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BREWING COFFEE
Just like in our coffee grinding blog, there are some basics we have to go over first. So, before we get into how to brew your own “just cup”, let’s go over those basics. I’d also like to thank the many Thanksgiving employees who contributed info from past articles so that we could have this educational piece on brewing delicious coffee: Jacob Long, Marchelo Bresciani and Paul Katzeff.
1. Coffee to Water Ratio
“What? I’ve just been pouring copious amounts of grounds into a filter and adding a few cups of water.” I’d like to think we’ve all been there. At least I have, before I started working at Thanksgiving Coffee Company. But hopefully we caught you early enough to steer you in the right direction. 😉
Using the correct amount of coffee will ensure that your coffee is brewed to strength, without over-extracting or under-extracting the coffee to compensate for an inappropriate dose. While we do recommend weighing 2 grams of coffee for every fluid ounce of water, we understand that not everyone has a scale at home. And if you don’t, just estimate about 2 heaping tablespoons of ground coffee for every 5 ounces of water used to brew.
2. Grind Size (yes, this again)
This is one of the most important steps in coffee brewing. In general, a finer grind will produce a more intense brew and a coarser grind will produce a less intense brew. At the same time, a grind that is too fine will produce an over-extracted, astringent brew, and a grind that is too coarse will produce a weak, under-extracted brew lacking flavor. In pour-over methods, grind size also affects the rate of extraction, as water will pass more slowly through a finer grind, and more quickly through a coarser grind. We strongly recommend burr grinders over blade grinders. For more information on this, see our last blog “How to Grind Coffee“.
3. Water Temperature + Quality
This one is a little bit more straight-forward. Water temperature dramatically affects the extraction of coffee’s flavor during brewing. We recommend brewing with water at 200° Fahrenheit for best results. Using fresh, clean, chlorine-free water is essential.
4. Coffee Freshness and Storage
Coffee is very sensitive to heat, moisture, and oxygen. It should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. For best results, grind coffee fresh, just before brewing.
Staling is caused, in order of most harmful to least harmful
- Exposure to air (Oxidization)
- Exposure to heat
- Exposure to moisture
- Exposure to light
…and, if you address the problems of Air, Heat, and Moisture correctly, then Light will have little effect on your coffee. Read more about storing your coffee here.
5. Cleaning
This is the last one – of the basics – and it’s pretty easy. Because coffee contains numerous oils that build up over time, we recommend thoroughly cleaning your brewing and grinding equipment after each use. This guarantees the best, freshest cup of coffee every time.
So… we covered all the basics. I know it’s a lot, but we still have all of the brewing methods to cover from stovetop espresso to cold brewing. Stay tuned for part two, and we’ll help you discover which method is best for you and why.
Coffee Tips : How to Brew Coffee - Part I
BREWING COFFEE Just like in our coff...
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![ASOCAFE : Caranavi, Bolivia]()
ASOCAFE
Perched atop fertile mountain ridges in the foothills east of the Andes, 300 farming families produce one of Bolivia’s sweetest coffees under the shade of lush jungle canopy. These farmers are members of ASOCAFE, a cooperative founded in 1990 in an effort to improve the quality of the area’s coffee and, consequently, price and income for farmers.
Caranavi province is the heartland of Bolivia’s coffee production. Rivers that flow from glaciers 4,000 meters above carve deep valleys and create an ideal landscape for the cultivation of exquisite coffee. The farmers of ASOCAFE grow prized varietals on their small farms and transport their carefully hand-picked coffee to central processing stations, where, under the watchful eye of the cooperative’s staff, the ripe cherries are depulped, fermented, washed, and sun-dried.
Farmer Facts
- Co-op: ASOCAFE
- Region: Caranavi
- Altitude: 800-1,800 meters
- Processing: Wet / Washed
- Varietal: Typica, Caturra, Catui
It is a light roast with sweet, citrus, chocolate and ripe papaya flavors.
ASOCAFE : Caranavi, Bolivia
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![CENFROCAFE : Cajamarca, Peru]()
CENFROCAFE
High in the lush mountains of northern Peru, on the rugged eastern flank of the Andes, two thousand family farmers produce coffee under the dense shade of guavas, acacias, orange, and banana trees. These farmers are members of CENFROCAFE, an association of over 80 small cooperatives working together to produce one of the finest coffees in Peru, while stewarding the surrounding mountain ecosystem.
The province of Cajamarca has long been the backbone of Peru’s economy due to its vast mineral wealth. Unfortunately, these days, modern mining techniques despoil the earth and surrounding rivers and forests. The cultivation of high quality organic coffee has become the key to Cajamarca’s economic and environmental sustainability, and the farmers of CENFROCAFE are leaders in this effort.
The members of CENFROCAFE carefully pick ripe cherries, depulp, ferment, wash and dry their coffee on their small farms ranging in size from one to three acres. The result is a finely crafted coffee with hints of honey, papaya, and milk chocolate complimented by a soft citric acidity.
Farmer Facts
- Co-op: CENFROCAFE
- Region: Cajamarca
- Altitude: 1,700 – 2,000 meters
- Processing: Wet / Washed
- Varietal: Caturra, Typica, Yellow Catui
Try their coffee with hints of honey, papaya, and milk chocolate complimented by a soft citric acidity.
CENFROCAFE : Cajamarca, Peru
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![ORO VERDE : San Martín, Peru]()
ORO VERDE
Located in the lush mountains of Nor Oriente in the high Peruvian Amazon ORO VERDE Cooperative farms produce green coffee with organic certification and environmental responsibility for the world. With more than two-thirds of the cooperative's membership belonging to the Chanca Lamista indigenous group speaking their native language - Quechua.
ORO VERDE was originaly founded in 1999 by 56 members based in the province of Lamas, in the San Martín region of the Andes. The cooperative now brings together more than 1,000 families of small-scale coffee growers to produce one of the finest coffees in Peru, while stewarding the surrounding mountain ecosystem.
Leaders in cooperative organic agriculture, Oro Verde provides services to its partners with respect for gender, and with solidarity for multicultural ways of being. The coffee crops are managed under shade protecting the biodiversity of the tropics. Along with many other projects they are working to Reforest their habitat, and have managed to reforest 2.0 million native trees in their region so far.
