Archive for the ‘Coffee Drinks’ Category

An interview with Lisa Rotenberg of Rocketfuelcoffee by GCPuffs.com

Cigars and coffee have been matched together as long as they have been making cigars and growing coffee beens. The rich taste of the cigar matched with a succulent cup of coffee starts the day for many as well as anytime of the day. One of the hottest brands out today is Rocket Fuel Coffee, owned by Lisa Rotenburg, and has a variety of coffees to fit every taste. Lisa took a moment recently to sit a chat with GCPuffs.



G.C. Thanks Lisa for taking time for us,how did you start in the coffee world?

L.R. As an illustrator and graphic designer, I was looking for a business I could run from home that would make use of my extensive portfolio of illustrations and paintings. I have been painting for about 15 years. Every painting is recorded as a high resolution scan and can be used as licensed property – cards, posters, you name it.  I saw a coffee company for sale but realized I did not have to buy anything I could start the site myself based on my experience as a graphic designer, a Power Seller on eBay and an entrepreneur. I found a supplier here in Toronto and went to CoffeeFest in Chicago to learn about the industry. My husband Matthew is a CEO and chartered accountant and fabulous mentor. We both happen to love coffee. The rest is pretty much learning as I have gone along and here three years later, we have http://www.rocketfuelcoffee.com/.

G.C. You often talk about cigars, how long have you enjoyed them?

L.R. About 4 years ago Matthew brought home a couple of cigars from a golf tournament. We tried them on our back porch and liked them but it was way too strong for me. We visited a shop near us and I tried a vanilla “thing” and we started being regular customers, moving into Cuban mild cigars, buying a small humidor. When I opened my coffee business, we became more interested in these premium topics such as Single Malt Scotch, cigars, and steaks.
Two years ago I became very active on coffee forums on the internet, even moderating one of them. I am very active on Facebook and Twitter, with literally thousands of contacts combined in these venues. Last year I figured it out that cigar folks might become coffee customers if I joined their forums. It is risky as they don’t much like a female in there too much – and I am the only one most of the time. But I am trying my best to hold my own and I am a good cigar customer on the
trade section so I think that is why they tolerate me.

G.C. How do you think the combination of cigars and coffee work as a pairing and is that something you try to promote as a cigar smoker?

L.R. Cigars and coffee are the perfect pairing and are part of what I call my “$25 theory”. This is before we even get to the perfect taste complement, which I will get to in a moment. Lisa’s $25 theory suggests that if you will spend $25 on a wonderful cigar (or 2), or a half pound of great coffee, a glass of single malt Scotch, a decent bottle of wine, delicious dessert for 2, a good rib eye steak… you get the idea where this list is going… you will buy the items interchangeably on the list. So to participate on these discussion forums or market to one will market to the other. So on my website it is very nice to list a coffee and cigar pairing. Everyone wins. And it is delicious!

G.C. With all your involved in with cigars and the coffee, what is it that you find gives you a get away from it, time to just relax?

L.R. It is with coffee and cigars that I do relax… at our log home in Feversham, north of Toronto.

G.C.What do you see for the future of your coffee?

L.R. We are working on a couple of very interesting projects right now where we are trying to sell larger volumes of Rocketfuelcoffee.com. One is getting involved on a Group Coupon site. We like the idea of roasting fresh Hawaiian Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain Rocketfuelcoffee.com and putting together a one or two pound gift box and shipping it out to customers on these venues. A second project I have been exploring is called Raiserbean.It allows schools, churches, foundations or hospitals to use Rocketfuelcoffee.com for fundraising. They sell our amazing coffee and split the profit with us. We can even design custom labels for them. Of course the link with cigars is always on our mind!

G.C. You seem to really enjoy what you do. Is there ever a time it gets to be a little to much?

L.R. Interesting that you should ask that. This is not only a business for me. I am kind of obsessed about coffee, cigars and art. A good steak, a glass of single malt scotch and you have a great day for me. I can talk about these things forever. My husband has to shut me up. So it does not get to be too much for me. It is others that perhaps that I should be more worried about.

G.C. What’s next for you? Any new coffee coming out?

L.R. Right now I am very active in the art tours in my community where that log home is located. My paintings sell very well and I love painting up there. The coffees sell well and I love sitting on our back deck smoking special cigars. Recently I discovered Casa Fuentes, but they are hard to get up here! Trading for coffee is a good way to get them. New coffee? Folks seem to like the best ones we have. New ones don’t do as well.

