Camano Island Coffee Roasters

Soooo tired of coffee cherries!

1. Kopi Luwak and Oyster BandAids.

What does Kopi Luwak taste like? At  more than $75 a pound you would think pretty good, right? But, Kopi Luwak is coffee pooped out by a cat, so it tastes as you would imagine — pretty poopy. Don’t just take my word for it. Read what the online coffee magazine, Sprudge.com, says about Kopi Luwak, “One of four cups was moldy and another single cup showed phenol. I tasted band-aids, iodine, and oyster.” So to be clear Kopi Luwak tastes like moldy band-aids used by an oyster.

2. Kopi Luwak Devalues Specialty Coffee.

Coffee Drinkers pay a premium for specialty coffee. It’s produced more ethically, and safely. Also, specialty coffee tastes better, because it includes only the highest grade coffee. But, the majority of coffee drinkers in America are left in the dark about 3 Reasons Not to Drink Cat Poop Coffee. continued »

Yes. How do I make my coffee?

We as Americans have had a tempestuous relationship with the French. Anyone remember “Freedom Fries.” Well at CICR we like to give credit where credit is due. So, Viva le France! Thank you France for giving us the best coffee extraction method known to man — the French Press. Here are 5 Steps to Making the Best Cup of French Press

1. The Water

Using tap water will handicap your flavor. You must use filtered or spring water. Nope, distilled water won’t work either — you need minerals to aid in the extraction process. So, only use cold filtered, or spring water.

2. The Coffee

Yes the coffee beans make a difference in your cup of coffee. Of course you need certified organic, shade-grown coffee that’s been roasted fresh, but how do you grind it? 7 Steps to Making the Best Cup of French Press continued »

Why do Polar bears brew terrible coffee? Because, like many humans, they continue storing coffee in the freezer. I know. I know. HAAAARDY HAR HAR. But it’s true. Want to learn the best way to store coffee — check out the 5 Steps to NOT Storing Coffee Like a Polar Bear. 

Who says I make bad coffee?!

5 Steps To NOT Storing Coffee Like a Polar Bear

1. Don’t expose the beans to extreme temperatures.  Many coffee lover’s mistakenly store their coffee in the freezer, thinking they are preserving the freshness of their beans. Instead, the extreme cold deteriorates the oils that gives coffee its great flavor. So, don’t store them in the freezer or the oven. That’s right the oven is just for cooking.

WHAT?!!!! Not in the freezer!

2. Don’t expose the beans to direct sunlight. The sun can cause 5 Steps to NOT Storing Coffee Like a Polar Bear continued »

Let’s cut to the chase. Save money and drink better coffee with these steps. No funny business. Here it is . . . 

Hurry up and Tell me what I need to know

1. Look at the Price Per Ounce.

This is the only way to know you receive the best bang for your buck. You pay more for a larger bag, but check the price per ounce to know the true cost.

2. Look for 100% Arabica.

This will guarantee you no bitter filler. Don’t let grocery store coffee take advantage of you with cheap Robusta beans. Remember, Robusta beans contain high levels of caffeine, acidity, and bitterness. Extra Bonus tip: look for Shade-grown. Shade-Grown grows slower and develops less acidity and bitterness.

You won't beat the Grocery Store coffee scam here.

3. Look for Single-Origin Coffee.

Single-Origin coffee gives you a vast world of flavor. Remember, coffee derives flavor from  6 Tips to Beating the Grocery Store Coffee Scam continued »

Spritz, spritz. Sniff Sniff. When enjoying the scent of a perfume or cologne, you are often presented with a dish of coffee grounds to “cleanse your nose.” The reason: coffee grounds absorb the previous scent and let you fully appreciate the next perfume. So what does absorbency have to do with drinking organic coffee?

Gotta smell good. . . Pass the Coffee please.

Absorbency — The Curse of Conventional Coffee.

As one of the most absorbent crops on the planet, coffee absorbs pesticides. Conventional coffee, which is most of the coffee in the grocery store, is grown using pesticides. Studies done over 25 years ago showed the pesticide, DDT, in conventional coffee being used in coffeemakers around America. DDT has since been banned, but pesticides like Carbofuran and Endosulfan are still being used. The W.H.O. and E.P.A. both consider these pesticides to be cancer-causing. Are we any safer than 25 years ago with DDT?

Pesticide protection

What Can We Do To Protect Ourselves?

USDA Certified Organic. This is the seal of safety for coffee lover’s everywhere. The USDA maintains strict standards for Certified Organic coffee and enforce these standards by making unannounced trips to plantations, import facilities and coffee roasters. By drinking only USDA Certified Organic coffee you protect yourself from cancer-causing pesticides.

Absorbency — The Beauty of Single-Origin Coffee

You can experience the terroir of coffee. Terroir is a french term which basically means the variety of flavors derived from the soil, climate, and elevation of a particular region. Due to coffee’s powers of absorbency, coffee lover’s can enjoy the vast variety of flavors from coffee just like a wine connoisseur. This is how an Ethiopian coffee tastes different from a coffee grown in Papua New Guinea. This is the real beauty of Single-Origin Coffee. Unfortunately, for most coffee drinkers, terroir is completely missed. Why? Because they buy grocery store coffee brands. These brands blend different cheap coffees and call them something fancy. A true coffee lover can enjoy the subtle differences of coffee terroir only when drinking single-origin coffees.

Hmmm coffee. Who needs perfume?

Absorbency —  the Beauty and Curse of Coffee. Protect yourself from the curse with USDA Certified coffee and enjoy the beauty with Single-Origin Coffees. Now, pass me the next perfume, madame. I have a dinner date tonight.

With all this hubbub around pink slime in hamburgers, it got me thinking about . . . coffee.

Cow bits that looks like ice cream. Yum!

So, people are upset about a little cow bits and gristle mixed with some ammonia? So what right? Well coffee is kind of similar. The pink slime of coffee is artificially flavored coffee.

Mask the inferior beans

First we begin with inferior low quality beans. Because you’re not going to taste much coffee anyway. Just let that artificial raspberry, snickerdoodle, french vanilla, french roast, oh, what is it called again? Coffee. Oh yeah raspberry snickerdoo . . .

PLEASE! Don't drink inferior coffee, or my bits.

How do you pronounce that?

If you can’t pronounce it, then it shouldn’t be sprayed on your beans. The main chemical component in flavored coffee is Propylene Glycol. Propylene Glycol is a popular solvent used in The Pink Slime of Coffee continued »

Most superhero’s powers come from some freak occurance of nature. The 3 benefits of shade-grown coffee’s superpowers are no different. Shade-Grown Coffee supernaturally protects you from Esophageal cancer, Caffeine Abuse and Flavor boredom. Let me show how the benefits of shade grown coffee do this.

As a kid, did you ever wish you could eat your report card? Well that’s how big coffee companies must feel after a recent Consumer Reports review of their grocery store blends. Grocery Store disappoints Consumer Reports on almost every category.  None of the grocery store coffee blends Consumer Reports tasted rated higher than “good” — not a single one rated “very good” or “excellent.” In other words if we were back in school, not a single grocery store coffee blend would receive a higher grade than “C.” Consumer reports said, “If you’re looking for a standout among blended coffees, you may be disappointed.”

So, why do coffee lovers continue to buy grocery store blends? Grocery Store Coffee Disappoints Consumer Reports continued »