Blacksmith Coffee Roastery - Blacksmith Coffee Roastery Blog

Swedish Coffee - Sunny Side Up!

2011-12-04T07:30:39-06:00

What is Swedish Coffee?

This question is one of the most commonly asked questions we get from visitors to Blacksmith Coffee Roastery. Due to our location in Little Sweden, USA - Lindsborg, Kansas, everything has its own Swedish flair.

This weekend, October 7th - 9th, Svensk Hyllningsfest brought Lindsborg alive in all it's Swedishness. As you would imagine, Swedish coffee was a common topic of conversation. In light of this, we thought it would be worthwhile to discuss what Swedish coffee really is for our readers who weren't able to make it out for the festivities. First, here are three things that it's NOT.....

Coffee that is grown in Sweden
Coffee that is weak
Coffee made with eggs

Coffee Doesn't Grow in Sweden

Since coffee doesn't grow in Sweden, by definition, Swedish coffee refers to the cultural style of blending and roasting coffee that is commonly found in Sweden. In Sweden, as well as the rest of Northern Europe, coffee is a dominant part of daily life. Coffee roasters larger and small, take great pride in sourcing high quality beans and blending them according to each individual bean's specific characteristics.

Depending on the blend profile that is sought after, the roaster will identify certain flavors, aromas, and mouthfeel characteristics in each bean profile that he feels will compliment other beans in the blend and resonate in the final cup that is produced, without conflicting with other traits that might negatively affect the overall profile.

In other words, if you have a bean that's chocolatey, and another one that is fruity, and a different one that posseses a certain spiciness or very smooth mouthfeel, and you blend them together in the right proportions, you can theoretically make a kind of supercoffee blend tasting better than each of it's individual parts.

This is both an art and a skill, and the Northern Europeans are masters at it. Sweden's great coffee companies, like Löfbergs Lila , Zoégas, and Arvid Nordquist, all take blending coffee seriously and do a fine job at it. Again, the goal is the end result - the flavor and overall cupping experience.

Contrast this with the typical American canned coffee brand, whose primary focus in blending coffee is not on delivering the ultimate flavor and cupping experience possible, but rather on how to use the cheapest beans possible and blend them in such a way as to create a coffee that is "good enough" to deliver to market at the highest profit margin possible.

Swedes may not grow coffee, but they definitely know how to blend and roast it!

Swedish Coffee Ain't Weak

It's always funny to talk with Swedish folks who come to Lindsborg to visit. The prevailing attitude is usually that Americans brew their coffee too weak.

Throughout Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries, you'll find a coffee press, stovetop espresso maker or even an Aeropress is much more common than an automatic coffee maker. One of the many benefits of manual coffee preparation is the ability to contol the extraction process much better than you can with an automatic drip brewer.

As a result, coffee can be made strong, like it should be, without it becoming too bitter to drink. This bitterness issue is the primary reason most Americans cringe at the thought of the international brewing standard of 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 ounces of water.

**And about that Swedish Egg Coffee....**

Since Swedish Egg Coffee is the unofficial official beverage of Lindsborg, it might upset many of our friends and neighbors to say this, but Swedish Egg Coffee is not particularly Swedish. I've asked dozens of real Swedes if they've ever heard of Swedish Egg Coffee and have yet to find one who has a clue what I'm talking about. Most respond with the question, "Why would you put egg in coffee?" Thus lies the mystery surrounding the Swedishness of egg coffee.

After a little research, some conclusions can be drawn. Nearly every Scandinavian people group has an egg coffee recipe in their cultural legacy. The Finnish call theirs Kahvi, or Finnish Egg Cleared Coffee, the Danes have Danish Boiled Egg Coffee, and the Norwegians have Norwegian Egg Coffee. Though preparation methods vary, the two consistent ingredients, as you would imagine, are coffee and eggs. The other interesting thing is that modern Finns, Danes and Norwegians seem to know little to nothing about their egg coffee traditions either.

The real story behind egg coffee

Egg offers natural filtration properties in that it clarifies water and leaches out minerals, metals and other undesirables. Here in the Smoky Valley, old timers have shared accounts of their childhood memories of Grandpa working from sunup to sundown in the heat of the summer, always with a thermos of Swedish Egg coffee at his side. The well water in this area is noted for being rust colored and iron laden. Long term locals remember when city tap water was more brown than clear. Taking this into consideration, it's easy to understand why homesteaders used egg to make their coffee. Not only because it would make the coffee taste better, but it would make the water more palatable too.

Besides the prominence of Scandinavian egg coffee recipes, in the Old West, cowboys out on the range would often pull their extracted Joe off of the campfire and add an egg, which would not only filter out some of the funk in the water, but it would help the grounds to settle to the bottom of the pot prior to pouring. Thus, fewer grounds in the cup. Different method, same fundamental benefits.

Speaking of the Old West and Egg Coffee....
Long before modern packaging capabilities, coffee would be shipped from the Port - usually New Orleans, to merchants throughout the country. However, this was usually shipped in raw, green form and retailers usually sold it the same way, for their customers to roast at home.

Out on the range, many Cookies would roast their own coffee in a skillet for the cowboy's favorite beverage. But, unless the Chuckwagon had a flour mill to grind wheat, they would usually enlist the willing labor of the crew to grind the roasted beans. Their favorite grinding utensil being the butt end of the handle of their six shooter!

When Arbuckles packaged coffee came along, they were among the first packaged coffee brands in the U.S. and kind of became the official coffee of the Old West. If you look at John Arbuckle's patent for his roasted coffee process, you'll see it calls for eggs. Though there's little doubt that his method was primarily designed to keep the roasted coffee fresh longer, the egg component would certainly have provided many of the same benefits experienced in other egg coffee recipes.

Bottom line, Swedish Egg coffee is a beverage Swedish American ancestors can proudly claim as a tradition passed down from their foremothers. It is a testimony to the hardships of life on the prairie, without good drinking water, or modern conveniences. Though its Swedishness may be disputed, one thing can't be denied - the customs of the immigrant, even those customs that may have more to do with the realities of immigrating and enduring, are maybe more important than whether Egg Coffee is really Swedish or not. Maybe a more fitting name for it would be Swedish-American Immigrant Egg Coffee.

How Does it Taste?

Many coffee drinkers find egg coffee to be rather weak and unspiring. However, if you can refrain from judging it like you would a premium specialty coffee, and experience the mild, yet pleasing flavor it possesses, you can appreciate why some people romanticize egg coffee, regardless of their heritage. It also helps explain why modern decendents of the Swedish homesteaders who settled this area tend to prefer their non-egg coffee brewed weaker than their distant Swedish cousins across the Atlantic. When observing the almost ceremonial preparation of egg coffee, it reminds one of a tea ceremony, which could explain why its milder flavor profile is not surprising.

Swedish Egg Coffee Recipe

If you're interested in trying your hand at brewing egg coffee for yourself, here's a great recipe provided by Kathryn Frantz, Lindsborg's official Swedish Egg coffee expert. Kathryn's recipe is mild, yet flavorful and a real treat! One thing I really like about her recipe is that the grounds/egg mixture is added to the water, just off of boil. Many egg coffee recipes call for brewing at or above the boiling point. Not only does this destroy some of the coffee's flavor profile, but boiling coffee negates its natural health benefits. By following Kathryn's recipe, you can enjoy egg coffee, with all the flavor of the coffee and benefit from the natural antioxidant properties as well!

For a Small Gathering use:

1 level tablespoon of coffee for each cup - Swedish Mörkrost is perfect!
A little of one beaten egg for each cup
Bring water to a boil. An enameled pot makes the best coffee. Turn down heat.
Mix coffee with beaten egg and add tap water until the consistency is like gravy.
Add mixture to the hot water and stir gently. Let the coffee brew several minutes.
Turn off the heat then pierce the coffee and egg mixture to release more flavor.
Pour a little cold water into the pot to settle grounds.
Spoon out the egg and coffee grounds floating on top and serve!

