Costa Rica La Amistad!

by St. Johns Coffee

This past Tuesday, our new shipment of coffee arrived and within it, was the new coffee from Costa Rica. It just so happened that I had the roaster fired up so I couldn't resist putting this coffee to the test.

It passed with flying colors! It's called Costa Rica La Amistad. It has a delicious syrupy mouthfeel with notes of melon and caramel, with an emerging Meyer lemon note as it cools.

Hacienda la Amistad, located in Coto Brus, a canton in the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, is owned and operated by Roberto Montero, a third generation coffee farmer. 

  Roberto’s grandfather first came to the area in the early      1900's as part of a team surveying the border between Costa   Rica and the newly formed country of Panama. Roberto’s    grandfather later purchased over 10,000 hectares of land and   began to cultivate coffee. Roberto’s family has returned more   than 6,000 hectares of land to the government of Costa Rica    for the preservation of La Amistad International Park, the    largest natural reserve in Central America. Only 300 hectares  of land are utilized for coffee cultivation while the remainder of  the 4,000 hectare estate is preserved forest teeming with  wildlife. Roberto’s commitment to organic farming pairs harmoniously with his commitment to his community. During the coffee harvest, Roberto provides housing and free access to medical care for the seasonal pickers because most are indigenous people from Panama who come to La Amistad with their entire families. Roberto also takes pride in his ability to provide more than 100 full-time jobs to his neighbors from Las Mellizas, not only in coffee cultivation, but also in the dried fruit operation that he runs year round at La Amistad. Roberto hosts an annual employee celebration to recognize all their hard work and he also distributes school supplies to their children each year before school starts.
On Wednesday, we had the pleasure of a visit from a high school class from Denver, CO who were visiting Portland to explore, "What makes Oregon so Green". It was a really great group of students and teachers who were interested in the fact all our coffees are organic and fair trade and that we re-purpose our burlap coffee bags and compost all our coffee grounds.
A while back, I mentioned a new customer (Lulu's Cart) who was opening a food cart on NE Alberta. Well... they're officially open for business. Here is some information to temp you. :) Lula's  located at 1477 NE Alberta St. Portland, ORServing Farm to  Cart Fare with a Southern Accent.  Currently, they are serving  brunch on the weekends:Saturday and Sunday 9AM to 3  PM And very soon, they will be launching dinner! For brunch,  they are serving house made sourdough english  muffins classic style, with house cured bacon, eggs and  cheeses as well as a selection of sandwiches with some  seasonal offerings!

 

Their seasonal sandwich this past weekend had house cured bacon, egg, cotija cheese, fresh lemony sorrel and a smoky ancho chile sauce. They also offer a home plate with egg, bacon, and greens over cajun shredded hash-browns along with a quiche of the day and a fruit salad of the day. They serve up French Pressed St. Johns Coffee along with a house pressed juice of the day.

Brunch is classic American fare, but made from scratch in all the right places - the english muffins, the house cured bacon, made to order juice, etc. They are farmers themselves so supporting the little guys making and growing exceptional products is what they're all about. They buy direct as much as possible from growers like Kiyokawa Orchards, Maryhill Orchards, Rossi Family Farms and Carlton Farms.When they launch dinner, expect to see house made pasta, southern style home plates, and seasonal salads and soups! This is making me incredibly hungry!!!

 

And we'd also like to welcome two more new customers to our roster.

Sanchez Cantina at 10075 SW Barbur Blvd., Suite 7 in southwest Portland, 97129. Serving up great Mexican fare along with our cold brewed Latin Lovers Blend!

And coming SOON!!! Tired & Pour Coffee Company. Tired & Pour will also be located on NE  Alberta and in addition to serving our coffees, they create  some amazing Italian cookies called Pizzelles.

 And just a few notes to finish up -

 Jessica is at the Laurelhurst location of WholeFoods Market  today from 11 - 2, handing out samples of our coffees. If  you're in the area, stop by and say hello.

 This next week will be Ed's last so please stop by and wish  him well on his next adventure.

 We are in the process of working toward adding some  outdoor seating so, keep  your fingers crossed.

 And finally, Saturday May 9th, is the 53rd annual St. Johns Parade and Bizarre. It's always a fun day with lots of attractions and entertainment. And, it's the day before Mother's Day so stop in and get your momma some coffee!

Many thanks for your continued support. We really appreciate it.

Keep the coffee flowing!

Mount and Crew

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