Mommy where does coffee come from?

Recently scientists, via the extensive endeavor known as The Human Genome Project, came to the conclusion that all people could trace their genetic origins to the Eastern corner of Africa. Ethiopia to be exact.  This discovery sent a wave of excitement up the spines of people everywhere as it became apparent again that we are all from the same family-tree, all of us distant cousins to one another.  The shiver of wonder went even further up the backs of coffee enthusiasts far and wide as we realized that coffee and humans could both trace roots back to Ethiopia. It’s as if coffee and humans were made for each other. Destiny.

In a quausi-religious revelation I concluded that no doubt, the garden of Eden must’ve been located in Ethiopia, and it must have been packed full of lovely, blossoming coffee shrubs. Sounds heavenly to me.

Though the story of coffee’s discovery is only partially religious, it is nothing short of legendary.  Story has it that a goat herder named Kaldi was moving his flock through Southern Arabia and noticed that his goats were plucking the bright red cherries from a  six foot unattended local shrub.  After munching the fruit the goats began acting strange; they started dancing with delight and increasing in prolonged and undeniably giddy energy. The legend continues with Kaldi eating the fruit and finding the energetic properties of caffeine to be both invigorating and beneficial in helping him get through his workday. 

The absolute truth about coffee’s origins is probably a little different though; according to further research, this story of the dancing goats is only (at most) a half-truth.  Coffee was as I mentioned earlier, first cultivated in the Central plains of Ethiopia and then some time later was moved to Yemen.  Kaldi’s discovery would thus have been more like Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World. There was already some decent history behind the fruit before Kaldi found it for himself.

The next stage in coffee history is undeniably religious though as the diaspora period that separated man from his destined drink ended with Sufi monks discovering that the beans could be roasted and brewed into a liquid that helped them energetically accomplish religious practices. The drink proved so good, it put a little extra Whirl in their Dervish.  Shortly afterward it was declared by the 1600’s Pope Clement VIII to be nothing short of a gift from God and something to be consumed with clear conscience by Judeo-Christians and Gentiles alike, the drink increased in popularity throughout Rome and Italy and was soon a commodity throughout the world. Today it is in demand second only to oil.

No matter how you view the origins of man, whether religious or irreligious it is undeniable that the two of us go way way back.  Our history together is both funny and romantic and might  even be a match made in heaven. I think so at least.

Brian Boyd Lightfoot

The end of a Winter love affair

You walk in the room. She catches your eye. Unsure of your feelings, you know you should try…just a little taste. Tempting. You cannot deny her cocoa complexion, a honey sweetness that entices your senses. You call out her name, “Pahlu!” and she responds, exceeding your expectations. Now, more than ever, you know this meeting is not coincidence…it is destiny.

This third generation coffee, the Guatemalan “Pahlu”, has been treated with the utmost care and love. Thank you to the Palacio family for this beautiful encounter, we can’t wait for the next!

Dude is this like Homegrown?

Thanks to Stumptown Coffee for these beautiful pics

Since I started working at Augie’s I have had a handful of customers come in and ask if our coffee is grown locally, to which I’ve replied (with a bit of rambling) something like, well it’s roasted in our back-room and it’s prepared fresh here with the best methods possible, but no it’s not really grown locally. Often the customer’s reply, with some disappointment, is that the he/she wants to support small local business, shops at farmers markets and wants to shop ethically, which is why they asked in the first place whether the coffee was grown local. 

We love and respect those that want to shop locally and support small business and American production of items.  Without this sentiment a business like ours could never make it, so hats off to you devoted small business supporters.  This being said, coffee doesn’t really grow in North American climates (with the exception of Hawaii, which has a much more balmy environment and which also has the benefit of not being anchored to our continent). 

Coffee plants and cherries do their best growing and blossoming in countries closer to the equator, stretching North approximately to the tropic of Cancer and South to the Tropic of Capricorn.  Coffee plants require temperatures of over 70 degrees Fahrenheit year round and rich moist soil to really thrive. Some coffees are shade grown in rainforest environments and others are grown more in the open.  Some specialty coffee plants require exceptionally high altitudes to yield their best fruit and end up having super unique flavor profiles when compared with lower grown varietals. A coffee tree after being planted only starts to bloom and produce clusters of beautiful cherries after around three to five years of maturing. The plants are delicate and costly and take a lot of patience and care from farmers (similar to the vines on vineyards).

Coffee grows on an evergreen shrub, which if left unattended can reach up to 30 feet high. These plants on a farm are pruned from 6-9 feet high to make harvesting the cherries easier.  These plants come in a surprising amount of varieties, again like grapes, and produce different types of cherry-like fruit varying in color from yellow to red and a few other colors in between. All these fruits contain seeds, which are actually the beans we end up roasting and making our coffee from. 

