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2012 Holiday Coffee Subscription Suggestions




New this year is our suggested list for coffee subscriptions from around the world that you can choose from to give a "gift that keeps on giving" to the loved one in your life who loves coffee! We've had a chance to sample coffees from many of these roasters, and can attest to the great quality they're producing. Others that we haven't been able to try out come highly recommended. Right at the top, we'll give our own list for our favourite roasters, but don't let that sway you from trying any of these great coffee suppliers and their monthly, bi-weekly, and even weekly coffee delivery programs.


Remember though, the most important gift you can give this holiday season is a gift that helps others. For this reason, we're asking you to donate to CoffeeKids. No matter the donation, be it $20, $5, or even $1, it means a lot, and even if just $1, it's a buck more than the organization had before you click the link. Donate today.


Also, a note on the Price per.... you will find at the end of each listing. We wanted to give consumers a fair comparison of how much these subscription services would cost you, per bag, including shipping or any other charges. Since most roasters have moved to the 12oz bag model, we're using 12oz for all the US and Canadian roasters. We use grams for the UK roasters. In some cases, we had to do some detailed calculations because of more complex subscription plans. We try to present the highest possible price and the lowest possible price for each roaster. This should give you a good indication of the value you're getting.


Lastly, a note: none of the companies listed below have paid for these listings - these are completely independent listings we've built, based on personal experience with the roasters, or worthy recommendations from coffee professionals and coffee enthusiasts from around the world.

Tweet While we've strived to give you plenty of choice on this list, and attempted to curate a selection for you that features reputable roasters and vendors, the entries on this list should not automatically be considered a full and unabashed endorsement by CoffeeGeek.


Many on this list are here because we've tasted great coffee from them in the past, but others are also on the list because we've heard from fans of these roasters and vendors who loved their offerings. Rest assured, if they are on this list, they're doing good coffee.


We do want to single out a few roasters though: These are either roasters we have our own subscriptions to at CoffeeGeek, or roasters who have produced absolutely exceptional coffees that we've had around our home, office and lab in the past. They include:

Honourable mentions go to two roasters we also subscribe to, but don't currently have a public subscription program: Social Coffee Company and Batdorf and Bronson.


With that said, we're pretty confident that you will do well by choosing any of the roasters or vendors on this curated list.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 2:00am The following is a list of some companies who offer coffee subscriptions in the United States. Many are roasters, but a few are coffee "curators", taking coffees from various sources and offering up different selections with each shipment. And one is a UK-based roaster who does have a global shipping program.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 2:10am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $90 for a biweekly (6 bags total) delivery of 12oz bag


Price does not include delivery, but delivery is a one time fee of $5 no matter how long your subscription is. Case is a highly transparent specialty coffee roaster offering up a frequently changing seasonal offering of coffees including a drip or espresso program. You can choose from a mix of single origin and their Epiphany Blend, or all single origin each month.


Price per 12oz including calculated shipping: from $15 to $14.61.

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $126.75, 1lb of Roasters Choice espresso every 2 weeks, for 3 months.


Verve offers an exceptionally large number of subscription choices that still remain pretty clear and concise for the customers. You can order from12oz up to 1kilogram (NICE! Metric!). Their pricing model is also really simple - same prices as single bag orders, but you get the shipping for free. On the downside of this, there's no additional discounts for multiple-month orders (so pricing for a 3 month subscription, per bag, is same as 12 months). The upside is, you save a bit more if you up your frequency to delivery every 2 weeks. Verve is also one of those super-transparent roasters, offering a lot of information about their coffees.


Price per 12oz including shipping: from $18.75 to $14, depending on coffee chosen.

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $46 per month (three 12oz bag delivered)


Price includes shipping, no discounts offered for multiple months, but the 2nd (and subsequent) coffees in each order are discounted (first is at full price). Clive sources from three different local Portland roasters, offering up what they've picked as their best coffees. There's also a special limited edition coffee offered each month for $22 for the first bag, $15 for each additional bag. Coffees are 12oz bags except for selections from Coava coffee, which are 250g (8.8oz). Delivery options every month or every 2 weeks.


Price per 12oz including shipping: from $22 to $14.75.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 2:40am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $89 for 6 months (one 12oz bag a month)


Price includes shipping. Other options (3 months, 1 year) available. Choice is roaster's choice. Small roaster offering medium-dark roasts, blends and single origins, with good information on the website.


Price per 12oz including shipping: from $15.83 to $14.58.

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $15-$20 per bag, Pay per order


Not a pre-paid monthly subscription, but a monthly billing club. Shipping free if you order 2 or more coffees per order. No multiple-month discounts. You can pick and choose what coffees you'd like and how often you want them delivered, but are billed on a per-order basis. Coffees range from 8oz selections for $10 up to $23 per lb or higher. Shipping is not included in the price. They offer one of the most wide ranging and complex subscription programs out there that you can completely customize to your needs, right down to delivery every week.


