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Weekly Newsletter: Colombian Supremo

coffee on front porch headerColombian Supremo

We’ve got coffee on the front porch today: five pallets, with 10-12  bags each on them, so over four tons of green beans waiting their turn for the magical process that is coffee roasting.  We get this size shipment about once a  month, so it will be the end of February before this scene appears again.  Moisture is the enemy of green coffee and every winter shipment that we receive on a sunny day like today is a reason to be grateful.

double palletsIf you live around here, I hope you got a chance to get outside and kick up your heels in the early part of this week.  Wasn’t it splendid sunny weather?  It felt like Spring was throwing us a teaser, reminding us of the rebirth to come.  I saw my first robin and my first moth fluttering around the porch lights this week.  The deer which traverse our field daily are still in full dark winter coats, but the sight of daphne about to bloom heralds the beginning of the flower and blossom cycle for the year.

As yesterday’s misty skies reminded me, it is only the beginning of winter, and we often get our harshest storms in February and March.  Since we are a household with cupboards replete with good coffees and teas, we are set for whatever the weather gods throw our way.  One upside to winter weather is that is makes it easier to stay inside and heal if you’re sick–and I think that maybe every employee on our staff has been ill in the last two weeks.  Whew!  Hopefully good health will return to all this coming week.

My sympathies are with you if you also have been battling the flu.  It has not only made its way around the store, but both my kids have stayed home from school with similar symptoms.  I can’t make your malady disappear, but I do recommend lots of sleep and a hot lemon and honey.  And good coffee is sure to help too, don’t you think?

This week we are offering our Colombian Supremo as our coffee of the week.  This is a former Cup of Excellence winner, an outstanding estate coffee from a country with a lot of mediocre beans to export.  It is a San Agustin coffee, from the Huila department (region) of Colombia.  The “Supremo” part of the name references the highest grade of Colombian, with the lower grade being “Excelso.”  Since these terms designate screen size, we occasionally cup an Excelso Colombian that we prefer over a Supremo, but in this case, top grade is top flavor.

Trace has roasted this light, so that you can appreciate the balance and boldness of this San Agustin Colombian.  It is on sale this week for a dollar off per pound, and you can try a cup for free by using the code in burgundy above (it’s magical process).  Let’s drink to good health and good rest together this week.  Cheers!
–Holly Fike
Colombian Supremo 
This week: $11.99
List Price: $12.99
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Weekly Newsletter: Kona Blend

wedding headerKona Blend

It’s hard to believe that this is the first e-mail that I’ve sent out in 2013.  Where has January gone?  Our family started the year with a whirlwind trip to Hawaii for a friend’s wedding.  Two weeks ago on Friday we were boarding a plane three hours late to go cater the wedding.  One week ago we were flying home, slightly tanned and very relaxed after enjoying four days of nothing but beach-time–following the chaos of cooking in an unknown setting.  It seems unlikely that we can attend island nuptials every year, but I certainly wouldn’t mind ending every winter holiday with a sunny excursion!

Yes, that's the wonderful Aunt Becky taking care of the flower girls!

Yes, that’s the wonderful Aunt Becky taking care of the flower girls!

This week was catch-up week, with the kids back to school, and events at the store flying along.  We came home last weekend just in time to brew coffee for the Wild and Scenic Film Festival (many thanks to Andrew who brewed thirty gallons of coffee at five in the morning when we arrived home around 1 am!).  Then this weekend we are one of the sponsors of the Downtown Ice Skating Rink.  If you don’t know about this, check out the GVDA page here, and come on out and skate!  Today from 4-6 we will be giving away free coffee and hot chocolate during our sponsorship time, if that fits your schedule.

In honor of our Hawaiian vacation, our coffee of the week is our Kona Blend.  Although we have visited the big island before, this trip was to Oahu, and we didn’t visit Kona on this trip.  We did however have some good Kona coffee, from a local coffee shop which we were privileged to be staying near.  That is not as easy as it sounds: many places in Hawaii serve poor coffee, a “Kona Blend” that might have very little Kona mixed with a cheap filler.

The blend I drank most mornings in Hawaii was roasted a little darker than our Kona Blend.  Carolines Kona Blend is roasted light, and it is very full-bodied since we blend it with our fabulous Pawani Sumatra.  Since we arrived home a week ago I’ve been savoring this blend, and picturing the trade winds rustling the palm trees as the clouds race by like wild animals escaping a fire.  It’s been cold in Nevada County, especially at the beginning of the week, but my hot coffee and my warm memories kept my mornings toasty.

