Audio Ad - 8/22/2012

Hi there, since I have been in the business of selling the coffee that I roast (and not just experimenting with it) I've been posting less to my blog. I'm sorry about that and yes, I do miss the experiments to find the best coffees in the world. However, since I have been in this business I have been a part of a business networking group and every week I have to write a new 60 presentation about my business and what I want the people in the group to pass on to their spheres of influence. So since I have to write them I figured I could record them easily enough and post them here. 

Any way, enjoy!

http://www.anchorbayroasts.com/audio/ABR%20ad%2008222012.mp3

Kona Coffee

In Hawaii, coffee trees thrive on the cool slopes of the Hualalai and Mauna Loa Mountains in rich volcanic soil and afternoon cloud cover.  Coffee trees typically bloom after Kona's dry winters and are harvested in autumn. Coffee cultivated in the North and South districts of Kona (on the Big Island of Hawaii) is the only coffee that can truly be called Kona Coffee


Before being graded, Kona coffee is hand picked, pulped, dried and hulled. Machinery at the coffee mill sorts the beans into different grades by size and shape. Peaberry is top of the line. A peaberry bean is formed when one side of the flower fuses with the other leaving only one bean in the coffee cherry. This gives the peaberry a more concentrated flavor and makes up only about 5% to 10% of the total Kona Coffee harvest. Top grades (in descending order) include extra fancy, fancy, No.1 and prime


Kona Coffee is sun dried, then custom roasted depending on desired results and differences in moisture of the beans. A good roasting process (and processor) can make a world of difference. Roasting is referred to as an "art form" by many in the trade. Dark roasts are typically called French Roast, Italian or Espresso. Medium roasts include Full-City and Vienna. Flavored coffee is either sprayed or powdered immediately after roasting for best absorbtion of the added flavor. Just after roasting the oxidation process begins and coffee is at its freshest.


Air tight containers and freezing coffee will optimize freshness. Whole bean stored in this manner retains a recommended shelf life of about three months, ground coffee about a month. Growers suggest buying in whole bean form and grinding just before brewing each pot.  ~ Redacted from http://konacoffee.com/coffeestory.html

While I disagree that "freezing coffee will optimize freshness" and that shelf life is "about three months" I have to admit that I am very intrigued with this coffee that is grown in the soil of volcanic ash.  I am looking forward to roasting this bean fresh and serving it at the coffee roasting demonstration on Saturday, March 23rd.  There are a few seats left if you are interested - email me.

The Art in Roasting

Indian Monsooned Malabar - Roasted 

Have you ever Googled for images of roasted coffee beans?  If you have then you have seen the many images of coffee beans with a uniform color.  This uniformity is indicative of a mechanical roast which is scientifically heated, timed and cooled.  Not so with my roasts.  My roasts are not uniform because the process I use to roast is not at all scientific - it's artistic.


When you go to Target, Kohl's, K-Mart, or Walmart to buy art, what you are actually getting is a mass produced image of something that may have been art at one time - but no longer.  Real art is what you get when you go to Sotheby's.


Take the image above for example (click the image for a larger version).  Highlighted by the yellow star is a lighter bean.  The lighter beans retain the intrinsic flavor of the bean itself.  In this bean is an awesome flavor that is only found in the soil of the Malabar region of India.  It is wet-processed leaving the fruit of the coffee berry to dry onto the coffee bean itself until it naturally flakes away.  Then, the bean retains the natural flavor of the environment of that region of the world because it has been cured for about a year through the monsoon season which wet and dried and wet and dried and wet and dried this bean.  Yes, it took time but the flavor is wonderful because of it.


Now notice the bean toward the top in the blue star.  This bean is very dark and oily, it has the strong flavor of the roasting process.  The moisture is all gone out of this bean and the sugars caramelized under the heat to create a great roasted flavor.  If you will notice the bean in the purple star, this also is a dark roasted bean and if you will notice a rough patch on the bean, this shows that the bean was taken well into what is called the Second-Crack, a stage of the roasting process that tells me when to stop roasting (any darker and I would begin to make charcoal).


So there you have it, my Monet, my Van Gogh, my Dali!  The piece that you see above is originally mine and it will never be duplicated - it is a one of a kind and this specific one is being shipped to soldiers stationed in Afghanistan.  


Thank you to those who serve! I hope this little piece of art brings you as much joy as I had creating it. 

