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My name is Sam and I have had a lot of gigs in the coffee industry! Training baristas, fixing espresso machines, competing in latte art competitions, running cafes and even driving a delivery truck! Now I spend my time roasting unbelievable coffees from all over the world.
I started Brass Ring Coffee back in 2014, and I built my first coffee roaster with a hand crank and a turkey fryer. I have upgraded a lot since then, but the thing that keeps me passionate about coffee is that I think something magical happens when you drink the right cup of coffee. I don’t think you need to go down a rabbit hole of expensive equipment, tds meters, wdt tools, timers, or refractometers to make good coffee. It can be simple, low tech, and easy. Just get some coffee and some water, brew sumthin up and have fun! I don’t think Coffee needs to be perfect in order to be exciting, interesting or cool! I focus on trying to find single origin coffees that are unique and surprising, with personality and big flavors. Brass Ring Coffee invites you to pick up a bag and do whatever you want with it. -Sam Brass Ring Coffee offers direct sales (including coffee subscriptions!). You can also find us around the Iowa City area, including the New Pioneer Coop (Iowa City and Coralville locations), Prairie Lights Cafe, and Press Cafe. |
Freshly Roasted:Molasses/Fig A rich syrupy concoction made from coffees from all around the world. This blend makes a fantastic espresso, french press, or filter coffee that may remind you of the flavors or molasses and fig. $13 for 12 oz. $15.60 for 1 lb. Wholesale pricing available (Contact us for pricing) If you live in the Iowa City area (IC, Coralville, or North Liberty), use coupon code ICFREE to waive the shipping fee and get free local delivery (free deliveries are made on Fridays). Peach/ Lime/ Cacao "Abnormal Offerings for Coffee Lovers." The Skeleton Key Series is a new set of small batch single origin offerings from Brass Ring Coffee. These are coffees that we find to be special or "abnormal" in some way or another. Some of these coffees may come from special farms, use experimental processing techniques, unique typicas, or just have an extremely special flavor or character. You can always count on a Skeleton Key coffee to transport you to somewhere special when you close your eyes to take the the first sip. $16.75 for 12 oz. $21 for 1 lb. Wholesale pricing available (Contact us for pricing) This is an organic certified, natural-processed, grade 3 lot from smallholder farmers in Kivu, a coffee region on the eastern edge of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This coffee was produced by Virunga Coffee Company, an Olam operation that operates 7 washing stations in Kivu on the outskirts of the Virunga National Park. The region has excellent conditions for specialty arabica production with plentiful rainfall, high altitude and highly fertile volcanic soils. A lovely, crisp, and clean, not overly fruity natural processed. THE PRODUCERS Virunga Coffee Company was established in 2011 by Schluter SA (now Olam Specialty Coffee Europe) with the vision to: “Change lives in DRC through commerce in a mutually profitable way by being a major coffee actor in Kivu.” Virunga Coffee aims to achieve this vision by improving the quality and yields for farmers in North and South Kivu, primarily through: – Developing and implementing field-based support activities – Introducing Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) – Investing in processing infrastructure – Organizing assured organic production in close collaboration with over 2,300 farmers (with a further 1,500 by June 2020) – Bringing an innovative spirit to the development of new products As well as providing a stable supply chain and specialty market access, Virunga is actively involved in a number of sustainability and social programs in farming communities. These include an extensive tree planting program, disease prevention outreach to tackle critical diseases such as Ebola and HIV, and equipment to help farmers improve their agronomic practices. THE PROCESS Ripe cherries are delivered to the washing station for sorting and flotation to select only the ripest for processing. The cherries are de-pulped using a Penagos eco-pulper, fermented for 18-24 hours and then washed in clean water grading channels. Once thoroughly washed the parchment coffee is dried in the sun on raised African beds for 12-18 days, depending on climatic conditions. In the daytime the parchment needs to be raked and turned periodically to ensure a consistent drying process and prevent mold or over-fermentation. The coffee is also covered in the middle of the day to protect it from the hot sun, and at night to protect it from rainfall and condensation. Once the coffee has dried to the right level it is transported to Butembo for dry-milling, grading, sorting and handpicking (triage), before being bagged in GrainPro for export. THE REGION Hutwe village is located in the Kirumba region of Nord-Kivu (North of Lake Kivu), on the edge of Virunga National Park, bordered by Uganda to the east. The region has excellent conditions for specialty arabica production with plentiful rainfall, high altitude and highly fertile volcanic soils. The region is also very poverty-stricken and has had a severe lack of infrastructure which has made high quality arabica both difficult to produce and very challenging to export. Virunga Coffee Company has sought to overcome many of these problems through hands-on farmer education and investment in local infrastructure such as roads and bridges. This has allowed quality improvements every season and, in turn, higher premiums for farmers. If you live in the Iowa City area (IC, Coralville, or North Liberty), use coupon code ICFREE to waive the shipping fee and get free local delivery on orders over $20 (free deliveries are made on Fridays).
