Sampling at EarthFare - Turkey Creek

Come out this Saturday to EarthFare in Turkey Creek for a free sampling of Vienna Coffee Company's exquisite offerings! This week we will be sampling our delicious Fair Trade, USDA Organic certified, Guatemalan coffee.

This coffee is clean and crisp. A well-balance "classic" full-bodied coffee from the western Huehuetenango growing region. This full city-roast has variable sized beans yielding a broad roast profile. But you won't be able to understand the intricacies of this coffee unless you come out to taste it.

The store is located at:
10903 Parkside Drive
Knoxville, Tennessee 37934

Store Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 9am - 10pm Sunday: 9am - 9pm

Make sure to say "Hey" to our wonderful staff, Micah and Chuck!

El Puente

Although this isn't directly related to coffee (except that some of the women and men were probably coffee farm workers in their native country), but we thought this organization was very intriguing and wanted to share it with you...

El Puente's mission is to bridge the gap toward sustainable spiritual and economic health for the latino immigrants in East Tennessee, equipping them for a return to their native lands as agents of transformation.

They are a non-profit organization supported by families, foundations and local churches. Areas of focus include: Advocacy, literacy, organic farming, business development, and biblical training.

Check out their website for more information and wonderful pictures!

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.

Coffee Vocab: FINISH

In coffee terms, the finish describes the aftertaste on the palate after the coffee is swallowed. Full-bodied coffee tends to have lingering finishes, while thinner coffees may be fleeting. For example, our Organic, Komodo Blend (Swiss Water Process Decaffeinated coffee from the South Pacific) has a mildly sweet start and a slightly floral finish. To better understand what finish is describing, come to the roastery for a cupping. There you will be able to sample a few of VCC's coffee and learn for yourself how to better understand and describe what about a certain coffee you like and dislike. That way, we can help you find the best blend or single origin coffee for your tastes.

Easter Coffee Drink

Looking for a special Coffee Drink for this upcoming Holy Week/Passover that will make your guest's or family's mouth water? This recipe is delicious and easy to make!

Directions

This recipe is brought to you by Gitta Verbraak on eHow...

The recipe comes from the Netherlands and we often drink it during the spring time and Easter.

Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Things You'll Need

• 1 decilitre of whipping cream (a little less than 1/2 cup)
  
• Some cacao or nutmeg (decorative)
• 1/2 tablespoon of powdered sugar
  
• 2 decilitre of eggnog (a little more than 3/4 cup)
  
• 1/2 litre of hot coffee (a little more than 2 cups of Vienna Coffee Company's coffee)
  
• 4 glasses
• a whisk or a food processor

Steps

Step One

Properly brew the coffee (we suggest Vienna Coffee's French Roast or Fair Trade/Organic Sumatra Gayoland). You can make it quite strong, because of the whipped cream you add to it.

Step Two

Whip the cream until it's quite firm. Make sure you don't turn it into butter.

Step Three

Divide the eggnog between the 4 glasses.

Step Four

Pour the coffee gently into the glasses, so that it doesn't mix with the eggnog. Don't put too much coffee into the glasses, because you also have to add the whipped cream and you don't want the glass to flow over.

Step Five

Divide the whipped cream between the 4 glasses and sprinkle it with the cacao or nutmeg.

And Enjoy!

WEEKLY DEAL: Organic Trivia

In light of Vienna Coffee Company becoming a certified USDA organic facility, this week's weekly deal pertains to Organic trivia...


Which of these statements are false...

To obtain a title of ‘certified organic’ in the United States, a coffee grower must prove that certain growing conditions have been met.

1. The coffee beans can be washed in chemicals to get bacteria off the beans as long as the chemicals are properly disposed of and a clean water rinse is administered afterward.
   
2. The farmer must have a crop rotation plan to control for pests, prevent soil erosion, and to prevent loss of soil nutrients, which would occur if the same crop was planted in the same field each year.
   
