Brotherhood of the Bean

Tired of wondering where else you can go for caffeine other than Starbucks or Caribou?  Check this out:

http://www.delocator.net/index.php

Simply go the website, type in your zip and it gives you a list of independant coffee shops in your area.  And if you know of one not listed, you can add it.  There’s also a link for use with your cell phone!

Pretty cool little site.  I used it and found a number of places I had no idea existed.  For those die hard Starbucks fans (why are you reading this anyway?) they also list local Starbucks.

One of the things I love about being in the 9rules Network is the community of bloggers it encompasses. While reading the Bright Meadow blog today I stumbled across a flickr picture she ran across.

Lokesh Dhakar’s guide to coffee is easy to understand and something I think most people would welcome seeing in their favorite coffee house.

NOTE: This is from a little over a year ago.  I mean to post it after I wrote it, but forgot, and it just sat in cyberspace.  All info is still valid. 

So there I was, in New Glarus Wisconsin last weekend. Started out with a couple local beers at a restaurant, continued on to a local brewery tour, and went on to Oktoberfest. Needless to say after a couple hours of that, I was half in the bag, and the wife was none too happy. So we’re walking to our car, and spot the CoffeeHaus. The wife quickly agreed to a cup of joe, hoping it would sober me up a little.

We both got our preferred drinks; hers a foofy drink, and me a cup of coffee with a shot of espresso. I was happy to say that it did the trick of at least making me feel more alert, if not more sober. The coffee was good, but more than that, the coffee was a good price. Normally for my drink at Starbucks, I think I pay around $3, but at the CoffeeHaus, it was much cheaper; I don’t totally remember the price, but remember thinking that this is a much more reasonable price to pay.

So what the hell is my point? I really don’t know, except that if you’re ever in New Glarus for the beer (and it is really good) stop at the CoffeeHaus for a good cup of coffee at a good price. Very friendly people and they get their beans from Victor Allen, who does a lot of roasting in the Madison area.

I have been away from home for almost three months, and away from my roaster and green beans, which means I’ve had to deal with other people making (roasting) my coffee. The problem with that is that most of the time, it sits on a store shelf for much longer than it’s actually good for, so it’s not very fresh. In addition, most of the time I haven’t had my Chemex coffee maker.

Now that I have my Chemex, I decided to search for a local roaster. I didn’t have my hopes up, but lo and behold, I found one about 15 minutes away. Turtle Creek Coffee Roasters is located in Columbia, SC, in a small industrial park. It’s owned and run by Mick. During my last trip to pick up coffee, he showed me around and told me how he grew from hobbyist, to roasting in the garage, to finally getting his own place. Mick is very knowledgeable about the whole roasting process as well as the huge variety of beans throughout the world. It was really interesting to talk to him.

His “shop” is where he roasts, packages, and sells out of. It’s a one man show, but he manages to do a great job keeping everything together, when he’s not delivering to the local restaurants.

So far I’ve tried the Panama and Daterra beans that he offers, and have enjoyed them both a lot. He sells to the general public as well as the local restaurants and businesses, so if you’re ever in the Columbia area, give Mick a call and try some of his fantastic coffee. When you’re there, ask for a sample of the coffee flavored candy he carries.

Let’s be honest, in the competitive world of coffee having an attention grabbing name is crucial.

Faced with hundreds of choices and an olfactory overload walking through a coffee isle, many times a coffee choice comes down to the name that sounds the best.

When I first heard about “Bad Ass Coffee” I knew they had a name that would compel people to try their coffee.

I found myself instinctively wanting to buy it just to offer some bad ass coffee to my friends and family.

But like anything, what appeals to some infuriates others. That is the case in Arizona where a recently opened “Bad Add Coffee House” is causing quite the stir.

The Arizona Republic reports one such residents feelings:

“We all have small children . . . and we don’t want to swear around them,” Surprise mom Heather Sutton said. “Now, you drive down the street, and there’s a swear word on someone’s sign.”

Despite the fact that Bad Ass Coffee is based on a Hawaiian Legend, and used in the context to refer to a donkey, the collective wail to “Save the Children!” is being heard around the world (hey, it did make the internet).

Heather Sutton’s comments make me wonder if she understands that the word “ass” has another meaning other than its more derogatory reference to a derrière? Maybe this sign is a good opportunity for her and other residents to talk to their children, and teach them something about words with multiple meanings?

