An update on the Custom Espresso Blend

The winner of our HB custom espresso blend was chosen. However, the winner did not feel as though he had the experience or equipment to take full advantage of the custom blend. Unfortunate but understandable.

Not wanting the opportunity to slip away, Dan at HB suggested awarding the prize to another member of the site. We agreed.

Through careful selection, "sweaner" was awarded the custom blend.

Now you can follow the espresso creation process at Home-Barista.com.

Once complete, the new blend will be available for purchase, and all can try.

Food and coffee pairings

This morning I had some milk chocolate cherry cordials with a sweet and fruity Harrar coffee... not a good pairing at all.  Even though both components were sweet, the flavors cancelled each other out and the result was no perceived sweetness.  One interesting pairing that does work out is espresso & tuna.

It may seem like a bad idea (indeed it doesn't even look pleasant), but it makes the espresso taste more chocolatey and the tuna, well, more like chicken.

Cola Ferment Coffee

Hawaii - Cola Ferment

Fermented in cola instead of water, this Hawaiian coffee sat for 12 hours while it developed a subtle, weird, and uncharacteristic flavor.

This coffee was the result of a bizarre idea that came to fruition and created a subtle sweetness in the cup.

It is perfect for our Lab.

Win a custom espresso blend designed to your tastes.

Paradise Roasters is working with Home-Barista.com and its annual Holiday Wish List Gifts to offer the chance to win a custom espresso blend.

The winner will work with us, telling us what he/she likes and dislikes in espresso, offering feedback on early "blend drafts", and finally recieving his/her own custom blend.

This first-hand look at what it takes to create an espresso blend includes:

• one 12 oz. "first draft" bag of the custom espresso
• one 12 oz. "second draft" bag of the custom espresso
• six 12 oz. "final" bags of the custom espresso

The process will be recorded in a thread on Home-Barista. (Created after the winner is announced.)

Once completed, the custom espresso will be offered for sale on www.paradiseroasters.com for everyone to try.

Of course, the winner will also receive 15% off the custom blend throughout its production run.

Introducing the pulped-natural Hawaii coffee

A mix of morning fog and volcanic ash limits one’s vision while walking through this Hawaiian coffee farm. From the nearby Kilauea Volcano, a slight rumbling can be felt, or imagined if the moment isn’t right. The coffee trees thrive in their close proximity to such a destructive giant.

The air is cool and the ground moist at this altitude of 2,000ft.

All around, this unique micro-climate of Ka’u brings life and character to the coffee. The coffee cherries, at their ripest, offer an incredible, refined sweetness. And this translates to the cup. Every sip offers another fruity note (cherry, lime, pomegranate) that pairs with an orchid aromatic and brown sugar finish.

This is a pulped-natural coffee of complex, crisp, and light personality.

CBC - 5th Place Espresso

As used by Phil Robertson of Phil & Sebastian Coffee Co. in Calgary for the 2008 Canadian Barista Championship, we offer his blend for you to experience. Comprised of 70% Nicaragua Matagalpa and 30% Ethiopia Sidamo Leila, this blend received much praise for its clean profile, “sophisticated earthiness,” and silky crema.

The scores of the finalists for the 2008 Canadian Barista Championship:

1st: Sammy Piccolo from Caffe Artigiano in Vancouver, 569.5 points
2nd: Spencer Veighweger from JJ Bean in Vancouver, 562 points
3rd: Joel May from Fratello Coffee in Calgary, 555 points
4th: Chad Moss from Transcend Coffee in Edmonton, 551.5 points
5th: Phil Robertson from Phil and Sebastian in Calgary, 527.5 points
6th: Anthony Benda from Myriade in Montreal, 517 points

Monkey Parchment Coffee

We're winding down on this offering, so I wanted to post the coffee's information before it was sold out and give anyone interested a chance at having some before it's too late.

This is a light-roasted, heavy-bodied, herbal and nutty coffee.

Monkey Parchment is the world's rarest, and currently most expensive, exotic coffee available. The Monkey Parchment coffee takes everyone by surprise, raising eyebrows just by its name, but the truly unprecedented uniqueness of the coffee's flavors and aromatics is the real eye-opener.

