Well, this had to be the best Christmas present this year.
Aimi (Graduated Bob) brought in a batch of cookies that she and Matt made. They said they wanted to make some more of our gang, but ran out of dough. Nice likenesses! :)

Pictured (top to bottom, left to right): Isaiah (with his chops), Brian (the fattest cookie), B-Way, Raye (with the glasses), MeMo (Bucket O' Grass), Candy Annie, Odd (who was subsequently eaten with a smirk by Jack), Kari (minus the loud laugh), Graduated Bob, Matt (who accidentally got stuck to GB for some reason), Jock the happy mailman, and Curtis (with his shears).

Thanks for the cookies Aimi and Matt! I already ate myself. It was a lot, since I was so fat. Thanks a lot. Did I say that already? Thanks. You suck.

Today we have a special guest blogger. His name is Jason and he's been a coffee drinker, home roaster, home espresso guy, and a DoubleShot employee twice. Let's all give Jason a hand and see if he'll stand up for us.
Jason wants to tell you about a very special grinder in his life...

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THERE’S WONDER WORKING POWER IN THE BURRS

We here at DoubleShot all have our story. That story is
about being born again.

In the days before he was fat and owned a coffeehouse,
Franklin used to roast his own coffee BEFORE he went
to work in the morning. “God is Love and Coffee is
Fresh,” he grew fond of saying. Isaiah ‘The Profit’
would cheat on his own coffeehouse by working there
and drinking coffee here at DoubleShot. He knew. He
believed.

Cowboy Bob simply moseyed on in and sat down.

Me, my conversion came the day I bought my first burr
grinder. I was at an end. Repent! repent! you
sinner! No more whirlie-dirlie whooptie-woo coffee
whacking for me. I sent my whirly-blade grinder to
the rubbish bin and put a Baratza Maestro Burr Grinder
on my countertop. That was August 23, 2002, five
years ago. I still have the receipt. That was the
day I gave my life to good coffee – to doing it right.
Buying coffee fresh and the hum hum sound of burr
grinding on the spot and using proper brewing methods
to ensure coffee greatness. I didn’t know the
Illuminati then. But I’m sure they were there,
somewhere above, beaming smiles like proud parents.
Oh, the Glory!

You see, a burr grinder can change YOUR life, too. If
you’ve been to DoubleShot, you’ve heard the gospel
preached over and over. Buy fresh, grind and brew.
Do it. It is the Way, the Truth. There is no other.

DoubleShot sells the Baratza Maestro Burr Grinder.
The burrs ensure that the coffee is ground evenly.
The coffee pieces are all the same size, so when water
flows over them they extract the goodness consistently
and at a steady rate. The Maestro lets you adjust
your grind whichever way you want. I use one setting
for a single cup pour-over, another setting for my
drip coffee maker and yet another for the French
Press. Whatever equipment you have, the step-grind
(40 settings) of the Maestro will accommodate. And
once you’ve dialed in your grind, it’s smiles all
around. You’ll walk through the house swinging your
mug like a stein at Oktoberfest. You’ll say Mmmm a
lot. People will see a change – they’ll know you’re
different - because you are. It’s the burr grinder.

This Maestro grinder is solid and sturdy, a rock. The
footprint is small and slim and will fit under your
overhead cabinets and friends will be impressed. The
coffee grounds fall neatly into a tight fitting bin
and static is minimal, if at all. And the motor hums,
quietly, unlike some other brands that have folks
looking to the sky for jet airplanes. The On/Off
switch is handy and simply measuring out your beans
beforehand and grinding them up works best. It’s all
too simple. Take a proper measure of DoubleShot
Ethiopian Moka Stag, grind, pour into your coffee
maker and heaven awaits.

Some say the cost (price) is too high. To them I say
that FIVE years later, I’m still using my Maestro with
fantastic results. That’s $20-odd dollars a year.
You’ll blow that on Britney’s latest album and have
regrets. You won’t with the Maestro.

So come on down, hear the Good News and take home
something that will change your life.

Amen.

-Brother Jason
-----------------------

Thanks Jason.
You can buy the Baratza Maestro in the store or online. Seems like the right thing to do. (Please don't ask me to grind your coffee.)