This week we’re offering you a free cup of our Kona Blend.  In case you are not the sort to read the fine print, I want to make it clear that you do not have to print the coupon to receive your free cup.  You do have to mention the code highlighted in burgundy above, and there is a new code every week.  This week it is trade winds, and boy were they blowing during our visit–but with the temperature hovering between 75 and 80 degrees, we didn’t mind.  Even the January rains we encountered felt pleasant in comparison to the snow at home. 

Kona Blend will also be on sale in bulk this week, so that you can take it home and invoke your own island memories.  If you’ve never been to Hawaii, think blue summer days with the sun beating as intensely as a three year old beats a toy drum.  I will be visualizing that brilliant azure as I sip Kona Blend this week.  Join me if you like!
–Holly Fike
Kona Blend
This week: $11.99
List Price: $12.99
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Weekly Newsletter: Special Blend

StockingsSpecial Blend

How was your Christmas?  We had a splendid day, beginning with the delight on the kids faces as they discovered that the reindeer had munched all the carrots they left out, and that Santa had responded to their notes.  In the afternoon we treasured some much needed quiet time while Jack read a new book and Caroline carefully colored a do-it-yourself purse.  Our day ended with friends and family gathered around for a meal that ended with many pies baked by Grandma Caroline.  If life is all about the memories, that was one to store like precious gold.

A quiet Christmas moment

A quiet Christmas moment

I hope each of you had a memorable day too, in the best of ways.  Yesterday was such a beautiful sunny day after the unexpected storm on Christmas–I love to see the rays of sunshine burn off a morning fog when it has been raining for a few days.  Today the clouds have descended again, but it’s fancy Friday around here, and the smiles from all of you have kept us hopping all day long.

Today I’ve had child labor around the store: two kiddos who want to earn some money after a trip to the “toy store” (aka Foothill Mercantile) yesterday.  They are eager to help, and I’ve been scrambling to find chores they are capable of doing around here.  So far we’ve had some dusting, some dishwashing, and some re-labeling of the tea bins.  There’s nothing better than smiles while you work.

This week we are returning to our traditional e-mail newsletter: a free twelve ounce cup of coffee so that you can sample one of our coffee varieties.  Our number two coffee remains the Christmas Coffee for one final week–it’s a limited edition, so this is your last chance to buy some if it’s a new favorite of yours.  We are featuring instead our Special Blend, our most popular coffee over the last thirty years of business.  That’s quite a statement, considering how many coffees we’ve sold over the years!

The longevity of this blend comes from how pleasing it is to most palates.  We blend two light roasts and two dark roasts to make this cup: our French Roast, our Espresso Roast, our Sumatra Mandheling and our Colombian Supremo.  Back when our deliveryman, Mike, worked for NID, he used to come in every morning for a mug of our Special Blend.  Now that he works for us, he’s branched out, and he’s willing to try other coffees–but it’s a testimonial to how good this blend is that he drank it everyday for twenty years!
To try your free cup, mention the code in red above (it’s “fancy Friday”).  Come on in and sample our Special Blend today, or buy a pound for your New Year’s party!  We’ve got it a dollar off per pound this week, to keep you awake next Monday night.  Enjoy!
–Holly Fike
Special Blend
This week: $11.99

List Price: $12.99

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Weekly Newsletter: Merry Christmas!

Christmas GreetingsMerry Christmas! 

 How is your holiday season going?  Are you ready for Christmas?  I have a few stocking gifts left to collect (stockings are filled by Santa in our house, so shhhh! don’t tell the children), and most of my wrapping still to do, but otherwise I’m done.  There’s one more Cornish Christmas tonight–we’re open until 9 pm, rain or shine–and tomorrow Caroline and I have a mother-daughter date at the Grass Valley Nutcracker.  We’re progressing rapidly towards Christmas day, and the hastened tempo at the store is proof.
We have a number of holiday traditions in our family, and their continuity helps to keep us on an even keel during this busy time.  Each morning the kids hurry through their morning chores so that they can open their advent calendar (any impetus to get out of bed when you’re tired is appreciated in December!).  Last night we read our new Christmas picture book, a collection that grows each year.  The kids have an ornament collection too that slowly increases by one each year.  We always have cioppino on Christmas Eve, and Jamaican Blue Mountain to start our Christmas morning.  In our family we each take turns opening gifts while the others watch, one at a time.
The list could continue: I love that every person and every family have their own conventions for their holidays.  Ours have some variance each year, but the most important thing is that no matter what we are doing, we are doing it together.  Despite the hustle and bustle of the last month, on Christmas Day we will gather with our family in a quiet celebration.
That is my wish for all of you in the next week: may you find a moment or a morning of quiet in this Christmastime to appreciate the joys of the year.  As 2012 rolls on to a close, we have one last deal for you.  We’ve had a great year and in the spirit of paying it forward, we are offering two dollars off the pound of coffee of your choice.  Use the code morning quiet to redeem your $2.00 off.  We do appreciate all of our customers, and wish you each a Merry Christmas!
–Holly Fike
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Weekly Newsletter: Customer Appreciation Giveaway