The members of ORO VERDE carefully pick ripe cherries, depulp, ferment, wash and dry their coffee on their small farms ranging in size from one to three acres. The result is a finely crafted coffee with hints of honey, papaya, and milk chocolate complimented by a soft citric acidity.
FARMER FACTS
- Co-op: Oro Verde
- Region: San Martín, Peru
- Altitude: 350 – 2,000 meters
- Processing: Wet / Washed
- Varietal: Bourbon, Caturra and Catimor
COFFEES FROM ORO VERDE
SINGLE ORIGIN
Try their coffee with hints of honey, papaya, and milk chocolate complimented by a soft citric acidity.
BLENDS
ORO VERDE : San Martín, Peru
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![SOPACDI : Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo]()
SOPACDI
SOPACDI (Solidarité Paysanne pour la Promotion des Actions Café et Développement Intégral) was created in 2002. This coffee co-op is located on Lake Kivu, straddling the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. It is comprised of various ethnic groups, who all share one vision: to transform the socio-economic conditions of their families, community, and to foster inclusivity with transparency to produce exceptional coffee for their customers.
SOPACDI process their coffee with a Rwandan style fermentation, with nothing added. The coffee goes through three distinct processes; a Dry fermentation – in a concrete tank for 24 hours, then a Wet fermentation – where the beans soak in a second tank for 12 hours with water, then a Final a wet fermentation – in a third tank for 12 more hours. Once these fermentation processes are complete, the coffee is fully washed and dried on raised African drying beds for 4-8 days, depending on the weather.
SOPACDI now has over 12,100 Farmers with 3964 of them women. SOPACDI is the only cooperative in Kivu with 4 certifications. In 10 years time, the guidance of small farmers allowed SOPACDI to contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of its members, such as schooling, housing, the pacification of ethnic groups, the creation of youth jobs, the fight against smuggling on Lake Kivu, and the promotion of women and pygmy rights, and is a leader in promoting gender equality and helping revitalize the country's coffee economy. SOPACDI is the very first certified Fairtrade co-op in the DRC and is the 2014 Sustainability Award Recipient from the Specialty Coffee Association of America.
FARMER FACTS
- Co-op: SOPACDI
- Region: Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa
- Altitude: 1,460- 2,000 meters
- Processing: Wet Processed
- Varietal: Bourbon
COFFEE FROM SOPACDI
SINGLE ORIGIN
Try this coffee with milk chocolate, balanced richness, and a lasting finish.
SOPACDI : Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
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![LAS LAJAS : Alajuela, Costa Rica]()
LAS LAJAS
The owners of Las Lajas, Oscar and Francisca Chacón, are third-generation coffee farmers known for their highly differentiated processes that produce spectacular coffees. Most notable are their wild and juicy naturals along with their complex and rich honey-processed coffees. The Las Lajas farm is nestled in the foothills of the Poas Volcano, located outside the town of Sabanilla in central Costa Rica.
The name Las Lajas comes from the Spanish version of an Arabic word for the indigenous-crafted stone artifacts found on the farm when it was first planted. In total, 38 hectares of land are divided into several parcels, each of which grow various shade tree species and create unique micro-climates. In addition, different lots process coffee differently—some naturally, others either honey or washed. Las Lajas’s farming diversity allows the farm to create several distinct products with different characteristics all within a contained area. There is a rich tradition of coffee farming in the Chacón family: generations have owned and produced coffee on their land for more than 80 years.
After the tragic loss of their father due to pesticide-caused illness in 1980, Oscar and Francisca made the conscious decision to do what their hearts told them was best for their family. The two began growing organically. This decision to grow organically was difficult at first because there were no premiums paid for organics at the time. The two risked financial stability. As pioneers, the Chacón family saw the value in building a healthier farm. Today, many farmers and cooperatives benefit from the risk Oscar and Francisca and other farmers took many years ago. Las Lajas was one of the first farms to produce organic coffee and remains one of the only certified-organic farms in Costa Rica.
FARMER FACTS
Buying Coffee from LAS LAJAS since 2020
- Co-op: LAS LAJAS
- Region: Alajuela, Costa Rica
- Altitude: 1,300 meters
- Processing: Honey Processed
- Varietal: Bourbon
COFFEE FROM LAS LAJAS
SINGLE ORIGIN
Try this coffee for a Milk Chocolate, Full Body Experience.
LAS LAJAS : Alajuela, Costa Rica
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![AGROBERLIN: Santa Marta, Columbia]()
AGROBERLIN
Finca Agroberlin is on Colombia’s highest snow peaked mountain Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, situated at the northern tip of Colombia, this area is considered one of South America’s richest in biodiversity and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Dario Delgado and his family have owned and operated a 136-acre estate called La Cabaña since 1998.
All coffee from Agroberlin Farm is shade grown under Guamo, Pacaya, Carbonero trees and other native shade trees (rustic Polyculture). It is naturally fertilized with carefully prepared compost originating from coffee pulp and manure. This special coffee is fermented for a period of 14-18 hours, washed and dried at the farm's wet mill and patios. It is meticulously milled and graded to standards at the farm owned dry mill in Santa Marta.
Migrating songbirds need a place to rest on their long journeys and shade-grown coffee is one way to ensure that their precious habitats are being preserved. The Finca Argoberlin bird friendly coffee estate in the Santa Marta region of Colombia protects 46 hectares of prime migratory bird habitat.
FARMER FACTS
Buying coffee from AGROBERLIN since 2015
- Co-op: AGROBERLIN
- Region: Santa Marta, Columbia
- Altitude: 1,300-1,800 meters
- Processing: Washed
- Varietal: Typica, Caturra and Castillo
COFFEE FROM AGROBERLIN
SINGLE ORIGIN
Try this coffee for a toasted, spicy and dark chocolate experience while supporting Songbirds.
BLEND
This is an excellent breakfast blend or complement to any chocolate dessert - a great way to start off your day.
AGROBERLIN: Santa Marta, Columbia
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![Single Origin Club : Las Lajas, Costa Rica]()
Costa Rica Las Lajas – August Single Origin Club
Costa Rica, Beneficio Las Lajas
What is a Single Origin coffee? Simply put, these coffees are defined by the place they come from.
