Enter:        On our Facebook page
Deadline for entry:        December 10th, 2011

Grand Prizes: We’re giving away two commercial-grade Lans Larkin Brew Express coffee brewers to two different winners. The Brew Express makes coffee at the ideal water temperature and brews a full pot in just 6 minutes. You can also make coffee by the cup in just 90 seconds. You never have to fill a water tank, because the machine is plumbed in to your water line. And, because the Brew Express is suitable for commercial use, it is designed to last for years. Included with each Brew Express is one pound of our freshly roasted coffee, your choice of either Guatemalan Estate Huehuetenango or Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Each grand prize has a retail value of over $400.00.

Second Prize: Our Slow Pour Coffee Gift Basket includes two pounds of freshly roasted coffee, one each of Guatemalan Estate Huehuetenango and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. It also comes with a white porcelain slow-pour coffee pot and cone, coffee filters, a Kobos Coffee travel tumbler, and some biscotti and chocolate covered espresso beans to munch on when sipping your coffee. This prize has a retail value of over $50.00.

Third Prize: The Tea Sampler Gift Basket comes with 6 sample pouches of our fine quality Kobos Tea as well as a porcelain For Life Stump teapot with stainless steel infuser, matching porcelain mugs and a matching caddy for the infuser. We’ve also included a couple of lemon biscotti. This prize has a retail value of over $50.00.

You may enter our Holiday Gift Giveaway now through December 10th, by visiting our Facebook page. Contest entries are limited to one per person. Entries must occur via Facebook. Contest winners will be selected on Monday, December 12th. Contest prizes may be picked up at Kobos Coffee, 2355 NW Vaughn, Portland OR 97210 during regular business hours. Current employees of Kobos Coffee are not eligible to win.

We’re having a coffee tasting and home espresso machine demo in our main retail store.

Where:       Kobos Coffee, 2355 NW Vaughn, Portland OR 97210
When:        Saturday, December 10th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

We’ll be slow-pour brewing two of our single-origin varietal coffees, Guatemalan Estate Huehuetenango and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Come have a sample of one or both as you shop for the holidays. The Guatemalan, from the Nueva Amenia Estate, has a mild nuttiness remeniscent of hazelnuts, and a citrusy sweetness. The Ethiopian coffee has a floral aroma with an elegant, clean finish.

And while you’re sipping your slow-pour coffee, you can see a demonstration of the Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine. This simple, well-built Italian machine is one of the best home espresso makers on the market. It’s made by a company that manufactures commercial espresso machines for use in coffee shops and cafes, and they’ve used commercial-quality parts in the construction of the Silvia. This machine is consistently rated as one of the best. It was even selected as Best Espresso Machine Overall by Consumersearch.com.

Did you know Kobos Coffee has two different programs for Private Label Wholesale Coffee? Our Private Label Coffee program is an affordable solution for smaller quantity private label coffee projects. And our High Volume Custom Coffee Roasting is a flexible, large scale option in which we use our equipment and knowledge to roast and package coffee to your exact specifications.

In both programs, we want you to be as involved (or not involved) as you like. You can bring us your own green beans and have us roast them, or you can choose from our more than fifty different in-stock coffees. You can bring us a ready-to-use bag or label design, or our in-house graphic designer can create a design for you. Whether it’s a dozen bags of coffee or several thousand, we have the experience, equipment and capacity to bring your vision to fruition.

We’ve worked hard to successfully develop both programs as a means to help grow our business and yours as well.

Be sure to check out our video on the High Volume Custom Coffee Roasting page.

With the holidays upon us, it’s time to pull out all the stops! With a little thought and not much time you can fill your table with delicious and wholesome home-baked goods. David Kobos, owner of Kobos Coffee, will share some of his favorite holiday recipes updated with healthy whole grains. And he’ll reveal some of the secrets to achieving great baked goods when using whole grain flours.

The menu will include: Whole Wheat Cream Biscuits, Multigrain Fruit Muffins, Savory Jalapeno Cheese Corn Muffins, Oatmeal Applesauce Quick Bread, Multigrain Beer Bread, and dessert – Whole Wheat Carrot Cake.

