First up, let’s talk potato. In coffee. Ugh, right?

In a few east African countries like Burundi and Rwanda a defect can creep through all the processing of the coffee bean. Only once the coffees are roasted and ground can this defect show up. The aroma in the room will change from the lovely coffee aroma to one of raw potato peels bordering on old, wet potato. Yuck.

How this defect occurs in nature is still somewhat a mystery, but research is pointing towards a bacterial infection of the coffee cherry while it is still on the tree. The bacteria is airborne, too, which makes it even harder to pin down. While the bacteria is present worldwide, it seems to be concentrated in the east African countries. Once the bacteria enters the coffee cherry, it starts eating into the beans and turns that stellar cup into one of yuck.

It really comes down to the growers being super-vigilant about picking and processing only the coffee cherries that aren’t showing any signs of issues. But even the most eagle-eyed picker will slip here and there. And once it’s processed, you can not tell when a bean will “throw” that defect.

Does this kill that entire bag of coffee sitting on that counter? No. Just that one batch you just ground. Can it kill your preference towards that particular coffee? Of course.

I bring this up simply because of the fact that we have found some of the potato defect in the Rwanda we had and the Burundi we now carry. All we ask (and all we can do, really) is please try to grind and brew another cup if you get handed a defective cup. If the pound continually throws the defect, please bring it back in and we’ll replace it–no questions asked.

More information on the potato defect can be found at: http://www.coffeed.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1402

So lets move from current coffee issues to future coffee issues.

As you know, coffee is a natural, organic product. Being such, viruses and diseases can and do affect crops. The latest crop issue is Leaf Rust.

The Leaf Rust Disease in all its glory

This disease, officially called Hemileia vastatrix , has run rampant in Central America this year. Guatemala is looking at a 30% reduction in their crops, while Costa Rica is looking at upwards of a 40% loss. Honduras, Mexico, and Peru are not free from this either.

The Leaf Rust disease attacks the leaves of otherwise healthy arabica coffee trees. As stated in the article by the Specialty Coffee Association of America,

It is no secret that climate changes are already being felt by coffee growers in Central America and throughout the world. Changes in both temperature and rainfall likely contributed to this unusual outbreak. Warming temperatures at higher altitudes and the resulting shifts in moisture accumulation are likely allowing the rust to thrive in areas previously uninhabitable (Avelino et al. 2006). The case of leaf rust is an example of how changing patterns of, rather than the total annual amount of precipitation, can really alter an ecosystem. Disruptions in the typical dry season can create an environment more habitable for rust outbreaks. Smaller and more frequent rainfall in the region likely contributed to the perfect fungal habitat.

There are other factors that may have exacerbated this particular outbreak. Some are convinced that the changes in land use and coffee farming practices is the primary reason for recent outbreaks. They believe that the shift to high density monoculture allows the easier transmission of rust. What is really going on? We do not have all the facts. The exact perfect storm for a massive multi-country severe rust outbreak is currently an unfortunate puzzle. The truth is that since there is not a full understanding of the biology of this fungus it is impossible to understand what exactly could affect its growth and proliferation, let alone how to eradicate it. This seems to be another example of where the scientific research on coffee is sadly lagging behind that of other crops.

Long story short: it’s going to take some serious research in how to prevent this from becoming even bigger of an issue than it already is, and there’s no real organic control of the disease yet.

I don’t know what will happen to pricing on our Central American coffees at this point, but I have a strange feeling it isn’t going to be pretty. I’ll keep you updated…

And now for something completely different…

I have been promising that our workshops will be starting up again now that we’re settled in to our new digs, and I am not lying. I will be scheduling the events this weekend, so keep an eye on our events page for the latest information. The one thing I am sure of is that our weekly coffee cuppings will happen on Thursdays at 4:00pm weekly starting next week. Otherwise, be on the lookout for Coffee 101, Advanced Brew Methods, and Home Roasting Basics workshops!

Thanks for reading all this: there’s a lot of interesting things happening in our little world of coffee right now!

Why?

Easy. We’re not ready.

If you’ve been in recently, you’ll know that we’re stretched to the limit on staffing levels versus guest counts. This is a good problem, but one that we need to fix before adding an additional shift to the week.

