COFFEE THOUGHTS: NOVEMBER 2024

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RETAIL ANNOUNCEMENT

Note: We’ll be adding items as we pull them out of the closet! Stay tuned.

So, here is the thing. Retail is hard. It is harder when it isn’t your main focus. We’ve dabbled in R!WC merch but beyond the cost of the product we don’t sell enough of it to break even. It isn’t what we do, not to mention assembling takes a lot of time. My wife sews our logo tags onto all the hats.* What we do is share the stories of coffee people!

SHOP R!WC SALE

As such, we’ll only be keeping the merch that we dropship through Printful available in our store. We’re launching discounts for newsletter subscribers on all the merchandise we have on hand, including beanies, camp hats, and coffee journals until they are gone. If you’ve ever wanted one, now is the time! Help us clear out the closet—literally.**

*Often while watching the latest season of Love Is Blind on Netflix. I admit, I’ve gotten sucked into it. It is a wild experiment.

**The merch is packed in bins that I have to pull out of the podcasting booth closet every time I record a show. Not a joke. This is Southern California. Rent is expensive, and we’re not ready for a two bedroom!

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

What’s the deal with people waiting in line at Dutch Bros.? November 18th was National Princess Day. Did you know that? I did not. Apparently, Dutch Bros., the drive thru coffee stand chain, was giving out princess straw toppers with a drink purchase…only on the 18th…only after 5:00 PM.
Photo ©DutchBrosCoffee on Instagram.
The topper was a crown with the DB windmill logo below it. I was seeing posts of people waiting in line for an hour, or more, to get one. What am I missing here? What is the appeal? This isn’t snark, I’m really asking.
Coffee Review’s Top 30 Coffees of 2024 list is officially out. Some notables to this coffee media empire that have found themselves in the top 30 include:
- JBC Coffee Roasters from our home turf in Madison, WI were one of very few to have multiple spots on the list. They ranked at #’s 3 and 8. For the first year of my specialty coffee immersion at Coffee Cycle Roasting (Pacific Beach) we sold JBC almost exclusively.
- Chuck Patton, the O.G. Founder of Bird Rock Coffee, came out of early retirement with bang. His Chuck's Roast Yemen Haraaz scored a 96, good for 4th on the list. He is roasting on a Giesen out of the new Coffee Cycle Roasting space in Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA.
- Little Waves was one of our favorites in 2023. We tried several of their roasts at Cafe Domestique in Madison, WI and again at SCA in Chicago this spring. They took the 17th spot with Little Waves CoffeeRwanda Humure Abishyizehamwe Low-Oxygen Natural.
- Closing out the top 30 was our long-time collaborators at Mostra Coffee. Shout out and congrats to Director of Coffee Operations Ryan Sullivan, and Co-Founders Bev, Sam, Jelynn, and Mike for getting a 93-pt score Mostra Coffee India Pearl Mountain Estate.
FreshCup blew my mind as former restaurant GM to the need for allergen awareness in sustainable packaging, utensils, and so on. In particular, the impact on people with an allergy—roughly 27 million in the U.S., per this article.

In our efforts to reduce waste and create multi-functional food service products with items like pasta straws or plant-based biodegradable forks, we’re also increasing the need to inform users of potential allergens in products they may not have as much experience using to prevent triggering an allergic reaction. An example was the use of wheat bran and/or shellfish components in the binding agents for some biodegradable products.

There is a lot to dig into, but definitely a worthwhile read that will stick with me as I navigate through the industry. Read the column on FreshCup.
If the headlines are to be believed, coffee is either an elixir of epic proportions or a destructive liquid tornado destined to destroy your insides. These are all recent (like last couple of months) headlines:

At this point, the state of the Earth is in a real weird place. I’m winging it and drinking the good coffee. Like with all things, excess in moderation.

If you’re looking for a good gift, look no further than the Simply Good Brewer. Great holiday sales opportunities hitting this week. Learn all about it in our updated review.*

R!WC UPDATES & NOTES

A note about Artificial Intelligence, or AI. We don’t really use it. I’m sure it is hidden somewhere in pretty much all the software at this point, but we’re not using it to develop content, create questions for guests, or even edit our audio. We’re good with being a bit more hands on. It is more work, but we’re proud of the show going out.
You may have heard that Roast! West Coast podcast are going to going full video. Follow our Youtube channel before they drop in 2025 so you don’t miss out on all the coffee shenanigans.

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