Truman Cold Brew

   Today I present a very unique bean from Steadfast Coffee out of Franklin, Tennessee. Steadfast Coffee Roasters create a distinct roasting profile for every coffee in order to accentuate its terroir, or unique growing environment. They cup every batch of coffee that’s roasted to ensure the quality of the seed has been maintained and to dial in their profiles as consistently as possible. They also celebrate the hard work that has come before them by using sustainable and relationship-building sourcing practices with both farmers and importers. Their roasting team takes “origin trips” to source, cup and score their coffees at the farms themselves. After making buying decisions on the spot, it’s then their joint duty to find a trust-worthy importer to transport the coffee. The result is the ultimate in sustainable purchasing, longevity of product quality, and traceability on the farm level.     This is their Huehuetenango Regional Select Bean. This is ...

   Today I have a super tasty bean from Mylo Coffee Co. Mylo Coffee is the realization of a lifelong dream of owner and head baker Stephanos Mylonas and his wife Monica. The couple met and received much of their culinary education in the United Kingdom where they were inspired by the seasonality and consciousness of consumption that had lately arisen there. They relocated to Monica’s hometown of Little Rock to open a shop that reflected their appreciation of both craftsmanship and community presence. What began as a stall at the farmers market is now a bright shopfront in the heart of Hillcrest.     I met up with Markos at Mylo on a Sunday morning on our return home to Kansas City from Little Rock. Ordered my wife one of the trainers chai lattes she says she’s ever had, and Markos & I talked shop. They have a bright & beautiful space with some very tasty pastries to go with their great coffee. This is their Las Lajas Perla Negra bean. An organ...

   Today I present an amazing bean from one of my favorite Roasters, Messenger Coffee based right here in my hometown of Kansas City. Messenger Coffee is beyond fair trade sourced and manually roasted in Kansas City. Messenger creates excellent, artisan-level roasts from the best coffees available while taking care of their coffee farmers in a way that goes above and beyond the status quo. They are head over heels for discovering new coffees, artfully coaxing out the best characteristics of the bean for us to enjoy. Their roasting is a collaboration between Kiersten, their head roaster, and the rest of their team as they work to have the best quality of coffee in their lineup. They roast on two fully manual San Franciscan drum roasters, and everything is still done by hand & by scent & by ear, listening to and smelling coffees at the production level and at the sample level when they are choosing coffees to add to the lineup: They sample and test hundreds of cof...

   Today I have a bean from Bodhi Leaf. Bodhi Leaf is a small company out of beautiful Southern California. What they lack in size, they make up for in service. Their mission is to provide large and small roasters with exceptional coffees, economical prices, and excellent customer service. Their dedication to quality and service is fueled by their commitment to their customers, a fervent caffeine addiction, and ongoing research. They proudly perform extensive research on every batch of coffee beans so that every import is filled with the best coffee beans in the world. The Bodhi Leaf has long been a symbol for peace, happiness, prosperity, longevity and good luck. It is a reminder of the ultimate potential that lies within us all. They use this philosophy to continually build and strengthen relationships with coffee farmers and their families all over the world. These relationships allow them to provide high end specialty coffee directly from their farms to your cup....

   Today I’m featuring a tasty bean from the folks over at Ristretto Roasters. Ristretto Roasters produces handcrafted coffees out of Portland, Oregon. They roast in small batches and specialize in a medium roast. They offer four blends – Beaumont, Cowboy, Tres Burros and sugar- process decaf – suitable for every brewing method. Ristretto also features a roster of single-origin coffees. Their offerings change with the seasons, with what farmers they work with are growing, and what they love drinking now. Ristretto founder Din Johnson sources their coffee beans. They work directly with coffee farmers in Brazil, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Colombia and other coffee-producing countries. Ristretto has been featured on the Google campuses in Washington and in bakeries in Hong Kong.     This is their Beaumont Blend. I brewed this at my 1:12 ratio. Ristretto notes flavors of Chocolate truffle, maraschino cherry, toasted coconut. This is a blend of coffees from Bra...

   Today I have a tasty bean from the folks over at Trailhead Coffee Roasters. Trailhead is based out of Portland, Oregon. Their coffees are harvested with care — organic, sustainable and well above fair trade prices. Many of their coffees come from woman-owned cooperatives throughout the coffee growing regions. With excellent beans in hand, they develop a roasting profile based upon chemistry and experience — one that creates the most magic in the cup. Each roast is computer monitored and adjusted for batch consistency. They dwell in the world of medium roast. A medium roast allows the nuance of origin to shine through while getting the nice caramelization that happens as you move beyond light roasts. Their bags are hand printed in-house, which I love. Definitely has a handmade feel to it. They design the artwork, blend the colors and roll the ink for every bag. Cargo bikes transport their coffee to markets, cafes, offices and restaurants in Portland. For clients outsi...

   Today I present a bean from Swings Coffee. Swing’s Coffee Roasters has been part of the Washington, DC coffee culture for nearly 100 years. The M.E. Swing Co. was established in Washington, D.C. by M.E. Swing and his son, Edward Swing, in 1916. Father and son found a ready market for the premium Arabica beans which were imported from Africa, Latin America, and the Far East. In 1920, the company opened its now historic Mesco Coffee Roasters building at 1013 E Street. Swing’s passionate customers have literally traveled the world with their beans in tow, sharing their coffee with others, and relating tales of “this obscure coffee roaster in DC.” That level of devotion has kept the roasters running all this time. In 2013, Swing’s opened a new roastery and coffee bar with the sole intent of delivering exceptional coffees and a unique coffee experience to their following. They hope to strengthen an existing bond and extend their reach to those who have yet to discover wha...