How to Drink Egg Coffee - Dricka På Fat, Like a Real Old-Time Swede

Regardless of egg coffee's Swedishness, one tradition that isn't disputed is the unusual way many Swedes from yesteryear used to drink their coffee. We've heard several tales from locals and real Swedes alike about ancestors who would drink their coffee -Dricka på fat, which means "drink from a saucer".

Usually the ritual would involve pouring coffee directly from the cup into the saucer. Then, it would be sipped - sometimes rather noisily! To cool it a bit, Grandpa would blow on the hot coffee and slowly slurp it in.

To sweeten the experience, Grandma would take a sugar cube between her teeth and slowly sip her coffee from a saucer, through the sugar. This was known as Dricka på bit meaning "drink with a lump of sugar".

Though not likely seen much amongst the more sophisticated city dwellers of the day, this method of drinking coffee was not uncommon amongst the Swedish homesteaders here in the Smoky Valley as well as their country cousins over in Värmland.

Introducing Australia Mountain Top Estate Bin 478

2011-12-04T07:27:50-06:00

Australia Mountain Top Estate's Bin 478 is the finest estate coffee grown in Australia and comes from the nation's leading coffee plantation & processor.

We are thrilled that we were able to get a hold of some of this fine coffee from Bin 478 and are really excited to offer it! Knowing that Mountain Top Estate coffees have been used by World Barista Champions, and are known globally to be superb espressos and coffees, we can't wait to find out how much our Distinctive Collection enthusiasts will enjoy this!

Australia Mountain Top Estate Coffee is grown in the fertile foothills of Mt. Warning near Australia’s east coast. This is the first spot on the mainland to receive morning sunlight. Coffee growing here benefits from a unique micro-climate of high altitude and deep, rich volcanic soils.

Due to slow rising morning mists and long gentle winters that allow for slow ripening and complex flavor development of the beans over a period lasting 11 months, the coffees develop very distinctive and rich flavors. Such growing conditions, combined with leading edge production and creative farm management practices that compare with Australia’s world-class wineries, it's no wonder Mountain Top Estate Coffees are so wonderful!

The Northern New South Wales growing region is located almost 1000 miles south of the Tropic of Capricorn, making this the southernmost coffee grown in the world! Because Australia lacks many of the pests and diseases prevalent in other parts of the world, their coffees benefit greatly.

Mountain Top Estate farms follow a sustainable approach to farming and all farmers employ advanced agronomic management strategies and do not use ANY pesticides, fungicides or fumigants in the production of their 100% Australian grown coffee.

"Bin Lots" from Mountain Top Estate are Australia's most distinctive coffees - these small, exclusive Bin Lots are not only the best individual batches of coffee from any given season; they are some of the most distinctive coffees that Australia produces.

About Mountain Top Estate - Bin 478

Derived from a semi-washed process, this is a delicate, yet bright and well-balanced style of coffee with soft acidity, mellow sweetness and an even body. It is a Fancy grade coffee, with zero primary defects, meaning it is very, very high-quality coffee. We roast this to a City + roast so it's a rich medium roast, but this degree preserves the many subtle fruity flavors and floral aromas that would otherwise be roasted out at a darker roast.

What does Semi-Washed Process Mean?

It simply means that this is a coffee processed from the pinkish to red-colored cherry fruit only. The cherry is pulped and washed through a mechanical demuscilager machine, similar to the semi-washed and washed coffees from Central and South America. It generally has a clean cup, with sweetness and acidity the predominate characteristics.

How Does it Taste?

As it is with all coffees, the flavors experienced in the cup are greatly effected by how the coffee cherries are harvested. In the case of Bin 478, it was harvested in the first pass of the season. The cherries were sourced from a very small load of red and purple cherries and benefited from a meticulous wet process. The purple colored cherries add to the sweetness of the cup, and the prime red cherries add to the complexity in flavor from acidity to sweetness.

This coffee shows a deep complex fragrance of blueberry and cherry, with notes of apricot, lemon and lime. The intriguing but soft body offers a buttery mouth feel that leaves the palate feeling smooth. The aftertaste is long, and sweet, highlighted by clean fruity flavors of blueberries and cherries.

A complex acidity of lemons and citrus fruits coupled with a clean fruity sweetness, gives this coffee a unique and lingering cup quality of ripe grapes.

Finally all elements complement each other very well to produce an extremely well balanced coffee!

We have a limited quantity of Bin 478 and we'll be roasting it in small batches until we run out. Don't miss the chance to try this wonderful exotic coffee from Down Under!

If you are interested in getting your hands on some of Bin 478 from Mountain Top Estate, click HERE or go to: http://blacksmithcoffee.com/products/australia-mountain-top-estate-extra-fancy

Thanks again for reading and thanks for drinking Blacksmith Coffee!

Clean Your Coffee Grinder....with Rice!

2011-06-13T15:33:56-05:00

For the serious coffee drinker, whole bean coffee is the preferred way to buy premium coffee. Grinding coffee beans immediately before brewing results in a more flavorful cup, with a broader spectrum of flavors present than is usually possible with coffee that was preground.

However, due to the natural oils present in coffee, over time, residue will accumulate in all the hidden crevices inside the grinding mechanism. Including the burrs themselves. The results are that your grinder can slow down over time. Also, when old, trapped coffee grounds suddenly release into the batch you just freshly ground, you can get some interesting flavors polluting your coffee. Even worse, if your grinder has been used to grind flavored coffee, those flavors will usually pollute future, non-flavored batches.

Unfortunately, many grinders do not come apart very easily to allow the user to clean them thoroughly to prevent this from happening.

So, what is one to do? Since your coffee grinder's burrs are steel, you don't want to clean them with water or they'll rust. There are aftermarket grinder cleaners out there, but for a quick, easy and cheap solution, clean your grinder with rice. Though, you can clean a blade grinder with rice, usually the grinding surfaces can be reached with a brush or rag. We have displayed the process, from start to finish with a basic burr grinder. Fortunately, this model comes apart so you can see the results of the cleaning.

How to Clean a Coffee Grinder with Rice

Start with a Dirty Grinder

Notice the upper and lower burrs are coated with leftover coffee grounds from who knows how long?

Here's a closeup of the dirty lower burrs

Now it's time to clean! Measure out a 1/4 cup of uncooked white rice. Cheap rice is fine. You'd don't need any Uncle Ben's or fancy long-grained rice for this project!

Pour the uncooked rice directly into the hopper just like you would with coffee beans. Set your grinder to a medium grind setting. There are differing opinions on how fine to grind the rice for cleaning. Some prefer to grind the rice very fine, but others have reported damaging their grinder with an ultra-fine setting. We just stick with a medium setting and go coarser with subsequent grinds until the ground rice comes clean.

You'll notice chunks of ground residue and old grounds mixed in with your fresh ground rice. It kind of looks like salt and pepper. It will take two or more 1/4 cup batches of rice to get your grinder clean. But you'll notice each subsequent batch is "whiter" than the first.

When the rice is all "white" you're done. Discard the ground rice in your compost bin, feed the chickens, or ???? (Let us know if you have a better use for them!) At this point, we like to run about a 1/4 cup of medium or lighter roasted coffee through the grinder to release any leftover rice residue. The lighter roasts aren't as "oily" or sticky so they won't sabotage the cleaning you just did.

Now you can clean the rest of the grinder pieces. Your plastic pieces, like the grounds container and lid, can be washed in the dishwasher. Anything metal needs to be cleaned with a brush or compressed air. If you have an air compressor or a can of compressed air you use to clean your keyboard, just blow out any remaining particles left in your grinder. Wipe down the rest of the grinder with a damp cloth or paper towel and reassemble.

Don't the burrs look better?

Here's a closeup of the clean top burr. Not only do they look better, but the rice actually sharpens the burrs, improving the performance of your grinder.

Voila! Now your grinder is clean and ready for that fresh bag of Jamaica Blue Mountain!