Price per 12oz (calculated w shipping estimate): TBA.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 3:00am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $135 for 6 months, each month get three 4oz bags of coffee.


Includes shipping in US. Different from most subscription programs, Craft Coffee "curates" coffees from many different roasters across North America, and puts together a monthly subscription program that mails you 3 bags of coffee, 4oz each, from 3 different roasters (12oz total). Each shipment also includes extensive educational information about each coffee and cards detailing different brewing methods. They offer Canadian shipping too, but price climbs quite a bit.


Price per 12oz including shipping: $22.50 down to $20.

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $63 for 12oz each month for 3 months.


Shipping included in US. Other pricing options available up to $198 for twelve months (12 bags). Coffee is roasters' choice. We've tasted Coffea coffees in the past and they've always been really good. Small batch roaster offering seasonal coffees.


Price per 12oz including shipping: $21 down to $16.50.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 3:20am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $68 for 4 months (12oz coffee 1 bag/month)


This vendor sources coffee from Milwaukee's best roasters for sale each month. They offer 1 year, 6 month, and monthly options, and for Christmas have an introductory 4 month subscription. Prices include shipping.


Price per 12oz including shipping: from $22 to $16.77.

Posted by From Twitter, 3:25am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $164 / 3 months, bi weekly delivery of two 10oz bags (not including shipping)


This one comes recommended by the owner of Able Brewing. A small micro roaster working off a 1.5kilo roaster, Roseline does a seasonal variety of single origin coffees each month in two roast profiles - one for drip, one for espresso which shows serious attention to the craft. You can order in 1 month or three month increments, with delivery every two weeks. Various single origins are available each month, as well as a roasters' choice option. Delivery is unfortunately not included in the subscription price ($30.60 for 3 months, $10.20 for 1 month) and is factored into the estimated 12oz price below.


Price per 12oz including shipping (calculated): From $23.46 to $18.86

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $38/month, 2 deliveries of 12oz bag per month.


Tonx delivers every second week either one 6oz or one 12oz bag, and bills once a month. No discounts for multiple months. Coffees constantly change, are almost always single origin. Tonx is very transparent about the coffees with a lot of information provided. They will also ship you one free 2oz bag just to try their coffee before subscribing.


Price per 12oz including shipping: from $24 to $19.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 3:40am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $16.50/month for 12oz House Blend coffee.


$16.50 to $21.50/month/per 12oz bag. Many options available; not really a full subscription service, but a pay-by-month plan that you sign up for and can opt out anytime on. Deliveries once or twice a month. Coffee is toll roasted by PT's Coffee. 33% of the profits from sales donated to charity. No multi-month discounts. Offers different coffees than PTs Coffee.


Price per 12oz including shipping: from $21.50 to $16.50.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 3:50am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $180 for 12oz every two weeks for six months.


Price Includes shipping. Other options available including by the month, by every two weeks, or by twelve months. Subscription is for roasters choice, they offer up a variety of blends and single origins. In Seattle, they offer an even cheaper subscription via bicycle delivery for $135 for 6 months of delivery.


Price per 12oz including shipping: from $15 to $13.75; Local Bike Delivery: From $11.25 to $10.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 4:00am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $13+ shipping per (16oz) bag.


You can sign up for a variety of delivery options, including weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Cannot determine if there are discounts for longer subscriptions. You can pick and choose the types of coffee you want. Nice selection of well-detailed single origins. Undetermined shipping costs. Liked by some folks we follow on twitter. Price per pound: $19 (assuming $6 shipping).


Price per 12oz including shipping (estimated): $14.25.

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $117.30 / 6 months (two 12oz bags per month, billed monthly)


Price does not include ($5 flat rate) shipping per shipment. Fairly basic subscription choices, two coffees per month, choose from their Farmhouse blend or Single Origin program. The SO program delivers you two different coffees each month in the same shipment. Counter Culture is recognized for their transparency and quality, and working with famous forward-thinking farmers like Aida Batille. Their programs bill you monthly, and they offer a 10% discount if you sign up for a six month subscription.


Price per 12oz incl shipping: from $13.32 to $12.78.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 4:20am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $205 for 6 months, (two 12oz bags per month)


Price includes shipping. A $20 add on to get "all single origin" deliveries. You can mix and match this subscription via email, otherwise go with your own hard wired choices or leave it up to roasters' choice. Recommended via folks on Twitter.


Price per 12oz, including shipping: from $18.75 to $17.08.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 4:30am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $47.50 for 3 months (1lb/month)


Price includes shipping. 3 month and 6 month packages available. A darker-roast style roaster. Fair Trade coffees mainly. Some organic/FT offerings. It would be good to see more transparency in the coffees used (info about farmers / coops in blends). Price per lb: $15.83 down to $14.92.


