Here at Brown and Jenkins we are gearing up for the influx of tourists that the cooler fall weather always brings to our corner of Vermont. Glenn is roasting a batch of Ethipian Sidamo that seems to be in high demand for our online coffee club customers and the building smells rich and delicious. More and more tourists and locals are discovering us every day.
This month I've talked a lot about the coffee connection and my fascination with the way that folks of any background can connect over a good cup of coffee. So in today's blog I'm branching out into some of the stranger impacts that coffee has on the global community. I'm not talking about an economic impact.
Interesting Coffee Advancement
For instance, a café in Tokyo, Japan offers an iPad on every table for the use of its customers. Seriously! What a comment on the importance of technology in that culture. And it's no surprise that a coffee shop is the place that this meld of community and technology is happening. But I do wonder about the impact iPads will have on the conversational nature of the coffee connection. However, we have many folks working here on their own laptops, and conversation still ensues.
Strange Coffee Fact
In a recent blog I told you about a strange version of coffee called Kopi Luwak coffee that is made after the coffee beans are ingested and expelled by an animal called the civet cat. Ironically, Indonesian Islamic authorities are now trying to make the civet dung coffee illegal for practicing Muslims. At its going price of $200 a pound, that's going to have an impact! Just another strange, but true, side note in the world of coffee news.
Near and far coffee impacts communities around the globe. If you are anywhere near the Green Mountains of Vermont I encourage you to stop by and chat over a cup of Guatemalan Antigua, Columbian or your favorite brew.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Fall into Gourmet Coffee Online
Is it back to school time in your neck of the woods? I know many college students have already returned and local kids are getting ready to say good bye to summer. Whether you are a teacher, parent, student or are out the school schedule altogether, the impending fall season is sure to have some sort of emotional tug on you.
For us here at our Vermont based coffee roasting business it means thinking about what items will soon replace the summer flavored coffees like Coconut Rum Latte Coffee and Tropical Oasis Coffee. It's almost time to prepare for the nip of coolness in the air that makes enjoying freshly ground and brewed gourmet coffee oh-so-sweet. If you're not sure how you feel about bidding adieu to summer, here are some ideas to help you welcome autumn, and feel good doing it.
Try a Coffee Based Recipe
When the cooler weather finally hits your area it's the time to start baking. Not to brag, but as a former chef, I do know my way around a kitchen. And (surprise!) one of my favorite secrets is to add finely ground coffee powder or brewed coffee to certain recipes. Visit my Cookin' with Coffee blog for some great recipes to welcome fall.
Keep in Touch with the Coffee Club
Keep your college student in coffee beans by signing him or her up for the Brown and Jenkins Coffee Club. This auto-ship program lets them, and you, receive freshly roasted coffee beans on their schedule. Online coffee delivery is a no-brainer!
Visit a Coffee Shop with a Friend
There is nothing like sharing a cup of coffee with a friend. Take some time to call someone you miss, and meet them for a cup of Guatemalan Antigua. Or even take the time to sit with yourself. Now there's a friend many of us just don't make enough time for.
However you decide to ring in the fall season, let your favorite coffee be a part of it, and thanks for sharing your time with me!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
For us here at our Vermont based coffee roasting business it means thinking about what items will soon replace the summer flavored coffees like Coconut Rum Latte Coffee and Tropical Oasis Coffee. It's almost time to prepare for the nip of coolness in the air that makes enjoying freshly ground and brewed gourmet coffee oh-so-sweet. If you're not sure how you feel about bidding adieu to summer, here are some ideas to help you welcome autumn, and feel good doing it.
Try a Coffee Based Recipe
When the cooler weather finally hits your area it's the time to start baking. Not to brag, but as a former chef, I do know my way around a kitchen. And (surprise!) one of my favorite secrets is to add finely ground coffee powder or brewed coffee to certain recipes. Visit my Cookin' with Coffee blog for some great recipes to welcome fall.
Keep in Touch with the Coffee Club
Keep your college student in coffee beans by signing him or her up for the Brown and Jenkins Coffee Club. This auto-ship program lets them, and you, receive freshly roasted coffee beans on their schedule. Online coffee delivery is a no-brainer!
Visit a Coffee Shop with a Friend
There is nothing like sharing a cup of coffee with a friend. Take some time to call someone you miss, and meet them for a cup of Guatemalan Antigua. Or even take the time to sit with yourself. Now there's a friend many of us just don't make enough time for.
