As many of you know, we recently held a pretty unique event here at the Blanchard's Coffee Co. Roast Lab. We teamed up with Grid Magazine, 804&1/2, Relay Foods and Thrive Coffee to hold a large coffee cupping for the purpose of using crowd sourcing to choose the next direct trade coffee and farm we would feature at Blanchard's. Additionally, that coffee will be featured in Grid Magazine's Makers series and we'll donate a portion of proceeds from sales to a local charity.

The event was a complete success. Nearly fifty coffee fans piled into the Blanchard's Coffee Co. Roast Lab and, after introductions, we dimmed the lights and talked, via Skype, with Raul Valdez of the San Rafael Urias Estate in the Antigua region of Guatemala. Raul's coffee was ultimately the favorite of the crowd compared to the excellent Costa Rican and Honduran coffees also on the list.

We had a blast and it was awesome to see so many folks coming together to cup coffee, especially sustainable coffee with direct ties and greater financial benefit to the farmers who grow it. We hope you'll enjoy some photos from the evening!

What, exactly, is coffee cupping you ask? Well, first of all, it is something that needs to happen a lot more in Richmond (which is why we're getting started!).

Without getting too verbose and digressing into a technical explanation of the process--coffee cupping is the method by which coffee professionals analyze flavor and aroma characteristics of coffee. 

There are a vast array of brewing techniques out there, many of which we've talked about here, but the simplest, purest expression of coffee extraction is cupping.
In the simplest terms possible, the coffee is allowed to steep in a cup of hot water. The spent coffee grinds float to the top to form a crust which is broken with a spoon releasing the coffee's aroma to be observed. After the aroma is noted, the spoon is used to capture the extracted coffee which is slurped over the palate and the spectrum of flavor and texture characteristics are observed and noted.

It is an excellent, informative and highly ritualistic process that really focuses participants on the inherent characteristics of the featured coffee. We're working with Grid Magazine and designers Ali Croft and Tim Skirven to choose and promote a new, unique, direct trade coffee and we think the best way to pick something that our fans and customers will love is to, well, let them (you) pick it!

We're roasting a ton of new coffees in test batches to narrow down the field and then we'd like to invite you to a cupping event to rate the best of those selections and whatever you choose will be our next featured farm direct coffee!

The cupping event will take place Wednesday, 27 February 2013 at the Blanchard's Coffee Co. Roast Lab.
Our space is limited and preparation is crucial to a great cupping event so we'll ask that you sign up for a spot so we'll be ready for you. We look forward to seeing you and sharing a great coffee experience!

I recently read an article posted on a prominent online news site admonishing "bad coffee" and the people who buy it. I'll be the first person to encourage drinking good coffee over bad, so I dove into the article hoping to find it an insightful and positive set of tips for a coffee drinker eager to learn. Unfortunately it turned out to be a poorly written, ill informed rant from a bitter barista someone mistakenly hired to write a piece on coffee.

The article got me thinking though; thinking about all of the coffee questions I field in a day from customers, friends, clients, chefs--you name it. I realized that most of the questions fall along a fairly consistent line of topics and almost always can be answered with just a few basic pieces of information.

I decided to rebut the negative article I read with something more along the lines of what I had hoped it would be--a helpful FAQ on what makes a good (or bad) cup of coffee so the next time you're buying a cup or a bag, perhaps you'll be armed with a bit more knowledge to guide your decision.

The article's first and foremost falsehood went something like this: "All dark roasted coffee is bad coffee". False. All badly roasted dark roasted coffee is bad coffee. In fact, all badly roasted coffee of any type is bad coffee. Whether you love or hate dark roasted coffee, it is a legitimate style and if done properly, has a great deal of value and relevancy in the specialty coffee world. Why? Science.
Dark roasted coffee is roasted longer and to higher temperatures which takes the bean further into the Maillard Reaction (complex amino acid reaction that leads to browning and the creation of unctuous flavors), as well as the second crack where the beans essential oils (flavor) expand, breaking the cell walls and eventually coming to the surface. In darker roasts, caffeine and acid are burnt off to a greater extent. Yes, if you go too deeply into the roast, some of the essential oils (flavor) will burn off, which is a bad thing, and the bean starts to carbonize (burn) which isn't all that tasty; but if your roaster knows what they're doing, a dark roast can be an excellent cup of coffee on its own or a great addition to a post-roast blend.

