Are you sipping a cup of Mexican Altura coffee in the shadow of Mount Mansfield here in Vermont? Maybe you are enjoying some Ethiopian Sidamo coffee miles away in Massachusetts or across the country in California.
No matter where you are, it's become so simple for us to get together for coffee through out the Brown and Jenkins' website, blogs and now with our Brown and Jenkins Facebook page. Yes, I'm even learning how to send tweets through Twitter! I can't tell you how much these social media applications are changing the face of both our local and Internet business.
Having spent years of my life as a professional chef, my main clients were face to face and able to give immediate feedback in real time. Now that I run a gourmet coffee roastery café in this rural corner of Vermont, you might think that getting feedback from our online customers would be a challenge. Not so!
It's so fun to get comments from all over the country. Please tell me what you're drinking, and what corner of the world you are drinking it in! And if you ever get a chance to visit the Green Mountains, Burlington or any of the local ski resorts, make sure you stop in to chat in person. Until then, I continue to enjoy our virtual coffee connection.
Networking Event for Locals:
Come to our next Coffee and Cards Networking Social to meet other Vermont business owners and to hear Sara Spenser of GotClicks talk about innovative ways to market your business online. It's here at Brown and Jenkins Monday, April 5 from 7pm to 9pm.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
How a Former Gourmet Chef gets Cooking with Coffee
As you sip your hot and steaming mug of Costa Rican coffee, think about what else those finely ground coffee beans are good for. It's no secret that cooking and coffee are two of my passions. That's why I also run a second Cookin' with Coffee blog that features some of my favorite recipes which incorporate my favorite brewed java juice or coffee grounds.
If you're not familiar with using coffee in your recipes, consider that it is a great ingredient for things like chili, cakes, breads, stews, candy and even for main entrees. I recently served a Mahogany Glazed Chicken that uses brewed coffee, molasses and some other unexpected ingredients to create a sensational and savory main course. I'm also fond of a coffee rub that makes the best tasting maple glazed pork ribs I've ever tasted!
Is your mouth watering yet?
As a former gourmet chef, I love experimenting with new dishes, and trying those that others come up with. As the owner of Brown and Jenkins coffee roastery, I also encourage the innovation of our local and online customers to come up with original uses for gourmet coffee.
So, if you can come up with a great original recipe, send it in! I'll post in on the Cookin' with Coffee blog, and send you a free bag of some great tasting gourmet coffee beans. Take a look at the recipe for Coffee and Pepper Crusted Vermont Steaks that was sent in by local marketing guru Julie Andrews. I can't wait to see what you come up with!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
If you're not familiar with using coffee in your recipes, consider that it is a great ingredient for things like chili, cakes, breads, stews, candy and even for main entrees. I recently served a Mahogany Glazed Chicken that uses brewed coffee, molasses and some other unexpected ingredients to create a sensational and savory main course. I'm also fond of a coffee rub that makes the best tasting maple glazed pork ribs I've ever tasted!
Is your mouth watering yet?
As a former gourmet chef, I love experimenting with new dishes, and trying those that others come up with. As the owner of Brown and Jenkins coffee roastery, I also encourage the innovation of our local and online customers to come up with original uses for gourmet coffee.
So, if you can come up with a great original recipe, send it in! I'll post in on the Cookin' with Coffee blog, and send you a free bag of some great tasting gourmet coffee beans. Take a look at the recipe for Coffee and Pepper Crusted Vermont Steaks that was sent in by local marketing guru Julie Andrews. I can't wait to see what you come up with!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Reducing the Carbon Footprint of your Gourmet Coffee
Got a cup of steaming Celebes Kalossi (or your favorite cup of Joe)? Then welcome to our coffee blog.
Are you drinking out of a ceramic mug or travel mug? More and more the visitors to our coffee roastery in Cambridge, Vermont opt to bring their own mugs or to use our ceramic mugs instead of disposable paper cups. (We do use ones made of recycled materials.) Frankly, that's one of my favorite things about Vermonters. We’re the type of folks who take action, rather than just complain.
