2014 Coffee Innovator: Stone Creek Coffee Roasters

I thought about writing a piece on the coffees which really impressed me this year. Then I thought, who really wants another end of the year list. Instead I want to talk about the coffee company I think took coffee to another level with the public this year.

For readers of this blog, this won't come as a surprise. Stone Creek Coffee took the world by storm this year. This Milwaukee based coffee roaster is not just serving great coffee, but they created a learning environment for their customers, so they have a deeper appreciation for the beverage they love.

I first became aware of Stone Creek at this year's CoffeeCon in Chicago. I walked by their booth and was drawn in my the wonderful smell of their coffee. They not only gave me a cup of a coffee, they discussed the history of the coffee, how it was roasted, etc. They were nice enough to give me a bag of coffee to take home and try out. I did, and a Coffee Bromance was born.

Stone Creek offers a weekly tour of their roasting facility and coffee labs. I've been on roasting plant tours before, but this one was different to me. While there was a time frame, the woman who took us on the tour never rushed us, and did not end the tour until all our questions were answered. She also pulled a mean espresso.

Tours are only part of the educational process at Stone Creek. This year the roaster decided to make their coffee an educational tool. In the summer, they sold a special box set of coffee, the first of a new trend for them. The Guatemala San Sebastian Box Set was all one coffee, but processed three different ways. The set came with detailed descriptions of each process. Through this, coffee lovers can taste the difference a wet, dry, or combination process can do for a coffee.

Stone Creek also offers classes so the public can learn more about the beverage they love. For instance they offer Intro to Espresso Theory and Intro to Small Brew Methods. It's clear Stone Creek wants coffee to be a participatory venture.

The success of this company can be attributed to two main people: Owner Eric Resch and Director of Coffee Christian Otto. These two are not only roasting excellent coffee(and trust me I drank a lot of it this year), they are pushing the envelope in how we learn and appreciate coffee. They would tell you the success of the company is a group effort, and all the employees are part of that. Agreed, but without these two setting the standard and raising the bar this company would be just another roaster.

My bromance with Stone Creek Coffee was a coffee highlight for me in 2014, and I look for a long happy relationship with them. Kudos to Stone Creek for being such an innovator this year. Keep up the outstanding work.

www.stonecreekcoffee.com

Charlie

Coffee Review: Coffee Exchange Mel's Private Stock Decaf

I was all set to talk about the coffees I loved over the year, and then I had one more entry to really think about. As you know I had a heart attack in July, so my coffee consumption is augmented by decaf. The problem is finding decaf that actually tastes like coffee. We can put a man on the moon, hack our way to stopping films from being shown, but we can't get decaf to taste like coffee???

Well.....I found a decaf that I think comes REALLY close to the coffee taste.

Coffee Exchange in Providence has been around for 30 years. They are one of the few coffee roasters in Rhode Island. By the looks of my two visits to their store, they are very popular. One thing to note, and I like this. Coffee Exchange has WiFi; however, on Saturdays between 10a-5p, they turn it off, due to the busy nature of the store. Kudos to them.

I was trying to decide which coffee to purchase, and Nicola helped me. He is very knowledgable about the coffee, and I trusted his judgement(for knowing him all of a few seconds). I bought a Peruvian coffee and Mel's Private Stock Decaf.

Here is the backstory on this decaf from Coffee Exchange:

During the late '70s, early '80s Mel, Rose, Charlie and Bill Fishbein were in another (cookware) business. We sold coffee by the bean, but there wasn't a whole lot of decaf available. All the decaf that was available seemed to taste like decaf. And Sanka. So with a couple of Chemex automatics, a half dozen clipboards, and a supply of what was available in Swiss Water Process decaffeinated coffees, Mel began blending coffee in his basement. The Goal: find a decaf that tasted like "REAL" coffee. The Result, (after five years of testing): Mel’s Private Stock - Decaffeinated™. Mel's has been our decaf house blend ever since, brewed daily 30 years at Coffee Exchange.

I asked Nicola what kinds of coffee are used in this blend. He told me this is a closely guarded secret and couldn't be shared. He did offer info on the various roasts used. It appears there is a mixture of lighter and a more Vienna Roast in the mix. He told me many decafs are french roasted and it spoils the coffee flavor people want. 

I brought the beans home, and made some with the French Press. Secret or not, this is a decaf that tastes like real coffee. It has a nice body, hints of chocolate, and no burnt taste to it. This is a smooth cup of java. I loved this decaf. Mel did an outstanding job, and this is one of those decafs that if you served, people would be hard pressed to know it was decaf. 

Did I mention this is an outstanding decaf?

If you need to lessen caffeine in your life, I recommend buy Mel's Private Stock. I promise you won't be disappointed. 

http://www.sustainablecoffee.com

Charlie

Oh Chemex! We Will Miss You

Today we say goodbye to our trusty Chemex. It met an unfortunate accident and broke. Curse you glass, why are you so fragile?

While we mainly use our French Press, we do enjoy the Chemex and it's loss is a sad one. I know we we will find another one at some point. This one was our first. I got it at CoffeeCon in 2013, so it's been with us a while.

Sigh!

Charlie

Coffee Review: George Howell Coffee Costa Rica Tarrazu

I first heard about George Howell two years ago when I prepped for my first CoffeeCon. To remind everyone George Howell is a true pioneer in specialty coffee. He founded the Coffee Connection in Cambridge, MA in 1974. His business grew, until he sold the cafes to Starbucks. He has spent a lifetime roasting, brewing, studying and talking coffee for decades. I had to honor to listen to him at the 2013 CoffeeCon and was blown away.

So as I was buying coffee the other day, I saw George Howell Coffee and knew I had to try it. It's a bit intimidating to review coffee from someone I consider a master, but here it goes.....

I chose the Costa Rican on purpose, as I have great fondness for the coffee there, and have spent time in the region with the farmers. According to George Howell:

Sweet, medium to full bodied lively yet smooth coffee with a fine milk chocolate and nutty nougat flavor with a dash of fruit suggesting peach. A light roast coffee perfect for drip.

We didn't use the drip, we used the French Press. So here is what I found. There is quite a bit of chocolate in this coffee. It's not a dark chocolate, very much the milk chocolate indicated. The gives the coffee a very smooth taste. There's nothing bitter about it at all. The peach part is vague, but you can get a hint of it. I actually tasted a more apricot taste. There is a bit of tea-like quality to this coffee. Mark was concerned that it was brewed to weak, but I explained a light roast won't have a dark color in the cup. This is one of the best coffees I've had from Tarrazu. Howell has done an outstanding job with it.

Don't let the smooth taste fool you. This coffee packs a punch and will wake you up. On our Cher Scale of Strength, this is a 10. Cher is slapping the HELL out of Nicolas Cage and telling him to "Snap out of it!!!"

Mr. Howell can add more to his already impressive coffee resume with this coffee. Well done.

www.georgehowellcoffee.com

Charlie

Sugar Cookie Coffee - I'll Pass

Let's be clear about something......food flavors should not be a part of coffee. I just wanted to get that out of the way. The rest is a coffee rant......

Dunkin Donuts is touting Sugar Cookie and Snickerdoodle Lattes this holiday season. CoffeeMate is pushing Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough "Cream". What's next a fruitcake frappe?

When the farmers who cultivate and grow our coffee sell their beans, I know they aren't saying, "Man this will go well with Sugar Cookies in a latte." I promise you they aren't. You all have heard me rant about flavored coffees before. This just seems different, because food flavors are now invading coffee.

And no, I don't want the bandwagon du jour bacon to ever be in a coffee cup.

Now, don't get me wrong. During the holidays I like my once a year eggnog latte, or a peppermint mocha. And who knows, that may all be the same thing to you, but come on - cookies IN coffee?

Stop the madness. Don't encourage these fiends. Retake coffee, and say no more cookies in the cup!

Charlie

Coffee Review: New Harvest Papua New Guinea Kimel Peaberry

Hello everyone! As you might be aware, Mark and I have been involved in a move to Providence, RI. We are here now, and I am ready to get back to my coffee life. I appreciate your patience as I get settled into our new home.

This morning, our coffee is again from New Harvest, a Rhode Island roaster. This time, we are drinking a single origin, Papua New Guinea Kimel Peaberry. The coffee comes from the Kimel Plantation. A workforce of over 400 people live on the estate and work to provide this coffee. The plantation provides not only housing, but educational and medical facilities. They use and maintain clean water in the area. This is a sustainably good coffee plantation, which in my opinion gets good marks for taking care of their people and land.

The coffee is a light roast. According to New Harvest:

Remarkable body and a clean cup, with notes of cherry, raspberry and milk chocolate.