Price per 12oz including shipping: from $11.87 to $11.19.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 4:40am Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $20 for 1.5lb coffee per month.


No multiple month discounts. A bit different from other subscription / sign up programs: no options, not much information, just a tube of coffee containing 1.5lbs delivered for $20. Per month billing cycle. Some folks on twitter love the quality; we'd like to see more transparency about what coffee they're using. Still, it's a good price.


Price per 12oz including shipping: $10.

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: ?73 / six months (350g bags once per month)


This popular UK roaster does ship worldwide so we're also listing them in this US section because the prices are quite reasonable considering they also reflect the crazy shipping costs they (we) have to endure. A great option though for a coffee most people will never otherwise taste in the US. The price above is for the six month option of single origin; there is also 12 month programs that reduce the cost per bag a bit.


Price per 350g bag including shipping: ?12.17 down to ?12.08. 500g bag: ?19.17 down to ?18.75.

The next roasters listed are all based in Canada, though some of them may ship internationally. As the holiday moves on, this list may get expanded.

Subscription Page
Example Subscription: $170 for 3 months, (three 16oz bags of Epic Espresso each month).


Prices includes shipping. Discounts for multiple months are available. Several subscription options available, including our fave, the $180 mixed pack for espresso. Very transparent about their coffee sourcing, recognized as one of the best roasters in Canada. The first shipment comes in a beautiful wine-case style wood box. Subscriptions can be customized.


Price per 12oz including shipping (calculated from both 16oz/12oz): from $18.89 to $11.45 (!!!).

Subscription Page


Example Subscription: $125 for 6 months (one 12oz bag per month).


Price includes shipping. Many other options and delivery frequencies available. Based in Edmonton Alberta, Transcend sources a lot of top quality coffees and provides a near unprecedented amount of transparency with every coffee they deliver, including a full page of information and cupping notes for each bag. They offer a wide variety of subscriptions involving up to 4 bags of coffee a month (2 deliveries of 2 bags each month), and up to 18 month terms. You can subscribe to roasters' choice single origin, or their espresso blend.


Price per 12oz including shipping: from $21.66 to $17.08.

Subscription Link (scroll down).


Example Subscription: $168/3 months, two 12oz bags every two weeks.


Pricing includes shipping. Detour is a roaster in the Toronto area making a quality name for themselves, and they offer a 1, 2 or 3 month subscription program with additional options to select coffee bag sizes, frequency and whether you want coffees designed for drip, for espresso, or for both. Each shipment has two bags of coffee, either in 12oz or 1lb sizes. Detour's selection is primarily seasonal offerings for single origins, but they also have well developed blend profiles for espresso that maintain a specific taste (while using different beans throughout the year).


Price per 12oz including shipping (calculated): From $15.50 to $13.87

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $109 / 3 months (2x 12oz bags each month) for espresso blend program.


JJ Bean is an iconic and well loved Vancouver Roaster that in the past few years has expanded their coffee programs to include shipping. They offer a few different subscription programs that include a nominal one time shipping fee (usually around $10 or less, but dependent on where in Canada it is being shiped to). You can subscribe to their espresso blend program or single origin program, and get bi-weekly or once monthly shipments of two 12oz bags of coffee. They source great single origins, and continually develop their espresso blend program.


Price per 12oz including shipping: from $20.66 to $17.25.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 12:30pm Subscription Link


Example Subscription: $125 / 6 months, one 12oz bag per month.


Shipping included in subscription prices (assumed). Te Aro is one of the roasters we met while out at a Canadian Coffee and Tea expo a few years ago in Toronto. They're doing good coffee and like many other newer roasters in Canada, have a great seasonal program with varied coffees, but are also working hard on their blend programs for espresso. Two subscriptions available - their standard espresso blend, or a roasters' choice single origin. 3, 6, and 12 month plans available. Prices locally (Toronto) for their coffees are also quite excellent, though the subscription program prices are some of the more expensive ones we're listing.


Price per 12oz including shipping: From $21.67 to $18.75

Phil and Sebastian Coffee RoastersPosted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 12:35pm Subscription Link (nb this is to a "duration select" link page).


Example Subscription: $204/6 months, two 12oz bags per month (1 delivery)


Shipping is included in the prices. Phil & Sebastian are highly respected roasters and cafe owners in Calgary, and baristas from the company have done exceptionally well at recent barista competitions. They are a highly transparent, seasonal coffee company, with their coffee line changing frequently to focus on fresh crops. Phil and Sebastian's subscription program is available, but can be a bit tricky to get to online - the main link off their coffee listing page goes to a static 3 month subscription where you can choose coffees for drip, for espresso, or both and mentions something about promo codes. The link we provide above goes to a page that lets you choose 3, 6 or 12 month programs, but not the type of coffee. Contact them direct to fine tune any subscription.


