It all began one morning with Scott, Mike, and Maik sitting around a breakfast table in Nicaragua.
They were all there to work with the Miskito Indians along the Rio Coco with Project Ezra, a school project founded by Maik and others with Seek The Lamb.
“Let's begin importing Nicaragua coffee to help fund the school project, and have some fun while we are at it!” We did, with the help of many. The first was Larry Larson, who helped us figure out how to import the beans from Nicaragua . Then he roasted them in a very fine way. That was in the fall of 2004, and since then, we have searched the globe for more exquisite coffee for your tasting pleasure.
In 2008, we purchased our own roaster and set up shop in Vero Beach Florida. Fresh roasted coffee is addicting!
The beans from the Vida Joven farm in Nicaragua have a distinct taste that is probably from the ultra high altitude - 5000 feet-, and the high altitude tropical flora that surrounds the plantation. Drinking this coffee is almost like filling your mouth with a high quality ice cream, and having the melting mass coat all your taste buds on your tongue, filling your palate with creamy, cold sensations. One differance: this is hot, rather than cold. You can almost taste the butter, as this coffee flows over the palate. It is a rich, thick sensation, and the taste remains. This is a pleasant sensation, and the coffee leaves your palate asking for more. This is a world class coffee. We offer a “dark roast“, which is not a “burnt“ roast, but definitely leads you in that direction. The “light roast“ allows you to actually taste more tones in the coffee. Mix them together and you have a delicious combination which we call "Los Dos"!
In 2008, we visited our friend Carlos Fuentes in Copan Honduras, and we spent a day walking around his "finca" where his award winning coffee is grown. It was a sweet day, as is his coffee! It has the taste of almost ripe mangos when it is light roasted, and chocolate tones appear as it is roasted longer. We do a combo roast, to bring both flavors in the same bag. This coffee won third place in the Honduran National Coffee Institue competition in April! Excellent coffee!
We are tropical people, and spend most of our year either working there or looking for the next tasty bean. One of the most famous growing regions is Sumatra, a province of Indonesia, where they have the most expensive coffee in the world- currently going for over $300 a pound.
“What!“ you may ask, “is worth that kind of money?“. It is actually an animal called a luak who is an apparent coffee fanatic. They eat the ripe coffee cherries, and “process“ the beans, naturally removing the fruit and outer membranes as it passed through the gastro-intestinal tract. The locals then collect the luak droppings, clean them, and offer them for sale. Disgusting?!?!?! Yet someone is paying that price for what has been described as “coffee with an intestinal aroma. . . “ Perhaps this is the only coffee that you could taste, turn to your friend, and accurately say: “This is some good #%*@“
We want you to know that our Sumatra coffee is NOT Kaffe Luak. It is from the Gayo Mountain region that gives Sumatra it's signature taste! It is organically grown, and carries that particular Sumatran mild body, full flavor, boldness, and earthy tones. We think that this is a coffee for mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and will go well with those long rambling conversations you often have before you get back to work.
Cafe Arabica is the coffee that originated in Ethiopa, and spread across the Red Sea into the Arabian penisula. The Arab culture has turned coffee into a supreme expression of their hospitality. According to our guide on a recent camel trip in the Negev desert, the arrival of almost any stranger to the camp is the cause to break out the coffee, light some dried camel dung, and begin roasting the beans. Camel Dung??? There are few trees in the desert, and camels provide a clean, predicitable, source of fuel. Once the beans are roasted, they are placed in a wooden container with a short pole for grinding. The rythmatic knocking of the pole on the wood sends a signal throughout the oasis that a stranger has arrived, and the people gather for coffee. The grounded coffee is tossed into a traditional long spouted brass urn, the ibrik, and mixed with water and sugar and often an a spice called cardoman. After bringing the water to a boil three times in an elaborate process, the ibrik is brought to the guest, and coffee is carefully poured into small cups. If the host has taken a liking to the guest, he will serve him a second cup. If no insults are traded, and things go well, then the guest is given a third cup. By offering this third cup, the host is saying :“You may stay with me for three and a half days, and everything that is mine is yours for the using while you are here. Everything and Everyone.“ Arab culture places a very high value on hospitality. I asked our guide as we sipped this delicous Turkish style coffee: “Why three and a half days?“ He replied: “Because after this time, the host has the legal right to kill the guest, but he must give him a full day's head start before he goes after him.“ Interesting culture! Traveling and tasting coffee in some of the Mideastern countries can be thrilling, to say the least.
We met some like minded guys from Washington who are doing a community developement project in Yirgacheffe Ethiopia, and using the locally grown coffee as a means to fund it. We began puchasing green Yirgacheffe coffee from them, which has a hint of spice, chili, and chocolate, and believe it or not, all these flavors compliment each other in a very nice manner. Our Ethiopian coffee comes on strong in flavor, and keep on going to the final drop. It is a great coffee for those afternoon occasions when you are planning your next adventure, coup, or campaigning to save the world.
One pleasant surprise is the decaffeinated coffee from another famous region of Ethiopia-Djimah. We are offering this highly rated coffee to those of you who want to enjoy solid coffee flavor late at night and still get to sleep. This coffee will forever change the way you think about de-caf. It it mild bodied, yet with a complex combination of flavors and tones. “Spicy“ and “Smokey“ are adjectives that might apply. When you bring this coffee out after 10 o'clock, your friends will be suspicious, because they probably have never tasted a de-caf like this. After all, we all grew up on de-caf that was bitter at best, and often flat and tasteless. So impress them!
The most famous coffee region known in the U.S. is Columbia, which recently ahs been know also for drug cartels, revolutions, and evangelical revivals that have resulted in huge churches in many cities. We import a delicious Columbian coffee from Popayan that is is medium bodies, light acidity, with distinctive flora tones and a hint of walnut flavoring. You will enjoy this coffee!
We continue to scoure the globe in search of a coffee that will please our's and most importantly, your palate. We love to give you an exquisite coffee and take the profits and give them to a righteous cause! It is a win, win, win situation. You win, by getting great coffee a very great prices. The Miskito Indian children win, because we can use your money to pay the teacher salaries and buy supplies for their education, And we, the team of taste testers, win by having a new mission in life that takes one of our passions, and turns it into a profession! sight!
