Barista de Casa

My 9 year old, Trenton, is one of the most creative kids in the world. The other day he found some wheels off of an old toy grocery cart, and he was set to build a dolly. He visited the garage and found a small piece of plywood, and was ready to build.

So we went to Home Depot to find some nuts to use, but found out that one of his wheels had the threads stripped. So we ended up buying some new wheels, and I couldn’t leave out my 7 year old. So we purchased 2 sets of wheels.

Within minutes of getting home both boys were off to the garage to build their dollies. I helped drill some starter holes so they could screw in the wheels. 15 minutes later the project was done. I never imagined that such a small project could bring so much joy for a kid. They carted things around all day long.

We may never know what impact these little projects have on our children. The fact is that us dad’s need to take the time for our kids, even though it may seem small to us. I have to remind myself of that thought each and every day. So next week I’m sure there will be a new and exciting project, but I’ll do my best to help out however I can.

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One of my favorite types of candy is the infamous Jelly Belly. I especially like the popcorn and coffee flavors of course. I’m not sure why, but the popcorn seems to be the most identifiable flavor of all. But that’s candy, not coffee.

I’ve recently been asked if I sell any “flavored coffee”. “My husband just loves hazelnut coffee,” said one potential patron. While I do enjoy a good caramel macchiato on occasion; I do find it very difficult to add flavoring to fresh roasted coffee. For me the caramel flavoring helps dissolve the burnt coffee offered at the corner coffee shop.

What most people fail to realize is that coffee is very flavorful, and cupping coffee is an art in of itself. I am just beginning to learn the various nuances of the smells and tastes of fine coffee. Recently my wife purchased an iced coffee from a well known fast food restaurant. She told me that something just wasn’t right about it. I took a sip. It had a great flavor and plenty of sugar and chocolate, but I could taste a small trace of alkaline in her cup. Once I told her, she could recognize it. Should coffee really taste like the tip of a 9 volt battery covered in chocolate?

I have made a conscience decision to not sell flavored or altered forms of coffee in my roasting business. The main reason is that once you have fresh roasted coffee there is nothing that compares to the already flavorful taste. There are so many variables of flavor in any single origin of coffee, that it would be a waste in my opinion to mask the true taste. Flavored coffee is a lie in of itself as it is merely masking poor quality coffee while still promoting high priced brew. It’s just as bad as soaking a tough steak in a chemical based tenderizer.

Wake up and really smell the coffee! Flavored coffee is a bait and switch. It may look good, smell good and be drinkable; however it’s still not what your pallet could truly afford. I challenge you to stop drinking stale, flavored brew and see what fresh roasted coffee could do for you.

Brandon Gott www.baristadecasa.com

Some great articles have been posted over the past few months on The Atlantic Food Channel's website.

I guarantee that once a person tries Fresh Roasted Coffee they will not be too excited to go back to the red can.

On my way home last evening I heard a sound that most of us dread. It was a subtle hissing noise and for a second I didn’t quite know what it was. I soon found out that my front driver’s side tire was quickly loosing air. I was on the Interstate so I came to a safe stop on the shoulder of the highway. I realized that I was in a pretty bad location as cars might not see me when they speed through the curve behind me. My first action was to call *55 and have the Highway Patrol come out as I was extremely nervous to change a tire with 70 mph traffic at my backside. I did my best to move the car further off the shoulder so that I could have as many inches as possible. My next thought was to exit the vehicle and begin making preparations for a quick tire change. After all I did not want to tie up a trooper for my non-emergency flat tire. Once I completed the preparations I waited for 15 minutes or so and still no Missouri Highway Patrol. Thoughts went through my head suggesting that I could go ahead and change the tire without the assistance. After all I even saw 2 police cars drive by and they did not give a second thought to assist me. I still tried to remain patient in waiting. Within a few more minutes I saw a familiar car pull up in front of my car. It was my friend Tim. What a coincidence I thought. Tim walked back and was ready to help. I voiced my concerns to Tim and he joked that he would yell if he saw a car in our path. That still did not make me feel too comfortable. We waited about 5 more minutes to see if the trooper would get there, but still no additional help had come. Tim went ahead and watched my back per se as I gave it the old boy scout try of getting my sliced up tire off and placing my spare on. I think that I completed it in record fashion, and I felt like I could join a Nascar pit crew. I say all of that to say this next paragraph and to reflect on this question. “Why did God allow me to get a flat tire?”

I arrived home in just a few more minutes and yes I did remember to cancel the Highway Patrol. When I walked into the house I had a living room full of legos, and the kids were building like true construction workers. Soon after I arrived home we received a phone call informing us that some friends of ours were requesting prayer for their daughter who was having a medical emergency. Within the next 15 minutes we received another call informing us that our friend’s almost 7 year old daughter had died. I was immediately drawn back to the thought of my own immortality, and the thought that I need to evaluate what is truly important.

I had a small lesson yesterday in knowing that we are not in control of our circumstances. We do not know how much time God has granted us on this earth. I feel for our friends who are dealing with this tragic death. There is no way that I could offer them words of encouragement other than just letting them know that we care and that we are praying for God’s Grace in their lives. I may never know why I left work a 3:30, and why I had a flat tire at 3:55, and why I had the patience to wait and why it just so happened that a friend of mine was driving by and saw me with my flat tire. And we may never know why a family has to go through a premature death of a child, but we can learn to at least recognize that our time is limited. The time that we take to spend with those we love is invaluable, and we will never know when that last time may come. So in the mean time I know that I need to make time for Legos , and enjoy my time with my children and my family while I have it. Please pray that God’s Grace and Peace may be upon the Osborne Family, and that God would be glorified through this tragedy.