However you decide to ring in the fall season, let your favorite coffee be a part of it, and thanks for sharing your time with me!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, August 20, 2010
A Global Coffee Connection
Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
Here in my corner of Vermont I have a pristine view of the Green Mountains, an online coffee business that reaches across this country into several others, and personal interactions that always amaze me. You've heard me talk about the coffee connection before. This represents my personal belief that coffee is about more than a drink. The experience of sharing a cup of coffee is a way for people to meet, communicate, and share.
I could give you a ton of examples of how this coffee connection is displayed in the Brown and Jenkins roastery on a daily basis; however, this recent experience puts such an international flair on the event I just can't resist.
I had a gentleman named Stefan Wernig from Oberresal, Germany wander into the shop the other day. He was interested in the coffee roasting equipment so I showed him what we use and how the different machines help Glenn turn green coffee beans into gourmet roasted coffee beans. Somewhere during my mini-tour, another couple wandered over. It turns that the woman, Petra Shumski, is also from Germany and once lived in the same province that Stefan was visiting from. Petra is married to an American and now lives in Vermont.
Obviously, they had quite a bit to talk about. For me, this is the epitome of the coffee connection; that you can travel across the globe and meet someone from home over a good cup of coffee.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Here in my corner of Vermont I have a pristine view of the Green Mountains, an online coffee business that reaches across this country into several others, and personal interactions that always amaze me. You've heard me talk about the coffee connection before. This represents my personal belief that coffee is about more than a drink. The experience of sharing a cup of coffee is a way for people to meet, communicate, and share.
I could give you a ton of examples of how this coffee connection is displayed in the Brown and Jenkins roastery on a daily basis; however, this recent experience puts such an international flair on the event I just can't resist.
I had a gentleman named Stefan Wernig from Oberresal, Germany wander into the shop the other day. He was interested in the coffee roasting equipment so I showed him what we use and how the different machines help Glenn turn green coffee beans into gourmet roasted coffee beans. Somewhere during my mini-tour, another couple wandered over. It turns that the woman, Petra Shumski, is also from Germany and once lived in the same province that Stefan was visiting from. Petra is married to an American and now lives in Vermont.
Obviously, they had quite a bit to talk about. For me, this is the epitome of the coffee connection; that you can travel across the globe and meet someone from home over a good cup of coffee.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Coffee Connection: Over the Internet and the Back Fence
Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
What do you like with your morning cup of coffee? Right now I'm enjoy a fresh fruit filled muffin with my Yrgacheffe coffee- truly a great combination. Of course, if you order your Brown and Jenkins coffee online I can't send you a muffin. But if you live in the area or visit you really need to stop buy and try these baked goods that I buy from a local baker.
Claire's Country Garden provides all the baked goods that we sell here at the coffee roaster. In addition we carry her jams, relishes and other farm grown and home made products. If you are interested in knowing where your food comes from then you will want to listen up. Claire lives less than two hours from our location in Cambridge, Vermont. She grows all the items that go into her great tasting canned goods and cooks all the baked goods too. Then she delivers it to local retailers like me.
I know- there is a certain irony to my focus on buying locally when so much of our business is online and our coffee beans come from all over the world. I happen to think it's my way of combining the best of both worlds. Our internet coffee business allows us to maintain customers across the nation and beyond, and our local business lets me support local entrepreneurs like Claire and really be a part of the community. A coffee connection forged via the internet and over the back fence. Can you beat that?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
What do you like with your morning cup of coffee? Right now I'm enjoy a fresh fruit filled muffin with my Yrgacheffe coffee- truly a great combination. Of course, if you order your Brown and Jenkins coffee online I can't send you a muffin. But if you live in the area or visit you really need to stop buy and try these baked goods that I buy from a local baker.
Claire's Country Garden provides all the baked goods that we sell here at the coffee roaster. In addition we carry her jams, relishes and other farm grown and home made products. If you are interested in knowing where your food comes from then you will want to listen up. Claire lives less than two hours from our location in Cambridge, Vermont. She grows all the items that go into her great tasting canned goods and cooks all the baked goods too. Then she delivers it to local retailers like me.
I know- there is a certain irony to my focus on buying locally when so much of our business is online and our coffee beans come from all over the world. I happen to think it's my way of combining the best of both worlds. Our internet coffee business allows us to maintain customers across the nation and beyond, and our local business lets me support local entrepreneurs like Claire and really be a part of the community. A coffee connection forged via the internet and over the back fence. Can you beat that?
