Welcome 2024... And welcome back Finca San Jeronimo!

As I sit here and type these words I can hardly believe another year has come to an end! 2023 was filled with incredible opportunities, a few challenges, and plenty of great coffee! During the past year, we said goodbye to our founder and visionary leader, John Clark as he sailed off into the sunset for a much-deserved retirement; we began to receive new and improved green coffee offerings because of our partnership with Deeper Roots; and we began roasting coffee on our amazing new Loring S70 roaster! It’s been quite a year!

Adam & Trace examine the first roast on the new Loring Roaster.

I look forward to many new opportunities for continued growth in 2024. I believe we are primed for success in unique and unprecedented ways, and we have the team and equipment in place to reach new heights and touch many lives as a company. I am so grateful for every one of you, and for all you do every day, individually, to make Vienna a truly unique and wonderful place!

As we welcome the New Year, we also welcome a new featured coffee, but one that is very familiar to us here at Vienna - Guatemala Finca San Jeronimo!

This exceptional coffee is sourced from a farm located on a literal volcano in the Atitlan region of Guatemala called Volcan De Atitlan. The farm is located between 700 - 2,600 meters above sea level. The tropical climate of this region is perfectly suited to growing coffee and receives abundant rainfall year-round.

Volcano Atitlan in Guatemala - the stunning home of Finca San Jeronimo Mirimar coffee farm.

Owners, Georgio and Gina Brassani treat the environment, their employees, and their community with a deep level of care. The farm has been owned by the same family for over 100 years and produces coffee, exotic tropical fruit, honey, and a variety of dairy products. The natural fresh-water springs feed the farm’s water supply and provide hydroelectric power to all the farm’s processing facilities. A large portion of the farm is a nature preserve that protects several native species, and they have a lab on-site to research natural methods of reducing fungi and pests in coffee production.

Georgio Brassani, 3rd generation owner of Finca San Jeronimo Miramar coffee farm, stands among his prized coffee plants while giving a tour of his farm.

After the fruit of the coffee cherries has been removed, the coffee beans are put through a washing process and then spread out on cement patios to dry before being bagged and shipped to our roasting facility in Maryville.

Guatemalan coffees are known for their full-body, chocolaty notes, and rich toffee-like sweetness. We source this coffee from our partner business Deeper Roots Coffee in Cincinnati. Vienna CEO, Les Stoneham has developed a producer/roaster relationship with the farm and can source the highest quality beans from each year’s lot production.

Georgio and Les discussing the methods the farm is currently using to combat “leaf rust” which will kill the coffee plant if not contained.

We are truly blessed to have such a close connection with this outstanding coffee and the people who produce it. And here at Vienna Coffee we take great care and pride in roasting and serving this wonderful coffee, just as the famers and workers at Finca San Jeronimo do in growing, processing and shipping their coffee for us to enjoy and share with others.

Our own Vienna Coffee custom-designed bags are a great reminder of the beauty of this coffee and the relationship with those who produce it.

Happy New Year to all of you! It’s a GREAT day (and going to be a great year) for coffee!

~Matt~

Tis the Season... for Hearth & Home!

Welcome to For the Love of Coffee! A blog exclusively for the staff of Vienna Coffee Company.

The holidays are officially upon us, and here at Vienna Coffee that means another edition of our much-anticipated annual holiday blend - Hearth & Home! This seasonal blend represents all the wonderful things people love about the season: holiday traditions, the warmth of family and friends, and the hopeful prayer of peace on earth and goodwill toward mankind.

Here at Vienna Coffee, we LOVE the holiday season and all the festive and delicious flavors it brings. In addition to some great seasonal drinks created by our incredibly talented Baristas, this year’s annual holiday blend highlights two exceptional Vienna coffees: Kenya, and Guatemala La Armonia Hermosa. Each coffee is unique in its flavor profile and when blended creates a coffee experience that is at once both familiar and surprising.

The foundation of the blend is considered one of the world’s finest coffees. Kenyan coffee is consistently prized for its sweetness, spice, balance & complexity. Featuring flavor notes that are often floral and fruity, Kenyan coffees have a richness and depth that is reminiscent of a fine red wine. In fact, Kenya is often referred to as “the wine of coffee”.

Approximately 200 members of the Muharate Farmer’s Cooperative contributed to this Kenyan lot. These small-holder coffee farms, averaging just a half-acre each, are located on the slopes of the picturesque Kikpkelion Hill in Kenya. Coffee here is hand-picked and then delivered to the only wet mill in the region. Once at the wet mill, it is sorted, pulped, and fermented using river water. It is then dried on raised beds.

With the strong flavor foundation of Kenya, we then add the distinctive Guatmela La Armonia Hermosa. Featuring tasting notes of cherry, chocolate, and cinnamon this beautiful coffee comes from our partnership with Deeper Roots and their direct relationship with Guatemalan farmers Julio Cuy Xar and family.

The drying fields in Santa Maria De Jesus, Guatemala.

Julio Cuy Xar and his son Melvin produce some of the finest Guatemalan coffee for Deeper Roots and Vienna Coffee.

We are blessed to have access to these beautiful coffees and I am grateful for the relationships we are so fortunate to have cultivated with the farmers and producers. Coffee is truly a global community of people who are passionate about family, community, and traditions - the very same things which make Hearth & Home our featured coffee for December.

Be sure to encourage our customers to try Hearth & Home the next time they order a brewed coffee, and maybe casually suggest that it would make a great gift for any coffee lovers on their list!

I wish every one of you a very happy and blessed Holiday Season!

Matt

It's baa-aack!! Red Roaster Blend is our November featured coffee!

Welcome to For the Love of Coffee! A blog about all things coffee exclusively for the employees of Vienna Coffee.

Fall weather is now fully upon us and we are featuring the deep, rich, robust, wonderful creation that is Vienna Coffee’s 20th Anniversary coffee - Red Roaster Blend. This outstanding coffee blend is made with exceptional coffee beans producing a lively and memorable cup. Below you will find information about why we call it Red Roaster Blend and information about each bean that is used to create this uniquely complex and balanced coffee.

Red Roaster Blend is an homage to John Clark’s original red coffee roaster which he used when he firs started roasting coffee on a somewhat larger scale. It wouldn’t be long before it was replaced by a larger roaster to keep up with demand.

Red Roaster will continue to be one of our premier coffee blends for the foreseeable future. I will get sample packs out to all Baristas as soon as possible. In the meantime, please sample this delicious coffee from the coffee bar and talk it up with customers when you have the opportunity. It is an amazing coffee with a wonderful story to tell!

