Appendix E-J

We’ve talked about coffee brewing methods here before (please refer to this and this). Various brew methods result in various delicious results. It’s a fun time.

Back in September we thought, “We want to host coffee tastings.” Then we thought, “These tastings need to be about more than coffee.” One last thought occured, “The tastings should benefit people doing good things.”

And so those thoughts formed one larger thought that was acted on and out came Coffee & Goodness. It is an afternoon of coffee exploration to benefit good things. The upcoming Coffee & Goodness (Saturday March 6) will benefit the Fort Collins Food Co-Op. We will be exploring a coffee from Ethiopia: Amaro Gayo Sun-Dried. It will be explored 4 different ways:

• Hario V60 Drip
• Clever Coffee Dripper
• French Press
• Espresso

The doors are open from 2-5 pm. Come by any time during those hours and receive 6 oz. samples of Hario, Clever, and French Press and a double shot of the espresso. You can tell us things, we can tell you things, we can exlpore the flavor wheel, we can draw pictures…all for just $7.

PLUS, our good friends at Novo Coffee have generously and graciously and lovingly donated all the beans, so nearly all of that $7 will go directly to the FC Food Co-Op. Prolific!

See you then.

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Che-ch-ch-ch-check check it out.

It is exciting to finally be able to tell you this with all certainty and without breaking any rules.

Barista competitions are fascinating things. Think Iron Chef but with coffee, and with just 15 minutes to prepare a 3-course beverage spread for four judges: an espresso, a cappuccino, and a signature beverage. At the event in Chicago last year, we saw signature beverages made with blue cheese, rootbeer, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, caramelized bananas, and lots of heavy cream. It’s quite a nice time.

This year, the national competition will be held April 15-18 in Anaheim, CA. Leading up to that event are the regional competitions. Colorado baristas participate in the Mountain Regional. This year, that event makes its way our way.

This has us giddy. We’d really like you to be giddy, too…though we understand if you are not. BUT, you should check it out. A lot of Everyday Joe’s folks will be there volunteering and watching and oohing and ahhing. If you need some convincing, watch last year’s national championship winning performance below. Then look forward to watching some nice hearts being poured over Valentine’s Day weekend.

View on Vimeo.

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finally Finally FINALLY!

The video below is groundbreaking in the realm of coffee brew methods. It will change you.

View on Vimeo.

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This is fun.

When I think Bon Apetit magazine, my mind immediately goes to summer evenings spent watching Next Food Network Star. What I do not think is boutique coffee shops. That, apparently, has changed.

At Everyday Joe’s, we proudly and with great care serve the beans of Novo Coffee. They are good people and we love them. Apparently, Bon Apetit does as well…at least that’s what I’d surmise from Novo being bestowed a Top 10 Boutique Coffee Shop:

Found at three retail locations and many top restaurants, this Denver roaster’s product makes it easier for java junkies to buy local.

That right there is the truth, and part of the reason we switched to the roaster. Read the rest of the Bon Apetit article and then come have some coffee…because we love you too.

FURTHER:

• Top 10 Boutique Coffee Shops
• Official Novo Site

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Direct Trade coffee is important. We should all drink it this new year…but what is it? Oh, here you go:

1. The best way to get an exceptional cup of coffee, comes from knowing the hands that work on the farm.
2. Understanding the growers, plants, sites, sounds, smells and culture of each region, we can ensure that our coffee is not blindly accepted as fair or sustainable.
3. A commitment to frequent communication with our growers, giving each of us a voice in the bigger than business transaction of life and economies.

You’ve already started on this resolution…did you know that? Just by drinking at Everyday Joe’s.

But what about at your home? In your kitchen…on your deck…at your desk…on the front porch…looking out the window…in good company.

You could always buy the beans of Novo Coffee from Everyday Joe’s, but coffee from different roasters is like beer from different breweries. It comes to a point when you have a desire to try them all. A solution on the coffee front is here.

Enter the Direct Trade Coffee Club (they wrote that nice three-point summary up there). Currently a partnership between our old friends at Intelligentsia and the Grand Rapids-based Madcap Coffee, the DTCC (just coined that one) delivers Direct Trade beans to your home every month. A little bird told me they are evaluating a few more roasters and pursuing others with hopes to top out at six total, allowing each partner to provide the beans twice a year.

“We started the Direct Trade Coffee Club to connect consumers with the finest roasters of specialty coffee who purchase coffee direct from the farmer.”

The club also provides brewing, tasting, and seed-to-cup infos on their site. Information is the key, I hear. All that info & the ordering process can be found here. A wise way to spend that Christmas money, I say.

FURTHER:

• Join the Direct Trade Coffee Club
• MadCap Coffee Company
• Intelligentsia Coffee

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Wondering if you know about this:

Back in ought-seven, we replaced our old La Cimbali machine with a La Marzocco Linea. You may remember reading about that when it happened. Looking back on that post, though, an interesting detail was left out.

That up there is a picture of the plate on the side of our current machine. The part I would like to draw your attention to – if it has not already gone there – is the name of the previous owner of the machine at the bottom of the plate. You may or may not have heard of them / drank one of their concoctions in the past 24 hours.