   Today I present one of my favorite beans of late. This made for one super tasty cold brew. This is a bean from the folks over at Legal Speed Coffee & Supply. 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 El Salvador Finca Shangri La Red Honey Process Bean. I brewed this at my 1:12 ratio. Legal Speed notes flavors of Simple Syrup, Stone Fruit, and Hugs. This was a...

   No Scoop Needed !!!     This was the tastiest Kickstarter I’ve yet to back. Cosmik is a freeze dried ice cream made by Robert Collignon in New York’s Catskill Mountains. The freeze drying process involves a combination of very low pressure and temperature. This causes the ice to magically transform from a solid to a gas. This ice cream is super tasty. I ordered all 4 flavors they had available at the time; mint chocolate chip, Mexican chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, & cookies & cream. Their website just went live today, and they added a new flavor; strawberry. These bars were crazy good. Amazing texture that’s hard to describe. With all organic ingredients being used, these are some well made deserts. Perfect for traveling, camping, or simply at home snacking!     I strongly suggest picking up a bar or two. Would make for an awesome Christmas gift as well! Go grab some interesting treats:   cosmik.c...

   Today I bring to you another tasty coffee from Good Trip Coffee. While traveling in Nicaragua, Angela & Andrew began buying green coffee from local markets, roasting it on the stove, and making cold brew. They played with different roasts and created drinks using simple ingredients. The results were delicious, and ignited an exciting chain of events. On October 11, 2016, Good Trip Coffee Co. was born. Two months later, they opened their website and launched their product line of artisan brews.     This is their single origin Rwanda Izuba bag. They source this bean from rotating women’s cooperatives in Rwanda. The current offering comes from the Maraba Cooperative, and is part of ongoing efforts by the Bloomberg philanthropy to combat poverty among rural women. Good Trip mentions bright notes of cherry and a dark chocolate body. The cold brewing process for their bags is super simple. Drop 2 compostable bags of coffee in a jar, place in the frid...

   Today I’m featuring a tasty bean from Joe Bean Coffee. At the core of Joe Bean is a diverse group of people—a combination of family and friends. What brought this diverse group together was a rally call to create a coffee-loving city—a call to bring specialty coffee to Rochester, New York. As a team of people that love sharing culinary experiences, it has been natural for them to merge their various food and drink passions with their affinity for coffee. Pushing the boundary of what a coffee bar can and should be is a constant motivation, not to mention pretty exciting.     This is their Kenya Gachirago bean. A washed Bean from the Gachirago Washing Station in Kiambu county. It’s a AA top microlot mix of SL-28 and SL-34 varietals. I brewed this at my 1:12 ratio. Joe Bean notes flavors of cherry, grape candy, black tea, and lemon blossom. This was quite the floral bean. Very fragrant; loved the smell of this as I was grinding them up. Nice berry swe...

   Today’s coffee comes to us from Bonfire Coffee out of Colorado. Their cafe is in Carbondale while their roasting takes place out in Glenwood Springs. Bonfire’s quest is to consciously and ethically source the highest quality coffees, and benefit every community involved, from farm to your cup. They small batch roast these coffees, aware and respectful of the dedication it has taken to bring them to us.     This is their Central Scrutinizer Blend. A Central American blend that is roasted just right for a pleasing, all around coffee. The origins of the beans are Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala. I brewed this at my 1:12 ratio. Bonfire notes a smooth coffee with lots of chocolate and citrus. This was a smooth and creamy cold brew. Chocolate and caramel sweetness. Nice orange and cherry notes. Nice tart acidity. Tasty bean.     Many thanks to Jeff and Bonfire for the great beans.  Go see what they have to offer: ...

   Today I have a tasty bean from Happy Rock Coffee. Happy Rock is an award winning small batch micro-roaster, hidden in the heart of Gladstone Oregon. They started their business in 1999. Some of their awards include winning the Best Coffee In Oregon Championships in 2013.     Today's bean is their Modern Italian. I brewed this at my 1:12 ratio. Happy Rock states this as a Medium Roast Coffee, with hints of orange and milk chocolate with butterscotch undertones. This bean was also the winner of the 2015 Golden Bean Award Best Espresso. This was a nice smooth cold brew. Sweet and citrusy. Definitely vibing on those rich chocolatey, caramel notes. Can definitely see how this would make for a nice hot coffee & Espresso. Bet this goes great with some cream. Might try that next.     Many thanks to Happy Rock for the tasty beans.  Go see what these folks have to offer:   happyrockcoffee.com

   Today I present a delicious coffee from the folks over at Corvus Coffee. Corvus Coffee has set out to be the Rocky Mountains' most widely respected coffee company. They provide coffee through strategic wholesale partnerships and (soon) multiple craft-focused company espresso bars in Denver and the surrounding areas. They have multiple coffees which have placed in or won the Cup of Excellence, or provide a similar level of vibrance and flavor. Each of their coffees is hand picked and processed with care from small farms around the world. They value the efforts of the farmer very highly and are very fortunate to work with importers who feel the same way. Actively seeking out farmers who put more than an average level of effort into improving their crops year over year is their way of contributing and paying homage to the work at Origin.     This is their Sonora Honey, Costa Rica. A single varietal Villa Sarchi bean, honey processed. I brewed this at ...