Don't get caught up in the notion that great coffee has to be expensive or rare. Yes, there are some great exotic coffees out there and they certainly have their value, but the average coffee drinker can find a nearly limitless world of awesome coffee experiences for normal market price.

Old school notions of where "good coffee" comes from are just that, old school. Everybody has an older family member who insists that Colombian coffee is the best in the world. Neat, but not really true. Years ago, Colombian coffee was the "best" because it was marketed as such. Colombia's coffee production varies in yield and quality just like every other coffee producing coffee in the world--why? Because coffee is an agricultural product. Saying one country produces the best coffee, always, is like saying one country always produces the best cabbages. There are countries in Latin America, Indonesia and Africa, all producing coffee, much of it is great in the hands of a good roaster. Go exploring. Take note of why you like the coffees you do. Take those notes to your roaster and ask for suggestions on where to explore next--they're professionals and they'll appreciate the opportunity to share their passion. If they don't, get a new roaster (like us!).

Brew right. Once you've gotten an awesome bag of coffee, fresh from the roaster, ask your roaster to show you the best way to brew that coffee without drastically changing your equipment. Yes, there are a ton of brewing methods, one cooler than the next and the next and the... you get the point; but fact is, you can brew a great cup of coffee with any piece of equipment, even if it is as simple as a clean sock and a pot of hot water. Challenge your roaster or barista to teach you how to best extract your coffee with the tools you have. Once you've mastered it you can explore new brewing methods if you want. Skip pretense. Have fun.

Take good care of your coffee. Now that you've got great coffee and you know how to brew it, take good care of it. Coffee absorbs smells and is sensitive to moisture, harsh temperatures and sunlight. Keep your coffee out of the fridge, freezer, spice cabinet, sock drawer etc. You don't have to be fancy, just use a tupperware or a ziplock bag and keep it in a cabinet. If you want to be fancy, we like to suggest a Mason Jar or a nice hinge-seal canister. Also, only buy what you need for a week. If you're a one cup of coffee per day kind of person, you can probably get by on a single 12oz bag per week. Our motto is buy fresh and buy often. The best way to ruin what could have been a great cup of coffee is to wait until it has oxidized (more science). Remember, coffee's flavor is coming from its essential oils; if they have oxidized and/or evaporated then what do you have? A little piece of lightly toasted wood (not appetizing).

Do you have specific coffee questions--things you've heard or wondered?
We have answers. I'm pretty sure we've heard all the wacky questions about coffee and formulated responses, but I would love the challenge of you sending us something new.

Ask away; all questions will be answered!

How many of the things that you eat and drink can you trace back to its very beginning? Are you a part of the "eat local" movement? Are you proud of fact that you met the guy who grows your kale, the gal who gathers your eggs, the folks who brew your beer? How about that cup of coffee (or three) that you drink every single morning?

We think it is a big deal to know where your coffee comes from and what it takes to get it to your cup in the morning; that is why we are beginning a series of coffee education events like the one we had last night in partnership with SlowFoodRVa and Alchemy Coffee.

Take a look at some of the pictures from the event!

We started the evening off with a tasting of the first recorded coffee blend, Mocha Java - a blend of Indonesian and East African beans - as Eric Spivek of Alchemy Coffee walked us through the historical origins of coffee and how it came to be a beverage enjoyed worldwide.
Stephen Robertson of Blanchard's Coffee Co. walked us through farming, harvest, processing and procurement practices and how that all relates to the Slow Food Movement and the world economy.
We then took the class down to the Roast Lab where Stephen demonstrated coffee roasting and Eric talked about brewing techniques. With Press Pots, Chemex, Clever Drippers and Melitta Drippers, we tasted Ethiopian Harrar, Papua New Guinea, Guatemalan Huehuetenango and Sumatra Mandheling.

