As you inhale the scent of your freshly poured cup of coffee, take just a minute to appreciate the science and art that went into its creation. From the careful planting and harvesting to the artful roasting, the final taste and characteristics of the gourmet coffee you taste is impacted by several people and conditions.
Here at Brown and Jenkins in Cambridge, Vermont our master roaster Glenn uses his senses and knowledge to combine art and science in the crafting of each single origin coffee bean and specialty blend he creates. Now that, hopefully, we've seen the last of the falling snow and the start of spring, tour groups are starting to visit this part of the state for the warmer weather, rather than for the skiing. Many of those groups stop by to watch and listen to Glenn as he takes coffee beans on the journey from green to freshly roasted. And so can you!
Call or stop by during roasting and I think you'll be mesmerized at the artful method required to roast green coffee beans to the point of perfection. I'm still wowed at Glenn's sense of knowing when each bean comes to the place it needs to be for the specific blend he is making. We make our coffee beans to order and send to our online Coffee Break Club members, as well as our local customers.
So stop by and get a first hand glimpse at the coffee roasting process and we'll share a cup of coffee!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
How to Buy Coffee Beans Online
Never, in my former life as a chef, did I imagine that I would end up selling coffee beans, from a mountainside in Vermont, and online! Even when I purchased Brown and Jenkins, which started out as a catalogue company, I wasn't aware of how large an impact things like the internet, Facebook and social media like Twitter would have on my business. In fact, local Vermonters are often surprised to learn that a large portion of our business here is internet based. It's true!
The idea of buying coffee beans online might seem a bit strange at first. How do you smell the beans? How can you decide what to order? What if the coffee is awful? So I thought I'd give you some tips on how to select, purchase and buy gourmet coffee online.
Step One: Visit the Roaster
Yes, I know, if you're in California and you stumble across Brown and Jenkins online, you may not be able to hop a jet just to Northern Vermont to watch Glenn roast a batch of Ethiopian Yrgacheffe coffee. Yet, many of our most loyal clients are folks who were here as tourists to watch the leaves change or to ski at Smuggler's Notch and fell in love with our coffee. So just keep your eyes open during your travels. If you find a roaster you love, ask if they ship!
Step Two: Look for Detailed Coffee Bean Descriptions
If you go to our web page for Sumatra Mandeling, you'll get an in-depth description of this coffee's characteristics to help you decide if you'll like it. Any online coffee roaster and retailer should offer complete descriptions, and only sell Arabica beans.
Step Three: Look at the Shipping Delay
It shouldn't take more than 2-3 days, tops, for you to receive your order of freshly roasted coffee beans. Remember, coffee beans start to loss some of their best characteristics the moment they are exposed to air. So you want a delivery option that allows you to only store your beans for one to two weeks. Folks in our Coffee Break Club are able to schedule weekly orders, or call in their orders as needed, so they always have fresh beans on hand.
Step Four: Look for Incentives to Try New Blends
Single origin coffees or new blends should be easily explored. When buying coffee beans online, look for a company that lets you try small size sample bags of beans other than the ones you usually order.
The internet is a great tool for many things. Yes, even for ordering gourmet coffee beans. Leave me a comment, or visit our Facebook page, and let me know how you combine the web and your love of coffee.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
The idea of buying coffee beans online might seem a bit strange at first. How do you smell the beans? How can you decide what to order? What if the coffee is awful? So I thought I'd give you some tips on how to select, purchase and buy gourmet coffee online.
Step One: Visit the Roaster
Yes, I know, if you're in California and you stumble across Brown and Jenkins online, you may not be able to hop a jet just to Northern Vermont to watch Glenn roast a batch of Ethiopian Yrgacheffe coffee. Yet, many of our most loyal clients are folks who were here as tourists to watch the leaves change or to ski at Smuggler's Notch and fell in love with our coffee. So just keep your eyes open during your travels. If you find a roaster you love, ask if they ship!
Step Two: Look for Detailed Coffee Bean Descriptions
If you go to our web page for Sumatra Mandeling, you'll get an in-depth description of this coffee's characteristics to help you decide if you'll like it. Any online coffee roaster and retailer should offer complete descriptions, and only sell Arabica beans.
Step Three: Look at the Shipping Delay
It shouldn't take more than 2-3 days, tops, for you to receive your order of freshly roasted coffee beans. Remember, coffee beans start to loss some of their best characteristics the moment they are exposed to air. So you want a delivery option that allows you to only store your beans for one to two weeks. Folks in our Coffee Break Club are able to schedule weekly orders, or call in their orders as needed, so they always have fresh beans on hand.
Step Four: Look for Incentives to Try New Blends
Single origin coffees or new blends should be easily explored. When buying coffee beans online, look for a company that lets you try small size sample bags of beans other than the ones you usually order.
The internet is a great tool for many things. Yes, even for ordering gourmet coffee beans. Leave me a comment, or visit our Facebook page, and let me know how you combine the web and your love of coffee.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Come to the Vermont Coffee Party!
Greetings from the land of April snow. Yes, as recently as April 27th we had snowflakes falling in the Green Mountains of Vermont. No worries, spring is on its way, and coffee beans are roasting here at Brown and Jenkins.
Did you hear about the recent Coffee Party movement, largely Facebook motivated, that Newsweek covered last month? It was a reaction by folks who were tired of the excessive coverage of the Tea Party movement. I don't think it's leading to anything earth shattering, but it got me thinking. Just the other day there were two customers here at the shop. Both were working at their laptops and drinking their cups of coffee. The woman I recognized as a local political activist for the Republican Party. And from the bumper stick on the man's car I pegged him as an Obama fan. Yet both came with the same goal of enjoying freshly roasted Top Notch blend coffee, wireless access and a view of the (then snow-free) mountains.
Although many of you live across the country, in Canada or other places, we still get a lot of local traffic. And, unless I get engaged in conversation (and I do that a lot!), I don't always know anything about the political, religious or other views of the folks who stop by. And I don't need to. The beauty of any coffee shop is the instant sense of community. You may prefer gourmet coffee, chai tea or an iced beverage; it's all a good basis for a connection with friends, neighbors and strangers you wouldn't otherwise have the chance to meet.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Did you hear about the recent Coffee Party movement, largely Facebook motivated, that Newsweek covered last month? It was a reaction by folks who were tired of the excessive coverage of the Tea Party movement. I don't think it's leading to anything earth shattering, but it got me thinking. Just the other day there were two customers here at the shop. Both were working at their laptops and drinking their cups of coffee. The woman I recognized as a local political activist for the Republican Party. And from the bumper stick on the man's car I pegged him as an Obama fan. Yet both came with the same goal of enjoying freshly roasted Top Notch blend coffee, wireless access and a view of the (then snow-free) mountains.
Although many of you live across the country, in Canada or other places, we still get a lot of local traffic. And, unless I get engaged in conversation (and I do that a lot!), I don't always know anything about the political, religious or other views of the folks who stop by. And I don't need to. The beauty of any coffee shop is the instant sense of community. You may prefer gourmet coffee, chai tea or an iced beverage; it's all a good basis for a connection with friends, neighbors and strangers you wouldn't otherwise have the chance to meet.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
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