Posted on September 11, 2009June 14, 2020 by TJ — 2 Comments

Trace Bundy – An Agros Supporter and Camano Coffee Drinker

A few months ago, we had a younger gentleman and his wife show up at the Camano Island Coffee roasting building to enjoy some coffee. As a geek, and a mac user (sorry PC people), I immediately smiled seeing both of them pull out Mac computers and iPhones. I walked up to them and chatted with them a bit. Turns out, they had heard about us (and tried our coffee) from Agros and they were Agros supporters. After the round of introductions, I found out that Trace’s latest CD was inspired from a trip he and his wife, Becca took with Agros.

Being the geek that I am, I looked up his facebook page and myspace page. Then I found his website. I totally fell in love with his music. Trace plays “finger-style acoustic guitar” and uses “digital looping” to create an effect similar to many guitars playing different parts all at once. The catch is, he’s is the only one playing. I bought his CD (from itunes) immediately and am listening to it as I type this post and listen to it frequently… it’s good music to work to!

Recently, I received an email from Emily Bergstrom with Agros. I wanted to share a couple small excerpts from that email with you all:

“Trace and Becca Bundy said to say hello to you all and thanks for the coffee beans (which they plan to enjoy this great Sunday morning!)”

I checked out his facebook site and found a link for you to check out if you’d like to see about his upcoming concerts. “Note: brewing and serving our aromatic coffee was a great way to get folks over to the table and talking about village productive initiatives. Many took home the Camano Island brochures for future purchases, and many more wished they could have bought a bag on the spot… to consider for your future events :)”

Not only was Trace this really awesome musician I got to meet in person, but he is talking about CICR’s Coffee and our mission and supporting Agros. His support of Agros really makes him stand out from a lot of other musicians out there, in my mind.

That all said, I wanted to introduce you to him and encourage you to check out his music. I’ve linked to his sites throughout this article but wanted to provide a quick list of some great Trace Bundy links to learn more about him.

Website
Facebook
YouTube – Recommended 🙂 MySpace
iTunes

Ok, that’s it for now. Thanks for reading and I hope you discovered a musical gem as we here at CICR have!

Dan – CICR

Posted on September 1, 2009June 14, 2020 by TJ — Leave a comment

Coffee of the Month – September

September’s Coffee of the Month is Ugandan “White Nile” Dark Roast!

We’re pleased to be able to offer our “White Nile” Uganda Dark Roast coffee for the first time in over 3 years. Uganda was a popular reserve coffee of ours when we last had it. It only lasted us a few months and then has been gone… until now! This is the perfect time to enjoy a great African reserve coffee at our standard Coffee Lover’s Club price. After September, the Ugandan will be priced at its normal price of $18.95/lb.

Our Ugandan coffee offers a very pleasing flavor with hints of fruit in the tones and a nutty, full body. “White Nile” Ugandan beans are known for their extreme smoothness coupled with subtle fruit notes. Our roast introduces a nice, smoky hint that really completes the flavor of the overall cup. While it does have a distinctively different flavor, the Sumatra coffee lovers out there will really appreciate the characteristics of this Ugandan bean.

“White Nile” coffee was the frontrunner in organic coffees in Uganda providing all of the organic coffee benefits. The coffee grows at elevations exceeding 4,500 feet in an area that gets the perfect amount of rainfall. The exporters of this coffee describe their coffee this way: “As well as being the original source of coffee, Uganda is also the source of the Nile. The mighty Nile begins its journey from the sun-drenched shores of Lake Victoria and meanders across Uganda before heading north to Egypt. The fine White Nile Organic Coffee (Okoro Washed Arabica) grows in Uganda’s West Nile province, an area rich in wildlife and natural beauty. The coffee grows under the sprawling arms of the Ficus or Banyan Tree, whose bark is occasionally harvested to make the ceremonial bark cloth of the tribal kings. White Nile Organic Coffee has a moderate to bold appearance. It has a rich, mellow flavour with slight fruity hints backed by a very full body and smooth finish.”

Uganda’s population is predominantly rural with its highest concentration of people in the southern region. Its economy has great potential as Uganda has many natural resources at its disposal. Political instability has kept it from ever seeing that potential. Ethical coffee growing is one of the ways many farmers are trying to achieve economic stability.

We hope you enjoy our “White Nile” Uganda coffee. We’re pretty excited to offer it once again!

