How many of you bought or received a KEURIG Coffee Brewer this last holiday season? If you said, “Yes”, you’re not alone. In the past 24 months over 3.5 million people are using KEURIG coffee brewers for their early morning jolt.  Personally I drink more than one cup of coffee in the morning so a KEURIG is not for me. But for those people who prefer one cup of “Joe” from home, it’s not a bad option.

Here is my grind (no pun intended) with the KEURIG – it’s not so much the process of the brewer itself, but rather, the pre-packaged K-CUPS they sell you to use with the brewer. I am around fresh coffee all day long and have grown accustomed and addicted to the quality taste and aroma that fresh ground coffee offers. When I opened a K-CUP for the first time and performed my ritual of sniffing the coffee in hopes of taking in the golden aroma of freshly ground coffee, I was taken aback by how stale and pungent the coffee smelled! I was equally disappointed by the taste.

So I did a little research. I found out that prepackaged K-CUP coffee is roasted, ground and then packaged up to 3 to 5 months before it ever reaches you the consumer.  No matter how the manufacturer packages those little K-CUPS, by the time that first month rolls around the coffee will have lost a significant amount its freshness, quality taste and aroma.

But don’t throw your new KEURIG away quite yet – there is hope! KEURIG sells a reusable coffee filter that acts just like a pre package K-CUP called “My K- CUP”. This  single cup re-usable filter allows you to use your own ground coffee from Durango Joe’s Coffee in your new KEURIG Brewer!  I encourage all of you who have a KEURIG to buy a reusable coffee filter and keep the coffee FRESH!  You don’t have to sacrifice freshness and quality taste because you are using a KEURIG.  Don’t be fooled by creative ads and fancy coffee labels that try and make you believe that just because it comes from Green Mountain Coffee or a number of other well-known brands that it is fresh and high in quality. Most all stores that sell the KEURIG Coffee Brewer will have the reusable “My K-Cups” filters available for purchase. And of course you can get them at anyone of your Durango Joe’s locations, we carry the EkoBrew styles, and highly recommend them!

The bottom line is coffee is always best when it’s freshly ground and then immediately brewed. Several great “ways” to brew coffee using your own freshly ground coffee are; “Pour Over” method, traditional “Drip Brew” style, “French Press” and the “KEURIG” single cup, each method dependent on good quality, freshly ground coffee.  Enjoy the New Year and whether or not the KEURIG is a here to stay or if it’s just a fad, when brewing from home, go FRESH!

As we move into the Winter season. our management team at Durango Joe’s Coffee decided to highlight a very unique coffee. We feel that this particular coffee brings out all the Holiday flavors and at the same time offers our customers an outstanding coffee that is second to none.

Our “Taste for the Holidays” coffee comes to us from the Rio Azul Cooperative in Jaceltenango, Guatemala. For the complete story behind this wonderful coffee refer to my Nov, 16 blog entitled The Story Behind the Rio Azul-Guatemalan Coffee.

The Rio Azul Flavor Profile: Medium/Dark Roast. Floral aroma; rich chocolate and hazelnut flavors with the slightest hints of cinnamon and mango; lingering dark chocolate aftertaste.

What does that profile mean? Well, it should describe that you’ll immediately notice an initial heavy aroma, after sipping you’ll taste hints of rich chocolate, hazelnut and cinnamon flavors throughout this full bodied medium roast. Most people note a lingering dark chocolate after taste and even a trace of mango.

Tasting the subtle differences in coffee can be a little difficult, but with a little practice, the nutty, fruity, chocolaty and floral flavors in coffee can be found. Flavor profiles, or the subtle differences in coffee, describe the unique components between coffees from different origins. For example our Las Lajas from Costa Rica is noted much more for it’s lively floral and citrus notes.

While drinking the Rio Azul coffee, pay close attention to the subtle flavors you taste and aromas you smell. It is important to distribute the coffee over the tongue all at once. This ensures the coffee hits the taste buds all at the same time. Temperature affects the profile of coffee as well. The colder coffee becomes, the more pronounced the flavors.

