They may be late, but they are certainly worth the wait.  South America and Rwanda crops have arrived.  

We are proud to announce that we were able to get a limited supply of coffee from the Musasa Cooperative in Rwanda, as well as an equally limited supply of coffee from Buf Cafe also in Rwanda.  The crops this year are absolutely amazing, and considering the fact that coffee is helping to improve the quality of life for the farming families who rely on it for survival coupled with the fact that these coffees are, well, AMAZING, the price tag is noticeably higher.

We still think, however, that this new “high”er price is exceedingly cheap for such outstanding coffees.

We will be introducing them one at a time, and first up is the Musasa Cooperative, which we identified as the better of the two on the cupping table (but only marginally).  Juicy, tropical fruit, clean floral notes, and black tea with a consistent mouthfeel at every temperature for the duration of its enjoyment.  HIGHLY recommend, and a steal for the quality that this coffee portrays.

We are also extremely pleased to bring back the wonderfully rich and complex natural coffee from Fazenda Rodomunho in the Cerrado region in the state of Minas Gerais in Brasil.  It is the backbone to our Black Torpedo espresso, and is a joy when  heavy body with chocolate, nuts, and a hint of spice are just what the morning ordered.

The last coffee on our short list of fresh arrivals is from the Páez Indigenous Reserve in the Department of Meta in Colombia.  This coffee is amazingly heavy, with a deep body and ever-changing spice notes of licorice, anise, clove, and cedar.  The ecological practices of this farming community of 40 families is absolutely stunning.  I’d like to encourage you to read more about it by clicking on the link above.

First of all, we want to thank each and every one of you for making this year’s Christmas Blend launch a success.  Be sure to  let those who you share it with that it is NOT a flavored coffee, and that those wonderful fruit flavors are inherent to the coffee.

Our Christmas Blend will be available through January 15th, or until supplies run out, so if you’re running low from guests drinking your stock, fret not!  More is still available.

2012 is just around the corner, and we have always been fans of matching coffees with the spirit of whatever season is upon us, and this year, we feel like the perfect coffee to usher in the new year is:


 

Finca San Luis from Costa Rica

It’s clean, bright, sweet, and straightforward…
This is exactly what we hope the year 2012 will turn out to be.

We are back roasting in full force this week, so get your orders in so that we can get them to you!

BONUS!  

Didn’t get what you asked for?

Tell you what.. you can exchange the money you received from returning the unwanted items for what you REALLY wanted: a bag of fresh roasted AJ Coffee.

To make the deal even sweeter, we’re giving you 15% off!

Just use the coupon code: GiftExchange
when checking out through our web shop.

If you are on Google +, please take the time to circle our page!    Thanks!

AJ Coffee Co is now on:

It’s finally here.  Our Christmas Blend for 2011 is now available!  Last year, we released our Holiday Blend as a Moka-Java comprised of 50% Sumatra Blue Batak Tarbarita Peaberry and 50% Ethiopia Jimma Nigusie Lemma DP.

As much as we loved it, we felt it was time for a change.  The theme this year is fruit, with the motif being less about comfort, and more about celebration.  The roasterie smelled like a Juicy Fruit™ factory after roasting a rather large order of this year’s Christmas Blend for one of our accounts.  It is sweet, with lots of tropical fruit on the nose.

This year, it is comprised of 50% El Salvador El Borbollon and 50% Ethiopia Sidama Ardi, and it is delicious.  (you can find both in our web shop)

We’ve included a recipe that is a slight modification of Irish Coffee that we feel works exceptionally well with this year’s blend.  Click the image above to see it!

Is clicking on the web shop link not convenient enough?  We’ve thought of that too.  We hope you love this year’s Christmas Blend as much as we do.  Enjoy!

Click image to go to web article.

We’re proud to be in good company in this article with Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters and Cuvee Coffee in which Jason Cohen gives a brief pep talk to coffee lovers in Texas on how to improve their morning cup of Joe.

Look for it on Page 125 in the December 2011 issue, available now!

