The Caffeinated Mind

Showcase Coffee of the Week

2022-02-27T11:06:00.000-10:00

Fair Trade Organic
Honduras Marcala Women Producers

Women Producers

Our first lots from Cooperativa RAOS (Regional de Agricultores Orgánicos de la Sierra) came in 2015. These past several years, we have been thrilled to see both the quality and the quantity of their coffees improve, and we know there is even more to come. The 2016/2017 harvest saw our first opportunity to source a Women Coffee Producer lot from this group whose 270-farmer membership includes 77 women. Now we are able to buy several containers from the women as well as the mixed group.

In addition to the program premiums these women receive for this lot, Cooperativa RAOS has many very active educational support programs open to all members through the development of training farms, as well as integrated farm-management programs and organic-farming support to all members, including the female growers.

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ENTER PROMO CODE AT CHECK OUT FOR 10% OFF

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No expiration date

Organic Ethiopia Limu

Ethiopia holds near-legendary status not only because it's the "birthplace" of Arabica coffee, but also because it is simply unlike every other place in the coffee world. Unlike the vast majority of coffee-growing countries, the plant was not introduced through colonization but rather they were discovered growing wild in forests. There are no coffees that are spoken of with the reverence or romance that Ethiopian coffees are.
This Ethiopian coffee is certified organic.

Organic-Ethiopia-Limu

Fair Trade Organic Mexico El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve Women Producers

Our first lots from Cooperativa RAOS (Regional de Agricultores Orgánicos de la Sierra) came in 2015. These past several years, we have been thrilled to see both the quality and the quantity of their coffees improve, and we know there is even more to come. The 2016/2017 harvest saw our first opportunity to source a Women Coffee Producer lot from this group whose 270-farmer membership includes 77 women. Now we are able to buy several containers from the women as well as the mixed group.

Fair-Trade-Organic-Mexico-El-Triunfo-Biosphere-Reserve-Women-Producers

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2022-02-27T04:49:00.001-10:00

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L' appel du vide

2015-09-09T17:25:00.001-10:00

L'appel du vide (French)

Translates literally to "the call of the void".

The urge some people get to jump from high places when they encounter them, for example, when close to the edge of a cliff. The fear of heights comes not from fear of tripping and falling but the idea that one might suddenly be compelled to throw oneself over. Nothing makes more sense than that. As irrational as it sounds. I hear it. I feel it. I feel it.

Salt of the Earth

2014-09-06T09:33:00.002-10:00

[Jesus said] "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (Matthew 5:13).

The common expression, "salt of the earth," is derived from Jesus Christ's most famous teaching of all, the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5-7).

After listing the "Beatitudes" ("Blessed are the meek . . . "), Jesus told His people that they were the salt and light of the world. Both terms were used metaphorically, to illustrate how the people of God were to stand out from the rest of the world and impact others in a positive way.

Today, when we refer to a person as "the salt of the earth," we generally mean this in a favorable way. Such people are unpretentious, uncomplicated, devoted, loyal, earnest, and honest. They are hard-working folks, who add value to the lives of others.

Another way to describe these people is this: "What you see is what you get."

To most, this may be considered a compliment of biblical proportions.

[photo: Utah Salt Flats]

[photo credit: SSB]

Industrial Beauty

2014-09-05T08:36:00.001-10:00

Warming up the coffee roaster Factory in winter Wind farm Nuclear power

The most amazing things...

2014-09-01T22:08:00.003-10:00

Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving- Kahlil Gibran

2014-09-01T22:01:00.001-10:00

The Simple Life

2014-09-01T21:21:00.000-10:00

Life's a Journey, Not a Destination.

2014-09-01T20:32:00.000-10:00

I have been absent for far too long. I think about a million things I want to share but there never seems to be enough hours in the day.

So, where did I leave off last...oh, yea...truck driving...and debt free living. Since October of last year, we have journeyed approximately 250,000 miles, endured one of the longest and coldest winters I have ever experience, and suffered 2 devastating losses in our family, Gramma and Grampa nearly back to back. It has been a bumpy ride...but we are coming back up the hill and things are looking shiny again.

