Tuesday, June 07, 2005
I called up my buddy Josh and we went over to get some coffee this morning from the wonderful folks at New Harvest (www.newharvestcoffee.com), and get this: I was handed a big paper cup bearing a logo sticker that was full of fresh, hot espresso. What beats free espresso?
We stood around and chewed the fat with Roaster Rik while What's His Name In The Back Room bagged up a couple of pounds of coffee for me (Ethiopian and Mystic Ridge Blend, I think -- both new to me). The roaster spun and roared and swished, and Rik checked on the beans periodically or fiddled with the controls. He explained how the afterburner keeps the roaster from spewing smoke and chaff over the houses downwind. (I thought being able to say you use an afterburner at work was pretty cool, but he only smiled at me a little worriedly. Musta been the espresso talking.)
Listening to the roaster's noise kind of reminded me of Dunn Brothers coffee in St. Paul, but the lack of any aroma was weird. (To compensate I took a few snorts of coffee smell from the valves in the bags they'd just packed for me.)
It's just a few minutes drive from work, so I can see myself sneaking out every so often to pick up fresh coffee. I used to order it from them over the phone -- they remember what I order when I myself forget -- but my wife reminded me that the UPS fees are like five or six bucks -- which I could spend on coffee that I wouldn't even have to wait to get. Nothing like the love of a good woman, I say.
(I left all that fresh-roasted coffee in my minivan, parked in today's full sun, in order to maximize the smelll when I drive home.)
We stood around and chewed the fat with Roaster Rik while What's His Name In The Back Room bagged up a couple of pounds of coffee for me (Ethiopian and Mystic Ridge Blend, I think -- both new to me). The roaster spun and roared and swished, and Rik checked on the beans periodically or fiddled with the controls. He explained how the afterburner keeps the roaster from spewing smoke and chaff over the houses downwind. (I thought being able to say you use an afterburner at work was pretty cool, but he only smiled at me a little worriedly. Musta been the espresso talking.)
Listening to the roaster's noise kind of reminded me of Dunn Brothers coffee in St. Paul, but the lack of any aroma was weird. (To compensate I took a few snorts of coffee smell from the valves in the bags they'd just packed for me.)
It's just a few minutes drive from work, so I can see myself sneaking out every so often to pick up fresh coffee. I used to order it from them over the phone -- they remember what I order when I myself forget -- but my wife reminded me that the UPS fees are like five or six bucks -- which I could spend on coffee that I wouldn't even have to wait to get. Nothing like the love of a good woman, I say.
(I left all that fresh-roasted coffee in my minivan, parked in today's full sun, in order to maximize the smelll when I drive home.)
