About a year ago, I picked up my first bag of “The Bean Coffee Company” coffee at my nephew’s school PTA fundraiser sale.  I always try to support the school, and I was so happy to see them selling a product other than cookies, overpriced candy items etc. that we usually ended up giving away. 

To my surprise, antioxidant organic coffee is delicious.  It’s 100% organic, full of antioxidants and tastes as good as any of the expensive blends we’ve bought at the specialty stores. At the sale, they offered the popular “California Bean” which is a French roast and it was ground, which we usually avoid.  Since then, we found The Bean web site and have they had so many great blends, teas, soy drinks, flavor powders and our favorite California Bean in whole bean form and to top it off it’s healthy coffee. 

This year, we’re using The Bean Coffee Roasters web site to do most of our Christmas shopping.  The prices are very reasonable and I can’t imagine anyone returning a great gift like fresh coffee.  Even my mother-in-law should be pleased with her Unleaded Decaf, 100% organic, antioxidant coffee  gift.  Now if I could just get her to stop giving us those fruitcakes every year—

The Bean coffee roasters, roasts in small batches so they can ship just what you choose almost immediately and it will be very fresh when it arrives.  We order whole beans because we love the aroma when we grind them each time.  Our favorites are the Premium Espresso for our morning espresso because it’s a very rich, dark and smooth blend.  For drip coffee, we like the California Bean, which is apparently one of their most popular blends.

We enjoyed the Holiday Blend last year.  It has a hint of cinnamon, which gives it a great aroma and brings back memories of Christmases past.  We’ve decided to order some extra antioxidant coffee for this holiday because it will make an easy hostess gift and something to have on hand as a last-minute stocking stuffer gift for neighbors and friends who stop in unexpectedly.  Who wouldn’t want a gift like that?  I guess we’ll order the ground coffee for gifts, in case our friends aren’t as fanatical as we are.  Some of them may appreciate a ready grind!

The Bean Coffee Company” has found a way to capture high antioxidant levels in its fresh roasted organic coffee and has been found to be the best antioxidant coffee you can get.  One of our favorite is their Espresso Coffee Blend because it not only makes a delicious, quality espresso shot, but it also makes a very smooth and rich coffee in our drip coffee maker.   

We feel better about drinking healthy antioxidant coffee. “The Bean Coffee Company” makes a superior tasting coffee and I plan to continue drinking it with the knowledge that it’s good for me. I can order it on-line, so it will always be here and fresh, unlike the coffee that sits on the grocery shelves.

For more information contact www.thebeancoffeecompany.com

Every student has experienced it, at least by this point in the year, a night when the only answer seems to be that irresistible shot of our favorite java. Yes that cup of coffee is essential but if you are going to have any coffee why can’t it be good? Organic? or fair-trade? Here are some great spots around town, where do your lips part to take in that magic elixir?

Best Caffeine Fix?
(polls)

After a fun-filled Spanish class at Carleton University (we explored the past tense for the first time if you’re curious) I ventured off to a venue of somewhat mythic appeal in little China town. Raw Sugar Cafe, located at 692 Somerset, is an edgy, yet homey, coffeshop that offers more then just a sweet treat to its customers.

The characteristics that make this cafe not only a great eating experience but an event in itself are the endless details to be found in this warm and friendly environment. From the wide array of chairs to the variety of coffee mugs that come with the excellent organic fair-trade coffee. At the present moment the Raw Sugar Cafe is also hosting a great Photography photovoice project brought to the cafe by by the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Family Literacy Program, which according to Raw Sugar’s Facebook page was completed by families living in the Ottawa area.

A Facebook advertisement for the cafe reads “Unrefined…just the way we like it.” and is testament to the local art, great bands, and fantastic treats the cafe has to offer.

Cafe by day, this local is also a hidden venue for less mainstream talent in Ottawa’s little China town. This month artists like Clair and Jon Reilly-Roe and Giant Hand will be brining great tunes to this rocking establishment.

Although a great spot I do have some complaints. Firstly for a place that calls itself a coffee shop I was disappointed to find that there was really only one size of coffee. Also Although a variety of great treats there was a lack of meal-like options (still, GREAT carrot cake). As well, for what appeared to a be a warm cafe from the outside window, on this somewhat bitter Tuesday morning in Ottawa, the establishment felt like it was lacking a heater altogether.

I cannot wait to return to Raw Sugar Cafe and see the restaurant in full swing, perhaps even this Friday night when Clair and Jon Reilly-Roe play at 9pm.

