Cause Coffees

What Is a Cause Coffee?

This is a method for you and our company to show our support for a worthy cause. As coffee drinkers we have to purchase coffee anyway, so why not let our passion for fresh roasted coffee help support these causes? Midwest Coffee Company is working with two Indiana organizations that have two very different missions. Both organizations promote education and a healthier lifestyle. We believe we are doing the same thing with our coffee business. We provide earth friendly, people friendly and chemical free products. Many of the chemicals that are used throughout the growing and production process before you get your coffee are harmful to the body and our environment. We are proud to be providing freshly roasted, 100% chemical free coffees, grown with fertilizers and/or pesticides that are strictly of animal or vegetable origin. Our coffee has been protected in warehousing, shipping and handling processes, both abroad and in the US, from cross contamination from chemicals. We also package our coffees in biodegradable packaging and purchase many fairly traded coffees.

Our first cause coffee is the Teal Ribbon Collection for Ovar’coming Together. There are two coffees available to support this cause. Knowledge is Strength Blend is a regular full bodied coffee and Peace of Mind is a Swiss Water Process Decaffeinated Blend. The big kick off for the sale of this new coffee is at the 2009 Ovarian Cancer Run & Walk, Saturday, September 26, 9 a.m., at City Market in Indianapolis. You can pre-order your coffee to be delivered the day of the race at the registration tent, by placing your order on the registration form or order online: Teal Ribbon Collection. Then you can continue to show your support throughout the year as you purchase your regular coffee supply. A larger percentage of the proceeds will go to Ovar’coming Together on all coffee pre-ordered and picked up the day of the race.

Ovar'coming Together is the nonprofit ovarian cancer education and resource organization serving the communities of Indiana through partnerships with the medical community and other cancer-oriented organizations. Go to their website to learn more about this great organization.

Our second cause coffee is Greenway Coffee. The current offering is Greenway Fall Blend. Watch for the ever changing seasons of coffee. As new freshly harvested coffees come on the market we will introduce a new Greenway Coffee Blend for that season. A percentage of the proceeds from the Greenway Coffee will go toward the expansion of the Grant County Cardinal Greenway. Grant County's section of the Greenway is part of a much larger Rails to Trail expanding out to parts of Indiana and eventually becoming part of the American Discovery Trail.

Cardinal Greenways is a private, not-for-profit organization. The Cardinal Greenway is the longest rail-trail in Indiana and spans almost 60 miles from Marion through Muncie to Richmond in East Central Indiana. One of the goals is to join the Marion portion of the trail to the Sweetser Switch section. Creating a completed section 14 miles long.

The Cardinal Greenway receives no public funds to help with trail maintenance. Therefore the Greenway depends on trail users and interested community members to support the many trail enhancements with gifts of time, talent, and financial resources. One more way to show your support is to purchase Greenway Coffee for yourself and your coffee loving friends. Order on-line at Midwest Coffee Company, Marion, Indiana. Greenway Fall Blend will be introduced at October Fest, October 3, downtown Marion and will be served at the upcoming Greenway auction in Gas City on October 24.

In the near future we will be introducing one more cause coffee. We will be working with two of Grant County’s own Taylor University graduates who are working with a Chicago intercity youth ministry. Watch for details.

French Roast Conspiracy Part 2

In part one I gave you the technical part of what is happening to your coffee as it is French Roasted now we can get down to the heart of the matter.

What happens to the flavor? You will get as many different opinions on that one as there are coffee drinkers.

I have heard it said that most French Roast coffees have a flat, dull finish with a bitter after taste. Some call it chard or burnt taste and unpleasant to drink. Another coffee aficionado said French Roast coffees are known to be, smokey-sweet, light body but quite intense and that none of the inherent flavors of the bean are recognizable.

Now I will throw a few words at you: Acidity, Body, Aroma, Complexity, Depth, Varietal Distinction, Sweetness and Pungency. These are the terms used in determining what we taste in our coffee. They are usually rated on a scale of 1-4, 4 being the highest (good). This can all be very complicated when we just want a good cup of coffee. When you change the roast level of any coffee bean, you will change all of these characteristics. It could make your cup better or worse. Finding a roaster that studies his coffees and know how far to go with the roast will make all the difference. Just to let you know, there really are people out there that their job is to judge coffee this way. And it is a job that would have a pretty good buzz going most of the time.

Now I know what I like and don’t like and my mouth is probably doing all of that judging and I just don’t know it. My mouth is smarter then it speaks sometimes. But the point is all these things are affected in the roasting process. The good qualities of a coffee can be roasted right out of the bean and new ones can be brought into your cup. What you like is a very personal thing.
A general rule of thumb is that the darker the roast the less acidity and varietal distinction there will be. The body, aroma and complexity will decrease and the sweetness and pungency could increase. There are a few origins that are known to be wonderful all the way from a light roast to a dark roast. A good Kenyan coffee can hold its varietal distinction, complexity and depth. Most other origins of coffee cannot tolerate this darker roast and they are the best at lighter roasting temperatures, retaining the complexity, depth and varietal distainction.

So if you have a really great coffee roasted to 415°F to 435°F (Medium, Medium-high, American or Regular City) the best qualities are still present in the coffee. Why would you want them removed?

Start believing your taste buds; compare a French Roast to a Medium Roast of the same origin. You are the judge; don’t give into the French Roast Conspiracy.

For those of you who disagree with anything I have said here, now is your opportunity to chime in.

How do you like your coffee roasted? Why? Did you even know that there are different roast temperatures and that it would change the taste and aroma of your coffee?

Midwest Organic Coffee Company is offering a French Roast Taste Test to our clients. You will pick up your sample with your regular order. Watch for more details.

Quilts & Coffee

Coffee Tasting at the Marion Public Library for the National Quilting Day on Saturday, April 25, 8-3 p.m. Quilt Show specials of several of fresh roasted coffees are available for purchase at $5 & $6 packages. During the show I will speak about who Midwest Organic Coffee Company is and what a difference fresh roasted coffee can make in your cup. More informations at: info@midwestorganiccoffee.com