When I drink Asian coffees, I often taste a earthy taste that doesn't agree with me. Typically it's in Sumatra coffees, but now and then it appears in PNG coffees. Not so here. This coffee is bright and very clean. The initial taste is a bit of the fruitiness New Harvest mentioned. The mouthfeel and aftertaste is where you get a strong sense of the chocolate.

When I bought this coffee in their downtown Providence location, I also ordered a cup of coffee. I asked about the coffee I ordered, and all the barista would tell me was it was a house coffee. That seemed like a generic term, and to be honest, the coffee tasted a bit generic. This coffee I like quite a bit.

On our Cher Scale of Strength, this is a light roast that will wake you up. This is a 7 out of 10. This is Cher giving her son in "Mask" his wake up call.

I certainly will be finding other Ocean State roasters, but again I am recommending you give New Harvest a try if you haven't.

www.newharvestcoffee.com

Charlie

Moving: Goodbye Indy!!

Hello Friends....

For those of you reading along, it's been a couple weeks since I last posted. Mark and I have been busy getting ready to move to Providence, RI. So writing has taken a back seat.

We are in the middle of packing, as we have to leave next weekend - yes, Thanksgiving Weekend. So this morning as we are sipping our coffee made from the Chemex, I am thinking about the wonderful Indianapolis coffee scene we are leaving.

In the last four years, I have been lucky enough to get to know the fine people at Bee Coffee Roaster. BJ and Andy are working hard to create an amazing coffee culture with their coffee and their coffeehouses. I briefly trained with them, and what I learned in my few weeks with them gave me valuable coffee information. If you haven't tried their coffee you need to. As they grow, I urge you to contribute to their Kickstarter fundraiser for a new roaster.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/271817300/roasting-the-next-chapter

I don't know if they will make their goal, but I hope all of you will pledge some amount. This is a worthwhile project.

Hubbard and Cravens has been another good group of people I have gotten to know. Their crew in Carmel, IN is on top of things, and always willing to talk about their coffee. I still think their decaf is one of the best decafs I have had. While I find their atmosphere a bit on the "bar" side, I enjoy going in and talking coffee with the staff.

Kaffeine Coffee Co. has been working to transform how people get their coffee. They have made a name for themselves with their coffee truck. Soon they will have a home in the Mass. Ave area. I wish I could have gotten to know them better, but I am sure they will grow and thrive.

Over in Zionsville, Darrin is working hard to roast some good coffee, and create a nice atmosphere. I wish him all the best in the future.

Indianapolis is not known for coffee, but the people I have mentioned, and others in the area are putting the Circle City on the coffee map. Goodbye Indy....may the coffee community thrive.

Charlie

Coffee Review: New Harvest Coffee Roasters Steamroller Blend

With the upcoming move to Rhode Island, I thought it was a good idea to begin to sample some coffees from the Ocean State. My first choice was New Harvest Coffee Roasters. New Harvest has been around since 2000. Founded by Rik Kleinfeldt and Paula Anderson and based in Pawtucket, these two have created a roaster which is bringing new and interesting coffees to Rhode Island, and the rest of Southern New England.

For my first choice, I went with their Steamroller Blend. This is a darker roast, which they describe as:

A solid blend for all: bittersweet chocolate from the aroma to the finish, complimented by toasted nuts, subtle lemon and creamy cocoa at the end.

This morning I made my first cup using our French Press. First thoughts as I opened the bag were that this is one smokey aroma. This makes sense as it is a darker roast. I was concerned that the taste might be burnt. No burnt taste. The prominent flavors in this coffee are the chocolate and the nuts. This is a blend of Costa Rican and Honduran coffees. I find a good many roasters go lighter in the roast cycle, especially with coffees from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica. Bold choice to go darker on this coffee. 

I didn't get the lemon, maybe that was too subtle, but I did get the creamy cocoa at the end. All of this confused me though. When I think of a coffee being a steamroller, I think this is going to slap my face awake in the morning. 

On our Cher Scale of Strength, this is a subtle coffee which will not slap you around. On the 1-10 portion, this is a 7. Imagine Cher having to break the news to Danny Aiello in Moonstruck, that Nicolas Cage is hotter, and he responds with, ok...I don't want to marry you anyway. It's an intense coffee, but the softer side of intense. 

If I were pairing this with food, this would be a great brunch coffee, with an omelette and a muffin. 

I'm excited to be moving to New England, and I am especially excited to try more coffees. New Harvest was a great entree into the coffees of the area, and I know I will go to them again and again. 

www.newharvestcoffee.com 

Charlie

Room for Cream

So......you are in line at the local coffee establishment, dreaming of your next cup of java. You're next and you order your cup of delicious coffee. The counterperson asks if you need room for cream, and you say "yes!" You get your cup, and once you take the lid off, you see that the "room" they've given you would only work if you were using a half thimble of cream. In order for you to put cream in the coffee, you have to dump some in the garbage. WTF?

Next, you are going through the drive through, and you tell them room for cream. You get the coffee, and the room you had for cream is no room at all. In fact your coffee is spilling all over the car, because there was NO room for the cream. Again, WTF?

Dear coffee establishments, please teach your baristas/counter people that room for cream should mean there is some room between the top of the cup and the coffee. My car now has permanent coffee smell from all the mess you have caused. Oh, and that lovely green stopper Starbucks? Toilet paper could do a better job.

I think a fair amount of room for cream would the two thumbs width. Now this doesn't mean I want baristas to stick thumbs in our coffee. I just think that should be a guide to how much room there should be.

Come on.....who is with me?

Charlie

Investing in Great Coffee

How often do you have the opportunity to invest in coffee? My guess is....not very much. Today I want to talk about a chance for you to help an awesome coffee roaster grow. Bee Coffee Roasters are roasting some of the best coffee I've had the pleasure to sip. I've written about them before, and last year they made the cut of one of my favorite coffees of the year.

Whether they are serving coffee in their two locations in Indianapolis, at various farmer's markets and festivals around the city, or in a fine local restaurant, BJ and Andy are producing something very wonderful and special. To be able to grow though, they need your help. Starting today they have announced a Kickstarter campaign to purchase a larger roaster.

The new roaster will help them better serve their current customer base, and be able to expand. Their goal is to raise $45,000

For more information on this campaign go to....

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/271817300/roasting-the-next-chapter

They have some wonderful thank you gifts. More than the gifts though, you will be able to say you helped a good coffee company spread good coffee around.

Charlie

Coffee Review: The Fresh Market's The Fresh Market Blend

The Fresh Market is one of a type pf grocery chain which sells organic and local items, a la Whole Foods. There's one near my work, and occasionally get coffee there.  For the record there is a lady in their coffee department who is always trying to get me to try coffees, but I've tested her coffee knowledge, and I find it could use some fine tuning. Yesterday she told me I would really love The Fresh Market Blend. I asked her what it was a blend of. She said, "Oh it's got lots of good dark and light roast coffees."

As I scooped some into the bag, yes, I saw light colored beans, and sweaty dark roasted beans. She got the description right. This morning I made a pot. Let's see......

There is a lot of mocha in this coffee. In fact, that's about all I taste. Since I don't know the beans' origins, I can't tell if this is typical or not.

To say this is a mellow cup of coffee is an understatement. If coffee were a bunch of guys passing around a joint, while munching on pot brownies, this would be that mellow.

On our Cher Scale of Strength, this is a 1 out of 10. It barely rates a lift of the hand to try to slap Nicolas Cage.

I do like the taste of the coffee. This mocha coffee has a nice flavor. I just wish it was a better, stronger coffee.

Charlie

New Journey to Rhode Island

Last week I learned we are about to pick up and move to Providence, RI. In my other life, I will managing a new running store. So in addition to learning about a new running community, I will get to explore New England's coffee world. This is very exciting.

Already I have reached out to folks in the area and asked them about coffee in Providence. New Harvest Coffee Roasters is one which came up again and again.

http://www.newharvestcoffee.com

Another coffee roaster mentioned to me by some folks was Mills Coffee Roasting Co.

https://www.facebook.com/MillsCoffeeRoasting

The good news is not only will I try them and get to know them, I'll be close to Boston, where I can explore the coffee world there as well. In fact I have all New England to sample.

Looking forward to the new adventure.

Charlie

Coffee Review: Julian Coffee Roasters Pacific Rampage

As I make my way through the coffee roasters in the Indianapolis area, one coffee roaster I've wanted to try is Julian Coffee Roasters of Zionsville, IN. The problem has been I didn't know where to find it. I do now. Fresh Thyme Market sells their coffee. I saw it yesterday, and I was pretty anxious to sample their coffee this morning.

I purchased their Pacific Rampage Blend. This is a dark roast blend of Indonesian, Central and South American coffees. According to their website, Julian describes it as their darker roast, bittersweet chocolate.