Classes fill up quickly so make reservations

where:                Bob’s Red Mill in Milwaukie, Oregon

when:                 Thursday, December 1st 2011, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

cost:                   $40

reservations:      call Bonnie at Bob’s Red Mill  503-654-3215 ext. 208

Three of our Kobos Teas won first place at Oregon’s Finest Tea Competition 2011, part of this year’s Oregon State Fair. The competition was open to retailers, wholesalers and distributors of tea within the state of Oregon. Kobos entered as a wholesaler. We won first place, blue ribbons in three of the four categories. And, even though we didn’t completely sweep the competition, we won second place in the fourth category. Not too shabby. Here are our winning teas:

First Place Green Tea: Moroccan Mint

First Place Oolong Tea: Formosa Oolong Choicest

First Place Herbal Tea: Citrus Red

Second Place Black Tea: Darjeeling Royal Puttabong FTGFOP1

Two of the winners, our Moroccan Mint and Citrus Red, are proprietary blends available only through Kobos.

Kobos Coffee is proud to participate in the 2011 Relay For Life of Vancouver / Clark County, a benefit for The American Cancer Society. We’ve partnered with participants affiliated with Café Femenino and Optco, one of our organic coffee brokers located in the Vancouver area. Our contribution will be to provide espresso drinks, smoothies, and Italian sodas to be sold during the event, with all proceeds to benefit the American Cancer Society. Last year, with our help this team ranked first overall in the Vancouver / Clark County region adding $16,262.00 to the over $100,000 raised for the region.

Aside from giving to a great cause it’s a lot of fun. Last year the turn-out was high and we were busy. Participants arrive throughout the morning staking out their teams space around and inside the track. This is a 24 hour event so tents and elaborate shelters complete with sleeping bags, chairs, and cots pack the grounds. At full swing, the entire track is full of walkers.

Time: Saturday, July 16, 10:00 am through Sunday, July 17, 10:00 am.

Location: Columbia River High School 800 NW 99th St. , Vancouver, WA

For more information, or to sign up visit: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=30701

Kobos Coffee is proud to be a sponsor of the first annual Cool Summer Sunday Of Jazz. Spend Father’s Day, Sunday June 19^th, at Pioneer Courthouse Square with Live performances by National artists Mike Philips, Kirk Whalum, Kim Waters and Kenny Latimore, Mel Brown and Special Invited Guest performances. Come out and enjoy fresh food, great cocktails and live music in beautiful downtown Portland.

Time: Sunday, June 19, 1:00 pm – 11:00 pm.

Location: Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW Sixth Avenue, Portland, OR.

A percentage of the proceeds will help support Self Enhancement, Inc., a nonprofit organization helping at-risk urban youth. Learn more about Self Enhancement Inc. at their website: selfenhancement.org.

To purchase tickets please contact Ed Menashe at 503-522-7882 or via email at emenashe@kobos.com. Tickets are $35.00 each and we have only 9 tickets left.
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Learn more about the Cool Summer Sunday Of Jazz at their website: CoolSummerSundayOfJazz.com

Kobos Coffee was proud to be a sponsor for the 21st annual Oregon is Home Luncheon on May 5th at the Oregon Garden in Silverton. It was our seventh year as a sponsor for this great children’s charitable event.

The Oregon is Home Luncheon, put on by our friends at Roth’s Fresh Markets, supports the Roth’s Benefit-Education Foundation, Special Olympics Oregon, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and Family Building Blocks.

This year’s event was a great success and we look forward to an 8th year of sponsorship.

Find more information about Roth’s Fresh Markets and the charites they help support:

Roth’s Fresh Markets: www.roths.com

Special Olympics Oregon: www.soor.org

Doernbecher Children’s Hospital: www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/doernbecher

Family Building Blocks: www.familybuildingblocks.org

“Antigua is nearly a household name for Guatemalan Coffees because they grow exceptional beans in that region. And, we’ve had some terrific Antiguas. But, our new Guatemalan coffee from the lesser-known region of Huehuetenango (wĕ-wĕ-tĕn-ăn-gō) – about 269 km northwest of Guatemala City – is extraordinary. It’s grown on the Nueva Amenia Estate. The citrusy sweetness that brightens up this coffee virtually explodes the top of your palate and then finishes with a nice full body. A great coffee.”
Brian Dibble

If you’re still not sure how to pronounce Huehuetenango, listen to a native speaker pronounce it here. Just click on the little blue arrow.

Check out Guatemalan Estate Coffee

Here’s the number one top selling coffee from our retail website.

#1 Bistro Blend Coffee

Way back in 1978 a local chef asked me to come up with a unique blend of beans. He wanted “a rich after dinner coffee with just a hint of dark roast flavor.” I came up with this beautiful blend of South and Central American coffees with a bit of dark roasted beans thrown in. Coffee lovers throughout Portland have made it one of our most popular coffees. – David Kobos

check out this coffee

L-M-N-O PIZZA!  with David Kobos!