To that end, I thought I'd share some of the many ways that we've been doing our part, here at Brown and Jenkins, to reduce our own carbon footprint in the business we do everyday. I think you'll be surprised at some of the innovative ways our local friends, farmers and business owners find to help reuse and recycle the by-products of our Vermont coffee business.
Of course, we try to reduce the amount of waste we produce by offering coffee mugs instead of paper travel cups. And we follow state guidelines to have an after burner to mange smoke from the roaster. But the real innovation comes from working with our local friends and neighbors who find uses for several things that we are done with.
Burlap Coffee Bags are used by local:
Fisherman who fill them with cracked corn and use it to attract fish
Horse lovers to wipe down horses
Hunters to make curtains for their deer camps
Artists in their creations
Students for sac races
Residents for wall art
Are you drinking out of a ceramic mug or travel mug? More and more the visitors to our coffee roastery in Cambridge, Vermont opt to bring their own mugs or to use our ceramic mugs instead of disposable paper cups. (We do use ones made of recycled materials.) Frankly, that's one of my favorite things about Vermonters. We’re the type of folks who take action, rather than just complain.
To that end, I thought I'd share some of the many ways that we've been doing our part, here at Brown and Jenkins, to reduce our own carbon footprint in the business we do everyday. I think you'll be surprised at some of the innovative ways our local friends, farmers and business owners find to help reuse and recycle the by-products of our Vermont coffee business.
Of course, we try to reduce the amount of waste we produce by offering coffee mugs instead of paper travel cups. And we follow state guidelines to have an after burner to mange smoke from the roaster. But the real innovation comes from working with our local friends and neighbors who find uses for several things that we are done with.
Burlap Coffee Bags are used by local:
Fisherman who fill them with cracked corn and use it to attract fish
Horse lovers to wipe down horses
Hunters to make curtains for their deer camps
Artists in their creations
Students for sac races
Residents for wall art
Leftover coffee grounds are used as fertilizer by:
Mushroom farmers and
Garlic farmers
Recycled coffee filters are used by:
Local organic farmers
Chaff (the outer layer of the coffee bean after it's roasted) is used as:
Fertilizer
Bedding filler for pets
As always, I love being such an integral part of our community. For my part, you'll notice that we don't use those one serving creamers here in the roastery because they produce so much unnecessary waste.
Living in a state with such beautiful natural surrounding, I suppose it makes sense that so many Vermonters are passionate about protecting our environment. Any ideas we haven't thought of?
What do you do?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, March 19, 2010
Where in the World is Brown and Jenkins?
Good Morning Coffee Connoisseurs,
Mid March in the Northern reaches of Vermont is unpredictable at that best of times. An unexpected snowstorm, rapid melting or sunny days are all possibilities. It's the time of year when the Green Mountains are just itching to be green again, and Vermonters are either lamenting the end of ski season (a short one this year!) or reveling in the first signs of spring.
Here at Brown and Jenkins we are saying good bye to the ski tourists, many of whom we'll keep in touch with via our coffee club and blog.
This season, some of the favorite blends for our visitors were the rich and full-bodied Yrgacheffe gourmet coffee and the oh-so-smooth Blog Grog with its combination of Guatemalan Antigua, a touch of French for boldness, and a dash of Mexican Altura.
Clearly, we source our coffee from all over the world which leads into today's blog title of Where in the World is Brown and Jenkins? This is actually an on-going contest we run that awards the winner with a free bag of fresh coffee beans. Simply take a bag of your favorite Brown and Jenkins coffee beans along on your next trip and take a picture of it in front of an interesting and recognizable backdrop. We'll post your picture and web visitors can guess the location. Both the picture taker and the person who guess correctly win a free bag of coffee beans.