This coffee's story begins in Chikmagular, India and involves, as the name would suggest, monkeys, Rhesus Monkeys to be exact. Occupying the forests of India, Rhesus Monkeys leisurely dine on the ripest, sweetest coffee cherries they can find. After chewing on the fruit for several minutes, they spit the coffee parchment covered seed out onto the forest floor. Trained workers (those with an eagle eye) then meticulously search the ground for these preciously left-over seeds, which are then thoroughly rinsed, washed, processed, and dried.

Phil Robertson gets 5th at Nationals.

Using a blend of the Nicaragua Matagalpa and a "secret" (meaning not for retail sale) Sidamo, Phil captured 5th at the Canadian National Barista Championship.

Look for this espresso blend to be available in our Paradise Labs section soon.

Live 2008 Canadian National Barista Championship

Follow the action live:

Live video chat by Ustream

Phil Robertson has made the 2008 CNBC Finals

Free Webcam Chat at Ustream

Watch Phil's first-round performance above.

Well done, and best of luck in the finals of the Canadian Barista Championship tomorrow!

Pre-Order Holiday Coffee Gifts

We recently placed a banner on ParadiseRoasters.com announcing holiday pre-order opportunities.

We know. It's the middle of October. Most people are thinking about Halloween (then Thanksgiving). The holidays aren't quite on the top of your list, but we don't want to miss an opportunity to get you thinking.

Place a pre-order before Nov. 27 and get 5% off your pre-order.

All pre-orders will be roasted and shipped on Dec. 12 to ensure adequate delivery times.

2008 National Canada Barista Championship

We are honored to have Phil Robertson and Sebastian Sztabzyb of Phil & Sebastian Coffee Company choose us to roast and provide Phil's espresso for the 2008 National Canada Barista Championship.

It's been a pleasure working with them both, and we're very excited for Phil.

Don't be surprised if you see a special offering of this competition blend in the future too.

The championship is being held Oct. 21-22 in Montreal. Good Luck Phil!

The State of "Restaurant Coffee"

We found an interesting blog post on "restaurant coffee" and wanted to share.

Here's an excerpt concerning what the writer would like from a restaurant and its coffee offerings:

"Tell me about your coffee selections, and include the single origins. Mix it up, and tempt me with a few surprises. I think I would actually fall out of my chair if I saw a menu selection of single origin offerings from Paradise Roasters..."

Needless to say, we like this post.

Random Photo

Espresso Havana Reserve

Espresso Havana Reserve is now available, but quantities are limited.

Job Opening - Production Roaster

Part-time Production Roasting Position

We have an open position for a production roaster at our roastery in Ramsey, MN.

We are most interested in a detail-orientated individual looking to learn about coffee, coffee roasting, and coffee. Duties will include, but are not limited to, roasting coffee for daily shipments, roaster maintenance, and production assistance.

No experience is necessary.

If interested, please call 763-433-0626 or email support@paradiseroasters.com to schedule an interview. Resumes may be attached in the email.

~Position has been filled~

Preground Esmeralda Follow-Up

Fresh Esmeralda

Preground Esmeralda

Even preground and sitting exposed to the air and light for a week, Esmeralda is still capable of producing a distinct cup.