We finally got out from under the house in Deland and purchased our farmland in Missouri. Our plan is coming together and our dream farm is within reach. 16 acres near the Lake of the Ozarks. Hilly with lots of hard wood trees on half and a rich fertile valley on the other half. Wet weather creek on one side, Year round spring fed creek on another. Lots of walnut trees and ready to be planted with more as soon as we can. Hopefully a house, barn, and garden by spring. Little House on the Prairie 2015-style. Orchard, heirloom vegetables, herbs. Greenhouses, Hoop Houses. Canning, dehydrating, making essential oils & medicinal tinctures. Then comes the animals.... Bees, chickens, goats, cows, sheep, alpacas, guinea fowl, peacocks, turkeys. Hopefully by 2016, we will be operating as a full time farm.

The Farmacy. A life long dream for both of us...and its in sight.

She lives....

2013-10-30T08:03:00.001-10:00

So much has happened in the past 10 months, I don't even know where to begin again. Here is the long & short of it all.
After 15 months in Hawai'i & a few months struggling to find new jobs after being laid off, we decided to pack it up and head out on a big rig adventure. A month visiting family then 3 weeks of school in Michigan and we are back behind the wheel.
Many miles & months later, we are nearly out of debt & saving for a debt free future. Traveling is good for my soul. Seeing this beautiful country brings me comfort in uncertain times.
I am thankful every day to have my partner by my side...for without him, life would not be so much fun.
I am one blessed Coffeegirl

Oh, the places we will go...

2012-10-14T14:34:00.001-10:00

Nothing is official yet, but we are thinking of trucking again. Maybe it's the unemployment talking and a romanticized memory of our years spend over the road but we are seriously considering a change. Years of retail management & self employment have taken their toll on us
mentally and our heart just isn't into starting another coffee business. Hawaii is hard to leave but we both have a gypsy heart and living on this tiny rock doesn't satisfy it. It will take time to set this plan into action and nothing is for sure yet. Just blogging about it makes it more real for me.

A post about poop

2012-10-05T00:55:00.000-10:00

This post has been brought to you by our good friend, COFFEE!

"I'm not FAT, I'm RUBENESQUE" revisited

2012-10-03T15:58:00.000-10:00

I hope you grow tastebuds on your asshole.

Sexist Fuckwittery

2012-07-30T12:46:00.000-10:00

Felicia Day, Geek Goddess

Oh, Ryan Perez...you asshat! What ever prompted you to go on your Twitter rampage against actress, gamer and self-described "new media geek" Felicia Day? The now-fired blogger says he was just acting "drunk and stupid." Is this another example of how easy it is for gamers to bond over misogyny?

"Does Felicia Day matter at all?" Destructoid contributor Ryan Perez tweeted to no one in particular last Friday night. "I mean does she actually contribute anything useful to this industry, besides retaining a geek persona?" Then, he tweeted directly to Day: "Could you be considered nothing more than a glorified booth babe? You don't seem to add anything creative to the medium."

Wil Wheaton, who has way more than a million fans following him on Twitter responded with this in her defense.

"I have fucking had it with idiot asshole men being shitbags to @feliciaday because they're threatened by her creativity and success," Wheaton tweeted. "I'm sick of idiot men giving *any* woman grief in gamer and geek culture. Enough already, we're better than that."

Felicia is a real geek and has a successful career, they're not mutually exclusive. You can find ample proof of her geekiness all over the interwebs, it's not even debatable. She's more of geek than most people who use the moniker. The only reason anyone even brings that into question is because she's a girl. Otherwise they'd just be like, well, I'm not into her work but she's clearly "one of us".

He didn't just call her a poser, he called her a "glorified booth babe" and wondered about whether she contributed anything to gaming at all. The Guild, Geek & Sundry, The Legend of Neil and a whole lot of other things shows her contributions to geekdom in general, and gaming culture specifically.

While it is absolutely ok to call someone out as being a poser. That's not what Perez did. He criticized her for being female, he used specifically gendered insults. That's why he is an asshat. Calling her a "booth babe" dismisses her contributions and reduces her to a sex object. She's a great writer and legit gamer that happens to be a girl.

Pretty damn misogynistic.

I'm not FAT, I'm RUBENESQUE!

2012-07-26T01:08:00.002-10:00

"I'm bringing Rubenesque back!"

I recently came across this posted on a friends Facebook wall and absolutely fell in love with it. It reminded me of the photo that circulated around the interwebz a few months ago of the beautiful plus size model, Tara Lynn.

"There are 3 billion women who don't look like supermodels and only 8 who do."

