What a week!
by St. Johns Coffee
What a week it has been! Typical of the Pacific Northwest, the weather has been all over the place. We began the week with sun, transitioning into cool wet conditions, more like October and now, we're back to sun with summertime temperatures. 
But it's made for some great coffee drinking weather. Of course, what isn't great coffee drinking weather? That said, we're ready for the weekend with lots of organic hot and cold-brewed coffees, teas and baked goods. We open at 7am tomorrow so one can get fueled before the opening of the St. John's Farmers Market at 9 am. 
And, we're in the process of looking into some ways to expand on our current food offerings. It won't be worked out by tomorrow but hopefully, very soon.
We received two shipments of coffee this week so we'll have some of those available this weekend for your drinking pleasure. Available will be the Honduras Alto De Los Santos as well as the Colombian Red Ecolsierra. This is the first time I've purchased a coffee from Honduras and must admit, after reading some of the information (pre-delivery), I was a little concerned.
However, we sampled it yesterday and it is DELICIOUS! A very pleasant surprise. In some ways it reminds me of a Colombian coffee in that it has a nice "round" body, despite being a medium roast. But it also delivers a very syrupy mouthfeel with notes of dried raisin and a very clean finish. 
Honduras Organic Alto de Los Santos coffee is sourced from a family-owned farm located near the town of Corquín within the department of Copan, Honduras. Joel López and Herminio Perdomo own and operate Alto de Los Santos. The farm is certified organic through HQC (Honduras Quality Coffees), which is a group of several independent coffee producers who do not belong to a cooperative. Alto de Los Santos is firmly committed to supporting the local community. Last year, Alto de Los Santos donated materials to the ministry of health and a small warehouse was built to store medical equipment and medication. Alto de Los Santos is currently partnering with members of neighboring communities near Corquín to distribute water filtration systems.
The Colombian coffee is the Fair Trade Organic Red Ecolsierra. This Colombian is pretty typical of specialty Colombian coffees providing a full body, bold chocolate with notes of orange zest, anise and nuts with a pleasing acidity. 
Colombia FTO Red Ecolsierra is sourced from members of La Red de Productores Ecológicos de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (RED ECOLSIERRA), which is an association established in 2001 by a group of small coffee producers living within the municipality of Santa Marta located in the department of Magdalena, Colombia. In addition to coffee, RED ECOLSIERRA cultivates cacao and honey. RED ECOLSIERRA also provides technical support for organic certification.
Next week we expect to receive our new logo diner mugs. Barring any unforeseen hurdles, we should have them in-stock for next weekend. And on the subject of coffee merchandise, the price of our Baratza burr grinders has gone (I hope you're sitting down), down. Yes, that correct. We've lowered them.
If you've considered upgrading from your ole slash-and-burn blade grinder, now is the perfect time. Here's a great article on selecting the right grinder for your use. We have several of the Encore and Virtuoso models in stock.
We always try to "go-the-extra-mile" when it comes to customer service because, that's just the way it should be done. This past week, a customer felt compelled to post his experience on Yelp. It's gratifying to know our efforts are appreciated.
"So I tend to run super late when it comes to catching the 16 bus right in front of St. John's Coffee roasters. I also am not a big coffee drinker, so I don't account for needing time to stop and get coffee. Anyways, I was headed to the bus stop, I live near the grocery outlet, and catch the Bus in front of SJCR. As I was a block away from my stop I realized I might have enough time to get some coffee but wasn't sure if they would have a line in SJCR, when I got there I saw they didn't. I quickly ordered my iced americano, waited outside so I could see if my bus would be coming, then when I saw that it was, I told the cute red headed cashier I wasn't gonna be able to grab my coffee and would possibly grab it the next morning if that was okay. They said yes and started saying something else but I walked out for fear that I might miss the bus. As I was waiting for the bus I see someone out of the corner of my eye as I was being a loser with my phone glued to my hand roaming the inter webs. It was the lovely red headed girl cashier walking up with my coffee! It was such a pleasant surprise and completely unexpected. They weren't above and beyond what they needed to. I feel bad only tipping 1$ now lol but my coffee was only 2.75 I believe. Regardless I was completely caught off guard and appreciate so much that they were willing to do that for me. Now I will be able to start my day with some energy. Being a restaurant manager of a busy restaurant and also being a cook of another busy restaurant I rarely see any sleep. Especially now that I have been taking the bus. So thank you cute red headed cashier girl :) you are the best. Keep up the good work! If you're the owners of SJCR or manager, make sure to keep this young lady around, meh I'm young myself but anyways. She's a valuable employee who did more then she had to in the name of customer service. THATS rare. Lol
Thanks guys!"
For those of you who enjoy jazz piano, don't forget that Jon Mayer will be performing this Thursday evening at Classic Pianos at SE Powell Blvd and Milwaukie Ave. (next to the Aladdin Theater), beginning at 7:30 pm. 
Tickets are only $15 and may be purchased by calling Peggie at Classic Pianos, 503.546.5622 or via e-mail, peggie@classicportland.com. The performance begins at 7:30 pm and usually runs a couple hours.
Not only is Jon an amazing pianist but he establishes a great rapport with his audiences and is a very humble figure despite the fact he's played with jazz greats Kenny Dorham, Tony Scott, Pete LaRoca, John Coltrane, Chet Baker, Kenny Clarke, Thad Jones, Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughan, The Manhattan Transfer, Ron Carter, Billy Higgins... You get the idea.
And the venue that Classic Pianos provides is the best! A small, intimate room that only accommodates 100 people. Last time I heard Jon perform there, they had set him up with a 9 foot Schimmel grand piano which was an amazing instrument.
Starting in July, look for our special offer in the new on-line version of Chinook Book!
In the meantime, indulge yourself with a home delivery of fresh roasted coffee. Each Wednesday, we deliver fresh roasted organic and fair trade coffees to customers' homes and businesses within the 97203, 97211 and 97217 zip codes, for no additional charge.
All one needs to do is submit the order by Monday morning before 9 am, and we'll have it on your doorstep, bright and early Wednesday morning. What a way to start one's day!
What are you waiting for? Indulge yourself. You deserve it.
Have a fabulous week and keep the coffee flowing!
Mount & crew