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, August 13, 2010
Summer Coffee Sampler and Flavored Coffees
Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
As we are smack in the middle of a Vermont summer which means we have had hot and muggy temperatures, sun and breezes, and rain all in good measure. From our scenic vista on Route 15 in Cambridge, I routinely enjoy a freshly brewed cup of whatever gourmet coffee our master roaster Glenn has created each day. In the summer, I truly look forward to some of the summer flavored coffees as iced coffees in the hot afternoons.
Vermont Flavored Coffees and Iced Coffees
Are you a flavored coffee snob? I know many folks who refuse to drink flavored coffees because they are typically made with inferior Robusta beans. However, since we only roast higher quality Arabica coffee beans, and we roast them fresh daily, even our flavored coffees are tantalizing to the taste buds. Glenn creates flavors that enhance the property of the coffee bean, rather than cover them up.
For Summer 2010, we are offering a Summer Sampler Coffee Trio. The coffee flavors of choice include Coconut Rum Latte, Tropical Oasis Coffee which is reminiscent of a creamsicle, and Vermont inspired Banana Maple Coffee which makes a delicious iced coffee concoction. You can even purchase all three this month at a discount through our Summer Sampler Special. Not a bad hostess gift for that backyard bar-b-que.
If you order coffee online through the coffee break club and live many miles away, you can still get this deal. If you live nearby, make sure to stop by and say hello, try some of the locally made jams and treats we sell, or just pick up a bag of your favorite gourmet coffee. I'll always make time to chat.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
As we are smack in the middle of a Vermont summer which means we have had hot and muggy temperatures, sun and breezes, and rain all in good measure. From our scenic vista on Route 15 in Cambridge, I routinely enjoy a freshly brewed cup of whatever gourmet coffee our master roaster Glenn has created each day. In the summer, I truly look forward to some of the summer flavored coffees as iced coffees in the hot afternoons.
Vermont Flavored Coffees and Iced Coffees
Are you a flavored coffee snob? I know many folks who refuse to drink flavored coffees because they are typically made with inferior Robusta beans. However, since we only roast higher quality Arabica coffee beans, and we roast them fresh daily, even our flavored coffees are tantalizing to the taste buds. Glenn creates flavors that enhance the property of the coffee bean, rather than cover them up.
For Summer 2010, we are offering a Summer Sampler Coffee Trio. The coffee flavors of choice include Coconut Rum Latte, Tropical Oasis Coffee which is reminiscent of a creamsicle, and Vermont inspired Banana Maple Coffee which makes a delicious iced coffee concoction. You can even purchase all three this month at a discount through our Summer Sampler Special. Not a bad hostess gift for that backyard bar-b-que.
If you order coffee online through the coffee break club and live many miles away, you can still get this deal. If you live nearby, make sure to stop by and say hello, try some of the locally made jams and treats we sell, or just pick up a bag of your favorite gourmet coffee. I'll always make time to chat.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Vermont Coffee Buzz and Summerfest 2010
Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
August in Vermont brings a ton of events, festivals and occasions to taste great food and drink and soak up the atmosphere of the Green Mountain culture. In addition to Brown and Jenkins job of selling gourmet coffee online, we are also a local entity. Personally, I thrive on the coffee connection that lets me meet so many local neighbors, visiting tourists, and nearby business owners.
If you are going to be around this weekend, make sure that you take advantage of a great opportunity to participate in Summerfest 2010 which is an annual celebration that takes place along Route 15 and ends almost at our front door.
Boyden Farm Burger Bonanza Grilling Competition
Just across the street this Saturday, August 14th from 8-4 there will be live music, a beer and wine tent, food vendors and more. Enter the burger competition for a fee of $30 which includes 5lbs Boyden Farm ground beef. The entrance fee for the event is $8 and kids 6 and younger are free.
Coffee Tasting Event: Coffees from Around the World
Here at Brown and Jenkins I will be hosting a Coffees From Around the World coffee tasting event. This will include various assorted sweets and treats baked with a coffee twist. If you ever visit my Cookin' with Coffee blog then you know that I love the infusion that finely ground coffee powder or brewed coffee can give to some of your favorite baked goods, and even hearty meals.
In fact, be on the look out for the launching of my new Cookin' with Coffee Buzz Rubs. This gourmet product is a specially created Brown and Jenkins' coffee rub with herbs and spices with a unique coffee infusion. This is what I use to give every day menu items a savory something special.
