The crate has been opened. The speculation can end. Inside the crate was the 1kg sample roaster we’ve been waiting to arrive from Turkey.
Now we can start to explore new varieties of coffee and different depths of roast so we can taste coffee in ways we have never been able to before. The opportunity for exploration of black coffee with this roaster was always part of the vision for Black Betty and was in fact part of the reason for the name Black Betty in the first place.
This is the beginning of a very exciting time in the short history of Black Betty, we hope you’re all going to join us and come along for the ride.

Black Betty is being found by more new faces on a daily basis and we’ve been referred to as an oasis in the midst of a desert of destruction. We’re getting busier by the day which brings in itself new challenges  which push us all to discover our limits.

Perhaps the biggest recent change for us is the move to open Sundays. It’s something that’s been on the cards for a while, but now seemed like the right time to make the final step. The breakfast menu will of course run all week now so there’s no excuse not to get down and try it out.

We should also take this opportunity to recognise the changing faces on the staff here at Black Betty. Stacey and Lee have taken on the cooking duties with great enthusiasm, Saffron has jumped in to help out the front of house team & we’ve even acquired the services of barista Sam and kitchen-hand Joey on loan from the Mediterranean Food Company. Everyone is fitting in well and doing some terrific work, thanks guys.

So yes things are changing but we hope it’s all for the better and you can at least be sure that we won’t change our commitment to quality product and service to our customers.

Starting tomorrow Black Betty will once again be open to the public. We will be operating on a limited basis only so no breakfasts (at least for the first couple of days) and only takeaway coffees, but hey it’s a lot better than nothing. The cabinet will be full of tasty things to eat and as per usual and our specialty coffee will be in abundance both through the espresso machine and available to purchase either whole beans or ground to your needs.

This an especially difficult time for us due to the uncertainty of business in and around the CBD cordon so we’d love to see all our friends and supporters flocking down here in droves. Please show us your support and help us to buck the trend and be successful despite the circumstances and be a reason for people to start heading back in to the center of Christchurch.

We appreciate all of the messages of support we have had while we’ve been closed and we’re as eager to get going again as you guys are to see us back.

So thanks again and here’s to a brighter future in the new Christchurch.

Nevertheless we will return before too long and we will resume business as though we never left. We expect to see a lot of familiar faces when we return so that we can catch up and share stories of a good brew.

Now speaking of a good brew, if you didn’t know already Black Betty offer more than just your standard espresso coffee (not that our espresso can really be called standard!). We also offer your favourite single-origins served as either a Pour-Over style, or the very exciting Coffee Syphon.

The Pour-Over is a great simple way of making a very clean cup of coffee. It features a very simple technique that can be refined to make a very good cup of coffee. The fresh ground coffee is placed in a filter cone on top of the coffee jug and has hot (not boiling) water pour over it – just enough to wet it for a start, this will allow the ground coffee to ‘bloom’ which will help the brewing process. The rest of the water is poured very slowly over the coffee until the desired amount is reached. Usually served black this is coffee that is pretty simple, but also pretty good.

The Coffee Syphon is a bit different, if you haven’t seen it being made yet I recommend that you do. You start with an unusual looking apparatus that is made up of two interconnected flasks on a stand with a spirit burner underneath. A measured amount of warm water is put into the bottom chamber and slowly warmed on the burner. The top chamber is sat loosely on the top waiting for the desired temperature to be reached. When bubbles have started forming in the bottom chamber the top part is attached allowing pressure to build and force the water to the top chamber.  Coarsely ground coffee is added to the water (now in the top chamber), stirred and allowed to infuse, stirred again and then once the burner is removed the water can drop back down to the bottom chamber leaving the dregs behind in the top. Now all of this isn’t just for show, it does make a really great coffee that is so clean and smooth you just have to try it to believe it.

So what we’re trying to say is…….as soon as we’re back all of this will once again be available for you to try, so make sure you get in and try it, before there’s another twist of fate that will try unsuccessfully try to hold us back……..

