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Tag Archives: Caffeinated Curation

23 Oct 2020
Caffeinated Curation featuring Stephen King's "The Shining" and a cappuccino by Blueprint Coffee at High Low in Grand Center, St. Louis

“Caffeinated Curation” is a routine book and beverage pairing that highlights Blueprint Coffee and relevant reading recommendations from High Low resident artists and community members.

Our latest chapter of the series comes from High Low barista Lindsey.

As a tribute to two classics that have carried me through all aspects of life — Stephen King’s “The Shining” is paired with a simple cappuccino. The overall focus on character development in King’s novel brings light to personal challenges that evolve throughout the story. It begins, presenting a seemingly average family situation, taking us on a journey through mental collapse, ending in eventual demise. Similarly, the cappuccino begins its journey as creamy and rich that, as it cools, will eventually evolve into something brighter, with a more expansive flavor.

While the cafe at High Low is temporarily closed, you can still place an order online for your favorite Blueprint Coffee beverage from their Watson or Delmar locations.

Read more from the Caffeinated Curation series here.

10 Aug 2020

“Caffeinated Curation” is a routine book and beverage pairing that highlights Blueprint Coffee and relevant reading recommendations from High Low resident artists and community members. Our latest chapter of the series comes from High Low barista Josie.

Sometimes a book just calls to you. One day working at High Low, “Leo the Late Bloomer” by Robert Kraus just jumped out and intrigued me deeply. After picking it up, the art touched something in me even more. Upon reading, it still surprised me.

Leo can’t write, draw, read, or talk … yet all of the other kids can. In some aspect of our lives, all of us have felt “slow” or “behind,” or that we didn’t live up to the expectations of others. Every time we see Leo, he looks uncomfortable, frustrated, or defeated. His watchful father is constantly looking for signs of progress. “What’s wrong with Leo?” We learn after a while that bloomers can’t bloom while being watched. Even when not being watched, the seasons pass. Still no blooming. Still no blooming! Until finally out of nowhere, he does. The first time he speaks, he says a whole sentence. Turning to his mother and father with elation in his eyes, he says … “I made it!”

The drink I’ve chosen to pair with this book … Let’s just call it Josie’s Special. Really, it’s my guilty pleasure. This book made me cry a lot, so I do need it. I also find it fitting because I make this drink in a very individualized way. I cater myself in the way I would for someone I really want to feel loved. To make it extra special, just for that person exactly the way they like it. Which is my favorite way to prepare any beverage.

First, I add just a tiny bit of water to the bottom of a 12 oz cup and completely fill the rest of the cup with ice. I brew a double shot of espresso and pour that over top, in an even swirl to melt the ice. I then agitate the beverage and swirl the cup for as long as it takes to fog up the glass and bring everything to its coldest possible temperature. And then I fill the rest up with even more ice. Lots of raw sugar, to taste. I usually go back and add more. A lot of ice, because I savor it and want to drink it slowly (probably over the course of a couple of hours) without the flavor diluting too much while the ice melts. It has to have a straw so that I can texturally enjoy the crunchiness and the more complex molasses-y flavor of raw sugar as a chaser. When the coffee stays separate from the sweetener, each shot retains its individuality and I remain an active listener to the flavor and present in my sensory experience.

This drink has been with me — and there for me — for a long time. To this day, I have a soft spot for the burnt-toast flavor of the over-roasted and unevenly extracted shots I tasted in some of my favorite community-oriented spaces over the years. A lil’ bit of sugar can take the edge off of anything.

Place an order online for your favorite Blueprint Coffee beverage from High Low in Grand Center, Monday through Friday from 8 am until 3 pm.

Read more from the Caffeinated Curation series here.

07 Jul 2020
All About Love: New Visions by Bell Hooks
All About Love: New Visions by Bell Hooks

For this edition of High Low’s “Caffeinated Curation” series, we’re featuring an Iced Chai Latte from Blueprint Coffee and “All About Love: New Visions” by bell hooks.

This pairing was recommended by artist Hayveyah McGowan ahead of her virtual opening reception for the exhibition “Feelings of Home: A need to simplify,” on Friday, July 10, at 7 pm on Instagram Live.

McGowan writes:

“In this context ‘maternal surroundings’ are not bound to the idea of a certain sex rather its the qualities of birthing receptivity, nurture, and sensuality, all expressed through the subtle realm and reinforced in the physical. Through this alchemical process I want to call attention to, not only, the unique ways that the black maternal lineage creates safety but also the synchronicity and rooted need for safety that we share.”

The exhibition will be on display at High Low Gallery by appointment only through Aug. 14, 2020. Click here for more information.

Blueprint Coffee at High Low is now open for curbside pick-up and patio service, Monday through Friday, 8 am – 3 pm. Order online here.