Single Origin coffees are from a specific farm or group of farms that make up small cooperatives. You’ll find that most of our Single Origin coffees are light roasted since this brings out their unique aromas and flavor notes.
This month, we’re sharing our Costa Rica Las Lajas with you, grown and honey processed by Beneficio Las Lajas in Central Costa Rica.- Farm: Beneficio Las Lajas
- Altitude: 1,300-1,600 meters
- Processing: Honey-processed
About the Farm
This family owned farm is located in Central Costa Rica, at about 1,300 meter altitude. Las Lajas was born in 1936 by the Chacón family and has been in the hard-working hands of husband and wife team, Francisca and Oscar Chacón, since the early nineties.
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Gedeb is light roasted locally at Thanksgiving Coffee and delivers peachy and milk chocolate flavor notes with a graham cracker finish.
Not ready to join the Single Origin Club? Make a one-time purchase of Beneficio Las Lajas.
BUY NOWSingle Origin Club : Las Lajas, Costa Rica
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![Mendocino Trail Stewards Update]()
Mendocino Trail Stewards Update
Mendocino Trail Stewards Reflects on Progress
by Chad Swimmer – President
July 10, 2021, marks sixteen months since the founding of the Mendocino Trail Stewards–488 days that have changed my world irrevocably. It wasn’t just that six mountain bikers gathered around a table then somehow matured to a coalition which has grabbed the attention of the highest levels of the state government. It wasn’t only the pandemic, the acceleration of climate change, the barely averted July 6 Capitol Hill putsch. It wasn’t vapor trail-less blue skies turning apocalyptic orange, the shattering of heat records across the Pacific Northwest, the dying of billions of clams and mussels.
It was a greater transformation, a surprising ray of hope for the future, an unlikely group of strangers joining hands and hearts into an unexpectedly effective coalition, one which includes the Pomo People, young children, once-retired forest activists, and climate scientists, among others. The Coalition to Save Jackson State Forest has struck a chord with our push for accountability, tribal rights, and a legislative solution to the California Department of Forestry’s (CDF) mismanagement of our beloved public lands. Fueled by a pervasive rage at the Trump Administration’s incessantly racist crisis-mongering and by the powerlessness we all felt with Covid-19 sweeping the nation, our ranks have boomed.We have opened the door on an issue right in our backyards, one combining our love of the redwood forest with our greatest fear: climate-driven annihilation.
From 18-year old Greasy Pete, who climbed into Mama Tree’s branches and captured the imaginations of thousands on April 9, to 5-year old Jory, our youngest activist hero, to Paul and Joan Katzeff, whose Redwood Forest Reserve Blend Coffee has kept me organizing late into the night. From the prayers and blessings of Priscilla and Michael Hunter of the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo, the tireless work of their lawyer and ally Polly Girvin, to U’ilani Wesley’s proud chants echoing through the groves, the people of Mendocino County are again at the forefront of change.
CDF has been forced to take notice and they are fighting back, but we still have the moral upper hand. Members of the Mama Tree Network and Redwood Nation Earth First! have repeatedly stopped timber harvest operations, saving thousands of trees and frustrating forest managers. Public comments submitted to CDF have delayed the approval of the controversial Little North Fork Big River and Mitchell Creek plans by months–and hopefully indefinitely. We have overwhelmed California Natural Resource Agency meetings with our calls for change.
Where we go from here is uncertain, but our aim is high. We are drafting litigation to rewrite the Forest Practices Act for the entire State of California, righting historic wrongs and paving the way for this forest to become our ally in protecting our children’s future. Join us for our first ever Caspar Forest Fest, on July 31, from 1:00 to 7:00 at the Caspar Community Center for music, speakers, food, kids’ fun, and to find out how you can become a part of it. Hope to see you there!
Join us for our first ever Caspar Forest Fest
July 31, from 1:00 to 7:00
at the Caspar Community Center
Mendocino Trail Stewards are working to create a visionary model demonstration forest on the Northern California Coast, the Mendocino Coast Redwood Forest Reserve, 20,000 acres of second growth coast redwood forest, preserved in perpetuity for the demonstration of how humans and nature can partner to:
- Fight Climate Change
- Restore Degraded Ecosystems
- Promote Spiritual & Mental Health
- Support Sustainable Economies
Sign the petition and add your voice to the movement to #createthereserve.
The Coffee
The Mendocino Trail Stewards’
Redwood Forest Reserve Blend
When you drink this coffee, your purchase supports Mendocino Trail Stewards’ efforts to create the Redwood Forest Reserve.
Medium Roast
A big, bold, sweet and fruity cup of coffee – with a long finish.
Your purchase supports forest conservation efforts by Mendocino Trail Stewards.
Buy this coffee
Dark Roast
A bold, sweet blend with hints of nuts, chocolate, and caramel.
Your purchase supports forest conservation efforts by Mendocino Trail Stewards.
Buy this coffee
Decaf
Complex and sweet enough to enjoy straight, yet bold enough to punch through milk.
Your purchase supports forest conservation efforts by Mendocino Trail Stewards.
Buy this coffeeMendocino Trail Stewards Update
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![Iced Lavender Latte Recipe]()
Iced Lavender Latte Recipe
Iced Lavender Latte
Ingredients:
- 1 shot espresso
- 4-6 oz. milk or milk alternative (oat, almond, soy)
- 1-2 tsp lavender flavoring
- 2 drops purple food coloring (optional)
- dried lavender for garnish (optional)
Directions:
To make the lavender milk – pour about 4 oz of milk or milk alternative into a glass or container, adding in 1 tsp of lavender flavoring and purple food coloring. stir, or use milk frother for a fluffier finish.
Add ice into a new glass, and add in your espresso. Pour your lavender milk over the espresso, add in more lavender syrup to taste, and garnish with dried lavender.
Enjoy!
