Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
As I sit here sipping a mug of Brazilian Bourbon Santos, the locals at the window table are discussing the local weather and the poor growing season for pumpkins this year. It's a bit ironic as I've just finished reading an article in CNN Money about the effects of the weather in South America on our own Vermont coffee roaster.
The coffee connection on both a local and international level never ceases to amaze me!
South America's weather drives US Coffee Prices
According the CNN article I mentioned earlier, it seems that the bad weather in Brazil (and other places) has affected the coffee crop. Countries like Brazil are hoarding the crop, and thus coffee prices here in the US have risen by 44% since June! Yikes!
Now, you may not have seen the increase at the market or your local coffee shop yet. However, many of the bagged coffees sold at the supermarket have gone up in price by 10%. We haven't had a price increase here at Brown and Jenkins in over 2 years. We will keep prices down as long as on hand supplies last. We will have to see what pricing comes with the next purchase of raw coffee beans.
Local Vermont coffee giant Green Mountain Coffee is quoted in the article as saying that they will pay 10% to 15% higher prices as of October 11th. Of course, that will affect us here too, eventually.
Not yet though. In fact, I've actually lowered shipping rates for Coffee Club members, because I know that the US economy is causing folks to struggle. So stop by for a $1 cup of gourmet coffee and we'll chat and local and international weather, economies and coffee.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Harvest Time for Coffee Beans
Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
Did you know that coffee beans, much like any food you plant in your garden, have ideal planting and harvest times? While we in the Green Mountains of Vermont are reveling in autumn traditions like apple picking and hay rides, other regions of the world are harvesting the specific coffee beans that we need to roast the single origin and blends we love.
Coffee Beans with a Fall Growing Season
Here are some of the coffee regions that start their prime harvest season in October.
Did you know that coffee beans, much like any food you plant in your garden, have ideal planting and harvest times? While we in the Green Mountains of Vermont are reveling in autumn traditions like apple picking and hay rides, other regions of the world are harvesting the specific coffee beans that we need to roast the single origin and blends we love.
Coffee Beans with a Fall Growing Season
Here are some of the coffee regions that start their prime harvest season in October.
- Columbia has its main harvest season from October through February. Our Columbian Supremo will be at its peak during this time. Columbian coffee beans also do well from April to June.
- Guatemalan coffee beans also are best harvested from October to January. We offer the Guatemalan Antigua single origin coffee.
- Kenyan coffee beans like the ones we roast for the Kenya AA coffee have their main harvest season from October to December. There is a secondary harvest in June and July. Sadly, a poor growing season is driving up the prices of this lovely bean.
So the fall season is the ideal time to try a new coffee bean. As a Vermont coffee roaster, I need to be aware of more than the seasons here in New England. In fact, I have to pay attention to what is happening all over the world. Harvest times, growing conditions and a lot of other factors make a different to our Vermont based coffee business. And to the coffee in your cup!
The world just seems to get smaller everyday! So stop by for a cup on your way down Route 15.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Gourmet Vermont Coffee and Tourism
As I gear up for the fall tourist season here at Brown and Jenkins, I know I'll once more become a map of the areas for both visitors and locals. There is simply so much to do here in Cambridge and the entire Green Mountain locale that I'm constantly discovering and sharing new businesses, venues and events with whoever happens to wander in our doors. So when you drop by for a cup of the fall Harvest Blend coffee beans, consider some of the other local spots.
Know Where Your Food Comes From: Waiora (why-or-a) Valley Farm
Right around the corner in Jeffersonville (that's where Smuggler's Notch Ski Resort is) is the Wairoa Valley Farm store. The store carries Brown and Jenkins coffee, organic beef and other Vermont grown and organic products. The farm is over on Route 15 near 108.
They offer a CSA and a buying club for Associated Buyers natural and organic foods for locals. They also offer Frontier Natural Products. Both are available for a $25 fee and you pick up your orders right at the farm.
Yes, we sell coffee online, but we are also a part of this vibrant local community!
Coffee and Health: Medicinal Coffee Finding
I came across a study on coffee and health online recently. For each cup of coffee consumed, the women in the study showed a 5% decrease in skin cancer. The researchers found that caffeine destroys UV damaged cells that become cancerous.