Dark roasts can have a burnt taste. This coffee didn't. In fact, I thought the taste was not burnt, but a bit spicy. I certainly got the bittersweet chocolate. I just didn't expect a spicy taste as well. This is a surprising coffee.

How strong is it? Again this is a surprising coffee, you would think this dark roast would be a strong one. On our Cher Scale of Strength this is 7. Imagine Cher in her last movie "Burlesque" bossing around her dancers. She's roaring, but really this is no slapping Nicolas Cage in the face.

Now before you think this is a bad thing, I don't. A dark roast doesn't have to slap you silly. In fact, I prefer those that don't.

I said this was a surprising coffee, and it is. It's a darned good coffee, In fact one of the better ones I've had since my heart attack. I was impressed. This is the kind of coffee which makes me want to try more of their coffees. Now that I know where to get it I will.

For more information - www.juliancoffee.com

Charlie

Pumpkin

Don't get me wrong....I love pumpkin. I love pumpkin pie, pancakes, bread, you mix in a bit of pumpkin, and I'm all over it. Except in coffee. I can almost hear some of you scream, "I love my Pumpkin Spice Latte!" I'm not talking about that, but if you want to check nutrition on it, we could.

I'm talking about pumpkin infused coffee. At my Local Fresh Market, I saw a special on "Real Pumpkin" infused coffee. I don't even know what that means. I do know one thing, it means pumpkin flavored coffee. I now have an image of someone opening a can of pie filling and mixing it with beans. Ugh....no thanks!

This morning, admittedly I got bad convenience store coffee. Whatever they labeled the pot, it wasn't it. Instead I had Pumpkin coffee. Yikes that was bad, bad coffee. I'm all for a cup of bad coffee to slap you awake, but this was beyond bad. I think all that was missing was the crust and cool whip for this coffee. Still, I know that appeals to some of you.

Flavored coffee mystifies me. I don't care how you make a latte. I do care about the simple cup of coffee though. I imagine Juan Valdez scratching his head at what we do to his coffee beans.

Of course I know what's coming.....Gingerbread Coffee! Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

Charlie

Review: The Coffee Brake Tanzanian Peaberry

This week we've been sipping a Tanzanian Peaberry from The Coffee Brake. I've written about this Indianapolis roaster before. If you can call a roaster a regular guy's roaster, The Coffee Brake is it. There is nothing fancy about this place, but they have pretty good coffee. This is definitely a place to grab and take a coffee on the way to work.

I think this Peaberry is a bit unusual. I say so, because the beans didn't look like a traditional Peaberry. They were much larger. Initially I wondered if the bag was mislabeled, or these were some enhanced beans. Peaberry beans are usually pretty small, because there are two little seeds within a cherry, hence the pea-sized name.

I gave it a chance though. African Peaberries usually has a more tea-like taste. This didn't. I take that back, it was faint, not the overriding taste. The roast on this was a darker medium roast. I found caramel notes in it, and a darker cherry taste to it. I liked it, but I thought this was odd for a Peaberry.

Whatever coffee this was, I liked it. Mark thought it was great. I'll say it was pretty good.

This is a stronger coffee. On our Cher Scale of Strength, this is an 8. I like to use the image of Cher shaking Sonny, and telling him he's too short. That's a strong coffee.

The Coffee Brake is on 62nd and Allisonville in Indianapolis.

Charlie

Sweet Maria's

A good many folks who read this blog know Sweet Maria's, but for the rest of us, this is an introduction to what may be a coffee roaster's best friend. Simply put, Sweet Maria's is where you go if you are interested in roasting coffee, coffee products, any information about coffee,  or just all things coffee.

I first heard about the company from my friend Kris, who roasts coffee at home. Over the years, Kris has been kind enough to give me coffee she roasts, and I will say it is always good. Sweet Maria's sells green coffee beans to coffee enthusiasts, businesses, and anyone who may dabble in roasting coffee. As I looked through their website, I saw they are currently selling 60+ varieties of green coffee beans. Sweet Maria's gives plenty of detail about the profile of each bean, and what you can expect flavor wise as you roast. They also advise what kind of roast brings out the best flavor, or makes a great espresso.

Want to get started roasting, Sweet Maria's sells roasting equipment. Air Popcorn Poppers, Drum Roasters, a stovetop popcorn roaster, whatever machine you want to try, they seem to have it. Have to say though, after looking through the poppers, I don't think I want to stand by my stove and crank a popcorn popper to roast coffee.

Figured out your Mr. Coffee no longer cuts it? You can discover a plethora of brewing options. French Press, Hario, Chemex, Bee House Dripper, and yes, some amazing drip coffee machines are all available for you.

Ok, so you have your green beans, your roaster and the amazing brewing product, but you aren't sure what to do next? No problem, Sweet Maria's has a library online you can use to answer almost every question you may have. Included in all the resources are videos. This one I found most interesting....

http://www.sweetmarias.com/library/video/heres-what-first-crack-looks

Yes, I've not witnessed first crack, but this gave me a great view of it, and really some of the art and science of coffee roasting.

Sweet Maria's see themselves as not just the average coffee website:

"We are more than just another online store, we are a virtual coffee university. Simply put, we really like what we do."

If you haven't checked them out, so so. This should be one of your first stops in learning how to roast coffee.

http://www.sweetmarias.com

Happy Roasting!

Charlie

National Coffee Day

Today is one of those holidays that make me smile. It's National Coffee Day. Today we celebrate that wonderful drink that starts our day, relaxes us, keeps us awake when we need it, and provides all around joy - coffee.

Thank you to the roasters who do fine work. Thank you to the baristas who make terrific drinks. Thanks to coffee house owners who provide warm, inviting atmospheres where we coffee lovers can gather. Thank you CoffeeCon for giving the public a chance to get their coffee geek on. Thank you farmers for all the hard work you do. You may not always get the appreciation you deserve, but know what you produce is loved and we respect you.

There are coffee deals out there today....heck even Dunkin Donuts has some free coffee(for those who have to have it). I encourage you to go local and visit your neighborhood coffee house today.

Charlie

A Bit Steamed

Sorry it's been a bit of time since I last posted. Sometimes the world gets in the way. ...

I am a bit steamed as I write this. This morning I read this article....

http://dailycoffeenews.com/2014/09/24/polo-ralph-lauren-unveils-the-ralph-coffee-brand-at-new-york-flagship/

So Ralph Lauren is getting into the coffee business? What on Earth for? Is the fashion world that boring, that you have to sell overpriced coffee, with Polo label on it?

Perhaps I'm being uncharitable? Maybe the coffee is outstanding, and I need to be quiet? Nope. Sorry. There are too many smaller independent roasters out there who have a hard enough time fighting the good fight, and creating good coffee.

I know there are specialty roasters in New York, but let me ponder what it means at home in Indy. Let's sat Sir Ralph gets it in his Polo-head that he needs to expand. I'd like to think the good people of Indianapolis would be happy they have Bee Coffee Roasters, Kaffeine Coffee Co., Hubbard and Cravens or Mile Square Coffee.

Scratch that, I can see the denizens of some the finer areas trotting out to the Fashion Mall and clamoring for a preppy cup of coffee. They'd fork over $5 for the Polo cup alone.

Again, maybe I'm ranting for no good reason, but it seems to me there are artisans out there who deserve your love. Ralph Lauren doesn't.

Charlie

Instant Coffee

In the 1960s and 70s you saw a lot of ads for instant coffee. Usually one of the selling points was the sparkly crystals in some of the instant coffees. In other ads, love was usually the result of sharing a cup of instant. These days you don't see a lot mentioned about instant coffee. It's out there though. While sales have gone down over the years in the U.S., instant coffee if popular in other countries. Last year instant coffee sales totaled over $35 billion.

Who's drinking the beverage? China. Chinese are one of the largest consumers of instant coffee.  India is a close second. The ease of instant coffee makes it a big seller in these countries. No need to brew. Just add hot water and drink.

What is instant coffee? It is coffee. In fact it's brewed coffee which has been freeze dried or gone through a spray drying process. Freeze drying is the most popular method.

Look through this narrative from Nestle, the world's leader in instant coffee.....


HOW COFFEE IS MADE

Turning green coffee beans into high quality soluble coffee products requires a great deal of expertise and technical know-how...

Blending
The character of coffee beans varies naturally from region to region, from season to season, and by variety. Arabica beans produce a rich, smooth, aromatic coffee flavour, while Robusta coffee has a strong, harsher flavour with more body. There is great skill involved in tasting samples of the various beans and selecting the right blend to produce a high quality, distinctive soluble coffee.

