Cravens Blog
In Good Company
May 29th, 2012Last month while on a short flight visiting Customers between Spokane and Colorado, I leafed through the in-flight magazine featuring a national coffee company. It’s always a good idea to understand what others are doing in your industry and while a small-independent-regional-specialty-coffee-roaster has little in common with an international concern, there was a portion of the article that struck a chord.
“Modern businesses should be defined as much by what they give as by what they get … Consumers are the most important part of the business cycle and they care about the world they live in … Companies being as socially responsible as they would be as if they were their consumer’s neighbors.”
I wish I’d kept the article to give credit where credit is due. The journalist did a wonderful job defining how we at Cravens Coffee and so many other small businesses feel about doing business.
Join us this month as we recognize just a handful of important works in our corner of the world with our Community Coffees. With the purchase of these coffees, a portion of the proceeds benefits the sponsoring non-profit organization.
Benjamin’s Blend is 16 years in the making and who’s name sake is our first born son, Benjamin. With the blessings of our own healthy children we learned early on the importance of contributing to the well-being of all children in our community. When you choose this full-flavored coffee with unique Central American sparkle you are making a difference. Here are a few of the many organizations who have benefitted from the sale of Benjamin’s Blend over the years:
ICARE Coeur d’Alene, ID
Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery Spokane, WA
Watson Children’s Shelter Missoula, MT
Children’s Home Society Spokane, WA
Child Abuse Network Spokane, WA
United Way Eastern Washington, Western Montana, Northern Idaho and Western Colorado
Find Benjamin’s Blend in area grocery stores or on line at cravenscoffee.com.
Vanessa’s Blend is inspired by the important work of The Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. VBCN is dedicated to keeping children safe and strengthening families while building a healthier community. With your purchase, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this blend helps prevent child abuse and neglect.
Cravens Coffee has the honor of custom crafting Vanessa’s Blend as a Colombia Huila based coffee combined with a bright, lively Costa Rica Monte Crisol and Indonesia for richness and body. The Valencia family prepares this high grown Colombia coffee for us with nutty and caramelly notes. A full-flavored and nicely balanced cup.
Find Vanessa’s Blend in area grocery stores or online at cravenscoffee.com or learn more at vanessabehan.org. And don’t miss Vanessa’s Promise Benefit Luncheon on June 5 at the Spokane Convention Center celebrating 25 years of service.
Grounds for Giving. Providing help and creating hope.
Last year, Catholic Charities Spokane assisted over 70,000 families in crisis regardless of religious, social, or economic background. Grounds for Giving is a unique blend created with diligence by the good folks and works at Catholic Charities with the goal of furthering their mission. Enjoy this bold, full-flavored, fair-trade coffee and Cravens Coffee will donate a portion of the proceeds on your behalf helping to create stability in our community.
Inquire about this special blend of coffee at catholiccharitiesspokane.org.
The results are in! We are pleased to report sales of Coaches vs Cancer Blend thru March Madness! Because of your community minded support we are able to send another child to Camp Goodtimes this summer. We appreciate your confidence in Cravens Coffee and the value of creating AWARENESS for this important cause. Thank you for the opportunity to work together on this very special venture. With good intentions, good things happen!
As always, thank you for entrusting Cravens Coffee to source and roast your specialty coffee,
p.s. Whether you have ‘friended’ us in the past or are new to facebook, please follow Cravens Coffee on our new page so we may better serve you.
Celebrate Earth Day
April 19th, 2012
Because we don’t have coffee shops (we leave that to our trusted friends in retail who serve Cravens Coffee) we can’t give you a free cup of coffee on Earth Day like some. But we are able to honor this day in our own way by recognizing the farmer, keepers-of-the-land.
At Cravens Coffee we are reminded every day of the importance of Mother Earth for growing the fine coffees we source. And we know of no better stewards of the land than farmers. The journey of a coffee bean is not a simple one. The best coffee in the world is grown at high altitudes, warm days, cool nights, leading to enhanced development of the sugars which leads to the more dramatic and spectacular flavors in coffee.