There were tons of questions, answers, laughs and everyone went home with a bag of freshly roasted Dark Roast Ethiopian Harrar; and hopefully a better understanding of how they get that cup of coffee that starts their day.

Sign up for our email newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get information on our next Coffee Ed. event!

Virginia is going to have some freakishly warm weather for the middle of January this weekend. It is a foregone conclusion that some folks may be thinking about a nice refreshing glass of iced coffee after enjoying the beautiful weather outside.

PRO TIP: Go ColdBrew. You'll be glad you did.

Here's your handy how-to for an easy, delicious batch of ColdBrew for the weekend:

Pick your favorite fresh roasted coffee and grind it as you would for your French Press--you're going to use about double the amount of ground coffee as you would for a normal press pot of hot coffee.

Put your ground coffee in your press pot and stir in cold or room temperature filtered water until the press pot is full.

Cover the press pot with plastic wrap and let it steep in the refrigerator over night.

In the morning, insert the press pot's plunger and plunge as far as you can.

Pour off the coffee you have brewed into a separate pitcher and then add cold, filtered water to double the volume. Now you have delicious, low acidity, high-test ColdBrew to pour over ice and enjoy until its gone!

Happy brewing everyone!

Well folks, not only have we survived another holiday season, but a Mayan Apocalypse as well; we'll call that an overall success!

We truly hope you all have had a wonderful holiday full of friends, family, good food and, of course, great coffee.

We couldn't be more thankful for all of our family and friends who support Blanchard's Coffee Co. and all of the awesome businesses and coffee lovers who help people enjoy a great cup of fresh roasted coffee every day. With all of your help, we can proudly announce another record breaking year here at Blanchard's, including over 2,100 pounds roasted in a single day during the week before Christmas! Yes, if you're wondering, that is a ton of coffee--literally.

Its easy to fall into a deep winter slump after all the excitement of the holidays wears off, so we're working on a few things to keep you pumped, in the least, about coffee.

First up, this was a HUGE year for our seasonal Holiday Blend, but even good things must come to an end. Before we wrap up the Holiday Blend for this season, we wanted to offer you the chance to pick up a few more bags at a great sale price as a thank you for all your support. Starting January 1st, for a limited time, you can pick up as many bags of Holiday Blend as you like from our website for $7.00 per bag--as a loyal blog reader, you can get a head start by buying here:

Holiday Blend  12oz Bag

We're also going to start a Blanchard's Newsletter to which you can subscribe for email alerts about cool happenings at the Roast Lab and beyond. You can subscribe here--we promise, we will not spam you.

We'll be announcing stuff like new blog posts, coffee events, featured coffees, coffee specials and awesome partnerships like the ones we have with the James River Association or Road Holland, so be sure to sign up!

If your home is anything like mine, a morning isn't complete without a great cup of coffee--especially during the holidays. Coffee has a social, conversational effect that brings people together in that soul and body warming kind of way, so its a great treat to share when the family is around.

Coffee also makes a great gift, not just for family and friends, but for officemates, clients, business contacts--even the mailman!

Blanchard's Coffee Co. has everything you need for holiday coffee, starting with our yearly release of our Holiday Blend. The 2012 Holiday Blend is a delicious blend of Indonesian and African coffees that is bold and spicy with a slight hint of dark fruits.

We also offer a wide range of gift options from single bags of a coffee of your choice to our Signature Gift Boxes to custom gift sets for corporate giving.

You can order Holiday Blend 2012 along with the rest of our coffees and Signature Gift Boxes here at the online store.

Contact Stephen at 804-516-5213 or stephen@blanchardscoffee.com for custom corporate gift questions and/or orders.

There is no question, a great cold-brew coffee over ice on a hot summer day is hard to beat. It is a refreshing treat whether you take it black, or "the set-up" (you know you have a certain set-up for your cold-brew).