Have you ever heard of the coffee commodity market?  What about Specialty Coffee?  Auction Coffee?  In Matt's latest YouTube Video / Blog Post he describes all 3 of these and helps us understand why we're actually cheering for more expensive coffee.

Watch the video or keep reading

Commodity Market

We all know that commodities are things that are sold and traded. Hard commodities are things like grain and power, things needed for life. While we wouldn't think of starting our day without an essential cup of coffee, coffee is not a hard commodity but is known as a soft commodity. It is traded on a global scale. The Commodity Market is also known as the C Market, and here is where producers trade the largest amounts of coffee. Characteristics of the C Market are:

• Lack of differentiation of goods
• Require trading in large quantities
• Reduced quality control measures
• Negatively impact producers
• Currently trading around $1.30/lb

The lack of differentiation of goods is defined as products that don't have specific branding or anything that sets them apart. An example is meat. A company has to come and provide branding for the consumer to know about the product. Since coffee works the same way, producers have a harder time differentiating their product from other coffee farmers. For the producer to participate in the trading of coffee, C Market coffee must be traded in large quantities of around 20 tons of coffee. With such large quantities, quality control measures are more relaxed, resulting in the lowest possible coffee quality.

How are producers negatively impacted?

Producers are impacted negatively because the cost of producing coffee is currently around $1.40 per pound. Every pound sold; the producer is currently losing .10 cents per pound. How does a producer stay in business if they are losing money trading C Market coffee? C Market coffee creates a problem with a great-tasting solution. The solution is Specialty Coffee.

Specialty Coffee

Producers open their door to profits when they can separate their C Market quality coffee from their specialty coffee. Once they can separate their higher quality coffee, producers can now see if their coffee meets the specialty criteria. It still takes a Herculean effort to make this happen because over 90% of all coffee is C Market coffee. Specialty coffee falls in such a large range, that it is a step towards the solution, but not the total solution.  For instance, not all specialty coffee is branded coffee.  However, the specialty coffee criteria that can be met can separate one producer from another. Once this differentiation is made, they can ask for a higher price. There is a whole spectrum of criteria for specialty.

The Specialty Spectrum

The spectrum for specialty coffee is huge. It can start as low as a cupping score of 75 or better to premium coffee sold to small 3^rd wave roasters. If you know your cupping scores, you know that 75 is not good. This is your run-of-the-mill grocery store coffee that a little better than the stuff in a can. But as a producer, once you can get into even the bottom of the spectrum for specialty, your coffee is on its way to better quality.

Helping Producers Grow Better Coffee

When producers make a profit and invest back into their farms, we all benefit. Specialty coffee is often sold at three times the prices of C Market coffee. Even with this markup, producers may still not be profitable. The goal of the producer is to provide as much specialty coffee as possible. How can roasters help?

• Feedback loop
• Make it worth it to the producer

Roasters can also help when they create an effective feedback loop since most producers may not roast their own coffee. Feedback from roasters becomes very important to validate the quality of the coffee. That's why having a direct connection to producers is so important.

We've considered the cost of trading coffee, but what about the cost of shipping and shipping internationally. The job isn't done when a producer can finally get to the specialty market; now they have to get the coffee to the roasters. The cost of shipping alone is often the same or more than coffee production itself. As a roaster, we at Sagebrush Coffee want to make it worth it to producers to produce small quantities of coffee, make a profit, and ship it. Little by little, the cost of that great cup of coffee has sky-rocketed. At this point, the coffee producer may still be struggling to make a profit. But there is an even better tasting solution to this problem, and it's called Auction Pricing.

Auction Pricing

Auction pricing is the best of the best and the goal for coffee producers as well as roasters. Producers enter their highest quality coffee into, for example, the Best of Panama Coffee Competition. The goal is to enter and win. Once a coffee wins, it elevates the producer's reputation making that coffee highly sought after fetching the highest price possible. If you see Sagebrush Coffee with the label of Limited Editions, it likely has come from a coffee auction.

Where does Sagebrush fit in?

Our goal is to have the best coffee possible and help producers improve their product, so we are working on our feedback loop. We all benefit when producers provide better coffee. We stay away from C Market coffee even though it helps set our prices. Our goal is to buy the best specialty coffee as possible and provide feedback to the origin to help improve that coffee year over year.  We also do not negotiate producers' prices.  We want producers to be profitable, so they have the means to provide coffee with ever-improving quality.  We’ll work with every step of the supply chain and the business to get the best prices we can (carrier shipping costs, packaging costs, etc), but when it comes to the producer, we’re aiming for the best coffee we can get our hands on and are willing to support the producers’ efforts to create that for us.  When producers improve their product, the coffee we provide to our customers also gets better.

On Tuesday, Noah and I got back from about 10 days in Colombia for their Best Cup competition and auction.  It was an amazing experience that in many ways will change our lives and Sagebrush Coffee forever.  I’ve started to write several blogs about different aspects of this trip, but before those are complete, I wanted to send a trip report out while some of the trip is still fresh.

It took us two days and about 18 hours of travel to get to Popayan, Colombia; our home for the next week. We stayed in an old monastery that had been converted into a hotel and is now used as a home base. The Best Cup crew consisted of about 17 people from nine different roasteries. Add to that six or so individuals from Café Imports and about the same each day from Banexport and we had quite the traveling party. We traveled around the edges of Popayan all week in a Chiva, which is a converted U.S. school bus that is decorated by the owner. A typical day on our trip started with cupping around 30 different coffees. We would cup a table of 10, step aside as a group and discuss what we just cupped, and then repeat. We’d then eat lunch together and head out in the Chiva for a farm or mill visit. Most days ran about 14 hours and although it was a lot of riding and talking, it was exhausting.

Highlights of Colombia

Prior to this trip, I had not been to South America. I have made many visits to Central American countries, but never anywhere south of Costa Rica. So, I kind of knew what to expect, but also really didn’t. Now having been there, I have to say that I fell in love with the country. The climate was beautiful, although I am an Arizona guy so overcast and rain are always beautiful to me. The people were some of the kindest and most fun people I’ve interacted with. I think the coffee industry breeds this strange comradery that I haven’t seen in many other industries. I mean there are still competitors in the industry, and I don’t shed a tear for any of the big chains that struggle, but there is this love for each other in the specialty industry that is contagious and a privilege to participate in. It’s like we all have this sick love for a single drink and love each other because of it. I felt that in extreme ways on this trip.

One of the benefits of origin trips is to see firsthand what our partners are doing as it pertains to the coffee supply chain. I mean, there are so many programs out there that try to make sure every level of the supply chain is getting properly compensated for their work, but you don’t know if that is really happening until you spend a week with them and see what they’re doing. This week was amazing. I am now convinced more than ever that Banexport is the company to work with in Colombia. I will write more about this in a future blog, but I love what the brothers who own it are doing with that company, and I'm excited to put their coffees on display. A couple of weeks ago we wrote a blog about Manos Juntas, and I’ll be writing more about that program later but take this much away today: With programs like this, we are seeing farmers' compensation and support in ways that were just unheard of even five years ago.

Quick Farm Tour Takeaway

We got a chance to visit three farms and a dry mill on this trip. The highlight of the trip was seeing a previous Best Cup winner show off his farm. We ate lunch with his family and walked the farm. We got a chance to see the impact winning Best Cup had on both his farm and livelihood. We got a chance to see some of the tools they use and practices they put in place that increase their yields by 40%, which goes back to what I was saying. I don’t want to get entirely into the give a man a fish/teach a man to fish analogy, but Banexport is not satisfied with either. They are not satisfied by only paying producers better than fair wages. They have on-staff microbiologists and consultants that are cost-prohibitive for even the best farmers. They use these experts to help the farmers increase their yield, increase their coffee quality and learn about varieties that have a higher selling price but would be too difficult to grow without their support. This isn’t fair trade, direct trade, or even farmgate. This is next-level support and as I said, it’s a privilege to participate in. And, selfishly, they produce some pretty amazing coffees, so we get to reap the benefits of their hard work.

Best Cup!

So, what was the Best Cup? This is a contest/auction that is sponsored by Café Imports and Banexport, as well as several other companies in Colombia. I went into the trip not really knowing what we were getting into. On a travel day on our way home, we were at a coffee shop in Bogota, about 350 miles away from the competition, and Noah was wearing his Best Cup T-shirt. One of the baristas asked us if we were there. We said we judged it and he pointed out another barista that went and asked us to cup coffees with him. He was excited to have a Best Cup judge at his shop. So…I think it’s a big deal. 

When we arrived we were told that this was the first Best Cup since COVID and the producers had been asking for it to start back up again. They had over 1,200 coffee producers submit samples to this competition. The parameters for submission are that all of the coffee must be washed, of traditional varieties, and the producer must do the processing on their own farm. The goal of Best Cup is to show the best of what Colombia has to offer in traditional Colombian coffee. Jairo, one of the owners of Banexport, was telling me that for six months they had been cupping coffees and narrowed it down to the top 30 that we got to try, rank, and buy at auction. There was some pressure with this because we knew the winner, and really any of the top 15 producers, were going to have their lives changed forever. It felt strange that just nine roasters in the U.S. got to participate in that experience. I mean, I pass seven coffee shops just on the way to mine each day. Think of the impact if each of us went to an origin and participated in programs like this!

So the cupping came, we picked our top 15 and I picked my top five. I was ready to go to the auction but had no frame of reference for what I’d end up paying. I had a total budget and really wanted the #3 coffee as that was by far my favorite of the week. As the auction started, I realized that I had a real shot at #3. However, it looked like that lot was the favorite amongst many of the roasters, so I made a deal with a couple that wanted to split the lot with me.  That would leave me with the flexibility to potentially go for #1 as well. 

The auction was something else all-together. We walked in and the crowd went nuts. Yes, there was a crowd and yes, they were cheering. It was so loud, that I couldn’t really hear anyone next to me. They auctioned the first five coffees and it was honestly a little bit of a letdown. I think when you have 15 coffees for nine roasters, there isn’t a lot of bidding against each other on #11-#15.  But then we hit #7 and the price started going up. It was like a scoring drive in a championship game. The producers were screaming. Everyone was going nuts. It was at this point, that I realized the producers didn’t know they had made the top 15, only the top 30, which automatically got them double the going rate for their coffees. They also didn’t have a clue what place they were in until they were announced at the auction. It was like sitting in the stands and knowing you had a winning lottery ticket, but you have no idea of the value. 

As we saw coffee after coffee of my top five go by, I didn’t bid once. I honestly had a feeling based on the prices, that I would for sure get #3, so I just wanted to hold out and go all in on my favorite coffee. As we came to the top three, they took a break and I confirmed with a couple of roasters that we had a buying group together. We decided on a top price based on what one of the others in the group wanted to spend. I told them I’d split it with them up to their ceiling, but that I was going home with this coffee no matter what. The auction started and we quickly passed the ceiling. So I bid above it. Then the group I was bidding with outbid me. We went back and forth a few times and the crowd was going nuts. The other roaster came up to me and asked a question, but I legitimately could not hear a word they said. They were screaming directly into my ear and I heard nothing. That was how loud this auction was. So I just outbid them and won the auction. As I walked up on stage to get photos with the producer, I asked her what she was asking.  She said, “will you still split the lot?”  I agreed and we all went on stage to greet the guy whose life was forever changed.

As the auction was completed, we ended up spending more than any other lot except #1 and I still think we walked away with the best value of the week. We also participated in a silent auction and napped a couple of Geshas, a natural Manos Juntas, and a few others. I’m super excited about the Colombian coffees we’ll have in the next few months. We will clearly have the best Colombian lineup in the history of Sagebrush, which means… I’ll be back at Best Cup next year. I honestly cannot wait and I just got home. 

Shop Coffee From Colombia

For as long as I can remember, coffee has had a bad reputation. Its negative reputation ranged from possible cancer-causing to stunting growth. I've had moments when I have thought, if I hadn't started drinking coffee so young, maybe I'd be taller. Or, is it possible that I would be just as short as I am regardless of how much coffee I drank? I didn't think I would ever know. Today, with scientific advancements and studies performed, we can conclusively know the effects of coffee. As it turns out, it's not as bad as I thought. Coffee can be good for you! Yes, you read that correctly. Coffee can be good for you! It's so shocking I had to write twice. We all know that coffee contains caffeine which is why I say "it can" be good for you. The key to coffee is making sure you have the right amount. We all know coffee can be addictive because of caffeine, but in the right amount, coffee has a lot to offer to promote health. What a surprise! What a perfect time to make that discovery! January is health month at Sagebrush, and since New Year's is a time for making resolutions, why not set goals for your health. But how exactly is coffee good for you? Keep reading to find out...

Coffee Can Give You Energy & Not Just Because of Caffeine.

Coffee is full of polyphenols and B12 (riboflavin). Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants that repair cell damage from aging and other environmental factors. Coffee also contains vitamin B12, which is also known as riboflavin. It's responsible for converting carbohydrates to glucose which produces energy.

What do we know about caffeine? We know it's a stimulant. It can keep you awake. Having too much of it can bring on jitters. For the most part, we recognize the adverse physical effects of caffeine. Unfortunately, the health benefits are more subtle, so you have to dig a little deeper, but they're there. For example, caffeine contains chlorogenic acid, which helps reduce blood sugar. If you have Type 2 diabetes, having some coffee every day may help your body regulate sugar levels. It may also help lower your blood pressure, help improve your mood, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Some studies have shown that it may also help with brain function, which may help prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

As I did, you might be wondering how we went from coffee being so bad for you to coffee being good for you. It appears to be quite a leap. I'm not saying that you'll never have health issues if you drink coffee. When you think about it, coffee is grown from rich soil in the ground. Why wouldn't it be good for you? I think it's worth looking at coffee from a different point of view. Farmers care a great deal about the soil their coffee is grown in. For the most part, the regions that grow coffee well are volcanic regions. Volcanic soil is some of the most fertile and best soil to produce what we can eat. Coffee is no different.

How Do You Make Sure You Take Advantage of the Health Benefits?

