A Year in Coffee

We have had a phenomenal year with our coffees this year. We feel that our approach of working with multiple roasters really worked out as we could bring in regular favorites and a great variety of new finds.

#coffeecoffeecoffee - From Green to Tasty Bean (Introducing Our Coffee Roasters)

Some coffee shops, for a variety of good reasons, align with one particular coffee roaster. We have taken the approach of working with a few roasters and have enjoyed the diversity and flexibility that this has given us. Our current roasters occupy quite different tiers in the specialty coffee world and that too is quite interesting. So here is a shout out to these critical suppliers:

Oh Summer, Summer Where for Art Thou Summer?

We love summer and do feel a litle short changed this year. Oh well.... We did thoroughly enjoy the bounty of local farms and markets throughout the season and of course even now as we move into fall there is still a nice range of produce to enjoy. We are fans of the late tomato crop although catching a perfect fruit at its peak is increasingly tricky. Our Global Tastes with Local Produce Dinner was very well received and it seems we managed to not make a mess of the lovely produce we managed to find.

May Flowers and Tastes of Israel

The organic herb, vegetable and flower garden that Holly constructed at the back of the Mt Lebanon Caffe came into its own during May. Lots of rain mixed with sunshine will do that I guess. The back porch thereby looking rather beautiful in an industrial sort of way. As soon as we could we started using the herbs in various quiches, salads and significantly in our theme dishes. This month we explored Tastes of Israel. A geo-politically complicated and emotionally charged region with fantastic food.

Tastes of India

March is nearly over, we have had our fill of snow, but not of Tastes of India! This huge country has a vast array of regional dishes influenced by the various prevailing religions and histories. Unfortunately a lot of people only get to experience the narrow range of dishes that have become popular in mainstream western Indian restaurants. This is not to say that these dishes are not delicious but rather that they tend to present a limited flavor profile as this is what "plays in Peoria".

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