Thin Crust, thick crust, whole grain crust, gluten free crust – David Kobos, owner of Kobos Coffee, will take you through the steps of making artisan quality pizzas at a fraction of the cost of those in the fancy pizza shops. You’ll learn how to purchase all the very freshest and best ingredients for your home-made pizzas. David’s menu will include: Chicago style, Vegetarian, and Traditional Sicilian style pizzas with variations to please every palate. Class sizes are limited so be sure to make reservations.

where: Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store in Milwaukie, Oregon
when: Thursday, March 24th 2011 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
cost: $40.00
reservations: call Bonnie at Bob’s Red Mill  971-206-2208

Look for us this coming Saturday, December 11th, at Homestreet Bank on NW 23rd avenue near Burnside. We’ll be participating in Holidays In Nob Hill by handing out free hot chocolate to kids of all ages.

Last week, we had our company holiday party. Employees gathered with family and friends for delicious food and drink. Part of the festivities included a show of amazing talent from some of our employees who are also professional performing artists. David Saffert, extremely talented pianist and actor, played two pieces on piano, Ashia Grzesik, phenomenal  cellist and singer, sang two songs while playing cello. And, Bob Ladewig and Stacey Hallal, fantastically sharp and witty  comedians and actors, performed three pieces of sketch comedy.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to a wonderful evening. And special thanks to Bob and Stacey for hosting the event at their non-profit theater, Curious Comedy. Find them online at curiouscomedy.org.

Last Saturday Brian, Rob and I went to Oregon Health & Science University and worked with our friends in their Food & Nutrition Department to train all 40 of their baristas. Prior to the training, Tatiana Grabowski, Senior Department Trainer, and I developed the program we used to give the baristas the skills needed to ensure a good experience for their customers. It entailed three separate training sections.

The first section involved behind-the-bar drink training conducted by experienced, certified trainers. OHSU’s baristas learned to pull shots of espresso and make a variety of espresso drinks – the goal being the perfect drink. The baristas had to be able to explain how each beverage was made.

In the second section, we cupped coffees and teas with the baristas. Everyone seemed eager to learn the proper methods for cupping. As the baristas cupped, we asked them about flavor, aroma, appearance and overall impressions. As with most cuppings, their answers were sometimes similar and sometimes very different.

For the third section, our focus was on proper greeting. We taught the baristas that a greeting, or lack thereof, can make or break a customer’s experience. The baristas learned how a friendly greeting can help their customer feel more patient when having to wait in line simply because the customer has been acknowledged. And, they learned that once a customer becomes upset it is very difficult to win them back.

Working together with Oregon Health & Science University is what I enjoy most about my job. It is rewarding for all of us here at Kobos to work side by side with our customers to help each other succeed.

Ed Menashe

In attendance:
David Kobos  (President, Founder)
Brian Dibble  (Operations Manager, Master Coffee Roaster)
Kevin Dibble  (Production Manager)
Ed Menashe  (Vice President of Sales)

Last week at the cupping table we had a big decision to make. We needed a solid bean to include in many of our dark roasted coffees. Typically we use a good Central or South American coffee, but the pickings are getting slim before the new crops start rolling in late this year.

I had purchased 60 bags of Honduras S.A.S. earlier in the month to secure my price but had not yet tasted the coffee. S.A.S. stands for Subject to Approval of Sample. It was a good decision to purchase under that condition, because it turned out the coffee was not up to our standards. Fortunately, we had another sample from Honduras as well as an El Salvador bean for the cupping.

Most of the time, those of us at the cupping table tend to agree on the overall quality of the coffees we’re tasting. This time, we couldn’t decide which Honduras was worse. Both of them seemed to lack good character in the cup, and each had its own unique fault. The first one tasted kind of grassy with no acidity or brightness in the cup. The second had a bit of acidity but some mustiness to it as well. I really hate getting caught short before the new crops arrive!

We were lucky though to have that El Salvador on the table. It was an S.H.B. (Strictly High Grown) bean. It was clean with a sweet and mild acidity. It roasted up solid like a high grown coffee should, and it will be ideal for our dark roasted coffees. Next year I’ll order a little heavier before the new crops arrive.

If you’re in the Portland area and interested in joining us for a cupping, email us at emanashe@kobos.com for a reservation. We typically cup on Thursday afternoons and do so in our roasting facility located at 2355 NW Vaughn, Portland Oregon.