Dan – CICR

Posted on August 30, 2009June 14, 2020 by TJ — Leave a comment

How To Make The Best Coffee — Cone vs Flat Drip

how to make the best coffee

In the USA, drip coffee is the single most popular way to brew that morning cup of coffee. Most people brew coffee in a drip coffee maker because it’s easy and habitual. Many people, however, consistently prepare their coffee incorrectly. In this post I’ll show you how to make the best coffee.

We all make coffee differently

Depending on the individual, it can be misinformation or just the way they’ve been brought up to brew their coffee by their parents. Keep in Mind… everyone enjoys their coffee differently. My guide is to steer those who are unaware of the proper techniques towards enjoying a much better cup. There are a group of people who purposefully do things differently. While that may not be considered “the ultimate” way to enjoy coffee, for that person it may be.

Also, fresh coffee vs. ground coffee beans is going to make a HUGE difference in flavor.

I’m writing this post assuming you have a good burr grinder. I’m also going to assume that you are receiving whole bean coffee from CICR. If you’re currently getting it ground, you can skip over any steps that mention grinding the coffee. I do, however, strongly recommend that you purchase a decent burr or even a conical burr grinder and start grinding your own coffee. The flavor difference is huge… especially a couple weeks into your coffee shipment. The brewing process is simple and many people will find this part boring. In an effort to be complete, however, I’m going to spell it out briefly.

How To Make The Best Coffee Step 1: The Water.

Fill the water tank on the brewing unit to the fill line (or to the level acceptable for the amount of coffee you’re brewing). Make sure you don’t use distilled water or unfiltered tap water as the water will severely alter the flavor of your coffee.

How To Make The Best Coffee Step 2: Grind your coffee.

Typical grinders will have numbers 1-9. Assuming 1 is the finest grind on your grinder, grind a number 4 for your cone filter or a number 6 for your flat filter. If your grinder isn’t numbered, put the dial in the center for a flat filter and make it a notch or two finer for a cone filter.

How To Make The Best Coffee Step 3: Use Enough Coffee!

Many people have varying views as to the strength of their coffee. That is fine and totally up to personal taste. The problem lies in the extraction. Not enough fresh coffee grounds will give you over-extracted coffee. It’s better to make it strong and water it down afterward with hot water.

How To Make The Best Coffee Step 5: Start your coffee maker

Start your coffee maker and set a timer for the length of time it will take to remind you to come back when it’s finished.

If you have a thermal pot, you’re ready to go and your coffee will stay hot for a long while. If you have a glass pot, make sure you turn the burner off immediately or else your coffee will continue to cook and you’ll lose a lot of flavor.

The Cliff Notes of How to make the best coffee!

– Use at least 1 tablespoon of grounds per 8oz of water (I prefer 6oz personally).

– If possible, grind the amount of coffee you need just before brewing it.

– Do NOT brew your coffee weak if you like it weaker. Instead brew less and add hot water.

– Cone Grind – #4; Flat Grind – #6 on a typical burr grinder.

– Use water that is purified but not distilled for the flavor. That will ensure your coffee tastes the best possible. Thanks for reading! Please ask any questions you may have. Either respond to this post or catch us on Facebook or Twitter! Dan – CICR

Posted on August 25, 2009June 14, 2020 by TJ — Leave a comment

Coffee Testimonials and Referrals | A win-win!

Hello Blogosphere and CICR fans,

I would like to tell you about one of the great honors that we receive by working here at Camano Island Coffee. These are really just little incentives that remind us people appreciate what we are a part of.

From time to time we receive testimonials from customers that go above and beyond anything we could ask for. Testimonials, comments, and YOUR input are part of the life blood of this company that keep up growing.

Many times it is a customer’s testimonial which creates a raised awareness of what we stand for — ethical coffee, and brings others to CICR and the Coffee Lover’s Club. I imagine that many of you reading this found out about CICR as a result of a friend or family member telling you about us (and our socially responsible, mission based business that they purchase their ethical coffee from).

Recently, we received the following testimonial from a valued customer, which we initially met through a business relationship. They forwarded our August Newsletter along with this note to a big group of their friends and family: (Thanks!)