Final note: Though we use rice to clean our grinders, and learned this trick from other highly respected coffee industry professionals, not everyone is fond of this method. The biggest argument against it being that rice has it's own sugary oils that can adhere to your burrs. Others claim that some grinder motors have actually locked up when rice was ground. We haven't felt the first argument was noticeable and never experience a seized up motor when grinding rice. But, these are some extra considerations for you. We don't want you upset with us if you find your favorite Guatemalan now tastes like Chicken Lo Mein, or your grinder breaks.

P.S. Don't grind Chicken Lo Mein in your coffee grinder! Only use uncooked white rice! :-)

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-06-02T15:09:43-05:00

For all of us here in the U.S., Memorial Day is a day to reflect on the sacrifice and service of those heroes who have fought for the liberties we enjoy today. We would like to thank those of you who have served our great nation, and those who have watched and waited for a spouse or child or parent or sibling go off to war and pray they return safely. To all of you, we raise our mug!

We would also like to extend our heartfelt condolences to everyone in Joplin, Missouri and throughout the midwest and southern states who have experienced such loss in the recent tornadoes and flooding. You are in the thoughts and prayers of all of us who roast, package and drink Blacksmith Coffee.

Please join us in making a donation to the Salvation Army to directly help relief efforts in Joplin.

Great Brewers of the World - Clever Coffee Dripper

2011-03-21T14:34:57-05:00

A worthy submission onto the list of great brewers of the world. The Clever Coffee Dripper is the newest addition to our catalog of fine pourover drippers.

Here's how it works.

The design of this brewer is simple enough, you have a cone-shaped vessel in which coffee (or tea) can be brewed. At the bottom of the vessel there is a valve attached to a platform.

When the platform is down, the valve is closed, when it is pushed up (by placing the brewer on top of a cup), the valve opens, allowing the brew to exit at the bottom.

Basically the valve stays closed unless you place it on top of a cup or jug or something similar – then it opens.

How much coffee can you brew with the Clever?

Directions on the box claim that the Clever Coffee Dripper can make 10, 15, or 30 ounces of coffee. We got a crash course in brewing a lot of coffee fast with the Clever dripper at a coffee tasting/presentation we gave a few weeks ago. We needed to brew coffee samples for a room with at least 80 people in it. Now, we weren't brewing to fill a big latte cup or anything, as we were doing a sampling event. However, two Clever drippers worked beautifully for this function.

Brewing 15 or 30 ounce portions (the latter requires filling the unit twice) proved very effective, and with some refining, a person can really dial in their favorite extraction qualities with the Clever, without making a huge mess. Brewing 10 ounces is super easy, as you don't have to think about making a mess. 15 ounces is a little trickier, but not difficult, but the amount of fluid lifted the grounds dangerously close to the rim. For 30 ounces you must fill it twice with water, making the first half of the coffee turn out too strong, the second too weak. Just be sure to mix them together in your carafe so the end result turns out exactly the way Goldilocks likes it - just right!

Our Clever Coffee Dripper Brew Method

Boil water in kettle. We use the Hario Buono which is the greatest pourover kettle known to mankind.
Place white paper filter in Clever and fill with boiling water. Then discard water. This removes any paper dust and minimizes the paper flavor that you will otherwise notice in your brew.
Weigh out 33grams of your favorite whole bean coffee
Grind coffee beans to a fine grind (finer than medium, coarser than espresso)
Set timer to 4 minutes. We found the Frieling french press timer is perfect for the Clever as it clips right to the handle and only measures 4 minutes.
Pour water to the top of the paper filter. (# 4 size) This will roughly equate to 530ml - the manufacturer's recommendation.
At 1:45 on your timer, stir the coffee. We used a spoon to carefully depress the blooming grounds prior to stirring.
When timer goes off, set Clever on your favorite carafe and wait for the brew to thoroughly drain from the vessel.
Discard filter/grounds and rinse Clever.
Drink your fresh brewed Clever coffee and enjoy!

Filters for the Clever Coffee Dripper

Filters make a difference. It will use a standard #4 or #6 cone shaped paper filter. (Equiv. to a Hario 03 filter). White filters result in less of a papery taste than unbleached filters. And don't bother trying to use a Swiss Gold filter with the Clever. It doesn't really work too well.

The shape of the platform the Clever rests on allows you to set it on any cup, thermos or carafe with tops between 1.5" and 3.75" in diameter.

Cleaning: Do not allow residue to build up in the filter; lightly scrub the cone with very hot water and a sponge or brush, taking care to clean shut-off mechanism lightly from the top. If necessary, use a detergent-free cleaner designed for carafes and filter cones. When we get buildup in a filter cone, we soak it in a strong espresso machine cleaner (Urnex Cafiza) and very hot water for 5 minutes, scrub with a brush and rinse with very hot water.

A couple of nice extras that are included with the Clever Coffee Dripper include a drip plate to rest it on during/after brewing and a lid to keep the brew hot during extraction.

How Much Does it Cost?

This may be the best part of all. At BlacksmithCoffee.com we sell the Clever Coffee Dripper for $14.25

BTW, you may want to turn down the volume as the background music is a bit annoying.

CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR CLEVER COFFEE DRIPPER

Interactive Map of Global Coffee Consumption

2011-02-23T11:36:02-06:00

Our friend, Jim Richardson, emailed us a link to this cool map the other day. If you're a map geek like I am, you can spend a lot of time really studying how much coffee everyone is drinking in all your favorite countries around the world.

Not surprisingly, our Scandinavian friends and family drink a ton of coffee! One thing that is cause for concern is to see how very little coffee China and India consume in proportion to their total population, knowing that as demand for specialty coffee in those nations increases, we'll see prices climb for several years. At least until, and if, global production increases to keep up.

via chartsbin.com

Introducing Congo Kivu Bourbon

2011-02-23T11:35:05-06:00

Often compared to the finest coffees of Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo - formerly known as Zaire, has a rich coffee growing tradition. Unfortunately, war and strife has plagued the nation for many years and consequently, coffee production has fallen dramatically. The very fact that it is available is an encouraging sign that the people in this struggling nation are rebuilding.

We are pleased to offer Congo Kivu Bourbon. This wonderful bourbon variety coffee from the Congo that will truly awaken the senses! It grows around Lake Kivu at an altitude about one mile above sea level.

We roast it to a full city roast, and the resulting aroma is almost intoxicating! You'll notice the smell of berries and cocoa and even vanilla! The cup is quite bright, a bit winy in fact, yet the earthy, cocoa flavor that develops gives it a very full body. But the finish is pretty sweet in a molasses sort of way and there's a hint of macadamia nut present too.

There is a LOT going on in this coffee! Complex is almost an understatement. This coffee has some wild characteristics and won't appeal to everyone, but to those who like bright African coffees it's remarkable rich body is sure to be a winner!

Jamaica Blue Mountain Available for Christmas

2010-12-01T19:14:22-06:00

Jamaican Blue Mountain - Mavis Bank Coffee is Here!

With great joy, (and relief!) we just received a barrel of authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee from the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory.

As you may remember from our previous invitation-only roasts, we're quite fond of this rare coffee and many customers have asked when we'd have some more.

If your Christmas just won't be Merry without this wonderful, exotic coffee - Rejoice! A limited quantity will be roasted and shipped on Thursday, December 9th. That way, you'll be sure to have it in time for your Christmas breakfast!

If you're new to this fine coffee, here's why it's so special (and expensive):

Jamaica has a rich coffee tradition. Historically, the high altitude of the Blue Mountains in eastern Jamaica produced exceptional coffee…….arguably the best in the world. However, for numerous reasons, the Blue Mountain name has been polluted by fraudulent products that don’t deserve the name. Even casual coffee drinkers are aware of the Jamaica Blue Mountain name, thought it’s mostly applied to low-grade, overpriced blends.

Today there is one estate that produces the same quality coffee that gave Blue Mountain coffee its stellar reputation…..it’s coffee bearing the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory mark. First of all, Mavis Bank coffee is 100% pure Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee. Most of their plantations produce coffee that is grown at altitudes between 4000 and 5000 feet. They harvest and process this delicate coffee at this altitude too, taking tremendous pride and care which is critical in maintaining its quality.

