Guatemalan Antigua Bella Carmona

Last week my kids were out of school (yes, again), and Trace continued our national park tour and took them down to Kings Canyon and Sequoia. They had such a good time, and I loved talking to them each night and hearing about their day. I think that Caroline’s highlight was that she got to see snow, and Jack loved carving willow sticks and sleeping in a tent. They were both impressed by the size of the trees–in the header picture they are inside of a fallen sequoia.

Go to the Outside Inn blog for a chance to win. Photo courtesy of the Outside Inn.

We live and work in a beautiful place, but it’s good to remember the natural wonders of our state and our country too. Sometimes I get so caught up in the quotidian tasks of running a small business that I forget to appreciate the sights surrounding me. I did not go with them, but I did make a point of taking a walk each day to enjoy the fall weather we’ve been having. On our property the fall foliage is spectacular. It’s good to be outside.

In other news, there is currently a coffee mug giveaway over at the Outside Inn blog. Erin does a great job of highlighting the events and beauty of our area, and we joined her to add a few goodies to her giveaway. You have a chance to win the crate pictured by leaving a comment on the blog here.

This week we have our Guatemalan Antigua Bella Carmona coffee for you to sample. Antigua is such a well known coffee growing region that it is a protected designation, rather like champagne in France. These beans come from two farms, both owned by Luis Pedro Zelaya: Bella Vista and Hacienda Carmona. Luis Pedro Zelaya comes from a line of coffee farmers, and he is able to call upon over 100 years of family experience. At the same time, he has established innovative processing and drying techniques to improve the quality of his coffee.

I always think that it is amazing to know the name of the person who grew your coffee beans. This is not anonymous corporate coffee: this is grown by Luis Pedro Zelaya. He is a well known Guatemalan coffee producer, and you can find his picture in an internet search. His care of these beans comes through: they are roasted light, and you taste the fruitiness from the high mineral content of the volcanic soil in which the coffee is grown. Isn’t that cool?

You can try this Guatemalan on us with the code California sequoias* this week. It looks like we have a chance of rain again this weekend, and at least one ski resort is opening today. That’s good news for our drought prospects. I certainly enjoyed the rain earlier this week, and it was fun to see the smiles on customer’s faces. There’s nothing like hot coffee on a rainy day. Cheers!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Guatemalan Antigua Bella Carmona. Code expires on 11.12.15. Limit one free cup per customer please. Valid only at Carolines Coffee Roasters, 128 S. Auburn Street, Grass Valley, CA. Code/Offer has no cash value.