tough on tummies.

Is coffee tough on your tummy? We've had a lot of customers that have sensitive stomachs and don't drink coffee because they can't find anything that suits their stomach's situation. Acidic, too harsh, "makes my stomach upset", burns ... are all words, or explainations, customers use as to why they don't enjoy a cup of coffee.

We do offer several kinds of coffee that are easier on the stomach and a brewing mechanism that does brew out 65% of the acid in coffee.

So let's explore options ...

We don't roast all of our coffees dark (like City, Vienna, French, or Italian Roasts) which some people associate with 'harsh' or 'acidic'. We offer a lot of varieties of medium roasts, such as Tanzania Peaberry, Java, and Brazil Santos which we  suggest for those who have more sensitve stomachs and can't handle the acidy taste or aftermath of coffee. It's a matter of trying different types until you find something that agrees with you.

Brewing the acid out! 

The Toddy Coffeemaker is a cold brewing system. Toddy comes with a maker (duh!), a plug, 2 filters, a handle for the maker, and a decanter with lid. This brewing mechanism is unique because of how it brews ... 

How does it work? 

Let me tell ya! First you want to pick out a coffee of choice; I love Big Blue Blend, Copenhagen, and Dudley's Blend brewed in Toddy. But, whatever YOU want!

So, because of the filter and the way the Toddy brews it takes out 65% of the acid, basically extracting it when you pull the plug and drain it.

Let me explain the set up ...

To brew a full decanter you want to use a pound of coffee (a true pound, 16 oz.) to 9 cups of water.

First, add one cup of water to the bottom of the plastic maker.

Then, you want to add half a pound of coffee, and in a circular motion add another 4 cups of water on top to saturate the grinds. Make sure that you get the coffee ground electric perc, or really course.

wait ... 5 minutes ...

 Then you want to repeat the second step again, so add the other half pound of coffee and another 4 cups of water repeating the same circular motion getting all the grind wet. You want to make sure that it doesn't overflow and that all the ground are saturated without stirring it. If you stir a Toddy you could clog the filter, which is why you need a courser grind as well. ;)
If coffee is tough on your tummy don't give up on coffee all together unless you've tried a remedy. Hopefully, we can help find something that will be easier on your tummy without hurting, or being too acidy. Try the Toddy, try a coffee that is lower in acidity, but none the less if you LOVE coffee let us help you find something that will work for your sensitive tum-tum!  

 

always put the stopper on the outside :)

maker with stopper

ground coffee inside

the whole set up

filters

eat, drink, and be SCARY!!!

I love Fall and it's festivities.







I love the shop around this time of year. Well we love it all the time, but I love it when  people are stopping by to grab a hot cup of coffee because the mornings have gotten chilly, the seasonal goodies we have, cider and pumpkin. Yum, yum. This is the time of year the shop thrives the most, we love being busy and we love the holidays! With Halloween right around the corner the shop is filled with all things Halloween.



feather and slush

spiders eating slush :o

 

We have lots of spooky decorations and festive wear for you this year. Not to mention we are also serving pumpkin falvored drinks at the bar and cider too! We've been playing around (preparing ourselves) for a kooky & spooky Halloween filled with all things scary! Grab a pound of Pumpkin Pie Spice or hit the bar for a Caramel Apple Cider, a Pumpkin Latte, or maybe even a Cider Chai. We'd love to celebrate the season with you and warm you up!

aspiring roasters.

Home roasting has becoming increasingly popular the past few years, and working at a local roasting plant I've have heard all kinds of tales about the 'how-tos' and the methods they have found that work for them. We get the joy of helping these home roasters find a particular kind of green bean that will work for them, something they can practice on. I have heard everything from hot air popcorn poppers to cast iron skillets, one guy made a crazy hot air popper with a metal topper because after melting several tops to his hot air poppers he decided to create something that wouldn't melt :). There are lots of ways to roast at home, and whatever works for you in your roasting endeavor is great, but I want to share a simple way that I have learned of home roasting ...
To start:
You want to preheat your oven to 500 degrees for about 30 mins before putting beans in there, so while that is preheating get your beans ready ...
Make sure that you have a reference color in mind for your beans, something that you can compare colors to (already roasted coffee that you enjoy). Coffee continues to change colors after it's roasted, so if it's not right at the color you want wait ... because it very quickly could be. Think of like a mahogany or a light brown ... whatever you can come up with that relates to a particular color/taste preference. And take notes of what you are doing so that you can have a detailed account of what you've done, changed, and what didn't work. Using a perforated baking sheet is the simplest way to home roast and it ensures that you don't invest more than what you need to and also gives you the chance to try it without losing the investment.

