December 28, 2022

CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: DECEMBER 2022

December 28, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

Christmas has now officially come and gone, and we are in that odd week that occurs at the end of every year, where we wait for the new year to arrive, avoid work if we can, (can anything really be accomplished in the last week of the year anyway?), and spend time relaxing and recuperating from the festivities of the past few days. That said, even though Rise Café itself is temporarily closed through January 2nd (time off is important everyone!), I couldn’t leave you all hanging – I know you all wait with bated breath for these Café Sessions… So, I decided I’d go ahead and answer some questions, with the idea of getting back to basics, as we finish up this year and enter the new one, (still having a hard time believing we are heading into 2023). Without further ado, let's dive in!

December 02, 2022

Unique Gift Ideas For Coffee Lovers

December 02, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

It’s officially the Holidays, which means glittering lights, good food, delicious drinks, and of course – gift giving. While some people seem to have a knack for getting people things they’ll love, for most of us, this can be a stressful undertaking. In fact, we’ve received requests from people asking us about gift ideas for coffee lovers. And while we touched on this in our most recent Café Session, we decided a more fleshed out response may be helpful for those of you struggling to figure out what to get the coffee enthusiast in your life. Below you will find our top gifts for coffee lovers, and you may be surprised to find none of the suggestions include another mug or bag of coffee!

November 23, 2022

CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: NOVEMBER 2022

November 23, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

Thanksgiving is here (literally, it’s tomorrow)! And with the holiday comes lots of food, fun, and … delicious alcoholic beverages! It also means the official start of the “Holiday Shopping Season”, and people buckling down to get ready for the ultimate day of gift giving and merriment that will occur in a months’ time. So of course, I wasn’t surprised when your question this month revolved around both gift giving and food. Despite my lack of astonishment, I am, as always, more than happy to share my thoughts and expertise on anything you may wish to ask me. So, without further ado, let’s dive in!

November 01, 2022

How To Keep Your Coffee Fresh

November 01, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

Waking up and brewing a fresh cup of coffee is truly one of the best, small pleasures, in this life! The delicious aroma while it brews, the warm and delectable taste as you hold your cup between your hands, and of course, that jolt of caffeine, all make coffee an important and beloved part of any morning ritual! But what would happen if you woke up to preform said ritual, to find your coffee was less than fresh – in fact, it might even have gone bad? We can’t think of a more devastating way to start the day! So, to prevent this terrifying possibility, we have decided to answer the age-old question of – how do you keep your coffee fresh?

October 31, 2022

CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: OCTOBER 2022

October 31, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

Welcome to another cafe session! First and foremost, I want to wish you all a Happy Halloween! I hope you’ve all been out there celebrating, having a good time, and toasting with tequila shots to all things scary! And if you’re going out tonight, a reminder to be careful - just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do… Okay, now that I’ve gotten the obligatory Halloween salutation out of the way - I can’t post a cafe session on Halloween day and not mention it at all – but now we can move on to the more important stuff. No, that’s not a segue into football either - the Broncos suck this year and I have nothing more to say about them than that. I’m talking about coffee - and a bit about alcohol too, you all know me at this point - and the questions that come along with it.

October 06, 2022

The History of the Americano

October 06, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

The Americano, (or Caffé Americano as it is called in Latin speaking countries), is a variation of coffee using espresso rather than regular brewed coffee. It consists of espresso, topped with hot water (usually enough to fill the rest of the cup). As we discussed in our latest Café Session, coffee in Europe begins with a strong espresso shot or two, to which sugar or milk is then added to satisfy your desired taste. Here in America however, coffee is brewed in large batches (usually using a filtration method like drip coffee, a French Press, etc.) to create a more extended beverage experience as opposed to the small, sipper, cup of an espresso drink. Legend has it…

September 30, 2022

CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: SEPTEMBER 2022

September 30, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

Is it seriously already the end of September!? This month has flown by! Granted, I have been keeping pretty busy. Dominating in my Fantasy Leagues and watching as much Football as possible tends to make time fly by (you know, that plus work, life, etc.). It’s true what they say – the older you get; the faster time seems to go). Anyway, the end of September means Fall is officially here, which also means the typical rush for consumption of all things pumpkin is also back in full force. Pumpkin Spice, despite its complete popularity, is not everyone’s favorite fall drink – as evidenced by our first question of this session. So if this sounds like you (or even if you’re looking to add more drinks to your fall coffee raptor), keep reading for the other ways you can get your seasonal drink fix, without having to succumb to the pumpkin spice craze.