On a personal note, our children’s great-grandfather was a potato farmer, their grandfather was an apple orchardist and now Becky and I have the privilege of working with and supporting the coffee farmer. As long as there are people in residence, our planet and the farmer need each other.
Click here to show your support of Earth Day and the famers who care for the land.
For over 40 years our country has recognized Earth Day. Neither are we perfect nor the same in our actions to help preserve our home planet and far be it for us to preach. Rather, we suggest a few humble things we can do this day, or this week or this year to help reduce the impact we are having on the earth. Who knows who you’ll inspire?
Bring your own bag when you go to the grocery store.- Increase your awareness of electricity use.
- Buy locally. Locally produced foods travels less and taste best!
- Reduce. Re-use. Recycle. Yes, it’s cliche but putting it into action is not.
- Pick up garbage. Even if this doesn’t make the Top 10 Save-the-Earth list each year, it’s bound to make Mother Earth look and feel better.
- Buy your coffee from a trusted source. Yep, we couldn’t resist this one – it’s our way of honoring the caretakers of the land.
As always, thank you for entrusting Cravens Coffee to source and roast your specialty coffee,
p.s. “From Farmer to Roaster to You“ is an exclusive Cravens Coffee series featuring highly sought after beans from direct farm visits. We currently highlight the good works of Alex Rechsteiner’s Tanzania Mondul Estate Peaberry. Tangy, juicy and syrupy in the cup.
Forever Blend – Benefiting the Susan G Komen Foundation
March 27th, 2012
Over the past three decades the Komen Foundation has aided in the betterment of women. As nurturers who have a unique ability to care and share and make the world a better place, the power of women is forever. In honor of those who help make a difference for others, we offer this custom blend of coffee with a deep, sweet, lively flavor.
Forever Blend is this month’s Cravens Community Coffee. Proceeds from the sale of this special blend support the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s noble, tireless campaign to help save lives.
Flavor Profile: Deep, sweet, lively flavor
Primary Origin: Colombia Huila Valencia
Roast: Combination light & dark
Perhaps you’ll consider Forever Blend as a gift to yourself or others in honor of a beautiful woman in your life? And Mother’s Day is just around the corner!
Find Forever Blend in locally owned grocery stores or on-line at www.cravenscoffee.com for a limited time. Visit Cravens Coffee on Facebook to learn more about upcoming events and Spokane’s Race for the Cure on April 22nd! Live in Eastern Washington? Walk, Run, Stroll or Sleep In for The Cure by visiting www.komeneasternwashington.org.
Relationships Matter. From Farmer to Roaster to You.
October 4th, 2011You may recall relationships were discussed in our March email news with regard to the dedicated farmer. Today we recognize the important relationship of the coffee retailer.
If only we could mention each and every business serving Cravens Coffee in this one email. Rather, we THANK a handful of long term Customers committed to serving Cravens Coffee since the beginning.
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What do these businesses have in common? Nearly 17 years ago they took a chance on a small start-up coffee roasting company named Cravens. They believed in the coffee and the people. All these years later we are still together and that says something.
From Spokane, Washington to Missoula, Montana to Carbondale, Colorado these fine businesses took the road less traveled and it has served them well. But let them speak for themselves….
“Cravens Coffee was my first choice then and my first choice now. They set the high standard.”
“Cravens Coffee delivers something special, consistently. It may not be sexy but they know what they are doing and I can count on them.”
“It’s become trendy for coffee roasters to think they are rock stars. Cravens Coffee makes me the rock star!”
As always, we thank ALL of our faithful Customers for reminding us that successful relationships require commitment. Support and learn more about these small businesses (and many more!) serving Cravens Coffee by following us on Facebook.
Do you have a story about your favorite coffee retailer? We’d love to hear it. Email us anytime at cheers@cravenscoffee.com or join us on Facebook to share your experiences.
Thank you for choosing Cravens Coffee!
Fresh Roasted School Spirit
September 8th, 2011
Back to school at Cravens Coffee means fresh roasted batches of collegiate coffees. For over a decade, Cravens Coffee has had the distinction of CLC (Collegiate Licensing Company) certification. This means we have the privilege of being the only coffee company authorized by a handful of universities to bring you these custom blends. In return, Cravens Coffee donates a portion of the proceeds from each of our collegiate blends right back to the institutions. Be true to your school!
