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Weekly Newsletter: Fair Trade Organic Timor

Posted on November 1 2013 by Holly Fike

Fair Trade Organic Timor

Happy November! November always seems like the start of the holiday season to me. It’s not here yet, but the early birds are beginning to think about Christmas. Yesterday we had a blast celebrating Halloween with all the preschoolers who showed up for the Downtown Trick-or-Treat event. There were some mighty cute costumes, some of which you can spot on our Facebook page here. My favorite was a little puppet, who was so well supported that her dad could actually pick her up.

All of our staff were dressed up and ready to greet you for Halloween!

This week’s coffee is from the country of East Timor, a brand new country, having established independence from Indonesia in 2002 (see the BBC country profile here). East Timor has had its tumultuous times in the last eleven years, but these farmers have persevered, succeeding in bringing their coffee to an American market. This coffee is from a cooperative of small farms, and is grown at high altitude.

Fair Trade Organic Timor is a washed arabica green bean, which we also refer to as wet-processed. This means that water is used to remove the fruit from the bean, as opposed to a dry-processed coffee, where the fruit remains intact. Once the fruit is removed, these beans are sun-dried, in the traditional method. The processing method can change the flavor of the coffee, so the method used will effect what you taste when you drink this Timor.

This Timor has a tangy sweetness, which cools into cocoa tones. You can emphasize the chocolate flavors if you try it with a piece of Halloween candy, like I did yesterday. We brewed a French press to sample it right out of the roaster, and while everyone else noted a pleasant acidity, and sweet fruity tones, I was tasting chocolate with each sip. With or without a chocolate bar, you can’t go wrong with this East Timor coffee. It’s easy to drink, with less body than last week’s Sumatra.

You can try this Fair Trade Organic Timor on us this week by using the code Halloween candy*. You might sound a little out of date for the first week of November, but you’ll get a free cup of coffee out of the deal. I hope that you enjoy this shiny new month and stay open to possibility and change this next week. Tomorrow we’ll be busy with all kinds of kid events, so we’ll definitely start the day with a good dose of coffee. Enjoy!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Fair Trade Organic Timor. Code expires on 11.07.13. 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.

Posted in Coffee Descriptions, Holidays, Weekly Newsletters | Tagged Carolines Coffee, Carolines Coffee Roasters, East Timor, Fair Trade Organic Timor, Free Coffee, Halloween, Timor coffee, Weekly Newsletter | Comments Off

Weekly Newsletter: Fair Trade Organic Sumatra

Posted on October 25 2013 by Holly Fike

Fair Trade Organic Sumatra

There is so much to talk about this week. Our new espresso machine was installed on Wednesday night, and we’ve been enjoying pulling shots on a lever machine. As an added benefit, we bought a new grinder also, and it is much quieter. We are keeping the second grinder as a single-origin espresso, so look for that to be set up soon.

He caught a fish!

We had a wonderful camping trip last week here: many thanks to all of you who wished us well. It was a great time of enjoying the fall colors, eating good food, sitting around a campfire, bike riding, and fishing. We even found time to visit Travertine Hot Springs. I’m sure that Jack and Trace would have listed the fishing first. It was Jack’s first time fishing with a reel and he and Trace each caught at least a trout a day, which was enough to cement Jack’s love of fishing forever. Caroline and I enjoyed spending time together walking, fairy-house-building, exploring, bike riding, and taking photographs.

The only downside to our trip was the cold. Although it was up to 65 during the day, it got quite chilly at night, like 11 degrees Fahrenheit. Needless to say, we seriously enjoyed our coffee each morning. In fact, by the third day Trace and I were beginning to wonder if we brought enough! We were drinking last week’s special, the San Agustin Colombian. We’ve carried it for years in the store, but I don’t think that I’ve ever enjoyed it more than as it warmed my hands, sitting around the campfire..

This week we’re flying across the South Pacific from Colombia, to the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This Fair Trade Organic coffee is grown in the highlands here and processed by a cooperative. The farmers are committed to the environment and to keeping their land fertile and avoiding landslides through training in new farming and land management techniques. If you have a browser that can translate for you (the page is written in Indonesian), you can read about them here.

In the cup this coffee is earthy and nutty, full-bodied, and a bit cleaner than other Indonesian coffees. I’m taking a pound home to enjoy for the next week. It is also low in acidity, which to me means that you can drink more of it! Use the code third day* to receive your free twelve ounce cup this week. Whatever you do this week, enjoy good coffee!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Fair Trade Organic Sumatra. Code expires on 10.31.13. 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.