Great Day | Scribe,Prophet & Environmental Guru.

We do a lot of searching on the Internet for various items that interest us and sometimes just for fun. We have always been very health conscious and we love coffee.  

Quite by accident we came upon a web site for The Bean Coffee Company.  Because we always enjoy trying new coffees, and frankly, because this company sells only 100% organic coffee and it’s loaded with antioxidants, we decided to give healthy coffee a try. 

We started with what they called the “Roastmaster’s Choice” and allowed them to send us 2 different roasts each month so we could try different blends and decide which ones we liked best.

 The Bean coffee roasters, roasts in small batches so they can ship just what you choose almost immediately and it will be very fresh when it arrives.  We order whole beans because we love the aroma when we grind them each time.  Our favorites are the Premium Espresso for our morning espresso because it’s a very rich, dark and smooth blend.  For drip coffee, we like the California Bean, which is apparently one of their most popular blends.

We enjoyed the Holiday Blend last year.  It has a hint of cinnamon, which gives it a great aroma and brings back memories of Christmases past.  We’ve decided to order some extra antioxidant coffee for this holiday because it will make an easy hostess gift and something to have on hand as a last-minute stocking stuffer gift for neighbors and friends who stop in unexpectedly.  Who wouldn’t want a gift like that?  I guess we’ll order the ground coffee for gifts, in case our friends aren’t as fanatical as we are.  Some of them may appreciate a ready grind!

The Bean Coffee Company” has found a way to capture high antioxidant levels in its fresh roasted organic coffee and has been found to be the best antioxidant coffee you can get.  One of our favorite is their Espresso Coffee Blend because it not only makes a delicious, quality espresso shot, but it also makes a very smooth and rich coffee in our drip coffee maker.   

We feel better about drinking healthy antioxidant coffee. “The Bean Coffee Company” makes a superior tasting coffee and I plan to continue drinking it with the knowledge that it’s good for me. I can order it on-line, so it will always be here and fresh, unlike the coffee that sits on the grocery shelves.

For more information contact www.thebeancoffeecompany.com

The fertility of the soil is apparently excellent; the house where we had lunch was surrounded by hydrangas bigger than my head.

Saturday we went for a tour of the coffee production and social development projects with the UCA Miraflor, a cooperative of 45 producers.  The UCA is also an eco-tourism project, which helps members build cabins or improve the conditions of their house to have a room to rent to tourists.  Some of my friends from the states who stayed with a family for a few nights said it was one of the best things they did here.

Marlon shows off a variety of lemon that is also nearly the size of my head. The producer received a mess of trees from a project and mostly gives them away - social capital.

The purpose of our trip was mostly to look at their coffee production and see how it could be improved.  Miraflor is a national reserve, filled with an amazing diversity of wildlife and plants.  Chico, the Manager of the coffee production, is at heart an avid bird watcher and even though it rained all day and he didn’t have any raingear, he chose to stay on the back of the pickup with his binoculars, banging frantically on the roof so we could stop and get out whenever he saw an exciting specimen.  Marlon, one of the tecnics, also came with us, and Carlos, the president of the cooperative, joined us at the cupping lab and for lunch.

Miraflor was rainy, damp, and by the end of the day the coldest I have been in Nicaragua.  At lunch I could see my breath for the first time in nearly ten months.  Spanish moss dripping from trees and buildings gave the gray day and even gloomier mystical feeling.   Every tree carried more than its load of epiphytes and orchids in addition to the spanish moss.  The farms we visited were impressively diverse as well, with coffee, bananas, plantains, citrus trees, chayote squash, cattle, and extensive patio vegetable gardens that are promoted by one of the UCA projects for food sovereignty and nutrition.

Fince Fuente la Vida where we had a delicious lunch and I got to hover over the fire in the kitchen with the women serving food.

The big achievement of the day was discussing and agreeing to produce a trial batch of ten sacks of ‘naturally dried’ coffee.

Chico in the cupping lab where we sampled Miraflor organic coffee.

Most of the coffee in Nicaragua is fermented and washed at a ‘wet beneficio’ to remove the fruit from around the coffee bean, and then the bean is dried at a ‘dry beneficio’ before being exported as green coffee.  Naturally dried coffee, which is actually an older method of producing coffee, dries the whole coffee cherry like a raisin, and after about 12 days when it is good and dry the fruit is then removed from the bean by pounding it.  There is a difference in the finished product, because the bean absorbs a different flavor from the fruit when they are dried together.  Recently Mickey from Salt Spring coffee in Canada expressed interest in purchasing naturally dried coffee for using in expressos, opening up a new export market for a product generally considered lower quality.