How did we get this machine? Well…so & so knew so & so who worked at a place when these puppies were being pulled out of shops and replaced with super-automated ones and so & so knew of our need for a new machine and managed to get us one for a price that was about 1/10 of what it should have been. The holy angels were smiling upon us…and for the past 2 years & for foreseeable future  the machine we make your drinks on was once used to make the drinks at the place it is popular consider to be the axis of specialty coffee evil.

I do not consider it that.

You see, hating places does not do anyone any good. In fact, I’m willing to say that Everyday Joe’s would not be around were it not for Starbucks Coffee Co. Seattle USA. They are the first placed I experienced espresso. ‘Twas 1995 and I skipped youth group to walk down the street and buy an iced americano.

That plate serves as a daily reminder of why most of the folks we serve and get to know even know what a latte is…which translates to the reason they even come through the doors of 144 S. Mason in the first place. And though you may not like the Company, there is no use in burning down there house to make ours look nicer.

Popularity: 2% [?]

The oughts are about to come to an end and the awkward years before the teens are upon us. Beginnings and endings seem to be everywhere, including Everyday Joe’s. These beginnings & endings and how they relate to the coffee at 144 S. Mason are best related via timeline:

June Ought-Three: Everyday Joe’s opens, proudly serving the beans of the formidable Stumptown Coffee Roasters located in Portland, OR. Much enjoyment occurs. The good people of FTC drink excellence from PDX. A bar of quality is established that we are not willing to compromise on.

June Ought-Seven: Due to reasons not needing to be discussed here – though they can be read here – Everyday Joe’s makes the switch from the beans of Stumptown to the beans of Intelligentsia Coffee, based out of Chicago. Much enjoyment occurs. The good people of Fort Fun drink excellence from Chi-Boogie. Quality is not compromised, and education of the beans we drink becomes important. Intelligentsia puts down more roots in Los Angeles. We are challenged to be better stewards of the delicious beans we buy & serve.

November Ought-Nine: Everyday Joe’s hugs Intelligentsia goodbye and makes the switch to Denver-based Novo Coffee. The switch is not an easy decision, but one that must be made due to things in the realms of economy and relationship. The kind folks at Novo have been knocking at our door for the better part of three years, and we’re quite excited for this new season & partnership & relationship. They are also excited to meet you. They’ll be up at Everyday Joe’s soon, chatting up the room like they’ll never see you again…though they will, and that is what we’re most excited about. The coffee is delicious (quality was not a variable that could be manipulated), but the relationship we already have growing with Novo is something to express copious amounts of joy over. They believe in the heart of Everyday Joe’s…that it’s about coffee but it’s about way more than coffee. That makes us want to dance a bit…or sit in a very comfortable chair with a nice latte and a warm heart.

FURTHER:

• Novo Coffee Official Site

Popularity: 2% [?]

Coffee is a spectacular thing. Much more spectacular than most folks give it credit for. We know the spectacularness of wine. The spectacularness of beer. The spectacularness of food. Coffee is just as spectacular. So are people doing good things.

Everyday Joe’s is very excited to introduce Coffee & Goodness. Every few months, we will host an afternoon of coffee education to benefit good things. The first of these afternoons is on September 12 and will benefit the efforts of International Teams: Greece (and an Everyday Joe’s volunteer Wendy Thompson ).

You can come in for free and learn about Wendy’s efforts, but the cost to educate your coffee palette concerning coffee is $7. We will “host” one bean for the afternoon (thinking a Guatemalan for this go round) and brew it for you 4 different ways. All profits will go to Wendy & her efforts. Your seven bones will get you:

• 6 oz. cup brewed via Hario Ceramic Drip
• 6 oz. cup brewed via Chemex
• 6 oz. cup brewed via French Press
• single origin espresso

We will have volunteers at each station, telling you what tasting notes to look for and what makes the brewing method special/delicious. Wendy will also be working the room with her smiling face and knowledge of her efforts working with refugees in Greece.

We hope to see you on September 12. If you are interested in being the beneficiary of an afternoon of Coffee & Goodness, just let us know and we’ll chat it up.

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We haven’t spoken of Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea here lately. That is sad. This post is meant to remedy that.

We have been purchasing our beans from Intelligentsia for over two years now and we have watched them grow quite a bit in that short window of time. It is fun and at times intimidating. They are good people who do good things to bring some justice to the coffee world.

Intelligentsia used to be almost a weekly topic on this blog. Their green coffee buyer sent out weekly short-form essays concerning coffee & all things related to coffee, and those messages would then make their way to the Appendix. Since those have stopped, so has proper keeping you in the loop. Sorry about that. Everyday Joe’s wants you to know about everything we are involved in, and that includes who we have relationships with and why.

I want to encourage you, therefore, to check out Intelligentisa’s official blog by clicking here. They have good things to say. I’ll again post relevant infos here from time to time, but it is never a bad thing to keep yourself educated.

FURTHER:

• Intelligentsia Coffee Official Site

Popularity: 55% [?]