Posted in Coffee Descriptions, Weekly Newsletters | Tagged Carolines Coffee, Carolines Coffee Roasters, Fair Trade Organic Sumatra, Free Coffee, Weekly Newsletter | Comments Off

Weekly Newsletter: San Agustin Colombian

Posted on October 18 2013 by Holly Fike

San Agustin Colombian

Haven’t the fall colors been great lately? The above picture was taken from the porch at the New Moon last week, and I’ve seen similar color all over the county. Today we are out of town, out of internet access, camping on the eastern side of the Sierras. Hopefully I’ll have great pictures to share next week. Our kids have a week off of school, and we’re all looking forward to getting away as a family. They made sure that we have marshmallows packed, so it’s sure to be a good trip–for the kids anyway.

Trace and I may be more pleased that the fresh roasted coffee is tucked in the camper, along with our favorite French press. There’s nothing better than hot coffee on an icy cold morning. Somehow I doubt that we’ll find much other morning warmth at the 6500′ elevation where we’re planning on camping. I’ve packed gloves, my down coat, and a scarf and hat. Between that and a cup of coffee, I should be okay.

While we’re out of town, our featured coffee is our San Agustin Colombian. This is a co-op of farmers in the Huila region of Colombian, in the southernmost part of the country. Here they grow great coffee, which has several times won the Colombian Cup of Excellence. We’ve carried this Colombian for years, and this year the burlap sack is marked with “25 anos” for the years they have been producing this coffee.

This Colombian has a beautiful aroma, and Trace light-roasts it to bring out the smooth and rich flavor. In the Huila valley, coffee ripens throughout the year, and some farmers are able to run more than one farm, with the cherries ready to be picked at different times. It’s a unique region, with a unique coffee. It roasts very consistently, which is indicative of the care that goes into processing these beans. We are proud to have carried it for most of their twenty-five years.

Perhaps you are somewhere warm this week, or still at work in Nevada County? Whether you are on vacation or comfortably ensconced at home, I hope that you are drinking good coffee. Use the code marshmallows packed* to try a cup of this San Agustin Colombian on us. We’ll be back next week. Enjoy!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of San Agustin Colombian. Code expires on 10.24.13. 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.

Posted in Weekly Newsletters | Tagged Carolines Coffee, Carolines Coffee Roasters, Colombian Coffee, Free Coffee, San Agustin Colombian, Weekly Newsletter | Comments Off

Eight Year Old Espresso

Posted on October 11 2013 by Holly Fike

This is what I love about Carolines Coffee Roasters: we are a family business. On Wednesday night we were training employees on our new lever espresso machine, and after they all left, I offered to let Jack try to make a drink. Step by step we crafted a latte, while Aunt Becky chronicled our progress with her camera. Here’s a synopsis of our time, in a few pictures. Enjoy!

–Holly Fike

Posted in Just for fun | Tagged Carolines Coffee Roasters, eight years old, espresso machine, family business, latte, lever machine, Pictures | 4 Comments

Weekly Newsletter: Organic Nicaragua El Paraiso

Posted on October 11 2013 by Holly Fike

Organic Nicaragua El Paraiso

What a week! We’ve had the fun experience of training employees on our new espresso machine. Look for it to be installed soon: we’re going old school, back to our roots, to a lever machine. No fancy buttons, just levers and knobs. We have such great camaraderie among our staff that it was a joy to practice on the new machine together. Tonight the other half of the staff will be visiting our garage to play with it: I’m sure that it will be another good time. You can see the pictures on our Facebook page here.

Can you spot Dad and Grandpa watching in the background? Three generations of Fike men.

I enjoyed the evening, but my favorite part was letting Jack try and make a drink after everyone else left. He was standing on tiptoes the whole time, using both hands to pull the lever. I even showed him how to steam milk. Aunt Becky took pictures of the event, and I’ll try to post them to our blog later today. He made a beautiful latte, and he was so proud of himself. We didn’t have any decaffeinated beans, so he only got to try two sips (a wired eight-year-old at 8 pm would be bad!).

This week we have a new Organic Nicaraguan coffee for you. This family owned estate has been in the same family since the president of Nicaragua was deposed in 1979. His lands, which encompassed the entire territory, were divided among the local farmers. Now this El Paraiso estate is run by the children of the original owners, and under the name J and M family they grow an excellent organic coffee.

