Rwanda Akagera Bourbon
Welcome to November. We’re one week into the month and so far it has been downright lovely. Last Monday I had the fun of rafting on the Yuba River with my son’s fourth grade class. What a way to spend a day. I was bundled up in layers that came off at our first stop. The header picture was taken that day, and you can see that the skies are as clear as could be. We saw salmon in all stages of the spawning process, and their redds (nests) were fun to spot.
Last night we had a staff meeting and a photo shoot all rolled into one. We were taking pictures for our Christmas Coffee label, so I won’t ruin the surprise, but we had a lot of fun. This team is great at having a good time together. The picture to the right is one of the outtakes from our group shot.
The holiday season is approaching. In downtown Grass Valley we’re kicking it off with the Holiday Open House tomorrow. Participating merchants will have sales, samples and more going on. We are giving away one of our Breakfast Baskets, so come on in to enter.
This week our special coffee is the Rwanda Akagera Bourbon. The term bourbon, besides being a type of whiskey, is a particular variety of arabica coffee. When arabica coffee was planted on Bourbon Island, it mutated, and formed a new distinct variety. Now bourbon beans can be found around the world, where in the way of plants they continue to change into new varieties of arabica.
This particular bean comes from family-owned farms organized around a co-op in the far southeast of Rwanda, almost to Tanzania. There are pictures of this coffee being harvested here. These are hand-picked beans, processed in community, that have traveled the world to be roasted for you. This coffee is roasted light and has a strong herbal finish. Becky said the lingering flavor on her palate reminded her of horseradish.
I found it to be sweeter than many African beans, with a bright acidity. It definitely fills your mouth with flavor. You can try a cup on us this week with the code Team Carolines. We will be working as a team this holiday season. Enjoy your November weekend, and if you live around here, get outside. It’s supposed to be gorgeous again. Cheers!
–Holly Fike
*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Rwanda Akagera. Code expires on 11.13.14. 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.