Bob's Java Hut

Fifteen years ago several motorcycle enthusiasts were tired of being harassed by another coffee shop on Lyndale Ave (I’ll refrain from mentioning which one)  because their bikes were taking up valuable parking space from there customer’s cars.  Then those motorcyclists were sitting at the CC Club and a light went off over their heads’,  “ Why not open our own coffee shop where annoying cars take up space from the motorcycles?” Why not indeed!  So here we are 14 and ½ years later.

We opened for business June 13th 1994 across the street from our current location in what is now the Tea Source.  In 1996 we crossed the street where we are still to this day.  Bob’s may not be the oldest coffee shop in Minneapolis but it is the only shop that has had the same owner for every one of its 5000 plus days.   Stop by and help us celebrate our 15th anniversary this year!

Feasting On Asphalt 2 – The River Run

To visit and learn more on Alton’s adventure… you can visit Alton Brown’s site at: Feasting on Asphalt 2 – The River Run

Discovering Cold-press

Published 2008, Southwest Journal
Story by Cristof Traudes

I hate to be a calorie counter, and in most cases, I’m not. But the heat of summer each year offers my caffeine-addicted self a tough predicament: wither switch over to a whipped cream-sugar-syrup-laden coolers or keep drinking hot coffee and spend my day sweating at my desk.

I prefer the former over the latter. Something about pouring a recently boiled beverage down my throat just doesn’t do it for me when it’s 90-plus degrees outside.

But a quick glance at nutrition facts for my favorite chocolate cooler reveals I’d better be spending all my summer nights running laps around Lake Calhoun. Almost 10 grams of saturated fat in a small cooler? Oofta.

Alternatives are sparse. No coffee at all? Sorry—I am an addict. No coffee in the morning equals no productivity before 3 p.m.

How about a Coke? No. Not strong enough.

Iced tea? too bleh for breakfast.

Good thing my co-workers sent me on a n assignment to discover the perfect iced coffee in Southwest. I thought at first I was going to be consuming a latte a day. Turns out I instead discovered the perfect alternative to hot coffee: cold-press iced coffee.

It may look like the barista’s merely taken stale leftovers and pouring it over a cup of ice, but there is a process to creating he perfect cold-press-plus-ice brew.

Step 1. Put ground coffee and cold water together in a container.
Step 2. Let it sit for about 12 hours.
Step 3. Strain it, then refrigerate it.
Step 4. Pour it on ice.

The end result is a very smooth drink, as a lot of the acidity normally found in coffee mostly disappears. While some argue smoothness comes at th cost of flavor, I haven’t found that to be a big issue. More importantly, it still feeds the head rush I so crave every morning.

Many—if not all—Southwest coffee shops carry cold press in some shape or form. Definitely a good thing.

Even better, cold-press iced coffee has as many calories as it does sodium, which isn’t much. My favorite chocolate cooler has about 70 times that amount.

Summer predicament solved.

Cold Press Highlights
Bob’s Java Hut, 2651 Lyndale Ave. S.
Talk about a head rush. Supposedly the cold-press process eliminates some of the caffeine associated with darker coffees, but I couldn’t tell with Bob’s iced coffee. Perfect for the start of a long day in the office.

Daily questions fielded at Bob’s ….

How do I get to Uptown Tattoo? The tattoo shop is located above Bob’s Java Hut. The entrance is not secretly located behind our ATM machine. The door to the tattoo shop is located on the 27th St. side of the building….no, that’s the side door to Bob’s…the next door, there…under the little roof. Yes, that one.  Geesh.

Do you make smoothies?/Can I get that blended?/Can I get a Caramel Macchiato? No./We have no blender at Bob’s/No, but you can get a caramel latte with whipped cream. For the chain store coffee junkie… a little education… Macchiato, often called Espresso macchiato, an Italian beverage, is espresso with a small amount of hot, foamed milk. Generally reserved for a coffee connoisseur, not for someone with a sweet tooth.

What does the ‘33′ mean? That depends on who is telling the story.  What do you think it means?

Do you have wi-fi? We do. It is free WITH PURCHASE. Come in, buy something, surf the web.  Don’t be a thief. Help keep our wi-fi free.

Where are all the motorcycles? If it’s 4 degrees in January, don’t expect to see 35 motorcycles parked at Bob’s. This is Minnesota. Otherwise, they come and go all day long.  If you want to see bikes, come, have a cup of coffee, and wait.  If it’s nice out, the bikes will come. It’s true. The first Thursday of the month tends to be a great night for bikes since we are right down the street from Dulano’s.

Do you have cold press? Yes we do. All year long. A bold cold cup, with 1/3 less caffeine and lower acidity than hot brewed coffee.  I swear.  It’s not super loaded with caffeine as urban legend likes to perpetuate. It’s really not. We don’t serve iced coffee or hot coffee over ice and we have no idea why anyone would want to drink such swill.

Can I fill out an application? No.  We do not have applications. We do accept resumes. When we are hiring, we draw from the stack of resumes we have on hand. Timing is everything. You must be fast, friendly and responsible to work at Bob’s. If you can’t handle showing up, moving fast and working hard all while being friendly to the masses, don’t bother applying. That said, it’s a great place to work so drop off your resume IN PERSON, emailed resumes end up in the recycle bin.

Where’s Bob? Bob who?

Got a question for the crew at Bob’s? Email us: bobsjavahut@gmail.com