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1 container. 38,000 pounds of green beans. 3 weeks and around 4000 miles through the Panama Canal and up the coast to Seattle.  250 bags, 150 pounds each, Stacked 15 feet high. Drinking 600 pounds per week, This will last us about 12 months. We are proud to provide our customers with this premium coffee straight from Santa Elena, a farm owned by Luz Marina Trujillo, Dave's sister in law. Stay tuned for more details!  Thanks for stopping by our blog! If you get the chance, please do stop by in person. We would love to say hi and show you around the plant. Shop here to try this varietal. Happy Friday!  Try it out and impress your friends on St. Patrick's Day!
Dave's Famous Irish Coffee:
There's plenty of time to pick up a pound or two of our Irish Coffee Blend and perfect your skills before St. Patty's Day. For our Irish coffee mini photoshoot, we used the very glasses in which Dave and Joan would serve their Irish Coffee to their guests, back in the day. "We used to be known for these," Joan reminisces as we whip the cream for the garnish. On their second date, Dave made an Irish Coffee for Joan. He says Joan might possibly have married him due to those Irish Coffees. :) At the time, Dave was selling the La Peppina handheld lever espresso machine out of their shop and this is what they used, with the espresso blend, to make the Irish Coffees. Fast forward a few years and it became tradition for the Stewarts to enjoy Irish Coffees on Christmas Eve as well. We recommend strong brewed coffee or espresso for the recipe, but the Aeropress should work great too. Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We are frequently asked about proper coffee storage, so here is Dave’s advice on keeping coffee fresh.
In a nutshell: first, begin with fresh roasted coffee; and second, protect the coffee from heat and oxygen as much as possible to preserve its natural oils and flavor. Fresh roasted beans are, of course, the first and most critical step. Stay away from a product that has been sitting on a shelf for months! At Vista Clara, we roast to order, then pack whole beans (or ground coffee upon request) in a sealed bag with a one-way degassing valve. The coffee will gas off for at least 48 hours after roasting, so this one-way valve allows coffee gas and any excess oxygen in the bag to escape, while keeping the outside air from getting into the bag. Since coffee beans have a lot of natural oil, heat is the enemy. Keeping coffee in a cool, dark place helps maintain those fresh qualities. Therefore, our opinion is that refrigerating or freezing does indeed help keep the coffee fresh if you’re storing for long periods of time (we’d say more than a month). Coffee doesn’t freeze solid, so you can use it immediately after pulling from the fridge or freezer. Once opened, it’s best not to return the bag to the fridge. This is our recommendation for most brewing methods. However, where espresso is concerned, the elements of a good extraction, and in this case the grind of the coffee, is so critical that storing a bag in very cold temperatures could affect the humidity of the coffee, and may result in a poorer quality espresso shot. Simply put, it’s always best to get fresh coffee when possible and store for short periods of time in a cool, dark place. For long periods of time, put the unopened bag in the freezer until ready to use. Do you have more technical coffee questions for Dave? Send us an email! ([email protected]) Happy New Year!  Grind matters a lot. The proper grind allows you to maximize your yield, or cups per pound, from your coffee.
We personally prefer brewing methods that allow for a finer grind and thus more flavor and cups per pound. Some examples of this are AeroPress, espresso machines, or one of our favorites: a pour-over with the Melitta cone filter. This brewing method will yield 80 cups to the pound! Our in-house grinders are precision Swiss-made grinders with burrs made of hardended steel. They allow the best grind possible. For home grinding, the key is a grinder with precision capabilities to get the proper fine grind for your brewer. If your grind is too coarse, you lose a lot of flavor, so you’ll have to compensate by using more coffee to get the right strength. We have experimented and taste tested different grinds with many coffee systems to determine the optimal grind for each. Whether you prefer to grind your own coffee by the cup or have us prepare it for you, we’re happy to share our expertise and help you fine tune your process to get a consistently awesome cup of coffee! Note* The scale for the above infographic (3-8) is based off from our coffee grinders at the roastery. Each one is unique and handmade by Krishna Nepali and his family. All of our proceeds go back to the Rescue Training and Development Center and Krishna's family.  About Krishna: he makes these colorful bags on his treadle sewing machine and sells them to support his family in Kathmandu, Nepal. About RDTC: a non-profit organization in Kathmandu which "teaches women to sew and run a tailoring business so they can become self dependent and empowered. Our students are unprivileged, poor and low caste. Some are also widowed, conflict affected, divorced, bonded labor, disabled, deaf, dumb, and orphaned. Our students also learn healthy nutrition, healthcare, cooking, knitting, bead work, time management, public speaking, Bible study, leadership, and many other valuable skills and character qualities." Quote from RDTC website - click link to learn more about the program.
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Happy Tuesday! Vista Clara Well, we had our company Christmas photos done recently...here's the whole team having a jolly good time! Holiday cheer is a real thing around here.  ...and here's one of us looking a little more normal. ;)  For those of you on our mailing list (or if you'd like to be, just drop us a line), our Christmas cards should arrive in your mailbox soon.
Merry almost-Christmas!  We are excited to share our featured coffee, Guatemalan Rio Colorado!
This premium coffee comes from a small farm near San Guayaba owned by the Colom family since 1950. Mr. Jose Colom was so dedicated to the land and environment he became known as “the keeper of the trees,” and his daughter’s family continues the legacy today. We were lucky to get ahold of a small amount of this exclusive coffee and are offering it for a limited time in 12 oz bags. This is different than other Guatemalan varietals you may have tried, as most coffee from this region is grown in volcanic soil. Rio Colorado coffee is shade grown, and has a smooth, smoky flavor, with a hint of spice. Give it a try and let us know what that your take on that spice is! With the storm rolling in this weekend, we want everyone to stay safe, warm, and caffeinated. Make sure you keep a nice hot cup of Vista Clara Coffee nearby all weekend! 
Vista Clara Coffee owner and master roaster Dave Stewart was recently presented with the Patriot Award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) for his support of hiring and supporting guard members. Dave was nominated by his employee Scott Noll. Scott serves in the US Marine Core Reserve.
Scott, in his nomination shared that Dave and the entire company were extremely accommodating to his drill schedule and supportive of the short notice he had to give when the exercise orders changed last minute. "My family and I believe it is our duty to provide jobs and support to those that serve our country" stated Dave Stewart. "It is an honor to have Scott on the team and it is because of the same work ethic and commitment that made him succeed in the military that he has made himself a valuable member of the business. As shown above, Dave was presented the award by Mr. John Patterson who serves as the Chair for the ESGR in Washington. We are so happy as a company and honored to be recognized for this, and it makes us so happy to extend the opportunity of employment to those who are serving our country. Our Coffee doesn't just circulate in the greater Seattle area. It's been known to make it's way out into the pacific ocean as well! We are happy to be supplying these fishermen with the greatest coffee around!  |
Our StoryFreshly roasted coffee isn't just a product we offer. It's an experience we want to share with you. And with every great experience, there comes a story. This is our story and we invite you to be a part of it. Archives
July 2018
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Contact Information[email protected]
(206) 954-1452 Roastery & Retail LocationVista Clara Coffee
1822 Bickford Ave, Ste A Snohomish, WA 98290 |
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