Dolores, one of the women who have a new 'fogon' with a chimney and flu. She is stripping wild grapes that her family had just harvested. Small as wild blueberries and delicious. Even the cat likes the new stove setup.

The UCA has also has a myriad of social and environmental projects in addition to the vegetable gardens.  They have installed solar panels, build improved stoves that burn less wood and have chimney and flu systems to keep houses free of smoke, funded coffee plantation renovations, build schools, and are in the process of building small improved ‘wet beneficios’ with an improved water filtration system to reduce contamination at individual farms.  At the end of the day it was so cold and we were so wet it was hard to absorb so much interesting and positive information.  Their list of activities kept going on and on, and when we thought we had gotten them all notated they would casually mention something else that sparked our interest.  Luckily the city of Estili is a close half hour drive, and the muddy rough roads not so bad at all.   This is an excellent part about dealing with sometimes rough travelling conditions here: if I’d never left Leon this year I never would have thought a hot shower in Nicaragua would be so delicious.

Adolfo Mareno Guttierez, a coffee producer who just received a new beneficio which will conserve water and reduce the contamination normally produced by wet processing coffee. Every farmer had several varieties of coffee. Adolfo had one that is yellow instead of red when ripe; which I had never seen before.

Our roaster, Andrew Barnett from Ecco Caffe in Sonoma County, California recently shared his pictures of his trip to Ethiopia to visit with the growers that are the beginning of the process that results in our great tasting coffee.

Andrew Barnett

As a Certified Organic and Fair Trade coffee roaster, Ecco Caffe sources directly from growers and importers focused on phenomenal quality who are known to be socially and environmentally responsible.

Farmers at the Ethiopian, Yirgacheffe Konga Co-op. The coffee from this cooperative is organic and fair trade certified.

Drying and Sorting Beans

The cooperative is comprised of 183 family members. The average coffee plot is 1.25 acres and is grown at over 6, 000 feet.

Our Organic Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Konga Co-op Reserve is brewed fresh and has an intoxicating peak of season, vine-ripened peach and floral aromatics. They flow into exceptional clarity and graceful and rounded acidity. Luxuriously balanced stone fruit notes and sweetness are found in the finish. Ethiopia’s Yirgacheffe region is renowned for its beauty, friendly people, fertile growing conditions, and phenomenal coffee. Farmers at the Konga Co-op artfully sort only the ripest red coffee cherries in crafting this gem. Coffee Review selected this coffee “Best of the Bay Area” and awarded it First Place with 93 points.

Stop in today and try this award-winning coffee. If we aren’t brewing this coffee the day you come in, just ask for a pour over (a cup of coffee brewed fresh just for you). We also sell whole coffee bean and will grind to your specifications if you wish.

Peppercorn Natural Foods in Plymouth offers a comprehensive range of natural foods and great service. Their selection of natural products includes organic coffee, bulk spices, gluten free products, hormone free meats, organic produce, European breads, gourmet teas and their own maple syrup.

I love coffee.  I am used to start my day with a cup of coffee.  As I grow older and even more older, I like experimenting new and different coffee flavors.  In contrast to most belief, recent researchers have found out that coffee too is a good source of antioxidant.

Just today, I discover a new caffeine-free coffee “Teeccino,” it is being marketed in the US and Canada.  Their website stated that Teeccino is giving FREE COFFEE.  I am not quite sure if they can deliver to other countries but I just try my luck of registering for such freebie.

Hope my Teeccino Jave Flavored Coffee be delivered to me.  I will be updating this post as to the result of my request.

You may try for a FREE SAMPLE

FURTHER makes soap with Batali’s Gourmet Grease

Mario along with partners Nancy Silverton and Joe Bastianich have teamed up with Marshall Dostal, the founder of FURTHER Soap to cart away 1600 gallons of waste grease each month from Mozza. The depleted vegetable oil will be converted into biodiesel and the remaining glycerin will be purified to become FURTHER Soap. The biodiesel will be used to fuel the two Dostal family cars, and the Batali-infused FURTHER hand soap will be returned to Mozza’s bathrooms. Patrons will dine on Mozza’s gourmet fare and then wash with FURTHER — participating in a perfect, sustainable circle.

Natural Handcrafted Soap

Offered better Coffee Soap for less money , Brazilian coffee grinds absorb garlic and onion smell off your fingers, we recommened this soap as a hand, and foot scrub soap. A must in the kitchen and shower.