Ten Tips for Making Tomorrow's Coffee the Best Ever

10.Proper brewing technique
With the exception of a few brewing techniques, there really isn't a wrong way to brew coffee. It's just a matter of finding what you like in your cup, pairing it with the proper brewing method, and making a proper cup of coffee. Follow the rest of the tips below to get the most out of your coffee.
9.Do not burn
Heat is one of the many factors that kills coffee. If you want to instantly kill a good cup of coffee, burn it. Use boiling water and you'll find yourself drinking a rather bad cup. Use around 200 degree F water.
8.Do not let sit or reheat
Just like coffee beans, a cup of coffee can go stale. Coffee only lasts about twenty minutes. If your cup is luke-warm or cold, dump it and make more coffee. Don't reheat it. Reheating destroys the flavors and imparts acidic, bitter notes to the cup.
7.Proper grind
Different brewing methods require different grind settings because the brewing processes vary. A press pot coffee should be coarse, while an automatic drip should be finer. Get that backwards and you'll have an odd tasting cup of coffee. Understand which grind setting is the proper one for you and grind accordingly.
6. Grind fresh
To artificially age your coffee, grind it and let it sit. You'll have a pile of lackluster coffee grinds in minutes. It's that simple. This is because once ground, you've increased the surface area of the coffee by multiples, and it's all touching the air, oxidizing and deteriorating. It's dying. Even if it is immediately packaged and sealed, you'll eventually open that bag, and chances are, you won't use it all that morning.
5.Clean equipment
Coffee mugs do not need to be seasoned. Wash it. And everything else that your coffee touches. Word of warning: don't use strong cleaning liquids unless you like a lemony scent.
4.Fresh beans
Like most food items, coffee has a shelf life. It stales and loses its character, body, aromatics, and flavor. When possible, purchase smaller amounts of coffee that can be used within x days. If you prefer to buy in bulk to save on shipping or to avoid an extra trip to the store, keep the coffee in a dry, cool place and avoid exposing it to the air. Portion a large bag of coffee into smaller bags to avoid exposing the entire lot every morning.
3. 8-10 g per 6 ounces of water
Too little coffee and you'll brew a cup that is overextracted (bitter). Too much coffee and you'll brew a cup that is underextracted (weak or flat).
2. Good water
Coffee is 99% water, so it stands to reason that if you use poor quality water, your coffee will be bad. A simple rule of thumb is that if you don't like how your water tastes, don't use it to brew your coffee. A more complex rule of thumb is to use good water that contains minerals. Bottled (drinking or spring) water usually has the proper mineral content. Distilled or reverse osmosis water does not.
1. Buy from trusted source
Whether you buy online or from a local retailer, know you coffee by knowing your seller. Do they make transparency a priority, or do they hide behind generic coffee terms (i.e. this is our Colombian and that's our dark roast)? By getting as much information about the coffee, you can locate the knowledgeable sellers who are more likely to invest time and energy into sourcing good coffee and roasting it to perfection, and thus, allowing you to make a better decision on your next coffee purchase.

Open House

Our doors are always open to visitors, but on Saturday, September 20^th 2008, we are doing something a bit special.

We are having an open house from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Please stop by as we will have hands-on roasting, cupping, and espresso demonstrations. No need to RSVP, but feel free to call if you have any questions.

Paradise Roasters
6250 Bunker Lake Blvd, Suite 211
Ramsey, MN 55303

(763) 433-0626

Free Coffee Chaff and Burlap Sacks

Diverting Waste to Become More Eco-friendly...

Coffee Chaff

Coffee chaff is the protective skin surrounding the seed (the coffee bean) of the coffee cherry. When the coffee is roasted, this chaff separates from the coffee and collects in the roaster’s chaff collector. Instead of throwing away this lightweight, inedible material, Paradise Roasters bags the chaff for use in private/public composts and gardens.

Collected chaff is available at no charge to anyone who wishes to stop by and pick it up at the roastery. Quantity is limited, so feel free to call ahead to determine availability. If you would like us to ship the chaff to you, we will be happy to do so, but a shipping and handling charge will apply.

When using chaff, don’t use too much as there is a tendency for this stuff to clump and repel water. Used in proper amounts, however, chaff is perfect for acid-loving plants. During the winter months, chaff can form a protective barrier in replace of or in addition to fallen leaves.

Free Burlap Coffee Bags

The majority of green coffee is transported in burlap bags, and once the coffee is roasted, we have no use for the bags. But if you do, we’d be happy to give you one…or twenty. Like the chaff, burlaps bags are free. However, shipping and handling will apply to anyone who cannot pick up.

There is a waiting list for bags that extends until August. If you would like to be added to the list, please feel free to contact us.

New law against lattes gone wild

Mason County officials in Washington have deemed "bikini baristas" to be exotic entertainment, and thus, must either put on more clothing or shut down.

It's curious that the crackdown here isn't about the unsafe working environment. Semi-nude baristas working near scalding milk, pressurized steam, and hot coffee screams injury and lawsuit.

photo by: waɪ.tiː's

Brett Favre Traded to the New York Jets

Aaron and I had a bet concerning whether Brett Favre would play in the NFL this upcoming season. We made this bet two months ago. Today, it was reported that the Green Bay Packers traded Brett Favre to the New York Jets.

Aaron has conceded. I am the new owner of two relatively used dollar bills.

Perhaps I can bet Miguel a Brett Favre - New York Jets jersey that Chad Pennington will never throw another ball for the New York Jets again? Or maybe tickets to a game? The pre-season Giants - Jets game on Saturday, August 23 would even suffice. I'll have to look over the Jets' schedule.

While I'm in New York, I should check out some coffee shops too.