So you can improve your health by drinking coffee and buying from folks you know!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Know Where Your Food Comes From: Waiora (why-or-a) Valley Farm
Right around the corner in Jeffersonville (that's where Smuggler's Notch Ski Resort is) is the Wairoa Valley Farm store. The store carries Brown and Jenkins coffee, organic beef and other Vermont grown and organic products. The farm is over on Route 15 near 108.
They offer a CSA and a buying club for Associated Buyers natural and organic foods for locals. They also offer Frontier Natural Products. Both are available for a $25 fee and you pick up your orders right at the farm.
Yes, we sell coffee online, but we are also a part of this vibrant local community!
Coffee and Health: Medicinal Coffee Finding
I came across a study on coffee and health online recently. For each cup of coffee consumed, the women in the study showed a 5% decrease in skin cancer. The researchers found that caffeine destroys UV damaged cells that become cancerous.
So you can improve your health by drinking coffee and buying from folks you know!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, September 17, 2010
Vermont Harvest Blend Coffee and Festival
Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
With a nip in the northern air of the Green Mountains, our master roaster Glenn is roasting the perfect blend of beans for the idyllic Vermont coffee. Each autumn the Harvest Blend coffee becomes one of my favorites with its crisp and clean taste. So, today I have a cup in hand as I watch preparations for the annual Harvest Festival across Route 15.
At the Boyden Valley Winery and Farm, right here in Cambridge, Vermont, we have a year round view of corn mazes, wine tasting tours, hay rides and weddings. This local venue hosts barn dances and makes maple syrup in the sugar house. And this weekend, Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th from 11-5, they will hold the annual Harvest Festival. There will be wine tasting, live music, apples and face painting and balloons for the kids. It's a $10 admission for adults and free for children 12 and younger.
And yes, we here at Brown and Jenkins will participate by offering a sumptuous sampling of some of our favorite autumn inspired coffees for locals and tourists, and our fresh and local baked goods. If you are an online coffee customer with a Coffee Club account make sure that you try something new in your order this week, like our featured flavors Pumpkin Spice coffee or Apple Crisp coffee and enjoy the season wherever you are.
Welcome to Fall in Vermont!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
With a nip in the northern air of the Green Mountains, our master roaster Glenn is roasting the perfect blend of beans for the idyllic Vermont coffee. Each autumn the Harvest Blend coffee becomes one of my favorites with its crisp and clean taste. So, today I have a cup in hand as I watch preparations for the annual Harvest Festival across Route 15.
At the Boyden Valley Winery and Farm, right here in Cambridge, Vermont, we have a year round view of corn mazes, wine tasting tours, hay rides and weddings. This local venue hosts barn dances and makes maple syrup in the sugar house. And this weekend, Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th from 11-5, they will hold the annual Harvest Festival. There will be wine tasting, live music, apples and face painting and balloons for the kids. It's a $10 admission for adults and free for children 12 and younger.
And yes, we here at Brown and Jenkins will participate by offering a sumptuous sampling of some of our favorite autumn inspired coffees for locals and tourists, and our fresh and local baked goods. If you are an online coffee customer with a Coffee Club account make sure that you try something new in your order this week, like our featured flavors Pumpkin Spice coffee or Apple Crisp coffee and enjoy the season wherever you are.
Welcome to Fall in Vermont!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Fresh Roasted Vermont Coffee or Caffeinated Marshmallows?
Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
I was scanning through my online news, with a cup of our Brown and Jenkin's Costa Rican coffee in one hand, and the mouse in my other, when I stumbled across a new way to get a caffeine dose. Ok- since I've already tipped my hand with the title you know that I'm talking about caffeinated marshmallows.
Caffeinated Food Products
You can go to ThinkGeek to buy a bag of these pumped up puffs with a logo of the old Ghostbuster StayPuft Marshmallow man on the front. Which is funny if you consider that the college students who are probably buying these things don't even remember that 80's classic movie. Another site offers caffeinated sunflower seeds for the health conscious caffeine seeker.
I was scanning through my online news, with a cup of our Brown and Jenkin's Costa Rican coffee in one hand, and the mouse in my other, when I stumbled across a new way to get a caffeine dose. Ok- since I've already tipped my hand with the title you know that I'm talking about caffeinated marshmallows.