Coffee growing under rainforest canopy

The coffee shrub is native to the rainforests of Ethiopia. Introduced to Brazil by the mid-1700s, coffee plantations today cover an estimated 7 million acres in the northern Neotropics from Columbia and Brazil to Mexico. Traditionally, coffee has been grown on the side of mountains, where it thrives in the shade of trees and provides habitat for both native species and wintering migratory birds.

In the 1930s, ornithologist Ludlow Griscom noted that the birds found in shaded coffee plantations varied little from those found in undisturbed forest. Since then, studies have confirmed that not only birds, but also mammals, reptiles, and insects thrive on shade coffee plantations. As rainforest in the Neotropics continues to disappear, shade coffee plantations have become a vital resource for birds and other wildlife.

Sun-grown coffee plantation (Photo credit: wikipedia)

But coffee grows slowly. Coffee bushes take 3 to 4 years to mature. Over the last 20 years, coffee growers have been replacing traditional varieties with new, high yielding, sun-tolerant varieties. Full-sun farming requires the removal of the forest and replaces it with a virtual biological desert. Without the forest birds to eat insects, and decaying materials to feed the plants, sun-grown coffee requires the heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers. At least half of the coffee grown in the Neotropics has been converted to full sun. You can read more about coffee plantations at Coffee and Conversation.

Buying shade-grown coffee is probably the most important thing you can do to help save the rainforest and protect migratory birds. A number of brands of certified shade-grown coffee are readily available. Many of the grocery stores in southern Ontario carry Kicking Horse coffee in their organic section. When you drink a cup of shade-grown, organic, fair-trade coffee, you are getting your day off to a good start! You can practically feel the glow of a halo as you contribute to these important causes! All by enjoying a great cup of coffee! What could be better?

Fair trade and organic coffees are not necessarily shade-grown. Look for the shade-grown certification to be certain. If you can’t find shade grown coffee in your local supermarket, try specialty stores and organic foodstuff sellers. You can also purchase shade-grown coffee easily online.
Some other brands I found locally include the following:

Foodsmiths coffee is packaged for a local organics store by Creemore Coffee Company. You can buy shade-grown coffee directly from Creemore Coffee at creemorecoffee.com.

You can buy shade-grown coffee from Salt Spring Coffee at saltspringcoffee.com.

Another online source is Birds and Beans Coffee.

Still drinking instant??? Most instant coffee is made from the poorest, sun-grown beans. If you purchase an inexpensive one-cup or small-pot coffeemaker, brewing the real thing is very fast. You can enjoy a better cup of coffee and help the birds with a minimum effort. Wake up and smell the coffee!

The Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) is a bird seen around Willow House in the summer that is often found on shade-grown coffee plantations in the winter.

An introductory preview of the sustainable movement, beginning with the organic movement and discussing the needs for global consciousness.  This website, cafehound.com will evaluate the theory and methodologies of some of the people that speak in this video with the goal of contributing to the formulation of objective and credible sustainability standards for the agricultural industry worldwide.  It all begins with coffee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gObzERrtTCs

leitmotif \LYT-moh-teef\, noun:  A dominant and recurring theme – e.g. David Lynch is crap.

David Lynch confirms he has officially jumped the shark by releasing his own brand of organic coffee.

I just had a mental image of David Lynch’s fans riding a can of David Lynch organic coffee like Slim Pickins on the bomb at the end of Dr Strangelove – and the coffee and his fans disappear into outer space.

I laughed and I am happy.

Yours, while admiring my man hooters

Righteous

p.s. guns don’t kill people, lasers do

Many people have turned to organic fruits and vegetables (and even meats) in recent years, striving to live healthier, longer lives. You may be one of these people. But did you know that organic coffee is now available, too? If you can’t find it at your local health food store, then you can definitely find it online.

How Organic Coffee Differs From Traditional Coffee

The coffee plant has traditionally been grown in the company of shade trees and other food and cash crops. This approach made for healthier soil and prevented water contamination. Unfortunately, many coffee growers have abandoned this approach in favor of larger crops and hence larger profits. However, synthetic pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers have become necessary to maintain these crops, and along with them the taste of the coffee has suffered, the soil has suffered, and no one knows the potential impact they may have on the future health of the coffee consumer.

In addition, the loss of the shade trees has had a direct impact on migratory song birds. While an obvious connection may not immediately come to mind, the relationship has actually been symbiotic. These birds used the shade trees as their habitat as they migrated, and as a result they provided a natural defense against many of the bugs and pests that can ruin a coffee crop. Without them, pesticides must be used to do the job.

