese slapped in between them, just don’t do it for me. If I want to eat sandwiches, they have to be served hot and toasted. Just like the paninis we serve in the store.

It’s been a little over a month since we put paninis on the menu - Spicy Salami, PG&J (don’t you just love the name?) and Portabella Mushroom, and we have received favourable feedback on the paninis. A lot of thought went into them before we even put them on the menu. In a couple of weeks, we will be introducing some new paninis. How does chocolate, brie and bacon sound to you? Weird? Perhaps. But it’s really tasty, as our team members will tell you. Anyway, we are working hard to get this panini onto the menu, so watch this space for the launch of the BBC (Brie, Bacon & Chocolate)!

Coffee and ice cream

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:14:00 -0500

Here are our coffee and ice cream offerings for the rest of this year:

Coffee

Blueboon Blend

Kenya Nyeri AA Kaiguri

Guatemala Finca Rosma

Decaf Guatemala

Ice cream

Tahitian Vanilla, Secret Breakfast, Bittersweet Chocolate, Vietnamese Coffee, Black Sesame, Cinnamon Brittle, Harvey MIlk & Honey

Bitter+Sweet on cover of Specialty Coffee Retailer magazine!

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 12:42:15 -0500

Bitter+Sweet on cover of Specialty Coffee Retailer magazine!:

We are truly honored to be featured on the cover of the December issue of Specialty Coffee Retailer. There is also short article on Bitter+Sweet in the article, Architecture that Dazzles - read all about it on page 29.

As I look back on how this space had come about, I am truly amazed at what Ed Viser from Cafe Design and Architecture had created for us. Mind you, he did not have much to go on after our first meetings. My thoughts on what I envisioned the space to be were rather vague - something simple, clean lines, no clutter. The only specific request was that I did not want one of those standard refrigerated pastry cases in my space.

Along the way, Ed introduced little details like the sliding bathroom door and cascade coil drapery. There is a story behind the door…..Ed came up with this brilliant solution in response to comments from the city’s plan reviewer that the existing door was not up to code. Most customers would agree that the door is really cool. And for those who wonder about the bag of rocks hanging from the pulley system, well, those rocks serve a purpose too and are not there just for decorative purposes. The weight enables to door to slide close on its own; this is yet another requirement from the city.

If you have not visited us, we hope to welcome you into our warm and inviting space soon!

- Janice

Our current offerings of Humphry Slocombe ice cream, with our...

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:16:00 -0500

Our current offerings of Humphry Slocombe ice cream, with our newest addition, Cinnamon Brittle.

Thanksgiving hours

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:22:10 -0500

We will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday (Nov 24) and Friday (Nov 25). Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

What's on the drip?

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:54:13 -0500

We have a new coffee on our V60 drip bar, and that’s the Guatemala Finca Rosma. This coffee is very intensely floral and fruited in its aromatics, with a pleasant citrus acidity and clean fruit expression with flavors reminiscent of ripe berries and clementines.

For the rest of this month, we will have the following coffees on our V60 bar - Blueboon Blend, Colombia Fincal Las Florestales, Guatemala Finca Rosma and Guatemala Finca La Santa Ana La Huerta (decaf).

Paninis on board!

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:37:48 -0500

After weeks of testing, we’re finally ready to put paninis on the menu. For a start, we will feature 3 paninis. Like most of the items on our menu, these will be “changed out” on a regular basis.

There’s the Spicy Salami, which we make by first slathering on Boccalone’s Nduja (read: spicy spreadable salami) on the bread, then layering on portabella mushrooms and roasted red peppers, before finishing off with slices of mozzarella cheese. Sounds yummy? Uh yeah, it is.

In Prosciutto & Goat Cheese, we have prosciutto (of course) paired with goat cheese and apricot preserves. Sweet and savory - can’t get any better than this!

And then, there’s Portabella Mushroom and Mozzarella Cheese. Simple, but oh, so satisfying.

Paninis are available for lunch, from 11.30am to 2.30pm.

Colombian on drip!

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:00:00 -0500

Starting today, we are offering the Finca Las Florestales from Colombia on our V60 drip. The sweet, floral and fruited character of the coffee shows in the dry fragrance and wet aroma. Grape and cherry aromatics dominate alongside an interesting, pungent evergreen note. The sweet flavors of grape juice, mango and guava come through, complimented by the coffee’s syrupy body and grape-like acidity. In short, it’s yummy.

We will continue to feature the Blueboon Blend, Costa Rica Las Flores and Nicaragua Finca La Esperanza on our V60.

This coming Saturday (November 12), you can sample wine, beer...

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:04:03 -0500

This coming Saturday (November 12), you can sample wine, beer and food from some of Cupertino’s finest restaurants and cafes under one roof! Come join us at Vallco Shopping Mall from 4.30pm to 7.30pm for Taste of Cupertino, as we dish out Sightglass coffee and Humphry Slocombe ice cream to diners. We have a limited number of tickets for purchase at our store, so come get them before we run out.

Finally!

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:02:00 -0400

Our “real” website is finally up and running! Many thanks to Josh and gang at Chen Design Associates for putting the site together. They are also the ones who designed our cool-looking business cards and marketing postcards. So glad that we’re working with such a great creative team!

We will be posting updates to our product offerings and store happenings on the site on a regular basis, so visit often. Cheers all!