Looking back, moving forward

I've always loved the celebration of the new year and the month of January. Not only because for Western PA, this means snow (and snow days!) but also because of the thoughtful nature of the New Year. The resolutions to shed the concepts we have outgrown and define ourselves and our projects according to how we have progressed always feels seasonally appropriate during the long winter nights of the northern hemisphere.

As I've been spending time thinking about what's next, I wanted to take a look at what have been some of the guiding stars in the formation of Constellation. I am also happy to announce that we've been listening to your feedback throughout the year, and the timing feels right to announce that we will now be open until 5pm on Sundays. We also have a few more tricks up our sleeve for the New Year, so stay tuned and thanks for your enthusiasm and support of the shop!

My modern adult female self may completely object to the, ahem, objectification on "I Dream of Jeannie," but I would never object to making my entrance in a puff of pink smoke! The 60's aesthetic has always been appealing, the fonts are graceful, fun, and just the right amount of kitschy.

We wanted ordering coffee to be as simple as grabbing a plate of french fries at the concession stand. Being inspired by the nostalgia of summery afternoons spent at the amusement park or ballgame, we aim to present a casual, sunny approach to familiar favorites. 8-bit video games and their fonts always seem to bring this time to mind.

I think the most obvious component of our brand may come from the name itself. Constellation means a lot to us, not only because of our love of all things astronomical, but also because a Constellation is a gathering of bright things; a navigational element. Trying to imagine a day without coffee is like a night without the stars. We are here to help you make more sense of your universe.

Where would we be without Twin Peaks?! Come in for a sweet treat and a damn fine cup of coffee - we hopefully have less drama than The Great Northern, but we certainly have just as many characters!

Three years of fun!

Thanks to everyone who continues to support Constellation - we couldn't be more grateful to serve the community!

This past Spring and Summer have kept us all on our toes. You may see some new faces behind the bar, and added snack options, like yogurt and granola, and some changes to our recipes, like our new and improved mocha. We have also been working on adding outdoor seating, we'll keep you in the loop as we continue to make progress with the city!

We are honored to be featured among Pittsburgh favorites (Edgar's!! Thai Gourmet!! Millie's!! Lidia's!!) on the Glassblock cooking show. Thanks to Dave Bernabo for supporting local food, and sharing the joy and enthusiasm for great food and drinks!

We would love to take the time to celebrate the good feelings of the season with a drink special. It will be three years of business this Friday, October 14th, so we will be offering slices of honey poached pear and black pepper cardamom almonds alongside your espresso. In addition, all milk and espresso drinks will be just $3. Cheers to a great season and all the wonderful things to come!

Spring 2016

We are happy to be starting Spring with plenty of wonderful news!

If you haven't tried Ceremony's Annual Blends, Spring Blend is not to be missed! This coffee starts off with a smoky, billowing aroma, like a cool morning breeze, and as it settles in your mug it warms up to a lovely sweet peachy finish, like afternoon sunlight. It's the perfect way to welcome the season!

Also, we have heeded customer requests for something savory, and something more substantial to eat. We now have croissants (butter, or ham and cheese!) from Mediterra Bakery on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Naturi yogurts and M&R Kitchen Granola will also be available anytime during the week. Our delicious muffins, scones and other goodies from Threefifty Bakery will also be available anytime during open hours. Join us for a delicious coffee and locally prepared snack! Yum!

Every Friday, we will be the drop off spot for bouquets from Gold Dust Floral. Janessa's Pop-Up events have been so popular that now her work is available every weekend. The beautiful bouquets are available for just $15, and as summer approaches, her blooms include more and more locally grown varieties.

We are also excited to announce a new tea service. We have started working with San Francisco based Song Tea, and have been enjoying tasting and learning tons of great info about the world of tea! Song Tea works directly with producers to source all their options from China and Taiwan. These teas are like nothing we have tasted before - the focus on processing makes them each a unique experience. It's very exciting to enjoy a tea that gets the same attention as a single origin coffee.

From a green tea that is grown on a wild mountainside, making it naturally organic, to red teas that are bruised and sorted by hand to bring out the most flavor and only the most consistently sized leaves, to a rare and unique Taiwanese oolong that was roasted for over a week at very low temperatures to maximize sweetness and caramelization, Song Tea is doing an amazing job sourcing beautiful and interesting teas. We are honored to have them available at Constellation!

We are having lots of fun keeping things fresh at Constellation, we hope to see you soon, and thank you for making us a part of your day!

January and February Events

We are so inspired by the wonderful people that come through the doors of the cafe. Thanks for letting us be a part of your day! Be sure to check out some of the awesome things happening in and around the Constellation world during the winter season.

