Here’s a fun fact: coffee starts out as a cherry! 

If you already knew that, this post might not have a lot of new information for you. If your mind is warped over that zinger of a fact, buckle up! We’re talking about the very basics of what coffee is. This is an introductory, brief, yet accurate article about the coffee cherry. Hopefully this basic knowledge can serve as a starting point for new coffee nerds, or will prove to be a little light information to put in your pocket for some oddly specific trivia night.

Let’s start with the fact that coffee begins life as a cherry. They grow on shrubs in groups right off the stem of the branch, are round or elliptoid, and are typically a kelly green at first, soften to a yellow-orange hue as they mature, and deepen to a bright red when ripe. The coffee shrubs and cherries are different depending on the varietal of the plant itself, and harvest seasons vary based on the hemisphere, country and micro-climate of each coffee farm. Things like precipitation, temperature, qualities of the soil, and altitude are all extremely important factors when it comes to how that cherry ripens and what flavors are present when all is said in done.

So now that we have the cherry, when does the coffee bean make an appearance? The cherry itself has several layers, the center of which are two coffee beans. These two beans mirror each other, like a sphere that has been cut down the middle. Moving from the inside out, it goes as follows: bean, silverskin, parchment, pectin layer, pulp, and the outside layer of the cherry.

Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons

The cherry undergoes an intense process of soaking, de-pulping, fermenting, many other micro-steps. It is then dried, hulled, and sorted until we are left with a flaxen, hint-of-green bean that is not a far cry from what our finished product.

From this point, producers export bags of what is known as “green coffee,” roasters load it by the scoop into their respective roasting mechanisms (Metric uses a vintage cast iron Probat roaster from the 1960s), and 9-15 minutes later a chocolaty brown coffee bean emerges. 

We grind it, steep it in hot water, and enjoy a nice simple cup of coffee. 

At each step, there is opportunity for mistakes to occur, for something to compromise the quality of the final product. These are not simple processes, in case that hasn’t been made clear. In abbreviating these steps, we must add the note that there are hundreds of people working incredibly hard to make this nice and simple cup of coffee happen. Your cup of coffee is really and truly made by humans, made possible by their substantial efforts. To honor these people, keep supporting local roasteries that support and act upon direct trade ideals. Keep asking where your commodities are coming from, and keep enjoying what is good.  

“The fact that you can go and get a bottle of something that tastes as good as any third-wave quality coffee beverage you get in a café is pretty attractive.”

Benjamin Houtkamp, Hellion Cold Brew Manager

Hellion Cold Brew grew out of a simple need for consistent, quality cold brewed coffee. It began as a small operation based out of Metric Coffee and tested through Caffe Streets, and it involved a few things: a couple pounds of some quality coffee beans roasted by Metric, a handful of toddy and bottling equipment, and a single refrigerator. The work involved produced one or two gallons a night, done by a single person. Now, operations have expanded to include significantly more quality beans roasted by Metric, dozens of kegs sent out per week, hundreds bottles labeled by hand and stacked in 4- and 24-packs, and a walk-in fridge. Each night, between 50 and 100 gallons are brewed. Luckily the Hellion team has also grown, and today employs two whole people. They are Benjamin Dale Houtkamp, Cold Brew Manager and Jeffrey Burnat O’Malley, Lead Cold Brew Producer. Together, they proudly refer to themselves as the BrüBoix (alternative spellings: Bruboiz or Brew Boys).

The idea of this piece was to learn a little more about Hellion Cold Brew, and to learn about the amazing humans who work to create this stunning, glorious final product that is so delicious in every form (from regular cold brew, to creamy nitro cold brew, to single origin cold brew, all of which are available for wholesale at hellioncoldbrew.com). We agreed to meet at Metric West Fulton, since we all happen to work at that facility. We settled onto stools, each with a glass of cold brew. The sun had slipped to the other side of the street, so we sat comfortably in the middle of West Fulton’s bustle. I began the interview with a tough assignment, asking Jeffrey to describe the physically intensive and actually meticulous process of making Hellion Cold Brew in 100 words or less. 

“I get coffee from Alex [Head Roaster at Metric Coffee], I weigh that coffee; I grind that coffee, put it in a bucket in a filter, pour water over it; I stir it, cover it, come in 18 hours later; decant it into a keg with water, nitrogenate it, and chill it,” says Jeffrey.

He did it in less than fifty words. My jaw was on the floor, agape at Jeffrey’s intellect and economy. I was also struck by how semicolons were somehow clearly articulated in his speech—an unbelievable performance overall. I gathered myself, shuffled my notes, and kept sallying forth in the interview, struggling to overcome my awe. This is the process used to create our bottled cold brew product and our nitro cold brew product, both organic and naturally sweet coffee beverages available at Local Foods and select Chicago Whole Foods. I felt I had really cracked this story wide open. 

Truth be told, meeting these self-described “jazz-cats” was what I imagine how most people feel upon meeting Kanye or Madonna. Starstruck does not even begin to accurately describe the feelings I had. It was like my stomach and my heart were thrown in a dryer set to permanent press, tumbling over and over in a warm, colorful whirl. My head was engulfed in a cloud of thoughts and emotion, yet was simultaneously dwarfed into a gnat-like maelstrom next to the nearly visible, magnanimous collective O’Malley-Houtkamp mind. What secret brewing knowledge steeped under the surfaces of their seemingly omniscient skulls, what hidden skills rustled inside them, always at the ready to create more Hellion, an item that is available by the bottle and on tap at several esteemed locations across Chicago including Goddess and Baker, Caffe Streets, Foxtrot, Café Marie-Jeanne, Handlebar, Beer Temple, and Tapster. 