Espresso Havana Reserve will Return

Based on customer feedback, we will bring back Espresso Havana Reserve for a limited time starting September 2nd, 2008.

Designed to pair well with a fine cigar, this blend offers a heavy mouthfeel and smoky tobacco-like tastes.

And like the last version of Havana Reserve, this espresso blend will also contain Panama Esmeralda.

Feel free to call us (763-433-0626) to secure Havana Reserve. It won't be on the website for a few more weeks, but that doesn't mean you can't place a preorder.

Espresso Havana Reserve will replace Safari Espresso Blend, so if you mean to try that espresso, do so quickly as it will be gone September 2nd 2008.

Espresso Adagio

A prelude...

Top-Ten Brewing Methods

According to Miguel...
10. Percolator
9. Cowboy
8. AeroPress
7. Turkish
6. Clover
5. Moka Pot
4. Espresso
3. Press Pot
2. Siphon
1. Drip

According to Aaron...
10. Moka Pot
9. Auto-Drip: Paper Filter
8. Auto-Drip: Gold Filter
7. AeroPress
6. Vac-Pot
5. Manual-Drip: Paper Filter
4. Clover
3. Espresso
2. Press Pot
1. Manual-Drip: Gold Filter

Geisha or Gesha?

We recently received an email questioning the validity of the varietal name "Geisha" that we have listed on our Panama Esmeralda page. This particular emailer believed that we were perhaps confused with the Japanese Geisha, who are traditional Japanese artists that, in turn, are often confused for prostitutes.

We were told to use the word "Gesha" as it is "a small area in Ethiopia where grows a coffee variety that is only slightly evolved from the original wild coffee."

We are posting the following response, because there is obviously misunderstanding regarding this famous coffee varietal, and we just wanted to throw out some clarification regarding Geisha.

Our response:

On several occasions during the mid 20th century, coffees were distributed to national coffee research labs around the world under the name Geisha, or on occasion, these same varietals were labeled Abbyssinian or simply Ethiopian, but never Gesha.

While it is possible, perhaps likely, that this Geisha name is taken from a township named Gesha or Gecha, it is not certain. The coffees that have been distributed as Geisha have all come from Southwestern Ethiopia mostly from the Bench Maji growing area. Within this area, there is a locale called Geisha Mountain which is where the varietal planted in Panama known as Geisha is thought to have originated.

It should be noted that several distinct varietals (all labeled Geisha) were collected on this mission and one eventually made it to Panama. Other varietal selections from this region have also been planted in Malawi and Kenya under the Geisha name. The collections of varietals labeled Geisha were originally distributed to coffee research stations in Kenya and Tanzania where they were used in hybridization projects. Selections that showed good disease resistance were later distributed to other research stations around the world, notably India, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. These varietals were always identified as Geisha and not Gesha.

The Geisha varietal planted in Panama was brought from a research station in neighboring Costa Rica. It was planted and called Geisha in Panama, but due to its low yields, was afterwards quickly forgotten. It wasn’t until after the “rediscovery” of this varietal less than a decade ago that anyone had ever called it “Gesha,” and then it was only called that in speculation as to its origins.

The truth is that no one knows exactly where this varietal was originally collected or that its location will ever be known. Some people have speculated it comes from around one of 3 towns called either Gesha or Gecha on some English maps, but it is important to note that these spellings are all translations from Amharic. There is no agreed upon way of transliterating Amharic into Roman characters so we often see widely varied spellings of the same places and names. Yirgacheffe is a classic example of this. Depending on the source doing the translation, it may be spelled Yrgacheffe, Yergacheffe, Yirgacheffe or Yerga Cheffe. Because multiple translations of the possible originating locale this varietal may be named after, and for the fact that everywhere it has been planted for the past 75+ years has been labeled “Geisha,” we believe Geisha to be the better choice.

As to the assertion that the Geisha is only slightly evolved from the original “wild coffee,” we are unaware of any evidence that supports this. The Geisha varietal now being cultivated has had as much human-selective pressure as any other cultivar commonly planted. What is being grown in Panama is not straight from the wild forests of Ethiopia but the result of many successive generations of plants selected for their desired qualities, which for most of the 20th century was disease resistance, not cup quality. To say this varietal, or any coffee varietal, is somehow more or less evolved than another is unfounded since coffee species hybridize quite frequently in nature, and the various progeny from these hybrids are still evolving today, both from natural selection and selective, human pressure.