Festival of the Arts
Another great part of Summerfest 2010 is the second annual Festival of the Arts on Main Street in Jeffersonville. This is between our location and the Smuggler's Notch ski Resort. The small villages of Jeffersonville and Cambridge are meccas that draw artists from all over the world.
Hope you will all take advantage of the summer activities northeastern Vermont has to offer. And no, you don't need to travel to Burlington to find great activities or fun folks to share them with. Hope to see you on Saturday!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
August in Vermont brings a ton of events, festivals and occasions to taste great food and drink and soak up the atmosphere of the Green Mountain culture. In addition to Brown and Jenkins job of selling gourmet coffee online, we are also a local entity. Personally, I thrive on the coffee connection that lets me meet so many local neighbors, visiting tourists, and nearby business owners.
If you are going to be around this weekend, make sure that you take advantage of a great opportunity to participate in Summerfest 2010 which is an annual celebration that takes place along Route 15 and ends almost at our front door.
Boyden Farm Burger Bonanza Grilling Competition
Just across the street this Saturday, August 14th from 8-4 there will be live music, a beer and wine tent, food vendors and more. Enter the burger competition for a fee of $30 which includes 5lbs Boyden Farm ground beef. The entrance fee for the event is $8 and kids 6 and younger are free.
Coffee Tasting Event: Coffees from Around the World
Here at Brown and Jenkins I will be hosting a Coffees From Around the World coffee tasting event. This will include various assorted sweets and treats baked with a coffee twist. If you ever visit my Cookin' with Coffee blog then you know that I love the infusion that finely ground coffee powder or brewed coffee can give to some of your favorite baked goods, and even hearty meals.
In fact, be on the look out for the launching of my new Cookin' with Coffee Buzz Rubs. This gourmet product is a specially created Brown and Jenkins' coffee rub with herbs and spices with a unique coffee infusion. This is what I use to give every day menu items a savory something special.
Festival of the Arts
Another great part of Summerfest 2010 is the second annual Festival of the Arts on Main Street in Jeffersonville. This is between our location and the Smuggler's Notch ski Resort. The small villages of Jeffersonville and Cambridge are meccas that draw artists from all over the world.
Hope you will all take advantage of the summer activities northeastern Vermont has to offer. And no, you don't need to travel to Burlington to find great activities or fun folks to share them with. Hope to see you on Saturday!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, August 6, 2010
Vermont Coffee and Local Vermont Businesses
Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
Some of you are reading this blog from another state or even country. Others of you are local Vermont residents who know Brown and Jenkins from driving by Route 15 or maybe from having our coffee in other venues. One of the great things about Vermont is that there are so many small entrepreneurs here. One of my favorite things is to meet other business owners and to help out our local economy. To that end, I want to let both locals and visitors know about two local businesses that we partner with on a regular basis.
Three Mountain Lodge is a renowned restaurant over on Smuggler's Notch Road in Jeffersonville. They offer live music, Sunday brunch, a wine bar and dinner in its Log Cabin Restaurant. In addition to entrees like Black Angus beef, Salmon Boucher and Rack of Lamb, they serve Brown and Jenkins coffee. In fact, they grind and brew our coffee fresh for each individual customer with a grinder right in the dining room. Locals and tourists should make it a point to stop by.
The Hearth and Candle Restaurant in the Smuggler's Notch Resort (open year round for skiing, swimming and other activities) is another local business that carries our coffee. In fact, many of the tourists I meet come because they are staying at Smugg's and have tasted the coffee at this restaurant. (This is how many members of our coffee club members originally discover Brown and Jenkins.) This is a privately owned business with a focus on using local food and produce. They have a catering menu, cooking classes, and a menu worth traveling to try.
Vermont, and our little corner here the Green Mountains, is a place unlike any other that I have ever seen. There are a ton of family run businesses, specialty businesses and family run farms hidden around every corner. So even if you've never been here and simply order your coffee online through the coffee club, I wanted to just share a taste of what the Green Mountain State has to offer.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Some of you are reading this blog from another state or even country. Others of you are local Vermont residents who know Brown and Jenkins from driving by Route 15 or maybe from having our coffee in other venues. One of the great things about Vermont is that there are so many small entrepreneurs here. One of my favorite things is to meet other business owners and to help out our local economy. To that end, I want to let both locals and visitors know about two local businesses that we partner with on a regular basis.
