In part one of our spotlight on Ritual Roasters, we told you the backstory behind one the the Mission's most popular new cafes. We did, however, save one important component of that story for this follow-up: the origin of the name. Sure, the name "Ritual Roasters," resonates, has nice alliteration, and may seem like a no-brainer. For Eileen Hassi and Jeremy Tooker, though, the process was agonizing.

"Other than securing the financing to open the cafe, deciding on the name was the most difficult part of the process," says Hassi.

The two of them looked through books of antiquated names and dictionaries, both conventional and unconventional. After going through a bevy of materials, they looked back at an old list and found the name "Ritual," which they both liked. Tooker, in particular, has an interesting take on the significance of name to a coffee house. To him, the name represents an individual's method of making coffee -- one's "muscle memory," which makes a barista's technique "your thing and yours alone."

When asked about extracurricular activities, they quickly mention that they participate in Litquake. Amusingly, Ritual has its own bicycle posse known as "RCCBP" (Ritual Coffee Club Bike Posse), which meets up with Critical Mass. They create a costume theme for each one; at the time of our conversation it was "Critical Mustache," but the upcoming one this Friday is "Critical Superhero." Ritual also at times displays works of local artists. However, Hassi and Tooker tend to stick to the business at hand, mostly because, as Hassi says, "special events tend to detract."

One special event that the gang participates in, however, is Barista competitions, both regional and national. Two of the baristi at Ritual participate in such events and train their asses off for them: Gabriel Boscana and Ryan Brown.