Jamaican Blue Mountain

One of my clients who had gotten coffee for Thanksgiving said that one of his friends had some of the coffee and asked if I would roast some Jamaican Blue Moon?  So he asked me to look into it and get back with his friend.  So I did look into it and decided that I could do it for $48.00 a pound.  I called the friend and he ordered 2 pounds without batting an eye.


When the Blue Mountain I ordered came in I first inspected the green beans themselves.  Perrrrffect, absolutely perfect.  Each bean appeared to have been hand chosen and hand washed.  Each was a beautiful shade of light green and each was as clean as freshly washed infant.


When I began to roast the Blue Mountain, many of the beans began to blow out of the machine to the waste bin - Eeeek!!!  At $48.00 a pound I was burning my hands trying to save these most precious and expensive beans.  I told my wife how the price changed in my mind the value of the individual beans themselves.  The fact that many of the beans were blowing out of the machine indicated that the water-content of the beans themselves were much lower than the standard beans that I was used to cooking.  Proving that it was indeed unique.  The chaff was less than normal and they roasted up without any complaint.  I was careful to not roast too much past the first crack in order to retain the natural flavor of the bean.


I would never had paid the price for this coffee but since I had some in the house, and I was selling it to a client,  I decided that I had better brew some and taste it.  I have decided to refrain from an extensive review of this coffee here (lest my praise be deemed not worthy) but I will point out that the flavor of the Jamaican Blue Mountain has the best balance that I have ever tasted in a coffee before.


PS.  If you are still looking for the perfect Christmas gift, I still have Gift Certificates available that I can wrap and drop ship for you.  Email me for details.

Gift Key

NEW for the Christmas season is the Anchor Bay Roasts Gift Key.  When your friend or loved one receives this gift they will open a little black box to discover a gold skeleton key inside with a card informing them that they have just received an Anchor Bay Roast Gift Key worth however much money you put on it for them.  


The gift never expires so if they put it aside only to come across it in a year - it will still be valid.


Be sure to get your coffee lover this gift and they will thank you for months to come.

Who Wants FREE Coffee?

And another coffee snob is inked!

Today is the last day for you to find the easter egg on the Anchor Bay Roasts website.  If you find it you will be entered into the October  drawing to win a package (12C pot) of coffee.


This month's easter egg is literally sitting out in the open for you to find.  In fact, if you CLICK THIS LINK you will be taken directly to the page with the easter egg.  Sorry, all finds after 12am Eastern Time will not count.

Coffee Demo for Birthday Party...

Tonight I am doing a coffee demonstration for a wife's (ahem) 29th birthday party.  First I am serving samples of regular Maxwell House coffee so that everyone can be remind of the norm, then I will be brewing up some Moccca Sanani from Yemen with filtered water.  It will be fun to see how high the eye brows fly up on the foreheads of people when they taste the difference.  I will be percolating & French-pressing the Mocca so people will experience the different tastes in brewing.  I will also be French-pressings some Organic Royal Select Decaf from Peru.  

While all of this is going on I will be roasting a Monsooned Malabar from India.  This will be the crowd-pleaser because not only is it an awesome coffee it will be the freshest coffee that the guests have ever had and I will be making it in Syphon pots.  Can you saw fun?


CHANGING SUBJECTS...


There are only a few more days left for people to find the easter egg for September.  If you want to be entered into the drawing for the FREE coffee, take some time on the Anchor Bay Roasts website and find the easter egg.

Papau New Guinea - Peaberry

Click for larger

If you have not seen the new Press Release you can click here to see it.  I think it will be worth your time - but I am biased of course.




I roasted one of my favorite beans last night and am getting ready to go brew some now.  It is amazing to me that my coffee excites me as it does.


70% of this crop is used by Australia and Germany so the rest of the world is lucky (and I mean that) to get the other 30%.  It makes this coffee a little more rare in the states.


The flavor of this coffee is absolutely complex as it contains layer after layer of vivid flavors that require palatial separation to be understood.  The first time my wife and I sampled this bean we were floored by the flavors that all swam together in the one cup which seems to be characteristic to the peaberry - my wife described the experience like a dinner plate of food all mixed together needing to be separated.  This coffee is absolutely amazing - Mmmm, I cannot wait.


EASTER EGG!!!  There are only a few more days left for you to find the easter egg on the Anchor Bay Roasts website.  Find it and you will be added to the names in the drawing for this month.