Pre-Ground Panama Esmeralda Geisha 2008

This morning, we decided to conduct an experiment. We ground a small sample of our Panama Esmeralda, sealed it in a bag, and will cup it in a week.

This will be a side-by-side comparison between two Esmeraldas: the Esmeralda ground today and an Esmeralda ground ten seconds prior to the cupping.

How good are the valve bags?

No cream, please.

Photo credits: Wine glass by Adam S. Palmer; Coffee & cream by PhotoDu.de.

"It's Just Coffee" or "Coffee is Like Wine"?

Cleaning the Coffee Roaster

To prevent fires in the roastery, proper roaster maintenance and scheduled cleaning is key.

Paradise Labs and Espresso Adagio

We try to roast only what is required each and every day, but we can’t be perfect all the time. We use the left over coffee (most often less than 20 grams) for various reasons: quality control, morning coffee, retail samples, and experimentation.

The other day, we had a small sampling of some of our most expensive coffees (Panama Esmeralda, Hawaii Ka’u, and Colombia Andrade Bourbon) left over. In total, there was less than one hundred grams. We couldn’t resist combining them and pulling a shot of espresso out of the resulting blend. For curiosity’s sake.

Photo by: Adam S. Palmer

It was an absolute success. The espresso was light, bright, and relaxing. It was an extremely easy-to-drink espresso with floral aromatics and a cup reminiscent of oranges caramelizing in a pan sprinkled with brown sugar.

This espresso made us realize that we couldn’t keep these kinds of experiments secret. Even if we can’t offer them on any reasonable scale for sale, we really wanted to at least offer the experience to someone outside of our roastery. This was the inspiration and push we needed to start Paradise Labs.

Paradise Labs is our effort to be transparent. We want to let you know what we're doing, what we're trying, and what we're enjoying. Thus, these experiments will be made available for sale. The quantities will be extremely limited (more often than not less than 10lbs), but at least these unique experiences will be shared.

Espresso Adagio is our first offering. It's the Hawaiian, Andrade, and Esmeralda espresso blend that wowed us. There's only two pounds available, and we hope it's well received.


The experimentations will continue...

Shakerato - The Best Part of Summer

I discovered the Shakerato relatively recently in my coffee career. I don't know how I managed to never come across such a classic beverage, but I'm glad I finally did. In my opinion, it is the best way to enjoy espresso cold and is now about the only way I'll indulge in iced coffee. Personally, I prefer mine made with Panama Esmeralda Special roasted light but African and Colombian coffees also work very well for this beverage. Here is my recipe for summer refreshment:

Emerald Shakerato

1) pour a double shot of Panama Esmeralda into a cocktail shaker
2) add 1-2tsp of simple syrup (granulated or deramera sugar can also be used)
3) fill cocktail shaker 1/2 way with ice cubes and shake vigorously
4) strain into a chilled glass

5) I normally don't add anything to my coffee or espresso, but in this case, I enjoy my shakerato with a twist of lemon and a splash of cream.

6) Enjoy!

Ten tips on how to make the perfect pot of french press coffee

1. Start with fresh roasted coffee, no older than 21 days.
2. Grind the coffee beans immediately before brewing.
3. Use a coarse grind.



4. Add 9-10 grams (about 2 T) of ground coffee per 6 oz of water to the press pot.



5. Use near boiling water (at least 200 degrees F).
6. Pour the water evenly over the coffee grounds, ensuring all of the coffee gets wet.



7. Set the top of the press over the wet grounds to help prevent heat loss.
8. Let coffee steep for 3-4 minutes.



9. By pressing the filter down, push all of the coffee grounds to the bottom of the pot.
10. Serve immediately and enjoy.

To Ice or Not to Ice?

We're in the final process of creating a seasonal espresso, Safari Blend, and while pulling some shots the other day, we decided to test whether an iced espresso or iced americano was better. There has been a controversy as to whether or not it is appropriate to pour espresso over ice.

We pulled a double with one spout dripping into a glass with water and the other spout dripping onto ice. We then added ice to the espresso and water glass. We were careful to keep the ratio of water/ice to espresso equal in both glasses.

The iced espresso was easily better.

More aromatics, less bitterness, more noticable fruity notes.

Granted, this doesn't mean this will work with any and all coffees (lighter roasts are often more receptive to becoming an iced espresso, which was what we were using), but it was an interesting sidenote to the day.