Fall 2009 Seasonal Drink Competition Winner

Announcing this Fall season's Drink Competition winner...

Kayla Rush of Dayton, Ohio with her


Autumn Sunset Latte

• medium size mug (16oz)
• 2 shots of espresso
• 1 1/2 oz of caramel
• 1/2 oz of raspberry syrup
• 1/2 oz of hazelnut
• steamed milk

Kayla is a barista at a chocolate and coffee shop in Dayton Ohio, and said, "I was messing around one day with lattes and this is what I came up with. Also, the drink is still great without the hazelnut! Its a great drink for those who need the caffeine without the big coffee taste. : )"

She will be receiving two 12oz. bags of Vienna Coffee and a VCC mug. Congratulations

Thank you to all of our Participants. Don't worry you have another chance to win with our next competition. The Winter Seasonal Drink Competition has begun! Please send in your recipes by February 9, 2010, just in time for Valentine's Day. This is the best season for a good cup of hot coffee and tea! We'd love to hear from you. Need ideas? Check out our recipes or past winner's recipes.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Halloween is this Saturday, and in celebration of Halloween we have a special promotion! Show your Halloween spirit on Friday by coming in your costume to the roastery, and get an 8oz. bag of a coffee of your choice. WHAT A DEAL! (The picture is of John's little precious grandbaby scarecrows.)

DID YOU KNOW?

"Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter." for the rest of the story go here.

Weekly Deal: Cupping Coffee of the World

Today we started our coffee classes and cuppings up again. This week we focused on Organic vs Non-organic from around the world. To accomplish this, we cupped our Sumatran, Guatemalan, and Ethiopian. It was an interesting class, and we would love for anyone to join us for our next class.

Our next class, on Tuesday, August 25 we will be hosting "What is Espresso - tasting and training." Space is limited so reserve your spot today.

Just for signing up for this class this week you will recieve a free 2oz. bag of coffee of your choice!

The image is a picture of coffee fields in Sumatra taken by Les Stoneham on his most recent visit to Sumatra.

WEEKLY DEAL: Rate my Rosetta

Looking for a way to compare your latte art with other baristas? Check out ratemyrosetta.com.

You can post your art and rate other people's art. It's perfect for those of you interested in perfecting your latte art, or want to see what great designs are out there. The weekly deal this week is based on this art form.

Bring in a photo of a latte that has latte art on the top (this can be an image taken from a cell phone.) and let us know which cafe you were at to get a FREE 2 oz. bag of your favorite VCC coffee.

WEEKLY DEAL: coffee trivia

Here is some interesting trivia to spur your brain...

Fill in the blanks (each black is all the same answer) and get a 2oz bag of Vienna Coffee Company, AND a bag of Harney & Sons Tea of your choice.

Coffee berries start as green berries in early stage of growth, turns yellow, red, then dark crimson when it is finally ripe and yields the best coffee. In fact, according to the rule of "________": Arabica coffee plant takes about "_______" years to mature and produce its first crop. A healthy coffee tree will produce only about "________" pounds of green beans per year, but only about "ONE-________" of a pound meets the rigid sorting standards to be sold as "Specialty Coffee."

This is from cocoajava.com

INTRODUCING: VCC's Seasonal Drink Competition

We want your creative ideas! Starting this summer we are starting a Seasonal Drink Competition. So get your creative hats on and send us your favorite coffee or tea recipe that exudes summer. The more creative and tasty, the better. For example, have you ever heard of blue cheese in an espresso drink? Check out Les Stoneham's espresso drink he used for this year's Barista competition.

The deadline for the competition is August 20th. So send your entries in soon to Jamie or turn in your recipe in at the roastery.

The winner will get 2 12oz bags of Vienna Coffee of your choice!

WEEKLY DEAL: Cities Cupcake Boutique

Cities Cupcake Boutique is now serving Vienna Coffee! As you go and pick up your favorite Knoxville, Chicago, New York... you name, cupcake at Cities Cupcake Boutique grab a mug of our delicious espresso.

Looking for some serious pizazz in a cupcake? This is not your regular, run of the mill cupcake here! I mean seriously... their Memphis cupcake has bacon on top! Intrigued? Check them out! And when you do bring your receipt from your purchase and receive a free 2oz bag of Vienna Coffee when you come into the roastery this week.

WEEKLY DEAL: Wear Red, White, or Blue

In continuing the celebration of the Fourth of July, come into the roastery wearing either red, white, blue, or all of the above colors and receive a free 2oz. bag of fresh Vienna Coffee. Or submit a story about what you did this Fourth of July on this blog and receive a free 8oz bag of our flavor of the month... American Hazelnut.

WEEKLY DEAL: Fair Trade Origins

Did you know the Fair Trade movement grew out of religious initiatives for selling refugee-made handicrafts in the aftermath of WWII? It has grown rapidly since the 1980s with the coffee trade at its cutting edge. Fair Trade coffee guarantees a livable income to farmers and finances schools, water systems and other community-controlled project in coffee growing areas.

Buy any of VCC's Fair Trade coffee online this week and receive a free 2oz. sample bag of a Fair Trade coffee of your choice. Please make sure you designate which sample bag you would like in the comments section at check out so we will know that you saw this weekly deal.