Iced Lavender Latte Recipe
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![Roastmaster's Select: Sumatra, Sara Até]()
Roastmaster’s Select: Sumatra, Sara Até
Sumatra, Sara Até
Each month, our Roastmaster, Jacob Long, hand-picks fresh and unique micro lot coffees that we deliver straight to your doorstep. “What is a micro lot,” you ask? Read up on how we source the beans and what happens when they reach our roastery.
Jacob’s selection this month is a medium roast from the Sara Até Cooperative in Sumatra. By roasting the Sara Até to a medium roast level, he coaxed out a rich, full body, and discovered a maple syrup sweetness and a lingering complex finish.
Join the Roastmaster’s Select Club to begin your coffee journey around the world.
- Altitude: 1,000-1,500 meters/3,280-4,920 feet
- Processing: Wet Hulled, "Giling Basah"
- Producer: Sara Até Cooperative
- Region: Villages near Takengon, Aceh
About the Farm
At an altitude of about 1,500 meters sits the Sara Até Cooperative in the Villages near Takengon, Aceh, northern Sumatra. Sara Até was founded in 2011 and consists of 500+ members. The coffee is processed in a technique called ‘wet hulling’ or ‘giling basah’ in Indonesian. This is not to be confused with wet processing. Wet hulling is similar to wet processing initially – with the first steps of picking and pulping the coffee beans, then fermenting in order to break down the fruity layer of the coffee cherry called the mucilage, which is washed off the next day. The difference is, the drying process is much shorter in wet-hulling and it’s only dried until 50% of the moisture remains, resulting in lower acidity levels and more flavor and aroma.
Roastmaster's Select: Sumatra, Sara Até
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![Ethiopia Yirgacheffe – July Single Origin Club]()
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe – July Single Origin Club
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Gedeb
What is a Single Origin coffee? Simply put, these coffees are defined by the place they come from.
Single Origin coffees are from a specific farm or group of farms that make up small cooperatives. You’ll find that most of our Single Origin coffees are light roasted since this brings out their unique aromas and flavor notes.
- Cooperative: Worka Cooperative, YCFCU
- Altitude: 2,000+ meters/4600-6,500+ feet
- Processing: Washed, dried in raised beds
About the Farm
Located in southern Ethiopia at about 2,000 meters above sea level sits the Worka Cooperative, comprised of around 411 members, and is part of the larger Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union (YCFCU). The Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Gedeb coffee is picked and pulped and washed on the same day, then to be dried in raised beds for no more than seven days.
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Gedeb is light roasted locally at Thanksgiving Coffee and delivers peachy and milk chocolate flavor notes with a graham cracker finish.
Not ready to join the Single Origin Club? Make a one-time purchase of Ethiopia Yirgacheffe.
BUY NOW
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe – July Single Origin Club
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![The Coffee that Gives Thanks]()
The Coffee that Gives Thanks
Giving Thanks
You probably know this already. There is a common misconception about our company name where people think that it means we are all about the holiday in November. We like turkey and family gatherings just fine, but our name means something else. Something more.
It is about Giving Thanks with Coffee.
Our logo, the cornucopia and the cup, symbolize the sharing of a farmer’s bounty. It is the beautiful harvest from farmers and co-ops who love their coffee trees, that pours into every cup of Thanksgiving Coffee.
A just cup indeed.
Our logo, the cornucopia and the cup, symbolize the sharing of a farmer’s bounty. It is the beautiful harvest from farmers and co-ops who love their coffee trees, that pours into every cup of Thanksgiving Coffee.
A just cup indeed.
So what does it mean to “give thanks with coffee”?
We give to coffee farmers through fair trade practices, through projects at origin which aim to improve their quality of life, and by supporting them through the hard times. We do this because it is the right thing to do, and as a result of this care, the quality of our coffee is unparalleled.
Beyond the thanks we give to coffee farmers, we give thanks WITH coffee through our Cause Coffee partnerships. Each Cause Coffee represents a community that is doing the hard work to make our world a better place, and they need as much support as they can get. We recognized an opportunity to help these communities, and have created many Cause Coffees which provide support for their hard work by donating 20% of every package of their coffee we sell online- to give them thanks, with coffee.
You probably know about our Cause Coffee partnerships with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (Gorilla Fund), the American Birding Association (Song Bird), the American Wild Horse Campaign (Wild Grounds), the Bee Bold Alliance (Bee Bold), and Defenders of Wildlife (Save Our Wolves). They each do amazing work, and we are thrilled to have provided them support over the years.
What you may not know about are some of the smaller organizations we have partnered with, but no worries, I’ll introduce you:
The Mendocino Land Trust (Fog Dodger), whose mission is to conserve and restore valuable natural resources of the Mendocino County region. They are dedicated to providing public access to the coast and protecting working farmlands and forests, wildlife habitat, open space, scenic vistas and watersheds.
The Point Cabrillo Lightkeepers Association (Lightkeepers Blend), whose mission is to manage, protect, restore, interpret, and provide public access to the historic Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park, and to assist State Parks in maintenance of the historic structures and gardens to ensure this national treasure for current and future generations.
Baby Rhino Rescue (Baby Rhino Rescue Coffee), who work with the real people on the front lines: the rangers in the bush, the vets caring for the injured orphaned rhinos, the sanctuary experts rehabilitating traumatized rhinos; who are all working together to save rhinos from extinction.
You can find their Cause Coffees online with the links above, and I encourage you to read more about them and to support their work. It is your support that puts the “giving” in Thanksgiving Coffee. We really could not do any of this without you.
Thank you!
The Coffee that Gives Thanks
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![Pollinator Week Partner Post]()
Here is a post from our Bee Bold Alliance partner Conservation Works, with a highlight on our collaborative efforts to restore biodiversity and support local food systems with youth.
Stitching Together Bee Patches of Pollinator Habitat
By Oona Heacock, Executive Director of Conservation Works
On a foggy morning along the Westport Headlands Park, Conservation Works volunteer Joan Wier sets up tools for a group of Bee Bold Youth Core teens and their parents as they gather to plant a new habitat garden for bees. As the teens arrive at this dramatic seaside park, Joan guides them around the perimeter of the future garden, hanging string around wooden stakes that the group pounds into the mowed grass to form the shape of a whale in honor of the Westport Whale Festival held each year at this site. A Bee Patch is being created.
