Legends and Secrets Behind Coffee: The Man Who Escaped Death Thanks to a Mysterious Drink

He was proclaimed a saint when he came back to his village.

Last week, we started to explore the relationship between coffee’s secrets and religion. Coffee didn’t really start in India, as we read last week in the story of the saint who brought it to those lands. In ancient times, all the events that radically changed society and culture were often explained by supernatural or spiritual tales. The origin of coffee was not left out of this tradition, especially in the very religious region where it first came to be known. There are two legends for how coffee originated: one comes from Ethiopia and the other from Yemen. It’s actually a heated discussion, as there is no clear consensus of coffee’s true birthplace and you’ll get a different answer depending on who you ask.

You’ve probably heard of mocha coffee (it’s also spelled mocca, moka or moca). It’s a very popular type of coffee, known for its chocolate-like flavors, that comes from Mocha, a Yemeni city that became famous during the XV and XVII century for being the greatest coffee market in the world. Well, it’s also the home to our Islamic legend. Preserved in the Abd-Al-Kadir manuscript, tells the story of Sheikh Omar, a disciple of Sheikh Abou’l Hasan Schadheli, patron saint and legendary founder of Mocha.

In the year of the Hegira 656, Schadheli went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Arriving at the mountain of the Emeralds (Ousab), he turned to his disciple Omar and said: "I shall die in this place. When my soul has gone forth, a veiled person will appear to you. Do not fail to execute the command which he will give you." After his death, Omar saw in the middle of the night a gigantic specter covered by a white veil. “Who are you?,” Omar asked and Schadheli revealed himself under the veil. He miraculously dug water from the ground and asked Omar to fill a bowl with it. He told Omar he had to proceed on his way and not stop till he reached the spot where the water would stop moving. That’s how he reached Mocha, the city where the water stopped moving.

Both a doctor and a priest, Omar became very well known in Mocha, since a plague then ravished the city. His practices included both traditional medicine and prayers to Allah. The daughter of the King of Mocha fell ill, and her father had her carried to the home of Omar. He was captivated by the princess’ rare beauty, and after having cured her, the good dervish tried to carry her off. The king did not fancy this new kind of reward. Omar was driven from the city and exiled on the mountain of Ousab, with herbs for food and a cave for a home. The legend says that on the brink of starvation, Omar didn’t have much choice but to eat everything he could find.

The fruit of salvation

"Oh, Schadheli, my dear master," cried the Omar one day; "if the things which happened to me at Mocha were destined, was it worth the trouble to give me a bowl to come here?” Waiting for an answer, he heard a song of beautiful harmony, and a bird with extraordinary feathers came to rest in a tree. Omar sprang forward quickly toward the little bird, but when he got there, he saw on the branches of the tree only flowers and fruit. Omar laid hands on the fruit and found it delicious. Then he filled his great pockets with it and went back to his cave. As he was preparing to boil a few herbs for his dinner, the idea came to him of substituting for this sad soup, some of his harvested fruit. From it he brewed a savory and perfumed drink: it was coffee.

He felt immediately revitalized and found an energy he hadn’t experienced before. When news of this new strange medicine got to Mocha, many people started to travel to his cave to seek medical advice. Eventually, he was called back and received with honors. His followers insisted that his exile was a religious sign and the authorities proclaimed him a saint. Both the plant and the black drink were named Mocha to honor this event.

That’s how Yemeni people remember it at least. The Ethiopian people have a whole different version of events that we’ll be exploring next week! Make sure you’re following us on That Coffee Roasters’ social media to stay updated!

Source: web-books.

They first used coffee for its healing properties.

---

That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters

I’ll Have It Cold: The Best Ways To Prepare Cold-Brewed Coffee

Don't let winter stop you from trying these fantastic recipes!

Before we start today’s article, let us ask you a question: is iced coffee the same thing as a cold-brewed coffee? If your answer is yes, then keep reading! You’re about to be surprised by how different making cold-brewed coffee can be. If your answer is no, then you’re definitely one of us!  Stick with us if you love your coffee cold and rich in flavors. We’re here to explore the best recipes to make cold-brewed coffee right at home.