G.C. Again thanks Lisa.

L.R. You’re welcome!!

If you have not tried Rocketfuelcoffee.com, you’re missing out on some of the best gourmet coffee on the market. Check out the web site and try some. If you’re not sure about what type you may like, ask Lisa, she loves to help!
G.C.

When Illustration and Coffee Come Together Perfectly!

Three years ago when I wanted to open a coffee company, there were two sides to the business that really excited me. As a coffee lover, the idea of sourcing specialty coffee and rare beans was intriguing, fascinating and made us salivate. As a graphic designer who spent years specializing in consumer packaging, this would have been a dream project, and here I would have the opportunity to have free reign on an entire line of products. Just WOW.

To visit the www.lisarotenberg.com artwork site shows original artwork for the owner and designer for www.rocketfuelcoffee.com. I am not sure if too many artist/illustrators can say that have opened online rare coffee companies, but many entrepreneurs change careers and bring wonderful skills with them. This is the magic of entrepreneurship is you ask me… and chameleons make for very inspirational and interesting business mentors!

Just One Night, Lisa Rotenberg

When it comes to holiday images, since the beginning of my painting career 15 years ago, I have been a success. The image below has been reproduced thousands of times on cards, mugs, coasters, magnets and key chains. At one point this image was even available as an edible chocolate bar! My folk art style, sense of color and humor, matched with Canadiana themes make for the perfect non-denominational holiday wishes. It’s a timeless no brainer.

Your Turn This Year

Starting last year, www.rocketfuelcoffee.com took this idea and brought it to the coffee labels with a Holiday Blend. Our Global Warming coffee, which is a blend of Jamaican Blue Mountain, Hawaiian Kona and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is a hands down favorite coffee. So delicious and a great price too at $12/half pound. As a gift with a special edition label, perfect! So our customers can have a choice or give a pair, we came up with 2 designs. As well, we called one, “Welcome Home“. This is to inspire gifting in the real estate business as well as use for house warming gifting over the holidays.

Rocketfuelcoffee.com is working on extending sales activity with these wonderful holiday coffees as fundraising products for schools, charities or anyone else looking to sell items and raise money. A concept called Raiserbean.com is in the works, and input is welcome. At $10-12 per unit for a wonderful bag of coffee there is room to earn money for your organization, so contact us at lisa@rocketfuelcoffee.com!

by Mike Crimmins in Coffee Reviews Dailyshotofcoffee.com

I tried a lot of amazing coffees in 2010. There’s a lot more that are worthy of being on this list that didn’t make the final cut, but there’s only so much room. It was a tough decision on which to include and which didn’t make the list. However, without any further ado, I give you the top ten coffees reviewed on Daily Shot Of Coffee in 2010.

Tanzania Peaberry from King David Coffee Roasters
An amazing price for an exceptional coffee. The Tanzania Peaberry is a light roast was extra smooth and a delicious strawberry flavor.

Ethiopian Sidamo from Jim’s Organic Coffee
I had a lot of amazing coffees from Ethiopia this year. This one was a light roast with an excellent blueberry taste.

Panama Elida Estate Natural From Kuma Coffee Roasters
Not only is this coffee direct trade, but it had an aroma and flavor that I can still smell and taste.

Komodo Blue Dragon From Rocketfuel Coffee
This a coffee for the fans of darker coffees. It had a sweet aroma with hints of chocolate and a smokey-chocolate taste.

Guatemala Finca Liquidambar From Velton’s Coffee
From the first sip to the last, this coffee was full of life. It had a delicious nutty-cherry flavor that I’m now craving again.

Sidamo From Barista On Duty
I tried a lot of world class coffees from Barista On Duty this year, if I had to pick just one the Sidamo was my favorite.

El Socorro Y Anexos From Rocketfuel Coffee
The price tag is steep ($45 for half a pound or $80 for a full pound), but this is a must try coffee.

Organic Guatemala from Kickapoo Coffee
Who knew that coffee from a can could be so good?

Single Origin Peaberry from Doi Chaang Coffee
My first of hopefully many coffees from Thailand.

Jamaican Blue Mountain from CC Specialty Coffee
A lot of coffees don’t live up to the hype, this one definitely did.

Great choices Mike, as always! Thank you!

