Poetry The Bean, The Farmer ~ "Crop To Cup"

This poem, is a dedication, to all those individuals and company group efforts that are constantly helping farmers and the communities. It is more than just coffee.

It Seems, Sometimes I'm Bitter, Sometimes I'm Hard.
This Is While I'm Green, It's Safe To Lower Your Guard.
As We Journey On A Trip From Crop To Cup.
I Feel It's Necessary To Talk About The Downs, And Ups.
Before Your Morning Sip, Before You Race Out That Door.
I Will Attempt To Open Your Mind, That's What Coffee Is For.
Before Farmers Existed, We Lived Freely, Ran Grew Wild And Spoke Our Own Language.
Thanks To Our Discovery We Can Now Speak Yours.
Whether Near Or Far, Abroad Or A Tour Coffee Is All Around You, Such A Joy To Behold.
As You Sip Away And Get Lost In Your Cup, Do You Ever Think About How Life Was Before Your 1st Cup?
It's Probably Been So Long Ago
That You May Have Forgotten Or Simply Don't Know.
As We Sit And Sip The Finest Coffees In The Nation
We Sometimes Forget Of The Farmers Occupation
Working For Less Than Minimum Wage, While We Vacation.
Never Thinking Twice About Our Cup Of Creation.
Forget About Relaxing No Appreciation.
As We Gulp Down Our Drink How Often Do We Thank? Or Think Of All The Work That Goes Into Our Drink?
Myself A Slow Sipper, I Like To Explore, And Compare How Beans Differ.
Rather Washed Or Dried, In Their Process
Good, Bad, Which Is The Best?
We All Agree The Farmer Situations Are A Mess
Some Abandoning Crops,Settling For Less.
We Say Go Organic, Because It Will Be Much Better
Fair-trade, Direct-trade, Or You Can Do Whatever!
Regardless Of What You Do, Or Who You Pay,
Know That Farmers Need Our Support Each And Everyday.
Profits Have Been Made Throughout These Years
While Farmers And Their Families Sweat & Shed Tears.
Wondering From Day 2 Day, Pay 2 Pay
If They Will Have To Abandon Their Crop Eventually One Day.
Lets Not Forget Without The Crop There Can Be No Cup.
Next Time You Take A Sip Think Of Me, The Bean, The Farmer, As You Hold Up Your Cup |_|B

~BaristaOnDutY

The Original Material Full Version
A Huge Thank You To Coffee Responsibly
Peace To The Coffee Oath

03/20/2009 The Lost Interview.. BaristaOnDutY

This month marks 3 years since I was interviewed about being a barista, however the website that originally posted this is no longer in service. In an attempt to preserve my works, I had to dig through my archives to bring you this. Hope you enjoy! Buna cheers!

From:
To: godbod@baristaonduty.com
Subject: Interview With A Barista
Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:22:11 -0700

Hey Dude! How are you doing? It's me Rob. Here are the interview questions I wanted to post in my blog.

What did you do before you became a Barista?
I was in the military (USMC) small computer system specialist 1993 -2001

What inspired you in becoming a Barista?
I like machinery, was intrigued by the espresso machine in a friends internet cafe.

What does it take to be one?
First and foremost it takes openness, to become a barista it takes patience, and willingness to express oneself to others. A true barista is an artist at heart and can compose drinks based on the energy between the drinker and artist.

Are you planning in participating in a competition?
At this time have no plan of a competition, I have
been putting all my energies into my micro pan roasting, and coffee consulting business.

What advice or tips can you give for Baristas just getting started?
Patience, practice makes perfect, don't be afraid to try new formulas

Do you have any other interests outside the coffee world?
Outside the coffee realm my interest include travel, farming, martial arts, calligraphy, & extreme computing :D.

What type of coffee blend can you suggest to our caffeinated readers?
Hawaiian Kona ~ Ethiopian ~ Kenyan ~ Costa Rican ~ These are my personal favorite!


Thanks for reading! 2012 Expect more! Buna more!! Catch you in the cup |_|B

Florida Times Union Article

Daily Shot Of Coffee Interview

The BaristaOnDutY Social Network

Don Francisco's | Gavina Gourmet Coffee | Old Havana Espresso Coffee Pods | Coffee Notes

Good day sippers!
Today I will be sharing with you some coffee notes from a coffee company by the name of Don Francisco's. I will share with you my personal findings of their Gavina gourmet coffee line. These notes are specific to the ESE pods, also know as Easy Serving Espresso. The particular cafe we will report on is their own personal family blend "Old Havana" espresso.

This is what Gavina says about their espresso
Old Havana Espresso was created by our master roaster in the old country, following our family's 135 year tradition of roasting authentic Cuban espresso. Sip it rich, short and strong — add a cube of sugar to sip it Cuban style. Packed airtight for freshness

I tested this espresso over a three month span. Shows how rigorous and serious our test are here at #BODY bean development & @CushCoffee Labs. The purpose of these tests were for 1st and foremost,quality, then for consistency.Of course it would have been harder to test had the espresso been in regular bean packaging. Each espresso pod is packed individually for maximum freshness. That's what the product promises to deliver.

Inspection of the packaging
The packs are sealed airtight, no degas valve of any sort.The pack also has some play in it, where it's not completely flat there is gas from the ground coffee within the pod.There was no indication on their website that they packed the pods with other gas to stabilize or maximize the freshness or shelf life. Coffee can give off gases weeks after it has been roasted. Before I get too technical, let me get to my coffee notes. Let's talk delivery and taste.

