PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Last week, I got wired at Unwind, the newest coffee shop at the University of Pittsburgh, my alma mater.

Located in The Eatery (the massive dining hall below Litchfield Towers that I fondly remember as Eddie’s), Unwind serves four coffee blends that are roasted in-house: Oakland Roast (light), Roc’s Roast (dark), Panther Perk (espresso) and 1787 Blend (decaffeinated).

Pitt Eats, powered by Chartwells Higher Education, partnered with Coffee Tree Roasters to provide the beans and mentorship. The company, founded in Squirrel Hill in 1993, has multiple sites throughout the region and includes a wholesale business called Iron Star Roasting and a repair-and-maintenance arm called Espresso Solutions.

Head Roaster Keisho Akamatsu, another Pitt grad, selected various beans and collaborated with Pitt Eats to create the coffee profiles.

“One of the long-term goals with in-house roasting is developing a retail program,” said Steve Schurr, Chartwells Higher Ed resident district manager. “Eventually, we want to design our own Unwind packaging to sell in on-campus markets and to neighboring universities.”

Cuppings were held to allow students, faculty and the public (yes, Pitt dining halls are open to the public, just like at Carnegie Mellon University) to give feedback. The blends are available to purchase by the cup or in 1-pound bags of whole beans that will eventually be sold in other campus dining facilities.

Pitt Eats Retail Manager Tony Loukas showed me how the high-tech Diedrich Roaster works as we snacked on freshly roasted beans. Between those tiny treats, a glazed donut and a double-espresso, I felt like I could run up all 764 stairs of the Cathedral of Learning. Unwind also makes its own gelato.

I really need to go back to school.