Brian Dibble

In the third installment of our series on how coffee is decaffeinated I’ll write about Natural Decaffeination which uses Ethyl Acetate. Ethyl Acetate is a substance that can be found in sugar cane, apples and other fruits. It can also be manufactured sythetically. Our Natural Decaf coffees are decaffeinated with Ethyl Acetate from fermented sugar cane. The process of Natural Decaffeination can be done using either the Direct Method or Indirect Method.

The Direct Method of Natural Decaffeination is the same as for Methylene Chloride Decaffeination, which I wrote about in part one of this series, except Ethyl Acetate is used as the solvent. Green coffee beans are washed directly with Ethyl Acetate, which removes most of their caffeine and little else. The beans are steam cleaned to remove any residual Ethyl Acetate and then dried. At this point the beans are ready to be roasted.

The Indirect Method for Natural Decaffeination starts off similar to the Water Process Method (discussed in part two of this series) in that water is used to extract caffeine from the coffee beans.  And like the Water Method, the water extracts other things including much of the beans’ flavor. However, instead of running the water through a carbon filter, the water is treated with Ethyl Acetate. At this point, the water is heated to remove both the caffeine and Ethyl Acetate. The water is then returned to the beans so the flavor can be reabsorbed. Finally the beans are dried and ready to be roasted. This process is referred to as indirect because the Ethyl Acetate only comes into contact with the water and not the beans.

The flavor of roasted coffee that has been Naturally Decaffeinated is nearly as good as that which has been decaffeinated with Methylene Chloride.

If you have coffee questions you’d like answered, email them to me at coffeebreak@kobos.com.

David Kobos

Previously I wrote about the Direct Contact or Solvent Method of decaffeination. Now on to Swiss Water Process. This method was developed by Coffex AG in Switzerland and was the first method using water exclusively as the caffeine-removing solvent. Heated water is used to extract caffeine from the coffee beans, but of course it extracts other ingredients too. The water is then conducted through a patented activated carbon filter which is very specific for caffeine. The water is mixed with the coffee beans once again and evaporated. Unfortunately, the temperature of the water used in this decaffeination process is quite high, about 170 degrees, which causes some of the more delicate coffee flavors to be lost.

Sometimes you will see the term Water Process without Swiss in the name. That simply means the same basic method was employed but with a different type of charcoal or carbon filter.

Next time I’ll write about Natural Decaffeination.

If you have coffee questions you’d like answered, email them to me at coffeebreak@kobos.com.

David Kobos

There are three common methods of decaffeination. Today I’ll write about the most common: Direct Contact or Solvent Method.

Green unroasted coffee beans are first softened by steaming. They are then put through several washes of the caffeine selective solvent called Methylene Chloride. The solvent extracts 97% of the caffeine as well as the waxy coating on the beans but little else. The solvent is drained off, and the beans are washed in water and vacuum dried at a low temperature.

But, is it safe to drink?

When decaffienated coffee is shipped to us unroasted, it contains less than 3 parts per million residual solvent. However, that solvent boils at 170 degrees, and the coffee beans get roasted at 450 degrees. If there is any solvent left after roasting and brewing, it is  at an almost undetectable level of a few parts per billion. The decaf is safe and it tastes great too.

In the future, I’ll write about Swiss Water Process Decaffienation.

If you have coffee questions you’d like answered, email them to me at coffeebreak@kobos.com

David Kobos

In attendance:
Brian Dibble (Operations Manager, Master Coffee Roaster)
Kevin Dibble (Production Manager)
Ed Menashe (Vice President of Sales)
Rob Fogarty (Account Executive)

It’s about time we at Kobos Coffee share with our friends our weekly cupping, which is simply a coffee tasting. Normally during a cupping we taste different farm samples we are considering purchasing. We receive green coffee beans from a farm, roast them, grind them, brew them and then slurp them with spoons. Slurping the brewed coffee (much like slurping wine during a wine tasting) causes it to hit all areas of our mouths and tongues. This ensures we get the full flavor impact and can judge a coffee fairly. We also roast the beans lighter than we would for our customers. A darker roast could hide some of the slight flavor defects within the beans.

This week, however, we did things a little different. For this tasting, we reached in to our regular stock and put two of our coffees (roasted just the way they are when you buy them) on the cupping table – Guatemalan Estate – Antigua Bella Carmona and Sumatran Mandheling – Grade 1. The cupping validated our buying decision for both coffees.

The Guatemalan had a flowery aroma, Kevin smelled dandelion (Hmm, I don’t know about a weed Kevin?) Its acidity had a bittersweet citrus taste, almost lime according to both Ed and Rob. I was getting something more like tangerine. But, that’s part of what makes cupping so fun – the slight differences we each find. We all agreed, though, on how wonderfully full bodied this Guatemalan was in the mouth. And the term toasted almonds was a unanimous description!

