700, By the Numbers
There's much more to this blend than just its sweet, chocolatey balance. Through the lens of 7 numbers, we're here to shine a brighter light on this fan-favorite coffee blend.
#1: 1
Number of times per week our roasting staff sends espresso dial-in notes to Kaldi's cafe Baristas.
Espresso QC and dial-in is one of the hallmarks of a week in the life of the Roastery. Our roasting and QC staff makes shot after shot, dialing-in, testing, and tasting 700 until we get that week's roasts up to spec. These notes make their way to our dedicated baristas, who then utilize their own time and expertise each morning to dial it in again.
You can read more about our quality control process in our blog, "Chasing Quality: A Walk Through Espresso QC".
#2: 2
Number of times we cup various roasts each week for quality control.
Cupping is the industry standard for coffee quality control and tasting. And 700 gets as much time on the cupping table as any of our blends.
Various roasts are put to the test, ensuring that each version of 700 blend - with its rotating fresh crops and harvests - tastes the same in your favorite drink.
#3: 13
Number of years - and counting - we have used 700 as our main espresso blend.
Cafe Kaldi used to serve double-duty as our main drip coffee AND espresso blend. This changed around 2008-2009, when 700 was swapped in to make our classic espresso taste even more balanced and good with milk.
#4: 20
Number of grams of coffee we use for the average shot of espresso.
The standard double-shot, our 700 blend is usually dialed in to around a 1:2 ratio (20g coffee grounds in, 40ml espresso out) for all of our drinks.
#5: 28
Average number of roasts per week of 700 in November and December 2021, our busiest months.
It should come as no surprise that our roasting staff is extra-busy dialing in roasts of 700 on our vintage Probat coffee roasters towards the end of the year.
Want to know more about our coffee roasting equipment? Check out our blog, "The Vintage Coffee Roaster Behind Your Beans".
#6: 700
Named after 700 DeMun Ave., address of our first cafe where we started roasting.
Fun fact: Also named after 700 St. Bernards Lane, the address of our second roasting facility.
We opened our first cafe on DeMun Ave in Clayton, MO in 1994. DeMun has since grown into a neighborhood cafe rich with memories and history. 700 pays homage to this mentality and helps tell the story of Kaldi's itself.
Read more in our blog, "Est. 1994: DeMun's Origin Story".
#7: 887
Average number of shots of 700 pulled each day in December 2021 in our St. Louis area cafes.
Our baristas were busy grinding, tamping, and serving you our espresso blend, the product of many hands and much passion from crop to cup.
More than just a number
700 is the product of many human hands and incredible passion throughout the coffee supply chain. Its ubiquitousness on the espresso bar of our cafes, in the lattes of our guests, and on the countertop of your home is the product of many years of perfecting its roast profile, developing new relationships at origin, and training baristas to love brewing and serving coffee.
There are many numbers behind 700, but there are many more stories. And we are happy to continue telling those stories for years to come.
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Read Next:
COMPARING CAFE KALDI AND 700: A DEEP DIVE BEFORE YOU BUY
Related Content:
- Much More than a Blend: 700 | Kaldi's Coffee Blog
- Chasing Quality: A Walk Through Espresso QC | Kaldi's Coffee Blog
- Blend Buying Guide | Kaldi's Coffee Blog