The story posted with the picture is as follow:

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.
They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.
They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?
They would have no sex life and could not bear children.
Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.
And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.
We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.
Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

I was stunned by the amount of people who said that this woman was unhealthy and ugly because she had rolls. Being 'plus size' does not make someone unhealthy. This woman, if I had to guess, is about a size 14, which is the average size of a woman in America. Not to mention, if she wasn't comfortable with herself I'm sure she wouldn't be posing nude! Fat being ugly? That just breaks my heart people actually feel this way. Why are people SO judgmental??! Who determines what is considered "Fat" and what is considered "Skinny" and what is considered "beautiful" and what is "ugly"?

Take care of your body and be happy in your own skin. If you are a healthy at the size you are then by all means, be HAPPY!

And don't judge!! Is "fat"really the worst thing a human being can be? How about 'vindictive', 'shallow', or 'cruel'?

Coffee for the WIN!!

2012-07-25T19:52:00.000-10:00

+5 poop

-10 bladder

+100000 deliciousness

Quotes from a prophet

2012-04-14T01:55:00.002-10:00

"Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?”

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”

“You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She's not perfect - you aren't either, and the two of you may never be perfect
together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break - her heart. So don't hurt her, don't change her, don't analyze and don't expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she's not there.”

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”

“He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can. He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect for more than he can give. Don’t analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.”

“Love the life you live. Live the life you love.”

“Live for yourself and you will live in vain; Live for others, and you will live again.”

“The people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?”

"Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?”

Oh, Religion, you so crazy!

2012-02-02T19:52:00.000-10:00

Well actually He told the fig tree "you will never bear fruit again"

but figs don't care, they just adopt!!

Oh, the People You'll Meet!

2012-01-31T15:03:00.000-10:00

In my life, I've met people. Some I never think about again. Some, I wonder what happened to them. Some, I wonder if they ever think about me. And then there are some I wish I never had to think about again.

But I do.

I have always thought of a coffee shop as a church-- of sorts. A place for fellowship. A community of individuals brought together in a place of worship(for me, anyways) A place where wit & wisdom flow. Where we talk story. We discuss finance, state affairs, common gossip, and a bit of low brow comedy. I have met magnificent people and made personal connections that will last a lifetime. Ordinary encounters made extraordinary.

Coffee is the tie that binds us...at least in my life.

Coffee--brewed. Hearts--warmed. My job here is done. :)

Insomnia in Waikiki

2012-01-23T00:23:00.000-10:00

I am something right now, but I wouldn't call it "functional."

As you may or may not know, the coffee shop I now work for is having their soft opening tomorrow, I haven't had a day off since January 7. Don't see one in the near future either. I don't mind, this is what I love to do......

Here's the problem...I am plagued by insomnia. I only drink coffee in the am because of this. My mind is just overactive when I try to sleep. Making lists of things I have to do for tomorrow. Going over the things I did today. What I have to do this week. I keep all of this stuff jumbled up in there.

I also live in downtown Waikiki...I mean, smack dab in the middle of it. Across the street is the Waikiki Trade Center, which houses 3 clubs. Diagonal is a rambunctious gay sports bar with open windows. Right next door, Cha Cha Cha's Mexican Cantina with over 100 tequilas. On any given night this place is party central. And I live on the 14th floor of the side that faces all the noise...which travels up and is amplified. Did I mention the clubs stay open 'til 4am. Right about the time my first alarm goes off. The mating calls of the "whooo" girls, techno music ,bar fights, drunken revelers, drag queens, sirens, burnouts, horns. Even the stronger than normal trade winds rattle the lanai glass doors like the hurricanes do back home, causing even more anxiety fueled sleeplessness...

................................................

Last night, some dick was on a bull horn(at least it sounded like it) after midnight giving what sounded like a political speech...he went on for nearly an hour.

.......................................

Last night: 2.5 hrs of sleep.

........................................

Mid-afternoon nap 2.0 hrs of sleep.

Tick Tock...I hear the clock...ticking away...I have to be up at 3:45am.

.......................................

Please, God, let there be a nap in my future.

Afternoon Delight

2012-01-22T00:02:00.001-10:00

Damn that late afternoon espresso..it is like the Che Guevara in my revolution against sleep.

Popped our coffee cherry...we did.

