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coffee, review

Decaf, Decaf Everywhere: Talking Crow Roasters’ Decaf Sampler Pack

Ashe

Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming. A coffee roaster that specializes in decaf…with decaf sampler packs?

It’s no secret that being a decaf drinker means being comfortable with disappointment. When we’re not faced with The Token Decaf Bag while scrolling through a roaster’s portfolio, we’re sometimes faced with no bag whatsoever. To top things off, we’re inundated with lazy marketing tactics that treat decaf coffee like a punishment, a joke, or a cryptid to be whispered about.

It’s a little obnoxious, to say the least.

This purchase is a lesson in great coffee marketing. Talking Crow Roasters has eschewed the silly approach with a celebration of decaf as a coffee category worthy of nuance. They’re also Washington-based, which means I really had no excuse to take this long.

What do Talking Crow Roasters bring to the table other than a commitment to decaf coffee? Let’s take a look:

Continue reading “Decaf, Decaf Everywhere: Talking Crow Roasters’ Decaf Sampler Pack” →
coffee, industry news

A Tiny Cafe That Unfolds Like A Present

Ashe

Step aside, hole-in-the-wall shops. We now have a business that’s so small it could give Polly Pocket a run for her money.

Miharashi is a tiny cafe is designed much like a toy box, able to be situated just about anywhere due to its small size and ability to unfold like a present. Japan is well-known for being densely concentrated, with its metropolitan Tokyo and Osaka regions taking the cake. As such, they need to get extra creative just to put down basic locations such as coffee shops, parking lots, or one-bedroom apartments.

This rooftop cafe comes fully equipped with all the bells and whistles to deliver delicious coffee quickly. This is a novelty I can see catching on very quickly. As populations expand and space becomes increasingly expensive, these locations provide a much-needed middleground.

Or…one-fourth of a middleground, anyway!

coffee cherry
coffee

Big Island Coffee Roasters Debunks Hawaiian Coffee Myths

Ashe

Last month I took a look at a growing lawsuit concerning Kona coffee, the unique Hawaiian coffee variety, and how it’s been a hotbed for marketing exaggeration and low quality.

Big Island Coffee Roasters, a small-batch roaster specializing in Kona coffee, has a lot to offer to the conversation. Their recent blog post on Hawaiian coffee tackles a common myth about the ‘inherent magic’ of the origin. Too many people believe you can grow your coffee in Hawaii and voila! It’ll automatically be delicious and tick off a high score on the grading scale. Clearly, that’s not how it works.

The roaster proceeds to discuss their recent experience with a Hawaii-based food manufacturer, who had brought up a concern about the bad flavor of the Kona coffee they had sourced. Turns out the beans were overloaded with defects and, despite multiple roasting sessions, always tasted sour and metallic. I’m pretty open-minded, but aluminum flavor notes don’t sound very appealing.

While some coffee drinkers may think it’s a lot of fuss to worry about details like single-origin, altitude, and storage, they all mean the difference between a fantastic coffee bag and a bag you can’t finish. As of recently, a new bill is being proposed to improve quality control in Kona Coffee. There is also keen interest in providing financial consequences to businesses who try to circumvent honesty in their marketing campaigns.

I recently tried one of Big Island Coffee Roasters‘ coffees, which I’ll be reviewing soon in my Decaf, Decaf Everywhere series. While it’s sourced from Peru, I enjoyed it quite a lot and commend it as one of the best darker-roasted coffees I’ve had.

Maybe someday I’ll get to try an authentic decaf Kona coffee, but until then…

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coffee, review

Decaf, Decaf Everywhere: Topeca Coffee Roasters’ House Decaf

Ashe

Something I love about ordering freshly roasted coffee are the pleasant surprises. It’s not just a delicious cup awaiting me: sometimes I get entirely new gifts.