Read more from the Caffeinated Curation series here.

08 May 2020

High Low‘s “Caffeinated Curation” series of books paired with beverages from Blueprint Coffee is back for another work-from-home edition, this time from the general manager of The Dark Room, Abbie Finley.

“I’m pairing  Norikori, Papua New Guinea single-origin coffee with Hard Travel to Sacred Places by Rudolph Wurlitzer. They both tell stories of places preserved in isolation and places filled with culture, diversity, and life. 

“My mornings now as they always have, start with coffee. The Norikori is something unexpected. I eyeballed the pour-over at first, causing it to be under-extracted and sour. Then, with intention and patience, I repoured for the sweetness and balance. 

“I bought this book as a means of escapism — the story that Rudy tells is a travel guide of Southeast Asia, as he and his wife try to cope with the immeasurable weight of loss. He is trying to find truth in the Buddhist scripture as they remove themselves from their own chaos, mourning through Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia. 

“More than ever, I find solace in the thought of patience right now. The world is changing; my world is changing. It is easy to want to rush and to push forward out of the unknown. I think of the sour pour-over, that held the tropical notes back, and one of the Buddhist quotes:

Be stirred by things which may well move the heart, And being stirred, strive wisely and fight on!  – Nyanaponika Thera

Read more from the Caffeinated Curation series here.

23 Apr 2020

It’s World Book Day, and we are celebrating with this installment of Caffeinated Curation recommended by Kranzberg Arts Foundation Director of Marketing and Communications Andrew Warshauer.

“This collection of poems (“Poems New and Collected”) by Polish poet Wisława Szymborska was one of the books I read in high school that I’ve come back to year after year. The poems balance the serious and emotional with the humorous and playful.

“I paired it with an Organic King Crimson from Kilogram Tea (purchased from Blueprint Coffee). A hibiscus tea, it mimics the book, balancing tart and sweet flavors. Perfect for times like these that require an exploration of both the hard truths of life and the joy of the present.”

Read more from the Caffeinated Curation series here.

31 Mar 2020

Caffeinated Curation is back, COVID-19 edition.

This time, we’re highlighting the fourth volume of “Soul of the City,” published biannually by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, paired with Blueprint Coffee‘s San Lorenzo instant coffee.

This duo is the epitome of working-from-home. Not only is this instant coffee the perfect pick-me-up while social distancing, but also its sweet and earthy qualities reflect the driving mission of the magazine; that St. Louis’ artists, communities, and cultural experiences represent the heart and soul of our city.

Support local business. Order Blueprint Coffee online here.

Keep your hands clean. Read a digital version of Soul of the City, Vol. 4 here.

05 Mar 2020

Paired with an unassuming latte by @blueprintcoffee, the latest issue of River Styx Literary Magazine is the next feature in the “Caffeinated Curation” series. 📖☕

Recommended by @riverstyxmag Managing Editor Shanie Latham, lattes were her go-to when it came to fueling up during the final production stages of issue 102.

Since 1975, River Styx has published an international, award-winning journal of poetry, fiction, essays, interviews, and art. The non-profit organization recently joined the literary arts community that works out of High Low‘s office suites on the second floor.

Get your hands on a copy here.

 

https://alopainting.com/

17 Feb 2020

The next “Caffeinated Curation” — a routine pairing of books and beverages by @blueprintcoffee — features selections from @kranzbergarts Visual Experience Coordinator Alexis Rivierre (@alexisrivierre_art).

“for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf” by Ntozake Shange, a renowned poet, novelist, and playwright, is a commentary on what it means to be a woman of color in the twentieth century.

“Shange’s characters invite you to experience a timeless layered composition, through written song, and dance, amidst her poems that intertwine seven colorful narratives revealing all at once a beautiful tension between obstacles, trauma, and unity through a shared Black female experience,” Rivierre said.

Find this literary work among others by Shange on the shelves at High Low. And while you’re browsing, order this oat milk latte with vanilla & chocolate syrup, recommended by Rivierre.

24 Jan 2020

Kicking off a series of literary works paired with beverages by @blueprintcoffee, this week’s “Caffeinated Curation” features “Little Man Little Man” by James Baldwin and Yoran Cazac, and San Lorenzo filtered coffee from Guatemala, which offers sweet, nutty, citrusy notes, and earthy qualities. 📚☕

Born in 1924, “Uncle Jimmy” as he is sometimes referred, was a Harlem-born openly gay black novelist who addressed issues that were often left untouched. This book, recommended by Gina Grafos of @kranzbergarts, depicts oppression through the lens of a child. “His words are like butter,” Grafos said.

Find this book among High Low‘s shelves of noteworthy literature. Have a recommendation for the next “Caffeinated Curation”? Let us know.