Yes, technically Brown and Jenkins is still here in the mountains of Cambridge, Vermont. However, our coffee has been sighted on a motorcycle in Nova Scotia and on a sailboat in an as of yet undisclosed Vermont location. Can you guess it? Where does your Brown and Jenkins take you?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Mid March in the Northern reaches of Vermont is unpredictable at that best of times. An unexpected snowstorm, rapid melting or sunny days are all possibilities. It's the time of year when the Green Mountains are just itching to be green again, and Vermonters are either lamenting the end of ski season (a short one this year!) or reveling in the first signs of spring.
Here at Brown and Jenkins we are saying good bye to the ski tourists, many of whom we'll keep in touch with via our coffee club and blog.
This season, some of the favorite blends for our visitors were the rich and full-bodied Yrgacheffe gourmet coffee and the oh-so-smooth Blog Grog with its combination of Guatemalan Antigua, a touch of French for boldness, and a dash of Mexican Altura.
Clearly, we source our coffee from all over the world which leads into today's blog title of Where in the World is Brown and Jenkins? This is actually an on-going contest we run that awards the winner with a free bag of fresh coffee beans. Simply take a bag of your favorite Brown and Jenkins coffee beans along on your next trip and take a picture of it in front of an interesting and recognizable backdrop. We'll post your picture and web visitors can guess the location. Both the picture taker and the person who guess correctly win a free bag of coffee beans.
Yes, technically Brown and Jenkins is still here in the mountains of Cambridge, Vermont. However, our coffee has been sighted on a motorcycle in Nova Scotia and on a sailboat in an as of yet undisclosed Vermont location. Can you guess it? Where does your Brown and Jenkins take you?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Vermont Town Meeting and Gourmet Coffee
Inhale the aroma of your cup of Estate Java, or whatever you are drinking this morning, and Good Morning!
One of the most unique things about living in New England, and specifically rural Vermont, is the town meeting. Once a year, everyone is welcome to attend an annual discussion of the way that town funds will be used for everything from education to land use issues. I missed town meeting this year, so I asked my neighbors to stop by and fill me in on the votes and changes. Not a problem. If you are not from this area, I've got to tell you that I haven't been anywhere else in the country that still has this level of local involvement. OK- we might debate for a good half an hour on how to spend that last $100, but it sure is fascinating!
So what does the nature of Town Meeting in Vermont have to do with roasting and enjoying fresh roasted coffee? To me, both are reminiscent of that community coffee shop feeling, I call it the coffee connection, which I am trying to reintroduce to the local area. When two locals chat over coffee, even if they are strangers, it's like a mini-town meeting. They might be two moms meeting with toddlers, seniors from the Over 55 Ski Club at Smugg's, or folks working on their laptops who suddenly interact.
What do they talk about?
Everything under the sun! Skiing conditions, family health, which Brown and Jenkins coffee they like best, local events or how well that new hybrid car is actually working out. For visitors to the Cambridge area, a lot of the discussion is about the seasonal activities that draw them here be it skiing, maple sugaring or leaf peeping. Pretty soon it will be the great fishing and kayaking on the Lamoille River. And it never ceases to amaze me how a local will offer up advice on the best places to visit while it town.
So organize your own mini-town meeting. All it takes is a great cup of coffee and one other person!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
One of the most unique things about living in New England, and specifically rural Vermont, is the town meeting. Once a year, everyone is welcome to attend an annual discussion of the way that town funds will be used for everything from education to land use issues. I missed town meeting this year, so I asked my neighbors to stop by and fill me in on the votes and changes. Not a problem. If you are not from this area, I've got to tell you that I haven't been anywhere else in the country that still has this level of local involvement. OK- we might debate for a good half an hour on how to spend that last $100, but it sure is fascinating!
So what does the nature of Town Meeting in Vermont have to do with roasting and enjoying fresh roasted coffee? To me, both are reminiscent of that community coffee shop feeling, I call it the coffee connection, which I am trying to reintroduce to the local area. When two locals chat over coffee, even if they are strangers, it's like a mini-town meeting. They might be two moms meeting with toddlers, seniors from the Over 55 Ski Club at Smugg's, or folks working on their laptops who suddenly interact.
What do they talk about?