First, let’s clarify a little bit why both types are different. Basically, iced coffee is coffee that was brewed hot and was cooled afterward, either by letting it sit in the fridge for a while or by adding ice to the beverage. If you’ve read our articles before, you know that coffee tastes exceptionally better when it’s drunk fresh and just-brewed. That's because it gets stale very fast. So when you have iced coffee, your drink is bound to be more acidic. It will also get watered down quite rapidly if you used ice.

However, when we talk about cold-brewed coffee, we’re referring to coffee that was cooled up before it was brewed. You can do this by keeping your coffee grounds at lower temperatures by soaking it in water. When they’re cold enough, you can just simply prepare your beverage, and you’ll find that the final result will be a richer coffee whose flavors will be deliciously enhanced.  Let’s look at some of them and try with different recipes!

Classic cold-brewed coffee

This one will be the basis of all other recipes. There are many ways to make cold-brewed coffee at home, so you can always try different alternatives to see which one gives you better results. One thing you will need is extra coarse coffee grounds (the fresher they’ve been roasted, the better). If you don’t have a cold-brewing machine, then a French press will suit you just fine. Soak ⅔ cups of coffee in three cups of water for 12 hours. Then simply use the plunger to push all grounds to the bottom, and that’s it! When you serve it, remember to dilute it using a 1:1 coffee and water ratio.

Cocobrew

Finding anything more refreshing than coconut water is hard. That makes it perfect to try with a cold-brewed coffee recipe. Just mix your cold-brewed coffee with a double amount of coconut water, drop in a few ice cubes, and stir. Coconut with coffee might sound like an odd combination, but it tastes delicious when your coffee is cold. The decidedly sweet and smooth character of cold-brewed coffee is a perfect foundation for coconut to expand upon.

Vanilla almond swirl

If you’re all for sweet beverages, then this one’s definitely worth trying. All you need is almond milk, 2-3 drops of vanilla extract, a pinch of cinnamon, and ice. Mix it all with 50-100 ml of cold-brewed coffee. You’ll find a source of the most delicious aromas! Sprinkle cinnamon on the top but remember not to add too much of anything. The cold-brewed coffee is still your main ingredient.

Cold-brewed mocha

Some of us can’t help adding chocolate to almost everything we consume, and with a good dark roast, the temptation to prepare a cold-brewed mocha is just too irresistible to let it pass. All you’ll need is ½ cup of cacao grounds, 3 cups of water, and ¼ cup of coarse ground coffee. Combine all ingredients and let it sit overnight. Strain and serve over ice. To make it even sweeter, add milk or cream!

Which one of these recipes are you going to try? Experiment with different ingredients to bring all refreshing and flavorful qualities of cold-brewed coffees! Pick among our dark roasts’ selection and let your creativity run wild. Let us know how it went! Follow us on our social media to find new recipes and ways to enjoy coffee!

Invite your friends over and make some recipes together!

Source: Homegrounds and Taza Chocolate

---

That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters

5 Tips To Create Great Social Media Strategies for Coffee Shops

Everyone's on social media nowadays, but how do you build a good presence there?

If we’re not on social media, do we truly exist? This might sound too extremist when talking about real people (at least for now), but the reality is not so gentle with companies and businesses. Each day, more people are choosing to research products they’re interested in online before actually making a purchase. If your coffee business is nowhere to be found on the Internet, then you’ll be nothing but a stranger for a considerable amount of potential customers.

So once we’ve accepted this reality and decided to jump on the wagon of social media, one question remains: what is your business’ online presence going to look like? If you don’t define this and do it well, you’re bound to drown in a sea of coffee shops and specialty coffee houses that are fighting for a place in the minds and hearts of their customers. Which is the right way to do your online conversion? How do coffee shops should build their social media strategies? Take a look at some tips we’ve gathered today and start your true digital awakening (a kind that not even coffee can provide)!

Learn how to choose your battles

The first thing you need to define is your brand's identity. What kind of products and services do you offer and who are they intended for? Once you know your target and the kind of people you want to reach out to, you’ll have to pick which social media you’ll use to find them. As coffee shops have a huge visual potential (food and beverages are mostly sold visually), Instagram and Facebook are great places to start. Don’t try to cover more than you need by creating accounts on every social network in existence. Start with the most popular ones and see how it goes. Later, if you feel the need, you can then move on to other platforms.