]]> http://ajcoffeeco.com/aj-coffee-company/texas-monthly-mentions-aj-coffee-co-for-your-cup/feed/ 0 http://ajcoffeeco.com/aj-coffee-company/rwanda-coffee-and-capital-a-video/ http://ajcoffeeco.com/aj-coffee-company/rwanda-coffee-and-capital-a-video/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:14:14 +0000 Jason H. http://ajcoffeeco.com/?p=804

This is a puff piece for Root Capital that give information about credit being necessary for coffee farming, and how you play a part in helping to improve the lives of the farming members of Musasa Cooperative.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GkYTY_5thk

Thanks to Mercanta for sharing this first.

You love coffee, we love coffee, and we don’t believe that just one day is enough to celebrate the joy of a great cup of coffee and the good that ethically sourced coffee brings to families around the world.

What’s a coffee company to do?  Well… we’ve decided to buck the trend, go against the grain, and EXTEND the coffee appreciation to a full week-long event.  How are we doing that?  By extending our own celebration!

If you recall, we initially shared how we wanted to celebrate National Coffee Day with you: Click to See

We’ve decided to EXTEND the sale through Thursday, October 4th, making it a FULL WEEK of “National Coffee Day” here at AJ Coffee Company.

We are sure you’ll agree, that great coffee is worth celebrating for more than one day.  That’s why we’ve extended our offer.  If you missed it on Thursday, there’s still time!  That’s 25% Off ALL coffees through our web shop when you check out using the coupon code ‘NTLCOFFEEDAY‘ !  Click Here to get YOUR bag of delicious, ethically sourced, fresh, artisan roasted specialty coffee.

This is a fantastic deal, and it won’t last long!

Celebrate national coffee day with us!  TODAY ONLY!

25% off ALL coffee through our web shop when you use the coupon code NTLCOFFEEDAY

It was a lovely coffee.  Like most good things, this offering was bound to come to an end.

We have a replacement Rwanda (Musasa Cooperative) coming soon to replace it, but this one is no longer fresh crop coffee either.  New crops are coming towards the end of this year and the beginning of next.

The Brasil Lambari is also on its way out, to be replaced by a Pulped Natural Machado from the Chapada Diamamina region in Bahia.  It doesn’t have the same smooth and sweet qualities, but it is cleaner with more chocolate tones.

 Palace Coffee Company is the newest member of the AJ Coffee Company wholesale family.

Palace Coffee Company officially opened on July 1st by owners Patrick and Krystal Burns.  Patrick and Krystal have dreamed of opening a coffee house for 7 (yes, seven) years before finally making it a reality.

We were referred to Patrick by the previous owner of their much-loved La Marzocco GB/5 three-group espresso machine, their Mazzer Major and Mazzer Mini grinders, several frothing pitchers, and more legit serve-ware than we cared to count.

The environment reminds me very much of the Coffee Slingers space in Oklahoma City, which seemed to make Patrick proud when I said so.  Both places are serious about their coffee.

They are pulling Black Torpedo espresso and serving our single origin offerings in made-to-order french presses as well as flat-bottom batch drip if you’re in a hurry.  Custom blends will be on the menu in good time.

We are proud to be supporters and partners in what has been reviewed as:

Easily the best coffee in the thriving metropolis of Amarillo/Canyon.

A few other reivews:

I want you all to know that you have ruined me on coffee. I used to like Starbucks but not anymore. I just “unliked” their facebook page. You guys are the best.

Tested them today..Hadn’t been yet. Ordered my favorite drink……they passed. With flying colors.

Love your place!! Amazing coffee!!

Thank you so much for opening a FANTASTIC Coffee Shop in Canyon. Atmosphere is great along with the coffee. We have always said this is the only thing Canyon was missing.

YAY! Brought my kds there and we LOVED it!! Wonderful coffee, wonderful space and truly wonderful staff.

Visited this evening. Great coffee. Great atmosphere. Great place.

These were taken directly from the Palace Coffee Company Facebook Page, unsolicited from their customers.  There are even more to be found on their Twitter account.

After a brief day of training before opening, Patrick was already extremely close to pouring art.  The video below is of a Palace barista.  They would love it if you would click the link beneath it and VOTE for the video to support the barista’s pursuit of coffee excellence at home.  The most votes wins a $3.5K home espresso machine.

Offset Leaf

Palace is doing things right, with plans to do more this fall. Well worth the drive up North if you live in the Lubbock area, and well worth the stop if you ever find yourself within a reasonable radius of Amarillo, including Palo Duro Canyon.