Merry Christmas

You may notice that I usually say Happy Holidays.  To me, this is more than a matter of politicial correctness, as we celebrate multiple religious holidays in our home, and we have many friends from around the world who are non-Christian.  To all of them – Happy Holidays!

But today is Christmas!  So Merry Christmas!

I had sent a thank you sentiment to our mailing list, but want to repeat it here in case you were one of those who didn’t receive or didn’t open our message.

We have the world’s best customers.  Thank you to each and every one.  It has been a joy serving you this year, and we value the many friendships we’ve made.  We had a very successful first year despite an economic meltdown of historic proportions, and we owe that success to you. We wish you a joyous and safe holiday season.

On a related note, how did you do with buying local for holidays this year?  I just tallied up my personal spending (which was right around the national average, much to my surprise, as I thought I would spend less).  Drum roll, please………. 79% of my purchases (by dollar amount) were made from people less than 50 miles away, whom I know by first name, and who produced (grew, fabaricated, etc.) the goods themselves.  And the gifts were nicer than anything I could have purchased from a big box store.  Who gives lamb as a gift anymore?  Well, I’m here to tell you that it made some people on my gift list very happy, indeed.

Santa was good to me, too.  I got a couple new coffee books I’ll be reading this week – The Espresso Quest, and God in a Cup.  They sound like good reading.  I’ll let you know.

http://www.muddydogcoffee.com

WWJD (What Would Jim Drink today?):  I had quite an array of choice this morning.  We finished up the year with about 35 lbs assorted finished goods, which I boxed up and will bringing to my family in Pennsylvania tomorrow.  But today, they are all on my dining room table.  So what did I pick?  Classic Italian Espresso.  Call me a purist.  I have been thinking about what I will drink on New Year’s Day, however.  New Year’s is one of my special coffee days of the year, where I do something special and savor it.  I usually use my coffee siphon on New Year’s (did you see the movie The Bucket List, with Jack Nicholson’s fancy coffee brewer?  I had that same brewer (The Royal) long before the movie.)   I haven’t made a decision on the coffee yet.

Read Full Post »

au naturale, anyone?

This is the part that I love about this job – adding new coffees to the menu.  Especially naturals, a particular favorite of mine.

For those wondering, a “natural” is also known as a dry-process coffee because the fruit is dried in the sun instead of dunked in water (which results in a “washed” coffee), which is not exactly “unnatural”.  The net result of natural processing is an earthier, fruiter cup, frequently “winey”.

Once again I was smitten with an Ethiopian Sidamo.  It’s hard for me to say I have an absolute favorite origin, but certainly within regions I do have faves.  In Africa, it’s Ethiopia for me.  And within Ethiopia, it’s southern Ethiopia.  And within southern Ethiopia, give me the naturals.

And so, from the Shanta Golba Cooperative  comes this lovely elixir.  Baby A (aka Veggie Girl) and I spent about ten minutes this morning just sniffing it and trying to describe the dry aromas.  She said “bananas”, and then I could smell them, too, in addition to nearly overwhelming sweet fruits like cherry.  In the cup, the fruits absolutely assault you before retreating to allow the dusky leather to reveal itself in the finish.  If this coffee were wine, it would be a cuvee of savignon blanc (for the sharpness), merlot (for the fruit) and sangiovese (for the finish).  I know it sounds weird, but it works, I promise.

To add to the appeal, it’s Organic, Fair Trade Certified.  You gotta try this one, with the caveat that, like other naturals, they are not for everyone.

http://www.muddydogcoffee.com

WWJD (What Would Jim Drink today?):  The Golba inspired me, and might be the one coffee worthy of blending with the Guji (though the question “why?” may still be valid).  So I whipped up an experimental espresso, code named Blonde, not for its IQ but rather for its finish – ultra light (I just realized in addition to the color, the analogy works with the stereotype, too), like interupt first crack light, which for those of you who blend know is always risky, but especially so for espresso.  I’m sipping it now, thinking it needs another day to rest.  Or it may need another 10 degrees of finish temperature.  It’s so far from the norm of how I blend I’m not sure what to say about it.  The quality is excellent, for what it is – a sharp, bright, fruity espresso reminiscent of Cafe Fiorre – it’s the best one I’ve ever had.  The question is whether espresso should taste like this, and to answer that I will need other opinions.  So to all my espresso homies – come over and get some, then give me you opinions.

Read Full Post »

Size Matters….

I’m talking about coffee bags.  What did you think I was talking about?  The song by Joe Nichols?

This has been an enduring debate here at the roastery.  It was something we didn’t give a lot of thought to in the beginning; we rolled out the company offering retail put-ups in half and full pounds.  That’s how people buy coffee, right?