“The trick is to plant 3 foot blocks of the same kind of flower to attract pollinators and plant four seasons of bloom,” Weir explained. She went on to demonstrate how to hand grub the grassy headlands site to expose soil and then directed one mom and daughter pair to cast native lupin seeds directly onto the soil while others mixed seeds with clay to form little seed bombs which later would be rolled onto the site at the end of the day.
Bees are struggling. Multiple factors are causing this decline, but coming together as a community and involving youth to plant a “Bee Patch” of native flowering plants along with clean water and places to rest and nest along our farms, parks and homes can make all the difference in restoring healthy bee populations.
Conservation Works believes that the likelihood of long-term environmental sustainability of our pollinators needs to involve the next generation. Our Bee Patches program energizes youth to choose to be environmental stewards throughout their life, and nurtures them to become the change-makers for taking direct action to reverse the downward spiral in pollinator populations.
Bees inspire a sense of wonder and fascination in most of us and can be a good way to introduce youth and community groups of any age and background to the larger natural world. Bees can be found in any landscape. We will never see most of these furry little wildlife because they’re fast, often small, and nest underground. But take a summer stroll out in your garden or at a local park and you’re likely to spot more bees than you can count. Other beneficial insects and hummingbirds use a garden, too, as it’s a busy oasis of year-round habitat and food resources. Planting a garden is a powerful way to take local action and provide an offset to mounting, worldwide pollinator declines.
Everyone can take action with Conservation Works and the Bee Bold Alliance during National Pollinator Week by growing pollinator-friendly flowers, providing nest and rest sites, avoiding pesticides, and spreading the word. And don’t forget to make your commitment official by becoming a Pollinator Protector. Make your pledge.
Pollinator Week Partner Post
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![Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and the Mustangs]()
I met my first wild horse in a movie theatre in Greenwich Village in 1963.
The story behind Wild Grounds Coffee
By Paul Katzeff, Co-Founder & Roastmaster Emeritus
He was on the wrong end of a lasso being held by Clark Gable. The horse was bucking and raising up on his hind legs, pulling desperately away from his capture. Marilyn Monroe was pulling on Clark’s hand pleading for the horses freedom. Clark was determined to get his horse and another payday. The Name of the Movie was The Misfits and was about three Aging Cowpokes who once made their living capturing Mustangs and selling them into the slaughter houses for meat. In this movie they complained about how the horses were no longer in abundance , hard to find and it was impossible to make a decent days pay capturing the ‘things’. Maralyn was as beautiful as the horses eyes, fierce now but with long lashes and deep deep soft eyes. Marilyn was beautiful but it was the Mustang, fighting for her freedom, that stole my heart,
Today, 58 years later there is a similar story playing out on the millions of square miles of rangeland between the western slope of the Rocky Mountains and the Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevadas. Today it is not aging cowboys in Pick up trucks and lassos , but Federal Agents in Helicopters rounding up entire herds of free horses and burros and their children, often in the chaos separating family members or driving the horses to their death in the frenzy. Hay Feds, what’s the problem?
The round ups gather the horses into corals so they wont compete for the space grassland feed out there on the range. Thet range is for the Beef Cattle ! Our government leases our citizen owned land to cattle ranchers they can make money selling beef to our meat eating society of which I must admit , I am one. The cost of feeding jailed Mustangs is estimated to be in the billions. And why, when the 1970 Congress afforded Mustangs America’s protection, has all the Bureau of Land Management continued to harass the best symbols of freedom we have ?
A horse has eyes that tell a story. Each of us who have looked into the eyes of a Mustang will never forget the moment , never.
Yes, it happened for me long ago in a movie theatre but last October, on the way from Northern California to Phoenix to play baseball , I pulled my car onto a a sandy dirt road to nowhere and drove into the dessert just to see what was out there on that dirt road to nowhere. About five miles in, there they were ! Three magnificent free roaming Mustangs …and they were looking at me from a hill about a home runs distance away. I stopped, my heart jumping , I exited my car and laid down on the very hot sand and stared back. Finally, the circle was complete. I saw them alive and free.
Who belongs on that land we, as citizens own but have delegated the responsibility for their safety to The Bureau of Land Management to secure ? And why has the BLM chosen to represent the Cattle Industry and not our Mustangs?
When I discovered that others of my kind were fighting for them too, we joined the American Wild Horse Campaign and created a coffee package to tell coffee lovers whose side we were on. As with our other Cause Coffee programs, we wanted to empower our customers to help raise funds and awareness for this important work.
Horse and stuntman in the 1960 film "The Misfits"
Every time you purchase a package of AWHC coffee, Thanksgiving Coffee Company donates $3.00 to the AWHC.
When we are a bit further past this COVID-19 Pandemic we are planning a visit, jointly with AWHC staff, to visit and see these magnificent spirits up close. I hope you will be able to come with us. Until then, buy their coffee and know you are on the bus with us. And let me use that old expression , “The steak is as good as the sizzle “ when I say that the coffee inside the package is as good as it gets. You be the judge.
Wild Grounds Coffee
supports the American Wild Horse Campaign
The American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) is dedicated to preserving American wild horses and burros in viable free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage.
Since 2004, this organization has been raising awareness and making change for America’s wild horses. Thanksgiving Coffee Company has partnered with them to create Wild Grounds, a cause coffee to save the wild horses.
Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and the Mustangs
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![Lawrence's Cold Brew & Bourbon Cocktail]()
Lawrence’s Cold Brew & Bourbon Cocktail Recipe.
Yields 1 drink
- 1 1/2 ounces cold brew coffee concentrate*
- 1 ounce bourbon
- 1 ounce heavy cream
- 1/2 ounce maple syrup
- Ice
- Ground Nutmeg
Add the coffee, bourbon, cream and maple syrup to a cocktail shaker (or other airtight container) with ice. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds. Strain out the ice, pour into a glass and top with ground nutmeg.
Note: If you want to make this to serve a crowd, adjust the recipe using 3 parts cold brew coffee concentrate, 2 parts bourbon, 2 parts heavy cream and 1 part maple syrup.
*Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
You can easily make cold brew coffee using a Toddy Cold Brewer. However, if you don’t have a Toddy, here’s an alternative method that uses a French Press.
