Coffee Journal

(Original posted on Taysted.com) Our North Eastern Winter has been an especially brutal one so far. Wet, sub-zero winds drive through our wool pea coats and scarves, and no number of layers seems to help. When late January is so unforgiving, coffee might not quite do the trick. It’s safe to say that Aussie and The Fox – fruit of Lancaster’s recent crop of Buy Fresh eateries – has found the cure. Home to a full-fledged espresso bar, carefully trained baristas, and award winning bartender Frank Fontaine, they’ve stepped well beyond the common Irish Coffee. Properly blending specialty coffee and...

During the Holidays, everyone enjoys WOWing their guests with delicious dinners, desserts AND COFFEE! To be a coffee-brewing-genius, you should learn a little bit about the "science" involved. In the end, knowing will help you make a really nice brew without much difficulty. Ratio: Start at 1oz Coffee PER 16oz Water. If you're brewing on an automatic brewer at home, the lower temperature (anything under 200F) isn't going to extract as easily, so add about 10% more Coffee. If you're using a French Press and can control the temperature, feel free to lessen your coffee measure by 10% or so,...

The Gerhart Coffee Co actually had its start in Central PA's General Stores. In 1880, Paul Gerhart brought the concept of fresh, locally roasted coffee into Lancaster. Back then, a lot of coffee was brought in from New York and Philadelphia. But Mr. Gerhart knew that something as important as coffee- the First Flavor of the Day, the Stimulant of Politicians and Philosophers- could NOT be shipped in from some "BIG CITY". So he began roasting and supplying the local merchants with fresh, Flavorful Coffee. The most important quality in your coffee is the roast date. When your coffee is...

A LOT of the coffee we roast goes to restaurants, businesses and non-profit organizations around Central PA (and beyond...). In fact we are actually the largest Wholesale Coffee Roaster in the area, and have been for a long time! We love the variety that Wholesale Roasting brings us.  It is extremely rewarding to to see our partners' dreams come to full realization, and humbling to be a part of the journey! One form that Wholesale Roasting takes is in our Private Label/Fundraiser Program. While some of our partners prefer that we stay behind the scenes, some of the brands and...

In February Darrel visited two of our Guatemala source farms, in an effort to learn more about our partners' farming techniques and on going improvements to their land. He was bale to see first hand that these farms are committed to quality in their beans and fair labor practices for their employees. We're excited to share a few photos from his trip.These were primarily taken around the Piña Blanca Farm near Santa Rosa Guatemala. Scroll the to the bottom of this post for exciting news!     Bourbon Cultivar Seedlings in Santa Rosa Guatemala Ripening Coffee Cherries Harvested Cherries, Bourbon...