3. The coffee beans must have been grown on land that has not had toxic pesticide or fertilizer use at any time within the last three years.
   
4. There must be a large enough space between the organic coffee and the nearest conventional crop to provide a buffer against contamination.

If you answer this questions correctly to any employee at the roastery or on this blog you will receive a free 2oz sample of any of our Organic/Fair Trade coffees.

VCC is now a certified USDA Organic facility

As of recently, Vienna Coffee Company has become a certified USDA Organic facility. All of our organic coffee growers have been certified by independent third party inspectors such as OCIA (Organic Crop Improvement Association) and Mayacert to strictly meet all the standards of the USDA National Organic Program, and now our facility is certified also.

Certified Organic Coffee is grown by farmers who use no synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Organic agriculture protects the health of people and the planet by reducing the overall exposure to toxic chemicals that can end up in the ground, air, water and food supply. Choosing organic products is an easy way to help protect yourself and your family.

By selecting Certified Organic Coffee from Vienna Coffee Company, you are assured of the best tasting coffee anywhere and at the same time, make a healthy, responsible decision for yourself and the planet.

To learn more about USDA Organic program:
www.usda.gov

INTRODUCING: Don Telmo Reserva 100% Bourbon

If you have been by the roastery recently you might have noticed our 100% Organic Don Telmo display. In the past couple of months we have just updated Don Telmo's look...

As the story goes, it was God's will that more than a century ago Father Francisco Romero would discover the Mesa de los Santos, (Table of the Saints) a blessed land in the coffee region of Bucaramanga, port of coffee entry to Colombia. Through a holy vision the priest ordered men and women to pay for their sins by planting coffee, and that land began to produce coffee so special that the priest said that it was worthy of being served only at the Table of Saints.

Father Romero is no longer with us, but his coffee of divine flavor remains among us through the direction of Don Telmo. This coffee is cultivated using the same techniques for more than 100 years. These methods protect the environment, because the coffee stays under shade, respecting the habitat of the fauna and applying solely natural fertilizers and pure spring water. The coffee takes place in high altitudes and is manually selected to guarantee the highest quality coffee.

www.cafemesadelossantos.com




p.s. Bourbon does not pertain to whiskey. It is the type of coffee cultivar. Click here to get more info on the special Bourbon cultivar.

CUSTOMER HIGHLIGHTS: Thunderhead Perk

VCC's long-time customer, Thunderhead Perk first opened its doors on September 9th, 2005 Townsend, Tennessee which is the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Focused on Fair trade and organic coffee, Thunderhead serves Vienna Coffee Company's Thunderhead Espresso Blend. This blend is perfect to sip on while using their free Wi Fi and snuggling up to their welcoming and friendly cafe.

Wanna know where to find it? Go to...
7249 East Lamar Alexander Pkwy
Townsend, TN 37882


They don't have only great coffee, but they also have some of delicious baked from scratch goods including...

The Best Pumpkin Muffins

Yum!!!

Need another reason to check them out? Their website states, "At Thunderhead Perk, we strive to take care of our environment. Not only do we serve earth-friendly coffees, but we recycle all plastics, steel, paper, magazines, cardboard, etc. We even compost our food waste such as coffee grounds. We use the eco-tainer cups and sleeves which contain recycled content and use no petro-chemicals. "

WEEKLY DEAL: Time of reflection

As we say goodbye to 2008, we would like to reflect on what has happened at Vienna Coffee Company this past year...

• We activated Vienna Coffee's online storefront and are continually adding new items to our storefront (like Harney and Son's Fine Teas)
  
• We were happy to add Katie Carroway to VCC family, and sad to see her leave to go to the University of Chattanooga for school.
• John attends SCAA conference in Minneapolis and Roaster's Guild in Silver Lake where he met new friends and peers who are interested in coffee.
  