The Sumatran Mandheling is always a fun one to cup. It’s flavor is so unique that we find ourselves using more unusual adjectives than we would for most coffees. Although Rob just sat back and exclaimed in a satisfied tone “delicious”, Ed compared this coffee to a dry cabernet. He went on to say he was getting the sweet, smooth tobacco aroma of a fragrant pipe. I liked that, because I could smell it as soon as he suggested it. And, Kevin was getting cherry wood from this Indonesian coffee.

You can find both of these coffees on our website: Guatemalan Estate or Sumatran Mandheling.

If you’re in the Portland area and interested in joining us for a cupping, email us at emanashe@kobos.com for a reservation. We typically cup on Thursday afternoons and do so in our roasting facility located at 2355 NW Vaughn, Portland Oregon.

Brian Dibble

Should I store coffee in the refrigerator?

Coffee is hygroscopic, that is, it picks up moisture from the atmosphere. The air in a refrigerator is very moist and loaded with all kinds of odors. Now flavored coffee is one thing, but bell pepper and onion…we’ll you get the idea.

Coffee beans have a life of about three weeks from the time they are roasted. If you must keep them longer, you can store them in a tightly sealed container in the freezer. Your best bet, however, is to buy just enough coffee to use within a few weeks, and store it in the bag in which it came or an air-tight container at room temperature.

If you have coffee questions you’d like answered, email them to me at coffeebreak@kobos.com

David Kobos

Drew Carney of KGW stopped by Kobos Coffee today to celebrate National Coffee Day. Here is the last of his Out and About segments in case you missed it.

And, the free cups of coffee keep pouring all day today, September 29th 2010.

Come into Kobos Coffee on Wednesday September 29th and get a free cup of coffee. Wednesday is National Coffee Day 2010 and were handing out free cups of our fresh brewed, craft roasted coffee. We’ve been roasting quality arabica coffees in small batches for over 35 years – locally right here in Portland Oregon the entire time. Come in for your free cup of joe.

Kobos Coffee
2355 NW Vaughn
Portland OR 97210

Details: Receive any standard size cup (8, 12, 16 or 20 ounce) of hot-brewed drip coffee free on Wednesday, September 29th 2010. Limit one cup per customer.

Kobos Coffee will be featured on Newschannel 8 at Sunrise this coming Wednesday, September 29th.

As part of National Coffee Day, Drew Carney of Newschannel 8 will visit us at the Kobos Coffee roasting facility. Throughout the morning Drew will do several segments along with Brian Dibble, Kobos Coffee Buyer, and members of the Kobos crew. They will walk through the process of creating exceptional small-batch roasted coffee – from green beans, roasting, packaging and more.

Look for the segments at 5:25 AM, 5:45AM, 6:25 AM, and 6:45 AM.

As many of you are probably aware, the price of green coffee beans has increased dramatically in recent months. Futures for Arabica coffee (the only variety Kobos Coffee uses) have increased by over 40% since June. Poor weather conditions have threatened coffee crops in both South and Central America. Lack of rain has been a problem in Brazil, the world’s leading coffee growing country. Guatemala and Honduras have suffered from an overabundance of rain. Current stockpiles of green coffee beans are at a 10 year low. As the supplies have dwindled, the prices have soared.

We know that the coffee commodity market can be a volatile one. Through our more than 35 years in this business, we’ve learned to purchase forward when prices are good. And, we know to try and wait out the price rallies. This time the rally has extended too long, and we must purchase at the much higher cost.

Unfortunately, these conditions are forcing us to raise our coffee prices. Our current plan is to pass along less than half of our cost increase. The hope is that the market will settle lower in the coming months and we won’t be forced into further increases in the near future.

Effective October 1st our price per pound will go up by $0.30.

Thank you,

Kobos Coffee

Kobos Coffee’s Vice President of Sales, Ed Menashe, has been named to the Association for Healthcare Foodservice Board of Directors. Ed was approached by A.H.F. Oregon Chapter President Phil Balogh because of his understanding and long-term relationships within the food service industry. Ed was extremely honored when approached. He is looking forward to being a part of A.H.F.’s future. Congratulations Ed!

The Association for Healthcare Foodservice is the only professional society dedicated to professionals and suppliers in the self-operated healthcare foodservice industry — those facilities who choose to keep their foodservice departments on staff, instead of outsourcing them to third-party contractors.