- 1 cup coarsely ground coffee
- 4 cups cold water
Add coffee to a French Press. Pour the cold water over the grounds, ensuring that all of the grounds get wet. Let steep overnight, or for 8-16 hours. After coffee has steeped, use the plunger on the French Press to strain your coffee.
Pour brewed coffee concentrate into a container that can be covered and stored in your refrigerator. leftover refrigerated for up to two weeks used make iced lattes baked goods and other treats
With Summer coming in hot, we figured a nice, cool coffee cocktail would help to cool us all down.
Snap a photo of your coffee creation and tag us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter @ajustcup
Lawrence began working for Thanksgiving Coffee in 2001, having returned from Ireland and in need of a job. He drove a delivery truck for Thanksgiving for two years and then moved into the main plant where he became an accounts rep, a position he holds now. He’s written copy for the company, proof read (skills he acquired while an editor for McGraw Hill in Los Angeles) and has also done various research projects for Thanksgiving such as cold brew, process steps for ready to drink beverages, and is currently at work on doing research on the current trend of “snap chilled” coffee.
Lawrence's Cold Brew & Bourbon Cocktail
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![Roastmaster's Select: Finca La Cabaña]()
Roastmaster's Select: Finca La Cabaña
Finca La Cabaña (June 2021)
Each month, our Roastmaster, Jacob Long, hand-picks fresh and unique micro lot coffees to bless your taste buds. “What is a micro lot,” you ask? Read up on how we source the beans and what happens when they reach our roastery.
This June, some of the finest Colombian coffee is making its way to your doorstep, straight from the Thanksgiving Coffee roastery! Join the Roastmaster’s Select Club to begin your coffee journey around the world, this month with our Finca La Cabaña Colombian coffee.
- Altitude: 1100-1300 meters/4500-6000 feet
- Processing: Fully washed, dried in solar dryers
- Producer: Dario Delgado – La Cabaña
- Region: Magdalena, Colombia
About the Farm
In the mountains of Northern Colombia sits the La Cabaña farm at about 4500-6000 feet, which is an ideal micro-climate for growing the highest quality Arabica. The farm has a dense over story of native trees allowing for sanctuary of migratory song birds and has been certified by the Smithsonian as “Bird Friendly”. -Roastmaster, Jacob Long
Roastmaster's Select: Finca La Cabaña
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![Kenya Nyeri Peaberry – June Single Origin Club]()
Kenya Nyeri Peaberry – June Single Origin Club
Kenya Nyeri Peaberry
What is a Single Origin coffee? Simply put, these coffees are defined by the place they come from. Single Origin coffees are from a specific farm or group of farms that make up small cooperatives. You’ll find that most of our Single Origin coffees are light roasted since this brings out their unique aromas and flavor notes.
We are thrilled to share the fascinating stories behind each coffee. This month, Roastmaster, Jacob Long, hand-picked our Kenya Nyeri Peaberry coffee, which also happens to be one of our 2017 Roaster of the Year award winners! Join our Single Origin Club now to have only the finest of coffees delivered to your doorstep each month.
About the Farm
This Kenyan coffee is grown on the eastern slopes of Aberdares mountain ranges in Nyeri County, Kenya by the family-owned farms of the Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society Limited (FCS). Established in 1956, FCS has more than 14,000 members who generally have half acre plots averaging 250 coffee trees.
Kenya Nyeri Peaberry has a unique mouthfeel with hints of milk chocolate, ripe orange and caramel.
Altitude: 1400-1800 meters/4600-5900 feet
Processing: Washed, dried in raised beds
Cooperative: Othaya Farmers Co-op, Society Limited
Kenya Nyeri Peaberry – June Single Origin Club
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![4th Annual World Bee Day - Live Stream]()
World Bee Day
4th Annual World Bee Day Celebration
Free Live Stream
May 20, 2021
12:00PM PSTJoin us for the International World Bee Day as we honor and acknowledge the importance of our bees for sustaining the Earth’s biodiversity, local food security, and ancient sacred knowledge.
In collaboration with the Mendocino Rotary Foundation and the Mendocino Rotary Club, we opened the Bee Bold Alliance’s first Pollinator Sanctuary in Mendocino, CA
Come enjoy a live program with Lavender Grace the Sustainable Ecology Advocate of Thanksgiving Coffee Company plus an excerpt from the ceremony on Sunday, May 16th.
Together we are creating “Honey Heart Habitats” with honor, respect, and reciprocity for the soil, the water, and the bees..
Sunday’s Participants in the included Conservation Works, Jug Handle Creek Farm, and Nature Center, Rotary Club Mendocino, Thanksgiving Coffee Company, Eco Artists, Bee Bold Alliance, Mendocino Art Center, Garden Friendly Community, Mendocino Trail Stewards, Mendocino Gold Honey, The Farm, Botanical Gardens, and Honey Hive of Mendocino.
Support the work of the Bee Bold Alliance when you drink our Bee Bold Coffee.
We acknowledge the Bees for all the beauty and abundance they bring, and for maintaining our biodiversity and local food security. Thanksgiving Coffee Company is an enthusiastic supporter of The Bee Bold Alliance and is proud to produce Bee Bold Coffee as a fundraiser to save pollinators, of which bees are the most important.
Now, after five years of work this effort has turned into a movement anchored by Ft. Bragg becoming the first Certified Bee City in California and a dozen Mendocino County community organizations pledging support for protecting and nurturing our local pollinators by joining The Bee Bold Alliance.
4th Annual World Bee Day - Live Stream
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![4th World Bee Day Annual Celebration]()
World Bee Day
Thanksgiving Coffee Company is co-hosting the 4th annual World Bee Day Celebration on May 16th, 2021 in Mendocino, CA with the Rotary Park of Mendocino and Bee Bold Alliance from 12-2 pm with a virtual screening on May 20th.
The event will begin at noon with an honoring of the Ancestral Lands of the Northern Pomo with the Pinoleville Pomo Tribe and will close with a water ceremony to give respect to the Big River Water Shed.