1. Moderate the amount.

An essential aspect of getting all you can out of your coffee is not exceeding the recommended amount. Too much caffeine can cause adverse health effects, so being careful of the amount is the first step to ensuring that coffee is adding to your health rather than depleting it. Caffeine can be a strong stimulant when used excessively, cause you to have trouble sleeping, and have other effects. Keeping the right balance of coffee throughout your day is vital to maintaining a healthy balance. The recommended daily amount for coffee is 400 milligrams, about three to five eight-ounce cups.

2. Use health-promoting water.

Recently I wrote a blog about water quality. It turns out water quality can impact your health. Making sure the water you use meets the right levels that promote health can make a difference. The proper levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), the right amount of minerals, the right pH level, and the right alkaline level make a difference in how your body absorbs nutrients. Check out the blog about water for more details to make sure you know how your water is filtered. If you use a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system, you may want to put some minerals back and adjust the pH level to ensure your water is the best. RO is a prevalent filtering system because it effectively removes significantly more toxins than other filters. But, as so much of the bad stuff comes out, so does some good stuff. I use an RO filter, and I love it because my coffee tastes great. Suppose you use an Activated Carbon water filtering system like a Brita pitcher. In that case, it's highly effective in cleaning out your water without affecting the pH level, but some toxins may be left behind. It's effective in removing a lot but not as effective as an RO system.

I cringe at the thought of using tap water. I suppose it depends on the area you live. In the metro Phoenix area, tap water is perfectly safe to drink but tastes terrible. I would never dream of using it in my coffee. Nevertheless, your coffee will taste a lot better than tap water.

3. If you're drinking in the evening, switch to decaf.

I am susceptible to the effects of caffeine as a stimulant. If you're like me, I can't have caffeine after three in the afternoon because I won't sleep. If I want a cup of coffee in the evening, I will often reach for my favorite decaffeinated coffee. You may be wondering if good decaffeinated coffee exists or if enough caffeine has been extracted to make it a real decaf coffee. You have a few options for decaf, and what matters is the processing. The Sugar Cane Process is the best tasting, in my opinion, and for me, it does the job of having enough caffeine extracted not to keep me awake. The Swiss Water Process (SWP) is also a great option. While it may not match the flavor of the sugar cane process, it tastes delicious. What sets SWP apart is that it genuinely extracts the most caffeine from any other method. You get coffee that is 99.9% decaffeinated. So if you want to make sure you get a true decaf because of caffeine jitters or even an allergy to caffeine, this is the way to go. And fortunately, we offer both processes so that you can enjoy a great cup of coffee at any time of day.

4. Use high-quality coffee.

When you select coffee, make sure you know the source. Make sure to buy coffee from a farm that knows what they're doing when it comes to taking care of their crops to absorb all of the benefits of the rich fertile soil. When you buy from Sagebrush, you can be confident that we (when I say we, I mean Matt, the owner) are highly selective about the farms we buy from. Matt has spent much of his roasting career-building direct relationships with farmers so he can bring the best to our customers. He does all the work for you when selecting high-quality coffee. Try some of our best!

5. Keep it natural.

It's possible to lose some of the health benefits of coffee when too many ingredients are added to it. That's why we recommend keeping it natural and pure like it was intended. If black coffee isn't your thing and you like sweeteners and other ingredients in your coffee, try being selective with your choice of sweeteners, or maybe even reduce the amount of sweeteners. Sometimes, a little vanilla extract is just enough to enhance your coffee's flavor. Recently I read a recommendation to add cocoa powder to coffee. I may have to try it to see if it does taste good. I like my coffee in different ways. I like it black, but I also like it sweetened with fun flavors. Even if you like it sweet, they're a lot of ways to enhance your coffee while not negating its health benefits with unhealthy sweeteners. If you sweeten your coffee, choose a sweetener that is on the healthier side.

There you have it; coffee can be good for you. I'm still pretty amazed by the information I found about how coffee can promote health. Gone are the ideas of coffee stunting your growth or causing scary illnesses. But, like most things in life, moderation is the key.

References:

“9 Reasons Why (the Right Amount of) Coffee is Good for You” (blog). John Hopkins Medicine. https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2019/mar/06/cant-stand-the-rain-how-wet-weather-affects-human-behaviour.

"The Nutrition Source: Coffee" (blog). Harvard T.H. Chan, School of Public Health. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/coffee/

You can break down the history of coffee in Tanzania (tan•zuh•nee•uh) into three eras, their ancient beginning, their period of colonization, and their current post-colonialization era. Each era has brought significant changes to coffee production. The current cultivating climate has shifted from a lot of government intervention to more freedom allowing for more privatizing of farms and more individual responsibility for farmers. Tanzania coffee production is a testament to the resiliency of people overcoming obstacles to see a better quality of life. 

Ancient Beginnings  

Coffee in Tanzania dates back to the 16th century. It most likely came from Ethiopia since it's so close geographically. At the time, the people of the Haya tribe populated the region. They would chew coffee beans because of their stimulating effects, meaning they didn't actually consume coffee as a beverage. They also used it as currency to trade goods. Their government structure during this time was based on tribal leaders and not a formal government. Tribal leaders would decide who grew beans and how many they would grow. All of this would change though as they entered the colonization period.

Colonization Period  

Before Tanzania became the country we know today, its name was Tanganyika. In 1911 the Germans came and colonized the region. Later on, by order of the League of Nations, colonization would be transferred to England. During this period, whether it was under German or English rule, they would strip tribal leaders of authority. Tanganyika transitioned from tribal rule to a type of monarchy with a sultan. The League of Nations was heavily involved in the political structure of the colony. Their intervention would affect the authority of both tribal leaders and the monarch.  

German Colonization  

Tanganyika came under German colonization in the late 1890s. They encouraged the Haya people to enter the coffee economy in a more formal way by exchanging coffee with cash. Prior to this change, coffee beans themselves were used as currency. The Germans also encouraged growing coffee using seeds. Although the Haya were reluctant to join the cash economy, coffee exports increased dramatically. Over time, some farmers would replace their food crops with coffee ones.  

The Chagga tribe of the Moshi region on Mt. Kilimanjaro started using Arabica beans in their agricultural practices. This was a departure from their tradition of cattle raising and other food cultivation. They were more active in trade, and after the slave trade came to an end in Africa, they would switch to predominantly coffee growing.  

British Colonization  

The borders of Tanganyika weren't clearly determined until the British colonization around 1919. They tried to modernize the coffee trade and planted millions of seedlings from 1919 to 1925. Even though the Haya tribe resisted some of the new British practices and rules, their work provided stability to coffee growth through the 1950s. But even with some stability, they would continue to struggle, and the coffee industry in that region would not thrive. The Chagga tribe, on the other hand, would export 6000 pounds of coffee valued at 1.5 million dollars in 1925. Even though they had no previous coffee growing experience, they joined the coffee economy enthusiastically and would cultivate for cash. All of the coffee exported from Tanganyika during this time period would be exclusively sold in London. The Chagga tribe would begin the Kilimanjaro Native Planters' Association (KNPA) later in 1925. The KNPA was the first of many coffee cooperatives formed. Forming the cooperative allowed farmers to sell directly to London markets and fetch a higher price for their coffee.  

Post-Independent Period  

In 1961, Tanganyika would gain independence, and its new name would officially be Tanzania. It started as a socialist government, and while they intended to grow the coffee economy, they couldn't do it successfully. High inflation and a declining economy would slow the growth of the coffee industry. In 1992, they would become a multiparty political system that would usher in major economic change and would provide farmers more freedom from government rules and intervention.  

Coffee Cultivation Today  

Today, coffee is grown on smaller farms and is the largest export crop in Tanzania. Coffee contributes $115 million in domestic income. Both Robusta and Arabica beans are grown in Tanzania. 70% of their crop is Arabica and 30% is Robusta. The Moshi region of Kilimanjaro accounts for 75% of all coffee production and is praised for being some of the best Arabica coffee grown in the country. Aside from the specific Moshi region, Tanzania has two main regions for coffee farming, the North and the South. 

Farming in the North  

Coffee from the North is often sweet and tropical. Unfortunately for them, it's not just government regulations that impact the farm but also elephants. You read that right, elephants. I read a report of a farmer who lost 60% of their farm because of an elephant stampede. To protect their farm, they now have to invest significant resources in fencing that is strong enough to keep elephants out. When you consider all the obstacles that coffee farmers face, I was surprised that Tanzania contends with such an animal. I have always imagined elephants in wide-open spaces and not running through coffee fields. 

Farming in the South  

Coffee grown in the Southern region of Tanzania is known for being more complex while still maintaining its fruity flavor. The south has a long history of producing coffee, especially in the Mbozi region. Most people in that region have been farming coffee for generations.   

More than Just Peaberry  

For a long time, it's been believed that Peaberry coffee grew only in Tanzania, but it's actually a mutation that occurs naturally and can be found all over the world. Farmers can't really plan for or specifically plant Peaberry coffee since it's a mutation that occurs naturally, but it has been known to occur a significant amount in Tanzania's high-elevation areas near Mount Kilimanjaro. Perhaps Tanzania beat everyone to the punch and was the first to separate and introduce Peaberry as a distinct and desirable variety to the world. For more information about Peaberry coffee, check out this blog.

The future of coffee looks bright in Tanzania. They've mastered supplying coffee and contributing significantly to their economy despite political uncertainty and even the challenges of natural obstacles, like elephants. 

Shop Coffee From Tanzania

Have you ever thought about why you love coffee? Have you ever taken a step back and thought about your favorite things about coffee? As the branding manager and one of the primary marketing strategists of Sagebrush, I’m actually paid to figure that type of stuff out. We here at Sagebrush love coffee for many reasons; it’s not merely the taste, it’s not merely the routine, in fact, the primary reason we love coffee is “connection.”

We dedicate a lot of time to connect with those from whom we source coffee (how can we put on display the hard work of coffee producers if we’re not seeing their work?). That time is primarily spent at origin interacting with the importers and farmers directly. This past month (March 2025), Matt has trekked to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and El Salvador and in October of 2024 he visited Colombia as well. Each of these trips all had the same goal: connection. At Sagebrush, we are seeking to be as focused as we can to showcase the producers that are actually providing us with these exquisite beans. In fact, our goal this year is to have interacted with, cupped with, had conversations, and/or spent a meal together with the producers of 90% of the volume of coffee we’re offering this year.

And this leads me to the project I've had the opportunity to develop these past few months: a bag redesign and a product refresh. I love these kinds of projects. As someone who is very creatively inclined, I find it so rewarding to refine and elevate the experience the customer receives through our coffees. It excites me to know the work I’ve been putting into this project for almost half a year now will finally reach those who purchase from us. And although the new bags do look visually better, the primary purpose of this redesign is actually connection. 

Coffee is valuable because it connects us to others. Even in its core function of caffeination, the energy gained from this drink enables those who consume it to further connect themselves with others. In this redesign, we look backward into the supply chain. We communicate more clearly who it is you’re connecting to through the coffee that you purchase. We look at the producers, we put faces to names, we bring value to this bean in a more direct way than we ever have before. Our new bags as well as our new naming system reflects this intention. Coffees now are titled with the furthest traceability that we have, which for 90% of our coffees, reaches the producer themself. 

Our personal connection with producers throughout the world is something we take pride in here at Sagebrush, and it is my job to push that connection along to you, the one who is investing in us, the one who supports us in our journey as a specialty coffee roastery. Thank you for your support, and I hope you feel cool using our new bags! Thanks

How do you shop for coffee?  Do you think about the roast?  Are you partial towards a certain region?  Do you like coffees with nutty undertones and avoid citrusy ones?  Or maybe you only buy dry-process Ethiopian coffees from the Guji Zone of the Oromia region at 1800m of elevation or higher roasted very light, so the origin comes out and bitterness of the coffee is in the backyard barely noticeable?  And you thought the person in front of you at Starbucks had a complicated order.  

There are a ton of factors that go into a coffee purchase decision.  The section of our education articles titled Origin will help you maneuver this confusing aspect of coffee.

Most of the time when a coffee drinker finds a cup they love they want to keep coming back to that amazing cup of coffee.  So they attribute one of the many factors that went into that particular bean to what they love and then buy based on that attribution.  The million dollar question (or maybe less) is, "was that person correct in what they attributed to the flavor?"  Maybe they thought they like Panama coffee, but in fact, it is the Bourbon varietal that can be found all over Latin America.  Or perhaps they liked fruity coffees and had a dry process Ethiopian.  So they attribute it to that country, but we have seen dry process Costa Rican coffees that were more fruity than any Ethiopian.

Origin influences coffee flavor more than any other part of the coffee process.  This is why we take such pride in our sourcing of amazing coffees.  I've said this before and will say it until I die...Sagebrush Coffee doesn't do anything special to the beans. The only thing we try to do is source the best coffees we can get our hands on and put the work the great folks at origin completed on full display with our roasts.  Origin is what coffee is all about.  However, the origin is much more than the region or country.  It is influenced by the elevation, the cherry process, coffee tree varietal (Arabica vs Robusta is only the beginning of that discussion), and many other factors.

We have several articles that discuss the origin, but because of the importance of this aspect of coffee, we will spend a lot of time developing new articles.  Keep coming back regularly to see what else we've written.

Since we’re entering our third straight year of offering Colombian coffee from the Manos Juntas Micromill, we thought it’d be a good idea to break down what exactly they’re doing over there and why we are such big fans of them. 

What is a Micromill?

For a bit of background, coffee at origin undergoes a longer series of processes than one may think. Cultivating, growing, tending to, and harvesting a coffee cherry is about 40% of what you need to do to be able to ship coffee across the world. There’s a plethora of processes and transportation that a cherry must go through before it even becomes a green coffee bean that we roasters receive at our shop. A micromill is one major piece of that secondary push at origin to help small farms get over the processing hump. Simply put, a mill is a station that gets the cherry off of the seed and into its level of parchment to be transported without risk of any rot that may come from transporting just cherries. The equipment needed to manage a mill is usually far too expensive for a small farm to be able to invest in on its own, so mills tend to place themselves in central areas of coffee-growing regions as a catch-all for many farms.