First up, we are super excited about an upcoming event at CMU - the Build 18 hackathon. Some smart and talented friends have come up with an awesome idea utilizing the Constellation Coffee branding concept to design a cup that can be printed with a map of sights to see around Pittsburgh. Be sure to follow the #destinationconstellation to follow their progress and contribute your own adventures! These guys and gals will be building this project all week and then demonstrating it on Friday the 15th at CMU. Swing by for a cool demo and some free coffee!

On Saturday the 23rd we will be happily welcoming our friends Run Forever home from their huge US tour. Join us at the Mattress Factory for a show benefiting Girls Rock Pittsburgh, we'll be there with coffee and vegan snacks! Show starts at 8pm and is all ages.

February 4th, we are happy to be the home base for Creatives Drink 4 - an event hosted by Keep Pittsburgh Dope with local sponsors. From 6-9pm swing by for a coffee or free drinks from Wigle Whisky and assemble a team for your newest project.

On Sunday February 14th, Gold Dust Floral will be returning with her beautiful arrangements for Valentine's Day. Treat yourself or someone special to some cheer in the middle of this wintry season.

Happy 2016 and thanks again for supporting Constellation!

Happy holidays!

Thank you all for a wonderful 2015!

All the staff is headed out of town for the holidays, so we will be closing our doors after 1pm on December 24th and opening at 8am on Saturday, January 2nd. We still have retail bags in stock so make sure to swing by and pick some up for your celebrations!

Enjoy a happy and healthy holiday season!

Thanksgiving Hours

Constellation will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, and will reopen at ten am on Friday, November 27, 2015. Be sure to swing by and grab a bag of Ceremony Coffee to share or enjoy on your own time!

Here at the shop, we are grateful to have such wonderful customers. I want to thank you for continuing to support Constellation. As the community grows, we are always attempting to bring you the best product and service. Sometimes this leads to changed circumstances and a need to adapt our techniques – we appreciate all your feedback (positive and critical!) while we figure out how to best serve our customers. Thanks again for stopping by – we are so happy to be here! Keep your eyes peeled for our new tea service debuting in December, and let us know what else you might like to see happen.

Lawrenceville is lucky to have a plethora of amazing business that have great things to offer. Make sure to swing through The Vandal, a new restaurant on Butler Street serving our cold brew with their delicious menu. Also check out the Constellation Manhattan next time you’re at Spirit Lounge – cold brew, Jim Beam Rye, vermouth and grapefruit make for a tasty start to your evening.

Wishing you a happy, healthy holiday season!

Two Years!!!

It’s officially feeling like fall! Here at Constellation, that means birthday season! On October 16th, we celebrated the official two year mark. I was completely overwhelmed with gratitude. This month has been so busy that I hardly had time to think about what day it was, until one of our regulars reminded me. Between the Death Café, Feminist Zine Fair, Run Forever LP Release Party, and our anniversary I’ve been reminded again and again how lucky I am to be a part of such an exciting, interesting, caring, and fun community. Glad you all found us and glad we can continue to serve you! Cheers to many more!

For drinks this month, we have some exciting seasonal specials. The maple spice latte returns with two shots of espresso, steamed milk, local maple syrup & a freshly ground spice topping. In addition, Ceremony has unveiled the newest lineup of Asymmetries Espresso. This series is a great way to experience the blending process, as the featured espresso blend changes proportion every three weeks. The first blend is 80% Washed Process Ethiopia Beriti – a refreshing and balanced coffee with notes of blackberry, lime & cocoa, and 20% Natural Process Ethiopia Wazzala – a fruit forward lemon meringue flavor bomb. It is an absolutely lovely shot of espresso, and we are offering it as a stand-alone shot or in a flight with a chunk of local honey comb from Bedillion Farms and some edible Calendula from Braddock Farm.

We have some wonderful things in the works for the holiday season, so stay tuned for plenty of fun events and great new offerings. See you soon!!

Back to school!

On Monday, September 7th we will be open limited hours, 8am to 3pm. Be sure to swing by and pick up some bottled cold brew for your Labor Day celebration!

Thursday, September 24th marks the return of Work Nights at the Lawrenceville branch of the Carnegie Library. Swing by after 6pm for tasty coffee, delicious salted caramel blondies, and the chance to spend some time co-working with the community!

Constellation was honored to have the chance to showcase the work of our amazing bakers, Threefifty. On Saturday, August 29th the ladies in charge were here making delicious egg and biscuit sandwiches and dishing out gluten-free pies. The event was such a hit they will be back at the end of September to do it again. Keep your eyes on our facebook and instagram for updates closer to the event.

October is shaping up to be another wild month, with the shop's two year anniversary, Pittsburgh specialty coffee week, and some other fun events in the works. Thanks for all your support of the shop, looking forward to a lovely fall!