Remember: it’s not about having as many followers as you can, it’s about creating a loyal community that can be easily turned into leads. Everything you do must be done with your potential customers’ interests in mind. Use geolocalization on your posts to allow people from your area to find you, spend time studying your competition and what they’re doing on their feeds. Think about ways in which your business differentiates from theirs and add extra value to everything you do. If your battles are local, stay local. This is where you’ll find new opportunities.

Coffee is an experience. Sell it as such

For many people, coffee is passion. For others, it represents a moment to enjoy alone, with friends or simply at work. For both, coffee is an experience. And to build a great experience, every little detail must work synergically: context, decoration, location, illumination, service, flavors, aromas, company, attention… it’s all part of what constitutes your coffee shop’s identity. It’s also part of what you should reflect on your social media profile.

Work to make that experience feel as real as you can online. Invest in professional photography so you can recreate the moments and feelings that are part of your coffee shop’s experience. Don’t forget spontaneity. People on social media love to feel part of something real. Sharing little glimpses of what a typical day in your coffee shop looks like using Snapchat or Instagram stories is a great way to do it. You can involve your workers as well!

You don’t need to sell your products so blatantly, nor to promote them on every single post. Forget about putting your brand’s logo in all your publications. Let people know how your coffee shop is like by telling its story through visual and text imagery. Create content, events, and promotions that fit this narrative, and invite everyone to have a taste of the experience.

Make social media something social

Coffee shops are great places to socialize. Why should your social media be any different? Interact with your community and let them know you’re there for them. Don’t leave any comments unresponded. Comments featuring questions, suggestions, complaints, and compliments should all be addressed. But don’t leave it just there! Create a special hashtag and encourage people to use it when sharing pictures and videos at your coffee shop.

People use cafes as places to reunite with friends, so they’re likely to document their time there. Take advantage of this by creating contests and prizes for your most loyal followers, or take your time to go through all pics and select some to share on your profile. This way, you’ll promote your customers’ social media and show them some love! That will encourage them to keep on sharing, using geolocalization and hashtags.

If you’re not sure about making changes on your menu, ask your followers what do they think about it! You’ve already created a community that has shown they’re willing to interact with you, so take their opinions seriously. Create surveys and remember to answer their inquiries and suggestions. Few things work better for building your audience than being open to receive comments and giving feedback.

Stay visually and thematically consistent

As we said before, it’s incredibly important to be able to communicate your coffee shop’s identity correctly. Once you know who you are, you need to create an image that fits that narrative. Colors, themes, language, shapes, and typography are some of the essential elements of your aesthetic. How does the brand speak to its customers? Does it use a familiar language or is it more elegant and exclusive? How often does it post? And how are pictures and videos taken? Plan a calendar full of content that your audience could be interested in and be sure not to let monotony take control over your feed. Always remember to have fun!

Fuse the best of both worlds

Social media is what everyone’s talking about. It’s very innovative and popular, but it really doesn’t mean anything if you don’t combine the best of both the online and offline world. Don’t only look for followers on social media, invite your in-store customers to follow you and interact with you! Create contests during events by asking people to share their pics and follow your account. Give prizes at the end and always make sure they are coherent with your identity and that they are things your real-life customers could be interested in, like coffee baskets, gift cards or coffee merchandise.

Keep an eye on your social media's statistics to find out who your most loyal and engaged customers. Then reward them by inviting them to your café to enjoy the best of your services. Never forget to share real-life experiences and stories. Offer incentives for people to share pictures at the coffee shop on their social media and don’t be afraid to ask them if they want to be featured on your profile. Let your creativity go wild! At That Coffee Roasters, we know there is no limit to all things you can do to have fun with social media!

Learn where your audience is hanging at.

---

That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters

Meet Some of the World’s Best Baristas in 2017

What does it take to be one of the best?

Every year since 2000, the best baristas from each country compete in the World Barista Championship. The premier competition, organized by World Coffee Events, was held this year in Seoul, South Korea, and it received the most talented people from around the globe to give a demonstration of the beautiful art of brewing coffee.