Roasting
The flavour and aroma of coffee beans are brought to life by the roasting process. Temperature and time are carefully controlled to develop the coffee's flavour to the full. In general, a light roast gives a mild taste, a medium roast produces a well-rounded, rich flavour and aroma, and a high roast gives a strong, distinctive flavour.

Grinding
The roasted coffee beans are then ground into a coarse powder. This is the same as ‘Roast & Ground’ coffee which you might buy in your local supermarket or coffee shop.

Extraction
The roast and ground coffee is put into a series of extraction cells. These do the same job as a domestic coffee percolator or filter coffee maker - extracting the coffee flavour, aroma and colour from the coffee grounds into hot water. A series of cells is used producing stronger and stronger coffee, until the coffee consists of a highly concentrated liquor.

Drying
Soluble coffee is produced by drying the liquor in one of two ways. In spray drying, the liquor is sprayed into a stream of hot air at the top of a tall cylindrical tower. As the droplets fall, they dry, falling to the bottom of the cylinder as a fine powder. In freeze-drying, the liquor is frozen to about -40°C to form a thin layer. This is broken into tiny pieces, and then subjected to a vacuum. The vacuum lowers the boiling point of the water sufficiently so that it evaporates even at these very low temperatures, helping to preserve the coffee flavour, and leaving behind the solid soluble coffee.

Spray-drying is used for most soluble coffees, whereas freeze-drying is used for the more expensive, higher quality coffees.

Agglomeration
Soluble coffee granules are produced from the powder produced by spray-drying by a process called agglomeration. The powder is wetted slightly so that the particles stick together, and then the resulting granules are sieved so that only particles of the same size are filled into jars.

Aromatisation
In the NESCAFÉ range, the beautiful aroma of freshly ground coffee is captured during the grinding process, and added back to the coffee just before it is filled into jars.

Filling
The soluble coffee powder or granules are filled into glass jars or sachets. Filling is carried out in an inert gas atmosphere, to prevent any deterioration of the flavour or aroma of the coffee during storage.

One thing which kind of disturbed me was the fact they put aroma back into the jars. Do I want to know how that's done?

In Europe I've had instant coffee. It's in hotels, hostels, B and B's. You can't avoid it. It isn't bad, but give me a cup of fresh coffee, and I think that's heaven.

Charile

ACK!

Sometimes we all experience a bad cup of coffee. This happened to me this afternoon. I bought some from a local grocery store(budgetary reasons). When I ground it, it smelled nice. Somehow adding hot water to it made it taste like Satan made it, drank it and spit it out, because even HE hated it.

I would almost drink Dunkin Donuts Coffee for a week over this.

Brand and type of coffee withheld to protect the innocent.

Charlie

Coffee Review: Hubbard and Cravens Komodo Decaf

My quest for decaf which tastes like coffee continues. For the last week I've been sipping Hubbard and Cravens Komodo Decaf. This is an Indonesian decaf, which on first taste has a lot of nice chocolate notes to it. The problem with most decafs is in the decaf process, it tastes like they suck all the coffee taste out of it. Sometimes you are left with a burn taste.

In addition to the chocolate, there is a spicy kick to this decaf. More importantly, does it taste like coffee? This comes close. This and their House Blend Decaf are pretty good at having the coffee flavor in the cup. This is a darker roast, and the good news is the burnt taste is nowhere to be found. This is a nice decaf, and for people like me who have to limit their coffee consumption, this is an excellent choice.

Charlie

Coffee Review: Darrin's Coffee Co. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

This is going to be a different review, so I hope you will bear with me. I don't often review coffee houses. Pretty much I stick to the coffee, but I wanted to do a twofer in this review.  Last week I was contacted by Darrin of Darrin's Coffee Co. in Zionsville, IN. If you haven't been to Zionsville, you are missing out on a unique experience. It's a lovely village, very quaint. Darrin wanted me to try some of his coffee. Who am I to pass up a chance to give a new coffee house(new to me) a try.

After my run yesterday, I headed over to Zionsville and went into Darrin's Coffee Co.. Located on Main St., the coffee house is one of many charming storefronts in the town. I went through a mesh curtain to go in(which I thought was cool), and inside was a fairly compact cafe. Really nice atmosphere. My only "complaint" was the folks working there weren't sure what coffee they were serving. It took a few moments for them to figure it out.

Turns out I had a cup of the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. According to Darrin's website:

The sweet flavors and aromas of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee are its strongest asset along with a medium to light body. Light fruit like a melon upfront, floral with hints of lemon grass and a nice chocolate undertone would be a great description of this coffee.

I got something a little different. I got a spicy chocolate. You know how some people put cinnamon in coffee? This was similar to that. I don't believe any was added to my coffee though. :-) This is a nice cup of coffee. As I continued to drink it, I thought it mellowed. Typically Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is more tea like. This wasn't, and I liked that about it. On our Cher Scale of Strength, this is a 7. I would liken this to Cher giving a tough talk to her son in "Mask". It wakes you up, but it's not slapping you awake.

Darrin Marion is the owner, and it's clear he has embraced his passion of roasting coffee. He loves talking coffee, roasting coffee, sharing coffee, cooking with coffee, in short he loves coffee - period. He has several blends I'm interested in trying. I may tackle his Mandingo Warrior or Moor next.

www.darrinscoffee.com

Charlie

Grilling Some Steaks with Coffee

All I can say is.....fire up the grill.

Coffee Trucks - Buy Local

I know the mobile food industry is taking off. Food trucks are the new gourmet experience, and of course coffee companies are selling java on the road. Now I read that Starbucks is getting in on the trend.

http://dailycoffeenews.com/2014/08/28/starbucks-piloting-mobile-trucks-at-three-u-s-college-campuses/

As I read this article, I thought about companies like Kaffeine Coffee Co., and the truck they tool around town in, and sell cups of coffee. What does Starbucks do to little businesses like that one? Well their goal is world coffee domination....kidding. We have seen though that the Starbucks name brings people in.

I am going to suggest that we as coffee lovers buy local. If your town has a coffee truck, support it. These are folks who have decided to own and operate a business in your community. Don't they deserve some of your business? Don't they deserve some love?

It's one thing if the local business has bad coffee, but still that is the minority. The men and women who own these coffee roasters/houses are true lovers of coffee, and in turn I believe they deserve some love back.

Thanks Starbucks....but I am going to buy local.

Charlie

Coffee Review: Counter Culture Idido

If I go to the store to buy coffee, I read the labels of each coffee to see if there is something interesting that makes me want to try the coffee. In this case, I could be judging a coffee by its label. Of course what I am looking for is something I don't normally have, or something interesting about the coffee, of a particular roast or origin. Today's coffee caught my eye because of the name - Idido.

When I first saw the name, I thought it said "Idido, which would be a marriage. Of course my eyes focused, and I saw something else, "Lot No. 1" This intrigued me, so I bought it. 

Counter Culture is known for doing interesting things with coffee. In this case, this coffee is from a cooperative in Idido, Ethiopia. Specifically it's one farmer's lot of coffee in this bag. In the cooperative each farmer has about 1.5 hectares of land, in which they grow their coffee. Idido Cooperative has around 1,000 members, and Counter Culture has been working with them for years. 

According to Counter Culture this coffee has notes of melon, orange blossom and citrus. This is typical of a Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee. When I opened the bag, I smelled a strong Caramel aroma. Not sure if that was intended, but I liked it. When I ground the coffee, I smelled more of the citrus.

This is a sweet coffee. The citrus notes are sweeter than I thought they would be. The Caramel aroma I originally smelled, is taken over by a sugary aroma that is quite nice. This is an ease into your morning coffee. Think of it like the snooze button on the alarm clock. You take a sip, you know it's coffee, it gently awakens you, then you hit the button for 10 more minutes. That's this coffee. On our Cher Scale of Strength, it's a 6. This is that gentle punch Cher you used to give Sonny on their TV show in the 1970s.

Companies like Counter Culture and Stone Creek and playing more with their coffees. Both are taking specific lots of coffee, and either creating something great, or experimenting and seeing what we enjoy. I applaud both of them.

Try this coffee, it's a good one.

www.counterculturecoffee.com

Charlie

More on the Indy Coffee Scene

Earlier this week I talked about the up and coming coffee scene in Indianapolis.

http://javarunnerscoffeejourney.blogspot.com/2014/08/indianapolis-coffee-scene-coming-alive.html

The growing coffee trend in the Circle City continues as Quills Coffee from Louisville is about to hit the city.

http://dailycoffeenews.com/2014/08/25/louisvilles-quills-coffee-heading-north-to-indianapolis/

I have not had Quills Coffee, but I look forward to it. What really excites me about this, is where the coffee house will be. The Canal area of Indianapolis is an underutilized area, but it also happens to be the city's most interesting area. Condos, and very few shops surround the canal, which meanders near the State Capitol building. What a terrific opportunity for people to discover what I'm sure will be a great coffee experience, but they can enjoy a scene like no other in the area.