• We are happy to add Erin to the VCC family as a packaging associate and roaster apprentice.
• We evaluated our spacial needs at the roastery and decided to extend our lease for 2 years and elected to go vertical for storage needs.
  
• We buy our new 35 kilo Roaster.
• We add Directly and fairly traded La Armonía Hermosa and Fair Trade/Organic Café Femenino Peru/Mexican Coffee to our list of fine specialty coffees we offer.
• We start an email/newsletter campaign. Click here if you would like to be added to our mailing list for, promotions, new, coffee facts, etc.
• We add Jamie as Design and Marketing Associate, but she is leaving and will be working for VCC from Chicago.

FOR THE WEEKLY DEAL WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR REFLECTIONS ON 2008 AND YOU CAN RECIEVE A FREE 2 oz BAG OF ANY COFFEE, IF YOU COME INTO THE ROASTERY OR LEAVE A MESSAGE ON THE BLOG.

NEW ITEM: Holiday Boxes

Just in time for the holiday season, VCC has added a perfect gift for your out of town gift receivers! This decorative holiday shipping box is stocked full with...

VCC 16oz stainless steel travel mug
1 12oz bag VCC Front Porch Breakfast Blend
1 8oz bag of VCC holiday flavored coffee (choose between our holiday selection)
1 2oz bag of Fair Trade/ Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
1 2oz bag of SWP Decaf Turtle Mac flavored coffee
2 Nonni's Biscotti (variety of flavors)
1 holiday drink recipe card

This gift will have any coffee lover singing their ho ho hos with cheer!

National Businesswomen's Week

Thanks to President Herbert Hoover the third week of October has been designated as National Businesswomen's Week. Founded in 1919, Business and Professional Women/USA (BPW/USA), a nonprofit organization that is committed to career advancement and professional development for female professionals nationwide, has celebrated this annual awareness-raising event ever since.

Fact: In 1999, 255,000 women in their 70s, 80s and 90s were employed or actively seeking employment in the United States, an 80 percent increase since 1985. The U.S. Security Administration project that more than 7 million people aged 65 and over will fill the labor force by 2020, and 3 million of them will be women.

VCC is lucky to have 5 wonderful businesswomen working for them...

Without their hard work, VCC wouldn't be the company it is today!  So if you work with and/or  know any women in the business world, show your appreciation for them this week by buying our Fairly traded, organic Cafe Femenino coffee which supports women on all ends of the coffee process. From women farmers, sellers, buyers, and roasters...

We thank you for your support and give appreciation to all of those hardworking businesswomen!

What about Sustainability?

A lot of folks, especially in East Tennessee, ask me "what is all this 'stuff' about sustainable Coffee?" Quite simply, I view it as an essential "movement" that must flourish if we are to maintain or "sustain" the high quality coffees that we have grown to know and love!Of course the bigger picture is about our culture and lifestyle; our world and our place in it. It's about whether we choose to be good stewards of God's gifts. That is a subject near to my heart, but pages and pages of blog can be written about that. For now, I'll stick to a more narrow question about "Sustainable Coffee"Sustainable Coffee is coffee that has been grown, processed, traded and handled in a manner that looks to the "long view" of being in the world. It's coffee that reflects a commitment to be fair to all the folks along the way who work to produce the cup. It's coffee that's been grown in a way that is protective of our environment (locally and globally) and the health and welfare of the farmers. It's coffee that is processed with quality and conservation of resources as central tenets of the person or co-op who does the processing. It generally (but not always) includes some "third party" assessment or certification that efforts really have been made to be responsible. It includes certifications like "Organic", "Fair Trade Certified", shade grown, Bird Friendly, Rainforest Alliance Certified. It supports and gains support from organizations like "Coffee Kids" and Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN).At Vienna Coffee Company, we feel strongly about sustainability and are working to make it a larger and larger part of our business. Check back from time to time to learn more. There are also links from our website to several organizations where you can learn more!Ciao,John