Well, I can tell you that half pounds have turned out to be a royal PITA (look it up in Urban Dictionary).  So much so that after careful consideration we have been phasing them out.  So full pounds are the answer, right?  I’m not convinced.

Many of our customers like the fact that we offer full pounds.  There is something viscerally satisfying about buying coffee in one pound increments.  It smacks of value.  It’s how we are mentally calibrated.

Then how come hardly anyone else does it?  Most of the coffees offered in supermarkets, specialty stores, and by our competitors are in quantities other than one pound.  The most popular put-up seems to be 12 ounces, but 10 ounces seems popular, too.

One answer is that they are trying to pull a fast one on you.  This is the conventional wisdom among customers who seem to have a strong preference for one pound retail put-ups.  I would argue it’s more complicated than that.

It seems like most users (with a few exceptions – you know who you are!) consume less than a pound per week.  So smaller put-ups make sense.  They can spend less per transaction to get enough to use for a period of time that it will remain fresh.  They can buy two 12-ounce put-ups that will last about two weeks.

So the question is, should we switch from 16 to 12-ounce put-ups?  We want your opinions.

Assume that you will pay just a fraction more on a per pound basis to account for the fact that we use the same bag for a 12 oz as we do for a 16 oz put-up.  Think of 16 oz as being equal to 100%.  Obviously 12 oz is 75% of that.  So if a pound were $10, it follows logically that 12 oz should cost $7.50, right?  Not so fast.  Let’s assume, for sake of argument, that bags and labels cost $0.50 each.  10 lbs used to require 10 bags, or $5.00 worth of bags.  That was baked into the 1 lb price.  So if you bought 10 lbs, you paid $100: $95 for coffee, $5 for bags.  If you buy the same 10 lbs 12 oz at a time, you will buy 13 bags (yeah, I know it’s 13.3, but go with it to make the math easy).  So now it’s the same $95 for coffee, plus $0.50×13=$6.50 for bags, or $101.50 total.  That works out to $10.15 per pound, or $7.81 per 12-oz package.  Whew!  Get it?

I can tell you that, ultimately, it will be either 12 OR 16 oz packages, not both.  Maybe we’ll test market both for a period.  But before we do that, we would like to have your opinion.  Take the poll!

http://www.muddydogcoffee.com

WWJD (What Would Jim Drink today?):  I indulged in a little guilty pleasure today – I drank coffee that I actually roasted for myself (be still, my heart).  Usually I drink samples, or whatever hasn’t sold after 10 days or so.  I used to think it was a Dad thing, before I realized it’s small business owner thing, too.  Last week I received a new load of green coffee, including one very special natural Ethiopia Sidamo, from Golba.  Nestled in the south of Ethiopia, along the border of Kenya and not too terribly far west of Somalia live the Shanta Golba cooperative, producers of amazing organic, Fair Trade Certified, Pure Joy In A Cup.  This is another amazing fruit-forward cup, like the Boldgrain we had mid-year, and not entirely dissimilar from the Guji we have in stock now, too.  Yes indeed, I am smitten by naturals.  Look for this one on the web site sometime next week.

Read Full Post »

It’s the little things…

We labor under the assumption that you would like for us to stay in business.  With that in mind, I finally figured out how to exclude active specials (the items with a slash through the regular price, and a lower price in red) from additional discounting, i.e., coupon codes.  This means that for products on special you can’t get an additional discount.

I know, it make me sound like the Grinch.  Which in some ways is appropriate, especially since it’s my favorite holiday movie of all time (Charlie Brown Thanksgiving loses by a hair).  I’m even tempted to apologize, but I don’t think an apology is necessary.  Any of you who see the car I drive know I’m not getting rich off this job, and we offer great deals on a super-premium product.  So thanks for your understanding and continued patronage!

http://www.muddydogcoffee.com

WWJD (What Would Jim Drink today?):  At home the only thing I had around was a bag of When Pigz Fly Blend, named after our friends with the eclectic gift shop at 11125 Six Forks Road in Raleigh.  I do this blend just for them, you can only get it at their store.  It’s a versatile coffee – I’m enjoying it as espresso, when I formulated it for drip.  It’s Indonesian earthy with a high-end South Anerican punch, too.

Read Full Post »

New Mexico Decaf in the house!

By now you may be getting the idea that I REALLY like Mexican coffee.  One clue is the fact that I have more Mexican offerings than any other origin – five Mexicans at current time!  Right now I’m stocking don Eduardo (also back in the house after an absence!), Oaxaca Mixteca Organic Fair Trade, Chiapas Organic, Nayarit Organic Dry Process (different, and a Roastmaster’s Reserve!), and the latest, described below, Miravalles Organic Decaf.   That’s probably too many, so enjoy them while you can.