Unlike the large, commercial coffee plantations, organic coffees are generally grown on small farms with plenty of shade cover. There are plenty of migratory birds to control insects, and pesticides are unnecessary. In fact, the United States requires that organic coffees be grown on shaded land and be completely chemical free for three consecutive years.

Tips For A Great Cup of Organic Coffee

Whole beans should be used within a week of purchase in order to enjoy the full flavor of the coffee.

Avoid vacuum-packed coffee, even organic vacuum-packed coffee. The process of vacuum packing cannot be done immediately after roasting. The coffee must sit for nearly a week before it can be vacuum-packed. This degrades much of the flavor.

Coffee beans should be stored in an airtight container, not on the shelf in the paper bag you brought them home with from the store. And in order to enjoy the full flavor of the coffee, you should grind only the amount you intend to use just before brewing.

Whole coffee beans that will be stored longer than a week should be placed in an airtight glass container that’s kept in the freezer.

As with any coffee blend, organic or not, grind the beans according to the brewing method you intend to use. Keep in mind that if you grind your beans too fine your coffee may end up bitter and muddy; if you don’t grind them enough, your coffee may end up flavorless.

Often overlooked, many people consider the most important step toward a good cup of coffee to be the proportion of water to coffee. Experts recommend 2 tablespoons for every 6 ounces of water.

In Conclusion

While you will pay more for organic coffee, just as you’ll generally pay more for organic fruits and vegetables, choosing organic coffee promotes the environment, the health of the coffee grower, and your health, too. Just as important for coffee drinkers everywhere: organic coffee tastes as good if not better than non-organic coffee.

What is organic coffee? Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic farmers use only methods and materials allowed in organic production.

What does it mean to be certified organic? In order for coffee to be certified and sold as organic in the United States, it must be produced in accordance with U.S. standards for organic production and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. requirements for organic coffee production include:

1. It must have been grown on land without synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for three years.
2. There must have been a sufficient buffer between the organic coffee and the nearest conventional crop.
3. The farmer must have a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of soil nutrients, and control for pests.

What is the size of the U.S. organic coffee market? Organic Trade Association data shows that organic coffee sales in the United States amounted to approximately $89 million in 2005, up 40.4 percent from the previous year.2 Data collected by ACNielsen during 2005 show organic coffee sales increased 54 percent through Nov. 6, compared to the same period in 2004, while non-organic coffee sales increased just 8.5 percent. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), at least 56 percent of U.S. specialty coffee firms sell certified organic coffee.

Given the current popularity of Starbucks and other specialty coffees, it may be surprising that U.S. per capita coffee consumption is only half of what it was in the mid-1940s. Man, was I surprised when I found this out. You would think with all the Starbucks and their competitors on every corner that coffee consumption had gone through the roof. ERS’s food availability data, a proxy for consumption, show a rise and fall in coffee consumption over the past century. Per capita availability of coffee in the United States peaked in 1946 at 46.4 gallons per person, compared with 24.2 gallons in 2005.

During the first half of the century, U.S. coffee companies sought to provide consumers with a consistent, convenient product for home use and to expand their markets through innovative production and marketing strategies. Instant coffee, first introduced in 1938, was issued to American soldiers during World War II, fueling an appreciation for its convenience. The companies paired technological advances, such as vacuum packaging and freeze drying, with giveaway offers and catchy advertising slogans like Good to the Last Drop. Per capita availability of coffee rose 78 percent between 1910 and 1950.

So why the post-War downturn? One likely cause is the increased availability of alternative beverages, particularly carbonated soft drinks. According to U.S. Bureau of the Census data, estimated consumption of carbonated soft drinks stood at 10.8 gallons per person in 1947. It then began a long steep rise over the next half century or so, hitting 51.5 gallons per person in 2005. Coffee historians have speculated about other reasons for declining coffee consumption since WWII, such as changing lifestyles and adjustments to blending and roasting practices.

Data on per capita coffee availability are starting to reflect the growing popularity of specialty coffees. Declining supermarket sales of coffee have been offset by increases in coffee consumption away from home. Private market research data show sales at coffeehouses increased by 97 percent between 1998 and 2003. Per capita coffee availability has risen almost 20 percent since its recent low in 1995. Upscale coffee shops appear to have hit the mark for affluent coffee drinkers desire for a cafe atmosphere that serves diverse, quality coffee and coffee beverages, such as lattes, cappuccino, espresso, and frozen coffees.