Why is Manos Juntas a Cool Example of a Micromill?

In the world of coffee farms, you have two options: you can push for quantity, or you can push for quality. If you’re looking at being successful in the industry, you must put all your cards into one of those two categories. Granted, there are plenty of farms that are in the grey area of these extremes, but those farms usually aren’t going to be the head honchos of success. In fact, many farms are beginning to see that they’re going to have to choose to go all one way or the other with ever-raising supply chain costs, but that’s to be discussed in another blog. This creates tension with small farms. In agriculture, you can’t necessarily scale up in the same way as pretty much any other business. Your product is so closely knit to your geographical location that if you grow past the point of scale that you can support with your current farm, you can’t necessarily just look for a new location pack your things, and move. So, you kind of have to go for high-quality coffee.

What makes Manos Juntas unique in the world of mills is that their focus isn’t simply giving their clients what they need to keep the coffee process going, but primarily they are focused on bolstering a small farm’s technique in harvesting to bring them up to an 85-point threshold that so many small farms aspire to be at. They’re providing a high-quality product in their milling processes and educating small farms about how to streamline and fine-tune the processes that they’re doing on their end. The higher the quality of the final product is, the more profitable it can become and the more sustainable they are for the long haul. Manos Juntas sees the opportunity of the land in the Sotará area of Colombia and is actively trying to bolster the quality, through their coffee knowledge.

Throughout the past three years, we’ve offered brown labels, gold labels, and black labels from the Manos Juntas Micromill, which both show this area's ceiling and their room to grow. We’re super excited to see what’s to come and to be here for the ride!

 
     Before I add coffees to the website, I have a cupping session to figure out the proper roast profiles and flavor notes. This is also the time when I distinguish between regular or gold label coffees. There are a few factors that go into making a coffee gold label:

1. They are premium beans and are standouts during the cupping session.
2. The beans come from smaller lots, so their access is more limited.
3. We have noticed that certain combinations of origin and processing method are the most popular among our customers.
4. The initial cost of the beans are more expensive so in turn, they become more pricey on the website. We hope you trust us when we say the price is completely worth it!

     Categorizing our coffees is one of the best strategies we have incorporated into the business. Our gold label coffees are the best selling by far. Calling some of our coffees "gold label" has given us a designation for higher cost coffees we may not otherwise sell.

Do you have a favorite Gold Label coffee, past or present?

Processing Method: Funky

The funky processing method is a new and unheard-of twist to the classic and well-known methods of coffee processing, using fermentation to give a rare taste. The process was named ‘Funky’ by Stephen Leighton and has been referred to that ever since. This incredibly unique method, paired with the Pacamara bean produces an enormous sized bean that makes every other varietal look minuscule.

What is coffee processing, and why does it have a significant impact on the finished coffee product?

The way coffee is processed most definitely plays a role in how your cup tastes in the morning. However, a lot of outside variables have an impact even before the processing methods! The character of the flavor profile develops based on the region in which the cherry is grown. The elevation at which it is harvested, whether the cultivar is bourbon, Gesha, Caturra, or Castillo, and many other circumstances are connected to this string of flavor effectors. Still, after the bean is harvested, there is a great deal of work that is put into making the bean turn out bursting with flavor. Let's dive into this a little deeper remembering that each method has a different way of taking the cherry to a coffee bean, ultimately playing a part in the rich taste of your morning brew.

Let's pause and think of all of the time and effort that went into it processing your coffee beans. Let's all be thankful that someone on the other side of the world has labored for pounds and pounds of coffee cherries so that you can enjoy that cup of coffee right there.

What are the different methods of processing?

Throughout the long history of coffee processing, there have been a few methods that stood out as the most consistent since they produced the best results. When we talk about coffee processing, we're talking about the process of taking a cherry, remove the fruit, and preparing the beans to be roasted into your next cup of coffee. Many of these methods have been passed down from generation-to-generation and are loved all around the world because of their timelessness and consistency. This article is meant to focus on the funky processing method. However, if you want a more in-depth analysis, check it out here.

So, What Is The Funky Processing Method?

Unlike any other method mentioned in the linked article, the funky process uses a carefully measured over-fermentation to extract more exotic flavors out of the bean. They do this by packing the floor bed with more beans. Oh, a floor bed is a raised bed or patio that they spread the cherries on to allow them to dry. They take these cherries and spray them with water to slow the drying process down. It all starts when the coffee seeds are plucked off the tree and immediately moved to the dry mill. At the dry mill, the cherries are laid out in an extra thick layer onto a plastic tarp and left to ferment. Here the process gets funky. Instead of moving the beans 3-4 times a day like the traditional dry process, these beans are left out for 24-36 hours without any movement. This is done in order to allow the cherries to ferment for the full period. Periodically, the cherries are tested to ensure that they do not over ferment. If the cherry starts to taste like vinegar, then that means they were left out for too long. After this regulated stage of 30 hours, the beans are spread into a thinner layer and moved more frequently. At this phase, the beans will sun-dry for exactly eight days, then 20-30 days on a floor bed until it reaches 12% humidity. The final step will then be taking the dry beans to a highly ventilated area where they can settle for 30 days before being sent over to the milling process.

The result from this fermentation process is a unique, shall I say Funky flavor profile. The cup of coffee produced, to the trained palette is fermented (sub-note, I do not have this trained palette). People that taste coffee all day while testing the processes can taste the history that this cherry/bean has experienced. However, most people taste a bitter (not coffee-bitter) fruit-forward cup of coffee. If you feel like you do not get the nuanced flavors that I talk about in our coffees, try a funky process. You'll get grapefruit, chocolate and maybe some tart cherries. Now...even I can admit, that doesn't sound awesome, but trust me. It's better than it sounds. I'd actually recommend this one with a pinch of sugar, almost like you're eating a grapefruit & sugar.

Many coffee drinkers fail at making an exceptional cup because they do not use a sufficient grinder. The grind type determines how quickly the water passes over the grounds, and different brewing systems require a specific grind. For example, espresso requires a powder-like grind so that the surface area can open up and extract the flavors and oils within the 20-30 seconds it takes to pull a shot. A simple rule to follow is: the shorter the brew time, the finer the grind. It is essential to have a proper grinder to achieve your specific brewing machine's ideal grind level.

Burr vs. Blade

When discussing grinders, there are two types to think about, burr and blade. Burr grinders are for the serious coffee drinker and are my pick of choice every time. I honestly cannot remember the last time I used a blade grinder. Unlike a blade grinder that inconsistently slices coffee beans, burr grinders grind the beans like a millstone between two discs. These retractable discs allow for a much more even grind and the ability to achieve versatile grind levels. We currently have two types of burr grinders in the shop, electrical and manual. Baratza has been my go-to brand for electrical burr grinders for many years now. From your standard grinder to the more commercial-grade grinder, Baratza offers a versatile selection of home grinders for you to choose from.

Which Baratza Grinder is Right for You?

Now that we understand the difference between a blade and burr grinder, and why the burr grinder is the best option, let’s explore the different types of Baratza grinders. Whether you are looking for a great espresso or just a delicious everyday brew, we are here to help you make the best choice for your home brewing experience. The grinder comparison chart (shown above) is a great visual tool that will show the pros and cons of each type. If you are like me and need more research, then keep on reading!

Baratza Encore Conical Burr (Level – Enthusiast):

This is our best-selling grinder in the shop. It is an excellent entry-level conical burr grinder and is what I usually recommend to customers that are beginning to elevate their coffee brewing game. It comes at a reasonable price, $139, and has forty individual grind settings that span from coarse to fine. It produces a very consistent grind thanks to the high-carbon steel 40 mm burrs. A convenient front-mounted pulse button makes it easy to grind on demand into your brew basket. The efficient DC motor keeps your beans cool, even during extended grind times, while a combination of electric and gear speed reducers slows the burr to 450 rpm, ensuring a smooth bean feed and reducing noise, heat and static buildup. Although great for your daily drip or pour over, this grinder is not optimal for the espresso enthusiast. The Encore is an excellent all-around home grinder and is the perfect intro to fresh ground coffee.

*Best for: Coarse to Fine Grind (sugar in the raw –> fine table salt)

Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr (Level – Bean Buff):

The Virtuoso+ is a step-up from the Encore with a selling price at $249. The difference is all in the details, and the display is eye catching with the added metal upper casing and base. Its advanced precision steel conical burrs can achieve a consistently precise grind from coarse to fine. The grind power is twice as fast as the Encore with a throughput rate of two grams per second. You can accurately dose your coffee with the addition of a digital timer, which can be set to the tenth of a second. While the beans are grinding, you can check the consistency with the included LEDs that shine into the grounds bin. The machine is perhaps the best bang for your buck and will take your morning brew to the next level.

*Best for: Coarse to Fine Grind (sugar in the raw –> fine table salt)

Baratza Sette 30 Grinder (Level – Espresso Expert):

If you are an avid espresso drinker, then look no further. At $269, this entry-level espresso grinder is a wonderful option for users who want to experiment with extractions for espresso and other finer-grind brewing machines, like Aeropress and Hario V60. Featuring thirty different grind settings, it is suitable for basic and advanced espresso machines and features Baratza’s redesigned gearbox and burr set (the outer burr rotates around a fixed inner burr). This new design can grind fast, up to five grams per second! Similar to the Virtuoso+, the Sette 30 has a digital timer with resolution to the tenth of a second. Unlike most burr grinders that use a small pathway for ground coffee to travel through, the Sette 30 allows an easy pathway for grounds to fall from the burrs into the bin, portafilter, or most brewing devices. This grinder is a game changer for home espresso and will allow you to brew espresso like the pros!

*Best for: Extra Fine Grind (powdered sugar)

Baratza Vario-W Burr Grinder (Level – Coffee Snob):

New design coming soon!

If you want to become an at-home barista and are more particular about your brewing methods, then the Baratza Vario-W is the perfect grinder for you. Instead of using a timer, this grinder uses grind-by-weight technology to measure the exact amount of grounds you need. This high-end grinder is a bit pricier at $559, but its precision and reliability makes it worth every penny. It comes with three adjustable weight presets that will accurately grind your exact dose by the gram. You will experience less mess with its hopper shut-off gate for an easier removal of the grounds. The Vario-W is a coffee shop level grinder and is one of the highest end home grinders you can purchase. 

*Best for: Coarse to Extra Fine Grind (sugar in the raw –> powdered sugar)

Much like any other crop, there is a prime season for harvesting coffee. As I have mentioned before in other blogs, coffee beans come from a specific coffee-growing plant. When the plant grows to maturity, it will yield a cluster of fruit. Also referred to as cherries, these fruit clusters are initially green and then ripen into a beautiful shade of red similar to a cherry. Within the cherries is a pulp and two oval-shaped beans that once harvested, processed, and roasted become the coffee beans we know and love. 

Coffee likes to grow in a tropical environment, and there is a window close to the equator (known as the Coffee Belt) where coffee grows best. This ideal climate is why coffee from the United States is only successfully grown in Hawaii. Understanding that coffee needs a specific environment to grow and thrive, you can relate the harvesting patterns of coffee to produce. In America, because coffee is so accessible, it almost seems like coffee is available at all times from all different regions. That is not the case, especially when it comes to specialty coffee beans.  

In most countries, coffee beans are harvested once per year. There are some countries, such as Kenya and Colombia, that experience favorable climates all year long. In these countries, smaller secondary crops (also known as fly crops) are harvested. Like a seasonal fruit, the best coffees will only come from each region's primary crops at their ideal times of the year. Since we are not consuming the actual cherry fruit, some processes take place to enhance the pit of the cherry (or coffee bean) to make the flavors last longer as a green bean before it is delivered to us and roasted. This detail allows the seasonality or shelf life not to be as extreme as the specific seasonality of fruit. It is also a detail we as roasters have to keep in mind as we choose our new coffees each season.

During the harvesting process, only the ripest cherries should be plucked. The more mature the cherry is at harvesting, the more flavorful and less acidic the roasted coffee bean. It can take 2-3 months for a cherry to ripen fully. Once the cherries are removed from the tree, several weeks go by between the process of plucking to us receiving the green beans for roasting. Since the entire process is lengthy, the shelf life of coffee cannot afford to be as short as, say, a strawberry. The fact that coffee seasons vary by region is a massive benefit to us when deciding which coffees to purchase and sell. As soon as a new coffee season begins, we receive samples of early crops to test roast, and most of our decisions are made off of those initial crop samples. Early crop samples can be a bit of a gamble because even though the sample may have roasted well, we do not always know how the full crop will taste. A lot of trust is put on the producers, their knowledge and ability, and their consistent processes.

One of the most challenging parts of picking coffees is being patient enough to wait. A sample can arrive 3-4 months before we receive the full pallet of beans. Recognizing that coffee is a seasonal crop and acknowledging that there is a long lead time between picking our coffee and offering it to our customers allows us to understand the shelf life of coffee better and plan ahead. Will the flavor of coffee change overtime? Yes, and that is why we try to only plan for six months (at most) of each type of coffee at a time. The environment of our coffee shop can impact the flavor profile due to inconsistent humidity adjustments. Does that mean the coffee profile worsens over time? Not necessarily. Green beans can be on the shelf for years, but the bean's flavor profile may not be as vibrant. The timing of those changes can also vary from bean to bean. Our primary goal as a specialty roaster is to have the beans' flavor and quality is at their prime the moment we open the bag to the moment it is emptied. As we talk more about coffees from different origins, we will dive deeper into their ideal harvesting seasons. For now, the most crucial part to understand is that it's not the country of origin that impacts the flavor but the seasonality of the coffee.

Before I discuss peaberry coffee and what makes it unique, let’s briefly look first at the structure of a coffee bean. Coffee is an incredibly complex plant, fruit, seed, drink, etc. This plant is known as the Coffea Arabica. Coffea Arabica is a small tree that bears little grape-sized fruits called “cascara cherries.” Coffee beans are the pits of these coffee tree fruits.