Musical offering by the Honey Hive Ensemble, art from the Mendocino Eco Artist, Honey from Mendocino Gold, Plants from Jug Handle Native Nursery, Seed Bombs, and information about bees from Conservation Works, Crown and Wand activities for kids, and more.
We acknowledge the Bees for all the beauty and abundance they bring, and for maintaining our biodiversity and local food security. Thanksgiving Coffee Company is an enthusiastic supporter of The Bee Bold Alliance and is proud to produce Bee Bold Coffee as a fundraiser to save pollinators, of which bees are the most important.
Now, after five years of work this effort has turned into a movement anchored by Ft. Bragg becoming the first Certified Bee City in California and a dozen Mendocino County community organizations pledging support for protecting and nurturing our local pollinators by joining The Bee Bold Alliance.
4th World Bee Day Annual Celebration
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![Brew Your Espresso]()
You read that right, Brew Your Espresso!
What exactly is espresso? It is the highest form of coffee. By definition, it’s strong black coffee made by forcing steam through grounds. For a more extensive description, we dedicated a whole blog post to what exactly espresso is.
The common misconception of requiring a fancy, expensive espresso maker can discourage many of us from brewing it ourselves at home.
Although our espresso blends are designed for that high-pressure extraction that an espresso machine delivers, they can be equally as satisfying when brewed like any other coffee blend.
The proof is in the… coffee. We made a 1-minute Bialetti Stovetop tutorial video as well as a French Press tutorial using the same espresso blend – with instructions from our brewing guide page. It really is as easy as it looks, and the whole process only takes about 5 minutes to complete.
To help you start your home espresso-brewing journey, we’re giving you 10% off our Italian Espresso Blends all throughout April!
Our Northern Italian Style Espresso, featured in our tutorial videos, is a delightfully smooth espresso, not at all toasty or burnt-like, but intense enough to show up and vote in a latte or cappuccino when properly pulled.
For a more intense, pungent blend, try our Southern Italian Style Espresso. The blend consists of equal parts Guatemalan, Ethiopian, and Indonesian coffees. These are some of the finest coffees in the world, roasted dark to express a smoky punch, deeply toned notes of licorice, chocolate, and earthy sweetness.
Happy brewing!
Brew Your Espresso
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![Letter from Our Founders]()
Letter from Our Founders
Dear Friends,
We write to you today with an urgent plea for your help. We have been an “activist” progressive company fighting for the human rights of coffee farmer families, and for Social Justice and Environmental Sustainability around the world. We now face a battle for the dignity and preservation of our own Coast Redwood forests right here in California.
We rail against the logging in the Brazilian Amazon, but the same level of deforestation is happening right here in Mendocino County.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has submitted plans to log big second growth trees right in our backyard. The average age of these Redwoods is between 75 and 100 years and most are 150 feet tall, the height of a fifteen story building. They have been doing this all along, but it wasn’t near homes and trails. Few people knew. Now they are spray painting blue lines on trees well on their way to becoming ancient old growth giants–they just need another 800-900 years.
We local residents are the foot soldiers, fighting the battle for all Americans. Thanksgiving Coffee Company is joining this fight for our national heritage. We are happy to say our native Pomo First Nation tribes are on the team as well. We have joined forces to save these trees, which are literally the lungs of our planet.
We are asking you to join us wherever you are. Help us change the way Redwood trees are valued. The ugly secret is that they are not cut down to build houses. No one builds a house with Redwood. These trees are sacrificed for decks and picnic tables– an ugly and dishonorable death for a tree that is not only a part of our national mythology but has been proven by science to be the best carbon sequestering organism in the world.
This time it is not about far away Brazil. It is right here in a place that many of you have visited or hopefully will someday. As foot soldiers in this battle, we feel our efforts are not just for ourselves, not just because we live here. We are also fighting for you because you are not here to join us (however, if you want to volunteer your special skills and passion, then you are more than welcome).
Wherever you are, we need you to sign our petition. People wonder if online petitions make any difference, but this petition will. We have 3,000 signatures. We need 10,000 for our state legislators to really take notice. If one of every three of you gives two minutes to sign this petition, we’ll be there tomorrow.
Next, take a few more minutes to watch the 11 minute video:
Go to the Take Action Page to find out how you can help, how you can be one of a large group of Americans who believe that Redwoods are more than just trees.
They are a symbol of the enduring nature of life itself.
With sincere thanks in advance,
Paul & Joan Katzeff
Co Founders
Thanksgiving Coffee Company
Letter from Our Founders
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![Giving Tuesday, October Recap]()
Giving Tuesday Recap – October 20th
Thank you for your #GivingTuesday support!
Together, we raised 339.90
for The Southern Poverty Law Center.Thanksgiving Coffee Company stands in solidarity with the movement for racial justice. To put our words into action, one Tuesday of each month remaining in 2020, we have committed to donating 10% of all sales from all of our coffees on that day to an organization working to advance racial justice.
This month, we donated to The Southern Poverty Law Center, founded in Montgomery, Alabama in 1971 by Morris Dees, Julian Bond and Joe Levin. The SPLC adopted a new mission statement in July 2020:
“The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the south and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the rights of all people.”
We encourage everyone to check out their work. Learn more here: www.splcenter.org/
This donation was made possible with your support, and it will help fund their fight for justice for all Americans. Every dollar counts, and we could not have done it without you, our amazing customers.
Stay tuned for our next #GivingTuesday in November!
Giving Tuesday, October Recap
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![Giving Tuesday]()
Giving Tuesday Recap – September 1st
Thank you for your #GivingTuesday support!
Together, we raised
$338.00 for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.Thanksgiving Coffee Company stands in solidarity with the movement for racial justice. To put our words into action, on the first Tuesday of each month remaining in 2020, we have committed to donating 10% of all sales from all of our coffees on that day to an organization working to advance racial justice.
This month, we donated to The NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Educational Fund (LDF), an organization promoted by Black Lives Matter. This 80-year-old organization strives to:
• diminish the role of race in the criminal justice system
• increase fairness and participation in all aspects of economic life
• increase equity in education
• and achieve full civic engagement and participation in the democratic process for all Americans.
