E3 café opens with new coffee experiences.
THEY SAY coffee and friends make the perfect combination; and at the relaunched E3 Café, officially opened by the Deaf Can! Coffee team at the Caribbean Christian Academy for the Deaf, you can definitely have both. With a variety of beverages – hot and cold – to suit any taste, intimate setting and the perfect pastries to enjoy them with, the café also boasts affordable prices and the most passionate and eager staff.
At the recently held Sip ‘N’ Sign, facilitated by the JN Foundation’s Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI) at the Cassia Park Road location, invitees were treated to delicious coffee and smoothies and nibbles. Invitees shared that the samples rivalled any international shop and patisserie, with the favourites being lattes, frappes, coconut muffins and banana bread.
It’s a place of learning and you can learn to ask the friendly staff for a Jamaica Sign Language demonstration. You’ll be able to pick up a few keywords – like the word for coffee, which is two closed fists mimicking the grinding of beans, as used in the Deaf Can! logo. JSL, which uses both hand and facial expressions, differs from standard sign language as it is more emotive and expressive – just like Jamaican culture!
Boasting local baristas, the highlight of the afternoon was the opportunity to learn from the Deaf Can! employees how to prepare beans and the process of ‘cupping’ to correctly taste and identify types of coffee and flavour profiles. Led by Andreen Smith, participants were taught how to make the perfect espresso; and then a frothy, creamy latte.
After a quick walk to the back of the building, Blake Widmer, founder, and two of the roasters, Alex McDonald and Shawn Llyons, introduced the roasting process, and, of course, more cupping – where coffee is mixed, poured and left to brew for four minutes; then smelled; allowed to steep for an additional four minutes; and then tasted. According to Widmer, this allows the team to identify if the beans are roasted correctly, and, due to ‘deaf gain’– heightened smell and taste from having lost the sense of hearing – they can acclimatise themselves with any subtle changes in their vital ingredient.
The Sip N’ Sign, which can be booked for small groups of enthusiasts, is just one of the add-ons the Deaf Can! team offers to set themselves apart from competitors. They also sell branded Tshirts, mugs and coffee – available in medium and dark roast; as well as offer the location for small functions and meetings.
The Deaf Can! dream is to engage, equip and empower (hence E3), while providing employment for deaf youth through the café with its expanding product line and barista service offered to other coffee shops in Jamaica. This month, they opened their 11th partnership location – with Scripts Cafe at Kingston Bookshop’s Portmore location. A part of SEBI, Deaf Can! has benefited from the guidance and networking opportunities facilitated by this joint project between the JN Foundation and United States Agency for Development.