How I became a coffee snob

It was innocent enough, at first. I used to be just fine with popping open the Folgers and brewing a few cups here and there. Sure, it wasn't the best thing in the world. But it was cheap, easy, and widely available. And plus, haven't we always been told that the best part of waking up is indeed Folgers in your cup? So yes, I subscribed to that worldview....until recently.

You see, my friend Jim started roasting and selling his own coffee awhile back. I didn't initially give much serious thought to purchasing from him, though I was tremendously excited to see his business grow, as I am with other friends who are earnestly trying to turn a passion in life into something financially productive.

I emailed Jim a bunch of brainstormed ideas about publicity for his emerging brand. I had grand visions of coffee tasting parties and the like. And I liked reading a bit on his site about what he was up to, roasting-wise. But I hadn't ever purchased anything from him.

This past weekend, however, things changed. I helped host a girls brunch for our career class at church. I had asked various people to bring brunch items: fruit, eggs, biscuits, etc. I got to thinking a bit, and it occurred to me that this would be a neat time to try some McClarty coffee. I'd have enough people to warrant buying 1/2 a pound, and if it was a hit, a bunch of people would enjoy it and they might buy from Jim. I never expected it to turn into anything more serious.

So I emailed Jim about the order, and I headed over to his place on Saturday morning to pick it up. Much to my surprise, he handed me a Bell jar of whole coffee beans. Well, I wasn't prepared for such a delivery. Somewhere in the back of my head, I guess I had thought that it would already be ground. So from his house, I headed off to buy a grinder. "Why not?" I asked myself. I'll need it someday.

Soon, the coffee and the grinder were in hand, and the brunch was underway. One of the girls taught me how to grind the beans appropriately, and the aroma of fresh coffee filled the room. I could tell that people were excited to try the coffee, so we wasted no time in filling mugs for everyone once it had brewed.

To get the word out a bit, I made these little notecards with Jim's website on them, so that people could place orders if they were fond of the coffee. Several girls, after sampling their beverages, took the cards. I put in many good words for Jim :) The girls were quite fond of the coffee, and there was some mention of the appropriate use of essential oils during the roasting process....this comment was lost on me. I drink the coffee, I don't make it. But good for those who know more about it than me...

Anyhow, I took about 1/2 of the coffee beans home with me, because unfortunately for us, the coffee maker stopped working after 2 pots. Ha - more for me! Or so I thought. The coffee was safely stowed away in my fridge for the remainder of the weekend, and I informed my roommates that they were welcome to try it. When I came home the next day, Malita was raving about it. She said that after her first two cups, she almost made more because it was so good.

Alas, I cannot settle for Folgers any longer. You should give it a try too. Just for a week. And yes, this is an infomercial ;)