perforated baking sheet

What you'll need:

•  a perforated baking sheet
• an oven that can withstand a 500 degree temperature
• green coffee beans
• 2 medium metal sieves
• a stop watch or timer that shows seconds
• a scale that can weigh grams

How to:

• Put the baking sheet in the middle of the over rack to ensure that it will get even heating.
• You'll want to weigh out the green coffee with your gram scale to know how much weight the coffee will lose in the roasting process.
• Spread the coffee evenly across the baking sheet, no bean should fall over another, but make sure that you only have beans on 1/2 - 2/3 of the baking sheet
• Have LOTS of ventilation, open windows or turn on your range exhaust because you are likely to have smoke rolling ...
• Put the beans in the oven!!
• Make sure that you don't have to oven door open more than 4-5 sconds at a time, you might need a flashlight to be able to observe the beans and see the color brightly.

color difference between green and roasted

The Breakdown:

• At 2-3 1/2 minutes the green beans will turn a more intense green color
• Around 4 minutes it will turn yellowish, you want to agitate the pan so that the outer beans come more towards the middle of the baking sheet.
• At 5 (maybe 5 1/2) minutes the beans will start to turn brownish, a light brown. Go ahead and agitate the beans again swooshing the baking pan around so that they are turning.
• 7-8 minutes you'll hear the first crack ... its similar to popcorn (both go through a heating process to get a finishing product)
• 20-30 seconds after you hear the first crack agitate the baking sheet again, swooshing the beans around the baking sheet
• 45 seconds after you hear the first crack, around minute 9, the coffee is significantly changing in color and taste. REMEMBER to take notes because it will help you in the future with time and taste for batches you'll do in the future.
• Take it out just before you think it's done, because coffee will continue to change colors after you remove it.
• When you remove it from the oven take it outside and use the sieves to pour the beans from one sieve to another, back and forth, holding them an arms length away from one another. This helps remove the chaff from the bean and helps cool the bean down.
• Make sure you weigh it once you are done to see what weight you ended up with.
• Over the next 5-10 days the flavor of your coffee will start to set in. You can drink it sooner, but our Master ROaster suggests waiting a few days because roasted coffee usually is its best 5-6 days after roasting.

metal sieve (collander)

VOILA! You've roasted your own batch of coffee at home, and probably a little safer than a potentially meltable hot air popper. ;) Hope that this helps and maybe creates a new hobby for you, because let's be honest there is nothing like freshly roasted coffee.
 

for the love of mugs.

otagiri

otagiri

Coffee is a ritual.
 How you make it, what brewing method you use, the kind of coffee you choose, what you do while you drink it, and what you drink it in.
I have come to recognize and observe working at a local coffee shop that every person enjoys their coffee differently ... and what they choose to drink it in falls along with all their coffee particulars.

otagiri

otagiri

I have (& share) a love for mugs; but not just any mug, an Otagiri mug.
Each one is different. They all were designed to have something new on each one of them, unique little Japanese handcrafted mugs ... and I love them. It was something in the style, the way the handles feel, the thickness when it touches my lips, they perfect amount whether I was using a smaller one or a larger one, the odd pictures decorated across the front, and Otagiri mugs are simply unique. It is because they weren't uniform and I didn't know what I was going to get every time I happen to find one, it was that I had no clue what shape or design it would share, and that is what I love about them. The search for something different and you wouldn't know that it was Otagiri unless you knew what you were looking for. It's like finding a treasure, no one else thinks it's treasure but you.

otagiri

 
Everyone has there own mug, or style mug, that they go to every morning to drink their cup of coffee in. A friend of mine has a love for very small mugs. She collects little trinkets, small knick-knacks, and small mugs. Anything tiny that she can wrap her tiny hands around; she loves. It is the perfect amount for her to sip, and refill it with more hot coffee (maybe a splash of bourbon too ;)) Ceramic, handmade, and individuality are key. Another friend loves mugs without handles. The feeling of the warm mug, nothing between her and the hot mug. She can hold it with both hands, or one with no nuisance of the handle getting in the way. Without handles there is a since of freedom with the mug, but they have to catch her eye, be attractive and what she like in style, colors, appealing to her. Others I have encountered always carry a travel mug because they are always traveling. Travel mugs offer the ability to not fill up as frequently but still have hot coffee throughout the day.
However you like your coffee, and however you brew it I'm sure you have a mug that you enjoy drinking out of the most.    


tiny mug and mug without a handle