Matt

La Armonia Hermosa - The Beautiful Harmony

October’s featured coffee will be the beautiful harmony of La Armonia Hermosa grown in the fertile volcanic soil of Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala.

The dormant volcano Agua towers above the city of Sant Maria de Jesus.

Les Stonham talks with Melvin about this years crop.

After the coffee cherries are harvested all by hand they are put through a “de-pulping machine” in order to remove the fruit from the coffee seeds inside.

Large tarps are used for drying the coffee, both washed and natural process can be seen on the farm. Both processes require constant turning in order to assure consistent and even drying.

Les and I have the great privilege to jump in and help with the spreading and turning of the coffee cherries.

The entire lot for the year is purchased by Deeper Roots and Vienna Coffee to ensure a fair price for Julio and his family and for the pure enjoyment of our customers.

New labeling will be used going forward. We will no longer have this coffee designated as “Foothills Series” it will look the same as our other Vienna Coffee offerings.

We are excited to offer this exclusive coffee from our direct-trade partner in Guatemala. I believe you will find it to be a delicious and inspiring addition to our offerings.

Thank you all for all you do to make Vienna Coffee such a special place.

Matt

Fun & Interesting Coffee Facts

Hello, and welcome to another edition of For The Love of Coffee! A blog about all things coffee exclusively for the staff of Vienna Coffee.

This week I am sending you some interesting and fun facts about our favorite beverage in the hopes that it will spark conversation and a desire to learn more about America’s most-consumed beverage after water (fun fact #1 right there ;)

1. Coffee “beans” are actually seeds.

That’s right, the green coffee beans we receive and roast here at Vienna are actually the seeds of the Coffea Arabica plant, a shrub-like plant that produces bright red cherries containing two seeds that are harvested, processed, roasted, and brewed to make what we call coffee.

2. The most expensive coffee in the world can cost as much as $600 per pound.

Kopi luwak coffee (ie. cat poop coffee) is made by collecting coffee beans off of the jungle floor from the droppings of an animal called the Asian Palm Civet. The digestive enzymes of the small cat-like animal ferment the beans. After being collected they are washed, processed, and sold for an average of $100 - $600 per pound!

3. Drinking coffee was once punishable by death

In the 17th century Ottoman Empire the ruler of the period believed that coffee had mind-altering effects and banned it as a narcotic. Anyone caught drinking coffee could be imprisoned and possibly face the death penalty.

4. Beethoven was a coffee lover (and a little ADD)!

Beethoven was an avid (and exacting) coffee drinker. He would count out exactly 60 beans for each cup that he brewed.

5. Decaf does not mean “caffeine-free”.

According to the Mayo Clinic, an eight-ounce brewed cup of decaf coffee actually contains 2 to 12 milligrams of caffeine. In comparison, a regular cup of coffee supplies between 95 to 200 milligrams.

6. The name Cappuccino was inspired by the robes of monks.

When the cappuccino drink was first introduced in Italy, it was named after the Capuchin friars because the color of the espresso mixed with frothed milk was similar to the color of the Capuchin robe. The name stuck and we borrowed it into English in the late 1800s.

There are endless interesting facts about coffee and I never grow tired of learning more about this most fascinating subject. I hope you enjoyed this brief, light-hearted edition and that it inspired some new ideas and intrigue about this amazing product we serve and consume every single day!

Viva La Coffee!!!

Matt

Colombia Tolima - September's Featured Coffee

Welcome to another edition of For The Love of Coffee, a blog exclusively for the employees of Vienna Coffee Company.

In today’s blog, I will highlight our upcoming featured coffee for September, the rich and satistfying Colombia Tolima. This coffee comes to us from our new Deeper Roots family through the relationships that have been formed with the coffee farmers and exporters of the region of Tolima in the district of Ibague. Colombia coffee is already world-renowned for its quality and consistency is often considered THE standard for what coffee should taste like!

In November 2013, Deeper Root’s Director of Coffee, Adam Shaw traveled to the coffee-producing region of Tolima to see first-hand the quality of the coffee farms. While there Adam had the privilege of visiting 5 different farms and was able to cup coffee with the farmers. Fast-forward 10 years and Deeper Roots continues its relationship with this amazing coffee-producing region.

Tolima has approximately 1,800,000 inhabitants and an area of 23,562 square kilometers. It is situated in central-west Colombia. Tolima is a well-known coffee-producing region in Colombia. This coffee is from the growing areas around Ibague where Pergamino Coffee Exporters works with around 50 growers that bring their coffee to a logistics partner of Pergamino where there is a warehouse and cupping lab. The coffee lots are then analyzed one by one for quality and consistency before being added to the lots for export. In addition to growing coffee, the Tolima district is also the number-one rice and sesame producer in the country.

Here at Vienna Coffee we are fortunate to have a direct connection with this amazing coffee through our new partnership with Deeper Roots. We have taken the time to roast and cup this delicious coffee and to dial in on the best profile for producing the best flavors in the cup. The coffee features a light/medium roast and has subtle tasting notes of cocoa, maple, and honeydew. The acidity is bright and lively and the mouthfeel is heavy and full. We think that it will be a delight for our customers and have them asking for more information about this amazing coffee!

Each Barista will be receiving a 4oz sample to take home and prepare using their preferred coffee-brewing method. As always, feedback is encouraged as I always love to hear about your experience and impressions of our featured coffee.

Taking coffee snobbery to new heights, let us all raise a toast to Tolima!

Your humble Head Coffee Snob,

Matt

Introducing our August Featured Coffee - Organic Papua New Guinea

Welcome to For the Love of Coffee, a blog exclusively for the employees of Vienna Coffee!

The island nation of Papua New Guinea, located in the Southwest Pacific between Indonesia and Australia is an incredibly diverse and beautiful place. It encompasses the eastern half of the island of New Guinea which is the second largest in the world. Historic records indicate that humans first began settling on the island some 50-60,000 years ago. Known for its pristine coral reefs and beaches, and inland volcanoes, Papua New Guinea is certainly a region perfect for growing some of the world’s finest coffee!

Papua New Guinea is home to an estimated 9 million people and has hundreds of diverse cultures. There are more than 800 distinct languages spoken there, more than anywhere else per capita in the world!