And then there are the mutations. Coffee plants usually produce cherries with two beans. Once in a while instead of two beans, there's only one bean. That is how Peaberry coffee came to be. Peaberry can grow in any coffee plant regardless of region, and is generally smaller and rounder than traditional beans.  1%-9% of coffee beans harvested are Peaberry. The sorting process is typically manual, which makes the harvesting process more cumbersome. All of the flavor is packed into one little bean instead of two, giving it a brighter flavor than other coffee.

History of Tanzania Coffee Farming

The use of coffee among Tanzanian tribes dates back to the 16th century. Its use was not widespread because tribal leaders kept tight control over the distribution of coffee beans. But during German colonization, German leaders eased restrictions, and coffee became more widely available. After WWI, the British took control of Tanganyika, which is modern-day Tanzania, and in coming years would expand the farming of coffee plants despite tribal resistance. The Kilimanjaro Native Planters Association (KNPA) was formed, which was the first of many cooperatives. Cooperatives help farmers get better prices for their coffee.

Why is Tanzanian Peaberry Special?

On the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru in Africa at 4500-6000 feet in elevation, the land with its rich volcanic soil provides a perfect environment for cultivating coffee. Here is the predominant location where Tanzanian Peaberry is grown. The climate in Tanzania is hot and tropical, but the higher you go, the cooler it gets, making it an ideal environment. Even though Peaberry can occur in coffee from other regions and elevations, it is often associated with Tanzania. Some consider it to be of superior quality and better flavor. One thing is for sure, the Tanzanian Peaberry is known for its bright flavor and offers a different coffee experience from traditional beans.

Thoughts from our Head Roaster

I asked our head roaster here at Sagebrush Coffee to describe what it's like to roast Tanzanian Peaberry. I wanted to know if the roasting process was different from coffee from other regions. If you roast at home, you know that the chaff separates from the coffee. Well, the chaff of Peaberry coffee sticks through the roasting process longer, requiring a longer roast time. That is why Peaberry coffee is better when roasted to a medium or dark roast rather than a light roast. Most other African coffees are roasted light to enjoy the brightness and fruity flavors. With Tanzanian Peaberry, even though it's roasted longer, you still get a bright and fruity flavor while also experiencing a more robust and bold taste. When you buy roasted Tanzania Peaberry from us at Sagebrush, the roast is closer to a dark roast as opposed to our light roast African coffee. If you roast at home, you can expect to roast your unroasted Tanzania Peaberry a little longer.

Personally, this is kind of the normal for me.  I find when I go into the shop, I get caught up in the production of the coffee business and fail to focus on the tasks that I need to get done to keep this business moving forward.  When I was talking about leaving my full time IT director job to focus on Sagebrush a small business owner told me, “Congrats on being a business owner, now you can work any 16hrs of the day that you want.”  Truer words have never been spoken.  My days usually start with a cup of coffee as I head to the home office that I’m sitting in right now.  I tend to leave production for Sarah to run, so I’m not looking over her shoulder.  If I make my way to the shop, I try to go after lunch.  Some days I’ll go in and we’ll do some quality control cuppings.  Many days I’ll chat with whoever is in there about upcoming coffees, what’s selling, any customer issues or how we can optimize our production.  Or sometimes I’ll just go in to talk through how to take better care of our customers in all areas. 

OK…so that’s my day, I forgot to talk about how coffee is integrated.  I’ll get there soon.

About a decade ago, I was roasting coffee on my own for personal consumption.  I was telling my brother in law about some of the beans I’d gotten my hands on and how great they were.  He asked me, “that sounds awesome, but what do you use for utility coffee?”  I was confused, I didn’t think about coffee that way.  He went on to explain that he loves a great cup of coffee on Saturday mornings or he’ll run to a coffee shop for an espresso one or two times a week, but every morning he drank a generic coffee to get him through the day.  I was baffled and realized that he needed to change (there’s no way I was wrong in this one).  It worked out that I picked him in our family Christmas gift exchange that year, so I bought him a Whirlypop popcorn popper and several pounds a green beans.  Gave him a quick roasting lesson, he picked it up quickly and utility coffee has ceased to exist in his household.

However, I wonder how many people think about coffee that way.  It is very easy to have ‘utility coffee’ and drink that each morning.  But as we’re starting to look at this change in life, wouldn’t it be great if utility coffee didn’t exist?  Wouldn’t it be awesome if every drop of coffee was a memorable, relaxing, and peaceful experience?  I believe it can be.  I drink a few cups of coffee each morning brewed in our Technivorm coffee pot.  That’s right, Jenna makes a pot of coffee each morning and we split it.  Nothing special happens in the Kellso house for morning coffee, except I’m almost always sampling new coffees.  I love to just drink coffees to pick them, but I rarely pick a new coffee unless it has held up to a few days of our morning coffee pot.  I want to say, “that’s a good cup of coffee” several mornings in a row before I pick it and hope that you do the same.  And that’s kind of the point.  A generically brewed cup of coffee can be amazing with the right coffee and the correct perspective.  Brew a pot and sit down.  Pause the morning for a few minutes and say, “that’s a good cup of coffee.”

I use one of my four favorite brewing methods for the afternoon ‘break’ cup of coffee that I need to springboard to the finish line of each day.  What are my four favorite brewing methods to make coffee change from utility to pleasure?  The answer to this question is easy and probably surprising.  I don’t drink a lot of espresso.  I LOVE espresso, I’ll take a Breve Cortado anytime someone wants to make me one.  But I’m a little too lazy to fire up the espresso machine every time I want one.  So, I have to branch out and use some brewers that are easier on the cleanup, significantly less expensive, and quicker to brew.  I’ll give a brief overview here and then I’ll write a follow-up post that goes into more detail of each.

1. Chemex: I love the Chemex for the bright cup of coffee.  I think no brewing method produces the flavor notes we describe in a cup of coffee better than this. 
2. Pour Over: I use a Hario V60 most often, but there are several options.  I like this for a little bit more rich of a cup than a Chemex.
3. Cold Brew: This brewing method takes a while at first (~16hrs) but results in a concentrate that lasts a couple of weeks in the fridge, so you can have a nice iced drink throughout the week.  In the summer, I love this, and I like to pour the concentrate into a pint glass over ice and then add about 2oz of Half and Half to the cup to make a VERY strong iced latte-like drink.
4. Aeropress: This brewer produces a super smooth cup.  I generally brew two presses worth for the amount I like to drink in the afternoon and it almost makes an Americano style drink.
5. French Press ($40): I know this is 5 and I said 4, but this is my least favorite.  I don’t love the clean-up and it is a little more bold of a cup than is my preference.  However, if you like bold and rich coffee, this is the one for you.

So, as life is changing, I think it’s a good time to pick a Sagebrush coffee that fits your price range and build a coffee habit that makes coffee as enjoyable of an experience as picking it up at a coffee shop was before COVID-19 changed things.  Take 15 minutes in the afternoon or morning break, pick your favorite brewing method and then brew, sip, and relax.  It will be worth every minute.

     Let’s consider water temperature. The water should be between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit, which is below boiling point for a great brew. Cupping quality standards suggest brewing at 200F. If the water is too cold, coffee will be flat and under-extracted. If the water is too hot, it can lead to over-extraction, causing the quality and flavor to be impacted significantly. The hotter the water, the quicker it extracts oils, acids, and caffeine.

Get the Right Temperature with Manual Brews

     Making sure you’re brewing at the right temperature has everything to do with the equipment you use. You can always use a thermometer, but when you’re brewing a cup of coffee in the morning, who has time to whip out the thermometer? If you like to brew using a V60 pour-over or a Chemex, we recommend using a gooseneck kettle like the Fellow Stagg EKG Kettle. You can select the temperature and the kettle can hold the temperature you set. It’s also equipped with a timer. Using this kettle makes brewing at the right temperature easy.

A Drip System Head & Shoulders Above the Rest

    If you want a great cup of coffee, push a button, and walk away, the Moccamaster is for you. It’s one of, if not the best, drip system available. It can brew 10 cups in six minutes. But its most exciting feature is that it brews and keeps the coffee at temperatures between 197 and 204. It’s known for its consistency in brewing coffee and is highly durable. If you follow the prescribed cleaning instructions, which are simple, the Moccamaster will last for years.

     The features that make this drip system stand out are impressive. First is the water outlet with nine holes that ensure the water is evenly distributed into the filter and through the coffee grounds. The carafe has a destratification tube that distributes the coffee evenly, making every cup from the first to last is of is consistently great. The hotplate is made to maintain the coffee at just the right temperature. When you brew with the Moccamaster, make sure to use 60 grams for one liter of water with a course grind for best results.

Moccamaster is Rich in History

     The Moccamaster was invented in 1969 by Gerard Clement Smit, who founded the Technivorm factory, which made the first Moccamaster. His goal was to brew a perfect cup of coffee. Parts are handmade, and all parts are made in Europe. Each Moccamaster is put together by hand and tested for durability. The company is still located in the heart of the Netherlands. The Specialty Coffee Association qualified it to be used in the world cup Tasters Championship. It’s a tested and tried excellent brewing system.

     Precision is the best skill when making a great cup of coffee. Getting the right equipment will make it a simple and easy process, so you don’t have to think about all the steps every time you make a good cup of coffee. 

As you walk around you see narrow roads and small sidewalks. I’m always surprised at how small things feel there. Antigua is known for being a big tourist attraction and tourists are pretty easy to spot. It’s main feature is the Volcano of Fire (Volcan de Fuego), but also the ancient ruins dating back to the Spanish conquest of the area. People travel by car on cobblestone roads where there’s only room for one car to go in one direction. It’s also a really bumpy ride. But it’s all part of its charm. You see shops, restaurants, and a central market. A lot of these businesses are run by native people who still dress in their traditional clothes. Women are sometimes carrying full loads of goods on their heads, or carrying babies wrapped up really tightly. It almost feels like two different worlds, the tourist world and the world of the people that were born, work, and live there.

Walking through these areas, the sense of the difficulty of life is in plain sight. With the backdrop of the Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire), these people claw and fight for a better way of life. The Volcan the Fuego is one of Guatemala’s most active volcanos. In 2018 the volcano of fire erupted spewing columns of rocks, ash, and fire causing mass devastation to the neighboring cities of Antigua. 12,823 people were evacuated. Volcanic material destroyed 21,000 acres of corn, beans, and coffee crops. It has been difficult for farmers to recover even though years have gone by. As Guatemala ranks as one of the smallest Latin American economies, crime is sky high, with more than half of its people living under the poverty line, Guatemalans have had to learn to be resilient in the face of disaster. Four of the 37 volcanoes in Guatemala are active and El Volcan de Fuego has erupted more than 60 times in the last 500 years.

The rebuilding work is still ongoing and will continue for years to come. So when you drink a cup of coffee from Antigua, think about the farmer, who in the last several years, harvests coffee against all odds overcoming great adversity to pursue a better way of life. Perhaps your cup of coffee may even help him, and many others, rebuild their dream.

Shop Now for Guatemalan Coffees & Support the People There

As the specialty coffee industry has grown and people’s knowledge of coffee has increased, the differences in coffee have risen to the top of people’s minds. It is well known that there are flavor differences depending on a coffee's origin. These differences are especially highlighted in coffees from South or Central America and Africa. In general, South and Central American coffees tend to be rich in nutty and chocolatey flavor notes. On the other hand, African coffees are known for their bright, floral, and fruity notes.

In addition to a coffee's origin though, there are many other components that affect how a coffee will taste. These include variety, elevation, climate, processing method, and roast method. Let's take a deeper look at some of these components and how they vary from region to region. 

Variety 

First of all, what is a coffee variety? A variety is a variation of the Coffea Arabica plant. The coffee cherry has subsets of plants, each with its own characteristics. Coffee varieties have a tight-knit parallel to something like apple varieties. Granny Smith, Fuji, and Red Delicious are all apples, but each variety has its own unique physical characteristics, color, shape, and most importantly; flavor profile. Coffee is the exact same way. Bourbon, Pacamara, and Gesha varieties are all Arabica cherries, but each has its own subset of differences.

Some varieties are found more commonly in certain regions and tend to favor their specific climate. The Bourbon variety, for example, is known for being found all over South and Central America. It can be found in Africa too, but has become most popular in Latin America.

Elevation 

Most Arabica beans are grown in high elevations, but there is still some variation within this. Kenyan coffee, for example, is often grown and processed at lower levels and therefore elevation isn't always an indication of quality for it. Kenyan coffee professionals have a unique coffee grading system and process coffee so well, that a lower elevation doesn’t appear to impact the quality of their coffee in a negative way. Don’t let elevation alone be the deciding factor in selecting coffee. Yes, higher elevations are known for producing excellent coffee, but good farming practices and other factors can easily make up for lower elevations in some parts of the world.

Climate

Almost all coffee is grown within what we call the 'coffee belt'. The coffee belt is a region that essentially stretches across the equator and makes for the perfect coffee farming conditions. The climate in the coffee belt is pretty consistent. Since the belt is right along the equator, each region within the belt is known for its warm temperatures. Additionally, rainfall in the African stretch of the coffee belt is pretty similar to rainfall in the South and Central American stretch. These consistent, warm, climates in the coffee belt are what make the regions within it fit to grow excellent coffee.

Another climate-related factor that can contribute to the quality of a coffee crop is volcanic soil. Volcanic soil is fantastic for growing coffee because it is packed with rich nutrients that help make an extremely fertile crop. If you look at the East African Rift, there’s a series of volcanoes that run through Ethiopia, Kenya, and all the way to Tanzania. Some of the best African coffees come from these regions known for having volcanic activity.

Processing 

Processing methods have really expanded in the last 10 years or so. For a long time, there was just wet or dry processing. Now, there are many new techniques like the honey process, hydro honey, and fermented processing. If you would like more details about different coffee processes, check out our Hydro-Honey Process blog. There’s a brief summary of the most popular coffee processes and how the hydro-honey process blends them all together. 