Some other words they might talk about could include — bitch (female dog), gay (happy), fag (cigarette), and why not touch upon the offending “ass” word while they are at it?

In the case of the “ass” word there is a great teaching guide they can use, its called the Holy Bible which uses this offending word seventy-six times (King James Version). Just how sensitive have we become as a society?

I have to say that I really enjoyed the Arizona Republic’s article. Apparently this is not the first time residents have responded to the word ass — Ass Kickin’ Hot Sauce has just learned to ignore the residents since coming to town in 1989.

Councilman Gary “Doc” Sullivan knows that this will not be the last time the residents get up in arms over a name, a dog grooming business has recently applied for a business license. Its name? Doggy Style.

Who knows, maybe it will invoke thoughts of Snoop Dog instead of its other meaning.

So many times when I think about the cultural aspects of coffee I tend to focus on the atmosphere, the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, and the possibility of making new ones.

Call it “Cultural Coffee Consumerism” — the act of consumption is the primary focus and for the most part we remain disconnected from the coffee making process aside from any interactions we might have with the barista.

You and I both know how satisfying a coffee house experience can be to all those involved. Its an opportunity to reconnect and share, and an opportunity to meet new people. But is this all that the coffee experience has to offer?

What about the act of making coffee? What social benefit does it give if any? Does the act of making coffee add anything to the overall experience for either the coffee maker or the coffee consumers? I believe it can.

This weekend we had a friend of ours over who loves to cook. She does the kind of cooking that makes your eyes flutter, decadent culinary treats the avoid terms like “low fat” and “healthy”.  On the menu was stuffed French toast and egg casserole.

My contribution to this event was going to be freshly made cappuccinos. I happily dove into the task at hand and found myself getting emotionally invested in the act of making coffee for our guest cook,  my wife and mother-in-law.  Just knowing how much they would enjoy the cappuccinos caused me to enjoy the act of making the cappuccinos for them.  I was having fun, and I felt a warm glow inside.

I’ve felt this same kind of glow before when volunteering with my wife at a homeless shelter. I think there is just something about doing something for another person out of the goodness of your heart that can make a person feel amazing.

So I took my time, and made some of the best cappuccinos I have ever made for all of us and I had fun doing it.  Take my advice, have some friends over for coffee.

Make it a special event, do something interesting, become emotionally invested in serving coffee for your friends — you might just be surprised how it makes you feel.

Usually I would associate “killer coffee” with some damn good brew made with a choice selection of beans. However in Williamsport, PA one woman’s plans for her ex-husband included cocaine spike coffee.

According to the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, a bitter, no.. make that very bitter woman over her divorced came up with a plan to kill her husband. Her plan was to have his coffee spiked with cocaine to hopefully induce a heart attack. The poor fellow did have a bad ticker after all.

However, in what surely could make this woman a contender for a Darwin Award, she decided the best way to accomplish this murder would be to ask her ex-husband’s girlfriend to do the deed.

Needless to say, the police were notified. The drugs were allegedly give to the current girlfriend, several days later she called the ex-wife to tell her that she put the cocaine in his coffee and he was dead. The conversation — and the false information — was recorded.

Patricia Reiman was charged with criminal solicitation to commit murder, plus other offenses. The good news for Patricia is that I heard the coffee in the Williamsport County jail is killer.

Coffee brewing temperatures vary widely between brands running a gauntlet of temperatures. At 195 degrees, coffee can give third degree burns which is no laughing matter.

Everyone has different temperatures they like to drink their coffee at, my late Grandfather for instance insisted that it be almost boiling as crazy as that may sound.

Irregardless of person choice, there has been but one way to know when your coffee is ready to drink — taking a sip. That was until the Smart Lid.

Smart Lid Systems is a Sydney based product development company whose focus is the commercial application of smart packaging systems.

Their Smart Coffee lid starts out a uniform brown color ad quickly changes to bright red when put on a cup of coffee.

If the lid is not put on the coffee correctly, the uniform brown ring at its base will turn red. After just a few cups of coffee a person will be able to gauge what color matches the temperature that he or she likes to drink their coffee.

I think this is a great product that I hope coffee houses and chains will adopt. Providing an easy to understand safety measure like this is more than worth any additional cost over conventional lids. And I am sure would be a welcomed whole-heartedly by their Legal departments.