Fall means specialty coffee....

and that means we're out reminding folks who we are, what we sell and where we sell it. Kohana Coffee has been so blessed this past year. We've broadened our horizons and become a bit more 'main stream'. We love the restaurants, stores, websites and brands we work with - they are some amazing groups. And we love that people are finding us on the internet and buying our coffee that way.

If you see us in Central Market, Whole Foods, Breed and Co, Blue Dahlia Bistro or at Cissi's Market - please come by and sample the coffee as well as chat for a while. You know we love to talk about what we do and why we do it.

Long story short - we thank all of you out there that have been with us this far - your support is making us who we are.

Piper

Caffeine Junky turned Coffee Connoisseur

I used to sit in coffee shops, gulping down whatever was cheapest in order to stay awake and study. I thought that coffee was coffee, and that it was pretty much the same anywhere you bought it. When I became an intern for Kohana, I had no idea that I would learn so much about the stuff in such a short time.

After acquiring a few samples of coffee, I decided that one day a few weeks ago was as good as any day to become a connoisseur-in-training. I started using my roommate’s French press, cringing at the noise of the grinder in the early morning, then getting a big grin on my face when I would smell the fresh grounds. Heating up the electric tea kettle and standing over the press while waiting for my coffee to be ready made me feel worldly and adult. I’ve become so enamored with my new routine that my old coffeepot stands in the corner, scowling at me, dusty from disuse.

And the coffee! I would normally pour milk and three packets of fake sugar in my mug, but now find myself sipping it without adding anything and still thinking it’s delicious.

Recently, I had an opportunity to see the shooting of a four-part (was it five part?) news series in action; News 8 Austin’s Todd Boatwright came to Cissi’s Market a few weeks ago just to learn about Kohana Coffee. Sitting behind the scenes allowed me to learn so much about what actually goes into each cup. It’s not just picking a plot of land with beans on it and roasting them. It’s selecting the perfect locations for the coffee plants to grow in, roasting the beans to perfection, tasting them, and after all of that, making sure everything about the product is perfect. Piper Jones, Vice President of Operations at Kohana, taught Todd everything he ever needed to know about coffee and more. He got a crash course in what goes into an espresso shot, how to taste the coffee by “slurping” it, how to use a French press, and which desserts go best with which blend.

I can tell that as my time with Kohana continues, I will get to know coffee pretty well. I’m excited at the prospect of learning about each blend and what makes it special. And most importantly, I’m excited to drink more coffee!

-- Whitney

Ted's Take on the Austin Chronicle's Poll results...

The results of the 2009 “Austin Chronicle” Restaurant Poll were announced today. Readers voted for Starbucks as the best coffee in Austin, followed by Jo’s Hot Coffee in 2nd place, and Honorable Mentions were given to Austin Java, Anderson’s, and Teo. The food critics of the “Chronicle” did not recognize any other coffee roasters or cafes in their award category. In 2007, Kohana Blend was selected by the critics as Best House Blend.

I think it’s unfortunate that Starbucks of Seattle should be awarded Best Coffee in Austin. Sure, they employ lots of Austinites and have convenient drive thrus, but is this really the BEST coffee in Austin? There are several local roasters in Austin producing marvelous, fresh coffee in small batches who should be given greater recognition. Micro roasters like Kohana Coffee, buy the finest specialty Arabica green coffee available and deliver it to our local customers like Whole Foods, Central Market, Cissi’s Market, Breed & Co and Blue Dahlia Bistro right after roasting. It’s fresh, it’s bought quickly, and we roast more. There’s no telling when the coffee was roasted at Starbucks. Even their bags in retail stores have expiration dates up to a year later.

Jo’s Hot Coffee is roasted by Little City, a fine small roaster with a café on Congress Avenue near the Capitol. However, unless you know that Jo’s buys it’s coffee from Little City, it’s just “Jo’s Coffee”. Why isn’t Little City one of the top coffees in the Best Coffee list? Austin Java and Anderson’s roast their own coffee too, and they are local. Mr. Anderson is the patriarch of specialty coffee roasting in Austin and deserves to be placed above Starbucks. Teo buys its coffee from out-of-town roasters (Café Piansa) and an Italian roaster (Palazzo) supplies their espresso.

I wish that the food critics and readers of the “Chronicle” were more supportive of the small, local roasters in Austin who produce what we know is really the BEST coffees in Austin. If not, the other large, corporate coffee brands who are competing against Starbucks will make next year’s Restaurant Poll results even worse: 1st Place: Starbucks; 2nd Place: McDonald’s; 3rd Place: Dunkin’ Donuts.

Ted

more on the Flores Bajawa...

Wanted to mention that this lovely coffee can be found on our website http://www.kohanacoffee.com/ under the Medium Roast category or locally in Austin at Cissi's Market (bag), Whole Foods/Lamar (bag) and Central Market (both stores, bulk).