By now, his wafels are a staple in third wave coffee shops, but Abhishek "Rip" Pruisken is just getting started. He's the man behind Rip Van Wafels, those thin, caramel-laced wafels modeled off Dutch stroopwafels that have lately become a mainstay in cafés all over town. Coffee may be a quickfire business -- the faster we get our morning cup the better -- but Pruisken is advocating for a slower approach. His entire branding scheme, in fact, is based on the plea to take more breaks. Stroopwafels are as much a ritual as they are a food item, designed to be rested on the lip of a cup of coffee or tea, to be enveloped in the steam and the flavors rising from the cup, assimilating some of the stronger flavor notes.
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This month, the company launched a more curated version of this experience in the form of a coffee (or tea) subscription program. For $29.99 a month, you can get 16 servings of coffee or tea and 16 wafels. A month can be long for a coffee shelf life, but Pruisken anticipates users will use up all of the product earlier than later in the month. It is not so much a full month's supply of coffee and wafels as it is a teasing taste of what each has to offer when paired well. The coffee and tea on offer will change each month, starting this month with Chromatic Coffee and Numi Tea. For more information went straight to Pruisken.
SFoodie: What gave you the idea to start a subscription?
Pruisken: The idea came about because we wanted a way to support all these coffee and tea companies. How can we bring out their product, expose their product, and tell people about what they do? And simultaneously, how can we teach people to taste what's unique about these pairings, while engaging with the ritual of taking breaks? The more people who sign up for the subscription, the more we can directly support these coffee roasters and tea makers. That's really why we're in it.
How did you choose Chromatic Coffee and Numi Tea?
I've known the Chromatic guys for a while, and I've always love their coffee. They roast pretty amazing Kenyans, and Hiver [van Geenhoven], the head roaster and cofounder, has an incredible palate. So it was a no brainer, really, to do a pairing. As for Numi, we've always loved the Moroccan Mint and the Earl Grey tea. They have amazing teas, and they're based in the East Bay. Having both of our partners close by for the first month provided a great advantage, a way of testing if this was sustainable.
I've only known your wafels as a coffee companion, what are they like with tea?
With tea, they're amazing. It's a lot more noticeable than coffee, actually. Part of the reason is that tea is typically at a higher temperature, and the pungent flavor gets carried through the steam. The coffee experience is a little more subtle. Any hot beverage fits well with the wafels if the flavor combinations work well. Soon we'll be launching more flavors of wafels, which should make an opportunity for more refined pairing.
More flavors?
The way we're looking at it, there are two methods of pairing. Like with food and wine, you either pair similar flavors, or complimentary (not opposite, but not the same). Our traditional wafel has vanilla, cinnamon, the caramelly, sugary flavor. We've tried to mimic the flavors in coffee. We'll continue that with a berry variety, soon to come this fall. Which berry? We'll see.
What pairings can we find in the next box?
That's the surprise.
Ugh. Fine.
To sign up, visit the Rip van Wafels site.
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