We believe the essence of coffee comes from tension; tension between the
hardness of the bean and the heat of the roaster, between the pressure of water
in the machine and the dense pack of the fine grind. Reward is finer when earned,
and coffee is sweeter when challenged. This is the core of our coffee philosophy.
A coffee house should be a neighborhood center. It should be equally a place
to relax as a place to plan a revolution. The Boston Tea Party, the storming of
the Bastille, and the Russian revolution were all planned at coffee houses. A
coffee house should be a showcase for artists, a forum for ideas, and a catalyst
for conversation. It should be a place to meet and to reflect, to pause before,
in the midst, or at the end of the day. Metropolis will truly be a coffee house
when you have more to say about what goes on here than we do. The name Metropolis
comes from Plato’s notion of Polis, or city-state. A Polis is complete and
sufficient unto itself. Community and the regard for differences among people
and their ideas are central to our coffee philosophy. Each bean and tea leaf is
sourced with two groups of people in mind: the people that taste them, and the
farmers that grow them. Coffee, like art, has an aesthetic.
Our coffee aesthetic is rooted in the belief that great coffee comes from a
line of respect beginning with the farmers and their respect for their land. We,
in turn, respect the farmers by paying fair prices for their harvest, and respect
our customers by taking great care in the roasting and brewing our coffees, and
in blending our teas. Respect is at the core of our coffee philosophy, and taste
is paramount. |