The Urth NewsMarch 2017

Urth = Welsh for Earth & Caffé = Italian for CoffeeDedicated to sharing the latest Urth Caffé news, philosophy, new menu items, stories of our direct

relationships with heirloom organic coffee farmers, rare tea estates, and local, sustainable organic produce farmers, and special VIP discounts to our loyal friends, family and patrons.

Sweet Potato Pie! We have perfected the ultimate sweet potato pie recipe and have been receiving rave reviews from our loyal Urth guests! This pie is made from 100% premium sweet potatoes (con-sidered good carbs!) on a spiced crust and topped with pecan crumbles. Try this tasty classic at Urth Caffé throughout winter and spring 2017 by popular demand!

Sweet Potato Pie Complimentary Offer!We have a special limited introductory offer – please come in weeknights Monday through Thursday 5pm to closing and enjoy one complimentary individual sweet potato pie with any entrée purchase. This offer expires April 15th., 2017. One free dessert per order please- not redeemable for cash and cannot be combined with any other discount.

Come celebrate with us on March 17th at 8:00pm at St. Monica’s Church, for an evening of the most beautiful opera arias and overtures with The Hollywood Chamber Orchestra, soprano Golda Berkman, and tenor Landon Shaw II - under the music direction of Maestro Anthony Parnther. Urth Caffé will sponsor the concert, which means there will be a fabulous reception of hors‘ vdeurvers and desserts for all. It is a great event for the whole family – come enjoy great music and celebrate with all your friends from Urth. Proceeds will benefit the Holy Cross Africa Ministry of St. Monica Catholic Community to support the Visitation Maternity and Children’s Health Center in Kenya – Look Inside For Details…

An Opera Gala Benefit Concert!

The Cottage Parfait!The Cottage Parfait!Complimentary Offer!

Our parfait is so delicious that we want to offer a complimentary Cottage Parfait with the purchase of any other breakfast entrée. Please mention this article to receive offer – one per order only please. This offer is not good with other discounts and not redeemable for cash. Offer expires April 15th., 2017.

Urth Crunch Gluten Free Cereal!There is a delicious new gluten free breakfast cereal called Urth Crunch Cereal made with organic puffed quinoa, organic puffed grains, flax seeds, pistachios, goji berries and more. This gluten free cereal is packed with antioxidants, omega 3 & great flavor! You can enjoy a bowl of Urth Crunch served with coconut milk, almond milk, soy or even organic milk.

Try the Urth Cottage Parfait – a perfect, healthy breakfast dish. The Cottage Parfait is layered with Urth Crunch cereal, organic creamy Greek yogurt, Urth organic jam and hand cut, fresh, seasonal fruit!

Try Urth Green Tea Lattes!Organic Wazuka Green Tea Latte

& the Rising Sun LatteSee Details inside!

100%Organic

Try the Urth Cottage Parfait – a perfect, healthy breakfast dish. The Cottage Parfait is layered with Urth Crunch cereal, organic creamy Greek yogurt, Urth organic jam and hand cut, fresh, seasonal fruit!

Sweet Potato Pie! We have perfected the ultimate sweet potato pie recipe and have been receiving rave reviews from our loyal Urth guests! This pie is made from 100% premium sweet potatoes (con-sidered good carbs!) on a spiced crust and topped with pecan crumbles. Try this tasty classic at Urth Caffé throughout winter and spring 2017 by popular demand!

Urth has always been about direct, unique family sources of organic coffee and tea. In our quest to discover the finest, pure green tea. I traveled to Japan with my wife and partner Jilla more than ten years ago. Jilla is Urth’s resident tea master with an amazing background – she grew up on her father’s tea estate in Lahijon – the northern mountains of Iran.

After much research, we discovered the original source of matcha green tea just south of Kyoto in the tea growing region of Wazuka, Japan. Wazuka, we learned was where Japan received tea plants imported from China back 900 years ago! Still today, Japanese families tend countless hillsides of meticulously cultivated tea bushes that look like rolling waves of green. We were saddened to learn that much of today’s matcha tea production is aided by chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Matcha tea is such a valuable commodity with limited space to produce – that modern chemical practices to enhance production have become irresistible. We were told by our guide that organic matcha tea production represents less than 10% in Japan due to the difficul-ties and low yield. We were on our way to meet a pioneering leader in organic matcha growing in Wazuka – Mr. Akihiro Nakai. The Nakai family has a family tea farm on the highest elevation in Wazuka going back generations. When we arrived at the Nakai Family Tea Estate – we were in ecstasy! The tea farm is surrounded by an ancient forest and snow monkeys! The family’s tea production is pure, hands on and innovative.

