Muertos Coffee

I love talking to coffee people so it was exciting when Mike from Java Plus ( http://javaplusonline.com/ ) reached out to me and offered to share some of his wisdom. I actually have a list of interview questions for situations like this, so I was prepared to pick his brain. We started with some of the normal back-story questions. We learned that Mike started the company to supplement his seasonal day job. They got a mobile unit and started selling coffee at fairs and flea markets, all along driving the online business. This seems to be a common model.  People get into coffee because they love it and then they grind their way into the market. They did it all with no help from partners. They built it from scratch.

I got my air popper on Black Friday as stated in ( Air Popper Roasting Part 1 ). I did a few test batches just to learn about my machine, not actually trying to make good coffee. I procured some beans from Bodhi Leaf via Ebay. It was a Costa Rican Coffee. My buddy gave me a bag of green beans so I didn’t have all the details on it (elevation, etc.) So I volunteered my wife to help me by telling her it will be utilizing her Bio-Chemistry degree. She bought it.

I am adding a beer and wine review to my blog. I cannot help but accept that those other beverages are as much a part of our culture as coffee. It is also a big part of our developing concept of a coffee shop. I wanted to start this section off with a new local place that I have been waiting to try for a while, Dubina Brewing Co. ( http://dubinabrewing.com/ ). I watched the Kickstarter and drove by their shop regularly waiting for an open sign. I read they had some trouble with licensing and they were well past their original open date. I had all but forgotten them until my wife saw them on Groupon ( http://www.groupon.com/deals/dubina-brewing-co ). So we gathered some friends and made our way there on a Friday night.

I know everyone is reading that title and automatically assuming that I am going to make a bunch of jokes about being a zombie before coffee. Though many of us may have accidentally chewed through a loved one’s arm not realizing it wasn't a breakfast sausage, that is not what I want to discuss here (or anywhere else, it was a tragic accident and I’m sticking to what the police report says).

I started my coffee roasting at what I thought as the beginning, pan roasting ( Final Pan Roast - An Edison Success ). I openly gave that up and moved on to the next step, Air Popper Roasting. There are a few factors to consider before starting with an Air Popper: Temperature: Not all air poppers will get hot enough roast coffee properly. Ambient Temperature: the outside temperature effects how well it roasts. Mess: Wherever you plan to use it, make sure you are ok with it being covered in chafe. I got the Orville Redenbacher Presto