This Organic Nicaraguan is roasted light so that you can taste all the chocolate-y and nutty flavors of the bean. I may have had too much of this coffee today (is that possible?) since this is one of my favorite flavor profiles. It has a medium body and the flavors linger in your mouth as you sip. I highly recommend this with a chocolate bar for a treat. Mmmm.

I hope that you all enjoy your weekend. The fall colors have been splendid lately. Last night we had a marvelous meal at the New Moon Cafe, sitting outside on the front porch. It was relaxing and calm after the day I spent with first graders at Bishop’s Pumpkin Patch. Not only was the food fresh and seasonal (chanterelle mushrooms!), but the view was of a gigantic maple tree ablaze in red and orange. What a beautiful place we live!

If you’re out looking at the autumnal splendor, stop by and try a free cup of this Nicaraguan on us. Use the code excellent organic*. Organic Nicaraguan would be a great accompaniment to a view-the-colors-drive. However, if you’re more the sit at home type, check out the great fall pictures on the Outside Inn blog. Either way, enjoy good coffee!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Organic Nicaragua El Paraiso. Code expires on 10.17.13. 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.

Posted in Coffee Descriptions, Employees, Local Beauty, Weekly Newsletters | Tagged Carolines Coffee, Carolines Coffee Roasters, Employees, Free Coffee, lever espresso machine, Nicaraguan Coffee, Organic Nicaragua El Paraiso, Weekly Newsletter | Comments Off

Weekly Newsletter: Costa Rican La Pastora Tarrazu

Posted on October 4 2013 by Holly Fike

Costa Rican La Pastora Tarrazu

Have you enjoyed the fall weather this week? I certainly have. The leaves are piling up in the corners of the parking lot and calling out to be crunched. I’ve never outgrown the joy of stepping on a wind-blown, dried out and crackly red leaf. My path in the fall meanders down the sidewalk as I try to step on each one. Childish but satisfying–and my kids love to stomp along with me.

This week I was camping for three days with my son’s class. They went on a caving adventure exploring the California Caverns, and then had the opportunity to explore a Native American dwelling place here. The weather was perfectly dry, although there was certainly an autumnal chill to the air each morning. Great weather for coffee.

I took last week’s featured coffee, the Sustainable Mexican Nayarita, camping with us, so I’ve only had a day to sample this Costa Rican La Pastora Tarrazu. I’m playing catch-up today both with my coffee sampling and in the office. Not a bad problem in exchange for three days in the outdoors.

Tarrazu is a region in Costa Rica known for it’s high-quality coffee. It is in the same canton as the capital of San Jose. If volcanic soil seems like a recurring theme in these e-mails, this is another instance where great quality coffee is grown on the slopes of a dormant volcano. It is grown at a high elevation, and qualifies as SHB.

This La Pastora Costa Rican has smooth flavor that is typical of Tarrazu coffees that we’ve carried in the past. I always feel like Tarrazu Costa Rican beans are a good introduction to specialty coffee: they are easy to drink with a light brightness that most people enjoy.

As I’ve sipped this coffee this morning, I noticed that the aroma was tremendous, with strong chocolate notes. The taste was light, and it almost melts away in your mouth: very light body. You could drink this all day long, and it would make a great iced coffee in the summer–or on a hot October day.

Thanks to the talented Mr. Grady Fike, graphic designer extraordinaire (see his portfolio here), our weekly newsletter has a new look. He’s also been working on a new website for us, so look for that to be coming soon. We’ll post a link on our Facebook page when it’s up and running. In the meantime, come enjoy a cup of this Costa Rican on us by using the code in red above: stomp along*.
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Costa Rican La Pastora Tarrazu. Code expires on 10.10.13. 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.

Posted in Coffee Descriptions, Weekly Newsletters | Tagged Carolines Coffee, Carolines Coffee Roasters, Costa Rica, Costa Rican, Costa Rican coffee, Costa Rican La Pastora Tarrazu, Costa Rican Tarrazu, Free Coffee, La Pastora, Tarrazu, Weekly Newsletter | Comments Off

Weekly Newsletter: Sustainable Mexican Terruno Nayarita

Posted on September 27 2013 by Holly Fike

Sustainable Mexican Terruno Nayarita

I’ve been camping with little Caroline’s first grade class for the last 24 hours or so. What a fun time! Yesterday the kids rotated through crafts and activities and then finished the evening with dinner, skits and smores. Then this morning I brewed at least a half dozen French presses of coffee (I like to take this one camping), while the kids drank hot chocolate. After more crafts and a bit of packing up, here I am back at work. Well actually I went home and took a shower first. Inevitably if I come to work in grubby clothes, thinking I can hide in the office, I get called out front multiple times. Murphy’s law. Thus the trip home to change.