Mr. Nakai-San produces his own organic fertilizers using local mackerel fish, and the whole family works hard the entire year pruning and tending to the tea bushes. When we finally got to taste his prized organic matcha – it was a pure, fragrant quality that we had never experienced before! Ever since the first trip, my family and have had the pleasure of return-ing multiple times to harvest matcha tea with the Nakai family. Nakai-san’s tea historically had been turned over to local Co-Ops to be mixed in with non-organic matcha teas. But we would not allow this to happen anymore. Urth signed a contract with the Nakai Family to purchase all of their organic matcha green tea every year to bring it exclusively to our amazing Urth guests. Nakai’s Wazuka Matcha is the highest grade green tea in Japan. He produces the Wazuka Matcha for us, by covering the tea bushes with large blankets or canopies and waits until the new leaf buds are ready to open. When the new leaves open, the Nakai Family scurries to pick every new budding leaf before the sun’s rays lighten the dark green color of the leaf. All baby leaves are picked within 45 minutes of removing the blanket and then rushed down the mountain to be made instantly into matcha green tea for Urth Caffé.

Our matcha green tea is made from 100% certified organically grown tea leaves that are quickly dried in ovens after harvesting and ground into pure tea powder. Our Wazuka matcha is a darker green color and has more fragrance green tea flavor and antioxidants than other matchas not produced under a canopy. At Urth, you can order a tea latte or green tea boba with Wazuka matcha for an extra charge. The larger leaves on the tea bushes are used to make the less expen-sive, yet still delicious and healthy Harayama grade organic matcha at Urth Caffé. We use our exclusive organic matcha green

tea to make many signature pastries, desserts and innovative tea latte, and ice green tea drinks. Our Nakai Family estate organic matcha is available to purchase for home use in

pure powder– both top grade Wazuka and Harayama. We even serve pure matcha at Urth in the ceremonial

Japanese tradition started 900 years ago – just as for a “Green Tea Espresso!”

Organic Urth Wazuka Matcha Green Tea

Try our new healthy, energy latte, combing three powerful antioxidants in one– Urth’s organic matcha green tea, organic heirloom espresso, and dark chocolate. This latte is not only packed with nutrients, it is packed with caffeine!

The flavor combination is surprisingly well balanced and harmonious and delivers to the drinker plenty of uplifting and vitamin based energy. We are proud of this innovative beverage and it is also available iced, blended! For our vegan guests – ask for the vegan version made with coconut milk. Look forward to an early spring release of this wonderful drink!

Rising SunRising Sun“Matcha” Latte!“Matcha” Latte!

COMINGSOON!

My favorite old fashioned pour over coffee brewing method is the French Press. The reason it makes such delicious coffee is because the coffee grounds steep for 5 minutes allowing the grounds to release all of the cof-fee’s unique character, flavor and aromatic oils. The plunging effect of the press further coaxes the delicate flavors and aroma from the grinds, pro-ducing a rich, satisfying coffee experience. Since the grinds are “pressed” down at the bottom – the brewing process is arrested at the perfect time as to not over extract the coffee.

I have found that this principal works similarly well with loose tea – you can stop the steeping process and obtain the perfect balance of tea’s flavor when the leaves are pressed to the bottom. Urth was created as a beautiful place to relax in the busy city. Come in and enjoy a leisurely cup of Urth’s award winning heirloom, and organic coffee prepared in a French Press. It will be made individually for you by a knowledgeable and caring Barista. It is a great way to explore and discover the many roasts, house blends and origin coffees available exclusively at Urth Caffé.

I want to share this special coffee experience with you – so I am offering a pot of French Press coffee or tea for only $1.00, Mondays thru Fridays, with the purchase of any entrée. Please mention this article to receive offer – one per order only please. This offer is not good with other discounts and not redeemable for cash. Offer ends April 15th., 2017.

French Press!

Urth coffee is very unique and exclusive. Independent third party certifiers inspect our farms and Downtown LA roasting plant annually to the highest standards

guaranteeing that our coffee and land is 100% chemical free. Coffee today is the heaviest chemically treated food commodity. Urth coffee is harvested exclusively from heirloom cof-

fee trees. Heirloom means that the trees have never been genetically modified, and are like their ancient ancestors found growing wild in the rainforests.