I've been doing something fun this week. It's one of those fun, interesting things that makes me laugh and get excited; one of those things that most people would find mundane and stupid. But I love it! I'll tell you about it.

In Ethiopia, the traditional method of preparing coffee involves roasting coffee beans over a fire and when they are done, they dump them (still hot) into a mortar and pulverize them with a pestle. Then they put the ground coffee into a pot and bring it to a boil and serve in small cups. It's quite a ceremony, from what I hear.

So I decided to prepare coffee using the modified-ethiopian method. As soon as the beans come out of the roaster into the cooling bin I've been grabbing a half-cup and running to the grinder to make a presspot. They're still 420 degrees or so and when they come through the grinder, they smoke like the devil. And they stink like burning rubber or something. But for some reason, that all changes after they sit in 200 degree water for 4 minutes. It's SO GOOD. I honestly didn't think it would be good, but it is. Real good.

And you'll probably never get to experience that. :(
(ha ha!) :)

It really is THE FRESHEST COFFEE ON THE PLANET.

Last Sunday an ice storm rolled into town and took down limbs from almost every tree in its path. And every powerline beneath. Our electricity went off Sunday and has been off (along with almost everyone I know, including my own apartment) until today. The good news is, as you can see in the picture, our lights are on. As of 9a this morning, after 5 days out of business, we're getting ready to roll again.

The roaster just turned out its first batch, and as soon as I've roasted a couple more, we'll be able to start brewing.

It's snowing now and a lot of my friends are still without heat and lights. So come on down. I'm sure we'll be open later than usual today.

To all of our online customers and friends, I apologize. Our website is on a local server and it's been down all week too. But as of now (and we'll keep our fingers crossed), we're back to World Coffee Domination.

Come see me. (it really is the freshest coffee on the planet)

As I sit here writing this blog, I'm waiting for the truck to arrive that is carrying a pallet of coffee. On that pallet is a bag of Kona Extra Fancy from Greenwell Farms. It will be here today.

This is pretty exciting news for you. Kona is a coffee that we don't get very often- once or twice a year. Hawaii is the only place in the United States that grows coffee, and Greenwell Farms (much like the DoubleShot) is renowned for great coffee.

This isn't a "Kona Blend" or some burnt, stale coffee you might pick up while you're on vacation in Hawaii. This is the real deal. Great single-estate coffee, fresh roasted, and just in time for Christmas.

Brokers don't send out samples of Kona, mostly because it's expensive and there's such a high demand for it that they don't have to try and sell it. But I've bought Kona from this broker the past two years (last year we bought from this same farm), and they've both been great coffees. Reports are that this year's crop is exceptional, so we're pretty excited about the prospects. Traditionally, since Kona is an island coffee, it is very bright, clean, fruity, and delicious. You can definitely expect it to come alive in your mouth, especially if you drink it while it's still really fresh.

"Extra Fancy" is a grading term in Hawaii. It's the top grade, meaning all the defects have been picked out and the bean size is large.

I don't have time to write any more because the truck just pulled up. Gotta go unload the coffee.

If you want Kona this year, you need to let me know ahead of time. We're taking pre-orders. It's selling for $31 per quart, which will hold about 3/4 pound.
Email me.

I'm out.

This Thursday 12/6 from 7-10p we are having a party at the DoubleShot.

My "art" is currently hanging on the walls of the DoubleShot and will go on silent auction starting the night of the party. The "art" is a collection of photographs of coffee in its various stages. The proceeds from the show will go to support a new group called Coffee Illuminati, which educates members about coffee and supports our efforts to create more personal and equitable relationships with coffee farmers.
www.CoffeeIlluminati.com

On Thursday evening we'll be serving coffee, snacks, wine from Thirst Wine Merchants, and music by Wink and Jeff. We're really excited to have Wink and Jeff here playing for us - they're awesome musicians and I'm sure everyone will enjoy the music.

So tell all your friends, email everyone on your email list, blog about it, call people, text message your parents, and bring people with you.

It's this Thursday 12/6 from 7-10p at DoubleShot
Here's the flyer: PDA