Citizens of Indianapolis should be excited of the new things coming to downtown. It needs to be boosted, and people need to come downtown. Oh the power of coffee to add a boost to the city.

http://quillscoffee.com

Charlie

Coffee Review: Hubbard and Cravens House Decaf

It's been a difficult time finding a decaf that I like and would use on a regular basis. Heart disease now limits my cups of regular coffee to two a day, but I can have more decaf. The problem I find with decaf is that it usually tastes like pretend coffee. I get hints of coffee, but otherwise, I don't feel like I'm truly drinking a cup of coffee.

Last Saturday a friend and I went to Hubbard and Cravens for quick coffees to go. I got their House Decaf. On their website, here is how Hubbard and Cravens describes this decaf...

"Lively and flavorful, this is our house blend of top quality Central American and Indonesian coffees. It's rich and full-bodied, spicy with hints of nuts and fruit."

I took a sip, and immediately I was hit with the spicy part. The mouthfeel was more fruity that nutty, but I got a lot of the spice. I was surprised by this. The roast was darker I believe, because it tasted like a dark roast, and in this case I liked it. There was nothing pretend about this. This really tasted like coffee. To be fair I had one cup. The true test is when I buy a bag and give it a try at home. Still this was a tasty decaf, and if I had a blindfold on, I might think it was a regular cup of coffee. Well done H and C.

Two things to note about my visit. First, I don't know who does the training in the Carmel, IN location, but that you for teaching your people, that when a person asks for room for cream, there is, in fact, room for cream. Starbucks is notorious for handing me a to go, where the coffee is spilling through the lid, because they put in coffee, and used cream to fill it to the top, and beyond, 

Second, I'm curious about the temperature of the coffee they are serving. Both my friend and I felt the coffee was too hot. If it isn't the coffee, maybe you need thicker cups. Our fingers, even with the sleeve, were getting too hot.

Next step for me is to buy a bag and see if this can be a regular decaf for me.

Charlie

Coffee Review: Portland Roasting Coffee- French Roast

Lately we have been drinking more dark roast than usual. Some ok, some not so ok. Then we tried

Portland Roasting Coffee's French Roast. Ooh la la is the best way to describe it.

According to the PRC website:


Bold, Smoky, Dependable

Our darkest roasted blend with a heavy body that carries both a smoky, bold kick and sweetness balancing the profile and anchoring the finish.


• Made from a blend of East African, Central American and Indonesian coffees

• French Roast coffee reaches an internal temperature of 440 degrees when roasting

• Our most popular coffee sold in retail stores

I purchased this at The Fresh Market. I will attest to the popularity of it, as this was the last bag in the store. We've had PRC coffee before, and I have written about it. 

Some French Roasts tasted burnt, and usually are. This coffee doesn't taste burnt at all. It has a smooth taste for a French Roast. Usually the smoke essence of the coffee gives it a less than smooth taste. Not so here. It is a surprisingly sweet coffee, almost like a dark chocolate covered cherry.  

It's a hearty and strong coffee. On our Cher Scale of strength, this is a 10. This is Cher slapping the heck out of Nicolas Cage in Moonstruck, and telling him to "Snap out of it!"

PRC has previously won the Roaster of the Year Award from Roast Magazine. They are also the coffee of choice for the annual Academy Awards. If you don't have PRC coffee in your store....talk to them about it. If not, here is their website.

http://portlandroasting.com

Charlie

Indianapolis Coffee Scene Coming Alive

This week in the Daily Coffee News, Kaffeine Coffee, an Indianapolis-based coffee company was highlighted as making a move into the city's trendy Mass Ave. District.

http://dailycoffeenews.com/2014/08/18/kaffeine-coffee-and-some-big-revitalization-in-downtown-indianapolis/

Kaffeine Coffee Co. has been known as a Coffee Truck business, popping up at various events around the city.

I have not had coffee from them. Every time I've tried, the line has been huge and time was an issue. Chris Kilander and his wife Amanda have worked hard and are now seeing the fruits of labor grow. Indianapolis coffee drinkers get to benefit from the Third Wave Coffee experience they want to bring into a brick and mortar business.

This is exciting, because Kaffeine Coffee Co. joins another great coffee company, Bee Coffee Roasters downtown. Both are creating buzz about coffee in a city not known for it's coffee. I have long thought downtown Indianapolis needed something other than bars, the Colts and the Pacers.

Over at Bee Coffee Roasters, BJ Davis and Andy Gillman educating coffee drinkers in single origin coffee, and a variety of brewing processes. Bee Coffee roasts their own coffee. I have written about them before, and I think their coffee is some of the best coffee I have ever had.

Is there room for another Third Wave Coffee experience in Circle City? Absolutely. This city needs the diversity and artistry that coffee houses like these two offer.

There are other coffee houses in Indy, some very good, but I challenge them to be as creative and interesting as Bee Coffee Roaster and Kaffeine Coffee Co. Here's to an exciting coffee experience in Indy!

Charlie

A World for the Young

In the 1.5 years I've been writing about coffee, I have noticed something, coffee appears to be for the young. When I look at websites, articles, features, or even when I go into most coffee houses, the people working in the industry are young. I'm talking people in their 20s and 30s. I find that both exciting, and somewhat intimidating.

I find it exciting, because coffee is the kind of industry where creativity flourishes, and new ideas come bursting on the scene. This typically comes from a younger mindset. I love watching the direction coffee is moving. The blending of science, engineering and art is fascinating to me.

Now before the over 30 set gets all huffy, I know you are out there too. I know you too are creative and making exciting things happen in the coffee world. The coffee media is showing more young people then. Maybe we in the over 30 world need better press agents? :-)

Here is what is intimidating. Is there room for someone in mid-life(if it starts at 40) who wants to join in the fun? Do they fit in with the twenty somethings? I find in time that people over 40 have less and less in common with the younger generation. Yes, I apologize for sound like an 80 year old man at the moment.

Where do I see most older workers in coffee? Starbucks. God bless Starbucks for hiring older workers. I would like to see these people though at Intelligentsia, Stumptown, or other innovative up and comers. Old dogs can learn new tricks and want to learn new tricks.

I figure though the age of the workers is more in line with the economics of life. Baristas, and other folks in the coffeehouses are making closer to minimum wage. A 45, 55 or 65 year old needs to make more. So I understand why it looks like there are so many young people in the industry.

Still there has to be a role the older generation can play in this movement.

Charlie

My Coffee Life Today

Needless to say(but I will say it) I love coffee. I could probably do a pot a day if I really wanted to. I think there are days I have. Since the heart attack a month ago, my coffee habit has changed a bit. It is funny that so many people asked me if I could still have coffee. I guess that speaks loudly of my love of coffee. To be honest, it was one of my first 10 questions I asked the doctor.

Yes, I can drink coffee. I am limited though. I can have two cups a day. I can drink more decaf though. I'm sure most thought this would be a challenge for me, but it isn't. I plan my coffee now, and I feel I enjoy coffee more because of it. If I have a must have cup, it would be when I first wake up. It's what I look forward to when I go to bed the night before.

The second cup is more optional. If I want it later in the day, my next cup is decaf, otherwise, it would be right after the first cup. Here is where French Press brewing is a good thing. I regulate better how much coffee I make, and it isn't sitting around like in a coffee pot.

When I get decaf, I search for one that tastes like coffee. That seems to be a challenge. So far the winner is a Counter Culture Decaf. If anyone has suggestions, I am always wiling to try. Decaf, for the most part, tastes like imitation coffee. I challenge all my roasting friends to produce a Decaf that is coffee worthy.

Having a heart attack is about lifestyle change, but it should not be so restrictive that you can't enjoy life. I think a good many people with heart disease only see the bad in change. I have found in this case, that change is actually better.

Charlie

Buying Practices

I saw this article yesterday in the Daily Coffee News....

http://dailycoffeenews.com/2014/08/05/consumer-group-fair-world-project-rates-the-buying-practices-of-19-u-s-roasters/

The Fair World Project has reviewed the buying practices of 19 top coffee roasters. The big boys like Starbucks and Green Mountain are rated along smaller roasters such as Just Coffee Cooperative, Counter Culture and Intelligentsia. The article makes for interesting reading, and I think is a guide of sorts, but I don't think it's very definitive.

Specifically, this group has investigated and rated coffee trading and transparency of these roasters.

Just Coffee received one of the highest ratings, though to be honest, and I agree with Daily Coffee News, I'm not sure how valid a smiley face and stars are for ratings. I guess I wanted to know more depth about what makes a 1-5 star overall rating. For a group calling for transparency, I felt it was lacking with this report.