Hundreds of distinct cultural traditions can be found on the tropical island paradise of Papua New Guinea

When coffee first arrived on the island beans from Jamaican Blue Mountain were planted. There are claims that the Germans were the first to bring coffee to the island sometime in the late 19th century, but there are also claims that it was British settlers that brought the bean around the same time period. Regardless of who started growing coffee on the island, the first official documentation of coffee being grown there commercially wasn’t until the 1920s. Fast-forward 100 years and Papua New Guinea is currently the 17th largest coffee-producing nation with almost all of the coffee being produced on small farms. Coffee is the second-largest export of the island nation next to Palm Oil. In Papua New Guinea there are approximately 2.5 million people (around 30% of the population!) employed in the coffee industry, the majority working on the approximately 280,000 smaller farms. 90% of the coffee production on the island is done in the 5 Highlands Provinces of Western Highlands, Eastern Highlands, Simbu, Morobe, and East Sepik.

Our current crop of Organic Papua New Guinea comes from The Timuza Coffee Cooperative which represents over 200 smallholder farmers of the Kamano tribal group. The average farm size is 1.4 hectares (about 3.5 acres) per family, with adjacent gardens for the cultivation of food crops such as sweet potato, taro, and cassava. Farmers have received training and assistance in financial management, gender equality, coffee husbandry, and standards for processing through local partners. The harvest takes place from April through September, with selective harvest of ripe cherry, manual pulping, washing, and full sun-drying. In 2016, Timuza placed 1st in the National Cupping Competition.

(above) The welcoming committee of the Timuza/Namura Coffee Cooperative

Our Organic Papua New Guinea Coffee is roasted to Medium and shines with a creamy body, subtle notes of cocoa, brown sugar, pecans, and a rich, chocolatey finish. We are proud to offer this excellent award-winning organic coffee to our customers and all Baristas will soon be receiving a 4oz sample bag to take home and enjoy.

Thank you to each and every one of you who makes Vienna Coffee such a special place to work, and for our customers to visit. Each one of you personally and actively contributes to the quality, culture, and continued success of our business and brand. You are appreciated and celebrated!

It’s a GREAT day for coffee!

Yours Truly Caffeinated,

Matt

Pebbles and Sand?

Welcome to another edition of For the Love of Coffee, a weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the employees of Vienna Coffee.

In today’s blog, I want to discuss the importance of dialing in espresso to produce the best possible shot. All of the amazing aromas and flavors trapped in the coffee bean are amplified in espresso, as well as any negative notes. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you are doing everything possible to get a perfect extraction, or else you risk amplifying the negative notes in the coffee.

Espresso is not a type of coffee bean. Espresso is a method of brewing and includes everything from grinding to extraction. Here at Vienna Coffee, we have a recipe that has been developed for our specific espresso blend:

• 18 grams of ground espresso in

• 28-30 grams of brewed espresso out

• 25 - 30 seconds extraction time

To get the best possible espresso always start with freshly-roasted beans. Beans that have had a few days to rest after roasting are ideal. Make sure you are weighing your espresso grind to ensure you are within .5 grams of 18 grams before tamping. This is done with a gram scale and will ensure consistency in your extraction.

Next, make sure you are evenly distributing the coffee throughout the portafilter basket. This can be done by using an EDT (Espresso Distribution Tool) to help distribute the grinds. This is important to help prevent channeling which is when the pressurized water finds weak spots in the coffee and forms a small “channel” for the water to gush through resulting in over-extraction in that area, and under-extraction in other areas of the coffee. The last step before extraction is to tamp the coffee. Again you will use the EDT to apply the perfect amount of pressure down onto the top of the coffee resulting in an evenly distributed and pressed “bed” of coffee in the portafilter.

Avoid channeling by ensuring an even distribution and tamp.

Occasionally you will also want to weigh your extracted shots to make sure you are hitting the 30g mark within a gram or two. Here at Vienna Coffee, we do not produce “double shots” by pushing more water through the coffee grinds. We pull two 30g (1 oz) shots if a drink requires a double shot. *Exception: our Eversys machines are programmed to be able to pull a double shot, but the recipe is altered to provide more espresso grind in the shot to produce a consistent taste.

The last thing we need to monitor when pulling the perfect shot is the amount of time it takes for the extraction to complete. Around 28 seconds is ideal, but if you are within a few seconds either way the shot can still be good. If the shot is pulling too fast (less than 25 seconds) you will need to “tighten up” your grind setting by adjusting the grind adjuster to a finer setting. If your shot is taking too long (over 30 seconds), you will need to adjust to a more course setting. A visual I like to use is that of two jars, one containing pebbles and the other containing sand. If you pour water into each jar simultaneously, the water will rush through the pebbles in seconds (too coarse), but the jar with the sand will take a very long time for that water to get through it (too fine).

If you have hit the mark on your settings you should start seeing espresso flowing out of the portafilter in about 3-4 seconds after starting your shot, and should complete your shot in about 28 seconds. A good extraction should start off being a dark reddish brown color with the viscosity of warm honey. It should then move into a striped pattern in even “tails” and stop before it “blondes”. It should never gush or drip slowly through the portafilter.

A good extraction will have a a beautiful head of crema that is thick, and dark golden in color with some visible spotting.

Here at Vienna Coffee our featured espresso blend is our Organic Thunderhead, a beautiful blend of 40% Organic Sumatran and 60% Organic Mexican coffees. The Sumatran coffee is produced by Cafe Feminino, a women-owned and managed coffee cooperative in Indonesia. You can be proud of the coffee you are serving our customers, especially when you hand them that perfect shot of espresso that will delight and keep them coming back for more!

It’s a GREAT day for coffee!!!

Your Cup-A-Joe Shmoe,

Matt

July's Featured Coffee - Tanzania Peaberry!

Welcome to For the Love of Coffee, a weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the staff of Vienna Coffee.

In this week’s blog, we will take a few moments to learn about this month’s featured coffee and its unique qualities and flavor profile. Peaberry refers to the shape of this small bean. Peaberry coffee develops when only one coffee bean forms inside the coffee cherry. Because it is not sharing the space with a second bean, it develops a unique "pea" shape. Only around 4-6% of coffee cherries develop only one bean making them rare.

Many coffee enthusiasts believe that this anomaly in the coffee produces a superior quality bean. Hand-picked from the crop for its flavor intensity, this coffee features slightly brighter acidity compared to most African coffees, a medium body, and a pleasant bright sweetness in the cup. In our roastery here at Vienna we roast this coffee to a medium roast degree to bring out the unique tasting notes of dried apricot, dark caramel, and chocolate. Mmmm, so good! :-P

Tanzania Peaberry coffee comes from the tropical nation of Tanzania. Tanzania is situated just south of the equator and has a climate that is well-suited for growing coffee. Tanzania is mountainous in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, is situated.