Roast

There is a sweet spot when it comes to roast levels that can vary between region and batch. There is usually a recommended roast level depending on the region and flavor notes of a bean. Roast levels, just like processing methods, can have a very noticeable impact on the flavor of a coffee.

With all of these variables that can affect the taste of a coffee, it doesn't and shouldn't ever taste the same. The differences in flavor represent the origin of a bean, its variety, the elevation it was grown in, the climate it was grown in, the way it was processed, and the way it was roasted. Even though South American coffees are known for their nutty and chocolatey flavor notes, you may find a Colombian coffee that has a really flavorful and unique fruity note in it as well. This is because all these varieties contribute to its taste, not just the origin. 

There is so much more we now know about coffee than we did 20 years ago. Because of this, we can all make more informed decisions about why one coffee tastes better than another. Personal preference is always the best way to pick your favorite. Whether you roast at home or buy roasted coffee, what is your favorite? 

     Coffee bars have gone through an evolution. It used to be that you would walk in and find lattes, cappuccinos, and other standard drinks. You had the option of customizing by adding in syrups like caramel, vanilla, or chocolate. As coffee continues to change, a trend for unique, cocktail-style drinks emerged. You can now order a latte or cappuccino with the addition of homemade fruit syrups. You’re not limited to one or two. You have options like blueberry, raspberry, pomegranate, and more. 

     It’s a leap for those of us who are coffee traditionalists. We at Sagebrush Coffee are embracing the coffee cocktail and want to share our experience with our customers. We decided to try an Iced Blueberry Latte with homemade syrup and share a simple recipe that you could make at home with basic ingredients. All you need is cold-brew or espresso. If you use espresso, we recommend two shots. You also need the milk of your choice, whipped cream, ice, fresh or frozen blueberries, and lemon.

     Note, that if you prefer a warm brew, you can use regular drip coffee or espresso instead of cold brew and omit the ice. It is very delicious this way as well and is perfect for colder weather. 

Blueberry Syrup:

• 1 cup blueberries
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 4 Tbs lemon juice

     Combine all ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil until the consistency is syrup-like. If you don’t want fruit pieces in your syrup, strain the syrup using a metal colander.

Blueberry Latte Instructions:

1. Pour 1 ounce of syrup into your glass.
2. Fill your cup with ice.
3. Add your milk of choice.
4. Add espresso shots or 3 ounces of cold brew.
5. Top it off with whipped cream and extra blueberries for garnish.
6. Stir and enjoy!

“I would like your first writing assignment to be about coffee regions.”

My husband and assigning editor quickly back-pedaled “I know that’s not a very exciting topic...”

I’m not sure if it was the look on my face or his genuine feeling on the topic that prompted the follow-up statement, but I had to agree that it was not the type of topic I was expecting as we set out to begin growing the information section of SagebrushCoffee.com

Matt made it clear as we discussed the types of articles he’d like me to be writing that he didn’t want the articles to just be filler to click bait.  Matt wants Sagebrush Coffee to be a destination for anyone who wants to know more about coffee.  From growth, to production, to roasting, and brewing, he (now we) wants SBC to be a resource for the coffee curious. 

And so I began to research coffee regions.  I quickly learned (and I hope you, the reader, can agree), that my first inclination was wrong- Coffee regions are an interesting topic!

I began in the region of Africa for a number of reasons.  First, Africa is considered ‘the birthplace of coffee.’  Second, the African beans we’ve offered through the years have been vibrant and interesting in flavor, drawing me to learn more about their origins.  And last, my husband’s region of choice for coffee is Africa, so I thought it would make him happy and, if all else failed, I could grab some quotes and observations from him.

The first thing that should be noted is that Africa is a region.  That should be fairly obvious in an article about coffee regions, but what I really mean is that the region is comprised of 7 countries within Africa that grow, process, and sell coffee beans.  I know many of us Westerners (to our detriment) like to see giant land masses as one big blob- Africa the continent is grouped into one self-explanatory entity.  It is sad that it must be stated that this is, of course, far from true, and looking at the coffee growing region of Africa is no different.  The area is wide and varied. 

Many factors can affect coffee growth, production, and quality.  A major variable in the type and quality of coffee grown in a specific country is the general climate and topography of that country.  Coffee as a general rule is grown in mountainous, temperate and rainy climates near the equator, and coffees from Africa are no exception.  However, there is still much variety among these tropical countries.  Elevation, rainfall, and soil drainage directly contribute to bean quality.  Countries with greater land mass are naturally able to produce more coffee.  A country with coastland and access to seaports is at a greater sales advantage than a land-locked country.

One thing that surprised me in my research was, apart from the physical features of a country, how much human factors have played a part in the production of African coffee over the last 100 years.  The 20^th century was a time of massive change and political upheaval across the continent of Africa, and the changes in the business of coffee were a direct result of the political changes.  Many African countries, such as coffee producers Tanzania and Kenya, went from Colonial rule to independence.  With monopolies shattered and the opportunity for free trade made available to farmers, an entire world of opportunity was opened to the African coffee growers.   For many years in Burundi and Rwanda, coffee farming was mandated by the government, but recent decades have put the power back in the hands of the farmers, leading to personal pride in their offerings, and therefore higher quality coffee.  These, as well as many other factors such as availability of washing stations, land, and machinery owned either by the government or privately, grading systems, and preferences over large plantations vs. small farms, all play a part in the quality and availability of African Coffees.

Yet for all these differences we can’t overlook the consistent and unique features that make African coffee stand out from the rest.  African coffees tend to be fruity and juicy in flavor.  Berries, citrus, tropical fruit, apples, and grapes are all tasting notes that have been found in Africa’s offerings.  Many would be surprised to hear coffee described as juicy or bright, even floral, but these flavors can be a pleasant surprise to many who see coffee as dark and bland. 

If your preference is a light and bright cup, with a crisp, clean mouthfeel and nuanced flavors, then look first to the regions of Ethiopia and Kenya, with side trips to Burundi, Tanzania, and Rwanda.  Processing and brewing methods can have a direct effect on the final taste as well, so don’t be afraid to experiment or ask us for advice on how to get the flavor profile you desire. 

The biggest surprise I encountered while studying the countries of Africa, specifically the coffee growing countries, was my new found interest and appreciation for the area.  I’ve never entertained the idea of visiting Africa, until now.  While that newfound interest and desire to see the rainforests of Africa may never come to fruition, I can temper that desire a bit each morning by spending time with a cup of African coffee. 

     If you don’t have an espresso maker, you can also use cold brew or drip coffee to pour over the ice cream and still enjoy an affogato. Watch our YouTube video to hear our thoughts and see a brief demonstration of how to make an Affogato dessert at home.

Ingredients:

• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Caramel Sauce
• Espresso Shot (1-2 shots)

*This is what we used in our recipe, but feel free to use any kind of ice cream or syrup you like. Have fun with it! 

Steps:

1. Scoop ice cream into cup or bowl.
2. Add your desired syrups and toppings.
3. Pour espresso shot (we did a single shot) over the ice cream.
4. Enjoy!

     The Angel's Mountain coffee tradition has been around since the 1850s. It is a family-owned business whose heart behind what they do goes far beyond a great cup of coffee. Hidden away 1200-1450 meters above sea level in the Cordillera del Balsamo mountains in La Libertad El Salvador, you will find prime land for growing coffee and people ready to cultivate it. Coffee from this region and elevation is perfect for a latte or any other espresso drink. In this community, coffee does not only provide a good beverage, but it also provides a livelihood for workers. They are passionate about giving customers the best coffee experience and improving the lives of their employees. When you buy from Sagebrush Coffee, you are purchasing directly from Angel's Mountain. There is no middleman. 

Get to know a little about Angel's Mountain Coffee Farm and see their passion for coffee and people. Below is a Q & A with the long-time owner of Angel's Mountain Coffee Farm.

Tell me a little bit about yourself. What would people that don't know you be interested in?

For decades, my family has been a lifeline to many farmers and their families in the community. I say this with great pride because my biggest goal will always be to better their lives and to share the taste of this amazing coffee. My passion for coffee was born since I was a young boy and witnessed how a colorful bean could bring so much joy into someone's life. I am forever committed to the farmers and the coffee, and the community our farm lies on.  

How did you get into the coffee business?

It's a family tradition since the 1850s, starting from my great-great-grandfather Antonio Martinez.

What do you love about being involved in the production of coffee?

Besides the pleasure of drinking a great cup every morning and our love for the land, the main reason is to provide year-round jobs for many people who live in our property and its surroundings. 

If you could change one thing about this industry, what would it be?

To get fair trade prices that could improve the production, more year-round jobs, quality education for the young ones, and better living conditions for the workers 

Share something with the people that drink your coffee that you'd want them to know about this amazing drink.

 Our farmers take pride in their hard work and efforts made to ensure our clients receive the highest quality of coffee available in Central America. Each of our clients plays an important role in helping to support our farmers and their families.

How has COVID had an impact on your business?

Besides the proper personal care of our workers, as is the work on the open field, we have not suffered major impact.

What do you think the next 5 years will bring to your part of this industry?

Our goal is to expand our operation so that we can support more farmers in this community while maintaining the highest quality coffee in Central America.

Almost all coffee is grown in tropical areas with high elevations, and that makes it susceptible to the effects of natural disasters. When disaster hits, how do coffee farmers cope? How do they prepare? When natural disasters occur, they don’t just affect coffee production but they also leave devastation in their wake. It makes the existence of coffee somewhat miraculous when you consider what threats face the industry and the farmers who begin the supply chain process. Today, we'll be taking a look at different natural disasters that have occurred in the regions where coffee is grown and the extent of the damage they have done.

Types of Natural Disasters

Natural disasters take many different forms, each with its own devastating effects. Knowing what kind of storm will hit an area can help people prepare for altercations.

Cyclones: Cyclones are tropical storms that consist of a system of winds rotating inward to an area of low atmospheric pressure. They are formed exclusively in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Cyclone wind speeds can range from 30-75 miles per hour. While not as strong as a hurricane, cyclones can cause catastrophic damage.  

Typhoons: Typhoons are strong tropical storms that resemble cyclones but are formed exclusively in the Northwest Pacific. Their winds also range from 30-75 mph.

Hurricanes: Hurricanes are tropical storms that work similarly to cyclones and typhoons but have winds that exceed 75 miles per hour. They form in the North Atlantic, Central North Pacific, and Eastern North Pacific.

Earthquakes: Earthquakes occur when tectonic plates shift. Regions at the highest risk of earthquakes are Central and South America. Other regions that experience significant amounts of earthquakes include Malaysia, Indonesia, and most of Southeast Asia, reaching all the way to Japan. These regions are also all centralized around the equator.

Landslides: Landslides occur when large masses of earth or rock fall. They can fall from any high surface, usually a mountain or a cliff. They sometimes accompany other natural disasters, the pairing disaster being the cause of the fall, and other times occur simply from gravity accumulating over a long period of time.

Tsunamis: Tsunamis are series of enormous sea waves caused by a large displacement of water. They often follow the events of other natural disasters such as earthquakes and landslides. They can also occur after unnatural disasters such as explosions. 

Floods: Floods are overwhelming amounts of water in a confined space. They usually accompany other disasters including hurricanes, cyclones, and tsunamis. They can also be caused by excessive amounts of rainfall.

Drought: A drought is essentially the opposite of a flood. It is a shortage of water usually caused by low rainfall and moisture deficiency. 

Volcanic Eruptions: The "Ring of Fire" refers to the region of Earth with the largest concentration of volcanoes. It consists of 452 volcanoes and essentially falls right over the Pacific Ocean and its coasts. However, there are also a significant amount of volcanoes in Africa as well. In Ethiopia alone, there are 77 volcanoes. Additionally, there are 31 in Kenya, 23 in Tanzania, and 7 in Yemen.  It is worth noting that outside of eruption activity, volcanoes do tend to indicate great growing conditions for coffee because of their fertile soil and high elevation.

Cyclones in Indonesia  

Indonesia has experienced seven major cyclones since 1973. All but one of these occurred between 2002 and 2021. Most Indonesian cyclones occur between early November and late March. These cyclones have not only done damage to coffee crops, but also corn, rice, and bean crops. 

Hurricanes in Guatemala

Because I’m from Guatemala, I tend to hear more about the natural disasters that happen there. When a natural disaster hits that area, I’m usually pretty concerned because I still have family living there. Guatemala most recently suffered from Hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020. This twin set of storms damaged 130,000 cultivated hectares, affecting the coffee industry in addition to the rest of the agricultural industry. The damage resulted in food insecurity for 1.8 million Guatemalans. 

Hurricane Mitch  

The fury of Hurricane Mitch was unleashed on Honduras as a category 5 hurricane in October of 1998. The winds of this storm reached 200 mph and caused thousands of deaths across Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. This catastrophic hurricane caused unfathomable damage to many things, including the coffee industry. So many farms suffered from its blow that coffee prices increased significantly worldwide.

Flooding in Brazil 

Brazil is the number one coffee-producing country in the world. They suffered from a massive drought in 2021, which was followed by excessive rainfall. The abrupt change in climate prevented the dry soil from being able to absorb water, and the rainfall caused extreme flooding. This flooding damaged both coffee and soy crops. Some farms lost a handful of acres while others lost their entire crops.

Arizona

Living in Suburban Arizona, we at Sagebrush have it lucky. The desert does experience extremely high temperatures and a handful of mild storms, but it is out of the way of nature's more severe storms. After researching the natural disasters that span across our world, I have gained a new appreciation for people whose livelihood is tied up in agriculture and how greatly it can be affected by forces of nature that are out of our control.

Today is National Sibling Day! We have two sets of siblings who work here at Sagebrush and wanted to talk about what it’s like to work with siblings, or just at a small family business in general. The first set of siblings on our team is Matt and Zoё. Matt is the owner of Sagebrush and Zoё, his younger sister, is part of our marketing and media development team. The second set is the trio of Matt’s kids - Jonathan, Noah, and Eden. All three of them work as baristas in addition to other roles around the shop. Jonathan, the oldest, is our espresso bar manager, part of the marketing and media development team, and part of the menu development team. Noah, the middle child, is our roasting and production assistant and also helps with marketing and media development. Eden, the youngest, spends most of her time not on bar in high school, but she also helps with menu development. 