Please forgive me if this newsletter is rambling. I had a wonderful time, but I did not get much sleep. Luckily this week’s coffee has lots of interesting characteristics to share. First of all, it included on the bag a link to www.trackyourcoffee.com. I’ve never seen this website before, but it’s a great concept. If you would like to track this Mexican, the code on the burlap is 016-2729–001-X-LAA-SS2. I know it’s long, but if you cut and paste it, you can learn more about exactly where the coffee originated.

I’ve also got a great link for you to learn more about this Terruno Nayarita. If you click here, you will learn that the word “terruno” means my land, or homestead. This coffee comes from the state of Nayarit, on the western coast of Mexico. Nayarit is just north of the popular resort destination of Puerta Vallarta, which some of you may have visited. Coffee, however, is grown far inland, at a much higher elevation than the coastal playas. This coffee was grown on the slopes of the now extinct Cerro San Juan volcano, an ashy soil that coffee plants love.

When Trace roasted this earlier in the week, we all commented on how warm and toasty the aroma smelled. It seemed like a perfect fit for a cool fall morning, of the sort that we have been having around here. I would definitely recommend it if you have any plans to go camping in the next month. The taste is nutty like roasted hazelnuts, with a sweet, almost chocolate-y, finish. The beans are labelled SHG, strictly high grown, which is evidenced in the consistency of the roast. It’s a beautiful coffee.

Next week I will be gone for three days camping with my son’s class, and I will be bringing some of this Mexican along. I might even sneak in a few chocolate bars from Cello Chocolates–it would be a perfect early morning match. As the month of October begins, I hope that you are all enjoying good coffee on these cool mornings*. That is our code for a free cup of this Mexican this week. Enjoy!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Sustainable Mexican Terruno Nayarita. Code expires on 10.04.13. 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.

Posted in Coffee Descriptions, Weekly Newsletters | Tagged Carolines Coffee, Carolines Coffee Roasters, Free Coffee, Mexican coffee, Sustainable Mexican Terruno Nayarita, Terruno Nayarita, Weekly Newsletter | Comments Off

Weekly Newsletter: Hill Top Farm Cameroon Boyo

Posted on September 20 2013 by Holly Fike

Hill Top Farm Cameroon Boyo

Many thanks to all of you who wished us well at our staff party. We had a great time. Ruth and Mariah even made tie-dyed t-shirts celebrating our “Spralter-Q,” in an effort to combine all the seasons into one. Trace, on top of being our roaster, is a great cook, and he whipped up steaks, chicken, macaroni salad, soda jerk beans, tomatoes with burrata, and watermelon for all of us. Doesn’t that sound delicious? I think that my favorite were the tomatoes, picked out of the garden just an hour before. You can check out a collage from the party on our blog here.

This week’s coffee comes from Cameroon, where our employee Kathleen spent a year recently. I queried her about her experiences there, and she related her impressions of the country. She said that it was a beautiful landscape, where everything was “green and huge.” The rainy season lasts seven or eight months, from March to November, and the rest of the time it is dry. She described a culture where the pace is “ten times slower than America,” and where “everything is about relationships.” Even going to the market is about who you see, not about what you get, according to Kathleen.

That’s how we feel about our customers, so maybe it is not completely antithetical half a world away. Our business is about the relationships, about all of you who come in and greet us and choose to buy our product. We also love to explore the relationships between where a coffee is grown and processed and how it gets to us. This Cameroon Boyo has a great website where you can see photos of the farmers growing the coffee, here. These are small farms, which are passively organic, by virtue of pesticides not being used in the region.

There is a series of photos that I especially enjoyed, with a man roasting coffee in a pot over an open flame. That’s this gallery, here, if you would like to see it. It’s appropriately titled “SLOW ROASTING.” This Cameroon Boyo coffee came in the artistically decorated burlap* bag pictured to the right. The care that went into the growing of the coffee is evidenced in the detail on the sack.

