How Cute is This?!?!?

Our daughter Quinn and her new kid. Spring has finally arrived! In addition to the twins we have brought in two more coffees. One from Costa Rica and "El Torro" from Columbia. The Costa Rican - Hacienda Sonora from the West Valley - Bourbon, Pulped Natural "Honey". Flavors of Cocoa, honey, honeydew, and green tea, leaves you with a satiny mouthfeel. The Columbian - more complex than most Columbian coffees; sweet, clean and balanced, slightly syrupy - a nice big bean!

Juan Valdez wannabe

Roaster's Guild Retreat 2010

took place this year the 3rd weekend of August at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson Washington.

Worth Repeating...

I believe humans get a lot done, not because we're smart, but because we have thumbs so we can make coffee. ~Flash Rosenberg

Beans from Bolivia

Now roasted. Here's the profile comments. Fair Trade, Organic Certified CENAPROC (FLO ID 866): The Central Asociados Productores de Cafe is made up of 85 active farmers (as of 2006,) and primarily produces Typica and Caturra varieties at elevations ranging from 1,400 - 1,700 masl. The acidity of this coffee is characterized by focused apricot and nectarine stone fruit, complemented by soft graham and honey flavors. A touch of butterscotch in the finish rounds out the cup for a very rich and satisfying profile.

Beans in lieu of strawberries

Today marked the arrival of 3 new beans. Oh yes, the Guatemalan we've had before - a super cold pressed coffee for summer, when it decides to arrive. But the Bolivia and the Indian Monsooned Malabar is new to our roaster. I am very excited to give these two new beans a go. Monsooned Malabar from India is just that, it is exposed to moisture laden monsoon winds for 3 months after drying and processing , but before shipping. This process produces a puffy yellow bean that increases body all the while reducing acidity. Its commonly used in espresso blends. But we will roast it as a single origin. If you like the coffees from Indonesia, you should love this one as well. The Bolivian coffee is grown at 4600-6000'. This coffee is 100% shade grown, certified organic and Fair Trade.

New Crops are In!

A quick trip to Seattle produced two new bags of beans. First we have from Indonesia, a Certified Organic Transfair Sumatra. This coffee's clean preparation enhances spicy, herbal aromatics, while emphasizing a syrupy body and an acidity slightly higher than conventional Mandhelings. Then from Brazil we have "Porta Rossa". This coffee is very sweet and think throught the mid-tones, with a hint of roasted ground nut and a toffee finish. YUM!

I'd also like to point out the included artwork was done by the 1st/2nd grade class at Sauvie Island Elementary using Sauvie Island Coffee as a medium. Clever eh?