Christmas HeaderCustomer Appreciation Giveaway

 What a whirlwind of a day!  It’s been crazy around here, with Peppermint Mochas and gift baskets vying for attention.  I’m taking a break now, sitting at my desk and typing this e-mail.  I’ve got a cup of our seven bean soup (by the way, we are making soup now) and I’ve changed my shoes in preparation for Cornish Christmas tonight.
It's looking like Christmas in downtown Grass Valley!

It’s looking like Christmas in downtown Grass Valley!

The staff and I were talking this morning  (while toasting bagels and pulling shots of espresso) about how lucky we are to be so swamped.  You are the reason we are in business.  Thank you for trusting us to brew your coffee, wrap your gifts, and make your favorite espresso drink.  We appreciate your patience when we’re busy, and your encouragement and smiles daily.  We love when you compliment us, or take the time to check in and see how we’re doing on this side of the counter.

If you are new to our weekly e-mails, we usually feature a coffee of the week, with a description of the bean and a coupon for a free cup.  This week we’re doing something different.  In appreciation for each of you who receive this e-mail, and all the customers who stride through our doors daily, we’ve decided to give away two of our gift baskets, two of our logo t-shirts, and two of our new logo mugs.
There’s so many of you, that it doesn’t make sense to give away only one item.  This way there will be lots of opportunities to win!  We will draw a winner every day next week (it’s the season of giving!), and two next Friday.  You can join in our giveaway by printing the form below and bringing it to our store, or by sending us an e-mail with your name and contact information.  Everyone we hear from will be entered.
If you don’t live in this area, we’ll ship anywhere within the United States, so please respond anyway.  We want to thank you whether you come in everyday, buy beans weekly at SPD, or have us ship you coffee once a year.  If you’re a fan of Carolines Coffee Roasters, but you’ve moved away, we appreciate that you keep in contact with us.  From the Carolines family to your family, Merry Christmas!

–Holly Fike
Customer Appreciation Giveaway!
Name: ______________________________________
Contact: ______________________________________
Print out this entry form and drop it off at our downtown location anytime before next Friday the 21st.  The sooner you enter, the more chances you will have to win!
Limit one entry per customer please.  Thank you.

Offer good at Carolines Coffee Roasters

128 S. Auburn St., Grass Valley, CA  95945

www.carolinescoffee.com * 800 600-6424 * 530 273-6424

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Weekly Newsletter: Fair Trade Organic Dark French Italian Roast

Christmas OrnamentFair Trade Organic Dark French Italian Roast

How is your December going?  Today is a day of remembrance for those who died 71 years ago at Pearl Harbor.  I’ve been to the USS Arizona memorial twice, and it is a somber experience, invoking the memory of all those who have given their lives for our country.  I have been blessed in my lifetime to know a number of World War II veterans, most notably my Grandpa who was a parachuting medic on the Western front.  I am taking a moment today to remember him, and all veterans.  In a busy season, it’s good to remember that life is precious, and so are our national freedoms.
It was red fedora day around here on Wednesday--thanks to a customer who gifted the hats!

It was red fedora day around here on Wednesday–thanks to a customer who gifted the hats!

This week I’ve been trying to slow down and appreciate my surroundings, and especially my family and friends.  Last week felt rushed and stressful to me (maybe the stormy weather was partly to blame?).  If you have kids, you have probably noticed that they quickly pick up on parental stress.  We’ve all had a better week since I’ve taken the time to slow down my responses and remember what is truly important.

