Will Trade for Horse

It's Christmastime again. I've received a few cards in the mail. Most of them were not really cards, just dressed-up requests for money from one charity or another. That's irritating.
I remember when I was a kid, flipping through the JC Penny catalog, looking at all the toys, and I remember that unmistakable smell of the catalog pages and seeing pictures of such lucky kids getting to play with the coolest stuff ever, and I would find the letter that corresponded with the letter next to the picture and I would read all about the best ones. I would read the whole toy section of the catalog. And I remember writing down things I wanted and noting what page each thing was on, dog-earing the pages, so my parents could find it quickly and with the least amount of effort because less fuss maybe would mean they would find it easier and buy it for me and maybe since I made it so easy they would buy more stuff, as if they were on some sort of shopping time crunch. I remember always asking for a horse.
They bought us too much. My parents must've put on soft music and slowly filled my brother's bedroom with sleeping gas, where we were determined to stay up all night coloring in our coloring books, listening for Santa Claus, watching through the curtains for the red dot in the sky that was Rudolf and not some small aircraft flying over. And the next thing I knew, my brother would be waking me up on Christmas morning telling me that Santa had come while we were asleep, and I would run out and check to see if the milk and cookies we left for him on the table were gone because I knew if those were gone it was really Santa who had been there. And the living room was always filled with presents, wrapped in colorful paper and curly ribbons, so much that we had to tip toe around it all just to get close to the Christmas tree.
It seems hard to believe now, looking back, because now I know that we didn't have much money, and I just ascribe it all to my being so small and seeing things as being so much bigger and more plentiful then. I've no doubt that they spoiled us too much and suffered on our behalf in order to make us feel like we were special, like we were rich, like we were no different than everyone else. And it worked. My parents gave us more than we needed, and I can only guess how much they had to sacrifice in the course of it all. And, for the most part, we just felt lucky that Santa Claus was so generous.
So I guess this should be a time where we look back and think about the traditions we grew up with and smile at the silly memories of the Muppet Christmas record and Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas on the TV with the rabbit ears and the channel-change knob that sometimes had to be jiggled to keep the static away. And fighting over who got to put the first ornament on the tree, which, back then, still smelled like evergreen and dropped its pokey needles about our shag-carpeted living room.
Christmas should be a time to think about the people who have made us feel special and say thanks for caring.

This Christmas I want coffee.
Every year, we try to find unique coffees to sell over the holidays. This year we have two coffees to offer. One, we started selling at Thanksgiving and the feedback has been phenomenal. Kenya Peaberry Karimikui is a nutty, rich, savory coffee that lends itself amazingly well to traditional breakfast pairings. Kenyas have been hot coffees this year in the marketplace, and I selected this lot specifically because peaberries are unique anomalies in coffee, and my experience with Kenyas have taught me that peaberries are superior and I know you'll notice the difference in the cup.
The second coffee I'm offering this year is one you may have tasted by now. Tchembe is a coffee that was sourced by a company called Ninety Plus who is out working the front lines in Ethiopia, learning what makes coffee taste great, and implementing that knowledge for us to drink. Supplies of Tchembe are pretty slim because it's such an amazing coffee. Sweet, fruity, blackberry aromas emanate from the cup, accentuated by Belgian chocolate and banana esters like you'll find in Belgian beers. Definitely a smooth cup, one of my favorites, and a strong partner with desserts and fruity breakfast items.

Both of these coffees are extremely limited in their availability. We are selling both in commemorative 12-ounce quart cans, which are great for gift-giving and help to preserve the coffee from its environment, keeping it tasty. I only have 36 quarts of the Kenya and 85 quarts of Tchembe to sell.
There are two ways you can get them.
1) Take your chances and come in and hope we have some when the time comes.
2) Or guarantee yourself some by purchasing a voucher. Come in and pick one up at the counter or buy one (or however many you need until they run out) online.
Purchase your vouchers here for IN-STORE PICKUP after I roast:
Tchembe - http://doubleshotcoffee.com/store/index.php?productID=137
Kenya Peaberry Karimikui - http://doubleshotcoffee.com/store/index.php?productID=136

Of course, you can still order online and I'll ship them to you. But get it soon because both of these special coffees will be gone before you know it.

Happy holidays.
Brian

ps. If you're wondering what to get me, I like New York Strips (preferably dry aged) and I still haven't gotten that horse I've been asking for.