Three Mountain Lodge is a renowned restaurant over on Smuggler's Notch Road in Jeffersonville. They offer live music, Sunday brunch, a wine bar and dinner in its Log Cabin Restaurant. In addition to entrees like Black Angus beef, Salmon Boucher and Rack of Lamb, they serve Brown and Jenkins coffee. In fact, they grind and brew our coffee fresh for each individual customer with a grinder right in the dining room. Locals and tourists should make it a point to stop by.
The Hearth and Candle Restaurant in the Smuggler's Notch Resort (open year round for skiing, swimming and other activities) is another local business that carries our coffee. In fact, many of the tourists I meet come because they are staying at Smugg's and have tasted the coffee at this restaurant. (This is how many members of our coffee club members originally discover Brown and Jenkins.) This is a privately owned business with a focus on using local food and produce. They have a catering menu, cooking classes, and a menu worth traveling to try.
Vermont, and our little corner here the Green Mountains, is a place unlike any other that I have ever seen. There are a ton of family run businesses, specialty businesses and family run farms hidden around every corner. So even if you've never been here and simply order your coffee online through the coffee club, I wanted to just share a taste of what the Green Mountain State has to offer.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Vermont Entrepreneurs, Hippies and Ordering Coffee Online
Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
As the local owner of a coffee roaster and online retailer, I am constantly amazed at the various ways the coffee connection is revealed right here at Brown and Jenkins in the Green Mountains of Vermont. So if you are wondering what connection hippies, entrepreneurs and an online coffee business could possibly have- just stick with me for a moment.
I talk to everyone who comes into Brown and Jenkins. I love hearing their stories and getting to know folks I might other wise never meet. The other day a couple wandered in tie-dye t-shirts, pony tails and emitting a distinctive love child vibe that brought me back to my childhood in the 60s. Aging hippies, I thought. And yes, they were touring local head shops. But not for the reason you think.
Turns out this couple is just one more example of the amazing entrepreneurial spirit that epitomizes Vermont. The man has created a great product (in his barn) and they are working on selling it to Vermont retailers. The product is a specialty toaster that imprints the toast with a picture. I actually have one on display now in the shop that prints the peace sign on each piece of toast. (Apparently head shops are a good market for peace sign items.)
Really, this toaster is so neat just head to ask him to let me put one on display in the shop. In fact, I'm hoping to sell this specialty product on the website. For now you can buy one for $30 at BurntImpressions.com. Come in and see my "Peace on Breakfast" display. I have to tell you that I've gotten more laughs and fun from just retelling this story and watching people's reaction to the display than you can believe.
The moral of my story is that connections are everywhere if you are willing to look. The coffee connection just represents what is already waiting. If I hadn't take the time to talk to this fun couple we both might have missed out on a great opportunity. Talk to everyone because there is a wowee moment every day if you are open to it.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
As the local owner of a coffee roaster and online retailer, I am constantly amazed at the various ways the coffee connection is revealed right here at Brown and Jenkins in the Green Mountains of Vermont. So if you are wondering what connection hippies, entrepreneurs and an online coffee business could possibly have- just stick with me for a moment.
I talk to everyone who comes into Brown and Jenkins. I love hearing their stories and getting to know folks I might other wise never meet. The other day a couple wandered in tie-dye t-shirts, pony tails and emitting a distinctive love child vibe that brought me back to my childhood in the 60s. Aging hippies, I thought. And yes, they were touring local head shops. But not for the reason you think.
Turns out this couple is just one more example of the amazing entrepreneurial spirit that epitomizes Vermont. The man has created a great product (in his barn) and they are working on selling it to Vermont retailers. The product is a specialty toaster that imprints the toast with a picture. I actually have one on display now in the shop that prints the peace sign on each piece of toast. (Apparently head shops are a good market for peace sign items.)
Really, this toaster is so neat just head to ask him to let me put one on display in the shop. In fact, I'm hoping to sell this specialty product on the website. For now you can buy one for $30 at BurntImpressions.com. Come in and see my "Peace on Breakfast" display. I have to tell you that I've gotten more laughs and fun from just retelling this story and watching people's reaction to the display than you can believe.
The moral of my story is that connections are everywhere if you are willing to look. The coffee connection just represents what is already waiting. If I hadn't take the time to talk to this fun couple we both might have missed out on a great opportunity. Talk to everyone because there is a wowee moment every day if you are open to it.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
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