Coffee People features Jared Linzmeier of Ruby Roasters

Coffee People: Jared Linzmeier, Ruby Coffee Roasters

0:00

/200

S9:E3

Guest: Jared Linzmeier, Ruby Coffee Roasters
Role: Co-Founder
Based: Nelsonville, WI
Online: rubycoffeeroasters.com • @rubyroasters on Instagram
What they order: Black drip coffee

I haven’t lived in Wisconsin for quite some time. I don’t know that I’ll ever move back, but part of my core will always warm with pride when something, someone, or some business represents the state well. Ruby does that.

Sure, I’ve seen them on best-of lists. Sure, Jared has a coffee pedigree. Sure, the bright red of the logo evokes a very Wisconsin feel. Sure, they’ve won an award or two…I assume. I didn’t fact-check, but they must have, right?

All of that is great, but more important to me is that I rarely talk with someone from home without them mentioning Ruby Coffee once they find out I talk and write about coffee for a living.

An actual text I received earlier this week:

Hi Ryan,

Hope all is well with your CA family. Have you tried Ruby Coffee from Steven’s Point, WI? I had a cup from a place in Stoughton today...Just wanted to recommend.

To which I said, Coincidentally….

I’m a homer for Ruby because, intended or not, they paved the way for good coffee to survive and thrive in their and the surrounding communities. Without them, the fine coffee shops I enjoy when I’m at home might not be there. At least, they wouldn’t have on the same timeline.

A young man holding a coffee mug has his arm around his grandmother as they lean up against a red concrete block wall. Right - A worn wood sided building with a low-slung roof and side walls painted a deep red is covered in a layer of bright white snow. Leafless snow-covered trees fill the background. — Left: Jared and Ruby posing outside Ruby’s roasting facility in Nelsonville, WI. Right: The facility covered in snow in honor of the current Central Wisconsin weather report. Photos credited to: @rubyroasters on Facebook.

AN INTERLUDE ABOUT BICYCLES

Great exploration happens on a bicycle. You see so many things you would never in a car. The bicycle encourages you to stop and explore because there are no impediments to parking or traffic or other.

Bikepacking—a combination of biking and camping or backpacking—takes exploration to the next level. The Tour Divide that Jared traveled is miles beyond shooting off for an overnight trip.

Show reference: The Tour Divide: “The Great Divide Route is the world's longest off-pavement cycling route. It was tirelessly mapped over a 4 year span, and published in 1998 by Adventure Cycling Association, North America's premiere bicycle travel organization. The route is highlighted by long dirt roads and jeep trails that wend their way through forgotten passes of the Continental Divide. It travels through Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and the United States of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico (map). By route's end a thru-rider will climb nearly 200,000 feet of vertical (equivalent to summiting Mount Everest from sea-level 7 times).”
Learn more at https://tourdivide.org/about_the_route

S24O or ub–24-hour overnights are a great way to get into overnight bicycle camping. Check out this article from Grant Peterson from Adventure Cyclist magazine about the beauty of the S24O.

Left a man in a full bicycle spandex kit smiles and poses while standing behind his bicycle. Right: A man rides a yellow bike down a winding gravel path towards the camera. — Jared rocking the Ruby red kit. Photo credit @rubyroasters on Facebook.

ETHICAL COFFEE CONSUMERS

Trying to be an ethical consumer isn’t as easy as one would hope. Coffee is an industry particularly rife with buzzwords and greenwashing. While trying to learn more about how to avoid such pitfalls, I came across the column linked below. The excerpt in bold below stopped me in my tracks.

…While we were quarantining at home, I ordered Yukro-originating coffee from as many roasters as I could find to try to understand how consumers were supposed to make an informed choice.

Paradoxically, the more information I gleaned, the less I knew how to make a responsible decision.

• Spencer M. Ross, Navigating the Complex Buzzwords Behind an ‘Ethical’ Bag of Coffee.

Roast! West Coast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

PREVIOUSLY ON…

BARISTAS RULE THE WORLD!

We have a new column on R!WC featuring those magicians who are making our morning cups of coffee. Check out the first two featured Baristas and be sure to bookmark the page. New Baristas will be added weekly for the foreseeable future.

R!WC INDUSTRY PARTNERS

Visit with Roast! West Coast at Camp Coffee Company on November 18th from 9:00 am-1:00pm. We’ll be popping up with local artists to share a cup of coffee with the community. I hope to see you there.

A huge, on-going thank you to all of this show’s industry partners. Click these links!

Roastar • Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Steady State Roasting • Mostra Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company • Ignite Coffee Company • Ascend Coffee Roasters • Marea Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Roasters • Hacea Coffee Source • Crossings Coffee • Acento Coffee Roasters • Sivitz Roasting Machines