I’ve opened up coffee packages and received little postcards. I’ve gotten stickers. Occasionally I get a handwritten note from the roasters, which always puts a huge smile on my face. The surprise this time around was a real conundrum, because the first clue I had concerning an addition to my purchase was how heavy the box was. Before we dive into that…

If you’re embarking on your own coffee journey and want to lay off the caffeine, check out my Decaf, Decaf Everywhere series. I explore the brewing methods and flavor notes of a wide variety of origins, specialty roasters, and commodity-grade coffee. I also analyze packaging design and discuss elements like ethical sourcing and coffee culture.

Why is Colombian coffee so good? Much of it has to do with the history of the region. Let’s take a look at Topeca Coffee Roasters’ unique surprise below:

Continue reading “Decaf, Decaf Everywhere: Topeca Coffee Roasters’ House Decaf” →
coffee, industry news

The First Coffee Chain From A Coffee-Producing Nation?

Ashe

A tall order to live up to, but more than possible. Kopikalayan is an Indonesian coffee chain with their sights set on becoming a global household name.

Their biggest difference? They don’t just distribute coffee, but source it from home.

The implications of major coffee corporations being located in the West is uncomfortable at best, damning at worst. Today’s biggest coffee producers by sheer volume are Brazil, Colombia, and Vietnam, yet local coffee culture has struggled. It’s hard to develop an interest in coffee when most of it is exported to other countries, right?

This article is a lengthy read, but worth every second. It breaks down key details into why several Asian nations are seeing a boom in local coffee culture and consumption. The main factors are:

– Generational shifts (namely, Millennial and Gen Z)
– Rise of the middle-class
– Growing awareness of local businesses, inequity, and sustainability
– Online trends (particularly on Instagram and TikTok)
– Rise in homebrewing during the pandemic

While some of these trends are definitely in response to increased social isolation, most shifts were bound to happen. Awareness of our impact on the planet is going to keep increasing as climate change and social inequity continues to push our collective backs against the wall.

I’m very interested in seeing where Kopikalayan goes from here.

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coffee

Decaf, Decaf Everywhere: Rwanda Bean’s Amahoro Peace Decaf

Ashe

This…is a very late review. It’s not for lack of wanting!

I’ve been curious about Rwanda Bean for quite some time. The roaster first caught my eye for being a lesser-known origin in a sea of Colombian and Brazilian coffees. It proceeded to hold my attention for being up front about their efforts to equalize pay for coffee farmers. Their site states each bag of coffee sold sees 50% going back into farmer pockets, alongside the ability to fund farmers’ health insurance through coffee subscriptions.

Now that is something I don’t usually see. Oftentimes roasters and roaster-cafe hybrids stick to generic buzzwords of transparency and the occasional certification. Over the years I’ve found myself increasingly disillusioned with the usual approach of the coffee industry, which means outliers stand out all the harder.

If you’re thinking of getting into single-origin decaf coffee — and decaf coffee in general — check out my Decaf, Decaf Everywhere series. I’ve got Ethiopian, Mexican, Colombian, Brazilian, and Peruvian origins, just to name a few.

What does Rwandan coffee taste like? Let’s take a look:

Continue reading “Decaf, Decaf Everywhere: Rwanda Bean’s Amahoro Peace Decaf” →
update

Update For The New Year!

Ashe

It’s been a while since I updated! I’m off to a pretty late start, but I have a lot of plans for this blog for the new year.

The goal of DragonsAndFlowers hasn’t changed all that much. It’s still going to be a repository of alcohol, coffee, and tea news and culture, with a smattering of reviews and thinkpieces tossed in. That said, I’m keen on updating more regularly: once or twice a week without fail. I’ve been working on a content buffer to make sure I’ll be getting out my thoughts on a more consistent basis.