Price per 12oz including shipping: From $17.50 to $16.75.

Roasters in the United KingdomPosted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 3:00pm Much thanks to our forum members and followers on Twitter for introducing us to a few of these roasters and curators! We knew of a few, but it's always delightful to discover more! Here are some subscription choices available in the UK!

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: ?5.89 per 150g delivery, flat rate


Eight Point Nine includes either a "bespoke" coffee blend or single origin every delivery, or a unique way to dial in the flavours you want and customize a blend to your liking. Fair Trade only by the looks of it. There may be additional discounts depending on how long you lock in, but I couldn't find them.


Price per 250g including shipping: ?9.82.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 3:20pm Subscription Link


Example Subscription: ?19 per month (two 250g bags per month).


Wide range of prices: ?120 to  ?444 for a year. Dosebox "curates" coffees from different roasters, and offers a range of coffees sizes on a 12 month delivery program. The cost is as little as  ?10 a month for 2 bags of 125g coffee, to ?37 a month for 2 bags of 500g coffee. You get two different coffees each month. Price includes shipping.


Price per 250g including shipping: from ?10 to ?9.25.

Posted by CoffeeGeek Staff, 3:30pm Subscription Link


Example Subscription: ?26.20 per month for 1.25kg of coffee.


Londonium only sells per month in lots of 5 or 10 bags of 250g coffee; it is not a subscription per say in that you're pre-paying for a set amount of months, but setting up an auto-billing cycle via Paypal. No discounts for multiple months. Coffee is a variety from their various espresso blends and single origins, and may include duplicates. They offer tied pricing for different types of delivery, including ?37.10 for courier delivery to the US.


Price per 250g including shipping: ?5.24 to ?4.62.

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: ?75 / 6 months (500g each month)


Squaremile offers several six month and twelve month subscription programs for both non espresso and espresso coffees. Their non espresso programs are for 350g bags; the espresso programs is for 500g bags. The coffee is seasonal. They have three pricing tiers - UK, Europe and Worldwide. Prices include shipping in UK. Price per bag, 350g: ?9.17 to ?8.75. 500g: ?12.50 to ?12.08.


Price per 250g including shipping: from ?6.25 to ?6.04.

Subscription Link


Example Subscription: ?71 / 3 months, (weekly deliveries of 250g bags)


Hasbean offers a different kind of subscription program, delivering new coffees every week (there is also one program for 1 coffee per month for 12 months). These are coffees from their weekly video series called "In My Mug", and you can get 12 (3 months) or 52 (12 months) delivery subscription bags of coffee. A great chance to try a lot of different coffees. Shipping included in price. No international shipments.


Price per 250g including shipping: from ?5.91 to ?4.81.

Posted by Twitter Submission, 4:00pm Subscription Link


Example Subscription: ?28 per month for two 400g deliveries (every 2 weeks)


Volcano is another roaster recommended via Twitter as doing good coffee and seasonal offerings. They only offer subscriptions on a monthly basis (delivery every two weeks), and no discounts for multiple months. Shipping appears to be included in the price, but confirm. Based on their web listings, they occasionally buy Cup of Excellence coffees.


Price per 250g including shipping (calculated): ?8.75

Column Description
Whether it's up to the minute, happening this day, this week, or in the recent past, this column's goal is to present coffee and attempts to make the experience truly culinary. You'll find short reviews about past events, interesting coffees coming on the market, new and different ways to enjoy espresso and other brewing methods, and give an insight into efforts around the globe to make coffee a truly culinary thing. Column written by Mark Prince.
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

La Brioche al latte più morbida del mondo (col trucchetto) e il signor Tang Zong

Tang Zong.
Chi era costui?
No,non è un monaco buddhista e nemmeno l'erede di Gengis Khan.
E nemmeno il manager della Fukutsa fukutsonis.
E' un miglioratore per i lievitati.
Altolà niente di chimico e nemmeno di falso d'autore made in China che puzza di petrolio.
E' un miglioratore naturale,farina e acqua allo stato puro.
Promette morbidezza e grande conservazione..
La mamma di Tang Zong è Yvonne Chen.Ha scritto un libro alcuni decenni fa per decantare le doti di questo impasto che poi altro non è che un roux. Infatti se ci aggiungete il burro ,il latte e un pizzico di noce moscata, non impastate il pane ma fate la besciamella ^_^
Il libro si intitola "65 gradi",come la temperatura che devono raggiungere farina e acqua.
E non  mi venite a dire che non avete il termometro da cucina.Manco io ce l'ho. Mi sono regolata ad occhio.
Grazie all'esperienza di mezzo mondo.
E non scherzo.
Tang Zong è il tormentone dei blog internazionali
E dopo mesi che lo guardo e dico mah ,ho indagato,ho raccolto indizi e ho provato.
Il risultato?
Una sola parola.
Ammazza.
Ammazza quant'è venuto bono sto lievitato.Una semplice brioche al latte.la migliore mai mangiata.
Tant'è che l'ho preparata venerdi.
E poi sabato.
E poi domenica.
Il signor Tang ha passato l'esame.
Siete pronte?
Tenete conto di due cose:
-il tang Zong va preparato e fatto riposare per un minimo di sei ore.l'ideale è tutta la notte.
-se possedete una planetaria o la macchina del pane...USATELE!! Rinunciate al piacere della fatica e del sudore per una volta e affidatevi alle sante macchine ^_^
Volete proprio faticà?Impastatela a mano almeno dieci minuti,prima di aggiungere il burro.

