'Tis the Season for Spiced Butter Rum Coffee

Good morning coffee lovers,

The Brown and Jenkins' corner of Vermont welcomed Thanksgiving Day with a blanket of snow over our trees and mountains. I hope that you and yours were able to enjoy some fabulous food, great company and, of course, a great cup of coffee during your celebration.

As those of us in the north prepare for snowy winter nights warmed by a fire, wood stove, and cozy throws the thought of a hot toddy warming your throat is also appealing. Just imagine the taste of your favorite coffee enhanced with the flavor of your favorite liqueur; but without the after effects.

Mini-Bar Coffee Flavors for the Holidays

Well, I did. That's why I'm launching a line of mini-bar liquere flavored coffees on December 1st. These offer the taste you love, without the hangover! I will be giving these as holiday hostess gifts as well as serving them at my own functions. The liqueur coffee flavors we will offer are:

• Bourbon Pecan Torte
• Spiced Butter Run
• Royal Scottish Crème
• Chocolate Whiskey
• B52 (Kahlua, Irish Crème, Gran Marnier)
• Irish Crème
  

Ahhh, I can just imagine sipping on a Spiced Butter Rum coffee now. Something about the idea of hot rum on your throat on a chilly Vermont winter is just so cozy.

Other Holiday Coffee Options

Of course, we are also going to offer the Coffee Gift Baskets that so many of you ordered last year for hostess and holiday gifts. These will be available for pickup only at our Cambridge, Vermont roastery from now until Christmas. And yes, the winter flavors of Mogul Mocha and Winter Spice will also be available as of December 1st.
Need other gift ideas? The Keurig adapter and online coffee club memberships remain available.

Watch for news about our first Edible Vermont Exchange event coming soon.

Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen

A Cup of Change in Your Vermont Coffee

Good Morning Coffee Lovers,

Snow has officially fallen here in the Green Mountains of Vermont; so it's time to say goodbye to the autumn beauty and anticipate the soon to be white mountains that will surround us. Truthfully, I'm still sipping on my cup of Autumn Spice coffee with the knowledge that we'll be saying goodbye soon. Like an old friend, however, I know we'll be reunited again when the time is right.

Coffee Changes at Brown and Jenkins

Like the Vermont seasons, changes are also occurring here at Brown and Jenkins. Some are purely seasonal like saying good bye to the fall coffee blends and hello to Mogul Mocha and Winter Spice which will be back on December 1st. Others are more about enhancing the quality of our offerings.

To this end, I've decided to add one of my favorite lines of gourmet food products to those available both here in the Cambridge roastery and in our online store. Currently, we carry a great variety of Vermont made local products like jams, jellies, pickles and our own line of Buzz Coffee Rubs.

New Product Line

I've wanted to add a more comprehensive line of food products for a while now. So when my husband and I were in Maine on vacation a while back I was lucky enough to visit the brick and mortar store of one of my favorite specialty food purveyors, Stonewall Kitchen. This is a New England tradition; but we don't have one in Vermont.

You will now be able to buy this delicious assortment of condiments, confections and more right here. Watch for a line of Stonewall Kitchen products to appear on our website and in our local store towards the beginning of December. In the meantime, you can visit their website for some great Thanksgiving recipes.

More Changes to Come

There is another big new change to come, but I'm going to announce it in the next blog! It's a new product launch that is bound to help you enjoy your coffee this holiday season, and make your gift giving a blast! So watch for that announcement next week. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen

Out of Africa and into the Darkside

Good Morning Coffee Lovers,

Welcome to the Darkside. Well, Darkside coffee from Zimbawe that is. That's what we've got roasting this morning; and it represents a global issue in my Vermont coffee mug. As our world map of visitors illustrates, Brown and Jenkins is located in the Green Mountains, but connected to the world.

What happened to the Kenya coffee?

For a while now, I've been challenged to source many African coffees due to a number of economic, civil and weather related issues. (Sure makes me pause and think about how fortunate we are here in the United States to live in relative peace and prosperity.) In fact, a recent IPS news story on Kenyan coffee growers indicates that the smaller growers are struggling to make a living on this once thriving market. The bottom like for us is that I just can't get enough good Kenyan coffee for our local and online coffee customers.

Why are we bringing back Zimbabwe coffee?

Many of you might remember that we used to carry a very popular Zimbabwe coffee that we had to stop carrying for similar reasons. As the climate in that African country has shifted, so has the coffee bean situation. We’ve been able to source this winey and fruity coffee from a small, family owned estate in southern Kenya. I can't promise how long this fortunate situation will last but, for their sake and ours, I hope it's a good long time.

Any African visitors at Brown and Jenkins?

As mentioned earlier, our world map is filling up with pins from visitors the world over. In fact, during this recent fall foliage season we had several visitors from South Africa as well as the UK, Italy, Jakarta, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India. Whether you are Vermont local, or a friend from abroad, I hope you'll enjoy our latest addition to the Brown and Jenkins' coffee line.

Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen

Meet Your Neighbors and Enjoy a Taste of Vermont

Good Morning Coffee Lovers,

As you know the taste and smell of fresh brewed coffee like the Autumn Spice that Glenn is roasting right now has, of course, inspired many of these coffee blogs. Today's blog, however, is brought to you by Claire's Habanero Wowsner Pepper Jam.

More precisely, I was enjoying this delicious, locally made jam when I came up with the topic for our first Meet Your Neighbor event that will take place on Sunday, December 4^th from 2-5. This is going to be an Edible Vermont Exchange. Just bring your homemade goodies and trade them for your neighbor's jellies, pies, pickles, or other creations. Vermonters are pure genius when it comes to turning our naturally grown resources into tasty treats. So come discover what your neighbors have to offer.

Bring recipes to swap and I'll even share some of my favorite Buzz Rub recipes. Local acoustic guitarist Don Beisiegel will provide the music and we'll offer a coffee tasting too.

Watch both our Facebook page and tweets for more information on this series of get-togethers. You can also now find us at Upper Valley Produce in Waterbury, VT. We're so happy to welcome them to the Brown & Jenkins' family.

Snow has already hit the ground, and it looks like we are revving up for another long, cold winter here in the Green Mountains of Vermont. So let's all keep connected and warm with friendly exchanges and delicious Vermont coffee.

Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen