But I just read that the roaster supplying McDonalds with their espresso coffee blend is Distant Lands in Tyler, Texas. Distant Lands is the same eco-friendly roaster that is supplying Panera. The beans are not organic but I believe that they are Fair Trade coffee beans.

Anyway, I like Panera coffee. That means that more than likely I will like McDonald’c coffee… and the thought scares me. You can read more about that here in the Chicago Tribune.

The Bible, in Proverbs, talks about things that the earth can’t hold up under. Things that are just too weird. Well..this may be one of them.

McDonald’s can’t get environmentally concerned and serve good coffee, that’s like Sonny Bryans BBQ place starting to serve only vegetarian meals. It is the end of the world as we know it!

It could add a whole new Happy Meal concept though. A little Happy Meal bag with a couple of biscotti, a macchiato, and maybe a section of the New York Times?   It could work!

If McDonald’s REALLY wanted to sell a lot of coffee they would turn to the brilliant, albeit criminal, minds in Malaysia.

Sometimes I know I have missed my calling and should be in marketing somewhere. Other times I know that I took way too many hallucinogenics as a teenager in the 70s and should probably be listening to Black Sabbath at 78 speed. You decide which it is tonight..I am going to bed.

Image:SXC

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Well, move on from Bride Wars to Coffee Wars.  Starbucks, Panera, McDonalds, and Dunkin Donuts seem to be in a hand to throat battle over your coffee dollar.  Don’t you feel important?

It should seriously be a simple thing.  You should go where you like.  But it isn’t that easy, largely because we have become a brand motivated society.  We live in a society where a woman will call 911 to report that McDonald’s ran out of chicken nuggets.  Do you think maybe we are taking ourselves a little too seriously? Maybe we have lost sight of reality?

The honest to God truth is that most commercially brewed coffee is only marginally different and most people will buy coffee where ever it is convenient. If there is more than one choice then most people will go with brand unless they have had a bad experience.  And then they will go with comfort.

Most people will not worry about social issues, fair trade, Rain Forest Alliance, or even taste.  And yet the purveyors of coffee will try everything in the Politician”s Guide to Dirty Tricks to woo coffee drinkers to their side.

Basically it should be pretty simple.  We live in an over-extended economy.  Most coffee drinking should probably be done at home.  If you are going to grab a coffee out you need to consider the local mom and pop place (if there is one) as priority if possible.  Why? Because keeping things local, supporting the local economy is important.  Small businesses create quality products.  The bigger your business the more likely the product will suffer.  To me an ethical small business will know when to stop increasing in size.  They will be happy with enough and not require more.

Do you realize the mark up on coffee?  One pound of coffee beans will make about 30 cups of coffee.  Let’s say a pound of coffee retail costs 8.99, just for a base figure.  That works out to just under 30 cents a cup.  Thirty cents.   Now, what are you paying for a cup of coffee?  1.50?  that is a five hundred percent mark up.  Five hundred percent! Now, you need to figure in overhead and expenses but still..you are looking at a huge mark up.

So, coffee wars? Be aware of what is happening and decide for your self if you want to play. Watch your back though.

image:sxc

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I know, it’s a hard job but someone has to do it right?

I was up dark and early this morning.  Here, not only was it 3:30 a.m. but it was dark, coldish, and drizzling.  Not the morning you want to crawl out of bed and head anywhere. Since I was up so early Marc hadn’t gotten up before me to start the fire in the kitchen or make coffee.  Say it with me…”Awwwwwwww”

But I had a purpose.  I was headed over to Panera to meet with Marketing Manager -Krista Moberg,  The General Manager Jason Russell, and Stan Sears, Panera’s Bakery Training Specialist in this area.  And they promised me coffee.

You guys know that coffee will lure me out of almost anywhere.  Even at 0 dark thirty, even on a drizzly, chilly day.

It isn’t that Panera hasn’t had coffee in the past.  It is that they decided that they wanted to upgrade their coffee to the same artisan quality of their bread.

Did they do it?  Yeah they did.

I will be honest and tell you that I did not try the decaf.

The dark roast is sweet and slightly smoky in a pleasant way.  None of the scorched flavor that some other coffees have.  It was smooth when black, and handled the cream well.  The coffee presented full bodied winey  characteristics on cupping.  The beans are 100% El Indio from Tarrazu.  El Indio beans are known for a deep flavor that is characteristic of European coffees.  A perfect choice to accompany the artisan European style breads.  Tom Gumple, Panera’s head baker, created a list of pairings for each type of coffee.  His suggestions for the dark roast are:

*Pecan Braid

*Sesame Seed Bagel

*Sesame Semolina Toast

The regular roast is very well done.  As you know, my tastes tend toward the dark roast but this was a very nice full city roast.  It presented bright notes at cupping and is well balanced and sweet.  Great for people that just want a cup of coffee.

Suggested pairings are:

• Blueberry scone
• Asiago bagel
• Cinnamon raisin toast

The last coffee I tried was the Hazelnut.  By now I was on a caffeine buzz in a major way.  The hazelnut flavor was intense at first sip, fading into exotic vanilla before leaving a classic coffee finish.  Obviously the flavor is not covering up inferior beans in this coffee.

Pairing suggestions are:

• Croissant
• Cinnamon Crunch Bagel
• Whole grain toast

They have great coffee plus espresso, caramel lattes, cafe mocha, and other espresso based drinks. Honestly, Panera blows Starbucks out of the water.   And that is without even considering their breads and sandwiches.  Consider the following:

• Coffee, much better than Starbucks.
• Most companies will either buy from big multinational sources and/or not disclose the source for their coffee.  Panera has made a commitment to small, sustainable Central American farms.
• The coffee for all Panera stores is roasted at a Tyler, Texas roaster, Distant Lands.  Doing a little research let me know that Distant lands is committed to sustainable coffee raised without herbicides or pesticides.  It is not certified organic because of the fertilizers and fungicides used.
• Free WiFi
• Fireplace for ambiance
• Really smells GOOD
• Tables are comfortable
• They open at 6 a.m.  Seriously.  I did not know this.  I knew about Panera for lunch but did not have a clue about breakfast.

If you need to meet a client, work online, or just relax with a really good, honest cup of coffee, skip Starbucks and head for Panera.  the pastries are fresh, the coffee is good, and the price is right.

Now, on Wednesday Panera will be giving away samples of the breakfast sandwiches and granola as well as free coffee.  It is a great time to taste for yourself what I am talking about.  And, if you are in Dallas/Fort Worth, I will be live blogging from the Panera on Pleasant Run in Cedar Hill from about 8 a.m. until who knows.

I will be giving away Panera Coffee cups until they run out, so stop by and visit and pick up your coffee mug.

I will be publishing a lot of images and information about the bakery side of the business on Baking Delights a little later.

Post from: Kettle and Cup