Wednesday, April 29, 2009

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.

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Monday, April 27, 2009

INTRODUCING: Java on the Square

We are pleased to announce...
Java on the Square in Athens, Tennessee. Their coffee shop is a beautiful space with very friendly staff and exceptional coffee (if we do say so ourselves). In a recent letter the owners of Java on the Square, Rick and Lea Anne, wrote...

"Rick and I have been looking for a business for some time and the opportunity to procure a local coffee shop became available. We bought the shop and after 3 months of renovating, we finally decided that it was time to open, ready or not and the first sale was February 14 - Valentines day! We settled on Vienna Roasters in Maryville, TN due to their attention to detail and willingness to help us in many facets of the business. Vienna's owner, John Clark, made a special trip to our shop and gave a coffee and espresso training session with our 6 employees before we opened. We decided on a soft opening and just turned on the open sign and opened the doors without announcing it or advertising the opening. Three weeks later we had our grand opening.

Business has been steady. We have received lots of positive feedback from the community. Everyone loves the coffee and espresso and says the flavor is great! Currently we are booking different venues of entertainment. (Jazz, Poetry, Blues Band, Sushi night, kids reading time)

Being a small business owner / manager with shared responsibilities with your spouse has been challenging and time consuming, but we have enjoyed all of it so far. There is no way we could have done it without attending Coffee School (Bellissimo (ABC training)) and Vienna's help with bean selection and employee training. From design stage to the first sale it was a wild ride and we look forward to the years ahead.

Thanks so much,

Rick & Lea Ann"

We would love for you to check out their new place, and tell them Vienna Coffee sent you.
In fact, we want to support our customer's so the deal of the week this week is...

If you go to Java on the Square and bring back a receipt from purchasing something from Java on the Square you will receive a complimentary tea bag or 2oz bag of Vienna Coffee when you come into VCC's roastery.

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Friday, April 24, 2009

EARTH DAY: Coffee Ground Fossils

Last Wednesday was Earth Day. Did you do anything special to help this wonderful and beautiful land we call earth? In the same vein as Earth Day, here is a craft you can do with your kids to help them learn a little bit about the earth while using up your old coffee grinds.

Crafts: Coffee Ground Fossils

Recycle old coffee grounds and create your very own fossils in this easy to make craft.

Coffee Ground Fossils

What you need:

  • - 1 cup of used coffee grounds
  • - 1/2 cup of cold coffee
  • - 1 cup of flour
  • - 1/2 cup of salt
  • - Wax paper
  • - Mixing bowl
  • - Some small objects to make impressions in the dough
  • - Empty can – get an adult to help you with this

Steps:

1. Stir the together the coffee grounds, cold coffee, flour, and salt until well mixed.
2. Roll the dough and flatten it onto the waxed paper.
3. With an adult’s help, use the can to cut out circles of the dough.
4. Press your objects firmly into the dough. When you take the object out, you have your "fossil". If you want to hang the fossil, poke holes into the edge to hold the string.
5. Let the fossil dry overnight and then hang it if you wish.

(taken from http://funschool.kaboose.com/globe-rider/earth-day/crafts/coffee-ground-fossils.html)

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Monday, April 20, 2009

SCAA Annual Exposisiton 2009

SCAA's Annual Exposition 2009 and the World Barista Championships are complete. The entire Vienna Coffee Company staff closed up shop and headed down to Atlanta Georgia on friday to enjoy a full weekend of coffee. A great time was had by all! At the World Barista Championship, the UK National Champion, Gwilym Davies took home the World WBC Champion's trophy. His performance was awesome and very creative! Representing the US, Michael Phillips took home the third place trophy. Michael is a friend of Les Stoneham and Jamie. He runs the Intelligensia Coffee Shop, only 7 blocks from Jamie's home and office in Chicago.

John Attended 4 days of the event and learned a bunch. John said, "The most interesting was the Roaster's Guild Certification course about processing methods for green coffee in the producing countries. The ChE (chemical engineer) in me loves to learn about the machines and chemistry involved."

This week's deal pertains to see if you were reading the blog last week. Answer this question correctly and recieve a 2oz bag of coffee.

How many years has the SCAA annual Exposition be going on??

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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

WEEKLY DEAL: Easter/Passover Story or Tradition

The Easter and Passover season passed with great excitement. This is a little piece of Easter we were able to enjoy...

Oh the joys of new birth!

What were some of your Easter/Passover stories or traditions that you participated in this year?

Respond in this blog or tell an employee at the roastery and get a free 2oz bag of coffee!

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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

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

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!

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Monday, April 6, 2009

WEEKLY DEAL: Most expensive coffee


This week's deal is a little harder than last week, but is an interesting fact...

The most expensive coffee in the world is produced with the help of what creature?

This cat-like creature, native to Indonesia, Mayasia among other countries in the region, selects and swallows the highest quality coffee beans. It only digest the outer coating, leaving the seed to be collected from its droppings. Digestive enzymes in the ______ are thought to alter the flavor, producing "deep, chocolaty undertones" that are highly prized.

Correctly name this creature when you go into the roastery and receive a 2oz bag of Vienna Coffee Company's coffee.

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Thursday, April 2, 2009

Espresso 101 class at Brown Cup Coffee Co.


Last Tuesday at Brown Cup Coffee Co., John Clark taught a fun-filled and informational Espresso 101 and espresso based drinks class. Each week Brown Cup has different live music, lectures, events and/or classes like this espresso class. Brown Cup is one of Vienna Coffee Company's exceptional coffee shops that serves our Fair Trade coffee.

The image is an example of one of the handouts given out at the class. Are you interested in hosting your own class or participating in a class about espresso basics, brewing coffee, specialty drinks, latte art, cupping, etc.? Sign up now or get more information about one of our classes.

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