Cougar fans are nothing if not passionate. This brew helps keep "Cougar Mania" alive until game time. A blend of lively Costa Rica and dark roasted Colombia serve up hearty Cougar spirit.
The Grizzlies love their coffee so much, they’ve made it one of our most popular blends. Central America and Indonesia beans collide to deliver a cup of hearty character and dynamic flavor. A fitting tribute to the Griz!
A perennial basketball powerhouse like Gonzaga University wouldn’t drink anything less. An accomplished blend of intense full flavor, this unique combination of dark and light roasts guarantees each varietal is roasted to it’s perfect point.
Tucked away among the pines, Whitworth expects students to engage their hearts and their minds. This is the blend for both. Bright Nicaragua beans pair with the good works from our friends in Guatemala. A true blend of luxurious flavor and goodwill.
Not only does Moscow’s University of Idaho play home to the Vandals; it hosts a famous international jazz festival, too. Our Vandals Blend reflects the complexity of that most American style of music.
Check out a few bumper stickers around Eastern Washington, and you’re sure to see "Go Eags." So we made their blend as bold as the bird itself and as smooth as its rising flight.
MSU’s campus sits in the spectacular Rocky Mountain foothills. Scenery that stunning requires a full-bodied brew. Roasted and blended with discipline, this coffee combines smoky and spicy for a magnificent cup.
On game days, the third-most populated city in Nebraska is Lincoln Memorial Stadium. Go Big Red! Strong, hard-hitting and full-bodied define the feared Blackshirts defense as well as this custom blend coffee.
Find Cravens Collegiate Coffees at area grocery stores, coffee shops or cravenscoffee.com.
As always, thank you for choosing Cravens Coffee. It is a pleasure serving you,
p.s. Whether you have ‘friended’ us in the past or are new to facebook, please follow Cravens Coffee on our new page so we may better serve you.
Coffee Gives Back
July 7th, 2011You’ve heard us say it many times before … coffee can change the world. Or at least our little corner of it. This month we bring you three very special custom blends supporting great works in our community.
Vanessa’s Blend is a newly designed blend and label art inspired by the important work of The Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. VBCN is dedicated to keeping children safe and strengthening families while building a healthier community. With your purchase, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this blend helps prevent child abuse and neglect.
Cravens Coffee has the honor of custom crafting Vanessa’s Blend as a Colombia Huila based coffee combined with a bright, lively Costa Rica Monte Crisol and Indonesia for richness and body. The Valencia family prepares this high grown Colombia coffee for us with nutty and caramelly notes. A full-flavored and nicely balanced cup.
Find Vanessa’s Blend in area grocery stores or online at www.cravenscoffee.com or learn more at www.vanessabehan.org
Our very own Benjamin’s Blend is 15 years in the making and who’s name sake is our first born son, Benjamin. With the blessings of our own healthy children we learned early on the importance of contributing to the well-being of all children in our community. When you choose this full-flavored coffee with unique Central American sparkle you are making a difference. Here are a few of the many organizations who have benefitted from the sale of Benjamin’s Blend over the years:
- ICARE Coeur d’Alene, ID
- Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery Spokane, WA
- Watson Children’s Shelter Missoula, MT
- Children’s Home Society Spokane, WA
- Child Abuse Network Spokane, WA
- United Way Eastern Washington, Western Montana, Northern Idaho and Western Colorado
Find Benjamin’s Blend in area grocery stores or on line at www.cravenscoffee.com.
Grounds for Giving. Providing help and creating hope.
Last year, Catholic Charities Spokane assisted over 70,000 families in crisis regardless of religious, social, or economic background. Grounds for Giving is a unique blend created with diligence by the good folks and works at Catholic Charities with the goal of furthering their mission. Enjoy this bold, full-flavored, fair-trade coffee and Cravens Coffee will donate a portion of the proceeds on your behalf helping to create stability in our community.
Inquire about this special blend of coffee at www.catholiccharitiesspokane.org.
p.s. Whether you have ‘friended’ us in the past or are new to facebook, please follow Cravens Coffee on our new page so we may better serve you.