Located in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, Lyamungo is one of four farms that make up the Africa Plantation Kilimanjaro estate. The estate is owned by Alejandro Galante, a coffee farmer from Antioquia, Colombia, with each farm managed individually. 95% of APK’s production is washed, though recent experimentation has led to more honey and natural processing occurring. Drying is done on raised beds, where APK employees carefully monitor the moisture level of each lot to ensure even drying.

Carry will soon be distributing to each barista a sample of this delightful coffee to take home and enjoy. I hope you will take time to try it and let me or Carry know your impressions. You all are extremely valuable and important to our continued success and I am grateful for each and every one of you!

It’s a GREAT day for coffee!!!

Your Caffeinated Cohort,

Matt

What effect does brewing method have on flavor?

Welcome to another edition of For the Love of Coffee, a weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the employees of Vienna Coffee Company.

In today’s blog, we’ll briefly discuss the different types of brewing methods and how each can affect the taste of the final brew in the cup.

There are over a dozen different brewing methods, but they can all be put into 3 basic categories:

1. Drip method

2. Steeping method

3. Pressure method

The drip method category includes the standard Auto-Drip coffee maker you would find in most American homes and older-school methods such as Percolators. It also includes Pour Over coffee brewing techniques such as the Hario V60 and Chemex brewers which are basically a manual drip brewing method. The drip method is a popular choice because it is easy and convenient for most people and produces a consistently good brew. The amount of time the water is in contact with the coffee is short and extracts most of the good solubles while limiting the potential for over-extraction. Also, the filter element which comes into play in the drip method helps to provide a cleaner-tasting coffee, typically with a lighter body with less coffee oil present in the final brew.

Pour Over is a form of the drip method where the flow of the coffee is more methodical and controlled.

The Steeped Method includes French Press, Cold Brew, Instant coffee, coffee bags, and the lesser-used Siphon method. Steeping coffee involves keeping the water in direct contact with the coffee for a longer period of time typically resulting in a stronger, bolder more intense cup with a heavier body. In the case of brewing with a French Press, the water is in direct contact with the coffee grounds for approximately 4 minutes. This requires a coarser grind since we do not want to over-extract the coffee and produce a bitter extraction. Using the Cold Brew method can require up to 20 hours of the coffee grounds in contact with the water. The cold water extracts much more slowly producing a very smooth and bold coffee with extra caffeine content because of the higher ratio of grounds to water. Bagged Coffee (ground coffee in a tea-like bag) is becoming more popular for its convenience and we are currently looking into adding this to our offerings here at Vienna! More info coming soon.

The French Press is a great way to produce a strong, flavorful cup with minimal mess.

The last main method is the Pressure method which includes Espresso, Aero Press, Moka Pots, and single-serve pod like the iFill cups. This method requires a fine grind and pressure to push the water through the coffee. In the case of espresso, the coffee has to be tamped down so that it can resist the water being forced through it at 9 atmospheres (bars) of pressure. This resistance is responsible for the extraction of the incredible flavors and aromas that are present in espresso. The fine grind and quick extraction time pull out all of the best elements of the coffee. However, because of the exacting nature of the extraction, getting an espresso shot to taste just right can require some time and experimentation. The Areopress is a more recent method of brewing coffee that has become very popular. It is similar to espresso extraction, but not nearly the same pressure is used. It uses a basic cylinder to steep the coffee grinds for about 2 minutes which are then forced through a small filter on the end by applying pressure with a second tube which creates an air-tight seal with the brewing tube. This method produces a surprisingly rich and robust cup of coffee which you then add hot water to taste.

No matter what brewing method is used the most important element of good extraction is to make sure that you are using fresh-roasted, freshly-ground coffee and good water. Coffee is 98% water and if your coffee is not fresh and your water not good, then it really doesn’t matter what brewing method is used. Also, make sure you use the correct grind size for each method. Using a fine grind in a French Press will always produce an over-extracted brew. There are a ton of resources online which can guide you in what grind to use for each type of brew method. Here is one article from wholelattelove.com that can help you get started.

I hope this article inspires you to try some new brewing methods with your coffee and experience some of the incredible new flavors that each method can bring to your cup!

Your Coffee El-Capitan,

Matt

Introducing June's Featured Coffee - Organic Fair Trade Peru Penachi

It’s a GREAT DAY for coffee!!!!

Welcome to For The Love of Coffee, a weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the employees of Vienna Coffee.

This week’s blog will focus on our next superstar coffee in our monthly series of featured coffees, our amazingly rich and smooth Fair Trade Organic Peru Penachi. In addition to featuring this amazing coffee as our regular offering during the month of June, we will also feature its little brother, Fair Trade Organic Peru Decaf, as our featured decaf coffee.

This is the first time we have featured a coffee and also featured its equivalent decaf offering, so I am hopeful that people will try both and we will see an uptick in sales of Peru Decaf because of it.

A bag of carefully picked, processed and packaged Organic Fair Trade Peruvian green coffee at Vienna Coffee Company getting ready for the roaster to become June’s featured coffee!

Our featured coffee comes to us from the CECANOR Cooperative in the Penachi Region of Peru. Here over 800 women from 6 different cooperatives participate in the Cafe’ Feminino program which empowers women coffee farmers. In fact, it was 464 Peruvian women coffee farmers back in 2004 who started the concept for what became Cafe’ Feminino!

Here at Vienna, we carry several coffees that participate in the Cafe’ Feminino Cooperative including our Organic Peru, Organic Sumatra, and Organic Nicaragua offerings. Cafe’ Feminino and its hundreds of participating cooperatives in 9 distinct coffee-growing countries are truly changing the coffee landscape for women in the industry empowering them to control the financials and make decisions that will have a positive effect on their families and communities.

A worker at CECANOR cooperative hand-picking only the ripest coffee cherries for processing.

The tasting notes from the producing farm for this coffee are listed on their information sheet as floral aromas of almond, cashew, and chocolate, with flavors of dark chocolate, bright citrus, and maple syrup.

Sound amazing, right! When cupping this beautiful coffee here in the Vienna Coffee Lab we observe tasting notes of Clementine, Caramel, and Vanilla. This coffee has a lot to give in terms of flavor and aroma and you may pick up on your own flavors as you experience this unique coffee for yourself.

