My first coffee origin trip to Nicaragua was joyous, enriching, and breathtaking. Ben Weiner, the owner of Gold Mountain Coffee Growers, was my guide. We visited over 16 different farmers, sat with them, and discussed business and coffee with them. Throughout the year, we will be sharing some of the coffees from the farmers that […]
Author Archive | chazzanocoffee
Brooklyn Born Coffee Soda
My Italian grandmother loved a specific coffee soda that was produced around the block from her two story walk up in Brooklyn, New York. It was called the Manhattan Special Espresso Coffee Soda and my grandmother, Mary, of blessed memory, would ask my father and me to buy a few cases of this soda every week. […]
A K-Cup Transformation
In the past, when a customer asked, “Hey Frank, what do you think about K-cups?” I would say: “K-cups are against G-d. If you have a K-cup machine or you were gifted a K-cup machine, bring it to the police station along with your guns during amnesty week.” That would elicit a smile, perhaps a […]
What’s in a name? Everything.
Would you like a cup of the Colombia Castillo Cauca? Or some Colombia Villa Maria Caldas Supremo? Or perhaps the Bolivia La Paz AA? At many other coffee shops, you’ll find names like, “House Blend” or “Espresso Roast.” So, what’s with all of the crazy long names? Did you know that “Mandheling” (of Sumatra Mandheling) […]
Enjoying your life through tasting
You’ve heard me share that wine has about 750 different flavor notes and coffee has over 1500. The life of a coffee roaster is filled with sweet aromatics. I am surrounded by the smell of coffee all of the days of my life. I spend many of my waking hours trying to discern the various […]
Bolivia La Paz Microlot
The new Bolivia La Paz micro-lot has rich nutty, praline notes that fill your entire mouth with a creamy mouthfeel. It is similar to some of our favorite Brazilian coffees, but the body sits on your palate in a different way. The body is like fresh homemade caramel chews that dissolve in your mouth. (My […]
Cocaine for Coffee
By now, you’ve probably tasted our awesome microlot Haiti Blue Mountain coffee from Cafe Kreyol. Our friends at Cafe Kreyol have sourced three other microlots from Colombia, Bolivia, and Mexico. Let’s talk about the Colombia Cauca Region microlot. This coffee is grown in the Southwest West region of Colombia, facing the Pacific Ocean. Joseph Stazzone, […]
Chazzano Coffee Defender Video Game: Avoid the Cream and Sugar
It’s important to speak with everyone that you meet. In addition, it’s important to speak with your closest sphere of business friends often because every meeting enables you to learn more about them and the other special people in their lives. If you’ve read my book, “God Cries and An Angel Loses its Wings,” I […]
The Curse of Fresh Roasted Coffee
When we first opened Chazzano Coffee Roasters, I had a great idea. We roast 10-20 different single origin coffees every day. What could be a cooler gift than 2 oz. sample bags with 5-10 different choices? We bought 1000 red (our signature color) sample bags. We shipped a few out to very happy customers. Soon, […]
Space Ships and Drip Coffee Glass Carafes? A ranting about coffee in the future
I am addicted to the TV show, Eureka. The show is part science fiction, comedy and serious drama with affable characters that I know I’ll miss once I’ve seen all the episodes. The town of Eureka is filled with geniuses of every discipline all working for Global Dynamics- a secret government think tank and […]
The Art of the Happy Mistake
There are times that my mind is in a dozen places at one time. I’m working on social media, writing a few books, sourcing green coffee beans, working on accounting, answering e-mails and also…roasting coffee. I’m busy helping a customer and I forget that I’m roasting coffee and to my dismay, the temperature of the beans […]
Brewing a Better Cup of Drip Coffee
Hey, Frank! Can I use your coffee in my Mr. Coffee maker? Sure, but you may want to finagle a richer brew out substandard equipment. The problem is that drip makers don’t reach the proper water temperature of 195-205 degrees. If you’re lucky, the temperature will reach 170-180 degrees. In addition, most drip makers don’t […]