August 31, 2022

Everyday Sustainable Coffee Habits

August 31, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

Sustainability is a common word in the coffee community, and for good reason! All industries should be committed to using sustainable practices for the sake of preserving this beautiful blue/green earth we all share. In the coffee world specifically, the most notable sustainable practice is using sustainably sourced beans. A hot phrase, used to describe the beans grown and sold that are classified as organic and participate in fair trade practices - allowing for the individual farm to produce and sell their beans to various roasters.

August 29, 2022

CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: AUGUST 2022

August 29, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

Is anyone else ready for Fall? Don't get me wrong, summer days are nice - and all things considered, it feels like this August has definitely been more mild than last year. We've had fewer 90 + degree days and a decent amount of rain which has made the evenings much more comfortable. But I am ready for football and to start dominating in my Fantasy Leagues, stocking up on Fall themed IPA's, and cooler weather in general.

Fall also means it's back to school season. For those of you who are parents, this means early mornings getting kids ready for school, shuttling kids back and forth to all their activities, helping with homework, etc. Because of this, many of you may be looking for an extra boost to your regular cup of morning coffee. Maybe you've been Googling how to get extra energy in the mornings or what you can add into your daily cup of joe to make it a little more effective, because our first cafe session question this month is about just that - well sort of...

August 02, 2022

What To Do With Your Used Coffee Grounds

August 02, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

We all know the essential function of coffee is to be the motivation to get you out of – and keep you out of – bed in the morning. However, what you might not know is, after your favorite caffeinated beverage is brewed, the grounds can continue to be useful to you in many other areas of everyday life. As if coffee wasn’t already great enough!

July 29, 2022

CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: JULY 2022

July 29, 2022/ Steve Serchia

Here we are at the end of July, smack-dab in the middle of summer. It’s hot outside, gas prices are sky high, and the Rockies…? Well let’s just say they could be doing better. That said, there are a lot of good things happening too! These daily rainstorms we’ve been getting lately for instance, are awesome! Not only does Colorado need the water, but they’ve also made it so our summer nights have been cooler, making hanging out on patios after work and on weekends much more enjoyable! Also, while the Rockies leave something to be desired this season, going to the games has been a blast, AND the Bronco’s first pre-season game is right around the corner (August 13th), so that’s something to look forward to! Most importantly though, we’ve got some delicious new breakfast options at Rise, which leads perfectly into our first question of this session!

June 27, 2022

How Do Coffee Beans Become Decaffeinated?

June 27, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

Coffee is always great, but sometimes you want a cup of joe and not the caffeine that comes with it. Maybe it’s late in the day and the caffeine will keep you up all night. Maybe you’ve already had several cups and don’t want to get those caffeine jitters. Or maybe you are just trying to cut down on your caffeine intake in general. Regardless of your reasons, sometimes, when that craving for hot bean juice hits, it’s nice to have the option for a cup of decaf! But how exactly does coffee become decaffeinated? We are here to explain!

May 31, 2022

CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: MAY 2022

May 31, 2022/ Steve Serchia

Can you believe we are officially in summer!? Okay, well maybe not literally, but “summer season” is definitely here! The sun is out (and stays out until almost 9pm – finally), if you forget your jacket when you go out the evening it’s no big deal, pools are open, and camping is back! In fact, I went camping this last weekend, and let me tell you – it was full on summer vibes. Drinks, lawn games, laughs and chilling! It also was a great way for me to “research” one of your latest questions: HOW TO BREW COFFEE WHEN YOU’RE CAMPING

May 26, 2022

Green Tea: The Benefits and The Brewing Process

May 26, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

In this blog we are switching gears from coffee and talking tea: green tea to be exact! By now we know green tea is awesome for you, and we should all probably be drinking more of it on a regular basis. But what exactly makes it awesome? What precisely are the health benefits we keep hearing it has? We’re going to break it down for you!

April 29, 2022

CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: APRIL 2022

April 29, 2022/ Rise Cafe Denver/ Steve Serchia

The first part of 2022 has quickly come and gone and all of a sudden, we’ve entered full Spring mode! Is it just me, or does it seem like it has been forever since the months have flown by? I swear, for the last two years, each month has dragged along while we were continuously waiting for the next mask mandate or restaurant restrictions to come around. 2022 has time flying by though, and I for one, am embracing it with open arms! That said, this is still the “early days” of spring, so maybe don't plant those flowers just yet. Last year around this time we saw snow coming down all the way through May. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn't enjoy this awesome weather we’ve been experiencing! In fact, I encourage you to get out there and partake in some of the many activities taking place in Denver right now! This is the perfect segue into our first Café Session Question this month: Are there any good concerts or events coming up in Denver?

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