One of the pleasures I’ve enjoyed this week is my morning cup of coffee.  The scene out the window most of the week was rather colorless, with fog drifting by or rain pounding down.  It had a quiet, stark beauty as the tree trunks appeared in sharp contrast to the soft edges of the dripping sky.  This morning pigment reappeared in my view, a brushstroke of pink across the window heralding the return of the sun.  It’s nice to see the sun again.
I don’t drink much dark roast coffee (unless I’m in San Francisco, and I can’t find anything else–see this blogpost), so those of you who prefer a dark roast don’t often get a chance for a free cup.  Well this is your chance this holiday season to try a cup for free.  Our featured coffee this week is our Fair Trade Organic Dark French Italian Roast.  Try saying that five times fast!  Around here we shorten it to Fair Trade Italian.
This is the darkest coffee that we keep brewed, and it is a blend of Guatemalan, Peruvian and Brazilian–all Fair Trade.  We blend these for a balanced dark roast.  If it seems like you hear the word “balanced” frequently in reference to our blends, that’s because it is our goal when blending.  When you take coffee beans this dark, you no longer taste the nuances of the origin, but instead the darkness of the bean.  A lot of you love coffee like this (maybe particularly if you are from San Francisco!).
You can use the code in red above (it’s dripping sky) to try a free twelve ounce cup of our Fair Trade Organic Dark French Italian Roast.  If you’re not a fan of dark roast coffees, you are welcome to switch it out for our Christmas Coffee–I’ve certainly been enjoying it these holidays.  Whatever you prefer, raise your cup today in honor of those who have fought for our country.  Cheers!

–Holly Fike

Fair Trade Organic Dark French Italian Roast

This week: $12.99 / lb

List Price: $13.99 / lb

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Mug Winners

Happy Monday to all of you!  I hope you survived the storm this weekend, if you live here locally.  Our only damage was a computer monitor (which I have now replaced) and the rearview mirror on my car.  Completely minor problems, luckily.  Our thoughts are with those of you who had more serious injuries.

Courtesy of random.org, here are our three lucky winners of Carolines mugs.  I figured since there were three designs, three winners would be better–wouldn’t you agree?  The numbers were four, fifteen, and twenty-five: Heidi, Deanna and Monica Conkle.  If you would each send me an e-mail to holly@carolinescoffee.com and tell me which mug you prefer, and if you would like to pick it up or have it shipped, that would be great!  Thanks to all of you for entering!

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Weekly Newsletter: Jamaican Blue Mountain

new mugsJamaican Blue Mountain

Good morning!  I’m writing this e-mail early today as I attempt to leave the store by noon so that I can head out of town for a Bruce Springsteen concert.  It is an incredibly tumultuous day outside: a warm, windy and wet storm that kept me awake a lot of the night.  I was peaceful and cozy snuggled under my down comforter listening to the conversation out the window.  There were whistles and thumps as the raindrops swirled in the wind like a dizzy child stumbling off a merry-go-round.  I love waking to those sounds.

The best part about a grey winter’s day is waking up to a cup of hot coffee.  Today we have a few coffee-related treats for you.  First of all, we’re giving away one of the mugs in the header picture (or maybe more than one–I haven’t decided).  Head on over to our blog, here, and leave a comment for your chance to win.  We’ll let the random number generator choose the winner on Monday, so check back to see if it’s you.

Picture from the RSW Estate website

Picture from the RSW Estate website

Next we have our annual holiday offer for fresh-roasted Jamaican Blue Mountain.  Jamaican is our most expensive varietal.  It is absolutely an amazing coffee, and the care that goes into processing these beans makes it a special treat.  This coffee comes in on an airplane, instead of the usual sea freight travel that most beans go through.

You can find more information about how the coffee cherries are harvested and processed on the RSW Estate website here.  Seldom do you find a coffee that is both grown and processed  in the same place.  This allows for extreme care and control to be taken with these beans.  The process is well-described in this article from our coffee broker, Knutsen Coffees.