In light of this fun holiday and our close-knit business, we interviewed each sibling on what it is like to work with their brothers and sisters. You can find the highlights of these interviews below!

Q: What is one of your favorite childhood memories with your sibling(s)?

Zoё: Matt and I have a pretty big age difference, 14 years, but he has always put in the effort to be involved in my life too. One example is when I was about 12 and he took me on a brother-sister lunch date at Rigatony's, one of my favorite places to eat. I remember enjoying being able to spend time with him and appreciating that he had put time aside for me even though he was busy with his own life. 

Matt: I was practically moved out when Zoё was growing up, but I remember Josh (our other brother) and I messing with her when she was really little. She used to be afraid of the dustbuster vacuum so we would turn it on and put it up on her high chair to scare her and make her try to wiggle out of her seat. There was another time when I was supposed to drop her off at a friend’s birthday party and I accidentally dropped her off at the wrong house and then drove away. I saw a house with balloons and assumed it was the right one, apparently there were two parties in the neighborhood that day. Luckily she has forgiven me since then for tormenting her as older siblings usually do. 

Jonathan: I always enjoyed playing Legos with Noah, there are a lot of fun memories there. For all three of us, it’s always fun to get together and make funny videos. 

Noah: Jonathan and I played Legos a lot growing up. Whenever I showed him what I made he would reply by saying “awesome!” One day I made something and instead of saying “awesome” he said, “cool.” I thought “cool” was not as good of a compliment and spent years trying to improve my Lego skills. With Eden, we used to play with our stuffed animals in the back seat of the car when we went on family vacations. 

Eden: We played Legos together a lot. We used to make little Lego stores and would trade Lego pieces to shop at each other’s stores.

Q: What is something you always agree on?

Zoё: Both of us agree that it’s always worth taking the trip! We both love to travel, especially if it’s to Disneyland. We agree that experiences like that are worth spending money on. He is also the person who really introduced me to the coffee industry, so we have the same views on that as well. I used to drink overly sweetened flavored drinks, but now I love iced pour-overs and the true taste of coffee.

Matt: We both really love Disneyland. Overall, I think we tend to agree on most things.

Jonathan: We all have the same sense of humor which always makes things fun.

Noah: Jonathan and I have the same taste in music. Eden and I have similar pet peeves and agree on things that annoy us.

Eden: I think we all have a similar taste in music and sense of humor.

Q: What is something you never agree on?

Zoё: Due dates. Or just overall how things are organized. I am a very detail-oriented person and Matt is more of a big-picture person. Also, he doesn’t appreciate my puns.

Matt: I don’t like her puns.

Jonathan: We don’t usually disagree on things.

Noah: I don’t think there are a lot of things that we disagree on, we are all pretty similar.

Eden: I can only think of little things, like if a counter is clean or not. We don't really disagree or argue about bigger things,

Q: What is it like working with your sibling?

Zoё: It’s really fun. I’ve had the chance to see him more in our adult lives because of work and that has deepened our relationship with each other despite our busy lives. He has been very accommodating with my need to adjust my schedule after having my kids and he creates the perfect amount of pressure to do well at work. He makes me want to perform well but still isn’t intimidating or stressful. I’ve also noticed that even though he is my boss and the person in charge, he is always open to my input. 

Matt: There is a huge level of trust between Zoё and me. It also helps that she was our first employee. Overall, she is just a great employee and helps take the business in the direction I want it to go. There have been a few points where I was scared she would leave, when she had her kids and when she was offered another job opportunity, and I honestly don't know where the business would be without her. 

Jonathan: We have a lot of fun working together but there is also a level of comfort that is helpful because we aren’t afraid to point things out to each other or give each other feedback. 

Noah: It’s honestly really fun. Whenever you get a new coworker you have to get to know them and understand how they work in order to get a good flow while working together. When working with your siblings, you already have that phase down and are in sync.

Eden: It’s fun but sometimes I think they are too comfortable with me.

Q: How do you balance treating your sibling as a sibling vs. as a coworker/boss/employee? 

Zoё: I think it is a little easier to treat Matt like a boss because of our age difference. In a sense, I have always treated my brother as an elder figure. It also has to do with our work ethics. We are both invested in Sagebrush and want the company to do well and be successful. Being siblings is a fun bonus, but we both prioritize the company because we want to see it reach its goals. Since Matt’s my brother, his success is my success and Sagebrush’s success is both of our success.

Matt: I think it would be a lot harder to balance our relationship if Zoё wasn’t such a great employee. Her work ethic makes it easy to have her as part of our team and has allowed me to not have to have difficult conversations that may strain our relationship, which I would have to have if she wasn’t as good of an employee. We have really created a good rhythm. 

Jonathan: I don’t work on bar as much with Noah these days, so this is specifically about Eden. We have to make sure not to let arguments happen on bar, which can be difficult in a high-pressure setting. If we ever do have disagreements at work we have to make sure to not carry it outside of work to avoid creating resentment, but we are pretty good about that.

Noah: I think it’s the same as working with anyone that you get along with. You have to understand when to have fun and when to get down to business.

Eden: I don’t think there’s a big difference, but it can be easier to snap at Jonathan on bar when I’m stressed.

Q: What is your favorite thing about your sibling? 

Zoё: I love how sentimental Matt is. He has all of these little collections of important things and has even incorporated some of them into the business. For example, we have our grandma’s hutch in the office and our dad helped build the tables in our customer seating area. I love that no matter how hard it was he has done everything he can to achieve his dream of owning and running this company, his hard work and determination are inspiring. He always has an eye out for the next best thing.

Matt: First of all, she forgives me for tormenting her when she was little. Otherwise, Zoё always puts her best foot forward and never lets a bad day stop her from cheering up those around her.

Jonathan: For Noah, he has a great sense of humor and a sense of comfort with people. For Eden, she has great conversation skills.

Noah: Both Eden and Jonathan are two of the funniest people I know. I love their sense of humor and always have fun when I’m around them.

Eden: My brothers and I have so many similar interests that it makes them really easy to talk to.

We love our Sagebrush siblings and the fun dynamic they bring to our team. Make sure to call your siblings today or give them an extra hug, happy National Siblings Day!

People often ask me how long coffee stays fresh. I wish there were an easy answer to this question, but there isn't. Freshness is somewhat subjective when it comes to coffee and the length of time the coffee stays fresh is dependent on the conditions in which it is stored. Coffee begins to get a stale flavor quite quickly. I personally never like to drink coffee that is over a week old. I also have that luxury, because... well, I am surrounded by fresh roasted coffee every day.

However, a lot of the ‘freshness’ comes down to taste. I like to say that 2-3 weeks for storage is about the limit. Oxygen and light, while essential for living things, are the enemies of coffee. When you buy coffee from Sagebrush, you will notice that our bags have a one-way degassing valve. The valve allows CO2 to escape while not allowing oxygen to enter when the zip-lock seal is closed. Our bags also have a special UV layer coating to keep the light out. Both of these help keep the coffee you order last as long as possible before outside elements affect the flavor. We have a customer that has a bunch of black out tight vac containers that keep out the light and have their own one-way degassing valve. When he gets a bag, he pours a day’s worth of coffee into each container, so he only opens that container once. He believes he’s recreating the first time you open the bag experience. He’s probably right, but who knows. What I do know is the more obsessed you get with having that perfect cup of coffee, the more you realize there are people way more obsessed than you.

There is one more enemy of coffee. I have noticed that some people like to store their coffee in the refrigerator and freezer. But does that keep it fresh? Taking the coffee bag out daily from the refrigerator or freezer can cause moisture because of the temperature changes. That’s right; moisture is the third and sometimes unspoken enemy of coffee. The key to fresh coffee is having enough to only store for 2-3 weeks, using an airtight container to store in your pantry, and stable temperature conditions. According to the National Coffee Association, the only time they recommend freezing coffee is if you buy it in bulk but don’t plan on opening it right away. But once you open it, you should store it in a cool, dry place, making sure to avoid temperature fluctuations.

Our goal is to ensure my customers have the freshest coffee possible. We are committed to providing the best coffee drinking experience, which is why we only roast once you’ve ordered. Freshness is of utmost priority. When you order from Sagebrush, you can be confident you’re getting the freshest coffee available.

I’ve been wanting to sit down and write this for weeks. It’s been a wild stretch of travel — four origin trips in six weeks was a whirlwind — and I’m finally catching my breath and starting to share some of the experiences from the first trip.

Back in mid-February, I had the chance to head down to Guatemala, and I want to share a bit of what I saw, felt, and learned — because this is exactly why we do what we do at Sagebrush. We set out to spend time with the Villatoro family, visit their farms, and get a deeper understanding of what makes their coffees (and their community) so special.

Along the way, we visited two main farms: Punta del Cerro and Hoja Blanco. It ended up being one of those trips that will seap into every coffee conversation for years to come — relationally, personally, and, of course, as a coffee buyer who cares about every bag of green coffee that comes through our doors.

And honestly? This trip reminded me, in a big way, why I cannot believe I get to do this for a living.

Edwin Martinez: More Than a Host

One of the biggest highlights was spending real, quality time with Edwin Martinez from Onyx Coffee. Edwin’s family has been growing coffee in Huehuetenango since 1957, and he’s seen just about every swing the industry can throw at you. He’s not just a connector between roasters like us and producers like the Villatoros — he’s a deep well of wisdom and perspective.

Over the course of the trip, we had a lot of honest conversations about the state of coffee right now. If you’ve been following the market, you know it’s been wild. Prices are high, inventories are tight, Brazil’s not selling like usual, and there’s just a lot of uncertainty. Edwin summed it up well: “No one’s getting the predictability they want, but you can probably build what you need.”

That mindset really stuck with me. As someone responsible for keeping our coffee lineup at Sagebrush full of incredible, farm-focused-relationship coffees, I appreciated the reminder that in times like this, progress isn’t about waiting for perfect conditions. It’s about making smart, steady moves forward and relying closely on the relationships we’ve built over the years.

Punta del Cerro: A Record-Breaking Day

Once we hit Huehue, we went to their warehouse and cupping room. Right away there was this wild moment where we took coffee straight off the drying beds, ran it through dry milling, roasted it, and cupped it — all within about 45 minutes. I’ve never tasted coffee that fresh in my life. It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that gives you a whole new appreciation for what goes into every cup.  It also was the best coffee on the table.  I asked Rodin if he decides not to submit it to Cup of Excellence, let me know and I’d buy it, but I’m not holding my breath.

After lunch, we drove to Punta del Cerro and walked right into history. We pulled into the driveway and I counted nine 80s and 90s era Toyota pickups all loaded down with bags of coffee cherry. They were in the midst of processing more coffee cherry than any single day in the history of the farm. The energy on the farm was electric — you could feel it.

After that busy day we crashed in various rooms of the farm and I later found out that the room they put me in was Don Aurelio’s bedroom.

The next more it looks like rain. We were out at the drying patios when the sky started to go dark. One of the guys asked Don Aurelio what they do when it rains on the coffee. Without skipping a beat, he handed him a rake and said, “Big piles.”

So we all jumped in, spent the next hour raking hundreds of pounds of parchment coffee into protective mounds to keep it safe from the rain. It was a moment that really captured the spirit of the place — quick thinking, teamwork, and a lot of hands-on hard work.  It was a highlight of the trip for most of us.

We also got to watch his son, Rodin Villatoro, work his craft. Rodin is part of the next generation of leadership on the farm, and it shows. He’s got degrees in agronomy, agriculture, and forestry, and he’s bringing a ton of technical knowledge and innovation to the family’s already strong foundation. Watching him load cherries into anaerobic fermentation tanks for a 10-day fermentation process was like watching a master at work.

Hoja Blanco: Family, Faith, and Craftsmanship

Hoja Blanco brought a different, equally special energy. Spending time in Don Aurelio’s home was a real privilege. His hospitality is legendary, but what stood out most to me was how deeply his faith in God shapes everything he does. From the way he welcomes guests to the way he leads his family and farm, his faith is at the center of it all.

They also had their new mechanical dryer running, which is a game-changer. Weather patterns are less predictable, and this dryer helps them manage parchment drying much more consistently. For us as buyers, that means quality stays high even in challenging conditions.

Conversations That Matter

Beyond the farms themselves, what made this trip so meaningful were the conversations. With Edwin, with the Villatoros, and with the other coffee folks who came along for the trip.

We talked a lot about the realities of this year’s c-market. Prices are high, and volatility is the name of the game. But there’s an opportunity in that, too. One of the big takeaways for me was the importance of steady, thoughtful action — forward contracts, strategic planning, and maintaining the long-term relationships that give us access to these exceptional coffees in the first place.

Reflections and Gratitude

Trips like this remind me why Sagebrush exists. They remind me why I spend the time and energy to travel to the farms, shake hands with producers, and see the work with my own eyes. It’s not just about finding great coffee — though we absolutely did that — it’s about knowing the people behind the coffee and sharing their stories with you.

From breaking records at Punta del Cerro to raking parchment in the rain, to sitting at Don Aurelio’s table and soaking in the beauty of Hoja Blanco, this trip was personal. It deepened my respect for the Villatoro family, my friendship with Edwin, and my commitment to bringing you not just great coffee, but coffee with a story and a purpose.

Thanks for letting me share this with you. And thanks for caring about where your coffee comes from. I can’t wait for you to taste the results of this trip in your cup.

Edwin teaching us what a Maragogype looks like

Arriving at Punta Del Cerro

Rodin Villatoro overseeing a fermentation

New mechanical dryer doing it's thing

Don Aurelio

In America, coffee has been an incredibly popular drink since the Revolution, but its influence never truly took storm to the general public until the time of the Civil War. With army camps scattered throughout the entire U.S. sipping on instant coffee mixed with whatever water they could find, it was clear that this drink had potential. The comfort of this warm, caffeinated drink quickly became a solace for many amid a traumatic and dark time, which inherently became a major catalyst in bringing coffee not only to the wealthy but to the entire American public. Dependency on this drink carried far past the time of the Civil War, and coffee soon after overtook tea as the most popular drink in the United States.

