Because it’s still hot outside, and because we all need a little variety from time-to-time, we’re Flash Brewing our Colombia Medium Roast Coffee.What is Flash Brew?“Flash brew” is a fancy (dare we say.. flashy :) term for a very simple brew method. Bascially, you brew coffee over ice. Instead of using all the [...]
Traveling through a winding verdant tunnel deep in North Carolina’s Nantahala forest, Leigh and Clay Hartman’s 12 year-old-son weighs in on their potential move from Charlotte to the tiny mountain town of Highlands.“My soul is here. When can we move?”Despite harrowing curves on the 4,100-foot ascent as you drive up to Highlands, the [...]
Steve Clark has probably made over 1 million lattes since he moved to western North Carolina back in the early 2000’s.Watching him work on a busy morning is a lesson in barista efficiency. He stands squarely in front of a silver La Marzocco – never leaving his station – steadily building lattes and cappuccinos [...]
What? You can make cold brew on a camping trip?Yes. DIY cold brew is probably the best choice for an overnight outdoor adventure. Here’s why:1. It’s Easy to PrepareOnce your campsite is set-up, you can prep coffee for the next morning. Simply drop a cold brew pack in water. Cover. And forget [...]
Chajul, GuatemalaLast week, some 1,200 small-scale farmers in the remote highlands of Guatemala received a month’s worth of basic foodstuffs from Asociacion Chajulense, the cooperative they co-own and manage. The food supplies are meant to support farmers during the coronavirus pandemic, and it was funded, in part, by your coffee purchases.Food Costs are [...]
San Marcos, GuatemalaCoffee farmers in Guatemala are facing many of the same challenges as those in Colombia. (See our update from Cauca, Colombia, here).“The hardest is to plan, not knowing what is coming down the road,” Carlos Reynoso, general manager of Manos Campesinas, said in a May 29th interview.Manos Campesinas and Apecaform [...]
In the United States, our supply chains, health care systems, public institutions and economy have all been put to the test by coronavirus.But how has life changed for coffee farmers? So many coffee producers live with little-to-no access to social services or emergency government support during normal times. Has this pandemic exacerbated those vulnerabilities?In [...]
Written by Dawn Daniels McNearMany people ask, “What is Juneteenth? What’s wrong with the Fourth of July? Why does everything have to be about separation? Can’t we all just get along?” The quick answers are African-American Freedom Day, everything and nothing, it’s not and yes, but it takes everyone being invested in diversity, equity [...]
Kindness goes a long way.Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been heartened by the stories of kindness. Small acts that are seemingly insignificant in a world where we’re trying navigating a pandemic and hundreds of years of racism.Small, random acts of kindness give us hope.The moms who’ve employed their [...]
Step-by-Step Instructions for at-home Cold BrewLooking for ways to keep cool and caffeinate?Make cold brew at home. It’s cheaper than buying it at already brewed. It allows you to control the strength of your coffee. And, if you use our pre-portioned, pre-ground filter packs, it’s the easiest clean-up ever. (Yes. Ever.)Here’s how [...]
If you’re brewing more coffee at home these days, you might want to experiment a little. Pour-over brewing allows you to control the variables that impact cup quality, rather than letting a machine do it for you.There’s a whole world of pour-over devices out there. Below is a recipe for a Hario V60 – [...]
Long before COVID-19 entered our lives, sustainable coffee was working to combat a price crisis in specialty coffee and also do its part to combat the climate crisis. Specialty coffee farmers worldwide were being drastically underpaid for their contributions to the industry and the planet was on-track for suffering irreparable damage at the hands of [...]