Brioche al latte con il metodo tang Zong

(fonte AlterGusto)

per il Tang Zong:

25 gr farina
125 gr acqua

per la brioche:

350 gr farina
100\120 gr zucchero
5 gr lievito di birra disidratato
1 pizzico di sale
1 uovo
125 ml latte
30 gr burro morbido
tang zong

Prepariamo il tang Zong:

in un pentolino mescoliamo acqua e farina con cura,cercando di togliere tutti i grumi. Mettiamo sul fornello e facciamo ispessire.Il composto deve raggiungere la temperatura di 65 gradi.Praticamente il composto  dovrà fare le righe quando sarà a temperatura.Dovrà risultare più o meno cosi:




Una volta pronto mettiamolo in un contenitore e facciamolo raffreddare.Dopo questo trasferiamolo in frigo per un minimo di sei ore ad un massimo di una nottata.
Prima di utilizzarlo facciamolo rinvenire per una mezz'ora fuori dal frigo.

Prepariamo la brioche:

(procedimento manuale.Se utilizzate una macchina del pane,inserite tutti gli ingredienti tranne il burro.Avviate il programma e dopo cinque minuti aggiungete il burro  e fate continuare come d'abitudine)

In un contenitore unite il Tang Zong ,l'uovo e il latte.Date una leggera mescolata.
In un altro mescolate con cura farina,lievito e zucchero (se il vostro lievito è di quelli che hanno bisogno di essere attivati in liquidi,prelevate un pò del latte previsto e scioglieteci il lievito con una puntina di zucchero).
Sul piano di lavoro infarinato rovesciate il composto della farina e fate un buco centrale.Unite gli altri ingredienti (uovo,tang zong e latte).
Iniziate ad impastare almeno per una decina di minuti e aggiungete quindi il burro.
Prelevate l'impasto e mettetelo a lievitare fino al raddoppio.
Una volta lievitato riprenderlo,lavorarlo leggermente  e dopo avergli dato la forma preferita mettetelo in uno stampo da plumcake imburrato e infarinato  (o con la carta forno).Spennellate la superficie con il latte.
Cuocete per 35\40 minuti in forno a 180 gradi,tenendo la superficie coperta con la carta .
fate raffreddare  e spolverate di zucchero a velo


reade more... Résuméabuiyad

A Bit of an Introduction

Who?s happy to be the newest writer on the CoffeeGeek team? This guy! And boy do I have a story to tell. I?ve been in coffee a good part of my life, and have seen many sides of the coffee story. I also have an amazing wife that?s joined me on the journey, and supports me greatly on this journey to discover coffee?s potential in the world. Lots of people know me via the worlds of Facebook and Twitter, but few know how I got to where I am today, and how much work it actually takes to make coffee your career.

Sixteen years ago I would never have guessed I'd still be working in coffee, and I certainly wouldn't have predicted that I?d be as passionate about it as I am today. It has taken a lot of work, lots of research where it can be found, lots of late night and very early morning barista shifts. It?s involved many sacrifices along the way, but in the end, or at this point, it has been worth all the hard work and sacrifice. I love my career, I love coffee, I love my wife, and I love that I can now share with you what I?ve learned, and what I continue to learn on this journey.

I suppose I should start with the basics. Who am I? Well, Jason Dominy. I was born in Panama City, Florida, moved to the Atlanta area, then to the coast of Georgia. I went to college at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I studied Theology/Christian Education. Growing up in a very challenging home environment, I wanted to work with youth to help give them hope and encouragement as they faced many of the same challenges I faced. I now live in Atlanta with my amazing wife of 10 years, and again, I?ve been in coffee for 16 years now.

