Choose — Coffee fresh from the roaster or fresh from the bag?
If your choice is fresh roasted, then you’ll be interested in what Dave Earnest has been doing for the last few years at Cobblestone Coffee. Dave has been buying, blending, roasting, and delivering single origin and custom blended coffees to homes in Crownsville and across the country.
Even in this economy, business is moving along and he’s roasting. The reasons are many.
Buying Beans Direct
Dave buys his beans from the growers. He’s able to get the best single origin beans available (single origin– beans are all from one country) — within reason. He doesn’t buy beans that are so expensive he is unlikely to have a market for them. Not only does this direct line mean fresher beans, but it means that those really good beans are available to him. They’re not being “snarfed up” by the major purveyors of coffee. The implications of this dynamic is for you to consider.
Roasting on Demand
Your coffee beans aren’t roasted until Dave gets the order. It’s not difficult to figure out what that means in terms of freshness to you.. A website or phone order that needs to be mailed is as fresh as the delivery system, which is still better than what’s available elsewhere. All his bags carry the roasting date.
Delivery to Your Door
You can get really fresh roasted coffee if you live in the 21032 zip. Dave will deliver it to your door on roasting day with no delivery charge. When gas prices rose, he almost had to institute a $2.00 delivery fee. With the decline in the price at the pump, he’s holding to the free delivery and will until gas prices go up again.
Single Origin or Custom Blended
Each single origin coffee has a specific taste profile. If you like it, that’s great and Dave will sell you those single origin coffees from Guatemala, Columbia, Brazil, or other coffee producing countries.
So why blend? According to Dave, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” He can target at taste profile, for example, a sharp taste that lingers on the tongue, by blending . His Colonial blend is an example. Simply, blends give you what you want in a cup of coffee.
Surely, Decaf Doesn’t Count as Fine Coffee
On the contrary, Dave humbly admits that his decafs are “some of the best on the market.” All are decaffeinated by the water method — no methyl chloride here. The water treatment makes for a higher quality cup of coffee where the flavors have much more of presence.
His decaf recommendation is for a blend of two single origin coffees. Each is roasted differently and will provide its character to the taste profile. His Colonial Blend Decaffeinated satisfies the pickiest coffee drinker. He also does a half caff with the Colonial Blend and Columbian coffees.
Note: Dave admits that even as a coffee roaster he knows when it’s time to switch to decaf. Even though he tastes and doesn’t drink, by the afternoon it’s time to switch. That’s one reason he roasts a truly tasty decaf.
What does all this quality and care cost?
Not as much as you might think. Pricing varies with the coffees, but right now during his winter sale, Dave’s single origin coffees are $9.99; blends are $10.99. His Valentine’s Special (order on or before February 13) gives you an extra half pound when you order two pounds or more.
Why Do It?
Quality — you won’t get coffee this fresh or with these beans at a chain shop. Price — you get a lot of cups of coffee out of a pound for only $9.99 Or think about it the way Dave did when he got started. He was a barrista coffee drinker until he looked into the preparation. The coffee is brewed by a programmed machine with acceptable beans roasted somewhere else at an unknown time. He decided — home brewed was best
As we look to doing more of life’s chores at home, perhaps this is an easy and even economical way to keep a little of that gourmet quality in your life. What could be better than that perfect cup of coffee on a Saturday morning — while your still in your jammies?!
Visit Dave, read about, and place your order for Cobblestone Coffee Roastery. You can put a little mmm-m-m-m in your life and keep a little $$$$$ in your wallet.