We have people in here and are in the process of training them, but that takes time. And we would rather not have issues where we try to push the limits of our staff just to deliver a less-than-great experience for you.

So bear with us a little while longer for Sundays. We will be opening back up soon, but we want to make sure all the kinks are out of the system before we do.

Thanks for your understanding!

All is going well. You have all the edges figured out and you’re inching towards completion. Piece after piece, night after night, you work on your creation.

Then you are down to the last four pieces. Right smack dab in the center of the puzzle.

And they’re not there. Anywhere. At all.

Now what? You have friends coming over to check out your puzzle. You know all you’ll hear is

How come you don’t have the puzzle done? You’re so close!

Frustration abounds. Both on your side and on your friends’ side.

That’s where we are at with our pourover coffee bar. Believe me, we are hearing plenty of feedback about the time it takes to brew, the refills (or lack thereof), and just general frustration about the lack of the pump pots. It’s frustrating to you (and to us as well).

See, we are not serving commodity coffee here. We haven’t been for a few years now, but the new store gave us the opportunity to enhance our service levels on the coffees.

The coffee we are serving here has gone through rigorous testing and sampling from the growers, importers, and us. We pay a premium for this coffee simply because this type of rigamarole leads to a smoother, richer, more satisfying cup. This is not your Starbucks, 7-11, or Dunkin coffee. This is not a commodity. This is the story of hard work and long hours through the whole chain to get you something really special. No, you really don’t have to be a coffee connoisseur to notice the difference, either. Since we’re not serving commodity coffee… well… the airpots seem to take it down a notch.

We are fully aware that this procedure takes a little while longer for your cup. If you’re in a hurry and just looking for a cuppa it’s a challenge. We are searching for a solution to that.

But for those of you ready to sit down and enjoy a cuppa from us or are willing to stall your day by three minutes or so, the new glassware will fully complete the coffee experience. Yeah, serving it in the paper cup definitely doesn’t add to the experience. Come Tuesday, we will have all our glassware and be able to fully explain the hows and whys of a Craft Coffee Brew. We will have the last four pieces of the puzzle.

As for the weekend speed issues, we have retrained ourselves to speed up the coffee service. Sure, when there’s 10 or so cups in at once, we can’t push out a three minute cup. But we can do everything in our power to make sure the wait is worth it.

We hope it will all make complete sense once the puzzle is complete. Then we can stand back and show you how hard we’ve worked on it and why it was worth you coming over to see our masterpiece.

Our new store is just about ready for us, but we need to take over some of the equipment and furnishings from our current store.

We will close our current store Saturday, February 9

Give us a week to get everything situated in our new digs across the street, and we should open our doors on Monday, February 18. (Barring any other evilness from the county, that is…)

In the meantime, to keep your caffeine intake high, the gang at the Post Office is going to keep coffee pots and bagged coffee available. We may be able to sneak some pastries over there on occasion!

Thank you in advance for your patience during the transition, and we hope you will enjoy our new home as much as we will.

Oh, PS: anyone with trailers wanna help us move our stuff? Sunday the 10th is the big day!

We are starting to see some SERIOUS coffee bars enter the scene. Yeah, I should be freaking about the additional competition, but I’m not. See, there’s competition and then there’s the drive to better your surroundings. Both can go hand in hand.

If you go to Denver, which is right on the cusp of being another Portland when it comes to the coffee scene, and ask any of the baristas about the coffee in Colorado Springs, you’ll hear an answer like this:

What? There’s good coffee in Colorado Springs?!? No way!

I can say with authority that this sentiment needs to change — now.

Over the last weekend, I had the pleasure of dropping by and welcoming our latest coffee bar to Colorado Springs: Urban Steam Coffee Bar and Cafe. They’re located just south of Downtown and have already created a stir amongst the twitterers that follow us. When talking to Kelly, one thing he said stood out to me: (slightly paraphrased)

You’re not competition. If you’re trying to progress the coffee experience in your store, you’re a partner in building the coffee scene.