The most important part is to have fun getting to know your own taste buds and exploring the unique complexities that all our Durango Joe’s coffees have to offer. If you don’t live in Durango you still can enjoy all our great coffee by going on-line at www.durangojoes.com and placing an order for some of the greatest tasting coffee you’ll ever taste.

Phil Beattie, Director of Coffee

I find that owning a coffee business is a very challenging endeavor.  Every detail needs your full attention; from making sure you have the right people on your team, to capturing the perfect ambiance, to creating a brand people will never forget, to offering the right drink choices that your customers love, and above all ensuring your quality of coffee is the VERY BEST.  In order to be successful all these working parts must come together every time we open our doors to the public; which happens to be 7 days a week 364 days a year.

As I mentioned, just one of the many parts to experiencing success is making sure you are serving outstanding coffee.  Having coffee roasted to perfection then brewed to perfection is a winning combination every time.

The coffee industry is highly competitive and it continually changes as we learn more and more about the wonderful complexities that we find in coffee. That is why it is so important that our coffee roaster is a perfectionist and goes above and beyond to make sure the integrity of coffee is preserved during the roasting stages.

Just recently the company that roasts all Durango Joe’s coffee was named, “Roaster of the Year”. Dillanos Coffee Roasters has been a proud of partner of the Durango Joe’s family for over two years now.  As the owner of Durango Joe’s Coffee this award only confirms what I already know and that is, we serve up some of the best roasted coffee in the country!  I am very proud of Dillanos Coffee Roasters.  I know how hard they work and how much they care about making sure their valued customers get the very best.  Congratulations to Dave, Chris, Keith, Phil and the entire Dillanos team!

Over this Holiday Season Durango Joe’s will be featuring the Rio Azul in all our cafes and on-line at www.durangojoes.com.  HAPPY HOLIDAY’S

The story surrounding this very high end coffee begins in the northern areas of Guatemala surrounding the Huehuetenango region which have long been a source of great tasting coffees, and the Rio Azul is no exception. This small cooperative has been Fair Trade certified for over ten years, but even with this certification they came upon hard times in the early 2000’s.

With membership numbers plummeting to critical points, Ramon Delgado took the reigns as Managing Director of the cooperative. On a chance meeting in Antigua he crossed paths with Phil Beattie, Durango Joe’s Master Roaster. At the time the Unity Project was in it’s conception phase and the Rio Azul situation provided a blueprint for how the program could assist the estates and cooperatives that it works with.

Rio Azul is a relatively small cooperative with just over 150 members. In the infancy of this relationship it was discussed with the cooperatives board of directors what the largest challenges members faced, it was unanimously decided that the funds to acquire decent medical attention were. So an initiative was set in motion to address this issue. Meetings were held with a local doctor who was willing to take on the issue, and the Unity Project provided a grant of $5000 dollars per year which gave each member the opportunity to have medical, vision, and dental attention from the local doctor.

This relationship has continued to blossom over the years, with the support of the Unity Project the cooperative has been able to increase the number of Certified Organic producer’s in the cooperative which helps the local ecosystem. In addition they have implemented a water filtration system at the wet mill which better preserves the integrity of the local water supplies.

One thing hasn’t changed much at all though, the cravings!

This being Durango, I’d like to paint myself as one of those people who only eats raw, healthy, organic foods that provide the purest nourishment possible to my growing baby. But I’m not. Don’t get me wrong, I work hard to eat a balanced and healthy diet. I most certainly do NOT give in to every craving
I have. If I did, my diet the last six months would have consisted of gummy bears, icees and those curly fries you get at the fair that come in a cinder-block-sized cube of greasy goodness.

That’s what I’m talkin’ about!

I indulge occasionally, but I understand that whatever I eat goes straight to baby, so I try to be careful. That means that I avoid the foods that pregnant women are warned away from, even though some of them are my favorites (sushi anyone?). So I was relieved when I talked to my doctor (as every expectant mom should!) and was informed that for normal women with low risk pregnancies, such as myself, a moderate amount of caffeine was perfectly acceptable. Hooray!! A craving I could indulge!