“Metric West Fulton is a great place to get it,” says Jeffrey, his trademark beard waving in the passing breeze. “You can even meet the producers. They’ll give you a hug or a high five.” It’s impossible to say if this remark was in earnest or done with the sly Jeffrey O’Malley wit, so I moved on, hugless.

The mood suddenly darkened. There was something they weren’t telling me, and I had to know. Though I thought it nearly impossible that they would answer me straight, I knew I couldn’t let this interview pass by without asking them the tough questions. I wanted to know this: if they loved Hellion Cold Brew as much as I do, and why. I demanded specifics as tactfully as I could. But tightening the screw is never very tactful. Nevertheless, they answered thusly:

“We are small company so you get the face with the product,” answered Ben, his iconic glasses flipping down sunlight into his glass of cold brew, held casually in his right hand. “But it’s mainly just super tasty. It’s got a little bit of acidity, a big body, very chocolaty. It’s a very easy-to-drink coffee.”

It was just as I suspected. But there was more…we weren’t out of the woods yet.

“It also has to do with sourcing the coffee itself,” adds Jeffrey. “the attention to detail in the roast, the development.”

There it was, the truth at last. I exhaled as the heaviness lifted from my heart.  As Metric patrons walked by and delivery trucks bellowed past, we at last looked upon each other as equals. I could tell they were impressed with my tenacity and easygoing demeanor. But it was a façade. Underneath, my emotions at a rolling boil of joy, sitting with these two legends. Together, these individuals are fine-tuning what was started long ago, making what was once a coffee trend into a staple of the coffee industry. 

“It was sort of a hobby at first, and we didn’t really expect it to turn into a big part of our business, but we experimented a lot to find a great set of flavors and a consistent recipe...Since then, it’s exploded. It’s a big part of our business,” says Ben.

Hellion Cold Brew has also proven to be a solid partner with many unique projects and recipes, and has been featured in a coffee-beers from Maplewood Brewery and Distillery, Koval Distillery, Hopewell Brewing, and has also been included in crafted beverages like Antique Taco’s coffee horchata, and a coffee slushy cocktail at Spilt Milk Tavern. Beyond Hellion collaborations, the duo is competing in this year’s Coffee Fest with a single origin cold brew crafted personally by Ben and Jeffrey. Anyone interesting in learning more about our cold brew or potentially building a partnership can visit 2021 W. Fulton or email hello@hellioncoldbrew.com!

When I was first given the assignment of writing about Hellion Cold Brew, I was humbled and giddy beyond belief. For some, Hellion Cold Brew just means really good cold coffee. For others, it’s a cold brew company founded in 2015, grown out of local roastery Metric Coffee. For me, it’s personal. Hellion Cold Brew is a delicious, organic, brain-electrifying product that has changed my view not only on cold brew, but on life itself. Facetious, you say? Shameless plugging, you object? To that I say this: nobody bottles like the BrüBoix.

To make it even simpler, here's a 4-step visual:

“It’s kind of a playground for other people’s creativity.”

JoEllen Depakakibo, Owner of Pinhole Coffee 

Pinhole Coffee, opened in 2014, is owned and operated by JoEllen Depakakibo.  JoEllen has worked with some of the biggest names in the coffee industry. From working as a Chicago barista through Intelligentsia, to developing some of backstage skills through Blue Bottle, she keeps Pinhole’s aims squarely upon the things that make the café experience special: connecting, sharing, and supporting. Metric has grown along a similar track, and we honored to have a partner across the nation who appreciates the human element. 

“I really just wanted to open up something that brought a community together and host other people’s creations,” says JoEllen.

Pinhole is a space where the neighborhood swirls in, sips coffee, and enjoys one other’s company. Without the distraction of Wi-Fi, the space encourages the kind of human interaction all but lost in many coffee shops. Bernal Heights residents who have lived in the lofty neighborhood of San Francisco since the 1950s mingle with new families, all welcomed into a comfortable, artistic space hosting a range of good coffee.

“Seeing the community interact…really seeing that vortex of connection is probably my favorite part,” says JoEllen. 

Currently, the coffee element comprises of Verve for espresso, Linea for drip, and Metric Coffee in the rotation for the pour over option. Quality coffee seems to be a strong focus of Pinhole Coffee, but good people represent the beating heart of the business.

“I feel like I have a very caring team of people,” says JoEllen, “I feel like they really do understand our intention and they’re a part of that passion. A lot of them are artists and students, so they understand our intention of having a creative space.”

Pinhole opens itself to unique, community-inspired events like highlighting the rotating artist in a meet and greet, featuring local musicians, and hosting a Japanese Curry and Ceremonial Matcha event. San Francisco’s Leah Rosenberg brought to life a wall of multi-colored slats that casts a rainbow over the space, and a mural created by Chicago artist and brother of JoEllen, Joey D. fills out another side of Pinhole. The space is infused with art and the artistic alike.

There is something beautiful about Chicago’s Metric Coffee being featured in San Francisco’s Pinhole Coffee, and it is easy to take for granted because it is one of many examples of coffee being a fiber of the thread of humanity. But the things we have in common should never stop amazing us.  Even if it is a simple cup of coffee.