Peru Penachi coffee is harvested during the months of April - September. It is processed using the “washed method” where the fruity pulp is removed from the coffee beans, then soaked in a fermentation tank for up to 24 hours before going through a final rinsing to remove any and all traces of the fruit on the beans. The coffee is then sent to the patios where they will dry out in the sun for several days until the beans reach an approximate moisture content of 10-12%. This method achieves a consistently clean, bright, and flavorful cup.

Beautiful Peruvian coffee in the final stages of drying before being packed and shipped around the globe.

We purchase this delicious coffee through one of our import partners, Organic Products Trading Company (OPTCO) which specializes in sourcing and securing only the highest-quality Organic coffee lots.

Once we receive the coffee here in our warehouse, we roast it as-needed in small batches to ensure only the freshest possible product reaches our customers. When we say that we are passionate about quality, we mean it! I look forward to hearing your feedback next month as we roll out our latest featured coffee in just a few days time.

EVERY day is GREAT day for coffee!!!

Yours Truly,

Your Caffienated Compadre - Matt

Health Benefits of Coffee?

Welcome to For the Love of Coffee! A weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the staff of Vienna Coffee.

I am sure you have all heard at some point in your coffee journey that drinking too much coffee is horribly bad for you, and over-dosing on caffeine on a regular basis will lead to one’s early demise. Or maybe you have heard the opposite, that regular coffee consumption has many astonishing health benefits. Which view is correct? Well, as usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. In today’s blog, we will briefly explore some of the negatives and the overwhelming positives of regularly drinking coffee.

One of the first benefits of coffee is the increase in energy that is derived. While caffeine content in coffee varies based on type and roast degree, the average cup of 8oz coffee contains approximately 90 milligrams. A single dose of 200, and a daily intake of 400 milligrams of caffeine is considered safe (assuming you are not sensitive to caffeine) and many athletes and trainers swear by coffee’s ability to give that extra energy boost to a workout without all the sugar and artificial flavors of many of the popular “energy drinks”.

However, one possible negative to drinking too much caffeine is that it can cause one’s heart rate to increase, causing the famous caffeine “jitters”, as well as an increase in anxiety and sleeplessness. For some it can temporarily increase blood pressure, so monitor how much you consume and pay attention to any negative effects when drinking any beverage containing caffeine.

What?!? I’ve only had one cup!!

Another benefit of drinking coffee daily is all of the natural antioxidant properties in coffee. In fact, scientists have identified over 1,000 antioxidants in unprocessed green coffee beans, and hundreds more develop during the roasting process.* Brewed coffee has more antioxidants than red wine, cocoa, and even green tea, all antioxidant superstars! Of course, adding unhealthy amounts of cream, sugar, or other flavoring to coffee will have a negative impact on the health benefits, in some cases eliminating them altogether. Think about it next time you go to order your favorite double-shot-extra-caramel-chocolate-hazelnut-Frappe made with half-n-half and topped with whipped cream! Maybe opt for a great cup of Organic Sumatra or VCC House Blend instead!

Is there really any coffee taste left? :-?

A Harvard University study that came out in 2021 stated that moderate coffee consumption (2-5 cups per day) was associated with a lower likelihood of Type-2 Diabetes, heart disease, liver cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and depression.**

But my favorite reason for drinking coffee goes beyond any physical health benefits, which are many. My favorite benefit of drinking coffee is the way it brings people together over a great cup, how it fosters community, and how it connects us with a much bigger world than we can imagine. I believe the emotional, phycological, and even spiritual benefits of a beautiful cup of coffee are just as powerful and life-affirming as any antioxidant could ever be.

For more information about some of the health benefits of coffee check out the links below.

It’s a GREAT, and HEALTHY day for coffee!!!

Matt

*onemedical.com - 10 healthy reasons to drink coffee

**harvard.edu - is coffee good or bad for your health?

How to Taste Coffee.... Better!

Welcome to For The Love of Coffee! A weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the staff of Vienna Coffee.

This week’s blog will focus on how we experience coffee with all 5 of our senses, and specifically our sense of taste. Why do we perceive particular flavors of other food or substances in the coffee that are clearly not there (ex. blueberries, hazelnut, wood, spices)? What is the connection between our pallet and our brain which interprets the flavors we experience?

It’s a fascinating subject, grab a cup of coffee and let’s jump right in!

Coffee has over 800 distinctive aromatic flavors and aromas. These chemical compounds are interpreted by our brains as smells and flavors. Some of the compounds we perceive as pleasant and good, and some as not so good. The key to producing a great cup of coffee is to pronounce the good flavors and diminish the unpleasant ones. Here at Vienna, we do this through careful sourcing of green coffee, precise roasting protocols, cupping to check for defects, and proper storage of roasted coffee.

We experience coffee with all 5 of our senses. We hear coffee as it is brewing in our coffee maker at home, or being prepared at our favorite cafe’. We see the coffee as we are brewing it and perceive its potential strength based on how dark it appears. We touch the hot coffee mug and it fills us with a warm rush of anticipation for the delight we are about to experience. We smell the coffee and it reminds us of all of the wonderful coffees we have tasted before (or perhaps some of the less-than-wonderful). We taste the coffee and our tastebuds go crazy with all the various perceptions like body, acidity, flavor, sweetness, bitterness, and any number of flavors we have tasted in the past.

Let’s focus on coffee’s flavor. There are 5 distinct regions on our tongue that help us to identify bitter, salty, sour, and sweet. There is also a more recent addition by food researchers to the flavors perceived called Umami.

Basic map showing the regions of the tongue where various flavor perceptions are located. Umami is an overall taste of savory or meaty flavors like broth or soy.

When you taste coffee you are perceiving hundreds of flavors and aroma compounds all at once. You will automatically compare in your mind the coffee you are currently tasting with those you have tasted in the past and determine if the coffee tastes good, bad, or just different. You may also perceive subtle, or perhaps pronounced flavor “notes” which are tastes that remind you of flavors you have experienced in the past while drinking or consuming other foods. With such a vast array of coffee profiles to choose from these days, there is no telling exactly WHAT flavors you will taste when trying a new variety or roast degree of coffee. Some of the more popular lighter-roasted coffees these days taste more like tea to me, and the recent advent of “anaerobic” coffees (coffee made with beans that have gone through a fermentation process) are truly unique from any coffee profiles I have tried in the past!