Now don’t get me wrong, we’ve seen coffee shrubs in Huntington Beach and heard handfuls of stories about people that have tried to grow coffee plants in beach cities throughout the continental United States, but the end result has always been subpar.  The fruit ends up not tasting quite right, the beans roast up with funny flat flavors and the proof is in the pudding that coffee’s flavor is an environment issue, nature vs. nurture or something.  Anyways, that’s just a scratch in the surface of the science that goes into coffee growing but it’s also the answer to why we don’t grow it here in Redlands. Although I’m sure if we could yield a tasty crop, being obsessed with good coffee production, we would probably try growing it too.

~Brian  

Why we don’t brew Decaf

We at Augie’s have decided to stop brewing pots of decaf. Don’t be mistaken though; we’re doing this because we really love our decaf drinkers. Because of this love we stopped brewing decaf and started making each cup fresh per order in the form of an Americano.

         Traditionally decaf is brewed in the same way as the fully leaded stuff, in large quantities and placed in air-pots and left on the counter awaiting order. However, much less decaf is purchased than it’s addictive counterpart, therefore much of the decaf that is consumed around our great country is stale, cold, and hours old. Augie’s prides itself in quality and freshness, and this includes our production of decaf.

         Decaf Americanos (Americanos being the Italian method of making American style coffee) provide the best option in creating fresh, great-tasting decaf coffee.  Choosing the Americano as our decaf preparation method allows our workers to quickly prepare a great tasting alternative to brewed decaf coffee for customers. The flavor profile is nearly identical and we are sure you will love them.

Robert Wesley Pearson

         

Steven..The man the myth the legend....

Steven the barista
This is a link.. this link has a video...this video has a man...and this man has a beard.
If you've ever been to Augie's chances are this man has touched your life.
He celebrated his birthday yesterday and to honor him a video was made
Watch this video and learn about him
And his passion for his beard and for coffee.

You want me to cup what?

Augie’s Coffee House at 113 N Fifth Street in Downtown Redlands has started a monthly cupping (tasting) class. The cuppings will occur the third Saturday of each Month from 5:00 – 6:30 pm. The class is $20 per head and includes an 8 oz bag of beans, 4-6 coffee samples, and an hour and a half of coffee discussion. The cuppings serve as a tool to teach about quality coffee, highlight the work of the coffee farmers, and bring attention to the fact that Augie’s now roasts all their own beans. A sign up sheet is available at the shop with a maximum number of 12 participants, calls to sign up are also acceptable @ 909 798 2255

Just wanted to pass on the word to all our Blog followers that this is going on this upcoming Saturday. If your ready for a explosion of flavor in your mouth this is the place to be.

Pour over of the week 1/3-1/10

          Our delicious Costa Rica Candelaria is a perfect compliment for rainy weather. With hazelnut sweetness and a savory mouth feel, not even a holiday sweater could make you feel this warm. The co-op that produces this coffee uses a unique drying routine called “honey processing” to bring out an extra sweet and delicate taste.  The honey process involves leaving the coffee cherry on the bean longer when the fruit is drying which allows the coffee to sustains much of it’s sweet fruitiness. This sustainable co-op uses many “green” practices in an effort to better the community. Come in soon to try this very special micro lot from the beautiful mountains in Costa Rica.

Why we coffee

Coffee has an undeniably rich heritage in American History. Since Anti-federalists dumped tea into the Boston harbor and cowboys hand ground beans on the trail, coffee has played a big role in the daily American routine.

Coffee is as relevant to the Armani wearing CEO of a massive corporation as it is to fixed gear bike-riding hipsters. Your grandma drinks it, hobos drink it, jack-Mormons drink it, the cast of Friends never stopped drinking it, Samuel L. Jackson drinks it and you most certainly drink it. It is a tradition, an addiction and an American passion. Even with so rich a heritage, we at Augie’s Coffeehouse believe that the American Coffee journey is just beginning.

Traditionally, American coffee has been darkly roasted, pre-ground and served weeks to months after it has been roasted. Cheaper beans (including the dreaded Robusta) have been mixed in with more flavorful Arabica beans, and then darkly roasted to mask bitter or undesirable flavors.

In more recent history however, better American Coffee roasters have sought to stray from the over-roasted, less complex coffees and have begun to treat the drink with the same attention and delicacy as vineyard owners treat their grapevines with.

We at Augie’s are diving headlong into the ever-expanding, joyful ocean of specialty coffee. We’ve been learning and perfecting brewing and roasting techniques while befriending some of the greatest coffee enthusiasts worldwide. Roasting all of our own beans has brought us into new spheres of knowledge and joy as we engage importers and farmers, explore the world of green coffee and find out which coffees taste best at which roasting temps and times.  We as a staff and as general explorers have been delighted to discover that the coffee industry is one full of friendly people willing to share secrets and desiring to expand knowledge and excitement anywhere. We have discussed and shared beans and experiences with roasters and baristas from across the states, met award-winning farmers who share especially outstanding coffees, and we have had jittery and excited conversations with all of them. 

This blog is here to draw you into that over-caffeinated conversation, to get you excited about the lovely process that brings coffee to your table and belly and to help you grow in your love for our favorite drink.