What is it like?

As with many fine things in life, defining the taste and character of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is subjective. Everyone likes it, but individual observations vary wildly. Even eating the beans results in interesting observations....One visitor from our first JBM roast commented that the roasted bean tasted like a "chocolate covered espresso bean without the chocolate, but all the flavor. "

The aroma of the roasted beans was also exceptional, and truly hard to describe! It’s like this particular coffee possesses all the potential favorable characteristics a coffee can possess. The aroma is amazing with hints of chocolate, citrus, berries, and flowers.

The taste? Let’s just say, it provided a depth of flavor that was comprehensively exquisite! Since the Blue Mountain beans take 10 months to mature, they just soak up all the flavors available in the environment around them. All the aromas described above manifested themselves in perceptible flavors as well. Plus, there were notes of caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, bananas, and even sugar cane, mentioned by folks that have tasted it. Probably my favorite description was from someone who said that it possessed subtle “hints of white wedding cake….frosting and all.”

We've ordered Mavis Bank Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee to roast and package on Thursday, December 9th. The roast style on this coffee is important because it’s a relatively delicate bean. It will be a Full City roast to preserve the distinctive herbal notes, some interesting subtle nutty flavors and hint of tropical fruit. This coffee is exceptionally well balanced with a good body, mild acidity and overall profile. Its not going to beat you over the head with exotic flavors, its just a very complete, balanced and smooth coffee.

Your Chance to Get “Real” Jamaican Blue Mountain

Because of its limited supply, its reputation, and the fact that 80% – 90% of this coffee goes to Japan, it’s not cheap. However, our price is as low as any you'll find online for authentic Mavis Bank Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee and we will be offering 1 pound bags for $40.

If you would like to order, we encourage you to do so asap. There is a 3 bag purchase limit, but we expect this roast will sell out.

Two Ways To Order

Call our toll free order line: 1-800-576-5280 we can take any major credit card over the phone or email you an electronic invoice to pay online if you prefer.

Order Online at http://blacksmithcoffee.com/products/jamaican-blue-mountain-mavis-bank

I’m not sure if we'll be able to get another barrel before Christmas, so if you’ve been interested in trying what many consider to be the very best coffee in the world, don’t miss your chance! If we sell out fast, we might be able to get one more barrel before Christmas, but it would be foolish to promise that. If we do (sell out) and we can (get more JBM before Christmas) we'll let you know.

So How Do You Brew Such a Fine Coffee?

Brew it strong! This is a fabulous coffee and to experience all the flavor it possesses you really have to abide by the recommended international brewing ratio of 2 tbsp/6 oz of fresh water.

If you can, brew it in a press or a vacuum brewer. We’ve now brewed it five different ways and the quality of the brew in order was Vacuum Brewer, French Press, Pour Over Drip Brewer, Aeropress (upside down method) and Automatic Drip Brewer. This coffee really seems to blossom when it’s brewed between 200 - 205 degrees. The top four methods where all brewed around this temperature and they were much more dynamic tasting than the Mr. Coffee method. Of course, Mr. Coffee’s don’t brew much above 180 degrees. Having said this, if you do brew it in a Mr. Coffee, (or any automatic drip brewer) grind the beans a little finer than you normally do. We found that a fine grind worked best when brewing in an automatic drip brewer. Also, if using an automatic drip brewer, 8 cups is the ideal quantity to make to ensure that your extraction time is between 4 to 5 minutes. Especially important if using international brewing standard.

Smell it. Before you drink it, be sure to take the time to enjoy all the aromas that are produced during brewing.

Enjoy the brew by drinking it slowly.

Bottom line – Jamaica Blue Mountain - Mavis Bank processed coffee is one stellar coffee! Yes, it’s expensive, but if you would like to try a very rare, very smooth, well balanced island coffee, there’s none better!

We hope you and yours have a wonderful Holiday Season! Thanks for drinking Blacksmith Coffee!

Announcing our 2010 Christmas Blend

2010-11-15T11:31:25-06:00

Every year we come up with a Christmas Blend that captures the feeling of the season. Our 2010 Christmas Blend is the perfect combination of your favorite Christmas flavors like chocolate, walnut, cinnamon, citrus, and even a very subtle hint of mint.

The label is derived from a 19th century Finnish greeting card with the greeting, "Hauskaa Joulua" which means Merry Christmas in Finnish.

This limited edition blend is packaged in festive red bags and like last year, it is packaged in industry standard 12oz portions.

Also, its available either whole bean or ground to your liking.

It's sure to make the Season just a little brighter, just like a child receiving a Dala Horse on a dark artic winter's day!

(Dala Horse not included, it's just presented for dramatic effect!)

Why Coffee Prices are Going Up

2010-11-11T17:32:30-06:00

It's been an interesting few months watching the price of coffee climb higher and higher. We've tried to absorb those increases hoping the market would go back down. But alas, it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon and the futures index price has reached a 14 year high.

For our customers who enjoy buying Blacksmith Coffee at their favorite grocery store, you will probably be seeing a price increase very soon, if you haven't already, as we've had to increase our wholesale prices to our stores. But, you'll notice other brands prices going up too....or their bags getting smaller.

Blacksmith Coffee customers have told us that they like our 14oz portion sizes, so we won't be changing that. Let's face it, nobody is really fooled when the package gets smaller, but the price doesn't! So,14oz will remain our standard bag size.

Not only will you notice packaged coffee prices increasing, you'll start seeing it at your favorite local coffee shop too. From Starbucks to Rome, cafes worldwide are raising drink prices to keep up with the markets.

So why are coffee prices reaching such high levels?

Answer: It depends on who you talk to. If you listen to the talking heads, or get your news from the mainstream media, they'll tell you that it's due to bad weather and stock hoarding in major producing nations. If that were true, I think we could expect prices to come back down when the weather improves and somebody decides to sell their coffee reserves, right?

But, I don't buy it. There's always bad weather somewhere and ag producing nations are forever trying to control the supply side of their market to keep prices elevated.

Why I believe coffee prices are going up and they aren't going to come back down.... First of all, it's not really about the supply side. Major analysts keep talking about supply issues - weather, stockpiles, lack of cherry pickers, blah, blah, blah.

The real reason coffee costs more, and always will is because of one thing......

GLOBAL DEMAND is increasing as emerging economies "discover" the joy of coffee. I say "discover" because in many third world countries, robusta bean coffee has been heavily consumed in the form of instant coffee. That's because it's cheap. As the global middle class increases in size, so will it's tastes, and that includes coffee. After all, who really prefers the taste of instant coffee to a high quality arabica bean coffee?

I don't know why, but I haven't really heard anyone in the mainstream media address these three important realities:

China's burgeoning middle class has discovered specialty coffee and it's consumption is on the rise.
India has discovered specialty coffee and it's consumption is on the rise.
Brazil has discovered specialty coffee and it's consumption is on the rise.

Interestingly, North America's coffee consumption is on the decline. I would surmise that is because our middle class is declining too.

So what do higher prices mean for the discriminating coffee drinker?

Simply put, it means prepare to pay more for coffee from now on. Prepare to find you favorite single-origin coffee harder to find than ever before. Some of our customers have been asking us when we're going to get more India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold in. Problem is, it hasn't been available for six months or more. (More is finally coming soon however! :-) Bottom line: The world is finding out how wonderful great coffee is, and they're willing to pay more to enjoy it.

On a positive note, even at higher prices, premium coffee is still a cheap beverage considering how good it is. Depending on how strong you make your coffee, you will yield between 30 to 50 cups per pound of coffee. So even if you take our sporadicly available Jamaican Blue Mountain - Mavis Bank coffee into account, at $40/pound, you are looking at between .80 cents and $1.33/cup for what is arguably the finest coffee in the world. That's still less than a bottle of water from a vending machine!

If you'd like to read more about this topic than the links already provided, an excellent article on the situation is this Reuters article.

Thanks for reading and thanks for drinking Blacksmith Coffee!