Heirloom species such as Bourbon, Geisha, Heirloom Culitvar, Typica (to name a few) can grow up to twenty feet tall, are hard to harvest, require deep shade and produce less coffee yield than hybridized trees. For these reasons, farmers do not want to plant heirlooms. Heirloom coffee produces far superior flavor, naturally sweeter and has a more distinctive aroma than conventional coffee. Heirloom is naturally lower in acid – making heirloom coffee more gentle for easier digestion. Our farms are at high altitudes and Urth coffees are harvested and processed with the finest European techniques including picking only ripe cherries and triple hand sorting to find the finest beans. Only the top 1% of the yield will be good enough. Our farmers use a holistic approach to grow superior coffee while protecting the longevity of the soil. Sustainable tech-niques include composting, livestock manure, intercropping and cross cropping, natural pest control and collecting rain water.

Our coffee must be shade grown to ensure quality and protect rain forest habitat. Coffee trees that are grown under a canopy of larger trees produce the best quality coffee. The coffee cherry matures more slowly and produces coffee that is sweeter and highly aromatic. We plant avocado, fig, citrus, papaya and banana trees to attract birds & bees and to provide shade. The flower blossoms of fruit trees infuse the coffee with their aromas and the fruits bring additional sources of income to the farm. The Urth team has been making journeys to Africa and South America for years in order to have direct relationships with our farmers. Our farmers are paid a premium to improve the quality of their lives and invest in tools, livestock and needed equipment. Urth source farmers can earn as much as ten times the amount of the average market price, and may receive twice as much as other “fair trade” farmers in the same country.

What is Heirloom & Organic Coffee?

Our first Orange County Branch is now open at the his-toric site of “The Cottage” at 308 North Pacific Coast Hwy. in Laguna Beach. This is an incredible spot with an ocean view, sprawling outside patio and very unique, historic architecture. The site was a residence in the early twentieth century and soon became a famous breakfast restaurant called “The Cot-tage.” It was a very special community restaurant for more than 50 years – and now it has been meticulously renovated back to its’ original splendor.

We have also created a very special Cottage breakfast menu that is unique to Urth Laguna Beach. Our menu is comprised of classic American breakfast favorites prepared with our sig-nature local, seasonal ingredients with an emphasis on organic. Come bring the family down to Laguna and experience organic buttermilk pancakes, thick French toast crusted with organic corn flakes, organic white corn pancakes, green tea pancakes, potato latkes, thick cut bacon and many other delicacies! It is very exciting to see the popularity of our new breakfast menu served at the most beautiful patio in all of Southern California. We also have an unbelievable view and the best heirloom & organic coffee!

French Press!

What is Heirloom & Organic Coffee?

Urth Laguna Beach308 North Pacific Coast Hwy.

Laguna Beach, CA 92651949.376.8888

‘An Opera Gala Concert to Benefit the New Dawn Hospital in Kenya’ On March 17 at St. Monica Catholic Community Helps Save Lives

Soprano Golda Berkman, Southwest Symphony’s Anthony R. Parnther collaborate to present a concertto aid efforts for maternal and child health.

SANTA MONICA – Soprano Golda Berkman, tenor Landon Shaw II and Southwest Symphony Artistic Director Anthony R. Parnther will present the “Opera Gala Concert to Benefit the New Dawn Hospital in Kenya” on Friday, March 17, to honor and raise funds for St. Monica Catholic Community’s lifesaving work at its hospital in Kenya. The 8 p.m. concert will take place at the church, 725 California Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 general and $50 for VIP seating and a pre-concert reception. All concert-goers will enjoy a complimentary post-concert hors d’oeuvre and dessert reception hosted by concert sponsor Urth Caffé. Purchase tickets at www.stmonica.net/AFRICA, St. Monica office and all Urth Caffé locations.

St. Monica’s affiliation with Holy Cross Parish aids Visitation, a state-of-the-art health center caring for mothers and children that was created in response to the dire need for maternal health care in Dandora, the location of Nairobi’s garbage dumps where the poorest of the poor live. Holy Cross Parish serves an estimated 50,000 and is supported by the Dandora Africa Wellness Network (DAWN), Inc., which works with the St. Monica Catholic Community.