“We became acquainted with Camano Island Coffee Roasters several years ago as a business associate. Last year we joined their club and have enjoyed the most exquisite coffees that we have ever tasted. We especially enjoy their PAPUA NEW GUINEA MEDIUM ROAST after having gone on their coffee tour. Their coffees are all “organic”. We have set five weeks between shipments, and one can set a schedule for shipments, and then call and change shipment dates, or just call or email when you want a shipment. They send three one pound bags, prepaid at $29.99 (or so) and you will find 40% less acid. “Regular” will even let you sleep at night.”

“This Company ships, does business around the world, being involved in other products other than coffee. Give Cristy a call at 360.387.7493, or email them at “customercare@camanoislandcoffee.com“. Give them a try. You will become addicted to their coffees. I know we did. NOTE: We are just their friends, not their sales agent.”

We consider it a great privilege to have a customer base that believes in our ethical coffee so strongly that they would share messages like this with others. (sorry only one of you made it to the blog!) We appreciate each of you and your dedication to the third-world coffee growers and their families, as well as your dedication to our company.

Remember, telling your friends about us has wonderful potential for you as well. For every friend you have signup for the Coffee Lover’s Club we’ll give you a free pound of coffee! It pays to share the best coffee in the world.

Our business exists because of customers like you.Thank you for your support!

Matt – CICR

Posted on August 13, 2009July 13, 2020 by TJ — Leave a comment

Serving Stanwood and Camano Island at the Community Fair

Serving Stanwood and Camano Island at the Community Fair

Well, the time as come and gone. Every year we look forward to serving our healthy coffee to our community (and yes, hoping to pick up a few new prosumers). It’s amazing the connections we make each year. Some of our longest lasting customers are those we’ve had the pleasure of meeting first hand at the different local fairs around Washington.

For us, the Stanwood/Camano Fair is a “getting back to our roots” event. Dan and I have been sampling our coffee at fairs since the beginning of CICR. It’s the perfect occasion to spend time with the loyal customers that gave us our start. Many of our coffee subscription customers around the nation stem from a group of very loyal, local customers. We uploaded a few videos to our YouTube account and will be adding them to our blog shortly. The coffee booth was hopping with activity. We “tweeted” live when possible and even involved some customers in a project we are working on for our sister company, Frozen X-plosion (Blend On!). Also at the fair, many great local companies were involved such as The Everett Herald, Del Fox Custom Meats, Sahara Pizza, Windermere Reality, and our Local Fire and Police Departments. I’m sure I’ve left many out (feel free to add them in the comments) as there were many, many vendors and businesses present.

The big hit around the fair with most of the workers was the CICR Acrylic Commuter mug. Many saw a sea of commuter mugs topped off with CICR’s Papua New Guinea Medium Roast Coffee throughout the whole fair.

All in all, we made over 200 airpots of our fresh roasted, Papua New Guinea Coffee. We gave away over 1,000 samples and had people purchase over 100 commuter mugs (filled with coffee of course). Our coffee wouldn’t stay on the shelves and we ended up selling over 300 pounds to the local community and visitors.

“Thanks!” to all who came and/or followed our event through our social media sites.

Jeff – CICR

Posted on August 1, 2009June 14, 2020 by TJ — Leave a comment

Coffee of the Month – August

Papua New Guinea – Medium Roast

In case you haven’t been around long enough, or haven’t figured it out from reading posts and our website, Papua New Guinea coffee is a very popular coffee. We sell more Papua New Guinea coffee than any other. There is good reason for that! Many of our coffees have characteristics are that require one’s taste to enjoy it. I, for example, really enjoy the flavor of our Guatemala coffee. It has some vivid lemon notes giving it a very nice citrus tone. Some people would rather enjoy a different tone in their brew.

Our Papua New Guinea coffee has a very subtle — yet flavor completing — chocolaty tone. Many can’t place it as “chocolate” from a candy bar or mocha, yet the characteristics of the coffee coincide with those found in chocolate. It has a semi-sweet tone that starts to taste more and more like chocolate as the coffee cools off. For that reason, this coffee makes a GREAT summer brew. Just brew it up (double strength if it’s hot and being poured over ice) and chill it. It’s the perfect bean for the season!

Our Papua New Guinea coffee has a medium to full body and is considered by many to be among the finest and best coffee in the world. Most Papua New Guinea coffee comes from trees that were uprooted in Jamaica (Blue Mountain) and replanted in Papua New Guinea.