Our latest just arrived last week – Organic Mexico Miravalles Mountain Water Process.  “Mountain Water” is the trade name of the process used by the company descamex, which operates an ultra-modern facility in Mexico using water from the Pica de Orizaba mountain.  In terms of process, conceptually it is the same as Swiss Water Decaf, yet my experience is that Mountain Water produces a vastly superior cup quality.  The most noticeable difference is in how the beans roast.  Swiss Water results in an extremely dark bean (before roasting, it looks almost like it has already been roasted), which ultimately results in a very dark appearance for the finished bean.  This has caused some customer confusion when I tell them it’s a light or medium roast (which it is, by virtue of actual roast temperature), yet it appears to be french roast.  The Mountain Water beans behave nicely during roasting, emitting the usual visual and auditory cues ones expects when roasting high quality green coffee.  And a medium finish LOOKS like a medium finish.

Anyway, this cup is classic Mexico – smooth and balanced, like a Oaxaca.  Not so surprising given that Miravalles is the geographic origin of this coffee, which is physically located just north of Oaxaca.

http:/www.muddydogcoffee.com

WWJD (What Would Jim Drink today?):  Christmas Blend!  Man, I’ve got Christmas Blend coming out the ears.  We vended an event in Cary over the weekend, and it had much lower attendance than anyone had predicted.  Hence I’ve got a lot of finished goods on hand.  Look for more specials this week.

Read Full Post »

Unchain Yourself

When is the last time you thought about your shopping habits?  I mean REALLY thought about them?

This was a big year for that kind of thinking in our household.  Having started our independent business in January, we’ve had ample opportunity to reflect on our shopping habits, and to take notice of our customers’ habits.

Here’s my conclusion: too many of us (I include my former self in this group) are junk collectors on auto-pilot.

Many of us say that we like to patronize independent business.  We like the thought of heterogeneity in our community – things that lack “sameness”.  Yet when it comes time to vote with our wallets, where do we go?  Target?

I came across an article published by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund about the anti-chain movement of the 1920′s and 30′s.  Turns out that ten years before my dad was born, people were railing against Sears and JC Penney, the WalMarts and Targets of their day.  Everything old is new again.  But as I read the article, I found myself increasingly annoyed.  The focus then, and to some extent now, was on the use of legislation to prevent the spread of chain stores.  Unsurprisingly, it failed then, and it will fail now.  And no good Libertarian can support that approach, anyway

What we should realize is that we have a weapon much more powerful than laws.  We have free choice regarding where we spend our money.  Every day.  Every purchase.  Every dollar.

I’m not unrealistic, however.  I know that the convenience offered by big box stores is very powerful.  I know that franchises are owned by real, local families.  I know that some people just don’t care about this issue, or more appropriately, they don’t see it as an issue.  Hell, some people may even prefer chain stores to the unabashed quirkiness of some small businesses.

But if you are one of the people who want more independent business in your community, do something about it this holiday season.  Buy from them.  Yeah, it’s that simple.

I’ll go so far as to propose that you set a goal.  How about you satisfy half your gift list with goods from independent businesses?

Make a list.  Keep score.  Make sure you put your money where your mouth is – I will.

http://www.muddydogcoffee.com

WWJD (What Would Jim Drink today?):  Now that the farmers’ market season is over, I get to spend Saturday mornings outdoors making good use of my North Carolina Lifetime Sportsman License.  I spent this morning in a 40-degree blind with my “old school” classic green field thermos (yes, I’ve had it since I was a kid, it has dents older than some of the people reading this blog); at 5:15 AM this morning I was sipping a new blend that I’ve been working on just for thermal storage.  Have you ever noticed that coffee from a thermos tastes different than freshly brewed?  This is the effect of oxidation, manifested as heightened acidity.  I worked for months to formulate a blend that would minimize this problem (that’s a lot of thermos coffee, in case you were wondering).  Yes, it oxidizes, the trick was to find beans whose flavor profile actually benefits from a little oxidation (if that’s possible!).  I’m still tweaking but should release it soon.  My working name is Duck Blind Blend.  In case you can’t wait, I’ll give you a good alternative – it’s a variation of my Christmas Blend.