And guess what? His coffee backs up this statement. It was a breath of fresh air to see coffee that is treated lovingly from sourcing to roasting to brewing. Sure, I’m quite miffed his pourover bar debuted before my official one (and was compared to Intelligentsia in a recent Independent writeup! Grrrrrr…), but the coffee deserved to be brewed cup by cup.

Urban Steam Coffee Bar. Picture shamefully stolen from their facebook page.

And then there’s Cafe Velo. Our closest “competitor,” this bike shop/espresso bar uses Ozo Coffee from Boulder. They started off shaky (many a tweet confirms this) but have seriously strengthened their coffee offerings. Added bonus: they hosted Colorado Springs’s first Latte Art Throwdown a couple of months back. (Sad fact: even with advertising at pretty much every coffee bar in the city, only Velo and us represented the Springs. Everyone else came from Denver…) We have to keep an eye on them: they’ve already taken our biking regulars!

Cafe Velo. Picture also stolen. Hey, at least I admit it!

So why, in a pretty competitive landscape that is coffee, do I brag about two other coffee bars? Simple.

They/we are trying to do something Colorado Springs has not seen: move coffee beyond “just a cup.”

While I do believe that Colorado Springs is a long way away from a nationally advertised Coffee Crawl like Boulder had a few weeks ago, I see great potential in the small but growing coffee scene down here. Now to convince those baristas in Denver…….

And if you are reading this post and are irritated that your coffee bar or your favorite coffee bar isn’t being talked about, I want you to do something:

Stop. Think. Does your coffee bar try to better the scene daily? Does your coffee bar care about the freshness of their product and can prove it with freshness dating on the coffees? Does your coffee bar care about the quality of the product? (Is the milk from a Front Range dairy or whatever’s on sale at Sams Club?) Does your coffee bar care about sourcing directly (or as directly as they can) from the farmers or do they play the Commodity Market? How many days do the baristas in your coffee bar train before they are allowed to make drinks for the guest? (Ours is one month!) If your coffee bar roasts, how long do you let your green coffee sit? It stales, too, you know! And are you writing the Roasted On date front and center of the bag you’re selling?

Your coffee bar doesn’t need to answer yes to every one of those questions, but they damn well better be answering yes to the majority of them. If not, what is your coffee bar doing to progress the scene? Or are you/they content rolling along at a ho-hum level?

Look, I’m not trying to be an elitist here. But what I am trying to do is convince all the coffee bars in this city that it’s time to step up the game. I want to propose something: I firmly believe that with the right communication and drive, we (as independent coffee bars) can knock Starbucks off of the top of the Gazette’s Best Of list. I don’t care which coffee bar wins, but it shouldn’t be the big green machine.

Who’s with me?

When I asked for gluten free bread they said they didn’t have enough room to offer it. How much space does a loaf of bread take in the freezer?

I would like to clarify some things about this statement and our decision to not offer gluten free items.

First, let me just say that freezer space really isn’t the issue. While we are tight on freezer space, we do not place our breads into a freezer–ever. Our breads are hand-created each and every day from scratch. Since there are no preservatives used in the baking process here, freezer or not, our breads will stale. And we’re not selling you that. At most, we have 1 1/2 days worth of bread to serve. Because, yes, even in the refrigerator, the bread will stale faster than we can use it if we make more than that amount.

But let’s get to the heart of the matter: the size of our bakery.

Our bakery

This is our bakery. No, not one side of our bakery, not one room of our bakery, our bakery. This is it. One 20 quart mixer, one oven under the prep table that’s smaller than a lot of your kitchen ovens, and storage. Sure, there’s a refrigerator and a freezer just out of frame, but that’s it.

In order to brag about scratch-made Gluten Free Breads and pastries, we need a lot more space. Everything that touches flour cannot be used to properly make Gluten Free items. Because of our “we will only carry baked goods we create” policy here, there is simply no way for us to not cross-contaminate a Gluten Free item.

As an aside, this size limitation is also why we’re always limited in pastry offerings: not only is this little oven the baking oven, all of our kitchen’s prep items (potatoes, bacon, chicken, etc.) come out of this oven, too. Our oven goes on at 4 in the morning, and it’s usually after 2 in the afternoon before it’s turned off.

And that’s just the bakery. Our kitchen, which is fully visible from the dining room, does not have the space or equipment to fully separate the Gluten Free from the non-GF items.

Do we want to offer Gluten Free breads and pastries? Of course. Will we in our new store? Absolutely.

Until we are in the new store, we ask that you understand that we are doing what we can with the space we have (which we have fully outgrown), and we are unwilling to make anyone sick because of accidental ingestion of glutens when their system cannot handle it.

We will happily steer you away from our baked goods and towards menu items that are gluten free by design. Please don’t hesitate to ask.

We’re tired of it. Just the way you are, I’d wager.

So, without further ado, may we present…

…our new home. Well, soon to be our new home.

This is the retail part of the old Lumber Yard across the street from our current location. We’ve figured out all the numbers and gave the go ahead to the contractor. With any luck, we should be rocking hard in the new digs around August 1.

So how does moving the whole mess across the street help with space issues? Let’s break it down…

Old store: 950 square feet. New store: 2900 square feet!

Seating:  Now, officially 15 plus the patio. New store: 62-78 indoor (depending on septic field design) plus a patio next spring.

Roasting Room: Now, a 6×6 closet shared with all the paperwork,. New store: 28×18 room complete with training and cupping lab, a real office, and a new 12 lb roaster!

Bakery: Now, part of a 6 foot prep table with an oven smaller than your typical home oven. New store: a room about the size of our current dining room with 4 times the oven and prep space!

Kitchen: Now, one prep table with a griddle on it plus refrigeration. New store: a fully functioning line with stoves, ovens, griddle, and a char broiler all under a vent hood! (No more grease in the air!)

WOW! We’ll have ROOM!

Conceptually, our new menu will consist of the goodies you already know and love: coffees, baked goods, killer breakfasts, and sandwiches, but we’ll be adding Ranch Foods Direct burgers, buffalo burgers, baked sweet potato fries, and more goodies! We’re even planning–for after the first of the year–to add dinner service to our repertoire, complete with more RFD goodies (steaks, seafood, and the like).

We will be posting updates and pictures to our facebook page as construction commences, and we will be asking for help throughout the process, too. (Painting party, anyone?)

Of course, we all here at R&R have to say a big THANK YOU to Black Forest. Without your support, we would not be ready to make this big of a leap. And we are eternally grateful that you have accepted us into this community. We hope you’ll continue to visit once we’re in our new home!

I don’t like to make it at home because it never tastes the same as when you make it!

“Hmmm,” I thought, “This sounds like a blog post in the making!”

Simply put, every coffee we carry here can–and does– taste just as good at home as when you get it in our store or at the market. The trick? A little more patience and tools on your part. Not break-the-bank, I’m-not-gonna-do-all-this-for-a-damn-cuppa tools, just a little tweak to your morning ritual…

1. Run by your favorite retailer of choice and pick up a small gram scale. They’re usually found in the kitchen trinket aisle. WHY? Every coffee we have has various weights. Just eyeballing the amount used or judging by tablespoonful will not give you an accurate weight of the coffee–and knowing the weight of the coffee is half the battle. You’re already scooping the coffee out of the shiny red bag, right? This is not that big of an extra step. I promise.
2. Next up, get yourself a good burr grinder. I’ve beaten this topic to death in other blog posts. Just remember: we only grind our coffee right before we brew it. WHY? Ground coffee stales very, very quickly.
3. Next up: the weights of what you need to brew a good cuppa: For each ounce in your cup (typical coffee mugs you find in your kitchen are about 10 ounces), you want double that in grams of coffee. Example: 10 oz mug = 20 g coffee. Yes, this means that your Mr. Coffee machine really can’t handle anything over the 10 “cup” level or you’ll have a mess on your hands. For water, the Specialty Coffee Association of America recommends 17 grams water to 1 gram coffee. I think that number leads to a watery cup, however. I recommend a 16:1 ratio. Example: 10 oz mug = 20 g coffee = 320 g water. (Remember: 1 mL water=1g water!) WHY? Coffee is a soluble organic. It takes just the right amount of water to extract the solids necessary to bring out the best in your cup. Too much water: a watery cup. Too little water: a bitter, sour cup. Like your coffee weak? Follow these steps then add more hot water after the brew process to keep the correct flavors happy!
4. Now you have to brew it. Here’s where the fun begins. Your Mr. Coffee, Keurig, or whatnot will brew fine. You just have to make sure the water is hot enough. If you want to get snazzy, which we recommend for best flavor, you can pick up various   sundry  pourover  devices from many places. WHY? Individual attention to your coffee will lead to a happier cup. Simple as that.
   
5. Oh, and the most important part? Good coffee, roasted fresh. Nothing over 14 days off roast. Only buy what you can drink in a week.

Is it a lot of steps? Yes.

Will you get a great tasting coffee at home? Absolutely.

Is it still easier to wander up to the Forest (or Denver on Saturdays) and have us make it for you? Depends if you believe in what this webcomic is saying…

Stay caffeinated everybody!

Mmmmm.... cake.

Those of you that have been around for the other anniversary specials know what that means:

• $2 Cinnamon Rolls
• $2 Mochas
• $1 Lattes*

We will celebrate turning 4 this Saturday, March 10!

And, we have the Weilands of Mass Destruction rocking their bluegrass that morning, too!

So you’ll get some amazing music, amazing cinnamon rolls, and amazing coffee at an amazing price.

When should we expect you?

*Please be nice to the people behind you in line and limit yourself to two drinks and two rolls per adult. Thanks!

And, from the bottom of all our hearts, THANK YOU for four wonderful years of serving Black Forest!

So why is it not like that in the coffee world? Heck, even the wine world is getting specific with vineyard, grape varietals, and the like.

Yet us here in the coffee world are supposedly stuck in the “Here’s some Colombian. What more do you need?” mode.

No more.

Our goal from day one has been to give you the most information that we can about the coffee we’re serving. As we’ve grown and made more contacts, we have been put into a place where we can gather information about the coffees that most–nay all–the roasters in the Springs can’t–or won’t–give you.

Sure, we all know that your coffee mug in the morning is more equipped to be your Caffeine Delivery System versus a spot to know what varietal of Arabica bean is in that cup, but there’s nothing wrong with knowing, right?

Why is this so important? Knowing the deep information about the farm, type of coffee, altitude, and all the other goodies implies that the farmers are making the best money possible.  Our importers are in these farmer’s fields, talking with them, negotiating prices, and assisting them however possible to increase the cup quality of their product. When you pay for a pound of this coffee, we pay the importer, who in turn pays the farmer. No other hands are in the pot.

What about Fair Trade? Doesn’t that do the same? Nope. There are documented cases where farmers end up making less money when in a Fair Trade setting! (Here’s proof) There are just too many hands in the pot. Doesn’t sound too fair, huh? Fair Trade is a start–but it’s far from the best.

Only when you’re working directly with the farmers are you ensuring they are paid the best–and what they’re worth.

Let me show you what I’m talking about here…

Meet Sr. Rodolfo Lopez. This gentlemen owns his own farm in Colombia: El Jardin. His four hectare farm is in the Monserrate region of Colombia. He is able to produce 6 150-lb bags of coffee per growing cycle. We have three of them. This coffee has a great mellow cherry and brown sugar tonality throughout the cup. This is not your typical Colombia. Want to know more about this coffee and see pictures of the Monserrate village? We have that information.

We are committed to giving you biographical information about every coffee we carry. We’re not 100% yet, but we’re working on it. Soon, we will have KYJ sheets just as detailed as Sr. Lopez’s for many of the coffees. For right now:

• Colombia Huila Monserrate: Rodolfo Lopez Farm     Webstore Link    Biography
• Yemen Mokha Harasi     Webstore Link     Biography

Go ahead, I dare you: ask any other roaster here in the springs for detailed information about the specific farm their coffee comes from. Not the co-op, mind you, the farm. Or the varietal of the coffee tree, the altitude at which it’s grown, or the processing method used to clean and dry the coffee bean. If you can find one here, I’ll be surprised.

Getting your shiny red bag filled with our coffees ensures that not only will you Know Your Joe, but you’ll know you’re helping the farmer. And isn’t that what it’s all about?