Now to the crux of the description: what is this coffee like roasted? Ours is not as dark as the one pictured being roasted on the Cameroon Boyo website. Trace roasted this light, and we immediately brewed a pot for all of us to try. Have you noticed how coffee flavors change as it cools? At first sip, this coffee had nutty floral tones and finished with a bright acidity. About three minutes later it was the citrus flavors that were at the forefront as we tasted. As it cooled even further it became more mellow, and we paired it with milk chocolate for the creamy tones that matched so nicely.

If you enjoy African coffees, I’m sure that you will like this Cameroon Boyo. You can have a cup on us by using the code decorated burlap.* Try it at different temperatures, and tell us what you think. You can leave a comment on our Facebook page here: I’d love to hear your description. Have a great weekend!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Hill Top Farm Cameroon Boyo. Code expires on 9.26.13. 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.

Posted in Employees, Garden, Weekly Newsletters | Tagged Cameroon, Cameroon Boyo Coffee, Cameroon Coffee, Carolines Coffee, Carolines Coffee Roasters, coffee, Employees, Free Coffee, Hill Top Farm Cameroon Boyo, Weekly Newsletter | Comments Off

Staff Party Picture Collage

Posted on September 19 2013 by Holly Fike

Yes indeed, we did have fun at our staff barbeque! Going clockwise from the top left, 1. Mike and Ellen are enjoying chatting with Molly. 2. The girls with their “Spralter-Q” t-shirts (Spralter for spring, summer, fall and winter) that they made. 3. One of the tables of people eating their delicious food. 4. Karen our baker and her husband Tim. 5. Being goofy later in the evening. 6. The second table full of good conversation and good food. 7. In the middle: Kathleen and Jack have fun on the trampoline.

Posted in Employees, Local Beauty | Tagged Employees, Spralter-Q, staff barbeque | 1 Comment

Weekly Newsletter: Organic Island of Flores

Posted on September 13 2013 by Holly Fike

Organic Island of Flores

Tomorrow night we’re having a staff summer barbeque. The joke around here is whether or not it still qualifies as summer. I think that mentally most of our employees have decided that it is autumn, whether or not the calendar agrees. Around my house we’ve been enjoying the warm summer weather as the kids jump on their new-to-us trampoline. It has occupied all of their free time this week! Have you ever bounced on one of those big trampolines? It’s quite a workout, at least for this mama. I have a feeling that we’ll get some staff members on there tomorrow, so look for those pictures on our Facebook page, here.

Flores is a small Indonesian island.

This week’s coffee of the week is new to our store, and it is even new to me. Have you heard of Flores? I’m not sure that I had before we ordered this coffee. In fact, the picture to the right is Trace showing us the location on our handy-dandy globe. We usually use the globe to educate new employes on coffee-growing regions, but sometimes we need the education!

Flores is part of the west Indonesian archipelago. A brief disclaimer: I got some of this information from the official tourism website of Flores, here, so if you would rather read it for yourself, follow the link. It is a neighbor to Komodo, island of the famous Komodo dragon, and there are Komodo dragons to be found on West Flores. The island is located to the east of Bali, and has the same kind of stunning beauty.

Specialty coffee is new to Flores. For years the local farmers grew and processed their own coffee, selling it in mixed lots at a low price. Only recently has the processing improved, and now there are seven farmer groups that are certified organic and wet-processing their coffee for export at a better quality and a better profit.

We roasted this Organic Island of Flores coffee yesterday, and immediately brewed up a french press to try it. The first two adjectives that came to mind were “bold” and “nutty.” I know that we use those words a lot in reference to Indonesian coffees, but it was true again. It’s full-bodied and easy to drink as an afternoon pick-me-up, if your day has stretched long, as mine has. I know that I like a coffee when I have another cup after my morning brew.

I hope that you all enjoy your weekend. Come on in and try a cup of this Organic Flores on us by using the code Komodo dragon* this week. If any of you have been to the Island of Flores, I’d love to hear about it. Send me an e-mail or leave a note on our Facebook page. I love learning about new regions. Enjoy!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Organic Island of Flores. Code expires on 9.19.13. 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.