Below is the Coffee Taster’s Wheel. It is a tool developed by the Specialty Coffee Association to help one determine the flavors which are being perceived when tasting coffee. It starts out in the middle circle with more basic flavor categories and works its way out to the outer circle where more nuanced flavors are highlighted. We have a large wall hanging up in the coffee lab of this image if anyone would like to see and study it more closely.

The SCA flavor wheel helps to identify perceived flavors in coffee tasting, whether good or bad.

I also recommend a coffee tasting app that I sometimes use which is a handy way to help you determine coffee tastes while enjoying your favorite beverage. It is called the Coffee Taster’s Flavor Tree and is available as a free download from the Google Play store. If interested, you can download it by clicking on the image below. I should note that this exercise is only good for tasting black coffee. If you like your coffee with cream & sugar, you will cover up most, if not all of the subtle flavor notes present in the coffee.

Tap image to go to free download site for the app

I hope you all will take to time to fully embrace all that a good cup of coffee brings to all of your senses, and learn to identify and appreciate the almost limitless flavors and aromas that can be enjoyed from this wonderful, beautiful and never-ending experience we call coffee!

It’s a GREAT day for coffee!

~Matt~

Introducing May's featured Coffee - Organic Sumatra

Welcome to For the Love of Coffee - a weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the employees of Vienna Coffee.

Today’s blog will feature information about our upcoming featured coffee for May 2023 - Organic Sumatra!

This certified organic and Fairtrade coffee comes to us from the nation of Indonesia where it is grown at elevations between 1450-1600 meters above sea level. Sumatra is a large Indonesian island west of Java and south of the Malay Peninsula and is known for its rugged tropical terrain, wildlife, and smoldering volcanoes. Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world and is the largest producer of Indonesian coffee with both Arabica and Robusta varieties being produced within its boundaries.

This exceptional coffee is produced by Kokowagayo, a women-owned and managed coffee cooperative in partnership with Café Feminino, an organization owned and managed exclusively by and for women who work full-time as coffee producers.

Since starting the Sumatra program through Cafe Feminino, the women have used their increased resources to offer leadership and financial training to women coffee farmers, set aside capital for women’s entrepreneurial efforts, and build a community center.

You can be proud to know that each cup of coffee sold is supporting women coffee farmers around the globe, and also supporting our local women’s shelter Haven House where a portion of proceeds go to this incredible charity.

Vienna Coffee Organic Sumatra is a bold, rich and flavorful coffee featuring the tasting notes Chocolate, Nutty, and Peppery. It is perfect for those who enjoy a strong and complex cup. Be sure to recommend it and enjoy your samples!

It’s a GREAT day for Coffee!!

~Matt

Cold Brew is HOT!

Welcome to For The Love of Coffee! A weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the staff of Vienna Coffee.

I hope you are all enjoying this spring-like weather we have been having recently (last weekend’s rain and cold notwithstanding). And with warmer weather usually comes a change in the amount of cold beverages people consume. Cold Brew coffee has seen an increase in popularity in recent years, and here at Vienna that is no exception. Our sales of Cold Brew coffee continue to increase both in our own local Café and also that of our partner Cafes. This trend shows no sign of slowing down!

So what are the differences between standard drip-brewed coffee and cold-brew coffee? There are several, and we will do a quick dive into those differences.

To make cold coffee taste rich and flavourful without the acidity often associated with coffee that is brewed using hot water (acidic compounds are only extracted with heat) cold brew has several differences in brewing method. First of all, the coffee that is used for cold brew is usually (though not always) a darker roast because of the low acidity and also produces a rich and deep flavor in the final cup. I have recently tried some lighter roasted coffees used in cold brew production which can give the coffee a nice fruity or floral note. It is possible that we may begin to offer a lighter cold brew option here at Vienna in the near future. ;-)

Once the coffee has been selected, it is coarsely ground in preparation for the long steep time required for cold brew. Cold brewing coffee is an immersion technique where the coffee grounds are in constant contact with water for an extended period of time (12-24 hours). The reason for the coarseness of the grind is so that the coffee does not “over-extract” because of the long brew time and result in negative flavors. The slow extraction using cold water produces a sweet, smooth, and “mellow” result which many people find refreshing.

For most extractions using hot water a 1 to 18 coffee-to-water ratio is the standard, but for cold brew, it is much lower doubling the amount of coffee to approximately a 1 to 9 ratio. Here at Vienna, we use our Dark Horse Blend when making our cold brew. This dark-roasted, rich, and flavorful coffee is perfect for the dark and smoky profile we are after. After the coffee has steeped for approximately 20 hours in the cooler, the coffee is strained and placed in either gallon jugs or kegs for distribution. Sometimes nitrogen is added to the cold brew kegs to give the coffee a more creamy body and texture in the cup. This is popularly known as Nitro Cold Brew.

Vienna’s own Patrick Devillier preparing a 20 gallon batch to steep in the cooler overnight.

There are other methods to make cold coffee which are technically not cold brew that involve using a pour-over method such as the hario V-60 or Chemex and brewing the coffee over ice which basically “flash-chills” the coffee. This technique is known as the “Japanese iced coffee method”.

Iced coffee goes perfectly with flavour syrups such as Monin or Torani to create a wide variety of delicious and refreshing options for those who still want their coffee even on a blazing summer day!

No matter the temperature outside, it’s always a GREAT day for coffee!

~Matt~

Ethiopian Shantawene - our April Featured Coffee!

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of For the Love of Coffee, a weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the employees of Vienna Coffee.

Our April featured coffee will be our award-winning single origin from our Foothills series - Ethiopian Shantawene.

Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia and some of the world’s best coffee is still grown there. Shantawene Village is located in the Bensa District of Sidama, Ethiopia. This natural lot is a collection of coffees from the village, produced at the local mill run by the Dukamo Family. In 2006, brothers Asefa and Mulugeta Dukamo founded Daye Bensa, a coffee grower and exporter in Ethiopia. Daye Bensa exports coffee from its farm, in the Shantawene Village, as well as from “out-growers”(or smallholders) in three villages: Shantawene, Karamo, and Bombe.

Their company, Daya Bensa has quickly become the leader in high-quality coffee collection and curation winning them numerous accolades. The mill at Shantawene Village has been especially successful as you will taste in this coffee! Just a couple of years ago they received 7th place in the inaugural 2020 Cup of Excellence competition for Ethiopia.