The Easiest (and most commonly missed) Ingredient to Brew Great Coffee

2010-10-29T08:15:14-05:00

Brewing Question: Do you know what the most important requirement for brewing excellent coffee is?

It's NOT....

......the brewer you use
......the water temperature of your brewer
......the grind of the beans
......how much coffee you use
......the degree of roast of the coffee

Believe it or not, it's not even how "good" the coffee is!

It IS......

The quality of your water! Good, clean H2O is the most important element in brewing great coffee! If you're using unfiltered tap water it's impossible to make an awesome cup of coffee. By unfiltered, I mean filtration AFTER the water comes out of the tap. Unfortunately there are so many chemicals added to water to render it drinkable from the tap, that the entire mineral balance, pH, etc. aren't conducive to brewing tasty coffee. In fact, the process can amplify flavors in coffee that either morph into something tasting rather funky, or diminish other flavors that balance out a profile.

Bottom line: Bad water makes bad coffee. Good water makes good coffee!
Start with good water, and then worry about what coffee you're brewing, what brewing method you're using, grinds, ratios, etc. WATER IS EVERYTHING when brewing a killer cup of coffee, yet it's the most commonly overlooked aspect of the brewing process.

So what if you don't have a water filter? No worries. Just use bottled water or distilled water from the grocery store. Or, invest in a Reverse Osmosis water filtration system. At the very least, use a quality carbon filter water pitcher jug. Just don't brew coffee with municipal tap water.

It's Blacksmith Coffee Time in Solomon and Lincoln!

2010-10-09T12:51:09-05:00

We are thrilled to announce the addition of two excellent new independent grocery store outlets that just started offering Blacksmith Coffee to the fine folks in Solomon, Kansas and Lincoln, Kansas!

Bush's Market in Solomon is a great little grocery store owned and operated by Ken and Anne Bush. It's a warm and inviting store that residents are surely proud of!

In case you don't know where Solomon is, it's just off I-70 between Abilene and Salina. They offer a full-service meat counter, lunch specials, and the kind of customer service you can never find at a big corporate chain grocery store.

Stop in and visit Bush's the next time you're driving down I-70 and you know you're getting low on Blacksmith Coffee. You can find it right on the shelf in the coffee aisle.

Lincoln Grocery in Lincoln (Kansas) is another independent family owned and operated grocery store that now carries Blacksmith Coffee. I had never been to Lincoln before going this Thursday, but was really glad to visit. It's a beautiful little town far enough off the beaten path to feel like it's escaped being ruined by "progress". Being smack in the middle of Post Rock Country adds to the charm as most of the historic buildings are constructed of this stone.

Besides a fantastic selection of fine foods, fresh meats, baked goods and items you hope to find in your local market, they even have a massive selection of movie rentals and their own cell phone kiosk. Proof that a little home-town market doesn't have to play second fiddle to a big box store.

This ties into a theory I have that seems to be proving itself out as time goes by. Certain towns - particularly county seats that are at least 35 miles away from the nearest Wal-Mart, seem to be holding their own.

Even during this economic downturn, and even on the Great Plains. In fact, it appears that some are thriving in a way reminiscent to the prosperity experienced in the post-WWII era. Of course, Lincoln (pop. 1300) has a ways to grow to get back to the 1700 folks that called it home back in the '50's. I wouldn't be surprised to see them get there!

In other words, there are actually stores that sell clothing, shoes, appliances, flowers, toys, along with a beautiful movie theater, swimming pool, drug store, hardware store, toy store, etc, etc, etc, that make a town feel like it's self-sufficient.

Lincoln has one more thing going for it, which is that it's in a very pretty, hilly setting and relatively close to two nice likes: Wilson and Waconda. Plus, based on the way the town looks, their website and the fact that they offer a free land program for new home construction indicates that they're serious about creating a bright future.

Thanks for visiting our fine retailers everywhere and thanks for drinking Blacksmith Coffee!

Tiramisu - We Love You!

2010-10-05T19:20:09-05:00

Lindsborg hosted a very special event this past Saturday called La Strada dell'Arte, which, in Italian means something like, "draw chalk pictures on the sidewalk" or the like. Anyway, it's a wonderful event organized by the folks at the Red Barn Studio that draws out children and families to demonstrate their artistic talents.

Part of the fun is the Italian emphasis, combined with the unusual additions local merchants make to their normal offerings. This year the Lindsborg Arts Council sold Tiramisu on our porch as we handed out samples of a special Tiramisu flavored coffee. They went beautifully together, and we might just decide to add Tiramisu flavored coffee to our regular list of flavored coffees because of it.

So what is Tiramisu? If you've never enjoyed a slice of Tiramisu, you don't know what your missing. Simply put, Tiramisu is a delicious Italian layer cake with flavors unlike any other. Of course, one of our favorite ingredients in Tiramisu is espresso. If you're interested in the history of Tiramisu read more here.

Tiramisu Recipe

8 large eggs, separated

1 pound mascarpone

4 ounces small almond biscotti

3 cups brewed Espresso Especiale, cooled

1/3 cup coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua

42 store-bought Ladyfinger biscuits

1 cup heavy cream

Best-quality milk chocolate, for garnish

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together yolks and mascarpone until smooth.

Add 1 cup sugar; whisk until dissolved. Set aside.

Place biscotti in the bowl of a food processor; pulse for coarse crumbs.

Fold biscotti into mascarpone mixture; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add egg whites; beat until soft peaks form.

Fold egg whites into mascarpone mixture; set aside.

Combine espresso and liqueur in a medium bowl; pour half the mixture into a pie plate.

Quickly dip half the Ladyfingers individually into the pie plate, and place in the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish; fit snugly to line.

Evenly spread half the mascarpone mixture over Ladyfingers; repeat layers.

In a large bowl, whisk together heavy cream and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until soft peaks form.

Spread whipped cream evenly over tiramisu; garnish with grated chocolate.

Chill at least 2 hours and preferably overnight before serving.

Thanks to Melissa, a customer of ours, who emailed this recipe after buying one of our stovetop espresso makers for this very purpose.

Going and Growing - Win a Bag of Coffee

2010-10-01T19:09:47-05:00

It is with great pleasure that we announce the addition of a new retailer to our list of available markets where you can find Blacksmith Coffee!

Green Acres Market at Bradley Fair (21st & Rock) in Wichita is our newest retailer and we know this will mean a lot to our friends and customers who already shop there.

Click here to see where they are on the map

Since Lindsborg is such a popular day trip destination for Wichitans, we expect this will be welcome news to those who've been hearing me assure you that, "We're hoping to have Blacksmith Coffee at Green Acres soon."

They are now carrying four whole bean varieties to go along with their awesome selection of natural foods.

I love this store and it really reminds me of a small health food chain in Colorado that I used to go to! For our Colorado connected customers - it's kind of like Alfalfas before the Wild Oats merger, or even a bit like the Vitamin Cottage.

Anyway, Green Acres Market is not only a great place to buy Blacksmith Coffee, but it's a great place to buy healthy foods of all kinds for your family!

HOW TO WIN A BAG OF SWEDISH SKÅNEROST!

When I set up the coffee display at Green Acres Market today I discovered one bag of Swedish Skånerost that was missing a back label. Normally, I have extra labels on hand in case of this kind of occurrence, but today I didn't have any extras.

So here's the deal.....

Be the first customer to buy the back label-less bag of Skånerost and we'll send a bag of Blacksmith Coffee for FREE.

Here are the rules:

Take your camera or camera-phone with you and get a picture of yourself holding the bag (back side exposed) standing with your friendly cashier.
Save your receipt.
Go home and brew up some Skånerost, drink and enjoy!
Send us the empty bag along with your purchase receipt, and your choice for your free bag of Blacksmith Coffee - and where we need to ship it to.
That's it! (Other than understanding that we'll probably put your picture up on Facebook.)

Happy Coffee Day!

2010-09-29T18:15:28-05:00

If you're not already a subscriber to our update list you may not know that today, September 29th, is National Coffee Day. So, drink up and have an extra cup of coffee!

