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