Cravens Q&A / April
April 20th, 2011Isn’t there a famous quote, “The key to wisdom is knowing all the right questions”? Thank you for taking the time to send your inquiries our way. I thought I’d answer your questions in this Coffee Chronicle to share with others.
Question: “Is price reflective of quality?”
~ D. Foster Spokane Valley, WA
Simon Answers: “Ahhhhhh, the age old question applies to coffee, too. Yes, for the most part, the price of coffee is a reflection of it’s quality. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Coffees can be priced high due to short supply, mystique or marketing. Examples might be Pure Hawaiian Kona, Jamaican Blue Mountain or Sumatra Kopi Luwak. But a good rule of thumb is, “there is no such thing as great, cheap coffee”. The best coffee in the world is grown at elevation in remote mountainous areas. It is nurtured during the growing stages, picked selectively and processed carefully. Subsequently, the better coffees command a higher price because of the great care, time and attention in their development. We are honored to find these quality coffees for you.”
Question: “I read somewhere that if my espresso tastes bitter or sour I should consider removing the crema. Is that right?”
~ P. Miles Grand Junction, CO
Simon Answers: “After 20 years in the coffee business, I have learned there are few absolutes. So, if espresso minus the crema is your preference, have at it. From where we sit, at Cravens Coffee, if the crema (rich, creamy intense extraction of coffee flavor that sits on top of your espresso shot) is “off-tasting” it is simply a symptom of something bigger such as improper extraction or the recipe for the espresso blend itself.
Espresso blending is difficult. It’s when you take different beans from different countries or origins and at different roast levels combine them for a specific taste profile. A recipe, if you will. It’s very subjective and harder than it sounds. If there are certain coffees we require for our blends, there are just as many roasters who would never choose those same coffees. Sometimes it’s a matter of taste. Other times it’s a matter of price. At Cravens Coffee, espresso blending is about achieving sweetness and body in the cup. We’d like to hear from you at info@cravenscoffee.com. What qualities do you value in an espresso?
Question: “Do I use less coffee if I use a coarse grind vs a fine grind?”
~ S. Post Kalispell, MT
Simon Answers: “Not exactly. Grind is relative to the time the coffee is in contact with the water. For example, French Press ground coffee is very coarse due to a 5 minute steeping process to fully extract the coffee flavor. Espresso, on the other hand, is finely ground due to the 20-25 second time the coffee is being extracted under pressure. In the middle of these two methods, drip brewed coffee, which is controlled by gravity and turbulence, requires a medium grind.”
Do you have a coffee question I can help answer? We’d love to hear from you anytime at info@cravenscoffee.com or Facebook.
Thank you for choosing Cravens Coffee!
p.s. Just for fun, check out our homespun video from last Sunday’s Eastern Washington Komen Race for the Cure. 90 gallons of coffee (!), inspiring stories and beautiful spirits. It was an honor to serve! Keep the spirit alive with a purchase of Survivor Blend thru the month of May!
Community Coffees: great tastes, good turns
April 5th, 2011Coffee changes the world. It can help coffee farmers in developing countries earn a fair wage. It offers millions of people a moment of pleasure every morning. And it gives us a chance to support organizations in our corner of the world working to make things a little better.
Survivor Blend is this month’s Cravens Community Coffee. Proceeds from the sale of this special blend support the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s noble, tireless campaign to find a cure for breast cancer.
Survivor Blend is an organic fair-trade coffee with a buttery upfront flavor and bold, rich finish. This unique blend combines rich full-flavored Sumatra and fruity Ethiopia origins, featuring a remarkable Nicaragua from a women-operated co-op in formerly war-torn Segovia. We honor these women from Segovia as fellow survivors.
Find Survivor Blend in area grocery stores or on line at www.cravenscoffee.com. Visit us on Facebook to learn more about upcoming events and Spokane’s Race for the Cure on April 17th! Register today for the 2011 Race for the Cure in Spokane, WA.
