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Showing posts from May, 2018

Ross Street Dr. Doolittle's Espresso CLASSICO

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   Today I present my final bean from Ross Street Roasting. Ross Street Roasting Co. was founded in 2015 by small-town Iowa native, Brian Gumm. Brian spent a year and a half hobby roasting in his garage on Ross Street in Toledo, Iowa. The business scaled up from local word-of-mouth customers to begin serving cafés and retail stores in the Central Iowa area, as well as maintaining an online store that serves the entire US. In 2016, they moved into a 800 sq ft production facility in Tama, Iowa. In 2017 the business grew by over 160%, making significant progress on their mission to "Turn coffee drinkers into coffee lovers."    This is his Dr. Doolittle's Espresso CLASSICO blend. The blend is compromised of 100% Direct Trade coffees from Nicaragua & Papua New Guinea. Roaster Brian developed this blend with a friend from his hometown, Jeff Doolittle, who in addition to being an espresso aficionado is a practicing medical doctor. For his help in developing the line

Terra Nova Mexico

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   Here I have my 3rd bean from the people over at Terra Nova out of New Hampshire. Terra Nova Organic Coffee Roasters was founded in a barn on an organic farm in Gilsum, New Hampshire in 2005. When the original founders of Terra Nova decided to move on to new pursuits, one of their young baristas and her entrepreneurial husband decided to jump in and learn the craft. In the spring of 2011, the coffee roaster was moved in the back of a pickup truck across the River Road and into the Murphy’s red barn where the business grew, new coffees were introduced, and Terra Nova made its mark on the regional coffee scene. In 2017, Terra Nova made another big move into their custom brick and mortar roastery and espresso bar, allowing the roasting operation to increase capacity while giving customers an exceptional cafe experience featuring their on-site roasted, high quality organic beans.    This is their Mexico bean. Terra Nova notes this bean to be bright and medium bodied, sweet nut &a

Meta Thailand, Arabica Doi Pangkhon

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   Today I have a nice bean from Mike & Suzanne over at Meta Coffee out of Lincoln, Nebraska. Mike has been roasting coffee since 2006 and has always dreamed of sharing his beans with others who appreciate finely roasted excellent quality single origin coffee. Mike came up with the name when he realized metacognition and coffee really do go together. We benefit from thinking a little more carefully about the entire process that goes into the cups of coffee we drink. Coffee is an amazing drink that is connected to people at every step of the process. Mike excels at the roasting and extracting of coffee. Meta has a deep appreciation for the people that create coffee and the experience that occurs when we drink coffee.    This is their Thailand, Arabica Doi Pangkhon bean. This is a Kenya Style Washed bean from the Chiang Rai region. This bean is processed in the style of most Kenyan beans, it's depulped and dry fermented for one night, and then wet fermented again for

Pablo's Ethiopia Keffa

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   Here I have an amazing bean from the folks over at Pablo's Coffee. Pablo's roast coffee out of their small facility at 7th and Lipan, and serve it up in our two shops in Denver: Pablo's on 6th in historic Alamo Placita neighborhood and Pablo's on Penn in Capitol Hill. In 1995, founder Craig Conner quit his corporate job, sold his house, maxed out his credit cards and opened Pablo's Coffee with his friend Kris Kluver. They spent the next two years immersed in coffee culture and developing relationships with customers and co-workers that have flourished to this day. Kris has moved on, but Craig has continued to build relationships in the coffee world as they have all gained knowledge and experience in how to produce the best coffee. At Pablo's, they love each other and they love their customers. They are family born of a shared zeal for coffee.    This is their Ethiopia Keffa bean. This is a naturally processed bean from the Efrem Estate. Pablo's note

Black Iron Tanzania Mamsera

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   Today I have another bean from Black Iron Coffee out of Novi, Michigan. From roasting coffee at home as a hobby to creating the best coffee possible, that's how Black Iron started. Kevin discovered coffee late but realized quickly that there had to be different varieties and types of roasts of coffee. He then started his education in creating a better cup of coffee. After many years and many pounds of coffee given to family and friends, he decided to take his roasted coffee to the next level. The journey the coffee makes before it goes into his roaster is a very labor intensive and interesting process. He feels that it would be doing a disservice to that journey if he did not put in the time and effort into producing the best product he is capable of. Developing those tastes that make that coffee the best it can be is his challenge and his passion.    This is their Tanzania Mamsera bean. Black Iron notes flavors of apricot, dried fruit, & graham cracker. I brewed this