Here’s some information on Papua New Guinea:

According to the Department of State’s website (click the link if you’d like to read all the in depth details on PNG), PNG is roughly the size of the state of California and has around 6.3 million people. It has three official languages (English, Tok Pisin, and Motu) as well as close to 860 other languages which plays a huge part in the overall fragmentation of the country and it’s people. Another topic of note is that PNG only has 49.3% literacy.

PNG is known as a country ripped in pieces by civil war, lawlessness and poverty. Yet in the last few years, thanks to many factors including sustainable coffee purchasing, Papua New Guinea has started down the road to recovering it’s economy and government corruption. It’s a long road ahead, but we have helped immensely and can continue to help just through responsible purchasing.

Hope your summer is going well and you’re staying warm. Here on Camano Island we’re having a nice heat wave. It’s a bit tough in places without air conditioning but it’s sure nice to live in a beautiful area with definite seasons!

Happy coffee drinking!

Dan – CICR

Posted on July 15, 2009June 14, 2020 by TJ — Leave a comment

Coffee Tasting at Art by the Bay

Saturday and Sunday, July 11th and 12th we had the pleasure of serving free coffee, chocolate, and Frozen X-plosions and teaching coffee 101 to many people at the 2009 Art by the Bay. Art by the Bay is an art show here on Camano Island. It’s always a great time to get to enjoy the local, pacific northwest talent.

We had a record day of visitors on Saturday and, if it wasn’t for the pouring rain for a few hours, we would have had a record day on Sunday as well! For those of you that are unaware of Art by the Bay or the artist community on Camano Island, here is a small excerpt from the Art by the Bay website…

“Art by the Bay includes over 100 juried artists and craftspeople from around the Northwest, plants and garden art, gourmet food, and live music throughout the weekend featuring an amazingly eclectic array of local performers. Free admission, free parking, free music!”

Camano Island Coffee Roasters was there as well as Pirates Chocolates (our awesome Camano chocolatier) and our sister company, Frozen X-plosion. Check out these pictures that Matt took. Art by the Bay regularly brings 4000+ people together for 2 days at Utsalady Elementary School.

We encourage you to come out next year when they move it to the Stanwood/Camano Community Fairgrounds. We’ll see ya then!

For More Information, visit the Stanwood/Camano Island Art’s Guild website. Also, we encourage you to leave comments about Art by the Bay. Who was your favorite Artist? Did you get some Coffee? How about a Frozen X-plosion? Which day did you come out?

Posted on July 1, 2009June 14, 2020 by TJ — Leave a comment

Coffee of the Month – July

Honduras Coffee and Brazil Coffee

Brazil has long been a popular morning coffee with its crisp caramel tones and its hints of nut and spice. Couple those characteristics with the rich Honduran coffee Molasses tones and you have quite the experience in a cup. This coffee has combinations of medium and dark roasts and brings a wonderful aromatic quality to the table as well as enjoyable flavor in each cup!

Our sister company, Espresso Americano is doing well in Honduras. We have over 150 espresso locations around Central America and they are all centered around our Tegucigalpa, Honduras headquarters. These honduras coffee shops give us a way to make a real connection with the people down there. We can use this to our advantage to help improve coffee growing, which in turn, helps the farmers grow a better product and make more in return.

Agros International currently has 3 villages in Honduras: Nuevo Amanecer, Brisas del Volcán, and Achotales. These villages, founded in 2004, 2006, and 2008 respectively, show Agros’ commitment to the areas it works in. In Nuevo Amanecer, Agros has moved into leadership development programs and adult literacy programs (among others). Agros works to further strengthen its existing partnership there. We’re proud that our honduras coffee is ethical coffee

Check out Wikipedia’s Honduras Page for more information.

Brazil has long been known for the best coffees around. While being the largest coffee exporter in the world, it is still a long ways off from being an ethical coffee growing country. Coffee, which is not a native plant of Brazil, has been responsible for much of Brazil’s deforestation. Yet in that devastation, many farmers are starting to turn to responsible growing. That’s why shade grown coffee is so important in coffee in brazil. We’re proud to have been supporting those farmers in producing ethical coffee for many years now.

Due to the depletion of the Rainforest in Brazil, many species of birds and other animals have become extinct or are facing extinction. “Bird Friendly” coffees have shown up with certifications by major US organizations. CICR is committed to only offering shade-grown coffees. These coffees sustain the delicate ecosystem that provides homes and food for many species of birds and animals. Another reason why shade grown coffee is so important.