Caffeinated Food Products
You can go to ThinkGeek to buy a bag of these pumped up puffs with a logo of the old Ghostbuster StayPuft Marshmallow man on the front. Which is funny if you consider that the college students who are probably buying these things don't even remember that 80's classic movie. Another site offers caffeinated sunflower seeds for the health conscious caffeine seeker.
- What do you think?
- Do caffeinated candy and health products deserve a place next to the Harvest Blend coffee beans?
- Or are they just fads that will fade away like the one time blockbuster movie?
- Will you be adding marshmallows to your coffee for an extra rush?
How much caffeine is in coffee and these other products?
- Cup of coffee 90-150mg
- Caffeinated marshmallows 100+ mg
- Caffeinated sunflower seeds 140mg
For those of us with a passion for gourmet coffee, I don't think any amount of caffeine will replace the "buzz" that comes from the combination of aroma, flavor and smoothness of a great cup of coffee. Still, it's always fun to see what trends come and go, and what is here to stay.
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Friday, September 10, 2010
Coffee Shop Owners Say No to Laptops
Good Morning Coffee Lovers,
Vermont is slowly welcoming fall with (occasionally) cooler weather; and, yes, a few trees are already showing hints of fall colors. Here at Brown and Jenkins, our building smells like the Columbian Supremo coffee beans that are being roasted to fill the day's online coffee orders.
We are getting ready to ship coffee beans to California, Massachusetts and Canada, among other locations. Many of you long distance clients discovered us on a trek through the Green Mountains or en route to skiing at Smugg's or Stowe. Can’t wait to meet again if you travel back through!
Strange Coffee News
In other corners of the nation, coffee news is as strange and indicative of the times as ever. Consider this tid bit from the big apple that appeared in the New York Times:
One New York City based coffee shop has revamped its establishment to remove tables, chairs and lingering lap top owners. Tired of those who come in and camp out to create an office-away-from-home, owners of the aptly named Café Grumpy have banned laptops in their second location, and designed the third without tables and chairs.
Buy, Pay, Get Out
Apparently, this design is becoming more popular as coffee shop owners try to save money and enhance the bottom line in the challenging economy.
What do you think of that?
Here at Brown and Jenkins, we're a bit of a coffee roaster and a bit of a café. But I've got to say, it would make me so sad to lose the environment where people are encouraged to hang out and talk. Yes, many people come in with the intention of working but, more often than not, conversations just evolve.
Maybe it's the difference between a large, urban center and the rural region that we live in here in the Green Mountains of Vermont. As for me, I'm welcoming the cooler fall weather that has hit our corner of the world; and I'm welcoming the tourists who are starting to visit for apples, maple syrup and our own Brown and Jenkins coffee beans. If you're in the neighbor hood- stop by for a cup and a chat!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
Vermont is slowly welcoming fall with (occasionally) cooler weather; and, yes, a few trees are already showing hints of fall colors. Here at Brown and Jenkins, our building smells like the Columbian Supremo coffee beans that are being roasted to fill the day's online coffee orders.
We are getting ready to ship coffee beans to California, Massachusetts and Canada, among other locations. Many of you long distance clients discovered us on a trek through the Green Mountains or en route to skiing at Smugg's or Stowe. Can’t wait to meet again if you travel back through!
Strange Coffee News
In other corners of the nation, coffee news is as strange and indicative of the times as ever. Consider this tid bit from the big apple that appeared in the New York Times:
One New York City based coffee shop has revamped its establishment to remove tables, chairs and lingering lap top owners. Tired of those who come in and camp out to create an office-away-from-home, owners of the aptly named Café Grumpy have banned laptops in their second location, and designed the third without tables and chairs.
Buy, Pay, Get Out
Apparently, this design is becoming more popular as coffee shop owners try to save money and enhance the bottom line in the challenging economy.
What do you think of that?
Here at Brown and Jenkins, we're a bit of a coffee roaster and a bit of a café. But I've got to say, it would make me so sad to lose the environment where people are encouraged to hang out and talk. Yes, many people come in with the intention of working but, more often than not, conversations just evolve.
Maybe it's the difference between a large, urban center and the rural region that we live in here in the Green Mountains of Vermont. As for me, I'm welcoming the cooler fall weather that has hit our corner of the world; and I'm welcoming the tourists who are starting to visit for apples, maple syrup and our own Brown and Jenkins coffee beans. If you're in the neighbor hood- stop by for a cup and a chat!
Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen
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