Quantum Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe

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   Today I have a very tasty bean from the folks over at Quantum Coffee Roasters. Quantum Coffee was started by Fidel and Diana Moreno. They are full time teachers in San Antonio, Texas teaching Physics and Math, respectively. Besides having a passion for education, they also have a passion for finding the best green coffee that can be sourced and roasting it just right. Their story begins when one day in class, a student asked if they would be interested in sampling some coffee he had roasted. Being completely intrigued and surprised that anyone would roast their own coffee, they responded with a quick yes! They had experienced the true flavors that coffee had to offer besides dark, darker, and darkest! They were hooked on freshly roasted coffee that hadn't been burnt down to its carbon backbone.They purchased the student's espresso machine, grinder and coffee roaster when he went off to college. Just like he did, they started giving away samples of their own roasted co

Dogwood Neon Espresso

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   Here I have my final bean from the good folks over at Dogwood Coffee Co. Dogwood Coffee Company is a small, quality-focused roaster based in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Winnipeg, Manitoba. Quality is the driving factor behind what they do and building relationships is fundamental to their sourcing process and overall approach to doing business.    This is their Neon Espresso blend. Dogwood notes flavors of citrus, sparkling fruit, and sweet tang . I brewed this at my 1:12 ratio & also as a pourover at a 1:16 ratio. Dogwood used 2 different beans in this blend: a Costa Rica, Trinidad bean & an Ethiopia, Mulish bean. This was a nice blend. Great acidity. Caramel, nutty sweetness. Stone fruits. Made for a tasty cold brew & pourover.    Many thanks to Ben & Dogwood for the tasty beans. They sent me an amazing care package with some super tasty beans, so make sure to go show these guys some love. They know their coffee. Go check them out here:   dogwoodcoffee.co

Ross Street Peru

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   Today I present my 3rd bean from Ross Street Roasting for you guys. Ross Street Roasting Co. was founded in 2015 by small-town Iowa native, Brian Gumm. Brian spent a year and a half hobby roasting in his garage on Ross Street in Toledo, Iowa. The business scaled up from local word-of-mouth customers to begin serving cafés and retail stores in the Central Iowa area, as well as maintaining an online store that serves the entire US. In 2016, they moved into a 800 sq ft production facility in Tama, Iowa. In 2017 the business grew by over 160%, making significant progress on their mission to "Turn coffee drinkers into coffee lovers."    This is one of his Peru offerings. It is a blend of high-scoring lots from smallholder farms in the Cajamarca Region. I brewed this at my 1:12 ratio. I am beginning to notice that I tend to like Peru beans; not as much as my natural Ethiopians though. Nice apple-citrus acidity. Fruity & sweet, with notes of stone fruits, like cherry

Legal Speed Ethiopia Sidamo Guji

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   Today I present another fantastic bean from the dudes over at Legal Speed. This made for one super tasty cold brew. Legal Speed spends most of their time as touring musicians, while on tour they felt the constant need to burrow into each city in search of local food and finely crafted coffee. The preferred mode of transportation has always been by bike; finding the finest local coffee roasters in each city became a sport, and their passion for the dark coffee arts was born. In the summer of 2016 they had their coffee roaster set up in Southern California and started working on their craft. They look to help build and caffeinate a community that embraces positivity, creativity, delicious coffee and exploring the world via bike.    This is their washed Ethiopia Sidamo Guji bean. I brewed this at my 1:12 ratio. Legal Speed notes flavors of floral and Madagascar vanilla. This was an amazing coffee. Very floral with a nice citric acidity. Caramel sweetness. Stone fruits. Very tasty