I started out with opening two of my own coffee shops, and this is where I really became passionate about building community through the coffee environment. My first shop was in Augusta, Georgia, on the campus of Augusta State University, and was simply named: ?coffeehouse.? My second coffee shop was The Bean?ry, in downtown Athens, and was a very special place for a lot of people. As a matter of fact, several of my friends who work with Counter Culture either worked under me, or were customers of The Bean?ry. The Bean?ry was largely a community outreach shop, and did this by collecting food and clothing donations for the homeless, organizing a Thanksgiving dinner that fed more than 200 of the homeless in the Athens community, and spending a lot of time mobilizing University of Georgia students to become active in their community while in school.

While in Athens, I met my wife, who lived in North Carolina, and ended up moving there to be closer to her. While in NC, I took a Roastmaster Assistant position with Krispy Kreme Coffee, in Winston-Salem, where I learned a great deal about roasting under the guidance of Gregory Kolsto, owner/roaster of Oddly Correct Coffee in Kansas City.

It was during my time at Oddly Correct that I decided that roasting was not my ideal skillset so I decided to move back into the coffee shop environment, taking a position in management with Caribou Coffee. There, I learned a lot about efficiency, and how a larger coffee company is successful.

While at Caribou, I was approached by someone at a regional roaster to come on board for a position yet determined. I created the Director of Training and Knowledge position at Dilworth Coffee, in Charlotte, NC. It was also there that I started getting active in the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and Barista Guild of America (BGA). I had a desire to further my career in coffee, and viewed volunteering with the SCAA as a great way to get to work and learn with some of the best minds in coffee. Working alongside so many great individuals who had made coffee their career really cemented my desire to make coffee my lifelong career.

After getting truly plugged into the SCAA?s Training Committee, I worked alongside Heather Ringwood, who would later invite me to become part of the Batdorf & Bronson team. We worked together on lots of espresso labs, and I really looked up to her for her passion for not only coffee, but the education of it. The things about Batdorf & Bronson that drew me to them as a company were that they had this great lack of pretension and a simple love of coffee, which I really respected. Having had their coffee on many occasions, I was always impressed and loved how they operated in terms of sustainability and how they cared for each link of the chain. I joined B&B in February of 2010.

Since joining B&B, I?ve been responsible for helping strengthen our relationships with our wholesale partners, tackling the wide world of social media, assisting Chandler Rentz with training and education, assisting in opening new shops with folks, helping build community in Atlanta, and as of late, creating a culture out of our Roastery for education and fun and unique things that make folks aware of who we are and what we do.

I also came up with the concept of the Coffee Ambush, whereby I go to an office of a really great local business and hand brew coffee for their office all morning, with the help of local baristas. So far I?ve done ambushes at amazing places like Adult Swim, Coca-Cola, MailChimp, CBS Atlanta, and many more great places. (You can check out the Coffee Ambush Channel on Vimeo if you like).

I have hosted over 700 people at our Roastery for Coffee 101s in the past year. At these events I teach folks about coffee from its origins in the cherry to its processing methods. Folks learn about coffee's main growing regions, how it?s roasted, and we end with a hand brewing of each of the three growing regions, allowing them to guess which coffee comes from which region.

These events have been very successful, and have been a great joy, encouraging a great many people around the Atlanta area to think of coffee differently, to know how to buy better coffee, and to know how better to brew it at home. I?ve heard report after report from folks who?ve attended that are now making much better coffee at home using devices like the Clever Dripper, and are now buying fresh roasted coffee from their local roaster, avoiding supermarket coffees.

I also have created several key partnerships for our company that include ice pops, chocolate, beer, and an upcoming item to be announced. Collaboration has been something I?m most proud of, as I work to strengthen the connections like-minded companies have in Atlanta, to more fully support each other. Atlanta is filled with great creative minds, great coffee shops and baristas, and restaurants, and bringing them together as best as possible has been a real desire of mine.

I created the Atlanta Disloyalty Card in August of 2010 as a way to support all the really good independent coffee shops that dot our landscape here in Atlanta. It has been successful is on its second iteration, and we?re preparing to launch version 3. The 3rd version is an iPhone app, which will allow participants to check-in, find out more about the shop, leave notes, thank their barista through We&Co, and other cool features.

I do my best to manage successfully six Facebook pages, three Tumblr accounts, Five Twitter accounts, and one stubborn MySpace account that I can?t close for some reason. I?ve learned how social media can be your best friend, and it can be your worst enemy. At a certain point in my life, I made a decision to live a good bit of my life in the public eye via social media, and my personal life and professional life intermingle in a tangled web.

Because we use social media so much in the coffee industry to stay connected to folks that we don?t see very often, it really can be a good thing. The downside, I?ve learned, is the more you publish online, even in places like CoffeeGeek, you?re bound to make mistakes. Mistakes in judgement or just simple errors can be made much bigger in social media. Both for myself and for B&B I?ve tried to use social media in a very positive manner and for the purpose of further raising the awareness of B&B. For myself personally, I use it as a way to express my life in a real way that is as transparent as I can be.

