White Coffee is the latest product to stand up out of the primordial product selection and start finding it’s way into the consumers cup.  At first I was skeptical and even a little put off.  To me, coffee roasting is an art that I’ve perfected through trial and error and too many late nights to count.  It’s all about the bean development, the color, the aroma and the taste.  You don’t roast coffee HALFWAY.  Well, at least that’s what I thought. 

White coffee is a coffee that is basically roasted halfway-if that.  The idea behind this is that many of our customers are driven by the caffiene kick that a great espresso can deliver and white coffee has probably twice as much caffiene as fully roasted coffee.  The process of simply roasting coffee results in the loss of a lot of caffiene.  So, contrary to belief, a darker coffee has LESS caffiene that a coffee that is a lighter roast. 

To some, white coffee is an acquired taste.  It’s earthy, somewhat grassy and green tea like in it’s profile and packs a BIG punch.  It’s best when blended with fully roasted shots and flavors and also a great addition to smoothies or granitas.  As a purist and total coffee snob, I should be aghast at the very existence of this brew.  But as a guy who loves caffiene, I have to say that it’s the perfect remedy to a slow morning. 

Yep, I tried to resist but in the end we figured if we can’t beat em’, we better join em’.  You can buy Hypershot White Coffee on our web site at javajavacoffee.com

Let me know what you think.

Brett Habenicht

I was just out of the military and newly married.  Brenda and I were getting by okay mostly on her paycheck.  She had a good job at Barbee Mill where she exported lumber and did all kinds of other things as well.   I was selling real estate because I really didn’t have the skill set to do anything else.  This was 1989 and someone told us that we should open a little coffee kiosk where they worked at the old Pay n Pak Mall in Kent.  Heck, sounded good to me.  Starbucks was starting to make some inroads and there were a few other coffee shops in the Seattle area that seemed to be doing alright.

Back then, the coffee business looked nothing like it does today.  There were lots of carts and no drive-thrus and it was a brand new concept.  We thought about it some and decided that we’d give it a shot.  Not having any money at all was the biggest issue we faced going into the venture.  Through a friend, we found a private lender that would loan us the $15,000.00 it was going to take to buy the cart and equipment and items we needed to get going.  We signed a deal with Pay n Pak and opened for business within a month or two.  I never knew I wanted to run my own business until the day we opened that store.  It was pretty exciting.   For a week or so.  Then the luster wore off and the customer count started to drop and pretty soon, it was obvious that there just wasn’t enough traffic to make it worthwhile financially.  So we started running specials and advertising to neighboring business’s and even expanded the menu.  That seemed to do the trick and within a few months, we were profitable.  It was small, but it was headed in the right direction.

We were excited about our little business and hopeful for the future.  Unlike most, we didn’t think that the specialty coffee business was a “fad”.   With companies like Starbucks and Peets leading the way, we were pretty sure we could do something with this.  All of that optimism was put to the test one day when the VP of real estate for Pay n Pak, who was a regular customer, came down to get his coffee.  As he approached us, we could tell that something was wrong.  His words struck like a hammer when he informed us that the mighty Pay n Pak was bankrupt and would be shutting the doors for good in just a couple of months.  Everyone would be losing their job and by default, so would we.   Strike one.

After letting it soak in, Brenda and I looked at each other and realized that we still owed $15,000.oo on the cart and equipment and we needed a place to set up shop.  I spent the better part of a month patroling the streets for what I thought would be a good location and landed at the intersection of Central Ave. and Gowe Street in Kent, just a few blocks north of Pay n Pak.  Remember, this was 1989 and landlords back then looked at you like you were from another planet when you pitched them your idea of a coffee cart on their property.  Our little corner on Central Ave was perfect….an old gas station that had been converted into a retail store with plenty of room for us and a safe place to store the cart and equipment at night.  We ran some power, put in some sinks in the back room and started selling coffee again.  Every morning at 5 am, I would unlock the door to the back room and push 750 pounds of cart and machine across the parking lot and into my “custom built” green tent.  We didn’t know any better!  Business started off slowly and then it took off.  We were doing more business than we were at the old location and now we had all these cars that would stop out of curiosity to see what we were selling.  Most of our customers had never heard the words “latte or mocha” before and I spent a good part of everyday just educating the public on the wonders of specialty coffee beverages.  It was a great time and I was learning as much as I was teaching.  We were making a small profit,, paying off debt, looking for new opportunities and just having fun.  Then, about 4 months later I got a call at 3 in the morning from the manager at the old gas station.  There had been a fire and the building was a total loss.  I jumped in my car, raced down there and found that the room where I kept my equipment was in pretty good shape-just some smoke and water damage.  But the prospect of selling coffee in front of an old, burned out gas station was just a little to apocolyptic for me.  The fire killed the business.  Strike two.

I’ve always been somewhat stubborn and most of the time, that attribute has caused me nothing but trouble.  I don’t like to admit defeat.  I don’t like to be beat or to lose at anything.  Many times throughout my life, those characteristics have put me in harms way.  But this was different.  I just knew that if we could find a good spot, we’d be okay.  We just needed some traction!

