Posh tech cafe The Summit will close its doors on January 28. Decried by some as a "masturbatory business fantasy," the creatively-minded Valencia Street space served coffee and pastries to "free thinkers, craftsmen, artisans, entrepreneurs, and the public." Only Blue Bottle, Ritual, or Four Barrel trained baristas were asked to apply for a gig at the "democratically-priced" cafe. more ›

In today's hard-hitting business news: the East Coast expansion of Peet's Coffee and Tea has not gone exactly as planned, it seems. East Coast coffee drinkers, with their delicate palates refined through years of drinking medium roast joe from Dunkin' Donuts, don't have quite the same taste for Alfred Peet's signature burn-the-crap-out-of-it dark roast that West Coast chain-drinkers are so fond of. As a senior marketing manager for Peet's told the Wall Street Journal, beans from the Emeryville-based roaster "just didn't have the taste profile [East Coasters] were looking for." more ›

A brawl outside of a Valencia street liquor store Saturday afternoon ended inside of Four Barrel Coffee after one employee — coffee roaster working in the back room — denied two thugs an easy exit out the back. The two suspects, a man and a woman, were seen attacking a victim on the ground at 15th Street and Valencia. Two more suspects arrived just before the cops showed up, which is when the scuffle moved up Valencia Street and the first two suspects attempted to dip in to Four Barrel to escape. more ›

Employing "reclaimed" buzzword gobbledygook as a selling point, Starbucks wants to put another damn spore in the Castro, a few blocks away from the bear-frequented Starbucks at 18th and Castro. With takeover plans zeroed in at 2201 Market (at 15th Street), here's what the coffee mammoth would like to do: more ›

No meth blend? Seems like a meth blend would result in pure comedy gold. Whatever. Fine, no meth blend. Oh, what are we talking about, you ask? Gay Coffee, that's what. After running a coffee shop near Smith College (of course) for years, Melissa Krueger will bring her tasty brew for homosexuals (and others!) to the Castro Street Fair on Sunday. "All five blends are made from fair trade organic beans, sourced from Royal Coffee, each celebrating a different aspect of gay culture, humor, and history," reports Inside Scoop. "Like many others in her position, she says she looks up to cult coffee roasters like Blue Bottle, and the path to success they’ve laid out." more ›

Well, it's better than nothing. 7-Eleven and Krispy Kreme stores will offer free coffee today in honor of National Coffee Day. That's right, Krispy Kreme and 7-Eleven will hand out tepid brew at participating locations. To find a store nearest you, go here or here. more ›

Our favorite caffiene fix in the Bay Area, Four Barrel, celebrates its birthday today with free coffee and games. Paolo Lucchesi reports, "First and foremost, there is free coffee all day today, until closing (which is at 4pm). Repeat: free coffee. This year’s festivities are also extended to include treats from Pizza Hacker and a few additional entertainment amenities, like a photo booth and skeeball." more ›

If you find yourself with leisure time on weekdays, or you're looking for something fun to do on your lunch/coffee break, here are this week's highlights. A shout-out of course goes to the folks at FunCheapSF for the heads-up on a few of these events. more ›

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, generally known in these northern parts as the drinkable coffee joint that will do in a pinch if there is no Peet's around, is expanding eastward. As our sister site in New York notes, the chain is looking to open three locations in the Big Apple in the next year or so. San Francisco, by comparison, has four franchies strategically located to catch homesick SoCal residents. more ›

What's the gastronomic buzz, you ask? Well, we'll tell you: Sightglass Coffee Bar & Roastery opens in SOMA, A16 launches Beer Month, Locanda has something called a "bar program" as well as the best summer cocktail, kid-unfriendly restaurants you need to know about. more ›

Angry housewives have come unglued in the South Bay as San Jose continues to allow nearly-nude coffee shops to operate in full glory. Shameless! One particular coffee joint, Café Quyen, boasts "scantily clad women" serving lattes, dancing, and so much more. more ›

Laughing Squid draws our attention to a new caffeinated brew set to get last night's meal moving faster than a Landspeeder. Created by the minds at Think Geek, it's called the Star Wars Darth Vader's Dark Side Roast. Here's how they describe the far, far away coffee: "Get a taste of the Dark Side with this rich hand roasted coffee. Three diverse coffees and two different roasts create a full-bodied, sharp, cup with spicy undertones and smoky, dark-roasted complexity. Vader's Dark Roast Coffee is commonly enjoyed by Dark Lords of the Sith while planning new Death Star construction, but give into your anger, sample a steaming cup and you will be rewarded with power beyond your imagination." more ›

Need an afternoon bump? Head over to your nearest Starbuck's for a cup of coffee, provided to you free of charge if you bring in your own reusable coffe mug. You even have your choice of hot or iced -- the latter if you're a true coastal California brat. "They ran the same promotion last year and saved over a million disposable cups," repots Eater. Go here to find your nearest location. more ›

SFist talked about C.W. Nevius' article a couple of weeks ago regarding Little Bird Coffeehouse's "Kafkaesque journey" to obtain a permit for outdoor seating on the sidewalk, which named Lower Nob Hill community organizer David Overdorf as the instigator for the delay. (Overdorf is also the coiner of the term "Kafkaesque journey" in reference to this case.) more ›