“Mothers served by this hospital had no other pre-natal care – they couldn’t afford treatment in Nairobi, let alone a taxi ride to get care there,” said Jill Origer Tabit, president New DAWN Africa, Inc. “Giving families a chance to start out healthy means that children aren’t born orphans, mothers aren’t terrified of the very real possibility of losing their babies, and mothers can experience the joy of sparing their children from becoming HIV-plus or from contracting preventable diseases. Healthy mothers and babies translate into wellness for an entire community,” Tabit wrote for www.newDAWNafrica.org.

Soprano Golda Berkman will bid a temporary farewell at this concert to Southern California audiences who have watched performances through her teen years. The Beverly Hills High School senior will graduate in June, and will move to Italy to study with the world’s top opera teachers. The St. Monica Catholic Church is a fitting send-off for the busy singer, who performed a full season of concerts there in 2015-2016. She recently made her professional opera debut performing the role of Lauretta in Redlands Opera Theatre’s production of Gianni Schicchi. Add that to more remarkable accomplishments for her age, including Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Hall debuts at 15. She performed the beloved Brindisi duet, “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici,” from La Traviata with superstar tenor Vittorio Grigolo at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, and performed scenes from Eugene Onegin with legendary, world renowned baritone Vladimir Chernov. Golda is the youngest grand prize finalist in classical voice in the Los Angeles Music Center’s prestigious Spotlight Award competition.

Maestro Anthony R. Parnther is Music Director and Conductor of the historic Los Angeles-based Southeast Symphony, recognized as one of the most ethnically diverse symphonic institutions in the world. Since taking the helm in 2010, Parnther has demonstrated a commitment to performing orchestral works of women composers and composers of color. He has been lauded for his premieres of restored works by Florence Price, Zenobia Perry, Margaret Bonds, Renee Baker, John Wineglass, Scott Joplin, William Grant Still, Adolphus Hailstork, Duke Ellington, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, and many others. In addition to his work with the Southeast Symphony, Parnther is engaged internationally as conductor in every conceivable medium – Symphonic, Opera, Pops, Chamber, Ballet, Contemporary, and in Hollywood studiorecording sessions.

Tenor Landon Shaw II has begun studies for a masters of music degree in vocal arts at the USC Thornton School of Music and has a Teaching Assistantship scholarship. He is looking forward to performing the role of Bénédict in Béatrice et Bénédict by Berlioz with the Thornton School of Music this spring. Previous roles include those in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte and in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. For more information visit www.stmonica.net/AFRICA and www.goldaberkman.com

Explore a world of tea flavors at Urth Caffé with our exclusive tea lattes made with the purist and finest ingredients. Our first tea latte is Divine Spice Chai Latte – it is a secret, house blended Urth recipe made from exclusively organic spices and herbs that contains no caffeine.

The Divine Spice Chai Latte is rich, warming and aromatic with a distinctively vibrant quality. My go to tea latte and personal favorite is the Thai Red Tea Latte made with pure, organic South African rooi-bos. Rooibos is an herb with a smooth, tea-like flavor and is packed with healthy antioxidants. Our Thai Red Tea Latte is smooth and relaxing with a beautiful, natural reddish hue that is 100% organic and naturally derived. There is also a lightly spicy tea latte made with organic rooibos called African Tea Latte made with a natural ginger flavor.

The ultimate comfort and relaxing tea latte at Urth is the English Tea Latte – this latte is prepared with freshly extracted fine loose leaf, organic black tea. The black tea combined with steamed milk give a comforting, malty smooth rich taste that is reminiscent of a relaxing afternoon at a high tea in London! Of course the most popular tea latte at Urth Caffé is the Japanese Green Tea latte made with Urth’s exclusive, certified organically grown farm-direct matcha.

For a darker green, extra antioxidant experience – ask for Nakai-San’s Wazuka matcha for your Japanese Green Tea Latte – this is the absolutely finest and purest matcha experience on planet Urth – and it is a tea that my family and I have had first-hand experience harvesting exclusively for you with the Nakai family. All of Urth’s tea lattes can be made vegan or with organic milk upon request (and a little extra charge) – we have a wide selection of vegan alternatives such as coconut milk, rice, soy and almond milk. I hope that you will enjoy a fine tea latte at Urth Caffé soon!

Urth Tea Lattes!Urth Tea Lattes!