Local Coffee Company ‘Got Their Mojo Working,’ To Celebrate 10th Anniversary Sunday

         Mojo, meaning voodoo or magical power, a term popularized by the famed Muddy Waters in the 1957 Blues classic, “Got My Mojo Working,” appears to have been bridled and brewed into a coffee cup to the delight of a local caffeinated clientele.

         This Sunday, May 22, 2016, Mojo Coffee House on 1500 Magazine St., will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a free “10 Years and Still Here” sidewalk party from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

         Mojo will shut down its normal operations for the event, which will flow out onto the sidewalk surrounding the shop. Guests will enjoy wacky Chinese take-out inspired cuisine by the Electric Eggroll food truck and specialty Mojo-infused Iced Coffee Porter made by local brewer Gnarly Barley.

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         Since its post-Hurricane Katrina birth, Mojo has grown into a hot community-gathering place for a loyal blend of neighbors, local artists and coffee lovers alike.

         Owners Demian Estevez and Angee Jackson returned to New Orleans after evacuating to Houston, scraped together their savings to revitalize the former space once inhabited by Rue de la Course, and opened Mojo in 2006.

         Due to their robust success, Estevez and Jackson opened a second and larger Mojo location at 4700 Freret St. in 2012, and last year partnered with manager, barista and roastmaster Matt Cronin to create Mojo Coffee Roasters, a small batch coffee roasting company modeled after the high-quality roasters they had been featuring in their coffee shops.

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         Now, there are plans to expand their original flagship location on Magazine Street.

         “We’re excited to invite supporters to celebrate this milestone with us,” Estevez said. “Without them, we never could have made it this far and we don’t plan on going away anytime soon. We’ve been waiting on the opportunity to expand on Magazine for a while now. It’ll ensure that we can accommodate everyone in the community who wants to spend their time with us here, even during peak hours.”

         “Even though we have been in the industry for a while, the coffee scene in New Orleans is constantly growing and changing,” he said. “That has always been something that has kept us interested. We want to do our part in making New Orleans a coffee destination for people and this means constantly updating and reinvesting in our business.”

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         One of the first coffee shops in New Orleans to introduce hand crafted pour over methods, Mojo Coffee House created Mojo Coffee Roasters in 2015 with one simple idea– to make use of Mojo’s obsession with exceptional coffees and share them with as many people as possible. Ethically sourced, hand-sorted and small-batch roasted in New Orleans, Mojo’s founders said they strive to highlight the innate sweetness and unique flavor characteristics of each of their coffees, and focus on ensuring consistency from seed to cup.

         “We focus on quality and innovation as much as anybody else out there, but we also make sure to remember the importance of maintaining an eclectic staff and a focus on our community,” roastmaster Cronin said. “After all, that’s what has always set New Orleans apart.”

         The crew at Mojo Coffee Roasters said they work hard to find interesting coffees and make their profiles unique. They stress quality by roasting in true small batch form, only six to eight pounds at a time so they can carefully sift through the beans, ensuring that every bag they roast meets strict quality standards.

         “It’s fun to be involved from the beginning of the process to the final drink,” Cronin said. “Selecting our own coffee rather than relying on other roasters has been rewarding because we get the opportunity to design a coffee program from scratch.”

         Mojo began roasting in mid-2015, and their initial offerings have received rave reviews. Mojo’s Natural Hambela, a single estate Ethiopian coffee with a flavor profile consisting of a bing cherry acidity, blackberry streusel and sweet blood orange marmalade, was first rated 93 points by Coffee Review, The World’s Leading Coffee Guide, in early 2016. Most recently, their Kenya Othaya Peaberry earned 94 points.

         “Ratings certainly aren’t as important to me as knowing that people out there are actually enjoying the coffee, but they can be a great indicator that we are heading in the right direction,” Cronin said. “I will say, though, pushing for higher and higher marks definitely adds an extra layer of motivation.”

         According to Cronin, the coffee community in New Orleans has seen a tremendous amount of growth in recent years and Mojo Coffee House stays on top of its aromatic game by maintaining their funky NOLA neighborhood vibe. That means making Mojo a place where anyone in the community feels welcome, and encouraging their staff to be themselves as much as possible, he said.

         “Consumers in New Orleans have become much savvier as a result of having more options for finding high quality coffee in the city, and people are increasingly interested in the improvements happening locally,” Cronin said. “It doesn’t feel like we are just screaming into a void anymore.”

         Cronin also does the “green buying,” working with coffee traders who connect farmers to roasters to find the best green coffee. After selecting the coffee, he develops a roast profile and then figures out the best way to brew it.

         “It feels rewarding when you give someone a cup to know how much went into it,” Cronin said.

         Local cafés including Satsuma serves Mojo coffee in their Uptown and Bywater locations, and the Maison Dupuy Hotel in the French Quarter features Mojo cold brew on tap.

         All of Mojo’s coffee roasting is done in a facility in the Black Pearl neighborhood, a sub-district of the Uptown/ Carrollton area, and its single origin coffees are available for purchase in both Mojo Coffee House shops and online.

         For more information

 

 

Mojo Coffee House

1500 Magazine St.

New Orleans, LA  70130

(504) 525-2244

Open Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Saturday – Sunday, 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.

 

Mojo Coffee House

4700 Freret St.

New Orleans, LA  70115

(504) 875-2243

Open Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Saturday – Sunday, 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.

 

 

 

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