As for newer aspects: I plan on conducting a few interviews in the future deep-diving into issues and solutions in these industries. I’ve had some illuminating conversations with industry peers concerning:

  • environmental sustainability
  • fair trade
  • new technology
  • supply chain
  • marketing and design

I’m also going to be dipping into affiliate marketing and bolstering my portfolio. Specifically, I’ll be adding the following to my copywriting, content writing, and design service pages over the course of the year:

  • packaging illustration and design
  • e-books
  • infographics
  • proofreading
  • editing

I’m especially interested in getting more wine, craft beer, and tea reviews alongside my usual decaf coffee. They’ll likely get their own series name to keep things organized. To top things off, the overall blog design will get a new coat of paint. While I’m not sure if I’ll commit to an email newsletter just yet, it’s another element I’m deeply considering.

There’s a lot to do and I’m excited to share it all.

coffee

Check Out How This Nigerian Painter Uses Coffee To Paint Portraits

Ashe

Coffee and fine art is a match made in delicious heaven. As a digital illustrator and traditional painter who drinks coffee on a daily basis? This news story made my week.

Ekene Ngige is a Nigerian traditional painter that accidentally discovered his favorite painting technique when he spilled coffee while chatting with peers. He fell in love with the color and texture, resulting in him creating a series of portraits made out of coffee. He doesn’t just mix it with water, either: he adds a gel paste to stick it together and get a more even coating.

In the wise words of Bob Ross? “There are no mistakes. Only happy accidents.”

I can relate so hard to this. Several times I’ve completed an illustration not through careful planning, but spontaneous surprises that took me by the nose. I loved browsing his portfolio and seeing how he captures the human condition through the art of java. He’s skillful at showing the beautiful mundanity of the African diaspora, crafting a playful technique that balances realism with poppy abstraction.

Check out his Instagram page to see more of his work.

beer

Did You Know You Can Recycle Beer Waste Into Flour, Animal Feed, And Pizza?

Ashe

This is the kind of ingenuity that restores my faith in humanity. With so much bad news on the climate change front, this is one green development you won’t want to overlook.

ReGrained is a new food business looking to completely transform the way we look at making beer. They take the spent grain leftover from the brewing process and turn it into a slew of sustainable (and delicious) products. Flour, animal feed, and pre-made products like pasta are just a few of the creations that have come out. If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard of this before, don’t worry. Recycling beer waste is brand new technology that the creator himself stated should have caught on sooner.

This approach is not just novelty, either. The spent beer grain is stuffed full of essential proteins and fiber, with the article wrapping up with a taste test of ReGrained‘s pizza dough. Apparently it tastes similar to buckwheat, but with a quintessentially fermented tang. Sweet!

An interesting detail I want to point out is how the creator stresses the need for ongoing ingenuity. While he wants his technology to be more accessible, he also wants brewers to think up more unique ways to recycle materials and reduce harmful waste.

Looks like there’s hope for the planet and the art of nuance.

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coffee, review

Decaf, Decaf Everywhere: Onyx Coffee Lab’s Decaf La Serrania

Ashe

It’s always good news when a favorite roaster brings in another decaf.

Being a strict decaf coffee drinker can leave you disappointed when browsing roasters. We often get the short end of the stick when it comes to portfolio variety. A token decaf bag is the standard (and still not always guaranteed). Two bags is a nice surprise! Three bags is very rare. Anything more than three might as well be a blue moon, and you should savor it just as much.

I check back with my favorite roasters every few months to see if they have anything new. While most roasters keep a consistent rotation of their default decaf bag, some shake things up by cycling in new ones a few times per year. Onyx Coffee Lab gives me plenty to love as a decaf drinker, keeping their portfolio dynamic with new decaf and half-caf options. While I still can’t drink the latter (yes, I’m that sensitive), I’m glad it exists.

If you’re as eager to try different kinds of decaf coffee as I am, check out my Decaf, Decaf Everywhere series (which has a variety of specialty and non-specialty options). I recently took a look at a Washington coffee roaster that slipped my notice, as well as revisited another favorite roaster of mine.

Why is Colombian coffee so good and a regular favorite on my review lists? Let’s see why Onyx Coffee Lab and this origin have earned such a positive reputation:

Continue reading “Decaf, Decaf Everywhere: Onyx Coffee Lab’s Decaf La Serrania” →