2012-01-21T22:58:00.002-10:00

On a hike to Maunawili Falls on the windward side of O'ahu, we came to an old coffee grove...the trees were thin under the dense canopy but easy to identify by their shiny waxy leaves. We found some had green cherries attached to their scrawny branches.

We searched for a while trying to find one with a ripe red cherry. How our behavior must have looked to passerby's makes me laugh now. Probably as bizarre as I look when I play in the snow.

Spotted bits of red in the lush green landscape...where the canopy allowed more sunlight to pass though. Wild coffee, long since abandoned...unkempt yet beautiful.

We snapped a few pictures...popped a few in our mouth and headed up the mountain with renewed vigor.

Rise like the Phoenix from the ashes...

2012-01-21T22:35:00.000-10:00

The Birth(or Rebirth) of Pono Roasters

We chose the Phoenix to represent our coffee roasting business' rebirth. The Phoenix's ability to be reborn from its own ashes seemed very àpropos. Our path, fraught with obstacles yet we emerged from the cinders stronger.

"It's best to have failure happen early in life, It wakes up the Phoenix bird in you so you rise from the ashes." - Anne Baxter

"Success wouldn't taste so good, without failure as an appetizer." -from a fortune cookie

Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat?

2012-01-21T19:41:00.000-10:00

I haven't had much time to blog lately...a lot has happened in the past 9 months. Our coffee shop closed after a long ten year run. We really tried to make it work...tried everything, even radio advertising, shameless self promoting, begging and even a guilt trip or two. In the end, it was just sheer exhaustion that finally did us in. We were over worked, under paid and heading into our slow season. We decided we needed a change...we made plans to sell everything and go back to long haul truck driving. We used to drive truck when we first got married...for 3 1/2 years, we traveled the country. 46 states. Quite an adventure. We would reminisce about our gypsy days. It had to be better than our current situation. At least we would be out seeing stuff...instead of SSDD. We were telling all of our friends and family of our new plan, half thought we were giving up, the other half though we had gone nutters. So we started making our exit plan.

My brother, Eric, heard of our plans and called us up. He lives in Hawaii and suggested we sell everything, ship our coffee roaster to Hawaii and give it a go out there...Hawaii? Hmm, yeah, that sounds like a dream...could we really do that? Nah..But the more we thought about it, the more we felt like we just couldn't pass up the opportunity. So, we did some research...Florida's unemployment rate was 15%, nearing 20% in our county. Hawaii's unemployment rate was only 6%. We would have to go into debt even more than we already were, just to start trucking again...not to mention, we would have to work for a crappy company for at least 6 months before we could team drive together...trucking was looking less like a good idea and thoughts of Hawaii filled our minds. We started watching the new "Hawaii 5-0" series we had saved up on our dvr...it was funny that we hadn't had a chance to watch them yet and we had a whole entire season saved....Well, that's what did it. I can't even remember what the story lines were...we just watched the scenery and daydreamed of paradise...that's all she wrote. Made selling all our stuff for pennies on the dollar less painful..Made closing the business less painful. We had a renewed excitement for what the future held.

That was the hottest damn summer ever...business equipment sales, moving sales, garage sales, craigslist sales, even sold our prize possession comic.

Painful. Very painful. Had to be pried from my hands. But, it was what funded our trip, shipped the roaster and financed for our fresh start. August 15...we arrived in Hawaii. We were home.

We had a month or so to explore the island while we looked for jobs. Finally found a coffee consulting job for the both of us. Pay wasn't that great but we got to move into the same building we worked in. 14th floor.

Elevator commute to work. Office. Company credit card. And the opportunity to co-manage the cafe when it opened. 401k, profit sharing, health insurance, vacation time(what is that?) Truly a dream job.

We are roasting again.

Blessed to find a place to set up the coffee roaster. We share a space with another coffee roaster. They are a pretty big deal coffee company in Honolulu. Been here for years. We set up our baby roaster right next to his ginormous monstrosity of a roaster. Started the business in Hawaii...it was too easy. No bureaucracy, no red tape, no hoops to jump though. Wha???

The trying times, the sadness of business failure, the uncertainty...all for this. We are blessed.

Faith in God.

Fearlessness.

A little stupid courage.

A whole lotta moxie.

Two haoles living pono...it was NOT "all for naught".

Just Kraken Jokes

2011-05-18T10:01:00.002-10:00

'You're Kraken me up, Comedy Squid.'

I will laugh about this pun...

F-O-R-E-V-E-R