Six competitors faced each other in the Championship’s finals, on 12 November at Café Show in the South Korean capital. They presented 15-minute routines and served four espressos, four milk-based, and four signature beverages to a panel of four sensory judges. The results were in, and we’re here to meet the three best baristas from 2017!

Kapo Chiu

The third place in this year’s World Barista Championship belongs to Hong Kong representative, Kapo Chiu! He’s been participating since 2013 and earned the second place in 2014’s competition. Owner of his own roaster company, Cupping Room Coffee Roasters, Kapo Chiu “would love to see being a barista as being a sustainable long-term career for those who have passion in this industry, which would involve companies paying more, and providing a career path for coffee professionals.”

Coffee has always been a passion of his, but it wasn’t until recently that he started working full-time with it. He began as a home barista, visiting cafes, buying beans, and trying different brewing methods at home. Now he’s one of the best baristas in the world! Find more about his story following him on Instagram @kapoccino_.

Feeling great and proud of myself waking up this morning. Happy to be in #notgoodenough #butstillprettygreat club. 成績退步但心境進步 #worldbaristachampionship2017

Una publicación compartida de Kapo Chiu (@kapoccino_) el 13 de Nov de 2017 a la(s) 10:24 PST

Miki Suzuki

Second place was conquered by Japanese barista Miki Suzuki from Maruyama Coffee. She’s the most decorated Japanese barista and has won the first place three times before! She never expected to find herself making a living out of her love for coffee since she comes from a small town near Tokyo. But now she considers herself very fortunate to have made it this far.

“I’m so delighted to be a barista. The coffee industry has been life-changing for me. I have forged many important relationships with coffee producer, trainers, my teammates, and my customers. These experiences made me grow as a professional barista and helps me to appreciate coffee truly”, explains Suzuki. She thinks herself shy and never thought about joining competitions, but as her colleagues were all doing it, she dared, signed in, and has been very lucky ever since. Check her out on Instagram @mkszk57!

もう一度一緒にWBCに行きたいという夢を叶えてくれてありがとうごさまいます！ JBCに初めてでたときから誰よりも私以上に私のことを信じて励まし支えてくれてありがとうございます。 このトロフィー🏆は半分以上はミエさんのお陰です。私のヒーローです。 Thank you for amazing support for last 9years! It’s difficult to say in words what she gave and showed me.But I remember everything of her effort for me. Thanks a million MIE NAKAHARA. You are my hero.

Una publicación compartida de Miki Suzuki (@mkszk57) el 14 de Nov de 2017 a la(s) 3:35 PST

Dale Harris

Finally, British barista, Dale Harris, earned the first place, beating a total of 58 representatives from different countries. The first-time winner had been participating in the competition since 2009, slowly but steadily making his way to the top! “I’ve worked in coffee for a long while; competition has been a big part of my time in coffee but it’s also the excitement of new flavours, working with passionate people, and seeing how something seemingly simple can lead to incredible complexity – in the cup, economically—bringing lots of very different people and experiences together”, Harris said when asked to talk about himself and his work in the coffee industry.

The UK champion hosted the judges between two tables and provided service from both sides, even asking the judges not to watch him prepare the coffees. His routine focused on the connection between the flavors experienced in the cup, and the actions that shape them at the origin. Finally, Harris revealed his coffee and its roots towards the end of his presentation – an entirely washed 2L28 from Finca Las Brumas in El Salvador, and he explained the importance of context when it comes to an understanding the coffee’s value. You can follow Harris on Instagram @acostuiccoffee and learn more about his work!

🙃

Una publicación compartida de Dale Harris (@acousticcoffee) el 20 de Ago de 2017 a la(s) 10:53 PDT

Are you an aspiring barista? Or would you like to become one? It’s never too late! Reading the inspiring stories of these champions shows us that everybody started at the bottom and found success thanks to hard work, dedication, and passion! That’s precisely what moves us at That Coffee Roasters. Well, that and our daily cups to fuel our energies. Next year’s championship will take place in Amsterdam, are you signing in?

Sources: World Barista Championship, Sprudge

Become a barista and let the world know your talents.

---

That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters