As I stated in the previous post, we are taking our coffees up a notch here. How, you may ask? Simple. It’s the new buzzword in the industry, and a trend that I believe is a wonderful thing for the entire coffee world.
Transparency.
As I update our coffee selections, I will be offering bios on all the coffees I carry. You will know everything I know about your coffee, and we all can further appreciate all it takes to get you your cuppa.
Let’s start with one of our most popular single origin coffees:
Costa Rica Tarrazú Santa Elena Estate
The Santa Elena is a shade-grown coffee which is hand-picked, de-pulped, and sorted right on the estate. It is grown at an altitude of 1250-1650 meters (4100-5413 feet) above sea level. The best part? This estate is owned by Luz Marina Trujillo.
It's very rare for full estates to be owned by women in Central America. We are lucky enough to feature coffees from one such estate.
While pesticides may be used on her estate, Luz Marina fully believes in sustainability. The pesticides are used only in extreme circumstances, the discarded coffee cherry is used as fertilizer on the coffee trees, and her water treatment system (coffee processing uses an extreme amount of water) meets Costa Rica’s environmental standards. Seasonal employees on the Santa Elena Estate are given housing and health care plus a water filtration system for their drinking water.
A worker sorting the coffee cherries freshly picked off the trees.
Raking the drying coffee beans. This is a typical drying process seen in many coffee producing areas.
Tasting notes: We roast this coffee to a medium roast level, just before second crack in the roast process. You’ll notice a crisp, brisk citrus acidity to this cup plus a smooth, buttery aftertaste.
More information:
- Production quantity: 35 containers (approx 10,000 pounds)
- Coffee tree type: Caturra
- Processing method: Washed or miel (semi-washed)
- Drying method: Sun-dried, mechanical
- Harvest Periods: November through March
I invite you to come in and try a sample of the Costa Rica Tarrazú Santa Elena Estate today. Come taste the fruits of Luz Marina Trujillo’s labors!
Pictures from Atlas Coffee Importers’ “Meet The Producers” pamphlet for this coffee.
… on our Coffee Side!
As Spring approaches, we need to move along with our coffee offerings here at R&R/Golden Pine Roasters. Since we really don’t have that much space to play with here, that means some coffees have to move along…
Okay, now that we’ve been talked about on a few sites around the Springs, let me set some ground rules for you…..
- $2 Mochas, $1 Lattes, and $2 Cinnamon Rolls specials will happen all day Friday and Saturday
- We do have limits: 2 each per person, please!
- To-go and eat in guests get this discount.
- Did I mention 2 each per person? Yes, well, I thought I’d repeat it.
And that’s it for the ground rules. Come on by and indulge. You know you wanna.
See you Friday and Saturday!
YES! Dinners are back at R&R!
Every other Friday, we’ll have dinner service from 5-8pm.
This week’s entree selections:
- Pork Tenderloin ($8.95)
- Baked Chicken ($7.95)
The entree will come with a salad, vegetable, and a dessert.
Dessert will be a Red Delicious Apple, wrapped in a sweet dough, baked, and topped with a homemade caramel sauce and whipped cream.
See you at 5 on Friday night!
Okay, March is turning out to be a great month for you if you like events! Let’s get a rundown, shall we?
- Friday, March 5, 5-7pm: Mike Melton’s CD Release Party. Mike Melton has been playing our Saturday mornings since we’ve started our little store up here, and we’re honored to be hosting the party for his release of his first ever album! Join Mike, Wayne Hammerstadt, and Cynthia Lynn (a violinist with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic) in an evening of music, celebration, drink specials, and light appetizers!
- Saturday, March 6, 9-11am: Saturday Morning LIVE! This week’s guest artist: Dakota Aspey-Vaughn
- Friday and Saturday, March 12-13, all day: Our TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY! We’ll be celebrating and you’ll get the presents! Join us for $2 Mochas, $1 Lattes, and $2 Cinnamon Rolls (limit two per person, please). We’ll also have contests, drawings, prizes and musicians! Come on by and celebrate this great milestone!
- Friday, March 12, 5-8pm: They’re baaaaack! By popular demand, we’re bringing back our Friday Night Dinners! Every other week until Memorial Day, we’ll be cooking up some homestyle deliciousness! Come try out our dinner menu and see that you don’t have to go to town for your date night! Our menu will vary week to week, so keep an eye on this blog, check the Black Forest News, or subscribe to our Friday Night Dinner email list to see what we’re doing!
And that’s just the first part of the month! Whew!
See you soon at R&R!
Everyone give a warm welcome to our newest barista, Emma Rose
6 ln 9.4 oz, 20 inches long!
Okay, one more post about the coffee roasting side, then we’ll start bragging about our café and the bakery. We promise.
We roast all of our coffees on two-pound and one-pound Sonofresco Roasters. This gives us many advantages. Most notably for everyone, these micro-batch roasters allow us to control each and every pound that comes out of our roasterie.
Okay, so we’ve talked about the right amount of coffee needed to make the perfect cup and the cost that cup actually costs you.
Next up: where to store those beans you just purchased.
Okay, I’ve heard some grumblings about the cost of whole bean coffees. I understand. Times are tough, money is scarce, and the First National Bank of Mattress is looking a little low.
But let me tell you why it still makes economic sense to buy coffee by the pound from us (or any other specialty coffee roaster, for that matter)…