Now it's easy to deduct that the coffee those Union soldiers were drinking in 1864 was not the highest of quality (in fact, it likely tasted like dirty tar). Yet today we see hundreds if not thousands of companies throughout the entire United States dedicated to the craft of coffee. How did we bridge this gap in quality? How did we come from a dirty powder consumed simply for the caffeine and warmth to an entire worldwide industry of exploration and craft? What needed to take place for us to get to where we are today? The answer is simple: improvement. Everyone is seeking to improve coffee. Whether it's maximizing the quality of sourcing, roasting, brewing, or serving coffee, there are so many outlets in which people are striving for excellence in the coffee world. As part of this wave of excitement for coffee, we here at Sagebrush understand the thrill of wanting to "get into" coffee. To be part of this movement, to be part of the push for excellence in the coffee world, is an exciting and enticing thing to want, but we've noticed how little is really out there about how you yourself can get better. There's so much noise about how "we are doing this," how "this brewer is revolutionary," how "you can brew coffee the right way," but more times than not, this noise isn't sufficient in truly getting you into coffee. Sure, it gives you more headspace knowledge on the world of coffee, but can you craft a better cup of coffee knowing the pros and cons of yet another coffee grinder?

Think of it like an eye doctor; to discover the proper prescription for your vision, the doctor must fine-tune everything to your eyes. If you have poor vision, you don't research online to find the coolest-looking frames or read up on the history of eyeglasses. There's no shame in enjoying aesthetics and history, but you will not improve your vision in doing so. To improve your vision, you must go to your eye doctor, and they will walk you through a process to refine your vision. Taste is the exact same way. The only way to improve one's coffee taste is to simply work towards actually improving it, not garnering YouTube video information about cool new brewing gear or the history of the coffee world. Taste is not a one-size-fits-all; each person enjoys coffee differently, so to assume that all you need is a one-time recipe and you're good to go to enjoy coffee at home simply doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, we don't have local coffee doctors to expertly help you dial in the perfect cup of coffee to your taste. So, what we hope to accomplish in this blog is not only to give you some helpful surface-level tips and tricks about coffee but to set you on a path to be able to explore coffee brewing on your own. We hope to give you the tools necessary for you to discover the wonders of coffee brewing on your own accord, with your own deduction, because at the end of the day, we don't know what you like, that's up to you to figure out.

The basics of extraction

To first understand how to maximize the taste of your coffee, we must first set a baseline understanding of what coffee brewing is actually doing to your beans. Why does coffee taste the way it does? Why is it that water and coffee are all that's needed to achieve a brewed cup of coffee? What variables are taking part in achieving that final cup of coffee? 

All these questions and more can be answered through the science of extraction. Extraction, by definition, is the action of taking out something. Therefore, in the context of coffee, extraction refers to the taking out of coffee particles as they are submerged in water. This process is what is taking place in any instance of brewing coffee, no matter what it is. Whether you are making a batch of drip, brewing a Chemex, or pulling a shot of espresso, you are working with extraction. To the experienced home-brewer, this is great news; to the inexperienced home-brewer, this is a spiderweb of potential slip-ups while brewing.

The overarching idea of extraction can be hammered in with a simple three-tiered evaluation: "is my coffee sour, sweet, or bitter?" If your coffee is sour, this indicates an under-extraction in your brew. If your coffee is sweet, that indicates that you are in the right range of proper, balanced extraction. If your coffee is bitter, that indicates an over-extraction in your brew. This is a tremendous tool for someone looking to dial in their brewing practices by taste.

There are a few factors while brewing coffee that affect extraction, and each, if used well, can help you create a deliciously dynamic cup of coffee. These factors are temperature, distribution, time, and density. We won't get into the nitty-gritty of each factor in this blog, but understand that having these in mind fuel your "why" in dialing in your coffee by taste. 

What you need

What you don't want is the taste of your coffee, whether good or bad, to be dependent on something out of your control. So, having equipment that can work with you as opposed to against you day in and day out will help put the "getting better ball" in your court. So, what is actually needed to get to that level of control?

With all the hubbub about coffee gear, it's easy to lose sight of what's truly needed for you to up your coffee game. Every coffee gear company will tell you that you need their product, but we all know that we don't need to spend upwards of $1000 to begin improving your brewing methods. The honest truth of it all is that you really only need four pieces in your coffee arsenal to refine your craft. These four pieces are a manual brewing method, a burr grinder, hot water, and a way to record your data. 

If you want to improve your photography skills, it is recommended one starts shooting in manual mode; when someone takes up racing cars as a hobby, it is crucial they learn how to operate a manual transmission; and if someone wants to refine their ability to brew coffee, a manual brew method is the only option available to be able to do so. Having more control is a critical aspect of improving your coffee game, and although it may seem daunting to veer away from your morning cup of drip, it's a necessary step to take if you're looking at diving head first into the world of coffee. No, it is not guaranteed that brewing manually will bring a better cup of coffee immediately; a manual brew method, no matter which one it may be, will take practice to use well. If you're looking for a specific recommendation, a pour-over method, no matter what exact brewer you may get, is going to be the preferable way to go for someone looking to take more control of the elements in their brewing practices because it provides the highest number of unique factors to work with. On the Sagebrush manual brew bar, we are diehard Hario v60 users and would recommend the same method to you, but there are plenty of pour-over methods out there that can bring you a delicious, dynamic cup as well. 

A bad grinder is a bad grinder because of its inconsistency and lack of longevity of use, and ultimately, it's bad because you're not in control of it if it makes a mistake. If you can't trust your grinder to give you the same "9" level grounds from one day to the next, then it might be time to find another fish in the sea. We here at Sagebrush are avid sellers of Baratza, a company dedicated to consistency and dependency in your morning coffee grind. 

Since coffee temperature is so crucial in proper extraction, having a kettle that can consistently provide water at the proper temperature (between 197°f & 210°f) and having a gooseneck spout for total pour control is a must. There are plenty of kettles out there who can get this job done for you (a "gooseneck kettle" search on google should get you plenty of results), but the Fellow Stagg EKG is what we lean towards here at Sagebrush.

These foundational pieces to the coffee brewing puzzle all harken back to the importance of proper extraction. That proper distribution of water amongst those consistently ground coffee beans is a huge part of the brewing process. Getting these steps streamlined and eased up is the biggest step you should take. If your desire is to improve in your coffee game and you haven't thought about upping your gear's quality, then this is absolutely something you should consider. Having the right tools will only help you get to the fun part of coffee brewing more quickly.  

Open up your palate 

We all know the temptation of sticking with your favorite coffee. It's hard to have the guts to turn down your favorite coffee bean and try something new, but to get better at coffee, having that wide range of palate is very important. Everyone leans to a favorite bean, and there's absolutely no shame in that. Personally, I love the brightness and dynamic flavor profile of a dry-processed African coffee, and in all honesty, it's sometimes tough being impressed with anything but that (it's just so good). But there are so many delicious wet-process coffees out there and a plethora of farms in many different countries with extremely refined harvesting practices. Simply put, for someone to keep with the same type of coffee will never be by lack of delicious coffee available, but instead by lack of willingness to branch out. So, if you're looking for a way to become more akin to the world of coffee, take a step back and try something new!

Not only should you be expanding your palate in the coffee world, but with food as well. Opening up your tastes to embrace the beauty of all things flavor profile will only help you better dial in your tasting practices with your morning cup. All the coffee experts out there identifying tasting notes of this, flavor profiles of that, are capable of doing so simply because they are experienced in trying things. When they taste a hint of plum in their coffee, they are confident that it is plum and not peach or pear or grape because they have had these fruits enough times to be able to distinguish the difference. So don't be intimidated by the daunting task of identifying flavor notes. Trust your palate. After all, the one who will most be affected by the fiddling of your coffee will be you. So, if you like it, then you're on the right track!

Record, record, record

Let's hypothetically say that you've done it. You've crafted the perfect cup of coffee, the texture so smooth, the flavor so balanced, they taste so sweet. Everything about this cup of coffee is absolutely perfect. Chef's kiss, Beautiful. But you didn't record anything about what you did. That perfect cup of coffee is now subject to the ability of your short-term memory. I know that, at least for me, my short-term memory is not a reliable place to store information. 

So, what's the solution? A pen and a paper. That's all you need. Record what you do all the way through. How many grams of coffee did you use? To what level did you set your grinder? How hot was your water? How long did you wait for your bloom? How many pours did you do? How many grams of water did you use for each pour? How many grams of water did you use in total? Even down to how you served your cup could have affected that perfect cup of coffee, so be sure to keep tabs on it all! Record, record, record; do what it takes to remember how you did what you did, and then do it again!

Another note to take is to keep your variables organized and to change only one of them per brew. If you can remember far back enough to your science fair experiments, you may remember having to articulate your dependent and independent variables and explaining how you will keep your experiment organized in a way that allows you to properly control the independent variables and properly record the dependent variables. Coffee brewing is as much if not more of an experiment than your 8th grade C+. It's impossible to keep control of what's causing progress in your taste of coffee if you are changing multiple variables at a time, so be patient. If your coffee is bitter, do not change your water temperature and your grind size and your brew time and water amount all at once. In the end, those all may need to change to get to a sufficient cup of coffee, but you will never truly figure it out changing all of those in one brew. Take it slow, change only variable at a time and keep everything else consistent. 

Love improvement 

Caffeine is quite addictive, but the most crucial thing to become addicted to for improving your coffee game is progress. You can enjoy coffee all you want, you can even be obsessed with it, but if you're not excited by a tiny fractional increase in your coffee's quality, then you're going to burn out and plateau. This really is the process in which anyone improves anyway. An athlete doesn't become an Olympian in one day, and an astronaut doesn't get to the I.S.S. with an afternoon's worth of training. Sure, we're not representing our country in front of the whole world or breaking the bounds of scientific discovery, but the point stands: an over-focus on where you want to be will inherently handicap you from ever getting there. Love the little steps. 

The beauty of brewing coffee is in the craft itself. To brew the best cup of coffee you've ever had and think, "okay, here's what I did right, and here's how I think I can improve" is the perfect mindset because although it's the best cup you have had, chances are it's not best cup ever, and it will always be possible to improve it. Never be satisfied. This mindset has greatly helped the coffee industry as a whole get to where it is today. Farmers honing in their harvesting practices, processing techniques, and connections to the world of coffee business, as well as buyers dialing in their roasting profiles, cupping processes, and connections back to the farm, have all been critical in the improvement of the cup of coffee. Without their intentionality around what they make, their love of the craft, and their dedication to improvement, we may have never even realized we could enjoy coffee the way we do. We may still be where we were in 1864, sipping our instant coffee, unaware of the world this simple bean had to offer. 

Our next brew guide features one of the easiest manual brew methods out there. The pour-over is an incredible choice for any manual brewing beginner and is a staple in any coffee veteran's brewing rotation. It is known to produce a more flavorful cup than nearly any drip brewer out there. Today, we're diving right into how to brew with the pour-over. Keep in mind that there are many variations of the pour-over brewer, each with their own little quirks; we'll be focusing primarily on the Hario V60, but the instructions remain as a solid foundation for any pour-over brewer.

Step number one: you'll need some coffee. Here are some coffees we offer that are perfectly complemented by the pour-over brew method.

What you'll need to begin

• Pour-over brewer
• Pour-over filter
• thermometer
• kettle
• 21g finely ground coffee
• water
• scale
• timer

First, set your water to heat to 205ºF.

Grind your coffee fine (just a notch or two finer than medium) and weigh out 21g.

Place pour-over filter into the pour-over brewer, and place the two onto a cup or pot that you will be using to capture the coffee (like pictured above).

Pour your 21g of ground coffee into the filter.

 Begin your timer and pour your heated water over the coffee grounds. Wait 40 seconds before pouring again to allow the coffee to bloom.

After 40 seconds, pour the remainder of your water evenly across your coffee grounds and let the coffee drain.

And there you have it. You've completed your first brew of pour-over! Once your cup is full, you'll need to remove the pour-over brewer, but there will still probably be drips coming from the filter, so make sure you're ready to dispose of it quickly.

Enjoy!

Keep reading or watch our YouTube video. 

One of the most common roast levels of the three is the dark roast. A preferred roast profile is sometimes dependent on where you live. In the United States, coffee drinkers on the East Coast enjoy their roasts light, while the West Coast traditionally prefer their beans dark. Dark roasts are especially favored in Europe, so much so, that even darker roasts on the spectrum are named after their associated country (i.e., French and Italian roasts).

For a long time, dark roast coffees were considered a popular and superior option. This was because specialty grade beans were not widely known or as accessible as they are now. In the past, coffees would be roasted dark to mask the weak & inconsistent flavor of low-grade beans. It was believed that the darkness of the roast and uniform look would make the beans more "desirable" to consumers. It was a logical approach, and one that some commercial roasters still use (I'm looking at you, green mermaid). At Sagebrush, we believe that it is no longer needed now that direct trade, single-origin specialty coffees are not just available, but are the gold standard.

When we roast, we are listening for cracking or popping sounds. These noises act as timers and occur when the beans expand due to the release of water vapor and carbon dioxide pressure. The initial popping sound is known as the first crack. The first crack acts as a cue for the completion of a light roast coffee. For a dark coffee, the roast is completed when you reach the second crack.  The surface of the bean is reaching a darker shade of brown (not black), and a slight sheen of oil may appear. While many coffee chains roast through the second crack, we try to stop the roast early into the second crack. Roasting to this point draws out a more chocolate or rich flavor in the coffee.  Roasting past that stage can destroy the unique characteristics of the coffee beans. The increased level of caramelization caused by roasting past the second crack can create a pungent, "roasty" essence that covers up the beans' natural flavor profile.