Starbucks gets one of the lowest ratings. Fair World Project says we should avoid their coffee, as Starbucks makes claims of helping farmers, but their actions lobbying against some farming practices in coffee growing companies, makes them a bad guy. Perhaps the issue really is, the larger the roaster, the more difficult to be as fair and transparent?

Intelligentsia and Counter Culture land somewhere in the middle. Their practices get applause overall. Fair World Project though believes that these companies, especially Intelligentsia could do more to be more open in their trading practices.

As I said, this should be a guide, but I would take it with a grain of salt.

Charlie

Coffee Review: Intelligentsia El Diablo Dark Roast

When I lived in Chicago, for years my coffee of choice was anything Intelligentsia roasted. They

were my first specialty coffee house, and I stuck with them for years. I try to revisit their coffees from time to time, but I realized last week, I hadn't had any Intelligentsia since I left Chicago - 4 years ago.

Intelligentsia is well known along with Stumptown and Counter Culture for spreading the popularity of the current love of specialty coffee. I visited Intelligentsia when there was one simple coffee house on Broadway in the Lakeview area of Chicago. Today, they are all over Chicago, in Los Angeles  and New York. With all this expansion, has the quality of their coffee changed? This is what I wondered as I was about to take my first sip of their El Diablo Dark Roast this morning.

Here is how Intelligentsia describes this coffee:

Our ­signature dark roast celebrates the savory side of coffees highlighted by caramelized sugars, molasses and chocolate flavors. We roast the coffee in a way that emphasizes these traits and creates a satisfying, resonant finish.

Dark roasts have a tendency to be a bit burnt, but not this one. Everything they claim about this coffee is true. I did get a molasses/cocoa flavor in my cup. I was surprised at how bright the coffee seemed. This is not a heavy coffee. Dark does not always mean heavy in body and spirit. 

This is a blend which changes with the seasons. I'm not sure of the coffee origins on this blend, but I detect a lot of Central American influences. Possibly blended with a Kenyan/East African bean? No matter it originates, you will love where it ends up - in your coffee cup.

How strong is it? This is a pretty strong coffee. On our Cher Scale of Strength, this is an 8. This is a Cher being a fierce mom in "Mask" strong. Don't mess with this coffee, it means business. 

Happy to see that expansion and growth has not changed the quality of the coffee Intelligentsia produces. They roast incredibly good coffee, and have an outstanding reputation in the coffee world. Kudos to you Intelligentsia.

Charlie

Coffee Review: Bee Coffee Roaster Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

Hello Everyone!!!!!

I apologize for the lack of writing of late. As you may know I suffered a heart attack 3 1/2 weeks ago, and am in recovery. I have spent a little more time writing about my recovery at my other blog - http://running-with-coffee.blogspot.com. The good news I am still able to enjoy coffee, but I have to limit my consumption to 2-3 cups a day. I can drink more decaf though. I've been having coffee in the morning, and decaf later in the day. It's worked out.

Today I want to talk about a coffee I am drinking this morning. Bee Coffee Roaster in Indianapolis should be familiar to regular readers of this blog. They were a terrific find last year, and were one of my top coffees. I also attempted to work for them(sadly it didn't work out at that time, but I love these guys a great deal).

Yesterday Mark and I hit the Farmers Market downtown and picked up a bag of their Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. I made some in the French Press this morning. There is a lot to like about this coffee. It has a light quality to it, but don't confuse that for a lightweight coffee. This is a nutty/chocolately coffee, with a hint of saltiness and citrus in it. This is a great morning coffee, as it perks up whatever you may be having with it. I had some cantaloupe, and I swear it made the already yummy fruit taste even better. This is one of the best Ethiopian Yirgacheffes I have had - period.

BJ and Andy who run Bee Coffee Roaster, clearly have the roasting down on this coffee. It's a lighter medium roast, with plenty of flavor and yes it's a strong cup of coffee. On our Cher Scale of Strength, this is a 9. This is Cher arguing with her dad in Moonstruck, as she's fallen in love with Nicolas Cage, and she found her dad cheating on her mother. That's a strong cup of coffee.

Bee Coffee has two locations in Indy. They are on the west side, near Eagle Creek Park. They are also downtown across from the convention center.  You need to see them, and experience what they call "adventures in coffee." You won't be disappointed.

www.beecoffeeroasters.com

Charlie

Same Coffee - 3 Ways: Stone Creek Coffee Box Set

What does the processing of the coffee mean to the taste and experience of the coffee? Most of you haven't thought of that. To be honest, I haven't given it much thought either. The good folks at Stone

Creek Coffee Roasters have, and in a brilliant move have created a special box set - Guatemala San Sebastian Box Set. The coffee is a Guatemala Yellow Caturra.This set is a unique opportunity to experience the same coffee, processed three different ways: Washed, Natural and Semi-Washed.

First a bit of a primer/refresher in the ways coffee is processed. Washed is when the skin from the cherry is removed, but a good deal of the pulp(or mucilage) is still on the bean. The beans are then soaked in tanks, anywhere from 12-24 hours. According to Stone Creek, this "encourages controlled fermentation, developing flavor and removing excess mucilage."

The Natural process is kind of as it indicates - natural. The cherry is whole and dries into the coffee bean. This is usually done on drying beds or patios. This process takes approximately 18 days. The beans absorb the sugars and acids from the fruit.

Semi-Washed is a combination of the previous processes. The skin is removed, with part of the mucilage on the bean, which dries onto the parchment, there is a soaking so extra sugars are in the bean. Then the beans are dried in direct sunlight for approximately 12 days.

The result of this means the coffee will taste different with each process. So what did we experience with the Stone Creek Set? In each case, I grounded the same amount of each coffee, and brewed each one in the French Press. I wanted the coffees to be on equal footing.  With the set comes an information sheet, and a postcard we can send back to Stone Creek and the farmers to give our impressions.

First up was the Natural. What stood out almost immediately was the nutty nature of the coffee. This is a smooth cup of coffee. The chocolate and almond flavors are very prevalent. The fruity nature of the coffee, the cherry essence doesn't really come through until the aftertaste. Mark wasn't fond of this coffee. I liked it, as I tried to imagine food pairings with it. This is a nice brunch coffee. Very mellow, not overpowering.

Washed was our next coffee. This was a brighter cup of coffee. More of the fruit like the cherry and apple nature of the coffee came through. It also tasted a bit stronger than the Natural. The coffee has a sweeter taste. We liked this coffee better than the first one.

Semi-Washed was our favorite. The taste jumped out immediately and we both went "Mmmmm". This is like a chocolate covered cherry. Very tasty, again very bright. This has a bit of punch to it. We had it with our blueberry pancakes this morning. Excellent pairing.

I've written about Stone Creek quite a bit this year. I know you think there is a bromance going on. It's simple, these people are producing some outstanding quality. Now they are adding an educational component to the enjoyment. The box set is $25, and is limited. Only 250 are being sold. I would grab one before they are gone.

www.stonecreekcoffee.com

Charlie

Coffee Review: Cedarburg Coffee Costa Rica Decaf...Decaf?

Hello Everyone!

I know I haven't posted here days. Some of you know, some of you don't know, that I suffered a heart attack last week, and am now in recovery.  I had a stent put in, and am on the road to recovery. Of course one question which has been asked a lot - can I still drink coffee? Yes I can, but in moderation. I can have a couple cups of coffee a day. So I think I have to make the most of those cups.  I can drink all the decaf I want. I know, I know, not the same thing.

I was given some decaf for my recovery from Cedarburg Coffee Roastery, and I thought I would review it for you. Cedarburg is another Wisconsin coffee company,  a state which is serving notice that they roast good coffee too. Typically Decaf gets a knock because it doesn't taste like coffee. That is a challenge during the Swiss Water Process, because really who wants to drink coffee which doesn't taste like coffee.

What I'm drinking is a Decaf Costa Rican Royal Select. Cedarburg says the coffee is a light roast, but the look of the beans and the taste of this don't indicate that. The beans are darker and fairly glossy. To be honest, I don't know if this is an effect of the decaf process.

I have been diligently drinking the coffee this week, and while I think it's better than a good many decafs I've had, it still feels like I'm not quite drinking a cup of coffee. Now, I don't think this is the roasters fault. I just think when you pull out the caffeine, you pull out a lot of the flavor.  Still there are flavors to experience in this decaf. It's a bright coffee, and I do get some fruity notes to it.

No strength, so I can't give you a  number on the Cher Scale of Strength. This is nice to have in the evening if I want a cup of coffee, but can't have a cup of coffee. So there is a convenience factor.

I would be interested in sampling some of the other coffees Cedarburg roasts, as I have a feeling they are pretty good.

