PORTOLA COFFEE ROASTERS

We love our friendships in the coffee industry, they are who helped us become who we are today. Today we just wanted to highlight a friend in Costa Mesa, a coffee roasting company named Portola Coffee Roasters. Portola Coffee is one of the coffee roasters that we use on our coffee cart and because of our great relationship with them and our expertise in the craft, we also take care of all of Portola Coffee’s catering requests. We have been involved with this company since its birth in 2011, from Skyler helping to open their first store to finding his love for catering while catering events for them. This is where Skyler really started to get his feet wet with specialty coffee.

Photo credit: Kyle Flath; @Kyleflath

When Portola Coffee Roasters emerged, they changed the way Orange County consumes coffee forever. When they first opened, they went all out on finding the perfect cup of coffee by utilizing different manual brew methods, such as, the siphon which heats water until it travels from the bottom chamber to the top chamber where the coffee gets brewed, then after a short brew time, the siphon is taken off the heat and as it cools down the brewed coffee then travels back down through a filter to the bottom chamber. They also utilized a brew machine called the Bunn Trifecta, now this machine is very unique as we haven’t seen anyone else use one of them in any other coffee shop. This machine has 10 different setting within it and each setting have 10 different settings within them as well, from how hot the water temperature is to how much agitation is used to how hard the agitation is to how much water is used to how long the brew time is (and the list goes on), but the really cool thing about this machine is that you can really get the coffee to taste amazing through the different settings and once the settings are figured out, then they are set and everything is automated and quick serve after that. Lastly they utilize the Hario V60 pour over vessels which give a very clean and complex cup of coffee. This brew method utilizes the Baristas skill in pouring the water over the coffee grounds at the right times and the right weight, which means that a timer and a scale are a must for this brew method.

photo cred: @tessaandthelens

Portola Coffee has been always searching for the best cup of coffee, but before they even get to the brewed coffee they have to start their process at the farm where coffee is grown. Portola’s owner, Jeff Duggan, fly’s directly to the farms (which are all around the world), to find the best farm that utilizes the best growing practices that will result in the best coffee. Along his travels, he came across a farm that he had to adopt, a farm that he saw potential in. The farm didn’t have the finances to get themselves the equipment they needed to take their coffee to the level it could be, so out of Jeff’s compassion, he would pay top dollar to this farm to help them get those finances and since he’s done that, their coffee has become one of the best coffees on Portola’s menu.

We see Portola Coffee Roaster’s as one of the best roasters in SoCal which is why we like to use their coffee on our cart. If you haven’t visited one of their shops, then you’re missing out on a great coffee and experience. Their flagship is the cafe in Costa Mesa, but they also have several others scattered all over the OC.

If you want to purchase some of their coffee and help support them, visit: www.PortolaCoffee.com and enter the discount code “RUGGED15” to get 15% off everything online (except “Mocha Bombs”). We hope you enjoy!

WEDDING VENUES: LAS MARIPOSAS ESTATE

Being a caterer in the wedding industry, we get to see a lot of different venues and one in particular that we loved working at is Las Mariposas Estate in Fallbrook, CA.

From the beautiful landscape to the multiple different levels it has that creates different feels on each level to the amazing people that run that space. When we first went to this venue, we immediately noticed the beautiful trees and elegant plant life deliberately placed around the venue to create an extremely intimate feel.

We loved serving here because it is an outdoor venue with plenty of open space for the guests to dance, walk around, mingle, and sit down for the celebration meal. We had the privilege of serving under their outdoor gazebo, as shown in the picture below, where there was some real rugged stringed lights and plenty of space for people to order and pick up their drink without over crowding.

This venue is located on a hillside where there is plenty of isolation that just adds to that Intimate atmosphere. At the top level is where this gazebo and reception area is located, as well as a private building for the bridal party to get ready in.

This is easily one of our favorite venues to serve at!

Wedding Venue: Las Mariposas Estate, Wedding Planner: @HLLOVELY, Wedding Photographer: @JasmineMariePhoto, Videographer: @AnchoredFilms, Flowers: @EarthandGrace.co, Stationary: @ClaudiaStrenger, Bridal Dress: @CasaBlancaFlagShip, Shoes: @BellaBelleShoes, Suits: @FriarTux, Cake: @CocoaBerryCakeCo, Groom: @ItIsRyanSmith, Bride: @MarieCornellOfficial, Balloons: @JanetMorrin_Designs, Table Top Rentals: @RusticPeonyCo, Makeup: @LowderWithPowder, Linen: BBJLinen & @LatavolaLinen, Coffee: @RuggedCoffeeCo

WEDDING VENUES: THE COLONY HOUSE

Being a caterer in the wedding industry, we get to see a lot of different venues and one in particular that we loved working at is The Colony House in Fullerton, CA.