Posted in Employees, Weekly Newsletters | Tagged Carolines Coffee, Carolines Coffee Roasters, Flores, Flores coffee, Free Coffee, Indonesia, indonesian archipelago, Organic Island of Flores, Weekly Newsletter | Comments Off

Weekly Newsletter: Kenya Peaberry

Posted on September 6 2013 by Holly Fike

Kenya Peaberry

Today is the first day that I have worn boots since last spring. I’m sure that it will be quite warm this afternoon, but it was so lovely and crisp this morning that I couldn’t help myself. I dug in the back of the closet and found my black cowboy boots, paired it with a dress, and off I went. Yesterday as my son and I walked to school, we found a red leaf. Fall is coming. Can you believe that we’re a week into September? This is such an amazing place to live, where we get to celebrate and appreciate all four seasons.

The peaberry bean is on the right in both pictures.

This week’s coffee is from another direction entirely than our Celebes Toraja. We’re virtually flying across the Java Sea, and then over 4000 miles of the Indian Ocean to the African country of Kenya. I love how the coffees that we profile can teach you geography, at least between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. That’s the coffee belt of the world: the higher elevations around the equator, especially those with volcanic soil.

This Kenyan Peaberry is higher in caffeine, by virtue of being a peaberry coffee. A peaberry coffee occurs when only one bean grows inside the coffee fruit. Normally there are two beans to each cherry, with a flat side where the two face each other. When a peaberry occurs, it’s a smaller and rounder bean, as seen in the picture on the right. These beans have to be sorted out by hand, so many times they are mixed in with a regular lot of coffee.

In this case, the Kenya Peaberry that we’re offering will get you going in the morning. It’s high in caffeine with a bright and lemon-y flavor. It practically leaps off your tongue as you sip. If you are an African coffee lover, you are going to really enjoy this Kenyan.

We are offering our Kenya Peaberry on sale for a dollar off per pound this week. You can try a cup for free by using the code in bold above (coffee belt*). Even if you usually prefer an Indonesian bean, come try the Kenyan and tell us what you think here. The difference between last week’s coffee and this week’s is quite remarkable–they are opposite ends of the coffee spectrum. I’d love to hear what you think, and which you prefer, especially if you tried both. Enjoy your weekend!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Kenya Peaberry. Code expires on 9.12.13. 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.

Posted in Coffee Descriptions, Weekly Newsletters | Tagged Carolines Coffee, Carolines Coffee Roasters, coffee, Free Coffee, Kenya, Kenya Peaberry, peaberry, Weekly Newsletter | Comments Off

Weekly Newsletter: Celebes Toraja

Posted on August 30 2013 by Holly Fike

Celebes Toraja

Happy Friday everyone! I spent this morning helping my son’s class tie-dye shirts. I enjoy helping in the classroom, especially since my kids are still excited to see me in that setting. I’m sure that won’t always be the case, but I love that Jack told me yesterday that he was hoping I would be one of the helpers. It makes my mom heart glad. Then this evening Trace and I are going to Tahoe for a night, to celebrate our ninth anniversary, so it is all around a good day. What do you have planned for Labor Day? Is it a three day weekend for you? We will be open on Monday, from 7 am to 3 pm.

This week’s coffee of the week is a high-grown coffee from the Toraja region of Sulawesi, formerly known as Celebes. The term Toraja is a name given to the indigenous people in the mountains of South Sulawesi, as well as to the mountains there. This coffee is processed by a Japanese-Indonesian collaboration, PT Toarco Jaya, which has been working in this region to create specialty coffee there.

The point of this collaboration was to improve the coffee and the conditions in this part of the world. You can read about how they have established buying stations here, while teaching farmers better practices, and even providing them with high quality seedlings. Since much of Indonesia grows lower grade robusta coffee, it is significant that the Toraja region is committed to arabica varieties.

Much of this coffee is exported to Japan, but we are fortunate to receive these Toraja beans. When we opened the burlap, the processing is beautiful: the beans are extra large with a strong blue tint. It is very clean and of a consistent size. Trace was excited to roast these beans for us to sample, and we can’t wait to drink this all week.

This Celebes is roasted light, and it is very clean in the cup. It is not as earthy as many Indonesians (our Pawani Sumatra, for instance). It is balanced and sweet, with strong roasted caramel flavors. The aroma hints of honey and it has a medium to light body. We’ve brewed it up for you this week, so if your Labor Day plans don’t take you out of town, come on in and try a cup on us. Use the code in bold above (blue tint*) for your free twelve ounce cup. Enjoy!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Celebes Toraja. Code expires on 9.05.13. 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.

Posted in Weekly Newsletters | Tagged Carolines Coffee, Carolines Coffee Roasters, Celebes Toraja, Free Coffee, Sulawesi, Weekly Newsletter | Comments Off

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