That’s why I love visiting the Durango Joe’s Town Plaza location. Not only
do I feel like I’m giving myself a little treat, the good people there are so patient with my crazy, craving induced orders! “Can you do a half-caf Mountain Mudslide Frappajoe?” No Problem! “I’d like an Italian soda, but about half as sweet as usual.” Absolutely! “How about a caramel…. wait, no, a vanilla latte….. ….. But could you put a squirt of caramel in
there too?” Why not!!

Believe it or not, it’s actually worse when I don’t have any cravings. I go in knowing I want something delicious from the menu, but I can’t quite put my finger on what. That’s when the team really steps up. Just last week one of the baristas made me an off-menu special when I couldn’t make up my addled mind.
Turns out, it was exactly what I never knew I wanted! It was the perfect blend of chocolate and not too sweet….

You know what? It’s just too awesome to try to describe. Just head in to the Town Plaza store and ask for the “Preggo Special”. Tell ‘em I sent you. And if you think it’s as great as I do, pop a request in the suggestion box to make it a regular feature. That’s where I put my other suggestion for Joe’s business diversification – a deep frier! Because sometimes a cube of curly fries is the perfect companion to your 8 am Harvest Spice Mocha.

Or is that just me?

By: Shelly Jones

Here is a video we did about how the legend was started.

Legendary Story

Hope you enjoy, and be sure to let us know what you think.

For the past year, my husband Jim and I were embarked on the adventure of raising a guide dog puppy for the Blind. Peppermint came to us at eight weeks old — a blond whirling dervish disguised as a yellow lab. She had an amazing curiosity and energy level and all of Durango opened their hearts and doors to her as her ‘learning laboratory”.  The various sites of Durango Joe’s Coffee were among her favorite spots to sit, smell the coffee, and observe the human condition. We visited Park Elementary School often, so Durango Joe’s on College Dr. was where we went most frequently.

Peppermint has now graduated from the Guide Dogs for the Blind School in Boring, Oregon, and is living with her new partner Yvonne in Vancouver, British Columbia. Yvonne is a very active young woman who has Retinitis Pigmentosa, but owns her own small business and is a Dragon Boat athlete. She is, coincidentally, a lover of coffee, and at the graduation ceremony mentioned that being able to walk into a coffee shop and not worry about bumping into things was her first real taste of the independence she now has with her Guide Dog partner.

So, a BIG thank you to all of you at Durango Joe’s Coffee for your part in helping us achieve our dream

Sue and Jim Mooney and Peppermint

P.S. We now have sweet Chiffon, a five month old black lab puppy in training. She’s already enjoying the hospitality of your fine establishments.

That’s why Durango Joe’s has created the UNITY PROJECT.

What is the Unity Project?

It’s all about creating transparent, sustainable relationship with individual farms and cooperatives around the world,  which ensures that everyone benefits from the success of the specialty coffee industry.  It is imperative to the mission of Durango Joe’s Coffee that the farmers and cooperatives that we have direct relationship with receive the highest possible compensation for their superb quality coffee that  we enjoy each and every day.

The Durango Joe’s Unity Project has two objectives; promoting great coffees, and supplying sustainable futures to the amazing people who grow them.

Coffee is a unique beverage that unites the globe through a very complex process that includes over 150 steps from the tree to the steaming cup. Much like wine, coffee starts on quiet hillsides where the ideal soil, climate, and meticulous care from the farmer culminates in the finest beans that, when roasted and brewed, bring us such pleasure.

Did you know that one coffee tree only produces approximately one pound of coffee per year? This fragile tree must be pruned, fertilized and tended throughout the year before finally producing hundreds of small cherries that encapsulate two small coffee beans full of flavor waiting to be released. Such a huge amount of work goes into creating this coffee, and yet the ones who spend the year nurturing the tree, in the traditional coffee market, often partake in a very small fraction of what the consumer pays for this coffee, sometimes not enough to sustain their family.

The Durango Joe’s Unity Project brings balance and traceability to this equation. It starts with traveling the globe to find the finest coffees, then bringing the story of the farmers who grew this coffee to the person drinking this cup of coffee.

