Organic Rainforest Alliance El Salvador Las Lajas
As of today there are less than two weeks until Christmas. Can you believe it? I feel like as a public service announcement I should state that we do gift wrap for free, for those of you who are still shopping. Better than that, we serve coffee drinks while you wait. The retail side of our shop is fairly slow most of the year, while the cafe side is nonstop. But in the month of December, coffeemakers, gift baskets, and bulk coffee sales keep us hopping at both registers.
Visiting Santa at Cornish Christmas
After regular brewed coffee, eggnog lattes and peppermint mochas seem to be keeping people going this holiday season. There’s a perpetual line for those items. Our 2014 Christmas Coffee is hard to keep on the shelves, and our dark chocolate covered espresso beans are the hottest stocking stuffer this year. It’s always interesting to me to see how tastes change over the years, and which items remain as favorites. It’s fair to say that coffee and chocolate are always popular.
This week we have a different kind of promotion for you. In order to include all of those whose favorite coffee is something other than what we usually feature (decaf drinkers, dark roast lovers etc.), we are offering $2 off per pound of the bulk coffee of your choice. You can use the code my choice* this week to receive your discount.
We do have a featured coffee this week, even though the discount is for bulk coffee. We’ve brought in an Organic Rainforest Alliance Certified El Salvador Las Lajas. The Rainforest Alliance has a website here that tells about their mission to aid coffee farmers while also protecting the land on which they farm. This means that this El Salvador was grown more like coffees were originally: under a canopy of trees, on healthy land.
This El Salvador is from the Izalco region of western El Salvador. It is produced by a cooperative of farmers who collectively own the estate. The coffee is a washed bourbon, and it is still hand-sorted at harvest. There are more details here. We’ve roasted it light, and the first thing you notice is the aroma of sweet caramel and nuts. It actually reminds me of this salted caramel popcorn that we carry. I bet they would be good together.
When you sip the El Salvador, the flavor is more nuanced. It does have a nutty taste, but also a light acidity that enhances the sweetness. It has a medium body and a long finish. Honey and nuts come to mind–those were the words being bandied around as we all sampled it. It was a favorite among our employees today.
Whether the skies above you are gray or blue, enjoy your December. We’ll be open until 9 pm tonight for Cornish Christmas, which goes forward rain or shine. I think that each week has had a threat of rain, only to hold off for most of the event. Hopefully tonight goes the same way. Whatever the weather, drink good coffee. Cheers!
–Holly Fike
*Code good for $2 off per pound of the bulk coffee of your choice ($1 off per half pound). Code expires on 12.18.14. Valid only at Carolines Coffee Roasters, 128 S. Auburn Street, Grass Valley, CA. Code/Offer has no cash value.