I am slowly integrating coffee back into my life, just a couple cups at a time though. Happy to be alive, and happy to be back in the coffee world.

Charlie

Coffee Review: Hubbard and Cravens Estate Greats

I imagine blending different coffees is quite a challenge to a roaster. As I've have said before, there is a science and an art to roasting, but to roast and blending different roasts must be a challenge. Today we are drinking Estate Greats from Hubbard and Cravens. This is a blend of Central American and Indonesian coffees.

Information on the coffee is limited, but Hubbard and Cravens describes of the coffee as having citrus and floral notes. This would make sense with the infusion of Indonesian coffee. I opened the bag of beans, and I got the floral essence immediately.

As I said, the blending part of coffee must be a challenge. I will say when I made our first pot a couple days ago, I didn't care for it.  I resisted writing about it, because I usually write after a couple brews of the coffee.  I'm glad I did.

There is a woman at Hubbard and Cravens who got me to like their Sumatra coffee(I'm not a big fan of Sumatra coffee).  She knows who she is. When I asked about this coffee, she told me since I liked that, I should like this one.

What I didn't like at first was the earthiness of the coffee, typical of Sumatra. What changed my mind was when I started tasting more of the citrus, that pushed that earthy quality out of the way. I needed the second brewed pot to help me with that.

In the end I really like this coffee. The citrus gives it a brightness that I didn't expect. If a coffee could be bouncy, this would be it. On our Cher Scale of Strength, I get quite a bit of punch out of it. I give it a 7.5, which is Cher being sassy with Jack Nicholson in "The Witches of Eastwick."

Enjoy!

www.hubbardandcravens.com

Charlie

"It's Too Fancy"

I was talking to a friend of mine recently who told me she normally buys coffee at the grocery store. She asked me for some suggestions of coffees she could try, and I offered a few. She told me, "Oh I can't drink a coffee like that it's too fancy."

Part of my journey is to de-mystify coffee, because really, there isn't a mystery or anything fancy about it. The coffee she buys and the coffee I buy are both at heart, seeds of a cherry. People have taken the time to pick, process, roast and package them so we can drink coffee. She uses a drip maker. I tend to use a French Press. Now, there is maybe where the fancy comes in, but that isn't the coffee, it's the brewing method.

Good fresh roasted coffee is not something out of reach for people. For my friends in Indianapolis, the three I have gone to and enjoy are Bee Coffee Roaster, Hubbard and Cravens and The Daily Brake. All have coffee I enjoy. None of them are pretentious(thought the Carmel location of Hubbard and Cravens comes close). Everyone who sells the coffee is friendly, and more than willing to talk to you about the coffee(especially BJ and Andy at Bee Coffee Roasters). Now is it fancy to pay $12-$17  a bag for coffee? I can see that argument, but it's still a better value than the $8.99 a bag coffee(which may already have been ground).

I think the fancy comes in when you order a Carmel, Half Skinny, Double Foam, Macchiato, with Hazelnut, and a twist of whatever. Good lord, that's more complicated than anything.

The more you learn about coffee, the less mysterious and fancy I think it becomes. It's just coffee....but it's really good.

Charlie

How Comfortable Are You?

This morning as I sip my coffee, and read coffee news from around the world, I keep reading about the failure of Fair Trade Coffee. I believe Fair Trade was started on the best of intentions, after all we want farmers to make a good living producing the coffee we love. Studies are showing more and more that money is not going where it really needs to go - to the farm worker.

The University of London has recently announced a study showing that farm workers are mostly unskilled labor, and they may make between $500-$1000 a year. These are the people who go out into the fields and pick and then process the coffee. I have been on coffee farms, and the terrain is mountainous and muddy in Central America. I can only imagine what conditions are like in other farming regions.

Farm workers usually means a family travels from farm to farm picking coffee. They have children out there filling HUGE burlap bags of coffee cherries. This is what families do to stay alive. Is that a life though?

Fair Trade needs to be re-evaluated. It was built on the premise that the farmer(owner) needed to be helped, but somehow that money is not getting to the ones doing a majority of hard work. I'm hoping the practices can be changed so the worker will benefit too.

If not, how comfortable are you with this?

Charlie

If I Were to Own a Coffee House.....

Right off the bat, let me be clear, I don't want to own a coffee house(at least at this point in my life). If I were here is what it would be like.....

Coffee roasted at the coffee house
Just coffee, no Frapps, or bizarre drinks that require a dictionary to rattle off. Simple coffee drinks. You want complicated - go to Starbucks.
Free WiFi
Exposed brick and beams on the ceiling - a loft/warehouse atmosphere.
Coffee workshops to educate the public
Minimal food items - scones, muffins, but no meals
Live music events
80s music playing during the day
Coffee cupping parties
Event/party space
Lots of fun

So who would go to that coffee house?

Charlie

Coffee Review: Counter Culture Farmhouse Organic

Counter Culture Coffee is one of those coffee companies you mention in the same breath with Intelligentsia and Stumptown. They are the companies who've been on the leading edge of specialty coffee for the last decade or two. Counter Culture is based in Durham, NC, and have been in business since 1995.

The company is known for several things: education, sustainability and good coffee.  Education is a priority for Counter Culture. They have training centers in various cities. The goal is the educate not just the coffee industry and lovers, but anyone who wants to learn more about coffee.

Counter Culture works with farmers and artisans who believe in sustainability. They encourage farming which will reduce harm to the planet. While there are various direct of fair trade programs out there. Counter Culture their own certification, which encourage sustainable growing practices.

Coffee, of course is the one thing they are most known for. They work with smaller estate farms and cooperatives to source the best possible coffee. This brings us to today's coffee.

Farmhouse Organic is an unusual coffee, well not the coffee itself, but the idea behind it. At various times of the year you will not have the same Farmhouse twice. They roast and package the most recently harvested coffee. So one season it may be a Guatemalan coffee, the next it could be from Indonesia.

In this case, I am drinking coffee from Finca Nueva Armenia, Guatemala. According to the package, the coffee was roasted within the last month. I purchased it at The Fresh Market. This morning, I made it in our French Press.

This is a medium roast coffee(on the lighter side, or so it looked). Counter Culture doesn't provide notes on this coffee, so I can't review that with you. Here is what I got from the coffee: The first taste has a sweetness to it I didn't expect. I get a chocolate from it. As I savor the flavor of the coffee, I also get some berry notes. You get a strong taste at first sip, but it mellows and it goes back.

This is a very nice coffee. I enjoyed it as my morning cup. The last few days I've had Eight O'Clock Coffee, and this, as you would hope, is a better, fresher cup of coffee. It does give a good comparison between fresh and not as fresh coffee. It's a smooth cup of coffee, and on our Cher scale of strength, this is a 6 out of 10. Imagine Cher singing her "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" number in a Bob Mackie creation, and you'll be humming along, but not really rocking.

My goal is to try the various versions of this coffee over the course of the next year to see what differences there. If you don't have Counter Culture in a grocery store near you, you can shop on their website....

www.counterculturecoffee.com

Charlie

Coffee On a Budget

Sometimes you can't get the $18 a bag coffee, and that's ok. You then need to decide what coffee you will get, and how to brew it. These days a good many of us think the K-Cup is the way to go. It's actually wasteful, expensive overall, and not fresh. Is that really a value? No.

First get some whole bean coffee. Today we are drinking Eight O'Clock Coffee. For the $4.99 I paid, it isn't bad. The key is I got it whole bean. The hope is this is much fresher coffee than the ground. Remember, once coffee is ground, it's getting stale at light speed.

Grind your coffee, and figure your brewing method. We use French Press most of the time, and feel that brings out a lot of great flavors, more so than automatic drip. Chemex would change the flavor considerably. If you have all three, try each one, and see the difference.

Again I go back to the bean. A good many of us get a canister of ground coffee. Your throwing money away by doing that. For less than $20 you can get a decent grinder, and grind the coffee yourself. Trust me, your coffee on a budget will taste much better if you do this.

Charlie

A Lover Not a Snob

A few weeks ago I was talking to someone referred to me as a "coffee snob." I try not take offense, but I do. I know coffee snobs. Those are the people who thumb their nose at coffee that somehow doesn't meet their standards of what good coffee is.  

In my mind a snob is not interested in passing on their knowledge in a relatable way. They try to show off what they know. At parties or gatherings I get asked a lot about coffee, but I make it clear I am a student of coffee, and don't know as much as I would like to. I'm always learning. 

One thing I've learned is what I like in a coffee and what I don't like. What I don't like....I don't buy. I will from time to time malign Dunkin Donuts Coffee, and I most likely won't buy coffee from White Castle, but I will try all kinds of coffee. The ones I love, I will buy and buy again. What I love...I share.

