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