Upon opening each pod pack I did an inspection for aroma consistency. I picked up light spice aroma, as well as citrus and heavy cherry on the fragrance. These notes were consistent throughout my three month testings. It's safe to say in the fragrance/aroma department the espresso delivery was consistent, time after time.

Appearance
Everyone in the coffee world says the perfect espresso should be a balance of creama and taste.
For those unfamiliar, creama is the actual top layer of foam created in the espresso brewing cycle. Also this is to be the mark of what espresso is, so no creama, no espresso or bad espresso. I'm no espresso expert, just saying what the professionals say. With that being said all of the shots I pulled delivered a smooth velvety well textured bronze creama. It is also safe to say that this espresso passed in the delivery of appearance.It looked like an espresso. Personally I'm about the taste. Let's get down to the sip!

Taste
The cup aroma mimicked the dry pod smell test, only a bit more intensified. The fragrance held that citrus smell, as well as the cherry and light spice, even got a bit of caramel in the nose.
The sip was very alive - a nice citrus zing that makes you get goose bumps upon sipping it. Not to mention it has a mouth watering element when combine with the cherry flavor. It really makes you think. Cherry, lemon yes a sweet, cherry, lemon, light spice with hidden caramel complexities. A nice balance of flavor contrasts that compliment the cup. This is not your "standard" dark roasted, burnt, smokey espresso. This one has character and is packed conveniently in an ESE pod for your travelling or just for an easy clean up at home.

Recommends
I would highly recommend this espresso for someone who is looking for something different,or change in taste profile from your "standard normal" espresso. You can't beat the quality and convenience of this espresso pod. Trust me, I know my stuff, take my word. I only mention this, because I know there are critics out there who challenge the science of ESE technology. It's as consistent as it gets - never over or under extract again. I also challenge anyone that has a home espresso machine that is ESE compliant to try them. I'll even send you a couple for free to try and comment back here with your results. Lastly, I would like to say I smoke a cigar occasionally and love pairing with a variety of coffees. I recommend this espresso blend to my cigar lovers. This pairs great with medium cigars, add a dash of sugar and you'll be transported back to "Old Havana" Best of all, it does come in whole bean form as well!

Anyone wishing to take the Gavina taste test challenge, leave a comment below indicating your interest or contact me via twitter @BaristaOnDutY. Espresso pod packs are limited, so its a 1st come 1st serve. Remember you must have a home or professional espresso machine that is ESE compliant to use these pods. Thanks guys! Until next time, stay sipping! Peace & Love Ur #BODY

Special Note: This review exercises the capabilities of #BODY. We offer roasted coffee, green coffee evaluations, equipment evaluations as well as consulting services. For product evaluations send products to contact info below or contact us directly for inquiry or other needs via website Thanks!


MiltonMade #BODY-CushCoffee
158 Milton St
Folkston, GA 31537

Happy 200K @DJSAMHOUSE A #TEAMHOUSE Happy Valentine's Day Celebration!!

Custom Roasted Cush Coffee

DJ Sam House Studio Session

Good day everyone. I would like to thank you all for visiting my blog to congratulate our friend @djsamhouse on his milestone accomplishment of reaching 200k followers on twitter. BIG Shout Out #TEAMHOUSE! Sam keep rocking the house. If you are a regular follower, you know how much I love music. What better way to cross advertise, than putting two of my greatest loves together music & coffee.

DJ Sam approved of the celebration. He has tried @CushCoffee products as well as @shinydigm Soaps! I mention these names as they are the sponsors for this particular contest giveaway! This is our second coffee giveaway @BaristaOnDutY for 2012, we aim to bring awareness to light with our farmers, veterans, and communities in general. This is only the beginning of showing ways we at #BODY exhibit our will to exist and strive to be a transparent working model of actively giving back and creating awareness.  Expect our list of sponsors to grow with future contest!

The contest is simple, dj sam will announce, when he will be mixing live. All you have to do is join in on the live broadcast then Tweet " Win free @cushcoffee by Celebrating with @djsamhouse #Sam200K live! #TEAMHOUSE Details http://bit.ly/ykqXbw "

There will be 5 winners, each winner will receive a 4oz bag of custom roasted Cush Coffee. This is a world wide celebration, so everyone is invited to play along!! Comments below will also count as an entry. Be sure to include your twitter handle. Thanks guys for playing & Happy Valentine's Day!!

**Special Note: Contest will begin on @djsamhouse mark and end at the time of mixing session. Winners will be announced the day after tallying all entries. Thanks again!! Happy listening and happy sipping!!

January Pour A Tree Flow 2012

It's to be written CushCoffee - My mission
Whether spitting or sipping, you can catch me gripping.

My cup over flowing  hot buna, never missing. Opportunities like kids, need teaching.
I said evangelist, so now I guess I'm preaching., if you follow my history you know why I'm speaking.

Born a farmer, still a farmer. Still searching still reaching. Still on the battlefield, never ceasing.
Planting seeds, an endless journey, even when we're reaping. Can never prepare enough for that next season.

The weather changes as do people. Ask God to bless my seedlings. That they may grow and never stray. I vow to keep the weeds away. All I can do is nurture you, ask God to do the rest. Until next time, know I grind, for you & do my best.

God Bless

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