In the last year I have shared my love for coffees from I Have a Bean, Bee Coffee Roasters, Stone Creek, Just Coffee, Hubbard and Cravens, my guys at JJ Coffee Roasters, my good friend Kris, and many more. The point is I want people to know there is more to coffee than Folgers or Maxwell House, and it is soooo good. 

That isn't a snob, that's a coffee lover.

Charlie

Starbucks and Education

This week Starbucks made news when it announced a educational tuition plan for their employees. Much has been discussed about what Starbucks will pay and what their employees may have to pay. I'm not going to debate the merits of the program, because I don't know enough about it, nor do most of the pundits on both sides of politics aisle.

I do want to talk about about the thought behind it. In an era of layoffs, cutbacks and obscene profits because of those actions, I applaud Starbucks for what appears to be an investment in their people. According to Starbucks employees who take advantage of this are not obligated to stay with the company. This makes it even sweeter to me. I imagine though, a good many people will stay with the company, especially if they see this benefit for what it is - an investment in them.

I wish most companies had programs like this. I also wish more employees would take advantage of such programs. Education is expensive, and I think whatever help a person can get towards that education is a valuable resource.

It's easy to fault Starbucks for many things, but what they do better than most large companies is put their money where their mouth is. They work with coffee cooperatives in coffee growing regions to support schools, clinics, and other vital programs the communities need. They have made an effort to work with American companies, employing Americans to make ceramic ware to sell in their stores. They are good neighbors in their communities and work with area non-profits.

This educational program is a good step. While I wish there more educational choices for the employees to use, I think there is a lot of value in getting into a school(online or brick and mortar) and bettering yourself and your chances for better work opportunities.

I raise my coffee mug to Starbucks!

Charlie

Coffee Review: Stone Creek Coffee Costa Rica 2014

As regular readers know, I have a love of Costa Rican coffee. I've spent time in the Terrazu region, and been on several of the farms down there. So I'm always happy to try a new coffee from the region. Stone Creek Coffee is offering Costa Rica 2014 as a seasonal coffee. This coffee was a featured coffee at the 2014 U.S. Barista Competition. Impressive, but how does it taste?

Stone Creek says this coffee has notes of fig, almond and peach. To be honest, that didn't sound promising to me. Other than Fig Newtons, I'm not a fig guy. No worries, the fig taste in this is slight. The nuttiness comes through more with this coffee than you would expect from a Costa Rican coffee. I normally get nutty flavors in Indonesian coffees. So this surprised me.

This is a darker coffee for a medium, which gives it a richer taste and flavor. This is a very different coffee from the Bolivian coffee we tried earlier in the week. The barista at the cafe told us this would work great in the French Press, and she was correct. This is a terrific French Press coffee. This coffee is a job well done by the roasters.

This is also a coffee that smacks you around a little, if you need the wake up call. On our Cher scale of strength, I would give this an 8. This is like the argument between Cher and Olympia Dukakis' characters in Moonstruck, after Cher comes home from a night with Nicolas Cage.

By now you know that I think the world of the coffees Stone Creek produces. Chicago gets a lot of ink the coffee press about being a coffee location in the Midwest, but let's not ignore their neighbors to the north. Milwaukee is on the coffee map, and Stone Creek is helping putting it there.

www.stonecreekcoffee.com

Charlie

Coffee Review: Stone Creek Coffee's Bolivia Cima Del Jaguar

Last weekend we visited the Stone Creek Coffee Roasting Facility, and as I noted earlier, loved it. We wanted to bring some coffee home that we hadn't tried. Two jumped out at us. One was a Costa Rican coffee, and the other is the one I would like to talk about today - Bolivia Cima Del Jaguar.

The Bolivia is a light roasted coffee. Typically I'm not a light roast drinker. I find some lighter roasts don't have enough flavor for me. Because Stone Creek has had a great run of excellent coffees, I thought I would put that run to the test with this coffee.

First some background on the coffee. From Stone Creek:

"This coffee comes from a farm named Cima del Jaguar (SEE•ma del HA•gwar), in the highest region of Caranavi. The farm is approximately 1700-1900m above sea level. As you can infer from the name, this region is also known for the wild jaguars that live there. Braulio Luoque Yana owns, runs, and lives on Cima with his wife (Aida) and three children. (Braulio, Aida, and Braulio’s brother Eulogio are all coffee farmers)."

Bolivian coffee is not well known. To this point, the only Bolivian coffee I think I've had has been from Trader Joe's. I liked that coffee well enough, but would this be steps above that? This is a different coffee. Stone Creek says it's flavors are Date, Cacao Nibs, White Grape and Cranberry. Sounds like an interesting flavor combination. 

I took a deep inhale when I opened the bag. What a terrific aroma! It was as if someone had roasted fruit on the grill, and not too grilled, but just right. 

On the first sip I get a strong Date essence. It's a surprisingly rich taste I didn't expect. The longer taste of the coffee brings out more of the fruity nature of it. This is a Summer coffee to be sure. The fruity nature of the coffee just tastes like Summer. 

This is a decently strong coffee. No, it won't slap your face and wake you up. It's another coffee I've had where it slowly builds to wake you up. If you want a slow wake up morning, this is the coffee for you. On our Cher Scale, this is 5. This is Cher trying to rally the girls to save the club in Burlesque. 

Stone Creek has done a terrific job with this coffee. They have searched an area not known to be quality coffee, and found a gem. This coffee was a second place in a recent Cup of Excellence competition. Kudos to them for getting their hands on it and sharing it with the rest of us.

www.stonecreekcoffee.com

Charlie

Stone Creek Coffee Roasters Tour

As usual readers of this blog know, I discovered Stone Creek Coffee Roasters at CoffeeCon in Chicago, and have loved every coffee I've had from them.  This weekend we were in Wisconsin for a family gathering. Nothing ends a terrific weekend, like a quick stop in Milwaukee to tour the roasting facility/kitchen/headquarters for Stone Creek Coffee.

Mark and I got to join the tour, as they take you through a brief history of coffee, and the building which houses Stone Creek. In the past the building has been a Boston Store, Palmolive Soap fixtures and an antique store.

After the history lesson, we were taken downstairs to where the green beans are stored. Each of these bags contains about 160 lbs of green coffee beans. What I didn't know was how fragile coffee beans can be. These bags are designed to maintain the purity and flavor of the coffee. If it weren't for the protective bags, let's say the coffee was near gasoline, it is possible fumes could get into the coffee and alter the taste of the coffee.

The beans don't have to travel far to the roaster, it's upstairs. The Dietrich Roaster they use is an incredible piece of machinery to behold.


Of course this is where the magic happens.....what's so cool, is that you can smell it happening, and it's what I imagine Heaven smells like....well...Coffee Heaven.

Our next stop was the cupping and class rooms. This is where coffees are cupped, either coffees Stone Creek roasts, or other coffees that want to become Stone Creek coffees.  Our guide was kind enough to make espressos for anyone who cared for one. Duh...of course we wanted one. Mark and I both tasted notes of caramel. Quite yummy.


This marked the end of the tour, but not the end of our visit. We explored the cafe, and had to try something. We both chose a Boston Latte. This is one heck of a terrific drink. We also sampled some pastries. Might I suggest their scones!

We did shop...and boy did we shop. We got two very different coffees. One is a Bollivia Cima Del Jaguar, which is one of their Lab Series coffees. The second is Costa Rica Seasonal 2014. We will be drinking these coffees during this week, and I will be reviewing them.

I encourage folks to visit Stone Creek, take the tour and try their coffees. I think you will be very pleased you did. Mark and I had a wonderful time at Stone Creek, and our love affair with this company continues. Hmmmm.....I wonder if they do weddings at Stone Creek???

Charlie

Dark Roast or Cigarettes?

This morning we had the last of the Just Coffee Ugandan Pride. We needed another cup of coffee and breakfast. We had Einstein's Bagels and their dark roast coffee.

When you get coffee at a place that doesn't have coffee in the name, I think it's safe to assume the coffee is not that great. Einstein's likes to promote their coffee as "Darn good coffee." Their specialty is a Hazelnut, which smells great, and that's it. I got us the dark roast.

How to describe this coffee? First of all they serve it way too hot. WAY too hot. It's about 10 minutes before you can really drink it. Until then it's baby sips, worrying your tongue will burn. The taste, once you can drink it always takes me back to the 1980s when I briefly smoked Dunhills. Yes, I went through the don't I look cool smoking at the gay clubs. I didn't. This coffee tastes like I took a pretty big drag of a cigarette, then swallowed coffee, all at the same time. Sounds tasty right?

Sometimes beggars can't be choosers, but I almost would rather have had Dunkin Donuts' coffee this morning.

Charlie