Coincidentally, or maybe not, today also happens to be a very historic day for Blacksmith Coffee Roastery as we are officially launching our brand new website today. The website address is still the same: www.blacksmithcoffee.com, but you'll notice it's very different from our original site. For example, we finally have all the coffees we roast available on the site!

This has been an undertaking beyond anything we had imagined, but we hope our friends and customers really like it! If you've been wondering if I fell off the face of the earth this summer, it's simply because we've been so preoccupied working on this. Now that we're about done, we'll get back to writing about great coffee and artisanal brewing techniques you can enjoy at home.

Instead of listing the new features right now, I'll be regularly posting over the next few weeks and that should pretty well cover the new things on the site.

If you check it out and find any glitches or bugs, we'd sure love to hear about them, so we can fix them!

There will be more to come in the next few weeks, but at least for now, it's officially online.

AEROPRESS UPDATE

If you were waiting for the AeroPresses to come in, they just arrived via FedEx and we have plenty in stock again. Had a wave there we seemed to sell an AeroPress to everyone who came in the door or called on the phone! We'll get into more detail about why in the near future! If you're one of those who was interested in purchasing one, click HERE or call 1-800-576-5280 and we'll get you squared away.

Thanks again to all our great customers and thanks for drinking Blacksmith Coffee!

It's a Global Coffee Spill

2010-08-21T07:06:41-05:00

Coffee is the second most heavily traded commodity in the world after, you guessed it, oil. An argument could be made that oil and coffee fuel our machines and our minds. This amazing image, created by one of Sweden's outstanding young photographic artists - Erik Johannson pretty sums it all up. Check out some of his other amazing work here.

Going and Growing...Now in Moundridge and Hesston

2009-12-04T20:04:46-06:00

Blacksmith Coffee In Moundridge

For all our friends in southeastern McPherson county we are pleased to announce that you can now find Blacksmith Coffee at the Moundridge Food Market. This is a great grocery store with a surprisingly huge selection of foods and services that you may not expect to find in a town the size of Moundridge!

It’s conveniently located just east of the High School on the main highway into town, just east of I-135. When you stop in you can get a delicious slice of pizza to go with a bag of your favorite Blacksmith Coffee!

……and in Hesston

For our Harvey county friends, we are pleased to announce that the Hesston Food Market now has Blacksmith Coffee available. I love this little independent grocery store and am surprised how much variety they offer in such a small space! They have a great meat counter, fresh donuts and of course, great coffee! What else do you need? Stop by and say “Hi” to Randy and his fine staff.

These are both great independent grocery stores in wonderful communities and you’ll find a lot more there than might assume.

Christmas Sampling Events in Ellsworth and Emporia

2009-12-04T18:04:45-06:00

Blacksmith Coffee Roastery fans in Emporia now have another location in which you can find both ground and whole bean varieties. At Reeble’s Country Mart North – 1020 N. Merchant Street, you’ll find a great selection of Blacksmith Coffees. This Saturday, Country Mart North is hosting their annual Holiday Open House and there will be a whole assortment of wonderful holiday related foods and items on sale and available for sampling, including a couple Blacksmith Coffees. If you’re looking for a fun day trip, head over to Emporia and check out this excellent grocery store.

Or, if you happen to be closer to the Ellsworth area, head over to Gene’s Heartland Foods at 745 O’Donnell Drive, between 10am and 5pm for their annual Holiday Open House. We’ve been booked for this one for quite some time, and I’ll be there sampling Blacksmith Coffee for a few hours, along with other vendors who will be sampling their wares. Don’t know if there will be any fruitcakes to sample, but if there are, we may see if the right coffee pairing can make them more palatable!

Regardless of which store you visit, Christmas Open House’s at independent grocery stores are a great way to try out some interesting foods, get some great holiday recipe ideas, and just get in the Christmas spirit!

For directions to any of our retail locations click here.

Going and Growing....all over Kansas!

2009-11-20T03:05:27-06:00

It’s been awhile since I updated the Store Locator map and if you check it now, you’ll see why. We’ve added several new outlets around the state over the last few weeks.

In fact, I’m pleased to say, it’s getting easier to find Blacksmith Coffee in all of Kansas’ nooks and crannies than ever before! At least in NE Kansas’ nooks and crannies!

View Blacksmith Coffee Retailers in a larger map

In case you’re wondering which stores are new, here they are in no particular order:

Smith Center – Gene’s Heartland Foods

Osborne – Girard’s IGA

Abilene – Zey’s Market

Yoder – Yoder Meats

Emporia – Price Chopper

Osage City – Jerry’s Thriftway

Abilene – West’s Country Plaza Mart

Herington – Barnes IGA

Marion – Carlson’s Grocery

Canton – Canton Grocery in downtown Canton

If you or any of your friends and family live near one of these stores, please stop in say “Hi” and pick up a bag of your favorite Blacksmith Coffee.

Announcing.....New Blacksmith Coffees

2009-11-12T18:03:02-06:00

Regular readers will notice that it’s been awhile since I last wrote anything. That’s because we’ve been frenetically working away adding some new varieties to the offering list as well as adding new stores to the growing list of fine retailers offering Blacksmith Coffee.

Due to the wonderful reception the Swedish Morkrost has received, and the requests of many of our customers, we felt the time was right to develop a Swedish Mellanrost blend. Mellanrost means “medium roast” in Swedish, but its definitely not lacking in full flavor.

In fact, it may be even more complex than the Mork, yet possesses a mildness that the Morkrost lacks. If you aren’t a fan of the Swedish Morkrost because it’s “too strong” for your palate, give Blacksmith Coffee Roastery’s Swedish Mellanrost a try.

Lindsborg’s Courtyard Bakery Reopens

In regards to the Mellanrost, I’d like to announce the reopening of the Courtyard Bakery in Lindsborg, after a change in management. Linda reopened the bakery last week and she prepares Cinnamon Rolls, Kringler, Cookies and other tasty treats. Our Mellanrost will be the “house” coffee at the Courtyard Bakery, so now you can enjoy a Swedish Coffee with your Swedish Pastries!

Christmas Blend is Ready for Drinkers

Finally, after much toiling and tweaking, I’m pleased to announce the 2009 Blacksmith Coffee Roastery Christmas Blend!

Its a perfect blend of fruit, spice, chocolate and earthiness, all rolled into one limited edition coffee. Everyone who’s sampled it so far has really enjoyed the blend. Personally, I think it tastes like Christmas and after drinking it for the first time I felt compelled to wear a Santa hat and hang up some Jingle Bells. And this was before Halloween, so it’s very Christmasy!

You may be able to find the 2009 Christmas Blend at area retailers throughout the Christmas season. Also, we will be brewing up samples during Lindsborg’s Saturday evening Christmas events.

Hyllningsfest Wrap Up

2009-10-17T01:40:44-05:00

It’s taken all week, but we have about recovered from the deluge of guests that descended on Lindsborg last weekend for Hyllningsfest 2009! Though it was cold and damp, everyone was full of Swedish cheer!

We had a great time in the shop giving away samples of Blacksmith Coffee and demonstrating various brewing methods. This picture shows just how packed it was in the shop.

I guess that’s what happens when you give away free coffee on a 30 degree day during a major festival!

We sold out of our Swedish Mörkrost, but perhaps the most rewarding part of the weekend was hearing “real” Swedes compliment the Mörkrost, and then back up their words by buying a bag or two.

Scott’s Now Carries the Full Line of Blacksmith Coffees

In conjunction with Hyllningsfest, we set up a merchandiser at Scott’s Hometown Foods, here in Lindsborg, and they now carry about everything we make. The corrugated merchandiser display is located in the main aisle near the checkout registers. All the premium varieties are there, in whole bean form. We reload it a few times a week, so there should always be some of your favorite Blacksmith Coffees available anytime you need them!

The following is a slideshow of the parade on Saturday and the children’s dancing on Friday. It’s almost like being there without having to freeze your toes off.