So why would I want to drink organic coffee? I guess the bottom-line is that it is free of chemicals. Lord knows I put enough chemicals in my body from eating processed foods. I am your typical American, overweight, and enjoy eating foods that are preserved with preservatives that I can’t even pronounce. My daddy would tell me of the times when he lived on a farm and how they used what they had to preserve their foods. Anyway, drinking coffee that is organic seems like a good idea. I guess I will have to go out and buy me some so I can experience organic coffee. At least I am not one of the people who are contributing to the less consumption of coffee in the United States.

On Sunday, August 23rd, the CEO of The Bean, Janis Okerlund, will stand before “The 5 Sharks” of ABC’s newest reality show…”The Shark Tank”…

if you haven’t seen this show yet, you need to tune in! It’s very entertaining. It is produced by Mark Burnett, executive producer of Survivor and The Apprentice….(from ABC.com)

“Shark Tank, an exciting, new reality show that gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true and become successful — and possibly wealthy — business people. But the entrepreneurs must first try to convince five tough, multi-millionaire tycoons to part with their own hard-earned cash and give them the funding they need to jumpstart their ideas.

In these trying economic times, it’s difficult for an individual possessing a dream or even a working small business poised for growth to get a loan for a risky venture. Whether it be an imaginative enhancement for an existing product, a family recipe that has all the ingredients to become a profitable culinary treat, or the latest technological gadget that could take the world by storm, most of these dreams die an early death because no one dared take a financial chance on someone with an unproven and oftentimes outrageous proposal. Many of these people now see Shark Tank as their last chance at success. Some have been laboring on their ideas for years or even decades, have invested large amounts of money, and are being pressured to throw in the towel by friends and family. Others have simply never had access to the means to live out their dreams, until now. Enter the Sharks of Shark Tank– five multi-millionaires who lifted themselves up by their bootstraps to make their own entrepreneurial dreams come true and turned their ideas into empires.

Each week, ambitious entrepreneurs from across the country will present their breakthrough business concepts, products, properties and services to the panel of ruthless investors. Their goal is to convince these merciless moguls to invest their own dollars in the concept. Convincing real-life millionaires to part with their own money is no easy task, because when the idea is poor, the Sharks will tear into the ill-prepared presenters and pass on the idea with a simple, “I’m out!” — sending them running for the exit.

But these Sharks aren’t just out for blood, they too have a goal: to own a piece of the next big idea. Entrepreneurs will be asked to give up a percentage of their companies’ equity to the Sharks in order to get the investment they need. But when the Sharks hear a really top-notch idea, and more than one of them wants to sink their teeth into it, a war between them will erupt. Then the once-desperate entrepreneur can rejoice when the Sharks reveal their true interest in the product and bid up the price of the investment.”

Only Janis currently knows what the actual outcome was. She shot the episode on Thursday Aug 13th, and is under a “Gag Order” not to reveal what deal she made…or did she? Tune in to ABC Sunday, August 23rd, at 9pm and find out with us.

Regardless of the outcome, The Bean Coffee Company will never be the same from here on out. National exposure is a key moment in any products life, and we know it was a part of the show to have “The Sharks“  taste the product on air. With the amazing responses we get every day to the flavor, aroma, and easy drinkabilty (because fo its Low Acidity) of our coffee, we know people will come by the website and try some for themselves…

The Bean Guy

We often hear about organic-this and organic-that, but most people don’t know what that term means or why is it important to our ever-changing world. In food related matters, organic refers to the way a product is grown. Organic agriculture utilizes conservation practices that protect water, air, and soil – all of which are certainly is an investment in the future of our planet. Additionally, organic products are grown without using chemically based pesticides and fertilizers. By choosing to purchase products such as organic coffee, you are essentially doing a good thing both for yourself and for the planet. Organic coffee growers go to great lengths to insure there are no synthetics, preservatives, or additives in their product. In doing so, they produce some of the best coffee in the world.

Organic coffee is the healthiest form of coffee available. The rich bodied, whole coffee bean is full of antioxidants, has no synthetics, preservatives, or additives, and contains natural enzymes. If that isn’t enough, when the organic whole bean is ground and brewed properly, the taste transcends any other conventionally grown coffee bean. Organic coffee growers can be found around the globe, from Kenya, Africa, to Kona, Hawaii. The whole bean product comes to us from Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Columbia, and Ethiopia. Whole coffee beans can be blended with other flavors and can be caffeinated or not. An amazing product and certainly the best way to start the day!