Everything under the sun! Skiing conditions, family health, which Brown and Jenkins coffee they like best, local events or how well that new hybrid car is actually working out. For visitors to the Cambridge area, a lot of the discussion is about the seasonal activities that draw them here be it skiing, maple sugaring or leaf peeping. Pretty soon it will be the great fishing and kayaking on the Lamoille River. And it never ceases to amaze me how a local will offer up advice on the best places to visit while it town.
So organize your own mini-town meeting. All it takes is a great cup of coffee and one other person!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, March 12, 2010
Coffee Increases Endurance for Star Athletes
Good morning winter athletes and coffee lovers! For those of you ready to hit the slopes at Smugg's or tackle a long distance cross country skiing trek, there is some interesting research on coffee and endurance out there. Now this information is primarily geared towards major endurance activities like running a marathon, but I think any coffee drinker or athlete will find it as interesting as I do.
In a recent issue of the Burlington Free Press, they reported a study that finds that drinking 2 to 3 cups of coffee before an endurance activity can increase performance by 10%-15%. Let me explain the science behind that coffee study.
Caffeine makes your body burn more fat and fewer carbs. For an endurance athlete, the goal is to burn that fat before it affects the Glycogen supply. Glycogen is the primary muscle fuel, and making the most efficient use of it is ideal for these athletes. Apparently, drinking coffee allows these marathon runners more time to draw from their own Glycogen supply.
The study also cited other physical and psychological benefits. However, there is also a warning. Drinking 8 cups is considered illegal consumption and can have undesired affects like cramping and nausea.
I don't know about you, but it's say to say that a marathon is not looming in my immediate future. Still, it's one more fun bit of coffee research to take in as I sip my Brazilian Bourbon Santos on this chilly march Vermont morning.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
In a recent issue of the Burlington Free Press, they reported a study that finds that drinking 2 to 3 cups of coffee before an endurance activity can increase performance by 10%-15%. Let me explain the science behind that coffee study.
Caffeine makes your body burn more fat and fewer carbs. For an endurance athlete, the goal is to burn that fat before it affects the Glycogen supply. Glycogen is the primary muscle fuel, and making the most efficient use of it is ideal for these athletes. Apparently, drinking coffee allows these marathon runners more time to draw from their own Glycogen supply.
The study also cited other physical and psychological benefits. However, there is also a warning. Drinking 8 cups is considered illegal consumption and can have undesired affects like cramping and nausea.
I don't know about you, but it's say to say that a marathon is not looming in my immediate future. Still, it's one more fun bit of coffee research to take in as I sip my Brazilian Bourbon Santos on this chilly march Vermont morning.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Coffee Shops: Social or Social Networking Venues?
Here at the Brown and Jenkins Coffee Roasters we offer free wireless Internet access. A lot of locals who work from home, or who don't have a great connection at home, will come to sit, access the web and have a few cups of coffee while they work, chat or Facebook. Several tourists come in to access their emails while visiting, leaf peeping or skiing. But here's the question for the day:
How does Internet access impact the coffee shop experience?
I ask because I just read an article about a coffee shop owner out in California who is running a "Laptop free weekends" experiment in his café. The reason is that he says the dynamic of a coffee shop is changed if everyone in it is in his or her own digital world.
To some degree, I agree.
I remember going to a coffee shop with my Grandfather as a child. It was the cornerstone of a community. It was the place where neighbors, friends and strangers felt free to chat over a cup of coffee whenever it was open.
On the other hand, I still observe folks interacting over their laptops and gourmet coffee. So you tell me, is the coffee shop experience gone or just changed?
I have to say, my favorite part of own a coffee roastery is meeting all the folks who travel from down the road and across the nation, and even other countries. Introducing local business owners, watching moms chat over coffee and listening to retirees swap stories and opinions puts me in the pulse of the community and I love it!
Don't worry- I'm not planning to cut out Internet access. But I'd love to know what you would think if I did?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
How does Internet access impact the coffee shop experience?