Read Full Post »

The Green Coffee Blues

If there is one thing I’m good at, it’s inventory management.  My graduate degree is in a field related to Operations Research, which is essentially the study of industrial efficiency.  My specialization was in mathematical models, which are used to predict demand, calculate safety stocks to avoid backorders, etc.  For many years, things I learned at Lehigh, and later while earning an MBA at Duke, have served me well, and that continued to be the case with our small business.  Until recently, when I’ve engaged in more green coffee buying, and have had occasion to speak with numerous importers and traders.

The dynamics of specialty coffee are interesting.  And difficult, in some ways.  The first thing to realize is that the coffee we buy is not commodity coffee.  Commodities are items that are always available and, recent price volatility nothwithstanding, are predictable or can be hedged.  Think oil, or corn.  The Big Four of coffee – Procter & Gamble, Sara Lee, Nestle, and Kraft – employee armies of people just like me, in fact I was a consultant to one of those companies early in my career.  Specialty coffee, however, is by definition the top of the quality heap.  Certainly the top 5%, maybe the top 3%.  So by definition, in short supply relative to the rest of the crop.  And with specialty coffee becoming a larger trend, there is more competition for that scarce resource.

Another nuance is the business model of the small importer.  While giants have the financial capacity to move large amounts of commodities without having to put up their own cash (or they have the cash), small importers like the ones we buy through stock their shelves the same way I stock mine – with inventory they actually own.  Bought and paid for, then resold.  (And we run a debt-free business, so I’m not about to stock more than I can sell.)  In any climate, this would limit the amount of selection available from a given importer.  But in these unusually turbulent and tight economic times, it’s even worse.  As importers have their credit squeezed, they can buy less coffee.  Which impacts my selection, and thus yours.

Lately, commodity prices have fallen.  Fill your tank recently?  Then you’ve noticed.  Yes, coffee prices have fallen, too, but don’t expect to see much of it flow through.  With commodity prices down, countries are demanding more price differential for the premium product.  And they either won’t sell at a lower price (good for them!), or they’re getting it.  We’re paying it.

Decaffeinated green coffees add another level of complexity, especially if you want organic and/or Fair Trade Certified.  Top quality growers, especially FTO producers, sell all they can grow for all the money.  They don’t need to submit coffees to decaffeination.  Of course, some top quality producers do produce decafs, but they are a minority – another short supply situation.  So when a good FTO decaf becomes available, they sell out quickly.  This means we need to buythem when they are available, from wherever they are available, instead of waiting to include them with a scheduled shipment from a specific importer.  Obviously this is inefficient, especially with respect to freight charges.  But we do it, and this is a big part of the reason why great decafs are more expensive.

Couple all this with unstable demand at the consumer level (let’s face it, you can live without premium coffee – we felt you hold your breath at the end of September as the markets began their free fall), and increased competition among specialty roasters, and it all adds up to more difficulty securing great green coffee at reasonable prices.  And it’s going to get more difficult as this current financial crisis becomes more severe.

You now have a little insight into my world.  But not to worry – we work with the best suppliers in the business, and we are well positioned to buy large enough quanitites of fine green coffees.  We’re placing an order this week that should arrive just before Thanksgiving, and I am very excited to offer our first Rainforest Alliance coffee (my cupping notes contained the words “balsamic vinegar” to describe its sweet, sharp acidity), as well as an excellent Mountain water Process Mexican decaffeinated.  Stay tuned!

http://www.muddydogcoffee.com

WWJD (What Would Jim Drink today?): Wow, this was a cupping weekend, so I’ve been tasting about a half dozen different coffees.  Right now, I’m drinking a Sumatra MWP decaf, which is wonderful, but not wonderful enough to overcome my current inventory position on Sumatra decaf and my immediate need for a Brazil.  One of those economic realities – I need to balance my taste with my forecast and budget.  Earlier today I cupped a Rainforest Alliance El Salvador that made my eyes cross, it was so good.  I’m buying that one!  But until it arrives and I find the sweet spot, then put it on the website, you can keep drinking our organic, Fair Trade Certified El Salvador El Jabali.

Read Full Post »

The Check Is In The Mail…

We’ve all heard that one before, haven’t we?  This time, I hope it’s true.  By popular demand, we now accept payment by check on our web site.  I must admit to being surprised by the number of people who are reluctant, or even flat out refuse, to use a credit card online, which is obviously an impediment to sales.  But years ago I had a boss and mentor who is now a friend, who taught me that an executive has but one job, and one job only: to eliminate excuses.  And now I am an executive (and janitor, lest my head get too big), and I am taking his good advice to heart.  If payment by check was your excuse for not purchasing online, consider it eliminated.

Now I feel guilty.  The truth is that despite all the requests, I was quite happy to ignore them.  Debbie, as usual, is the one that gets the credit for excellent customer service.  She even figured out how to change the web site to make it happen.  So thanks, Deb!