It was not long after the fire when a friend told us that the  coffee cart out in front of the Ralph’s Thriftway store was for sale in my hometown of Maple Valley.  This was the big break that we needed.  Close to home, easy to operate, I knew just about everyone in town….It was perfect.  We made the deal and set up shop.  It was fun to be able to see so many old friends and people I had known my whole life.  Teaching them about specialty coffee and starting to establish a solid customer base was how I spent those early days in the business.  At Ralph’s,  business was booming.  We were excited about the location, the future of the business and the fact that we were finally making money.   You ever hear the old saying, “don’t count your chickens until they hatch?”  Well, it seemed as if I had been spending too much time counting chickens.  Bob Glidewell, the owner of Ralph’s  and the guy who had given me my first job bagging groceries at Ralph’s, showed up one day and told me that the family had sold the store to QFC and that we would have 30 days to vacate the premises.  Strike 3.  You’re out.

Or were we?

In the 21 years that we’ve had this business, the person who deserves most of the credit for our success rarely gets it.  Brenda has been the catalyst to every good thing that has ever happened to me and our coffee business was no different.  It was her idea to build a drive through.  The first one in the entire state, we think, built exclusively as a drive through.  Maybe one of the first in the country, but such records are hard to verify.  It was her idea that I talk to an old family friend, Jim Flynn, whos family owned much of the real estate around Wilderness Village and ask him if we could build a drive through  next to Mar-Dees restaraunt-now known as the Village Inn.  I approached Jim and he was, how should I put this…..skeptical about it.  A drive through coffee shop?  Really?  He didn’t think it would work and wasn’t thrilled about the idea.  I literally begged him to consider the proposal and I think I may have even bribed him a bit.  I can’t remember.    He eventually warmed up to the idea and Kevin Satre and I built the thing in a weekend.

We opened for business and the rest, as they say, is history.  It was an instant success.  The combination of coffee and a drive through was a match made in Heaven.  The sales grew, the customer base grew, we grew.  It was that one little drive through that paved the way for our entire brand.  It was a combination of determination, stubborness, vision and hope that made it all work.  That, and the fact that a few people along the way believed in us.  Sure, we  had a rocky and rough start but I wouldn’t change anything about the early years..  It was by struggling that we became stronger and more committed.  After a start like that, there was not much that was going to get in our way.  Except for Starbucks, you say?  Easy, we just built a bigger and better drive through and welcomed them in with open arms.  Not really, we were pretty scared, but it all worked out!  The arrival of Starbucks forced us to become better at what we did and do the little things that they just couldn’t.   Our customers were our customers and no company, however big, was going to change that.  We made some big changes in the way we ran our business and it forced us to grow up, I guess.

We built more stores, started roasting our own and have been blessed enough to help many others start their journey as well.  It’s been a great ride and it’s not even close to being over.

Brett Habenicht

We are looking forward to some big things in 2011.  Our Espresso Parts business is ready to roll with a new website and a great new look and our internet coffee business is doing well.  Check it out for yourself at www.javajavacoffee.com and order a pound today.  The website looks great.  Thanks to Jeff Snelling at plumthumb!  www.plumbthumb.net  

We really embrace our Northwest roots and we’re in the process of developing custom artwork for our blends that capture the spirit and independence of the Great Pacific Northwest.  Have a great 2011!

Happy 1st day of April.

About 3 hours into it, I came into the clearing that I was told would be there. As I moved into the clearing, there waiting for me were two of the Makenchi tribesman that Jesus has spoken with before my trip. They were right on time and eager to be paid for their services.

I gave them each a new 16 gig I Pod loaded with Brittany Spears music and South Park episodes and we were off. “Close now,” they clicked in native Makenchi as we moved quickly through the Guatemalen jungle.

After a rough night with the Makenchi’s, I awoke and gathered my pack and supplies and headed off. Around the next ruin, straining into the sunlight was the biggest coffee tree I have ever seen. Growing on this tree was the prize I had come so far to find. With tears in my eyes, I held it up against the Beautiful Guatemalen sky and gazed in absolute wonder at what I had finally found.

I am losing service as we speak as the satellite signal is fading…..I will post the picture first thing in the morning if the Makechi’s don’t eat me tonight.

The Java! Java! coffee that you all know and love relies heavily on many different coffees. Our Java! Java! blends are the culmination of many years of trial and error and I hope that what I find here will just add to the already great collection of coffees we offer. The Guat we have now is great, but I know there’s a better one out there somewhere!

Later today, I’ll hook up again with Jesus, who, by the way has a very impressive mustache. He called me earlier to let me know that he’s on his way. It will be good to see a familiar face.

Is there a giant coffee tree? I feel like a fool sometimes when I ask the plantation workers about it. They laugh at first, then it seems they become a bit nervous. Am I getting close to uncovering a local secret? It sure feels that way. It’s also attracting some unwanted attention. More on that later.

Larry, if you’re reading this, it is brutally difficult to find a good cup in the city. As I’ve ventured further out however, the coffee is superb.

I met Jesus (Hey Soos) at a small diner and we left Guatemala City in the rear view mirror as we headed for the hills. Today, I’m searching for Finca Filadefia Estate. Great Antigua Coffees are grown here and I need to find a guy who sometimes shows up there. Juan Mucheo is the guy who will hopefully show me the path to the REAL prize I am after.

Juan is legendary around here. His exploits as guide and hunter are almost folklore in the jungles of Guatemala.

My internet connections are spotty, at best, so I will try to communicate again tomorrow If I can.

Brett Habenicht
Java! Java! Coffee