We encourage everyone to check out their work. Learn more here: https://www.naacpldf.org/
This donation was made possible with your support, and it will help fund their 80-year-long fight for justice for all Americans. Every dollar counts, and we could not have done it without you, our amazing customers.
Stay tuned for our next #GivingTuesday on October 6, 2020.
Giving Tuesday
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![Clean Water For All - Helping Uganda]()
Clean Water For All
by Paul Katzeff
Chapter 1
Since my last report (Feb.19, 2020) was six months ago at the beginning of this clean water project with the Namanyonyi Community of Shalom Interfaith Cooperative we have made significant progress. In addition to the first 40 installations, we have provided an additional 120 families with a clean water filter for their homes. We financed the purchase and distribution of a second 40 in April, and 80 more are being distributed as this post is being written. The funds, if you are not familiar with how we do things at TCC, were provided by your purchases and a $1.00 contribution per package from those revenues, by TCC to our Trust Account for clean water.
For reference, a clay home filter with a 15-gallon capacity costs 82,000 Ugandan Dollars ($24.00 US) plus another $6.00 for transportation, and other Administrative needs to get a filter from the factory in Kampala 150 miles to the Co-op headquarters in Mbale.
Clean water is a rarity in Uganda’s coffee-growing regions. Farm families spend hours every day hunting for water. When they find it it is generally filthy, brackish, and loaded with bacteria that cause disease and often death to the weakest in the family (children under the age of 5). After they find a water source they fill 5-gallon Gerry cans and haul the 40 pounds of bad water back home to be used for cooking and drinking. Many boil the water, but many don’t have the resources to buy charcoal or wood to furnish the fire needed.
When boiled, the water is still brackish and foul-tasting and most often is not boiled long enough to kill all the bacteria. Typhoid, Cholera, Dysentery, and Diarrhea are but four of the many diseases that kill. These diseases are the leading causes of death in the Namanyonyi Community. Every family has lost an infant or a young child. Imagine a community with that sadness. I don’t want that sadness to be in my coffee inventory!
So we have called upon our loyal coffee customers to help us eliminate the sadness that comes from not having a simple but essential commodity, clean water. Buy Delicious Peace Coffee is a call to action.
To date, we have financed 160 filters. The sources of their water have not changed. They are still collecting water, often from puddles after rain. It is still foul when they fill their 5-gallon plastic cans, but when they get it home, they pour it into their clay filter and in minutes the filter removes 99.9 % of the bad bacteria according to the lab tests run by The National Geographic Society. The filtered water is clear, healthy, and tastes good.
The Cooperative is getting healthier with each additional filter. Together with you, we are saving lives, removing sadness from an entire community, and building the cooperative’s importance in its community. Since the water project started the coop has grown by 100 families.
Our goal at Thanksgiving Coffee is to finance with your help, the entire cooperatives member households (average size is 12) with a least one clean water filter. There are 320 members as of July- 125 Muslims, 84 Jews, and 111 Christians.
We have enough Delicious Peace coffee left from the 2018/19 crop to provide another 70 families with the filters which means we will fall short by 70 families this year. The 2020/21 crop will arrive in November. I expect the coffee to be wonderful, perhaps the best Arabica coming out of Uganda. Why? Because I have learned that Quality of life and quality of coffee go hand in hand. When farmers see that their coffee betters their life and their family health, they love their trees more and that love translates into better care, better agronomy, and that translates into flavor that sings with the joy of hope and progress. The 2019 harvest which we are now promoting is their best so far. I know they are motivated to say thank you to us thru their coffee flavor. Let’s make 2021 a banner year for them and for our own taste buds.
Chapter 2
Imagine a village of 320 families of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. There is a great story in this, one that the world needs to hear. Not one member is college-educated, many are illiterate, all farming coffee as their only choice. They need to feed, clothe, house, and educate an average of 8 children. Some households are caring for children whose parents have died of Cholera or Typhoid. And yet, they came together in an effort to aggregate their coffee so it could be sold into the international Coffee Market as Specialty bringing a higher price to each farmer via their Cooperative. We have tripled their income by honoring their effort to show that the three Abrahamic Faiths could work together to bring hope to their families and community.
We have taken great care to document the past health of each family prior to receiving the filters. It is clear to me that we have changed the course of each family’s history. Together, we have altered their fate!
A full report will be part of my next communication to you. My local associate Elijah, whose latest email follows the end of my post, will be doing the interviews and collating the information for us. Elijah is another story in itself. He somehow came out of this impoverished and isolated community to get an education, follow his dream to be a videographer, and eventually meet me on my last visit to Uganda in 2017. We met on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. He was selling a DVD he made of his soap opera video made with local amateur actors. I bought a DVD and took it back to the US with me to watch. His email address was on the disc. He and I have become friends and now he is our staff project director in Uganda. He deserves a full blog entry. He defied his fate and battled to become himself. In the process, I have been able to work remotely in Uganda with absolute efficiency.
Here is his last report to Thanksgiving Coffee. It exemplifies my good fortune to find myself on the same spot as he was, at the same moment. Was it fate? Serendipity? Providence? That moment changed his life, mine, and the course of 320 coffee farming families.
Dear Paul Kazeff,
I would like to inform you that we started the exercise of water filter distribution for the 3rd round and it’s going on well. I would also like to tell you that whenever some filters reach with damages perhaps on shipping, Mr Matovu (spouts) has to make replacement. This is why, we received 80 filters for the 3rd round plus 2 filters compensation for filters that reached with damages during the 2nd round.On this note, I want Matovu to know that during this 3rd round, the truck driver did not take much precautions hence when I checked, I found 9 filters damaged. There is need for an assurance from Matovu that these 9 filters will be replaced and that in the next round, there will be proper packing of the filters in the truck and the driver taking much care when delivering the filters. For proof of the 9 damaged filters, I have attached some photographs. Check in the attachments of this email. You will see some few photos of water filter distribution exercise and the 9 damaged filters. I will send a 3 minutes video and more photos for the whole exercise in a few days.
Thank you,
John Elijah
We will celebrate when all 340 families have the health energy and joy that clean water brings. When you purchase this coffee you are buying yourself Angel Wings, and of course Delicious Peace.
Clean Water For All - Helping Uganda
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