I ask because I just read an article about a coffee shop owner out in California who is running a "Laptop free weekends" experiment in his café. The reason is that he says the dynamic of a coffee shop is changed if everyone in it is in his or her own digital world.
To some degree, I agree.
I remember going to a coffee shop with my Grandfather as a child. It was the cornerstone of a community. It was the place where neighbors, friends and strangers felt free to chat over a cup of coffee whenever it was open.
On the other hand, I still observe folks interacting over their laptops and gourmet coffee. So you tell me, is the coffee shop experience gone or just changed?
I have to say, my favorite part of own a coffee roastery is meeting all the folks who travel from down the road and across the nation, and even other countries. Introducing local business owners, watching moms chat over coffee and listening to retirees swap stories and opinions puts me in the pulse of the community and I love it!
Don't worry- I'm not planning to cut out Internet access. But I'd love to know what you would think if I did?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, March 5, 2010
Winter and Local Fun in the Green Mountains
As the Green Mountains turn white each year, Vermonters and visitors head outdoors for all sorts of fun. As I type from the window of the Brown and Jenkins roastery sipping a warm mug of Estate Java, I'm thinking that staying warm on a cold winter day with my cup of coffee is just one of the great things about a Vermont winter. Smuggler's Notch and Stowe are full of skiers and ice skaters, local hills are covered with kids and families on sleds, and snow shoe-ers are out en force.
If you've got kids in the 4th, 5th or 6th grade and you're going to be in the area this weekend then you should check out the Winter Wellness Day's at Smuggler's Notch which are totally free!
Here at Brown and Jenkins, we just hosted the first Coffee Connection: Meet Your Neighbors event. It drew a great crowd of local neighbors and business owners to hear keynote speaker Megan Daigly who runs a really cool resource called Send Out Cards. She talked about making connections that matter and that people remember using this innovation technique to send out hand written and postal delivered cards using your computer. Check it out!
Also, we are planning the next Coffee Connection event and I'd love to hear your ideas for topics and speakers. What's on your mind?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
If you've got kids in the 4th, 5th or 6th grade and you're going to be in the area this weekend then you should check out the Winter Wellness Day's at Smuggler's Notch which are totally free!
Here at Brown and Jenkins, we just hosted the first Coffee Connection: Meet Your Neighbors event. It drew a great crowd of local neighbors and business owners to hear keynote speaker Megan Daigly who runs a really cool resource called Send Out Cards. She talked about making connections that matter and that people remember using this innovation technique to send out hand written and postal delivered cards using your computer. Check it out!
Also, we are planning the next Coffee Connection event and I'd love to hear your ideas for topics and speakers. What's on your mind?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Coffee Combats Type II Diabetes and Stroke
A recent study reported in the NY Times found that coffee drinkers have a 25% less chance of getting Type II Diabetes. The study is reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine and refers specifically to those folks who drink 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day. Yes, even decaf coffee is included! Plus, the amount really seems to matter. For those participants drinking only a cup or less the percentage drops to only 4%, and when the amount is increased to 6 cups per day it goes up to 40%.
And what about stroke prevention?
In 2009, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke found that the likelihood of strokes in adults decreases as coffee consumption increases.
As always, I'm not telling you to run out and start drinking 6 cups of coffee a day! I do NOT recommend replacing your trusted physician with an extra cup of Tanzanian Peaberry. But I just love learning what the latest research has to say about my favorite drink on the planet. In fact, I recently spoke to a group of over 55 skiers here in Cambridge who were fascinated by research like this.
What are your thoughts on the health benefits of coffee?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
And what about stroke prevention?
In 2009, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke found that the likelihood of strokes in adults decreases as coffee consumption increases.
As always, I'm not telling you to run out and start drinking 6 cups of coffee a day! I do NOT recommend replacing your trusted physician with an extra cup of Tanzanian Peaberry. But I just love learning what the latest research has to say about my favorite drink on the planet. In fact, I recently spoke to a group of over 55 skiers here in Cambridge who were fascinated by research like this.
What are your thoughts on the health benefits of coffee?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
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