From a practical standpoint, what this means for most of the people who wanted it (which are mostly locals) is that you can place your order online, and pay us when you pick it up or we deliver it to you personally.  If you place an order with local pickup as the shipping choice, I will process it as if it’s already paid.

If you are a distant customer using this option, the official Muddy Dog policy is that we will ship your order when your check clears our account, which in all likelihood means a week or two after your order, after we receive it from you, deposit it, and anxiously check our online banking account for signs of cash.  Unofficially, if you are a previous customer, I’ll probably consider your credit to be good and ship upon order unless we’re talking about huge numbers (I should be so lucky).

We are happy to offer this option to our customers.  At least now that it’s done I’m happy.  But I will add a footnote.  Some of these requests have come from people who want to do us a favor by sparing us the credit card charges.  While it’s true that we do pay card processing fees, and that those fees are not insignificant (think mid single digit percentages, on average, all-in), we find that the convenience from card transactions outweighs the costs.  So if you are only using a check to help us, please go ahead and use your credit card.  But if you are doing it for your own reasons, by all means feel free to use this new option.

And thanks for your continued business!

http://www.muddydogcoffee.com

WWJD (What Would Jim Drink today?): Mocha Java “Wild Type”.  Had an order for this one, so I threw in a little extra for myself.   Big, chocolate and spice, just like expected of a Mocha Java, but with funk in the cup from an aged Java.  Different.  As I went to link to it here, I realized I’ve never put this one on the web site since it’s kinda “different”.  But I will.

Read Full Post »

New Shop Hours

Starting this week, we’ll be keeping some regular shop hours.  We’ll be keeping just a small amount of finished goods inventory, so if you want something specific we still recommend you order ahead.  We will be able to make up gift baskets from inventory on Tuesday and Thursdays.  They are great for teachers, grandparents, or anyone that loves coffee.  You can see our gift selection online HERE.

So from now until December 13, open hours are:

Tuesdays, 11 AM – 2 PM
Thursdays, 11 AM – 3 PM, then again from 5 PM – 7 PM

Starting Saturday December 13th, we will start keeping the same hours as the Cary Farmers’ Market, only at our shop, i.e., we will be open from 8 AM – 12:30 PM.  On Saturdays I will be able to roast to order while you wait.  Keep in mind that a batch takes about 20 minutes start to finish, so for each origin you want that’s not already roasted it will take 20 minutes.  So you may still want to phone ahead, and we’ll settle up when you get there.

So starting December 13, our open hours will be

Tuesdays, 11 AM – 2 PM
Thursdays, 11 AM – 3 PM, then again from 5 PM – 7 PM
Saturdays, 8 AM – 12:30 PM

We do accept Mastercard, Visa and Discover, as well as local checks.  Cash, as always, is welcome.

View Larger Map

http://www.muddydogcoffee.com

WWJD (What Would Jim Drink today?): it’s morning for me right now.  I have a hard time starting the day without espresso.  I usually go for the Classic Italian, as is the case now.  I pull a double and drink it black while checking email, with two dogs looking at me wondering when we’re going to walk or run.

Read Full Post »

Attention Espresso Geeks

Are you engaged in the eternal search for the God Shot?  Do you think about whether espresso blends should be pre or post-roast blended?  Do you own multiple grinders for different styles of coffee preparation?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be interested to join me as I begin to evaluate a Laranzato espresso machine (I’m contemplating becoming a distributor).  They sent me a single-group pourover to demo.  We will compare it, quite unfairly and in vain, to the Reneka Techno I keep in the shop, which in my opinion is probably the finest single-group ever made but has been (sadly and inexplicably) discontinued by Reneka.

So on Thursday evening, I will roll up my sleeves, get under the hood and pull shots till I can’t stand it anymore.  Or can’t stay awake anymore.  I would seriously welcome other opinions on this machine.  A benefit of participating is that you can take home whatever espresso blends are left over at the end of the night.

Drop me an email if you think you might want to participate, just so I know not to change plans at the last minute, which could happen if I’m on my own.

http://www.muddydogcoffee.com

WWJD (What Would Jim Drink today?): Nope, not the Nayarit.  I was hoping it wouldn’t all sell at the market today.  OK, actually I WAS hoping it would all sell, but I didn’t EXPECT that.  But sell it did – smart customers.  So instead, I’m drinking Thanksgiving Blend.  We sampled it at the market today, to rave reviews.  One recurring comment was “refined”, which I thought is a great way to describe this blend.  Classy.  Like me.

Read Full Post »