Our roaster works directly with the farmers to negotiate prices that are well above Fair Trade minimums. We also work with our importing and exporting partners to provide pre-harvest financing where it is necessary, and conduct special education, health, and environmental projects.

The Unity Project’s long term relationships with our growing partners provides them with stability in the volatile coffee market, and provides them with the peace of mind that there will be someone there next year ready to pay a fair price for their amazing coffee.

So the next time you order any one of Durango Joe’s amazing coffee’s just remember that you are helping make a difference.  The Unity Project is all about connecting people, you and  the amazing farmers who produce the coffee we have come to love and enjoy each and everyday.

Part of my daily routine is to wheel into the Durango Joe’s by Wal-Mart. I have an office in downtown Durango with several decent coffee shops within a stone’s throw of my office. So – why do I go to Durango Joe’s Wal-Mart???  Two words…the staff!  Not only does every barista in there make my specialty drink exactly the way I want it – they always make me feel like I am the most important customer in the store. Sometimes, one of the girls has spotted me getting out of my truck and my coffee is waiting for me before I have had the chance to order. Very cool.

It made me feel no less special when I came to the realization that they all treat everyone  of the customers with this same kindness and attentiveness. They seem to know everyone by name and to know their drink preference. Nadine is the manager of the Wal-Mart Joe’s location. I believe she has been the manager for close to four years, so I have no doubt that much of what I experience I can accredit to her! So – a big thanks to Durango Joe’s and to Nadine for kick-starting my routine each day with a smile and a word of encouragement…

-CJ Alderton (A loyal customer)

For the normal person summer usually ends with cooler temperatures in the air, leaves on the trees turning a burning orange and red and a new season of all your favorite sitcoms on cable TV.

But for LeAnna and I (and millions of parents across the country) summer ends when the opening bell rings and the kids file back into our country’s finest educational institutions. This year is a special year, we have our daughter Kirsten who is in 7th grade and our son Caleb who is a freshman in high school. (Now you know why it’s special)  So to break it down we have a middle school kid and a high school kid both heavily involved in school activities and sports.  Both with conflicting practice and game schedules and 2 hours of homework almost every night. So not to bore you with the details about all the miles we put on our car and the endless trips back and forth across Durango’s landscape, I will simply cut to the chase and explain to you how I find the energy to keep up with all the demands of owning and operating a business and how I manage to help out with all the parenting duties each day.

First of all, I married an extremely organized wife who deserves most of the credit for keeping the organized chaos under control.  Thank you LeAnna!

Personally, before my day can truly start to take focus I need a cup of joe. Not just any coffee will due first thing in morning. I need to start each day with a lighter roasted coffee (light roast coffee has more caffeine) that tastes extremely smooth. That is why I prefer Durango Joe’s Mosaic Blend.  Mosaic is our “house coffee” served at all our Durango Joe’s locations.  After a cup or two of Mosaic I take a caffeine break until 10 or 10:30 a.m. when I move on to some form of a latte, usually fat free.

This second jolt of caffeine will typically get me through the lunch hour.

But around 2:30 p.m. I am finding it necessary to belly up to the counter at one of our Durango Joe’s locations and order a Iced Coffee.  In the summer months our iced coffee is one of my absolute favorite tasting coffees in the world!  It’s a darker roasted coffee (Joe’s Espresso – a little less caffeine) but the taste is fantastic.  Its bold flavor is both refreshing and satisfying.  From there it’s off to Kirsten’s soccer practice and then it’s time to catch Caleb’s first game in Delores.  Go Durango Demons!!

After the games, dinner preparation and homework, I look back on the day with unabashed awe that we were able to do everything on our schedule. I’m sure it would not have been nearly as pleasant, or even possible with out my cups of joe along the way. By the evening hour 9-10 p.m. I will settle back in my chair with my computer on my lap and a chilled glass of wine. I’m a man of my drinks. But hey, everyone knows Coffee is a great source of antioxidants and my doctor says a glass of red wine  a couple nights a week is good for the heart!