This beautiful coffee is processed using the Natural Process where the coffee beans are left in the fruit to dry on raised beds. Each lot is carefully hand-sorted to remove any unripe cherries before going to the de-pulper to remove the outer fruit layer of the coffee. This process results in the wonderful fruit-forward flavor and a heavier, more syrupy body.

Here at Vienna Coffee, we roast this single-origin coffee to a Light roast to bring out all of the natural fruity notes while highlighting the sweet acidity. Tasting notes listed on the packaging are Raspberry, Plumb, and Lavender.

This coffee also won a Bronze Medal for Veinna at the 2022 Golden Bean Awards, a national coffee-roasting competition. The coffee won the award in the “Pour Over Filter” category. We will be sure to have something in the cafe pointing to this fact and encourage customers to try the coffee prepared as a pour over.

I hope you all take pride in knowing that every single day you are serving our customers only the highest quality coffees, sourced from farms that take great pride in their product and care deeply about their workers and the natural environment. Take the opportunity this month to try this truly outstanding coffee and please share your thoughts, I would love to hear them!

It’s a GREAT day for coffee!

~Matt~

Dark vs Light - what effect does roast degree have on flavor?

Welcome to another edition of For The Love of Coffee, a weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the staff of Vienna Coffee.

Have you ever wondered what all the fuss is about regarding light roasted vs dark roasted coffee? Sure, there are obvious differences; one coffee appears dark and oily, and the other is a light-brown color with no perceivable oil on the surface. One tastes dark and smoky (some may even say burnt) and one is more floral and fruity with typically a bright acidity and clean finish. What causes these dramatic differences in flavor? Is it all just about how long the coffee is roasted? Or is there more to crafting a rich, flavorful dark roast than just roasting the coffee to the edge of being a fire hazard?

Coffee roasted to a very dark roast degree called “French Roast” degree will appear black and oily on the surface.

For a typical coffee here at Vienna Coffee Company, we start with quality-sourced green coffee. We take this coffee and roast it to a few different profiles (more on that in a moment) and then cup the coffees to decide which one tastes the best and brings out the unique characteristics of that particular varietal.

After cupping the same coffee roasted at different degrees of roast we will determine what profile seems to be the best for getting the maximum flavor and delight from that coffee. We will then make a determination as to what we will label that roast following our established protocol (Light, Med-light, Medium, Dark, French). You should all recognize this graphic used on all of our 12oz bags which indicates roast level.

This image indicates that the coffee inside is roasted to a Medium roast degree

This simple graphic communicates a lot about the coffee inside. It tells the customer what they can expect from the coffee as far as the roast degree, which (for the experienced coffee consumer) will tell them a lot about the flavor profile. Roast degree, probably more than any factor determines what coffee will taste like in the cup. The roast degree is something controlled by the Roastmaster. However, the roast degree of the coffee is not the only determining factor. The amount of time a coffee spends in the “Maillard Reaction” and “Development time” will also affect the tasting notes in the cup. For a more detailed discussion of roasting visit my previous blog The Art of the Roast.

In the interest of time, I will not go into the various theories about roasting coffee and how each phase of the roast can affect the flavor in the cup. Below is a very simplified graphic overview of how a roast degree can affect flavor.

In the most basic terms, a lighter-roasted coffee will be more acidic, lighter-bodied, have a more fruity and/or floral character and have a clean finish. A darker roast will tend to be less acidic, have more body, have more earthy/smoky notes, and a longer finish. All of these tastes and perceptions are influenced by how long the coffee beans spend in the various stages of the roast, and the final drop temperature of the beans. A roast profile is a graphical representation of a coffee roasting session and shows the times and temperatures of each phase of the roast along with the total roast time and drop temperature. All of this information is then used to determine cup quality and characteristics. Below is an example of a roast profile used for a Kenya coffee found in our Red Roaster Blend.

The profile tracks the time and temperatures of the roast along a curve which can then be duplicated in future roasts.

In conclusion, the degree to which a coffee is roasted is one of many factors which determine how it will ultimately taste in the cup. Many factors such as quality of green beans, processing methods, and the Roaster’s skill will all have an effect on the final product. The beauty of coffee is that no matter if you prefer light, medium, or dark roasts, the same coffee can be roasted to varying degrees bringing out different flavors and experiences for each roast. The next time you enjoy a delicious cup of Vienna coffee be sure to take note of the roast level and begin to appreciate all the wonderful and complex flavors that it brings to the cup.

It’s a GREAT day for coffee!!

~Matt~

2023 Guatemala Coffee Origin Trip

Welcome to For the Love of Coffee, a weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the employees of Vienna Coffee.

This week’s edition will mostly be pictures from my recent coffee origin trip to Guatemala where I spent 7 days visiting some of the most beautiful coffee farms and meeting the farmers and workers. It was truly the experience of a lifetime and I am so grateful to John Clark of Vienna Coffee for encouraging me to go on this life-changing adventure, and also to Les and Adam from Deeper Roots Coffee for allowing me to tag along and for patiently putting up with all my questions and non-stop picture taking! Enjoy the images, and please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you may have about any of the pictures in this post, or if you would like to see more! Every day in Guatemala is a GREAT day for coffee!!!!

First day arriving in Antigua, Guatemala and my first glimpse of “Aqua” a dormant volcano right next to the city and home to many coffee farms on it’s magnificent slopes.

The small three-wheeled “Tuk Tuk” is a common way to get around in Guatemala.

Donkeys are also a common site on the city streets.

The women of Guatemala wear traditional dresses which are beautiful and are always very colorful.

Our first coffee farm visit was to the Julio Cuy Xar Family farm in Santa Maria De Jesus. In this photo, Les from Deeper Roots talks to Melvin, Julio’s son, about the coffee growing on their farm. This is the coffee we serve at Vienna under the name La Armonia Hermosa.

The deep red, fully-developed coffee cherries of the Santa Maria farm.

Melvin operates the farm’s coffee de-pulping machine which removes the coffee fruit from the coffee seeds (beans) inside where the beans can then be washed and laid out in the sun to dry.

In this picture you see natural processed coffee in which the coffee beans are left in the fruity skin and dried in the sun imparting a thicker body and more natural fruit notes to the coffee. Right next to the natural process, you can see some of the washed coffees drying where the fruit has been removed.

Farm workers spread out the coffee onto large tarps to dry in the sun.

A future coffee farmer was there with his father bringing some of the coffee grown on their farm to Julio for processing.

Two generations of coffee farmers, Julio and Melvin … Proud of their heritage and their coffee!

Sunrise high above the village on Finca San Jeronimo Merimar coffee farm.