According to DealReporter, the superior Peet's Coffee & Tea is in talks with inferior Starbucks to sell itself to the Seattle-based coffee giant. "Though neither company has commented on the reported deal, Peet's has stated its interest in getting into the single-cup coffee market. Earlier this year it attempted to acquire Diedrich Coffee but lost out to Green Mountain Coffee, which made a deal this week to sell Starbucks coffee for its single-serving Keurig coffee machines." Reports go on to suggest that "Starbucks plans to seek out acquisitions over the next 18 months." Hrumph. more ›

Those who find themselves in Union Square on a regular basis now have a Blue Bottle option amongst the sea of Starbuckses and other un-artisan coffee spots. The folks behind coffee kiosks Cento, Vega, and Special Xtra, which all serve Blue Bottle, opened up their latest location, Grand Prix, last week in the heart of Union Square at 1 Tillman Place (near Sutter and Grant) inside Azul. more ›

IndieFest opens (the Dude abides), and Sketchfest closes with back-to-back events at the Castro: True Stories 25th Anniversary with David Byrne, featuring a screening and tribute to the cool and quirky movie musical, followed by Idol Worship: An Evening with Cloris Leachman, hosted by Peaches Christ and featuring a rare screening of High Anxiety. more ›

Starbucks announced today plans to unveil a gargantuan 31-ounce "Trenta" cup size. According to our sister site, the new size is "[o]nly available for iced coffee and tea drinks" and "will run $.50 more than a Venti when it rolls out on May 3." more ›

If your entire world has been thrown off axis over Starbucks new logo, fear not, loyal patrons. The coffee mammoth will walk you through the change in a minute and a half long video on their website. The new logo is pretty much their old logo, sans their name around it. The mermaid, thankfully, is still intact. Ta-da. But what say you, yes or no? Do you approve? more ›

Not since the last Getty gala or progressive party canvassing spree have we come across such obnoxious and banal elitism. And how. The fine folks at Mission Mission bring your attention to this Craigslist ad posted by The Summit SF -- a creative cafe/art space located on Valencia, the city's most horrifying street -- looking for baristas only trained at the Harvard of Folgers Crystals pouring. Behold: more ›

This gem has been all over the place this week. Local comedy group Killing My Lobster poke some major fun at our fair city's artisan coffee craze with this brilliant spoof on a Ken Burns-style documentary. Ritual, Blue Bottle, Four Barrel, and Philz are all name-checked. Our favorite line: "I killed a DJ over half a pound of French Roast." more ›

After much anticipation, artisan coffee shop, Hooker’s Sweet Treats Cafe, which serves Sightglass Coffee and gourmet confections and baked goods, officially opened yesterday at Hyde and O'Farrell. Tenderblog was at the grand opening, and they say the chocolate-covered caramels, which are also available at Bi-Rite, Sightglass Coffee, and Perish Trust, are to die for. SFist will be checking Hooker's out soon, and we'll probably end up spending all of our hard-earned money there regularly. more ›

Behold! A map showcasing artisan, if you will, coffee shops in San Francisco. Ooh la la, is right. We plan on making it a life goal to visit each cafe to demand they ice our double espresso and stick it in a to-go cup. (Ahem, Blue Bottle.) more ›

Get up to 20 ounces of free brewed Starbucks coffee tomorrow when you bring in your travel mug. Starbucks is encouraging people to switch from the wasteful paper cups to reusable ones, for obvious environmental reasons. Another novel idea would be to just make your coffee at home/office, or sit down, chill out, and sip your coffee at a cafe that uses those nifty glass/ceramic mugs. (But we will admit that we sometimes succumb to using the blasphemous paper cup ourselves when on the go.) more ›

Meatpaper and Blue Bottle Coffee are joining forces to open SFMOMA’s third Thursday springtime event series, SFMOMA: Now Playing. more ›

Kirk Harper and John Quintos, the former owners of 330 Ritch, have combined their love for Lambrettas and Blue Bottle Coffee with a series of cute little Blue Bottle kiosks. Vega, which opened last summer, is located at 1246 Folsom St, and Special Xtra, which opened its garage door last month, is smack in the middle of the Financial District at 46 Minna St. more ›

Via B.K.: Bay Area Coffee Battle Update: Took home a bag of Roast Coffee Co. beans from Zazie (after having a stellar capp) and made a lovely cup of french press with it. Silky and smooth, more akin to Barefoot & Ritual (versus intense & earthy like BB and 4B). Roast Co. is relatively new and fab restaurants are jumping on the band wagon like Quince, Farmer Brown, and Bocanova. more ›

Via B.K.: "Never thought I'd say this out of blue bottle loyalty, but the 4 Barrel cappuccino @ Ironside is rocking my world. Velvety, rich, and voluptuous." more ›

Although this week's weather might not agree, summer--at last!--is coming to an end. Soon we'll be busting out our fall line from the back of the closet, putting extra blankets on the bed, and paying PG&E more money. More importantly, Starbucks will roll out their annual treat of legend and lore, the Pumpkin Spice Latte. (Blue Bottle's got nothing on Starbucks until they introduce a sickly sweet treat like this.) But at almost $4 a pop, who can afford Starbucks version of black tar? Not us. more ›

Sightglass Coffee's opening day was yesterday. Owners Jared and Justin are "super nice," according to Yelp. And their brew? Is billed as "artisan." And, from what we hear, pretty damn fantastic. more ›