During the 80s, an unemployed engineer became famous for opening a very successful juice shop at Paulista avenue. Today, special coffees have made architect Gabriel Penteado quit a consolidated career after 10 years of activities and open a coffee shop of special coffees just for passion.
Gabriel is another ‘son’ of Isabela Raposeiras, from Coffee Lab. He tells that he loved to drink coffee since he was a child. Lovely memories arise of when his mother diluted his coffee to please his child taste.
As an adult, already graduated at Mackenzie, he wanted to undertake. He considered several activities, including opening a Havaianas shop (flip-flop sandals). But, as neighbor of Raposeira, he recalled his old passion for coffee and decided for attending a barista course at Coffee Lab. The first course was junior, then advanced and several others. The only one he didn’t attend was roasting. Not yet!
(Gabriel Penteado, owner of Cupping Café)
But then the passion for special coffees had already taken over. And as a good architect, he sought a nice location at Vila Madalena, but didn’t like what he saw. Then, inspiration came, strongly. He noticed that his parents’ house, in the heart of Vila Madalena, with an improvement (considerable, by the way), could be the ideal place. And so he took his drawing board and a beautiful coffee shop project was produced. The improvement is filled with childhood memories: those who pay attention will notice in the counter a timbered portion that was formerly his room floor. The bench on the sidewalk also received the same wood.
Gabriel tells that the inspiration for Cupping Café project came from Nordic coffee shops, adapted to Vila Madalena reality. With a big difference: “We intend to be a space destined to common people who always drink common coffee, for them to get to know the special coffee universe by tasting it. That’s where the shop name comes from.
(The Cupping Café space: Gabriel transformed his old house inspired by the Nordic coffee shops)
Cupping Café’s proposal is to let the customer choose and try extremely high quality coffees from the five Brazilian states that produce special coffees (São Paulo, Minas, Espírito Santo, Bahia and Paraná).
However, since it is something not always easy to obtain, the week we visited the coffee shop, Gabriel was serving coffees from Minas Gerais and São Paulo. “We work with three partner roasters: Bica Café, Wolff and Virgínia. They are the ones who do the whole hunting work for us to offer the best coffee available.
Besides the espresso, prepared in a La Marzocco…, at Cupping one can try coffees with three different preparation methods: aeropress, Hario V60 and Prensa. “Now we will introduce the rotary method, which means to offer a different method every week, to be included in the menu. In the same week, we will offer a course for those who want to learn the method and practice at home”, tells Gabriel.
In September, the shop promoted the first cupping open to the lay public. “It was great, since most participants had never made cupping before. In the end, they all could notice the differences in quality of the coffees offered”, he says with enthusiasm. The idea is to hold cupping fortnightly, and the price will be symbolic R$ 10, just to cover costs.
(The Cupping Café space is full of pictures and infographics that explain to the customer a bit about the universe of specialty coffees)
In October, the summer menu will be already available with several novelties like cold brew, coffee frappé, tropical frappé (yoghurt with fruits), the classical alcoholic Irish Coffee, Viennese, Champignons, fizz water with cold brew espresso, in addition to Italian soda. To eat, waffle, bagel, salads and yoghurt.
At Cupping Café one can also find special coffee micro-lots for sale.
The cup polemic
As soon as the coffee shop was open, Gabriel opted for using disposable paper cups, bought in the USA, instead of earthenware cups, which, according to his studies, for having double wall preserved better the coffee temperature.
Customers in general did not approve it. So, as the shop wants to be the gate for the special coffees universe, without keeping a blasé position, Gabriel made up his mind and now, all coffees are served in porcelain cups.
(… but by customer’s orders, they currently serve the beverage in the porcelain cup)
“Later, when my body of customers is already settled and fully adept to special coffees, maybe I will retake it”, concludes Gabriel. But what really matters is to have our customers satisfied!!
Cupping Café
Address: Rua Wisard, 171, Vila Madalena
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9 am – 9 pm
Saturdays: 10:30 am to 7 pm
Closed on Sundays
Phone: 11 38136154