The building itself is a beautiful modern styled cream colored structure with a rugged metal sign. The interior makes you feel like you’ve been transported somewhere in the mountains with its beautiful brick wall ballroom that is offset with tan wood floors. When first walking in the doors, you are greeted by a rustic wood slated wall on top of large dark gray tiles, just a little to the right is where the very large ballroom is at along with a small stage perfect for the ceremony to take place. Once the ceremony is finished, you and your guests can head to the enclosed outside area for the reception where there is a large area for people to gather along with a fireplace to give it that homey and rustic feel.

This place has everything, it even has a very large upstairs area that is perfect for the bridal party to get dressed and ready while having an amazingly magical feel perfect for additional photos. What about parking? Don’t worry, this place has its own parking lot attached with plenty of spaces.

If you’re looking for a beautiful wedding venue in the Orange County area with all the bells and whistles, then look no further than The Colony House in Fullerton.

Venue: The Colony House, Coffee: Rugged Coffee, Photographer: Aileen Aurora Photography, Balloons: Balloon and Paper, Bridal Gowns: Ferndale’s Bridal, Tuxedo: Friar Tux, Cake: Finalee Floral Cakes, Donuts: Brenda’s Sweet Treats, Florist: LVL Floral Events, Makeup & Hair: Makeup By Dina, Pinata: La Piñata Design Studio, Signage: CT Lettering, Video: A Sports Films, Rentals: La Piñata Party, Rentals: 3 Little Birds Event Planning, Wedding Planner: Time With Terrazas, Wedding Planner: Simply Sweet Memories, Bride: Christina Kanbar, Groom: Randy

LION & LAMB COFFEE ROASTERS

“Good friends are like stars, you don’t always see them, but you know they are there”

We love our friendships in the coffee industry, they are who helped us become who we are today. Today we just wanted to highlight a friend in Costa Mesa, a coffee roasters called Lion & Lamb Coffee Roasters. Lion & Lamb is owned by Rick and Rosie Wheeler who started this company to help the world become a better place for all.

Rick and Rosie have worked in the specialty coffee industry for many years at some of the most prestigious coffee companies where they grew their skills and knowledge of the craft. Now they roast and serve some of the best coffee around where they use their platform to donate 100% of their profits to help people around the world who truly need the help. They work with Trees for the Future, a nonprofit organization that teaches people in impoverished areas around the world how to grow trees and crops to create a sustainable life for themselves and for their community; they work with Water.org, a nonprofit organization that helps people to have access to clean drinking water that otherwise wouldn't have it; and Action Against Hunger, a not-for-profit organization that helps get clean water and food to people around the world that need it.

Lion & Lamb is one of our favorite Coffee Roasters that we work with and we are so fortunate to be able to be apart of what they are doing to help the needy around the world. If you want to purchase some of their coffee, visit: www.LionandLambCoffee.com and enter the discount code “RUGGED” to get 10% off all bean purchases and to be apart of their mission to help those in need.

TOP QUESTIONS BRIDES ASK US: OUR COFFEE & MENU

What is on the menu? Knowing what’s on your coffee menu is essential to having a great catering experience at your wedding and that’s why we love spending time with our Brides and Grooms customizing their menu and getting to know their needs. A few things you may want to ask yourself,

1) Do I have a favorite coffee roaster that I would love to have served at my wedding?

2) What sort of milk needs are important to me?

3) What Flavors do I want to have on my menu?

One thing we pride ourselves in is the fact that the menu that we offer to you is fully customizable. We work with many different specialty coffee roasters and are able to serve you and your guests with a specialty coffee of your choice. When serving you and your guests, we stick with using milks that are of the highest quality, so we like to stick with whole milk and barista oat milk, but if you have any other requests we are able to mold our services to your needs. Your flavor choice is another part of our service that we find joy in getting to curate for you. We make all of our flavors in house, so we are able to fully customize a unique flavor just for you and we also have a large list of Signature Flavors that we have created in the past and are able to use at your choosing.