Press Release...

October 23, 2011

Coffee, Tea, & FREE...

Harvest Moon

So I have had to expand into some teas as I am learning that there are haters among us.  Can you believe that there actually are people who hate coffee?  My land, next thing you know people will be marching on Wall Street. :-o

Click to Enlarge

I discovered these things called Flowering Teas.  They are hand woven flowers with tea that are wrapped up into a ball.  When hot water is poured over the ball it slowly steeps while is blossoms before your eyes.  I must admit, I'm not a tea lover but when I watch this tea open before my eyes I am compelled to at least try it.  I now have this on hand for those rare times when I have people in my demonstrations who don't like coffee.


Have you seen the press release?  In this release the spokes person (me) announces the very big news that Anchor Bay Roasts is open for business.  During the PR you are likely to feel the tears well up in your eyes, but don't worry - I wasn't fired for it. ;-)


Finally...  There is still time for you to find the easter-egg on the Anchor Bay Roasts website and get entered into the drawing for FREE coffee.  So far only 4 people have done it so your odds of winning are pretty good.


Good Luck!

Flowers or Coffee?

click for larger image

I was thinking today how a husband invited me to do a roasting demonstration at his wife's birthday party.  It dawned on me that any middle school kid can buy flowers to show his affection to his girl but it takes a man with real insight to get his love such a rare treasure for her birthday.  She's going to love it!


Since it is the holiday season, please let me know if I can provide you with some coffee for your special events - your guests will do a double back-flip with a single twist when they taste how good your coffee is.  (You do know that is hyperbole right?)  Take a look at what I have to offer.


If you have not yet taken the time to find the easter egg on the website - lucky for you there is still time.  Go over to the Anchor Bay Roasts website, find that easter egg, and you will be entered in (with the other 3 people) this month's drawing for FREE coffee.

You Guessed Where?

Click for Larger View

Yesterday I left you hanging when I told you that my wife got a tattoo and asked if you could guess where she put it.  No, no, she did not put it on her bottom of her left heel - that would just be silly.  Instead, she put it on the back of her neck so that all the people behind her in the line at the grocery store might see it.  Her pixie cut makes this a very strategic place for it too.


There are only 10 more days to go for this month's easter egg.  So far there have only been 2 people who have found it so it could be an easy contest between them.  If you want to look for the easter egg and a chance to win the FREE coffee, visit the website and spend a few minutes reading through and looking for it - it really is out in the open.  Good Luck!


Also, if you have not had a chance to view the 2:20 video press-release I invite you to take a look-see at http://anchorbayroasts.blogspot.com/2011/10/press-release.html.

Anchor Bay Roasts TATTOO!!!

Click to make larger

I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how to make the experience of coffee demonstrations last longer than just the length of time it takes to drink a cup of coffee.  Then it hit me - I'll design a tattoo!  Ha!  That will last longer than a cup of coffee.  So even though I lack a logo I designed a tattoo that everyone will want - a smiley face tattoo.

Click to make Larger

So everyone in my immediate family has been marked so far and as I create further posts I will insert pictures of them sporting their new tats.  Then, as more and more people join us coffee snobs at Anchor Bay Roasts I will include their pictures as well.  However, I guess to be fair I need to go first so here I am sporting my new tat.


For the next post I will be featuring my wife's tat - and you will not guess where she chose to sport hers.  I'll post the picture tomorrow.


In the mean-time, have you seen the video of our official Press-Release?  If not, click here to watch the 3 minute video of my recorded live press release.

Press Release...

October 18, 2011

The Sweetest 1 Tenth of 1 Percent (00.175%)

He was casually doing his work and moving along the hall when he noticed it - that smell.  He started walking to find the source when he came upon it - we were brewing the coffee and it smelled like heaven.  He inquired how much he had to pay for a cup but the church told the janitor that he was welcome to enjoy - no charge.  He did enjoy and now he will forever be a coffee snob.


I talked with the janitor at the school where our church meets at length about the attributes of fresh coffee.  Before I left he asked me if there was any coffee that he could buy.  I sold him an extra bag (2 pots for him) and he gave me $3.50 in exchange.  This is the sweetest $3.50 that I had earned to date because he was sold by the smell alone - the taste just sealed the deal.


I have been asked where I plan to find the "coffee snobs" but it appears that they will be finding me.

