Hearthstone Coffee House & Pub

Being in the food and beverage world we hear a lot about new and better roasts, beans, distillation methods, processing for food, and fermentation. It’s organic, fresh, glutten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, etc. and this affects the taste because such-and-such….

And, to be fair, many of those things are important to watch for and can affect the taste (not to mention long-term health benefits).

However, at the end of the day I’ve come conclusion: the best thing is the one that you like. Being an adventurous sort it would behoove us all to try and sample a variety of other things but, if at the midst of our wanderings in food, coffee, and beer we always return to the same- that’s ok. Let no one shame you for it.

Truth be told, we all do this. It’s been along week we just want to sit down, watch a TV show we don’t have to think about, and drink a…. well, that’s up to you. The point is we need those base-line staples, those things we could drink or eat daily that bring us comfort. The blended coffees, the wheat beers, the hamburgers and fries- things that have been with us for our lives and provide a solid back-drop against a world gone crazy.

So let’s raise our PBR’s, Maxwell House coffees, and blended scotchs- without them, nothing would stand out.

When people come into see us for the first time I hear a lot of orders for macchiatos and always ask if they have had one of ours before. You see, the ones we make are traditionally sized, single-shot espresso, with just a little steamed milk. This is so that you can enjoy the flavor of the espresso in a sipping fashion. Letting espresso shots sit longer than 30 seconds will damage the flavor, making it bitter. Enjoy this short video! The REAL Macchiato

This is a question we get a lot. Sometimes the question means, “Are you making money?” but others mean, “Are you meeting the mission you put forth?” We stated, from the beginning, that Hearthstone was being created in the belief that people’s lives could be impacted by serving a great beer or cup of coffee with love.

In short; yes, we are.

But I cannot tell you how proud I was of this business when I watched us cut checks to our charities for $1,000 in the first month. At $.10 per cup that means over 10,000 beverages were sold in our first month alone! This wasn’t something we did, this is a by-product of people who have chosen to make Hearthstone a third space: another office, another living room, and- in some cases- an extension of their families. We are honored to be partnering with such amazing people in central Indiana.

We cannot wait to see what the future holds for us as we continue to hold to the belief that love will change the world. Thank YOU for your support & love!

You don’t know anything until you do it. We have been open a month now and the reality of a thing is widely different than what you thought it would be. I’ll break it down into categories so I don’t get sidetracked:

Staff: We have awesome staff. Some learn fast, some learn slower but every one of our staff was hired because we sensed they cared about people- and that is what counts at the end of the day here. We’ve had a few frustrations and had to set VERY specific expectations and provide step-by-step walk-through handbooks to guide people but overall we have a GREAT team.

Sales: Everyone asks about this, “Is it what you hoped? Is it more or less?” The answer is: you don’t know until 60-90 days in how you are REALLY doing anyway. But in a drive-by snapshot: we are doing right about what we think we need to.

What’s Hot: Craft & local beer is our BIGGEST seller (monetarily speaking) by far and away. Weirdly followed by wine (we’ve moved over 200 bottles in a month). The early morning coffee crowd still seems to be growing. We are chalking this up to the fact that “Pub” is on the outside and many people in central Indiana still aren’t familiar with a coffee house and pub concept. We get called “weird” a lot.

What’s Not: Liquor. It’s doing alright but with the coffee side and 16 tap lines the liquor selection seems to sort of pale in comparison even though it is a good sized selection with great labels.

Community Impact: We have been playing host to multiple community organizers, non-profits, knitting clubs, and churches. Sometimes I’ll ask a group what they are doing and they will tell me that this has been their regular meet-up since we opened. For every thing we plan there is at least 3 other groups/events taking place that we didn’t know about it. Hanging art from a local photographer, hosting Live Trivia, and local bands has been huge for us. Over and over again we hear, “Fishers needed something like this.”

30,000 foot perspective on this: it’s great. We love our staff and the guests that come in have seem to sense our positive attitude and drive. We are tired but it’s been great.

Lots of people countdown the month of December with advent calendars or the running tally of shopping days left. I always had too. But my date got moved this year.

First, we celebrated Christmas with my family in Kansas City early in the month and second, I’m counting down to the 19th. No, we aren’t opening early. That is the day that our staff training begins.

Not only are we excited about who is coming to work with us but we are excited to teach and learn with them. It is rare, in this day and age of recession, to find businesses who ignore or cut employee training so it is cool to see a group so dedicated to making sure that employees and customers know the product to make informed decisions.

All of this really goes back to our view of people: do you believe the best about others? Want to see them do their best? Experience the best? All of these things come about from time, money, emotional, & spiritual investments. We want to invite as many people as who want to join into life experiences that are better than average and higher than expected.

Let the countdown continue.

We met with one of our fine beverage reps this week. In the midst of the conversation I said to him, “We don’t really care what we sell because, at the end of the day, we are in the business of building community and providing entertainment. Drinks are secondary.”

He looked at me and said, “And that’s what separates good pubs from bad ones.” (he is an beer rep so we weren’t talking coffee)

We have to keep the main thing as the main thing. It is too easy to delve down into the weeds of account balance sheets, profit and loss, ordering, and personnel and then forget your very purpose. This question faces every business because if we are good- even GREAT- at those side items we can do ok, even turn a profit, but not hit the mark we set out to hit.

I don’t want anyone remember Hearthstone (assuming and believing in success) just because of great coffee or fine crafted beer. We are about something more.

As a start-up coffee shop let us now turn our attention from business plans and buildings to coffee: just the other day my brother was asking me- as a college student- what was the best way to brew coffee in his dorm room and maintain the integrity of the bean’s flavor? My dad will send him off from Kansas City with pounds of great beans from PT’s Coffee and/or Revocup  and placing those beans into a single-serving Mr. Coffee with a single spout drip simply will NOT do.

The question then becomes one of cost. Are you willing or able to spend the money necessary to purchase a burr grinder and a shower-head coffee brewer? (ok, you should at the very least buy the burr grinder) Given the many college students lack these resources we are left with a choice: French press or pour-over?

Both of these methods are great, in their own right. Both require water to be around 190 degrees and for the coffee to be ground more coarsely than with a sprinkler head. Let’s break down each method:

French press: this technique will require about 12-15 minutes (unless you have ready access to boiling water). You will grind your coffee to a medium grind (so you can still see small bits of bean) and measure out the appropriate amount (this will vary depending on your press’ size). Pour the water over the grounds until it fills the press; at this point your grounds on top should be moist but form a sort of “coffee head” called “crema”. Now you wait four minutes and then gently break the crema and stir the grounds with a wooden spoon (you can use rubber but some would argue it can taint the flavor). After it is stirred thoroughly, place the top on the press and push the plunger down. You are ready to pour and drink!

Pour over: this technique will take about 8-12 minutes (again, unless you have ready access to boiling water). You will need a drip kettle as well (which will set you back about $60)- there are also warmers for these kettles to properly heat up your water. Grind your coffee just as you did for the french press, measure out the appropriate amount, place the grounds in your filter, and put your cup underneath. Now, you will take your drip kettle and pour the water over the grounds slowly and in a circle/spiral fashion to ensure that all of the beans are integrated. You don’t want to pour too fast or you will over fill your cup. Allow the grounds to steep and drain into your cup and you are all set.

All of that to say this: I don’t think it matters. Both techniques have value, will bring out unique aspects of each bean, can be done well and done poorly (no pun intended), and really the only difference that we can note is the time. Beyond that, try both, see what you like and use that one.

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