• Firing up the espresso machine and making some serious brews.
• Firing up the coffee roaster and sending out that amazing roasting smell emanating over the city.
• Putting in our order for a ‘Betty’s cooked breakfast, eggs bene sounds good. Mmmmm.
• Flagging down anyone and everyone in the area to let them know we’re back and ready to go!
• Resuming everyday duties (as boring as it may seem, this is one of the most highly anticipated items on the list!)

We can’t be sure right now when these things will happen but you can all rest assured these things and many, many more will definitely happen we’ll all look back on this time as a mere hiccup in the otherwise fruitful lives of Black Betty and her ever faithful constituents.

We’ve heard this before though and although we are buoyed by such statements we are this time waiting patiently for the official green light before we get too excited. We can hardly wait until we can actually head back in and reestablish our operations so it is difficult not to get a little flushed with anticipation.

http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/2011/03/15/media-advisory-%e2%80%93-tuesday-15-march-2011-1930-hours/

This article, the latest (currently) from the Canterbury Earthquake website says Zone 5 will be open to residents later this week……but…..does that mean we’ll be allowed back in to businesses?……and if so will the power be on?……and what about running water?……..and other plumbing?

The fact remains as soon as we can be back, we will be back, and we’ll let you guys know as soon as that happens.

At least in the mean time, the Switch Espresso wholesale operations can still operate out of the New Brighton shop and you can still drink your favourite Switch Espresso coffee either at New Brighton or at the other cafes around town supplied by Switch that are still going strong.

Until the next time guys – stay strong and thanks for all the support.

It doesn’t seem right that we’re sitting here ready to go, the building relatively undamaged and yet we’re unable to do anything. We have been allowed fleeting visits but only to retrieve items from within the restricted zone, definitely not to use our equipment, and most definitely not to restart operations.

At the same time we do have to count ourselves very lucky.

There are buildings and structures not far from where we stand that either haven’t survived or won’t be allowed to. There are businesses that have lost even more than just their building – records, files, equipment and more importantly staff, friends, family and loved ones. There are businesses that will never re-open.  Our thoughts and wishes go out to all of those affected by this tragedy.

A structural engineer who checked out Black Betty this week marvelled at how well she had ridden the upheaval. Apparently buildings very similar to our own had not fared nearly as well. There was talk of walls having been blown out and roofs collapsing causing mass destruction and injury.

We are also lucky that we still have our sister shop out in New Brighton (also relatively undamaged) where we are able to continue running business from.  We have a loyal following of customers that rushed in the doors as soon as power was restored there and the coffee machine was up and running.

We have been flooded with support from other roasters, members too of the NZ Coffee Roasters Association offering help in any way they can. Our wholesale suppliers too have been willing to offer support.

Several of the cafes we supply coffee to have survived and are currently operational, bringing urgently needed caffeine to the masses. Their continual operation helps us to know we have a very definite future here and makes us want all the more to get Betty open and pick up where we left off.

Until further notice we do not know when Black Betty will be able to open again. It could be a few days, it could be weeks. There’s even been talk of months. All we know is we will open again and we will be ready to tackle head-on whatever challenges stand before us, and we also know our friends, family and supporters will be there standing beside us every step of the way.

We are finally open to the public and excited to be here. We’ve already had a great response from the customers that have been in and we can’t wait to see more new faces as well as old friends through the door.

We’re open weekdays from 8am – 4.00pm and weekends from 9.00am till 4.00pm.

We’re serving award winning Switch Espresso Zap through the espresso machine and in the coming days we will be starting to serve all kinds of different single-origin flavours through a variety of different brew methods.

The all new kitchen is serving up some amazing food already. Naomi and Melissa are drawing on all their skills to serve an array of magnificent baked goods and cafe lunch items as well as a delicious new breakfast menu (available until 3).

In our growing room we have coffee plants for sale for just $15 each. We even giving $5 from the sale to Trade Aid’s Next Generations Coffee Fundhttp://www.tradeaid.org.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/102 helping to keep the coffee plantations going for future generations. Check out the website it’s a really good cause.

That’s it for now……Check back is soon for our latest origins and new food features.