French Presses and Chemexs are awesome and make amazing coffee, but if you’re an average joe like me, you also have a drip coffee maker that gets a lot of use too. I use my French Press a lot on the weekend and the Chemex when I have a new coffee to try, but my drip coffee maker is my go to machine in the morning before I run off to work. However, if you don’t treat that drip coffee maker properly, it can make some pretty bad coffee. To prevent that, here’s my down and dirty guide to making better coffee with a drip coffee maker.

Buy Whole Beans

The first and one of the most important steps is to buy whole bean coffee. Ground coffee gets points for being convenient, but if you want great tasting coffee, you need to buy whole beans. Ground coffee starts losing flavor as soon as it’s ground and can go stale within fifteen minutes. Who knows how long it was sitting on that shelf before you bought it.

The Daily Grind

Now that you have whole beans, you’re going to need to grind them. A twenty dollar blade grinder is a good start, but if you’re serious about getting a the perfect cup of coffee, you’re going to need a burr grinder. Using a burr grinder you can fine tune the size of the grinds to get the optimal amount of flavor out of them. By the way, for most drip coffee makers a medium grind works perfectly.

Clean Your Coffee Maker

When was the last time you cleaned your coffee maker? Depending how often you use it, you should be cleaning it as often as once a week. The minerals from you water and the oils from your coffee can start to build up and it isn’t long before they start affecting the taste of your coffee. And you don’t need one of those special coffee maker cleaning solutions. All you need is some vinegar.

Staying Hydrated

How is the water from your faucet? Do you drink it directly from the faucet? Is it labeled hard or loaded with chlorine? Another easy way to improve the quality of your coffee is to filter your water before pouring it into the water chamber. A water filter that attaches to your faucet or a pitcher with the filter built in will make a huge difference immediately.

Don’t Let Your Coffee Sit Around

I get nervous if my coffee is sitting on the warming plate or in the coffee pot for fifteen minutes. You’re probably safe letting your coffee sit for half an hour or an hour (not on the heater). You’ll get the best results making smaller pots of coffee multiple times, then one huge coffee pot of coffee that sits around all morning long.

And Definitely Don’t Reheat Your Coffee

Microwaving your coffee kills the flavor. Need I say more?

Store Your Coffee Safely

Once you brew up that perfect pot of coffee, you’re going to need to store the beans properly. The best place to store your coffee is someplace cool, dry, out of direct sunlight and in an air tight container. Do not put an open bag of coffee in the refrigerator or the freezer!

Bonus Tip: Invest in a coffee maker. You’re going to be using it every morning, so don’t just buy the ten dollar one that’s on sale. Buy a good one, it’ll last longer and probably produce better coffee. I could do a whole guide about buying the perfect coffee maker, but I’ll save that for a future post.

What tips would you share to make better coffee with a drip coffee maker?

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Photo by PJMixer.

On a cool afternoon, or warm one for that matter, I have become a big fan of a mixed drink. A recent trip to New York City found Matthew and I drinking Manhattans at a nostalgic, kind of beat up place called the Carnegie Club. We smoked cigars and listened to a 13 piece Sinatra fronted orchestra. Great times! Other drinks included gin and tonic, martinis of different kinds and concoctions of my own invent. You can drink these things all night you know? Hey and if you at your house, you just go upstairs when you have had enough.

Thus occurs to the rocket lawn chair (LOL) that the same principle can be applied to spectacular coffees all of the same quality, freshness and ilk. And when the coffees combine, let the magic begin! On ice? Why not. As Espresso? Sure. Hey are we so rigid that we cannot mix ours with a coffee from my buddy Barrett  Jones at 49^th Parallel? What a shame that would be. I would not put Bailey’s Irish Crème in Kopi Luwak, but hey, your house, your choice.

Here is where the creative juices always seem to flow best in the cocktail activity: Naming your cup/pot genius masterpiece.  I have some modest examples here but I hope after reading this you will join in and contribute your own!

• Rocketfuel XXX Ethiopian Yirgacheffe + Jamaican Blue Mountain = Afro Reggae
• Hawaiian Kona + Jamaican Blue Mountain = Maui Madness
• Kopi Luwak + Jamaican Blue Mountain = Jamaican Blue Poo
• Komodo Dragon + Hawaiian Kona = Hula Monster!

You get the idea…  so it takes some thinking about different coffees to choose and you will make your rare coffees last longer too!

Cheers!