“Hyllningsfest 2009”

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

Introducing....Nicaragua Limoncillo

2009-10-16T22:49:41-05:00

One of the great joys of roasting coffee is discovering new varieties that really knock your socks off! I’m thrilled to announce that we’ve found a coffee from Nicaragua that certainly fits the bill….. and it’s quickly winning fans!

What does it taste like?

This coffee has an unusual grapefruit-like aroma and initial taste that hits the tip of the tongue and then immediately transforms into a very rich, full-bodied, almost buttery mouthfeel that’s hard to describe!

It’s not roasted exceptionally dark. In fact, we pull it out of the roaster right at 2nd crack, but the flavor is full and rich, and may surprise dark coffee afficionados with it’s deep complex profile.

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? That’s what makes coffee so great! It’s an endless array of natural tastes, aromas, textures and flavors that can vary beyond belief!

Blacksmith Coffee Roastery’s Nicaragua Limoncillo is available online or in our new whole bean coffee display at Scott’s Hometown Foods here in Lindsborg. If you’d like to see it in your local independent grocery or fine food store, just let them know.

Thanks again for your support and for drinking Blacksmith Coffee!

Going and Growing....Now in McPherson & Lawrence

2009-10-07T16:06:06-05:00

For our friends in McPherson & Lawrence, we have great news…… You can now find Blacksmith Coffee locally!

In McPherson

Krehbiel’s Meats is now carrying a wide variety of Blacksmith Coffees along with many other great Kansas made foods in their fine store. We know this will make many readers happy as we have many customers in the McPherson area who’ve been waiting for a local venue to get their favorite coffee. In case you aren’t familiar with Krehbiel’s Meats, all I can say is, you don’t know what you’re missing! They occupy a portion of the former Wal-Mart store and have about every meat item imaginable.

They have to-die-for lunch specials where you can get a nice BBQ sandwich, drink, cookies or chips for something like six bucks. We’re talking excellent, high quality foods here. They are definitely a great fit for Blacksmith Coffee as a high quality food retailer.

In Lawrence

On the same note, we’re thrilled to be offering several of our Organic, Fair-Trade coffees at The Community Mercantile in Lawrence. About every time someone from Lawrence comes to Lindsborg, they ask me if I know about “The Merc” as it’s commonly called.

After visiting there, I now know what all the hub-bub is about! Let me put it this way……being from Boulder County, Colorado, I have a lot of experience shopping at Wild Oats and Alfalfas markets. These were prominent natural foods stores, long before it became trendy to “eat local”, “buy organic” or “support fair-trade”. Today, they’re huge!

Anyway, they have a certain smell to them….

I can’t really describe it. It’s the combination of freshly cut herbs, and incense, and goat milk soap and loose leaf tea. Bottom line, when I walked in to “The Merc” I had a flashback to walking in to the original Wild Oats on Pearl St. in Boulder when I was about 14 years old. Unlike my childhood experience, I didn’t see any actual hippies……. but I could picture them.

This is the place to go if you want natural foods. I’m talking the premium, non-processed, hand picked, high quality food that has all the vitamins and nutrients you can’t get out of a Happy Meal. It’s a beautiful store, in an easy-to-access location on Iowa St. just south of I-70. Go there to get some premium Blacksmith Coffee and maybe get a shot of wheatgrass juice while you’re there to give you enough energy to get home so you can brew up your favorite coffee!

Just in case you’re wondering – The answer is “No”. We will not be creating any Wheatgrass flavored coffee in the future.

Drink Coffee - Save a Barn!

2009-09-28T19:15:49-05:00

On Friday the Kansas Barn Alliance held their …… annual Barn Fest in Barnes, Kansas. In my previous post about the event I mentioned that we would be offering the coffee for sale on BlacksmithCoffee.com as a way to help sell some of their excellent coffee. So here you go! Each barn red bag is $10 and features a cool label they’ve designed. And of course, all profits from each bag sold will be given directly to the Kansas Barn Alliance. Each variety is available in Ground or Whole Bean.

For fans of milder coffees that are still rich and flavorful, try the Rooster Sunrise Breakfast Blend.

If you like a stronger coffee, that is bold and full-bodied, yet not bitter or burnt tasting, you’ll enjoy the Barn Raisin’ Good Guatemala Antigua.

Lastly, if you prefer coffee that won’t have you wandering around the barn in the middle of the night, yet still tastes like the real deal, give the Hayloft Dreamin’ Decaf a try!

Going and Growing - Now in Hutchinson and Inman

2009-09-25T17:40:12-05:00

For Blacksmith Coffee fans in Hutchinson and Inman, we have great news for you! You can now find your favorite Kansas roasted coffee in your favorite grocery stores!

We delivered a nice selection of coffee yesterday to Smith’s Market in Hutchinson. This upscale market is fast becoming a tourist destination for anyone visiting the redeveloping S. Main St. area. In addition to Blacksmith Coffee, pick up some amazing home grown honey, farm fresh produce, free range chicken, eggs, and a ton of great herbs, candies and gift items.

Inman Hometown Foods, which is located on Main St. in Inman also received a nice selection of coffee yesterday. This is a classic hometown grocery store, where you can get hand cut meat, fresh produce and a great selection of groceries! We recommend their specialty – their homemade German sausage to go with your coffee.

We will be conducting a sampling event at Inman Hometown Foods tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 26th from 9:00 to 11:30 in conjunction with Santa Fe Days – the biggest event of the year in Inman. Come by for free coffee samples, a great small town parade, games and events.

See you there!

Blacksmith Coffee in Barnes to Save Barns at Barn Fest '09

2009-09-25T03:07:34-05:00

One of the cool things about Kansas is all the amazing barn architecture you see while driving through the countryside. The Kansas Barn Alliance is an organization of committed individuals who work tirelessly to preserve, restore and celebrate the amazing structures that stand as a legacy to Kansas glorious agricultural history.

Well, this weekend – Friday, September 25th and Saturday, September 26th, is like the Super Bowl to barn fanatics when the KBA hosts it’s annual Barn Fest in – you guessed it….. Barnes, Kansas! Among the highlights of this year’s event will be sessions on barn restoration, agricultural land protection, antique tractor exhibits and barn tours – including a tour of the only known Sears round kit barn in Kansas. It’s definitely a great event for anyone interested in historic preservation with an emphasis on agricultural structures.

So……what does this have to do with coffee? We are honored and privileged to be providing the Kansas Barn Alliance with custom branded coffees for an endowment fundraising project that will ultimately help them fulfill their mission of helping historic barn owners statewide. We will be in Barnes on Friday afternoon to get everyone all-in-a-frenzy about selling some awesome coffee to save the barns.

I don’t have the details yet, but ‘llI update this post after going to Barn Fest and will share how you can buy a special Barn Alliance coffee and help the cause. The labels are really neat looking, with an old barn, some pretty "lofty" names, and they’re affixed to some really snappy looking glossy barn red foil bags.

Hope to see you at Barn Fest ‘09! By the way, if you don’t know where Barnes, Kansas is, it’s up north of Junction City aways. Pretty country up there for a nice event!

Jamaica Blue Mountain Follow Up - 2nd Chance

2009-09-15T16:27:38-05:00

A couple weeks ago, we had the opportunity to roast up some authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain – Mavis Bank processed coffee. We had a great time and the feedback has been excellent. With a little Bob Marley playing in the background, we roasted this delicate coffee and, after grinding a few tablespoons worth, anxiously waited for the 4 minute timer to beep so we could press the coffee and sample it.

I think the first indication that we were on to something special when when I ate one of the roasted beans and it tasted extremely good. One of our visitors for the roasting said that the roasted bean tasted like a "chocolate covered espresso bean without the chocolate, but all the flavor. "

The aroma of the roasted beans was also exceptional, and truly hard to describe! It’s like this particular coffee possessed all the potential favorable characteristics without any of the defects. The aroma was amazing with hints of chocolate, citrus, berries, and flowers.

On brewing Jamaican Blue Mountain – Mavis Bank coffee.