Enjoying a wonderful cup of Finca San Jeronimo coffee high on a Guatemalan mountain on Finca San Jeronimo coffee farm!

Giorgio Bressani, a fourth-generation coffee farmer of Finca San Jeronimo Mirimar coffee plantation. Giorgio and his family are highly involved in the day-to-day operations of the farm and Giorgio frequently spends time among his coffee plants tending them, pulling weeds, and continually checking the health and development of the trees for any signs of disease or bug infestations.

Beautiful coffee cherries thriving because of constant attention and care.

Sometimes the coffee cherries are growing very high off the ground and some real effort is required to reach them for harvesting.

Selecting only ripe cherries is critical for getting the best taste from the coffee beans. Under, or over-ripe cherries are sorted out from the good ones at the processing area.

Some of the farm workers catch a lift after a long day of harvesting coffee cherries. Almost 2,000 lbs of coffee were picked on the day we visited the workers.

Coffee trees flourishing in the rich, volcanic soil of Guatemala.

We visited the plant nursery of Finca San Jeronimo where they hand-splice the roots of a Robusta coffee plant with an Arabica stalk to produce a heartier, healthier plant capable of better withstanding disease and also getting more nutrients to the coffee. It was truly amazing!

There are astonishly beautiful flowers everywhere on the farm.

Visit to the processing area the next morning where the coffee is laid out to dry in the sun for several days before being bagged and readied for shipment.

Workers using custom-made tools used for spreading out the coffee on the cement patios.

Cascara (dried coffee fruit) drying next to honey-processed coffee.

Coffee going into large tanks for fermenting to remove the sticky mucilage on the beans prior to drying. This is called “washed coffee” in processing terms.

Washed coffee beans flowing down a cement channel where they are stopped at the end of the channel and beans that do not meet the required density float to the top where they are then channeled to another area to be used in lower-quality coffee offerings. This very old and time-tested method results in only the highest quality coffee being selected for the specialty market.

One of the many trip highlights. I had the privilege of going for a ride in a private plane owned and piloted by the Senior Mr. Bressani , who is still heavily involved in the family coffee and dairy business of the farm.

Marathon cupping sessions were a big part of the trip. We cupped over 120 different coffee lots over the course of 3 days!

View from a final coffee farm visited in the small village of San Pedro, high atop a mountain accessible only by extremely steep and bumpy roads.

Two generations of Guatemalan coffee farmers working their farm in San Pedro.

Not all of the farm workers in San Pedro are human.

The final night in Guatemala City we were treated to an amazing sunset!

Introducing Organic Colombia Huila - our March 2023 Featured Coffee!

Welcome to this week’s edition of For the Love of Coffee, a weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the staff of Vienna Coffee.

As I write this I have just returned from a 7-day coffee origin trip to Guatemala which was truly amazing. Be on the lookout for next week’s blog about the trip which will include many photos I took while there. Guatemala is beautiful beyond description.

But for now, let’s focus for a few moments on our March featured coffee of the Month - Organic Colombia Huila. This delicious coffee comes from a fertile growing area in southwest Colombia known as the Huila Region. Huila produces more coffee than any other region in Colombia, and when you consider how much coffee Colombia produces annually that is really saying something. In 2016 the Huila region accounted for almost 20% of the entire country’s coffee production!

Coffee trees grow on a beautiful mountainside in the Huila region of Colombia.

Most of the coffee farms in the Huila region are between 12 - 15,000 meters about seal level and benefit from an ideal climate and rich, volcanic soil. While Huila is naturally blessed with optimal coffee-growing geography, the key to this exceptional coffee are the growers themselves. Coffee farming within the region is overwhelmingly small-scale with approximately 80% of the farms being less than 3 hectares (approximately 7.5 acres) of land.

These small farms are tended by individual families with labor only very rarely being contracted out, leading to more thorough and intensive management practices. The farmers take great pride in their product which for them is an extension of their family.

Here at Vienna Coffee we take great pride in offering coffee that is ethically-sourced from small family farms like those in the Huila region. We know that the coffee grown there is more than just an agricultural commodity to the families that live and toil their whole lives, many for multiple generations, to produce a product that blesses the world with it’s exceptional quality and beautiful story.

You can be proud to know that you are part of this beautiful story every time you brew and serve Organic Colombia Huila in the upcoming month. You make a difference in the lives of our customers, our suppliers, and in the lives of those farmers 2,250 miles south of our humble little cafe’ here in Maryville.

It’s a GREAT day for coffee!

Matt

Chilhowee Mountain Decaf Espresso

Welcome to For the Love of Coffee, a weekly blog about all things coffee exclusively for the employees of Vienna Coffee.

This week’s blog is really more of an announcement regarding the name change to our decaf espresso blend. A decision was made recently to change the name of our decaf espresso from Left Coast Decaf Espresso to Chilhowee Mountain Decaf. The name is meant to pay homage to the natural beauty of the East TN area.

From the website description:

The name of this relaxing blend pays homage to the Chilhowee Mountain range, which provides several favorite natural vistas for Vienna Coffee Company's hometown, Maryville, Tennessee. The mountain's name originates from a local 18th-century Cherokee village. The views from Look Rock, its highest easternmost point, are a favorite of locals, along with the familiar shape of its first prominent peak enjoyed while driving towards the Smoky Mountains from Maryville (which appears as three separate peaks and is known locally as The Three Sisters).

After cupping this coffee recently, it was decided that it was quite delicious as a brewed coffee and that it should be marketed as a brewed coffee in addition to a decaf espresso blend. The label and website were then updated to reflect all of these changes, but the word “espresso” was dropped from the label. This has caused some confusion among some customers and staff so we are placing the words “Decaf Espresso” back on the label. In addition, we are taking several steps to inform our customers of the name change. Our wholesale customers are receiving a flyer with their orders, and our Marketing dept will be releasing a blog to further inform our customers about the name change.

While the name has changed, the blend remains the same: 50% Decaf Colombian and 50% Decaf Brazillian coffee make up this fantastic blend with tasting notes featuring Butter, Toffee, and Honey. This blend continues to be Veinna Coffee’s only Decaf Espresso Blend and should be promoted as such. It can also be promoted as a wonderful decaf brewed coffee, so it’s really a great option for our caffeine-sensitive customers or anyone looking for a great decaf! Thank you all for your patience and for helping us to “re-introduce” this lovely coffee under a new name and with a new focus.

It’s a GREAT day for coffee!!!

~Matt~