Jamaican Label pictureOn our end, we receive these beans in a wooden barrel, not a burlap sack.  We roast the beans to a city plus, just after the first crack.  This allows you to taste all the characteristics of the bean in the cup.  It is a remarkable cup of coffee.  When we roasted the Jamaican earlier this week, we did a French Press for all of our morning staff to sample: yum!  It’s a very smooth coffee, balanced, so that no one note sounds louder than the others.  It has sweet floral tones and a long finish, so that the flavor lingers as you sip.
At our home, we have a Christmas Day tradition of drinking Jamaican Blue Mountain.  A few years ago we were thinking of how we could pass this lovely tradition on to you, and we came up with this offer: we will roast Jamaican to order on December 14th (to include those of you who need it shipped), and you can pick it up after 10 am that day.  If you sign up in advance, you will receive a discounted price of $45 per pound.
To sign up, e-mail us at sales@carolinescoffee.com with “Jamaican” in the subject line.  Please give us your contact information, and let us know if the order is for pick-up or delivery (regular UPS shipping rates will apply), the quantity you would like, and whether you would like it to be whole bean or ground.  If you do want it ground, specify the grind you need.  You can also sign up in our store, or by leaving a comment below with the same information.
This week our special is a dollar off the espresso drink of your choice.  You can use the code in red above (it’s wooden barrel), to receive your discount.  Once per customer please.  Best wishes to all of you on this stormy day: may you travel safely wherever you are headed, and enjoy good coffee when you arrive!
–Holly Fike

Jamaican Blue Mountain

Price with Advance Sign-Up: $45 / pound

List Price: $49.95 / pound

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Coffee Mug Giveaway!

Don’t you think a new mug would be lovely?  How about for free?  We received three new styles of mugs yesterday, so I’m thinking it’s time for a giveaway. Leave a comment on this blog post to win a Carolines Coffee Roasters mug (you can choose between the three pictured below if you are the winner).  We’re passing on the joy of the season!

It’s time for a mug giveaway!

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Weekly Newsletter: 2012 Christmas Coffee

2012 Christmas Coffee

Today marks the beginning of the holiday season around here.  We have gift crates piled up ready to go, gift baskets tucked in anywhere we can fit them, and our holiday drink list is posted on the front counter (you can see it in detail here).  It’s quite a transition from the small gathering we had of family and friends yesterday.  Of course, one of the things we are grateful for in our

Our Thanksgiving table.

family is a thriving small business in a beautiful small town–a good attitude to focus on in the rush of this season.

From Thanksgiving to Christmas we have the challenge in our family of finding the balance between the joy and peace of the season and the busyness of being in retail.  Trace and I are at Carolines longer hours: there’s more coffee to roast, more customers to help, and even more bills to pay.  Fortunately we both love the social interaction, even when front counter turns into a zoo.  It’s fun to see all of you, and to meet new customers.  The other day (what are the odds?), we had three different roasters in the store within eight hours.  Your stories are interesting, as are your questions, whether you come from another country or down the street.

We are open until 9 pm tonight for the first Cornish Christmas.  If you’ve never been to this downtown event, it has been a tradition in Grass Valley for 45 years, with local artisans selling their wares on the streets while musicians young and old keep the atmosphere cheerful.  There are hot roasted chestnuts, the stores are open late, and there’s even a Santa’s Workshop for the young ones.  My kids came with me to work today, and they’ve been asking all day if we can go to Cornish Christmas yet.  Did I mention there is a kettle corn vendor?  That might be the most popular booth among the youth in my family.

If you are headed to Cornish Christmas with your family, come on in and try a cup of our 2012 Christmas Coffee.  This year’s coffee debuted this week, and it’s a limited edition blend that we carry from now until New Year’s.  The picture to the right is the front label, and the following text is from the back label:

“We watch and taste all year for unique and great coffees to incorporate into our Christmas blend.  We look for beans that complement each other in special ways.  Blends might not be in vogue right now with the glitterati of the coffee world, but we love them regardless.  It’s so much fun to taste and blend and blend and taste to find the perfect balance.
 
This year’s blend includes our fabulous Balinese, an awesome Celebes (Sulawesi), a very clean Fair Trade Guatemalan, the ever trusty San Augustine Colombian, and a little dark roast for extra body.  We hope you enjoy!  –The Carolines Crew”
You can see both labels in detail on our blog here.  You can have a twelve ounce cup of our Christmas Coffee free of charge by mentioning the code in red above (it’s roasted chestnuts).  If you’re visiting from out of town, welcome!  To all of you, may you find joy in this busy season and a moment to enjoy a cup of good coffee.

–Holly Fike
2012 Christmas Coffee
Price: $12.99 / 12 oz.
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530 273-6424 | 800 600-6424

 map-marker Carolines Coffee Roasters
128 S. Auburn St.
Grass Valley, CA 95945
clock Monday-Friday: 6am-5:30pm,
Saturday-Sunday: 7am-5:30pm 

Fridays for
Cornish Christmas: 6am-9pm