Deciding how to go about getting the best cup of brewed organic coffee begins with an understanding of the equipment necessary to make the perfect cup. Most people know whether they are looking for a cup of black coffee or something a little more sophisticated, like a latte or espresso. No matter the outcome, it all starts with the bean and the coffee grinder. The grinder is used to turn the roasted coffee beans into a usable form and the consistency of the grinding needs to match the brewing method. A simple rule of thumb is to use a coarse grind for coffee exposed to heated water for a longer period of time. A fine grind is used for brewing espresso coffee. Essentially, when using a coffee grinder, a person can control the length of time and degree of grind, thus ensuring the best cup of coffee for their personal taste.

The next step to the perfect cup of organic coffee is deciding upon the coffee maker or espresso maker to best meet individual preferences. There are lots of great products on the market and it bears researching the top machines available to help produce the award-winning cup of latte, or espresso. There really aren’t words to describe the aroma of the perfectly ground and brewed cup of organic coffee. The overwhelming satisfaction of treating yourself to the perfect roast and blend of organic beans is sublime. Experimenting with the different types of organic whole beans available is fun and rewarding as well!

Spend your time and money on the perfect whole beans, the right coffee grinder and a great coffee machine. You won’t be sitting in the drive through line at the local coffee joint once you make this investment! Your organic coffee adventure awaits you.

Nope, better!  Vitalicious!  Look what I had waiting for me when I arrived home from work:

made my day

The wonderful Katie with Vitalicious Foods sent me a sample package complete with 10 different flavors of VitaTops and a box of VitaBrownies!!! I am so excited to try these.  The delicious multibran flavor made its way into my tummy in MD a couple years ago when I was deadset on putting anything portion controlled and calorie restricted in my mouth.  I remember that they were a delight and definitely did NOT taste like diet food, so I was so disappointed to not be able to locate them in Memphis!  I ate the multibran flavor with breakfast, but I am eager to try the other flavors (particularly the chocolate varieties–chocolate fig?!) for dessert substitutions and in parfaits like the lovely Janetha.  I want to be sure to make my conclusions this time based on taste and nutrition value versus strictly the fact that they are 100 calories.  The plan is to try all, or most, of the flavors and then give my full review.  Yay!

Thanks to all of you that are now following me on Twitter!  I am getting addicted to the thing.  I might just turn into this little guy pretty soon.

Woops!  I guess I already did.  (Hey, you do what you can without photoshop, ok?  And yes, I really did just put my head on a Twitter bird.  Don’t judge.)

So when I’m not chirping (?), I am eating!  Back to yesterday’s eats:

I made creamy banana oats (1/4 cup oats, 1 cup water, 1 banana in the MB) and topped them with 1/4 of my pb/banana cupcake and 1-2 tbsp. smooth Barney Butter.

with new organic joe

that looks like this

And eventually it got all mixed together for a total creamy, melty, peanut-buttery, banana-y, yummy experience:

Since that definitely wasn’t enough sugar for this girl, I had a cinnamony apple a little bit later.

jazz and cinn

Putting cinnamon on fruit is a new obsession.  The otherwise unsweet cinnamon totally takes on the sugar from the fruit and it’s a divine combination.

Ordinarily, I love to have my sweets in the morning because it puts a smile on my face and gets the day off on the right track.  Not to mention, that my body has the entire day to burn it off.  But yesterday, having a cupcake in the morning threw my eats off completely.  I was snacky and craving even more sugar for the rest of the day.  So, Wednesday continued with:

lots of this

a little bit of this

and this pathetic excuse for dinner: grilled chicken, carrots, and spinach&artichoke hummus

Plus a lot of munching while babysitting.  Pretzels, raisinets, ice cream…in a cone!  Yes, I was watching Toy Story and making prank phone calls with a five year old while my roommates went out and enjoyed Elvis Week festivities.  Last night, at the Flying Saucer, was Brew Hawaii Night (for those of you who aren’t Elvis fans that’s a play on Blue Hawaii, a movie in which Elvis stars).  There was an Elvis impersonator and as usual it was “buy the beer, take the glass” night, but this time the glass was a special Elvis edition.  I told Ally I wasn’t upset that I couldn’t go so long as I could use the glass for my smoothie to make cute blog pics.  She happily obliged.

usual avocado-banana mix smoothie

s and b berries with cinn and a side of urban outfitters

Plus two cups of coffee.

in TWO different mugs!

I found some things to go on my “to buy with first paycheck” list, right alongside rent, utilities, and cable.