Coaches vs Cancer Blend was the Cravens Community Coffee during March Madness. With your purchase of Coaches vs Cancer Blend, together, we were able to donate proceeds to help send a child to Camp Goodtimes this summer. This extraordinary camp brings fellowship and joy to children battling cancer. Join us on Facebook to share more about the wonderful work of Coaches vs Cancer.
Do you have a story about your favorite community organization? We’d love to hear from you anytime at info@cravenscoffee.com.
Thank you for choosing Cravens Coffee!
Cravens Q&A / Caffeine in Decaf
February 22nd, 2011
Caffeine in Decaf
Question: “How much caffeine is in a cup of decaf coffee? How is it processed? Are there any chemicals used?”
~ Valerie, Post Falls, ID
Answer:
Thank you, Valerie, for submitting this popular question.
Decaf coffees purchased by Cravens Coffee are all chemical-free! Different coffees are treated by different methods. Here are some examples:
Our Mexican Decaf coffee is a “Natural Process” decaf. This is a specialized procedure combining mountain water and an extract of sugar cane molasses, enabling a gentle caffeine extraction from the coffee bean while avoiding pressure or excessive heat treatment. By protecting the natural cell structure of the green coffee, flavor is preserved.
The Cravens’ Organic Mexican Decaf is decaffeinated using the Mountain Water Process. In this process, green (unroasted) coffee beans are immersed in water containing soluble components of actual coffee to help ensure the beans maintain their original flavor qualities during extraction. The caffeine is then separated from the bean using special carbon filters.
On average, 99% of caffeine is removed in any of the various decaf processes. US Federal regulations require that in order to label coffee as “decaffeinated” coffee must have had its caffeine level reduced by no less than 97.5%.
For example, an average arabica coffee bean is about 1.36% caffeine by weight. When 97% of that caffeine is removed, about 4/100th of 1% is left (.0408% of the coffee weight is caffeine).
Rest assured, Cravens Coffee places the greatest importance on proper decaffeination to guarantee the highest coffee quality and authentic flavor in your cup.
Thanks to Valerie from Post Falls, Idaho for her great question. Please submit your question to Simon, anytime, by email: info@cravenscoffee.com
Thank you for choosing Cravens Coffee!
Cravens Q&A / February
February 3rd, 2011
Dark Shiny Coffee Bean
Question: “Does a dark, oily coffee bean produce a stronger flavored coffee than a light bean?”
~ L. Johnston, Spokane WA
Answer:
Sometimes! If only it were that easy.
A dark, oily coffee bean usually signifies a bean that has been roasted longer, thus, releasing more flavor (the oils) from the hard bean. Sadly, sometimes an oily bean can also represent staleness as the bean has sat too long and has “sweat” it’s flavor out and is no longer fresh. In the end, you must trust that your roaster ‘roasts-to-order’ and offers you fresh coffee, everyday.
Now back to your great question… In the final cup, strength of flavor is a ratio of coffee grounds to water. In other words, you can brew strong coffee with a lightly roasted bean if you leave the water in contact with the grounds longer. Conversely, you can weaken a strong, dark roasted coffee if brewed for a short period of time. However, if brewed equally, the dark roast will have a more pronounced and lingering roasted aftertaste, often associated with “strength”.
It might also be helpful to know that higher grown coffees are more flavorful. The more carefully prepared and properly roasted, the better the coffee whether light or dark. And, of course, in the end the best tasting coffee is what tastes best to you!
Italian vs French
Question:
“What do the roast names mean? What is the difference between Italian and French roast?”
~ D. Auburn, Missoula, MT
Answer:
There are many roast level names for coffee and just as many reasons for using them. Northern European, Vienna, Cinnamon, American, City, Fully City, Espresso … to name a few.
Every roaster has their own designation of how a bean is roasted to completion. Not unlike a chef deciding the doneness of a steak or an artist knowing when the painting is complete. At Cravens Coffee we use roast level names to designate the degree of darkness and oil development of the bean. Development happens throughout the whole bean, not just the surface. Our lighter degrees of roast are Northern European and Vienna. The darker degrees of our roast levels are Italian and French. Each roast level is intended to bring out the “perfect point” of flavor in each bean as defined by the roaster. We thank you for putting your trust in Cravens Coffee Company.