News Archive

4/20/08

We had an amazing time this last weekend at the Northeast Regional Barista Competition in Ithaca at the State Theatre. The event was hosted by our friends at Gimme! Coffee, and they did an awesome job getting everything and everyone together for this event. Our own Luci competed in this event where the barista has 15 minutes to prepare and serve 4 shots of espresso, 4 cappuccinos, and four signature drinks to a panel of 4 judges. The level of competition was amazingly high, with baristas from all of the best coffee shops in the Northeast competing. Luci deserves a big "congratulations!" for getting up there on the stage and doing her thing, she is a brave woman!

This same weekend, Craig got the opportunity to participate in an 11 hour judging class followed by being part of the pool of sensory judges for the competition. What an amazing and highly educational experience. Craig got to judge 6 of the wonderful baristas that entered the competition, including local favorite Chris Deferio from Carriage House cafe in Ithaca. His signature drink, "a walk through the woods", was absolutely incredible !

We will definitely be entering people in future barista competitions, and Craig will absolutely be judging again. A great time, I tell you!

3/12/08

We have a new coffee in the online store and at the coffee shops, its the Tanzanian Peaberry Hope Project : The Tanzania Hope Project operates in the Mbeya region of Southern Tanzania, near the border with Malawi. The Mbeya region grows some of the finest arabica coffees in East Africa, however processing the coffee has always been a challenge because many farmers lack the water and equipment to bring out the full potential of their coffee. To assist these smallholder coffee producers, the Hope Project established 26 Central Pulpery Units that buy the red coffee cherries from the farmers and centralize the pulping and drying process under strict quality controls.The improved processing has enabled farmers to obtain better prices for their high quality coffee produced as a result of these enrichments The Hope Project has also worked to provide reasonably priced fertilizer for farmers in remote areas, coffee seedlings for replanting, and health insurance for some of the factory workers- leading the way for continuing improvements in the lives of these farmers and the production of premium quality coffee.This coffee is rich and mellow with a sharp sweet start with a winey lemon berry finish.It has an acidity level similar to our Kenyan coffees. You won't be disappointed!

2/26/08

We have new baked goods from Lisa's Pane Di Casa here in Cortland! These new muffins and cinnamon rolls are an excellent companion to any of our coffees. Baked fresh and locally daily, come check them out!

2/26/08

Michelle and I just got back from a great trip to New York City, where we paid a visit to our coffee importer Andrew at Royal Coffee on Staten Island. We had the opportunity to cup several great coffees at Royal, including a Yemen Mocca Sanani, an organic Costa Rican, and two Tanzanian peaberrys. Look for one of these new Peaberrys on our coffee menu soon! Thanks for the fun, Andrew!



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	News Archive 4/20/08 We had an amazing time this last weekend at the Northeast Regional Barista Competition in Ithaca at the State Theatre. The event was hosted by our friends at Gimme! Coffee, and they did an awesome job getting everything and everyone together for this event. Our own Luci competed in this event where the barista has 15 minutes to prepare and serve 4 shots of espresso, 4 cappuccinos, and four signature drinks to a panel of 4 judges. The level of competition was amazingly high, with baristas from all of the best coffee shops in the Northeast competing. Luci deserves a big "congratulations!" for getting up there on the stage and doing her thing, she is a brave woman! This same weekend, Craig got the opportunity to participate in an 11 hour judging class followed by being part of the pool of sensory judges for the competition. What an amazing and highly educational experience. Craig got to judge 6 of the wonderful baristas that entered the competition, including local favorite Chris Deferio from Carriage House cafe in Ithaca. His signature drink, "a walk through the woods", was absolutely incredible ! We will definitely be entering people in future barista competitions, and Craig will absolutely be judging again. A great time, I tell you! 3/12/08 We have a new coffee in the online store and at the coffee shops, its the Tanzanian Peaberry Hope Project : The Tanzania Hope Project operates in the Mbeya region of Southern Tanzania, near the border with Malawi. The Mbeya region grows some of the finest arabica coffees in East Africa, however processing the coffee has always been a challenge because many farmers lack the water and equipment to bring out the full potential of their coffee. To assist these smallholder coffee producers, the Hope Project established 26 Central Pulpery Units that buy the red coffee cherries from the farmers and centralize the pulping and drying process under strict quality controls.The improved processing has enabled farmers to obtain better prices for their high quality coffee produced as a result of these enrichments The Hope Project has also worked to provide reasonably priced fertilizer for farmers in remote areas, coffee seedlings for replanting, and health insurance for some of the factory workers- leading the way for continuing improvements in the lives of these farmers and the production of premium quality coffee.This coffee is rich and mellow with a sharp sweet start with a winey lemon berry finish.It has an acidity level similar to our Kenyan coffees. You won't be disappointed! 2/26/08 We have new baked goods from Lisa's Pane Di Casa here in Cortland! These new muffins and cinnamon rolls are an excellent companion to any of our coffees. Baked fresh and locally daily, come check them out! 2/26/08 Michelle and I just got back from a great trip to New York City, where we paid a visit to our coffee importer Andrew at Royal Coffee on Staten Island. We had the opportunity to cup several great coffees at Royal, including a Yemen Mocca Sanani, an organic Costa Rican, and two Tanzanian peaberrys. Look for one of these new Peaberrys on our coffee menu soon! Thanks for the fun, Andrew!

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