Instead of roasting away the uniqueness of a coffee, our goal is to discover the balance of showcasing the deeper flavors while still maintaining the natural, unique elements of the beans. For this reason, I try my best to never roast to the point the beans through the second crack.  However, this means that what I call dark roast, doesn't match what larger chains may call a dark roast. We're so refined in our roast profiles that the difference between light and dark can be subtle, both in flavor profile and in look.  This can be confusing for the consumer.  My preference would be to not mention color in our roasts at all, because it really isn't what I'm thinking about when I define the profiles for each coffee. I'm trying to put the hard work that the producers put into that particular bean on display.  Sometimes that means I stop in the first crack and sometimes the second crack and many times in between.

That also means that we will never roast our coffees until they become oily. There is a temptation to move to a darker roast with more oil extraction to get more of the smoky flavor out of the beans. Instead, we love the blend of light fruited or nutty notes with bittersweet chocolate notes. For this reason, we stay at this level with several coffees, where other roasters may roast a little darker. You can read more about our explanation of oily beans, and why we choose to roast on the lighter side in a blog post we wrote a few years ago.

In addition to the roast profile, the way coffee is processed (natural, washed, and honey), can determine the overall flavor and look of the beans. Natural coffees are processed, or dried, still attached to the cherry fruit. The pulp attachment causes the coffee to taste more acidic and fruity. For a washed process coffee, the cherry fruit is washed clean from the bean, removing a lot of the natural, fruit flavors extracted from the plant. Washed coffees bring fewer surprises when it comes to taste (unlike natural and honey) and are preferred for their consistency. Many of the coffees I choose to roast dark are wet-processed. Each processing method impacts the flavor profile at the second crack.  As you roast past that point, the processing method is functionally roasted out of the bean.  Someone at the farm was very intentional in their processing of these particular beans.  I don't want to take that away by roasting it out.

There is a common misconception that the darker the bean, the more caffeine. The fact is that the caffeine content of coffee remains the same during every stage of the roasting process. Caffeine content relies more on the measurement coffee rather than the roast level. If you desire a more caffeinated cup, you need to adjust the amount of grounds. You can read more about that in our blog post about caffeine. I love dark roast coffees for their heavy body, low acidity, and sweet, rich taste profiles. One of my favorite aspects of coffee is the variety in flavor it brings. Whether you prefer the brightness of a light roast or the boldness of dark, you can find a roast that suits your palette.  The only exception to this is that the Robusta coffee plant has more caffeine.  It is also terrible, so you have to roast that super dark to cover it up.  If you have a death wish when it comes to coffee, you'll need to get Robusta somewhere else, and they'll roast it dark enough to cover it up (see what I did there?).

So, at Sagebrush, we like to roast coffees into the second crack to draw out specific flavors.  We call that dark, but you may look at it next to a light and not be able to tell a significant difference.  When shopping for a coffee at Sagebrush, my recommendation is to pay closer attention to the flavor profile than the color or 'roast level'.  And if you like the roasty / smoky flavors of a dark or oily coffee, you really should look elsewhere.  I hate to turn you away because I think you're missing out by not buying from us, but I also don't want you to have an unfair expectation. You're better off saving your money, buying a lower quality bean that gives you the flavor profile you're looking for than get a Sagebrush dark roast, and be disappointed.

Enjoy the rich flavors and chocolatey aromas for yourself with our collection of Dark Roasted Coffees.

Papua New Guinea has a special place in my heart. From a coffee perspective, I dialed in our primary roasting profiles using a PNG coffee about 10 years ago. But coffee is not the purpose of this blog or my primary connection to this country. 

Many years ago Grace Bible Church, where I am currently one of the pastors, sent Zach and Cassidy Cann as members of a missionary team to the Finisterre mountains of Papua New Guinea. Their goal was to bring a written language to one of the many unreached language groups in that mountain region. Yes, many of the tribes in the mountain of PNG do not have a written language. They would then begin the work of Bible translation to that language group and use that to bring the gospel to the tribe. Obviously, this was a long process and it has been completed in many ways, but the work is not close to being fully complete. 

I’ve been able to support their work as part of our church, but now I can do it in a whole new way; through coffee. Two of my greatest passions have come together for one goal, which makes me really excited. I’m always excited to share new coffee, especially when it exceeds my expectations, and now that it’s coffee from Papua New Guinea, it comes with a little extra. At Sagebrush, you’ve heard me say that I love to showcase the hard work of producers. The producers of Papua New Guinea are farmers with small farms who survive by selling their coffee to mills. Most often, they never taste the coffee they produce. As a Sagebrush customer, you’ll taste their coffee before they do. It’s a privilege to finally have the chance to showcase their hard work and support the Cann family as they work to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to a tribe in Papua New Guinea. I’ve decided to donate all of the profits from this coffee’s sales to support the missionary sending organization (Finisterre Vision) that supports the Cann’s. 

In support of their work, we decided to do a Q & A with them as they’re finishing up their furlough. I learned quite a bit about the coffee farming in their village which was actually quite interesting. A quick note, Cassidy has been a home coffee roaster for as long as I've known her which dates back to 2008. Get to know Zach and Cassidy Cann as they share a little about what they’re doing in Papua New Guinea, why they’re doing it, and how the organization Finisterre Vision makes their vision a reality.   

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Tell us about your work in Papua New Guinea.   

With that desire, we trained and were sent to live in a remote village in Papua New Guinea. We are working among the Do/dō/ language group and our ultimate goal is to plant a self-sustaining and self-propagating church among them. We moved into the village in 2016 and spent almost five years learning the Do language and culture so that our message would be understood clearly. Once we were able to communicate well in the Do language, we began Bible translation and also presented the gospel in a series of 53 Bible lessons spanning Genesis to Revelation.   

What are you hoping to accomplish among the Do people?   

We are working among the Do language group and our ultimate goal is to plant a self-sustaining and self-propagating church among them.   

With the end goal in mind, where are you in the process of completing that goal?   

We are now just on the other side of this teaching and the work ahead is establishing the young church. Through formal and informal relationships and meetings, we will be discipling the new believers and appointing men to teach God’s Word. At the same time, we will be continuing Bible translation so that we can give the Do church as many books of the Bible in their own language as possible.   

Why did you want to go?   

God gave both of us a desire to see God glorified among people who have never heard.   

What is the work of Finisterre Vision?   

Finisterre Vision is our sending organization. They desire to partner with churches to send missionaries to do work like ours. They work with church elders who can train qualified men, along with their families, to be ready to do church planting in a tribal context.    

How does their work impact you?   

Once we were Biblically equipped by our sending church, Finisterre trained us in mission work: house building, orientation into a village context, teaching literacy, learning an unwritten language, etc... Besides training us in missions, they also provide all the logistics support we need. They handle our finances, coordinate our government paperwork (visas, work permits), do our banking in Papua New Guinea, and it is through them that new missionaries have been added to our team. This is just scratching the surface. While our church provides the Biblical shepherding care for our family, Finisterre is the practical means by which we are able to stay on the field in PNG.   

Can you tell us about your connection to coffee since you live in a tribe and roast coffee yourselves? 

The people among whom we work are indigenous coffee farmers. Their main source of income is selling their coffee beans, and we have been involved in a minor way in helping these farmers get their beans to town to sell it. We also purchase some, roast it, drink it, and teach them to roast it as well. Until we moved in, no one in our village had ever tasted their own coffee! Now, when important visitors arrive, they consider it a point of great pride to give them a cup of authentic coffee from their own gardens. 

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I’m sure you can tell how excited we are to share coffee from Papua New Guinea. This goes beyond coffee and the coffee industry in a specific region. It’s about a passion for sharing the love of Jesus with unreached people and helping those that are literally taking the good news to them. When you buy our coffee from Papua New Guinea, a percentage of your purchase will go to Finisterre Vision so they can continue to bring the gospel to the unreached people of Papua New Guinea. If you haven’t read our Papua New Guinea origin blog, click here to get to know how this region is unlike others.  

If you’d like to follow Zach and Cassidy’s work among the Do people, click here to read their blog and subscribe to receive updates.  

Finisterre Vision is an organization committed to reaching people in the Finisterre mountains of Papua New Guinea. They support the work of Zach and Cassidy Cann and have an even bigger vision for that specific mountain region. Click here to know more of their vision and what they’re doing that goes even beyond the Do people. Make sure to subscribe to receive updates.   

Candy and treats are always associated with Halloween, but I think that coffee can be a great addition to your Halloween festivities. There are so many ways to drink coffee, and since great quality coffee is readily available, enjoying a great cup of coffee hot or iced is so easy. If you’re like me, drinking caffeinated coffee in the evening keeps me awake. For a long time, a good decaf coffee was tough to find, if not completely impossible. But gone are the days of bad-tasting decaf. With the Swiss Water Process and the Sugar Cane process, you can enjoy decaf coffee without giving up the flavor. I prefer the Sugar Cane process. The Swiss Water process produces coffee with great taste, and you can be sure that the coffee is 99% decaffeinated.

If you’d like to know more about the decaffeination process, check out these blogs and videos.

• The Decaf Process and How it Works
• Swiss Water Process Coffee
• The Best Ways to Enjoy Decaf After Dinner

Get Creative With Your Halloween Candy

Let’s get back to talking about coffee and Halloween. My kids love coffee, so I try to be careful to limit how much they have. Last Easter, we melted Cadbury Eggs into their half cup of coffee, and then we added some milk. It was too sweet for my taste, but they loved it. We liked it so much, we decided to try it with Halloween candy. We melted some Milky Way with our coffee this time, and it was delicious. It wouldn’t be something I would drink for my morning coffee, but it was fun to do with my kids, and I will do it again when I want to have more of a coffee dessert drink. Doing this with my kids got me thinking of other recipes that might be good for Halloween. Here are some suggestions.

Pumpkin Mocha Oreo Iced Coffee

What You'll Need:

• 1 cup coffee
• 1 cup milk
• Sugar to taste
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• 3 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 6 Oreos
• 2 cups ice

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into serving glasses.
3. Top with whipped cream.
4. Sprinkle Oreo crumbs on top.
5. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Caramel Latte

What You'll Need:

• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup caramel sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 cups hot coffee
• Whipped cream

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, mix the caramel, milk, and brown sugar. Heat over medium heat until its’ foamy and steaming, whisking often. It should take about 4-5 minutes.
2. Pour coffee into mugs and add the mixture to taste.
3. Top with whipped cream.
4. Drizzle caramel sauce over whipped cream.
5. Enjoy!

Today we tackle one of the great debates for coffee lovers. Does caffeine dehydrate your body? This question has been around for as long as scientists have studied the effects of caffeine. The primary reason caffeine was blamed for dehydration dates back to 1928. A study claimed that people who drank caffeine used the bathroom more frequently than those that didn’t. Caffeine has been the culprit for dehydration ever since... But is it true?

Sixty percent of the body is made up of water, and the required fluid intake can vary among individuals based on their activity levels and climate of their environment. Caffeine is water soluble, which means caffeine is only released when it is in contact with water. There is only so much caffeine available to extract, and the amount can vary based on the type of coffee bean used. When you drink a caffeinated beverage, the caffeine enters the bloodstream through the mouth, throat, and stomach lining, eventually making its way to the liver. The contents in your stomach, or lack thereof, can account how caffeine affects the body. The absorption of caffeine takes about 45 minutes, and the effects can last up to three hours. The caffeine within coffee, not the beans themselves, is a mild diuretic and can cause the body to release extra sodium and more water for the body through urine.

It would be entirely logical to think that the body losing liquid means you could become dehydrated. Dr. Daniel Vigil, a professor from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California explains why this reasoning is false:  “When you drink a cup of coffee, or you drink a glass of iced tea, you are necessarily taking in a volume of fluid along with that dose of [caffeine],” Vigil says. Ultimately, he believes that the body will absorb the fluid that it needs and release the rest. Whether it is a cup of coffee or tea, it counts toward the recommended goal of eight cups of water per day. Black coffee, for example, contains more than 95% water.

Ongoing research into the effects of caffeine, and coffee at large, have produced more results. A recent 2016 study tested the effects of a caffeine pill versus a placebo over the course of several days. When comparing multiple measurements of dehydration in both groups, the study concluded that caffeine did not have any kind of impact on the hydration of the individuals involved in the study.

So why does it feel like drinking coffee makes us go to the bathroom more than when we’re not drinking it? The answer is simple. More liquid in the body means more trips to the bathroom! If you replaced every cup of coffee you drink with a cup of water, juice, or other liquid, you would have to go to the bathroom just as much.

Those who regularly consume coffee will be able to build a tolerance to the diuretic qualities of caffeine, and the effects can deplete over time. If you continue to drink caffeinated beverages and still find yourself exposed to headaches or other symptoms, it is not dehydration you are experiencing. Caffeine affects people differently due to the various genotypes that regulate the body’s capability to metabolize caffeine. Even though the research shows that caffeine will not dehydrate you, and I am pleased with those findings, I believe that common sense and personal experimentation needs to take place to find out what level of caffeine consumption benefits you and the health of your body. At the end of the day, H2O is always the way to go, and caffeinated beverages should not be the primary option for staying hydrated, especially if you do not drink them regularly.

Myth 2: The Darker the Roast, the Higher the Caffeine Content

There is a common conception that dark roasted coffees, with their bold color and robust flavor, hold the most caffeine. A popular opposing viewpoint thinks that a lightly roasted coffee contains more caffeine because it is roasted for a shorter time, thus “burning off” less caffeine. It turns out that both assumptions are incorrect. During the roasting process, coffee’s caffeine content remains relatively stable. What actually changes during the roast is the taste and caffeine level per the beans’ volume and weight. When beans are roasted, they lose some of their moisture and overall mass. Beans that are roasted dark or past the second crack will have a noticeably lighter weight than light roasts. This decrease in mass and density is yet another reason why some people believe dark roast coffees are lacking in caffeine. It’s possible since the darker roasts are lighter that more coffee is used to make a cup of coffee, but the level of caffeine in each bean remained stable through the roasting process.