Honestly...

The coffee that I roast is not for everyone - It is expensive and it is not at all convenient.  I know it, you know, and even my 7 year old knows it.


But then again, a Lexus or BMW is expensive and those companies are bold enough to expect their owners to go through the inconvenience of firing uncle Wilbur's Backyard Auto Care service so that they might have their cars properly maintained in their further expensive Service Centers.


As I think about it, I do individually roast single-origin coffee fresh per customer, I do package each order in proper ratio to each customer's specific brewing style, and I do spend a bunch of time roasting each small batch order because I will not make or sell in bulk.  So I guess that while my coffee is more expensive than the stale stuff in the grocery store and more inconvenient than simply tossing a bag into your cart, at the end of the day there are still quite a few people who prefer to drive a Lexus or BMW.


So no, the coffee that I roast is not for everyone.

anchorbayroasts.com

Coffee Like a Great Lake - Improve Your Coffee Part 3

I remember a television show when I was a kid called "That's Incredible" where a guy said that he could identify each of Michigan's Great Lakes by the flavor of the water.  The man claimed that each of the Great Lakes were notable because of the impurities in their water.  And when he was given samples in a blind taste test - sure enough he identified them - 5 for 5.

I say all that to point out that the water that we make coffee with should be filtered-water.  I first learned this lesson when my brother-in-law made coffee using filtered water and I noticed a significant difference in the taste.  Then I really noticed a difference when I used water gathered in a snow storm in my Michigan Snow Coffee trial - it was not good.  It was because of both of these experiences that I can honestly say that you can improve the taste of your coffee by improving the quality of the water that you use.  If you doubt me just make your coffee with

Do I Sell Flavored Creamers?

I was asked this while talking with someone about doing a coffee demonstration for them.  While I was not offended nor insulted I just told the client honestly, "If you are going to add flavoring to my coffee, you might as well save yourself some money and buy something inexpensive at the grocery store."


When I say this, I am not trying to be catty or snobbish but the reality is that the coffee that I sell is not cheap and if someone is just going to put flavoring in it anyway they can save themselves a few bucks and add the flavor to cheaper coffee -   The result would be the same.


The point of Anchor Bay Roast is to help people to experience the coffee that they drink - not the flavors that they add.  Coffee, especially freshly-roasted unadulterated single-origin coffee, has a wonderful flavor and many wonderful characteristics to experience in it.  Tasting coffee (properly called cupping) is akin to wine tasting in my world.  Each cup is to be recognized as a unique experience but helping people to experience their coffee is impossible if they put additives in the coffee that I prepare and serve to them.


Lots of people do not really believe me when I tell them this but good coffee does not need creamer, sugar, and or other flavors to be added because God already put all the flavor necessary in the beans that He created.  All we need is good coffee - And good coffee is often most difficult to come by.

Please Allow Me To Introduce...

I am sorry I forgot to do this earlier...


Please allow me to introduce myself,  my name is John and I roast coffee.  While I will not be so bold as to proclaim my coffee as the best in the world - it is still a very good experience.


Why is it good?  Because while the common coffee bean is a very sturdy product (remaining good after 2 years in its green state if stored in a dry and cool location) it still goes stale in just 2 weeks after being roasted.  This means that the stuff that you purchase is usually stale and often altered in order to maintain its consistent brand flavor.  With my fresh-brewed single-origin coffee it rarely tastes the same from pot to pot but it is always fresh and very yummy (if I am allowed this small boast).


My company is Anchor Bay Roasts and I would like to help you experience your coffee.

www.anchorbayroasts.com

The Coffee Goddess

I needed to roast some coffee for myself today and my daughter wants to learn the art - so I started her on her training.  She roasted her first batch of beans today to a Full-City roast- a Rwandan Bugisu.   This is not my favorite bean and I certainly would not serve it to customers, however it is a perfect bean for learning how to roast with.


She is pictured holding her first batch.  She learned how much bean to put in the roaster, how to assess its color and listen for its two-separate cracks.  As I write this she will not let me forget that we still yet need to grind and brew a cup for sampling.  


Ahhh, my little snob is blossoming...


Please visit anchorbayroasts.com and find this month's easter-egg for your chance to win FREE coffee.  This is the good stuff too, none of the bland stuff.  I figure that when you taste fresh single origin coffee that all other coffee you drink will suffer in comparison.