All is well

Sitting here at one of my favorite coffee shops, 1515 Broadway, down in the D, nurturing a wonderful americano (thanks Danny!) and reflecting on all that has happened thus far. 2 months in, and I really have to say, it's a fantastic journey and all is well. Seems like we are meeting all the right people, making all the right connections, learning and relearning so much. And if it's been this much fun in just the first 2 months, I cannot imagine what the future holds. I know, I know, you're saying "yeah, just wait til you're open and working ALL day every day". Well, to that I say, "I can't wait". I'll take 80 hours (and more) each week at the shop over 40 what I'm doing now any day. I mean, I already have "relearned" more about coffee and "the business" in the past couple of months than everything I know about my current industry, and I've been there a solid 10 years. Opening the shop is not something I need to do, I mean, I'm not losing my current job and there is no great urgency to switch careers... I have all the time in the world to open the shop. But, as I think of what I just said, this IS something I need to do. The end of getting in the car each morning and driving to the job where my main focus is getting through the day to get back in the car and go home is on the horizon. Ah yes, with just that in my noggin, how can all not be well? The dream is alive and growing and with each day, each thing I read, every person I meet, I find another reason to take the next step. Yes, truly, all is well....

*And as if I needed another reason, about halfway through this post, I went up to the counter to get another americano, and Danny said it was on him. Thanks again.. Next time you're down around Broadway and John R, stop in to 1515. You'll get a great java and conversation...

Caffeine Super Hero

Coffee Junkies, UNITE!

(Picture a superhero team of jittering, shaking, super-caffeine-charged muscle men and women in brightly colored unitards clanking their cafe-stained mugs in a rally call to go forth and fight.... um...  caffeine withdrawl?)

I'm feeling like that superhero right now, sipping the end of my iced coffee... the beans for which I roasted last night.  Peruvian Fair Trade Organic... city roast.  Yum.

Why, you ask, do I feel this way?  Because we were ON the LIST!  Yeah, I'm not sure how much clout that actually earned us.  BUT, a coffee blogger out there who seems to have some kind of clout in this crazy underground world (at least he has sponsors on his web page) INCLUDED us as eighth on his list of must read coffee blogs.

Yeah, I'm cool like that.  (And when I say "me," what I really mean is "we.")

Not to mention that we sold out of ALL our coffee last week (shhhhhh... this is a clandestine operation... just friends sharing coffee with friends.  winky wink)  One of our friends who has a really delicate palate, and has been ordering twenty-something-ish dollars a pound Italian espresso... really liked our French Roast!  Of course, I don't remember what kind of beans they were.  I think Ethiopian.  We are working on setting up a database so we can "remember" what our friends like best, and of course, what they abhor.

Hey, any tech friends want to write a FB app like the Friend Wheel... only for coffee preference?  I won't take a cut of the profit, as long as you let us use it for free and name it "Caffeine Junkee."  Mmmmkay?

All right, super coffee junkee- out.

Caffeine Junkee- When one cup just isn't enough

I worked VERY HARD on this label.  Well, it wouldn't have been so hard if I had already known how to unzip a file and drop it into my computer's font file.  Nor would it have been so hard if I had been able to USE said font with the Avery Label Maker Template.  Needless to say, I did everything the old fashioned way... and I LOVE IT!

Now, I know this is "just" friends sharing coffee... and we are not an established business *yet*.  But, creating things like this is really exciting for me.  I do it for everything... Christmas cookies for the neighbors would never be on paper plates with cling wrap crumpled across the top!  Nope, custom labels on smart bakery bags or layered in jars with a pro-quality sticker on the front and perfectly printed recipe.

It was mortifying to me when Jay handed people bags with the word "nuggets" scrawled across the top in black magic marker.  Mortifying.  So here they are, the new custom labeled bags.  These two were custom roasts for Aaron... "Aaron's In Your Face Roast" and "Krieger's Good in the Sack Roast."  Think about the possibilities with this roast... do you want a bag of coffee as a gift for a friend who can take a joke ("Black as My Soul Roast"), or to leave by the coffee pot at work ("Get Back to Your Desk Ya Slacker Roast")?  For you wife ("Martha is Lovely in the Morning Roast"), or your husband ("Jason Can Work the Coffee Pot Roast")?  Let us know, as these very cool custom labels are now at the tip of my fingers!

So go down to the right of this blog... ===>>>  Click on that PayPal "Add to Cart" button, and get yourself one of the coolest bags of coffee in town.  (Starting next week, we will be roasting on demand.  How often can you demand something of someone... and have them actually jump to it... I mean really?)

Yup, I'm happy

Wow. I experienced a little coffee nirvana this afternoon. I decided to take a drive out to Chazzano Coffee in Ferndale, and was beyond pleased. I went in hopes of meeting Frank, the owner, and hopefully talk shop about roasting and coffee in general. Frank however was not to be found today. Turns out he was spending the day with family, but that didn't stop me from spending some time at the shop hanging with the staff while enjoying an absolutely fantastic americano made with some Ethiopian Sidamo and buying a few pounds of green beans. Although Chazzano is primarily a roaster, there is a nice espresso bar with seating for only about a dozen or so people. This afternoon during my visit, a young musician was singing and playing guitar, something you wouldn't expect on a Sunday afternoon. Absolutely wonderful. 

 I have already roasted up my Honduran Santa Rosa, and within a few days will do the Nicarauan Jinotega. 

I cannot say enough great things about my entire experience today. The space, the people, the product... I will definitely be frequenting Chazzanos as often as possible, and suggest you head there as well. Hey, I have an idea, let's meet there soon for a coffee. What say you?

From a Little Green Seed

Mary, Mary, quite contrary.  How does your garden grow?

In an empty coke bottle with soil and water,

See it!  It's the tiny vertical line in the middle.

that's how my coffee garden grows!

There's a sprout!  There's a sprout!  Two of the six Guatemalan green beans that Chailyn and I planted in our home-made coke bottle terrarium have shown their leafy heads!

Do you see how many exclamation points I have used?!  Can you tell I am excited?!

Now, I have to tell you that I have a black thumb.  Seriously, I kill everything except tomato plants.  And maybe the red chili plants in my garden.  But if it's INSIDE, it's as good as dead.  So... we shall see if these little things make it past newborn phase.

And should they survive- there are also negative consequences I will have to deal with:  If I grow them hearty enough to eventually bear fruit, my sunny meditation room will feel like The Jungle Book.  However, in three years we'll be able to brew about one pot of coffee from the painstakingly fermented, dried, and roasted cherries.

Stay tuned!