Barista de Casa

The past few months have been very emotional for us. Each day is met with excitement, fear then more excitement at times. The Liberty Fall Festival was very successful as we had steady lines for coffee for well over 5 hours. I was truly amazed that we were able to keep up for the most part.

We have an opportunity to take yet another leap of faith. The space right next to ours is opening up in a few weeks and we are considering moving the “coffee shop” portion over to that space. It boasts of stained concrete floors, fireplace and a bathroom! The bathroom excites me as we have currently been using one upstairs in the main house. This space screams coffee shop.

Anyway we are really considering this option. The big change is that we would be extending our hours to accommodate more customers. Also we hope to introduce espresso drinks in the near future.

Another trial opportunity also exists to start delivering coffee door to door in the Liberty area. We have several interested youth who will be assisting us. We hope to have this off the ground within the next 2 weeks.

Our greatest joy has been in meeting people. When I have the time, I simply love talking and listening to my customers. It’s our goal to share God’s Love when we can and have a genuine care for others. That’s what I enjoy the most. God has been good to us and I need to keep reminding myself of that each and every day. Thanks for your continued support.

Brandon

“Coffee futures are currently trading for $2.06 per pound and the average grocery store sells a 11.30 oz container of Folgers Ground Classic Roast Coffee for $3.99. In April of 1977, coffee reached a high of $3.38 per pound, which based on the CPI is $12.29 per pound in today’s dollars. Based on the way NIA calculates real price inflation, by eliminating geometric weighting and hedonics, coffee’s real inflation adjusted high in April of 1977 was $40.08 per pound. NIA expects coffee to reach new inflation adjusted highs this decade and if so, the average price for a 11.30 oz container of Folgers Ground Classic Roast Coffee in your grocery store will likely rise to around $77.71.” NIA Projects Future U.S. Food Prices

I don’t want to believe this recent information from the National Inflation Association (NIA). I can say that it is good to know what could happen. The current price for a 33.9 oz container of the red can is currently advertized for $8.48 in our local Wal-Mart. If the statement above is true this same container could cost up to $233.13. That’s unthinkable. We’ll do our best to give you the best coffee for the best price available. We'll keep watching!

Update 12/25

Coffee prices have continued an upward trend, and the market has generally been quiet about it. Prices have increased around .15 - .20 since the last post. Overall there has been over 60% increase in prices over the past 4 months. We do know that Kraft and Smuckers will be increasing their prices so we'll keep watching. Send us pictures of coffee prices in your area.

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.

Blogger

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