Oh Urban, how I love thee.  Do you think they can send me a sample package, since they aren’t in Memphis either?!  A girl can dream…

I went to spinning this morning, which was extra special because my roommate, Kathleen, joined me!  It wasn’t the usual instructor, so the jams were a bit off and it wasn’t as intense as usual, but Kath said she really enjoyed it so I was glad!  I cut out of the class before they did the weights so I could go upstairs to do more on my own.  By the time I was finished, I had worked up quite the appetite so the smoothie and fruit were warmly welcomed!

Lunch today was eaten at the office.  No picture.  But before I left for work, I tried this guy:

tropical fruit larabar

It was eaten while glancing over the jobs Ally had circled for me in the Flyer.  Thanks, Mom!

I honestly don’t think that it’s possible for me to dislike a Larabar, so I did enjoy this.  On the other hand, it didn’t knock my socks off.  Other than the Key Lime Pie, which is my favorite, I prefer the nut and savory flavored Larabars like Cashew Cookie, Coconut Cream Pie, and Pistachio (rather than the fruity ones).  What are your favorite flavors?

To round out today’s eats, I had a delicious dinner that I have been wanting to try for a while now.  I bought a bunch of kale earlier this week mainly for the purpose of making kale chips.  After disliking it in my green monsters, I was left with a lot of kale and nothing new to do with it.  Then I remembered everyone talking about massaged kale salad.  And, voila!  Dinner was served.

I massaged the kale with 1/2 of an avocado, a drizzle of olive oil, s&p, and a dash of garlic salt.  Then, I mixed in some sauteed portabellas, chopped raw red onion, roasted red peppers, and pumpkin goat cheese.  It amazed me how much the avocado and olive oil softened the kale!  It had a flavor that was entirely new to me and so good!  The goat cheese melted in a little with the help of the hot portabellas, so altogether the dish was very creamy.  I don’t know if I’ve ever described a salad as creamy before!  I paired it with a microwaved sweet potato.  I was too hungry to wait for it to bake in the oven, even though it probably would’ve been better that way.  Anyway, this meal was perfect.

For dessert, I caught up on the latest happenings in the Memphis Flyer and enjoyed a fudgy peanut butter cup VitaTop with a dollop of Fiber One vanilla yogurt.  Ick.  Horrible combo.  I am going to have to give this VitaTop flavor another shot (good thing I have two!) because the Fiber One ruined it entirely.  What was I thinking?!  The vanilla flavored yogurt is disgusting and I should just throw it out.  I have been trying to salvage it in any way possible, hence why I attempted using just a little bit at a time, but I think it just can’t redeem itself.  Anyway, I apologize to you, probably otherwise yummy Vitatop, for forcing you to mate with the FiberOne.  It won’t happen again.

To make up for my less than satisfying dessert, I had a second one!  When I went downstairs, to my delight, Kathleen had made yet another oat crisp!  This time, with apples and kiwi and a lime lemon zest.  Yum!  I only ate a spoonful or two with a glass of my Bota Chardonnay and I am going to have the rest in my oats tomorrow (or maybe just as a dessert considering what dessert IN my oats did on Wednesday…).  A spoonful is still enough to make you feel like you are on cloud 9.  Her oat crisps are seriously [insert really creative synonym for ridiculously good here].  I am going to force her to share the recipe with me/us.

Alright, well I’m off to bed to rest up for the weekend!  I have friend coming in town whom I haven’t seen in months and I’m so excited!  Hope everyone has had a wonderful Thursday!

It’s so exciting to read the comments of our customers – and this time around, they’ve given us kudos and a great idea that we hope to implement soon.

Cherry Vanilla Coffee
“Not bitter, very smooth. Nice cherry & vanilla taste! Does not need any cream or sugar. Very good black.” – Anonymous Customer

Check out our Flavored Coffees online! – Jennifer

Moka Sumatra & Northern Pacific
“I know this isn’t what you asked for, but I wanted to say that I really applaud the choice to supplpy fair trade and organic coffees! These are easily my favorite taste-wise, on top of being a bit easier on the conscience. Thank you!” – Anonymous Customer

We have a great supply of Fair Trade Organic coffees and gifts available to order online here. You can also read about the Fair Trade/ Organic movement. – Jennifer

Cappuccino
“Very smooth. Love it! Suggestion: could use some chocolate powder on table with cinnamon.” – Anonymous Customer

We hope to get that cocoa on the table soon!! If it’s not there though – please ask for it, we have it behind the counter. – Jennifer

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