Terra Nova Honduras

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   Today I have another tasty bean from the people over at Terra Nova out of New Hampshire. Terra Nova Organic Coffee Roasters was founded in a barn on an organic farm in Gilsum, New Hampshire in 2005. Over the years they have refined their process, from sourcing to blending to roasting, from packaging, efficiency, to community relationships and more. Their crew has grown from a tight knit group of family members who worked long and wacky hours, to a professional crew of passionate coffee pros who know their coffees in and out, and craft each batch with care. From day one, Terra Nova has been dedicated to offering the highest quality coffee experience to customers while never compromising on their commitment to be 100% organic, ethically oriented, and kind and collaborative with their customers, crew, and community.    This is their Honduras bean. Terra Nova notes this bean to be nutty & chocolaty, have mild acidity, and have a clean & sweet aroma. This bean is also 100%

Dogwood Ethiopia Refisa

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   Here I have another fantastic bean I've featured from the folks over at Dogwood Coffee Co. Dogwood Coffee Company is a small, quality-focused roaster based in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Winnipeg, Manitoba. Quality is the driving factor behind what they do and building relationships is fundamental to their sourcing process and overall approach to doing business.    This is their Ethiopia Refisa bean. Refisa is the name of a collective washing station where 385 members send their cherries to be processed. This station is located in the Guji zone in southern Ethiopia. I brewed this at my 1:12 ratio. Another great bean from these guys that made for a nice cold brew. Floral & citrus & tart. Nice acidity. Tasty stone fruits of peach & plum & berries. Very tasty.    Many thanks to Ben & Dogwood for the tasty beans. They sent me an amazing care package, so make sure to go check these guys out, show some love, give them a follow, and buy some tasty goods from

Black Iron Blast Furnace Cold Brew

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   Today I have a bean from Black Iron Coffee out of Novi, Michigan. From roasting coffee at home as a hobby to creating the best coffee possible, that's how Black Iron started. Kevin discovered coffee late but realized quickly that there had to be different varieties and types of roasts of coffee. He then started his education in creating a better cup of coffee. After many years and many pounds of coffee given to family and friends, he decided to take his roasted coffee to the next level. The journey the coffee makes before it goes into his roaster is a very labor intensive and interesting process. He feels that it would be doing a disservice to that journey if he did not put in the time and effort into producing the best product he is capable of. Developing those tastes that make that coffee the best it can be is his challenge and his passion.    This is Black Iron's Blast Furnace Cold Brew blend. This is a blend of 3 different beans of 2 different roast levels. The bea

Tony’s Chocolonely Milk Chocolate bar with sea salt and caramel

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   Here I have a fantastic chocolate bar for everyone. Recently I reached out to Tony's (after seeing them in my local World Market store) and they have been kind enough to supply me with some of their bars for me to share with everyone.    In 2005 Dutch investigative reporter Teun (Tony) van de Keuken launched an investigation about the use of slavery within the cocoa industry on his consumer report show Keuringsdienst van Waarde. He was literally shocked to discover that most of the chocolate on supermarket shelves was harvested by slaves—worse, by child slaves. He decided to do something about it. On November 29th 2005, Teun decided to lead by example and make 5,000 Fairtrade chocolate bars. Tony’s Chocolonely was born. The very first Fair Trade Tony’s Chocolonely bars hit the supermarket shelves in 2005. In 2006 they became legit by registering with the Chamber of Commerce. They’ve been high-flying ever since, but today their number one priority remains the same as it was

Dash Guatemala San Pedro, Atitlan

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   Today I have a tasty bean from the fine folks over at Dash Coffee Roasters. Dash roasts out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "Good enough isn't good enough." That is what pushes Dash to do better. Properly hand brewed and roasted coffee, meticulously made espresso, and delicious food. Adding that extra bit of intentionality is what sets them apart. They are a group of people who are passionate about building community and offering specialty grade coffee. Their goal is to transform the coffee scene with a higher level of service and a better product.    This is one of their Guatemala bean offerings. A washed bean from San Pedro, Atitlan. Coffee beans hailing from the Atitlan region are grown along the slopes of the numerous area volcanoes. The rich, volcanic soil and high-elevation produce slow-growing beans unlike any other origin. Harvested beans are washed with the waters of Lake Atitlan. I brewed this at my 1:12 ratio. Dash notes flavors of cherry, cola, & cocoa. Th