Brew it strong! This is a fabulous coffee and to experience all the flavor it possesses you really have to abide by the recommended international brewing ratio of 2 tbsp/6 oz of fresh water.

If you can, brew it in a press or a vacuum brewer. I’ve now brewed it five different ways and the quality of the brew in order was Vacuum Brewer, French Press, Pour Over Drip Brewer, Automatic Drip Brewer, Aeropress.This coffee really seems to blossom when it’s brewed around 205 degrees. The top three methods where all brewed around this temperature and they were much more dynamic tasting than the Mr. Coffee and Aeropress methods. Of course, Mr. Coffee’s don’t brew much above 180 degrees and the Aeropress simply removes too much of the JBM’s crisp acidity. Having said this, if you do brew it in a Mr. Coffee, grind the beans a little finer than you normally do. We found that a fine grind worked best when brewing in an automatic drip brewer.

Smell it. Before you drink it, be sure to take the time to enjoy all the aromas that are produced during brewing.

Enjoy the brew by drinking it slowly.

Was it Worth It?

The question everyone is asking is, “Is it worth it?” As you may know, I’ve been pretty critical of Blue Mountain coffees in the past, but I have to eat crow now. The fact is, this was among the finest coffee I’ve ever tasted! And even though $30/12 oz is a lot to pay for coffee, for authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain – Mavis Bank processed, it’s a great price compared to Amazon.

Possibly the best way to answer this question is to simply say that we ended up being two bags short because I had a couple customers who ended up wanting a second bag after they tasted it. I thought I had roasted a few extra bags in case this happened, but still ended up short. So……

2nd Chance Opportunity

Here’s the deal….. I ordered two 15kg barrels and presold about 22kg of it. We still have about 7kg left to roast. That’s about one batch worth. Since we have two customers who are anxiously awaiting their coffee, I’m going to go ahead and extend this second chance opportunity and set a deadline of 6:00 pm, Sunday, September 20, 2009 to place your order and then we’ll roast the remainder on Monday. After that I won’t be roasting Jamaican Blue Mountain again until we get more raw beans in sometime in the future.

If you missed out the first time around and want to see for yourself if it’s all it’s made out to be, or would like to order a second bag, now’s your chance. We will probably do this again sometime time in the future, but I’m not exactly sure when.

Again, to order just click the button below by 6:00 pm, Sunday, September 20, 2009. We will roast it on Monday, September 21st.

Click to Order – $35/per bag (Includes Shipping). If you’re going to pick it up at our shop, use discount code of JBMPickUp to remove $5.00 for shipping.

For those who would like to order, but prefer not to do it online, just call us toll free @ 1-800-576-5280 to place your order.

(BTW,Thanks Lars for the cool picture!)

Perfect Coffee Day at the Fair

2009-09-14T18:33:16-05:00

Saturday found us at the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Simply Kansas Showcase at the Kansas State Fair.

What a great day to do a sampling at the fair! The weather was cool and dry and chilly enough to make a warm cup of coffee sound really good!

We met a lot of great Kansans and introduced many to Blacksmith Coffee for the first time. It was fun because the Simply Kansas Showcase is in the Bluestem Building along with the Kansas Wineries display and Microbrewed beer.

Matching Blacksmith Coffee with Beer

Speaking of beer and wine, beer and coffee pairings have intrigued me for awhile. We just haven’t had time to experiment with them too much yet. However, I did find one ideal Kansas beer/coffee pairing: Free State Brewing Company’s Ad Astra Ale paired with Blacksmith Coffee Roastery’s Guatemala Antigua.

If you have a favorite Blacksmith Coffee beer pairing let us know. We’ll probably take a more organized approach to this experiment in the future.

Gift Basket Winner Announced

We had a drawing at the fair, and are pleased to announce Marion Renner of Haysville is the winner of our Blacksmith Coffee Gift Basket.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Hope you enjoy your Blacksmith Coffee, Marion!

Anyway, if you get a chance to make it out to the Fair this year, have a great time!

Memory Walk

2009-09-11T17:11:44-05:00

Blacksmith Coffee Roastery is honored to be providing coffee to the 2009 Memory Walk in Denver on Saturday, September 19th. With 7500 anticipated walkers, this is a huge event sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association to help fund continuing research and efforts to cure Alzheimer’s disease. We have many customers and friends in Colorado who we hope will be able to attend. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy some Blacksmith Coffee right in the shadow of the golden dome of the Colorado state capitol building! Last year, the Denver walk raised over $750,000 for Alzheimer’s!

Not in Colorado? No problem! The Alzheimer’s Association is trying to get 30,000 teams to host Memory Walks across the United States. So far, there are 22,016 teams. Kansas has 9 Memory Walks scheduled between now and the end of 2009. If you are interested in starting a team or organizing a Memory Walk in your community, click here to get more information.

Several New Retail Outlets Highlight August Wrap Up

2009-09-03T03:57:12-05:00

As we enter a new month I was reflecting on what we accomplished this August and this summer as a whole. Though it seems like everyday ends with only about half the to-do list getting done, quite a few things do actually come to mind. First we’ve added several new stores over the last few weeks.

For Blacksmith Coffee Roastery fans in Clay Center, Concordia (9-4-09), Council Grove, Ellsworth, Manhattan, Minneapolis, St. Marys, and Seneca – you can now buy your favorite Kansas roasted coffee in your local grocery store. For retail store location information check out our Store Locator Map. You’ll notice that we are working with independent retailers throughout Kansas and strongly encourage you to support Kansas’ rural grocers. It’s a very tough business and yet often the local grocery market is the lifeblood of many small communities.

They often offer unique items you can’t just find in any old chain grocery store. For one, the meat counter in some of these stores just completely blows away what you get in a big store. We’ve had cuts of meat from Scott’s Grocery in Lindsborg, Piper’s Market in Marquette and Garden of Eden in Little River that were absolutely fantastic! I was delivering coffee to a Ray’s Apple Market last week and watched two local guys pull up with a truckload of amazingly fragrant ripe melons. Nothing imported here, folks! Just good ol’ Kansas produce!

When you shop in an independent grocery store, you’re more likely to eat locally produced foods and in case you didn’t get the memo, eating “local” is good for you! It’s usually better quality, better tasting, more nutritious and often a better price.

It’s not just meat and produce that makes independent stores special, it’s the people who run them!

The real cost of “commuting” to buy cheaper groceries

When you talk to a small independent grocer, one of the concerns they may voice is about locals driving to a bigger town to shop at large grocery store chains. Obviously we all want a bargain, but when a person drives 20 or 30 miles to save a couple bucks, the impact is greater than they may realize – in more ways than one.

First of all, a 30 mile one-way means 60 miles round trip. Even with a car that gets 20 mpg, that means you’re going to burn 3 gallons of gas. At 2.49/gallon, that’s $7.50. (This does not include the cost of additional wear and tear on your car, oil changes, tune-ups, etc.) The first question to ask is, "am I going to save $7.50 if I drive to the big city grocery store?

Second of all, your local town depends on retail sales tax dollars more than you realize. Things like parks, holiday decorations, snow removal and many other things that make life a little nicer often come from sales tax revenues.

Thirdly, there’s no such thing as “free” time. If you drive a 60 mile round trip, you just gave up an hour of your life. The real question becomes, how much is your time worth? To take this point further, apply your wage or salary to this analysis. If you earn $10/hour, apply that same value to your time. If you earn $42,000/yea,r your hourly equivalent is roughly $21/hour based on 50-40 hour weeks a year.

The bottom line…..

By driving 30 miles to Wal-Mart or Dillons or Albertson’s or Safeway or Super Target or wherever you go, you are paying anywhere from $17.50 to $28.50 to save $__________? (Fill in the blank.) Furthermore, you’re not supporting your local community – either in sales tax generation, or by helping a local employer to thrive and continue to employ locals. And, independent grocers are more likely to buy from other locals who raise farm fresh eggs, keep honey bees, milk hormone-free cows or do a million other things that are a not-the-norm at your big city chain store.

So, I guess all that’s left to say is Buy Local to Benefit Yourself and Your Community!