For more information on Brazil, visit Wikipedia’s Brazil page.

This is a new blend for us and we hope you love it. It’s complex but has a distinctive sweetness from the blend of caramel and molasses tones. Indulge Yourself!

Dan – CICR

Want to try some free coffee? Click below!

Posted on June 28, 2009June 14, 2020 by TJ — 2 Comments

Loving and Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee

Coffee Lovers around the globe…

If you are reading this, I can only assume you are drinking CICR coffee… and rightfully so; you and I both know this coffee really is the best! How do you enjoy it?

Daily, I sit amidst the rich coffee aromas here at the Roaster Building on Camano Island. I love that smell, that coffee smell. To me, however, there is nothing quite like the smell of that first pot brewing early in the morning…

I prefer our Ethiopian coffee roast (with its smooth berry tones and deep rich flavor) brewed in my treasured french press. In my mind, the french press is a tool/toy that all coffee lovers should own and enjoy! I just love the process of making that first cup each morning: putting the water on to boil, grinding the beans, setting up the press, and putting just the right amount of whole milk in my mug. When the water is ready, I pour it over the freshly ground beans and take in the smell while walking it over to the coffee table to allow it the time to brew before the sacred plunge can take place. The process is complete – it’s just me and the steaming hot french press… with about 45 minutes before I need to be at work.

I am curious what you, our blog followers, prefer. Do you drink Espresso? Drip? French Press? Flavored? If you’d care to share with us here on the blog, feel free… it will be fun to hear how our coffee is being served and enjoyed.

We look forward to reading your own coffee experiences!

Matt – CICR

Posted on June 21, 2009June 14, 2020 by TJ — Leave a comment

Ethical Coffee and Agros: Land, Hope, Life.

Most of our customers are aware of our commitment to ethical coffee and our relationship with Agros. One of the questions we are asked frequently is, “What does Agros do to create this change?” or (slightly summarized) “How does Agros work?.” Well, I wanted to take a second to share with you a quick glimpse of ethical coffee and Agros International.

Ethical Coffee and Agros

Agros.org states what they are on the front page in a nutshell:

“Agros International is committed to breaking the cycle of povery for rural families in Central America and Mexico by enabling landless communities to achieve land ownership and economic stability. Having learned that the root causes of poverty extend across communities and are passed down from generation to generation, the Agros development model is holistic, sustainable, and focused on long term results. This commitment to the long-term sustainability of a whole community serves to break the cycle of poverty in all its forms.”

By applying this same philosophy to sourcing coffee — we create ethical coffee. Ethical coffee is only Organic, Shade-Grown, and Fairly Traded.

Why organic coffee? By only purchasing USDA Certified Organic, our farmer’s are encouraged to make the safe choice for themselves and their families.

Why Shade-Grown? By only purchasing 100% shade-grown coffee we’re encouraging our farmer’s to prevent soil erosion and ensure the sustainability of their land.

By only purchasing our coffee at upwards of three times the price of fair trade coffee we are making a commitment to ethical coffee.

What makes Agros work is also what makes their organization a perfect fit for our Coffee Lover’s Club members. Agros is NOT an organization that makes a habit of giving out cash, services, or goods to “help” a needy family. They believe, as does CICR, that that doesn’t solve anything. Agros believes that giving a handout causes a dependancy that isn’t healthy and doesn’t promote self-sustainability. We believe ethical coffee comes from forming a stronger long-term partnership with coffee farmers. This ensures a helping hand not simply an unsustainable handout. Ethical coffee must be sustainable.

ethical coffee

The Agros Model to Ethical Coffee

Community Organization – “Help families define a vision for a new community and develop the local leadership required to create a self-sustaining, thriving community.”
Land Ownership – “Work with families to identify and purchase agricultural land on credit and use their payments to purchase land for other new communities.”
Community Education and Training – “Create opportunities for adequate healthcare, education, adult literacy and spiritual growth.”
Housing and Infrastructure – “Implement community and individual construction projects such as houses, schools, irrigation systems, latrines, infrastructure and community centers.”
Sustainable Economic Growth – “Develop agricultural production and support income-generating activities through microenterprise loans and technical training.”
Passing on the Blessing – “Give other communities the opportunity to own land through repaid loans and empower them to dream of a brighter future for their children.”