I?ve stayed connected with volunteering for the SCAA and BGA, most recently as the retired Chair of the Barista Guild. I?m a Subject Matter Expert in Espresso, a Certified Lead Instructor, as well as a BGA Certified Examiner. Volunteering for the SCAA and BGA is one of the best things I?ve ever done for my professional career. It has taken me places I?d never thought possible. It has allowed me to work alongside the greatest minds in coffee, to learn from the best. It has allowed me to write and work on labs, and to help in the writing of the current BGA Certification. It has also reminded me of how important it is that we give back and hand down that with which we?ve been entrusted in coffee. This is something I?ve seen in action from the people in coffee I most respect. I spend as much of my time making great coffee accessible, teaching average consumers about specialty coffee, and showing them the difference.

My column will be writings based on what I?m doing to further specialty coffee and my thoughts on current trends. It will include lots of fun stuff that I hope will encourage you to go out and change your own world for the cause of specialty coffee. Coffee is still in its infancy and it?s a great time to be a part of something so special.

Random Facts about Jason Dominy:

I was once in a Chuck Norris movie called ?Invasion USA? and got to meet the man himself.
I am incredibly shy.
I don?t watch many sports outside UGA Bulldogs (University of Georgia) football games or games that directly affect UGA?s bowl chances. I wish there was a playoff instead of the bowls.
The best coffee I?ve ever had was the Ethiopia Beloya roasted by George Holt on his BBQ grill roaster.
My favorite single thing that can be enjoyed daily is a Coke in a glass bottle.
I was a very good skateboarder as a teenager and had the nickname ?Skateboard?
in high school.
I once lived in the town of Darien, Georgia, a shrimping town, and have been on several shrimp boats catching, well, shrimp. While in Darien I also used to swim with alligators in the local rivers.
My favorite band of all time is U2.
The album I purchased most recently: MxPx ?Plans Within Plans.?
The concert I?ve been to most recently: Radiohead, Atlanta. I can be found online via my Tumblr Blog, via my Facebook page and on Twitter. And of course, I invite you to check out Batdorf & Bronson.

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Beginner's Guide to Cupping

guides & how tosBeginner's Guide to Cupping - The Guide Cupping for Beginners This mini guide is written by Geoff Watts of Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea and Mark Prince. It may not be reproduced, reprinted, or redistributed without permission. This guide is brought to our readers through the kind support of Whole Latte Love, the biggest specialty coffee and espresso machine vendor on the Internet.

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A word from Geoff Watts, Director of Coffee, Intelligenstia Coffee:

I?m a firm believer that understanding is developed through the act of comparison. Learning to talk about the character of a coffee from a particular origin requires that one have some frame of reference, and if the goal is to figure out what makes a coffee from Kenya great it is important to know what makes it different than other coffees. In other words, what does it mean to taste like a ?Kenya??  What tastes distinguish a Guatemalan coffee from a Nicaraguan?

By evaluating coffees in a comparative setting and with an inquisitive, reflective approach one can learn to identify the most essential flavor traits of coffees from different origins. The goal should be to build a reference library of flavors and taste sensations that can become a background against which one can examine new coffees. Over time a cupper will begin to associate particular flavors with geographical regions and different botanical varieties of coffee.  Eventually, a phrase like ?this tastes like a bourbon from the Santa Ana region in El Salvador? can have some real meaning.  It is important to remember, though, that dogma has no place in coffee tasting.  Every time I think I?ve got a region figured out, a coffee comes along that shatters my expectations.  Keeping an open mind and sense of curiosity is absolutely essential to becoming an accomplished taster.

?There is no mystery to cupping, only endless intrigue.? ? gbw

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Baratza Vario Grinder, Jack Black

Takes a while to calibrate this thing because you can't (or shouldn't) adjust the levers while it's off or you will screw it all up completely.

Then you find the gears can slip spontaneously and unpredictably during use.

Then you get, and install, the little plastic shims that are supposed to keep the slippage from happening, but they fail sometimes as well and slippage can still occur.

Ultimately, you wind up never varying the grind coarseness, because it's such a pain to keep it calibrated properly.  This defeats the premise of a machine called the "Vario."

Then, at least in my case, the machine fails utterly in less than two years -- making a horrible noise halfway into a grind and emitting smoke from the calibration levers.  The primary (right) lever also slips visibly two notches, a kind of raised middle finger to complete your experience.

And, of course, the machine turns out to have only a one-year warranty.

So you go back to your Rocky, bought in 2006, which still works perfectly after seven years and never gave you any calibration hassles whatever... and which cost you much less to boot.

Bottom line: The Vario is just not a reliable grinder, due to calibration problems, lever slippage, and machine failure shortly outside the warranty.  It also has a plastic exterior, compared to the Rocky's stainless steel exterior.  

