El Capitan Espresso in building six has gone through huge changes this semester to better serve the students and staff of Skyline College.

When you walk into the school’s cafeteria, you might notice a few new things at El Capitan Espresso, located over in building 6. Besides the cool chalk menu designs, you may have felt that your entire coffee experience is a little different. Well that’s because El Capitan Espresso is going green.

From getting coffee that’s all organic, to purchasing milk from a local Sonoma County company, to making sure that all cups, hot and cold, are compostable, Phil Jolley and Sarah Henry decided they wanted to make big modifications this semester. A shift has also been made in the shape and size of the cups. “It’s more affordable,” said Sarah Henry, El Capitan Manager and ongoing Skyline College student. “The reason why we changed it was to get a better taste.”

When asking Skyline students how they felt about El Capitan Espresso going green, they were really surprised and happy at the same time. “It’s always a good idea to go green,” said Kelly Mazger, a nursing major student. Queenie Caguioa, another nursing student, added, “You’re paying for quality.”

While it may feel like you’re paying more than before, you’re actually not. Phil and Sarah’s goal with the new size cups is to actually taste the coffee, compared to before where you mostly tasted the milk. “It will raise awareness about coffee,” said Sarah, “People will love the new taste.” When asking owner Phil Jolley what he wanted to accomplish from this new change, he said “I really hope that people will appreciate the coffee and enjoy it better.”

During the last winter break, Phil and Sarah were involved in three 8-hour training sessions to learn how to serve Barefoot espresso, an award winning coffee produced by a boutique coffee roasting company from Silicon Valley called Barefoot Coffee. They also received coffee-tasting certifications and were both judges at a barista competition in Tacoma over the break. Now, Phil and Sarah come to El Capitan Espresso every morning and spend at least one hour with their brand new espresso machine making sure the espresso is the proper temperature and that it tastes just right.

Additional information provided by: Davi Schumacher