I can't recommend the Vario to anyone over the nearly-as-good and less expensive Rocky.

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Cona Size C / D, David Charles

consumer product reviewsPosted: October 29, 2013, 10:04pm
A modern take on a steam age brewing systemHigh design: the design of the Cona Table model vacuum coffee makers descends from the Cona Rex, which was designed by Abram Gomes in 1947 and manufactured throughout the 1950s. Ease of use: the carafe is removable from the stand for pouring and the stand doubles as a funnel holder and includes a drip catcher. Clean cup: brewer and filter rod are made exclusively out of glass, which imparts no off tastes to the coffee.

Stock setup uses a spirit lamp (alcohol burner), which does not allow for precise temperature control. Temperature control with the spirit lamp is binary, either on or off, which is crude by contemporary siphon brewing standards. [See workaround below.]

While I have several siphon brewers, aesthetically none of the others can match the aesthetics and ergonomics of the Cona tabletop vacuum coffee maker. There simply is no finer brewing system for a special brunch or an after dinner pot of coffee. You can brew a pot at the table with your guests, while curating the cup that you are about to serve. Your guests will be amazed by the presentation as well as the coffee.

The Cona glass is high quality. It compares favorably other siphon brewers. Only the hand-blown glass used in products like the Kono siphon brewers is thicker. The chrome plating on the stand is also top-quality. My Cona Model C brewer is a couple decades old and shows no signs of aging.

While temperature control with the stock set up is problematic, there are a couple workarounds that allow for the use of an adjustable butane burner. One, you can cut a 3.5" diameter hole in a cutting board, which will allow you to recess a butane burner within the hole in the base of the stand. Two, you can get a purpose built siphon brew board for Cona vacuum coffee makers. (Search for "siphon brew board" on Etsy.) This brew board not only accepts a butane burner, but also allows you to display and transport your Cona vacuum brewer in style.

These are not inexpensive brewers: The Model C and Model D brewers are available new from Sweet Maria's for roughly $220. These brewers only occasionally show up used on eBay in the US and do not sell at much of a discount when they do. The best alternative to buying new is to shop eBay in the UK, France or Germany. The smaller Model A and Model B tabletop brewers from Cona are only available used.

Posted: October 29, 2013, 10:04pm InteractivequickNav Quick Jump Home Page Opinions    Jason Dominy    Emily Haworth    Nathan Slabaugh    Chris Weaver    Coffee Kids Staff    Mark Prince    Jack Hanna    Arthur Wynne    Mark Prince    The Interview    Contests    Professionally Speaking    The Ethical Bean    Road Reports    Newbie Revelations    The Cafe Stage    BGA Files Consumer Reviews    Consumer Espresso    Prosumer / Pro Espresso    Grinders    Coffee Makers    Vac Pots & Others    Roasters, Accessories & Misc CoffeeGeek Reviews    Detailed Reviews    First Looks    QuickShot Reviews Guides & How Tos    Milk Frothing Guide    Cupping for Beginners    Espresso Machine Buying Guide Resources    CoffeeGeek FAQ    New and Noteworthy    News Items    Press Releases    Copyright Information    Privacy Policies    Terms and Conditions    Current Advertisers Forums    Espresso    Coffee    Articles    Members    Regional
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CHOCOLATE CRACKLE COOKIES




INGREDIENTI


CIOCCOLATO FONDENTE  CIRCA 180 GR
BURRO 110 GR
ZUCCHERO DI CANNA 140 GR
VANIGLIA CIRCA 4 GR PRODOTTI GIANDUJA TORINO
FARINA PER DOLCI   130 GR  MOLINI PIZZUTI
2 UOVA
LIEVITO PER DOLCI CIRCA 5 GR
PER RICOPRIRE I BISCOTTI : ZUCCHERO DI VELO




 SCIOGLIETE A BAGNOMARIA IL CIOCCOLATO FONDENTE ,UNA VOLTA LIQUIDO UNITE IL BURRO,AMLGAMTE IL TUTTO E UNITE LO ZUCCHERO DI CANNA.




 AGGIUNGETE LE UOVA ,LA VANIGLIA E LA FARINA SETACCIATA ,PER ULTIMO IL LIEVITO.AMALGAMATE IL TUTTO.





METTERE IL COMPOSTO IN UNA CIOTOLA,FARLO RAFFREDDARE E RIPORLO NEL FRIGORIFERO PER ALMENO UN'ORA RICOPERTO DA PELLICOLA.




 TRASCORSO IL TEMPO FORMARE DELLE PALLINE E PASSARLE NELLO ZUCCHERO A VELO,POI METTETELE SU DI UNA PIROFILA DISTANZIATE E CUOCETE A FORNO STATICO GIA' CALDO A 180° PER 10 MINUTI CIRCA



 
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