Need a stocking stuffer? Want to try all our roasts before you start a subscription? Trying a professional coffee cupping at home? Check out our sample packs! We'll choose an assortment of our available fresh roasts, with four 3 oz. samples per pack.
(If you'd like specific roasts included, or would prefer all samples to be of the same roast, let us know in the comment section of your order.) (For a perfect gift, try pairing with a handmade mug!) If you live in the Iowa City area (IC, Coralville, or North Liberty), use coupon code ICFREE to waive the shipping fee and get free local delivery (free deliveries are made on Fridays). Only a few left! More amazing hand made mugs from local artist Alea Mae Pottery. These handmade mugs are a deluxe version of our classic mug, that feature a unique clear resin cast on the back that contains permanently preserved Brass Ring Coffee beans! It's the perfect way to drink a delicious cup of Brass Ring Coffee and makes an outstanding gift. Sold out Need a last minute gift? How about one of our new mugs, handmade by local Iowa City ceramicist Alea Mae Pottery, and throw in a 12 oz. bag of freshly roasted beans! We'll even wrap it up nice in a gift bag with a ceramic Brass Ring Coffee stamped ornament. Only a few left! These beautiful one-of-a-kind mugs are handmade by local Iowa City ceramicist Alea Mae Pottery. Each one is slightly different, but they can hold between 10 and 14 oz. of hot fresh Brass Ring Coffee (or whatever you want to drink out of them!) Dishwasher and microwave safe. Peach/ Honeysuckle "Abnormal Offerings for Coffee Lovers." The Skeleton Key Series is a new set of small batch single origin offerings from Brass Ring Coffee. These are coffees that we find to be special or "abnormal" in some way or another. Some of these coffees may come from special farms, use experimental processing techniques, unique typicas, or just have an extremely special flavor or character. You can always count on a Skeleton Key coffee to transport you to somewhere special when you close your eyes to take the the first sip. $16.75 for 12 oz. $21 for 1 lb. Wholesale pricing available (Contact us for pricing) "Although growing coffee includes lot of science by default. Coffees like this are taking it to the next level. This is a controlled fermentation natural processed coffee, done in sealed tanks – as opposed to just drying the cherries slowly outside, letting them ferment naturally. This allows farmers and processors to really dial in the natural processing. Manos Juntas is a micromill in Sotara area of Colombia’s Cauca region, operated and managed by Banexport. The entire concept of this micromill is based on simplifying tasks and responsibilities, for both producers and Banexport. This particular offering was first purchased in its cherry form when delivered by local producers on the day of harvest in Huila. Upon arrival, the Brix and pH were recorded, and the cherries are placed in large hermetic tanks for a five-day-long anaerobic fermentation and transferred to Cauca: Each tank is labeled with the name of the producer, to retain traceability. During this period, nitrogen gas is introduced into the tanks in order to stimulate the yeast. Brix and pH are measured constantly through this process and are used to determine the stopping point for fermentation; the coffee is then subjected to 20°C temperatures in order to cease fermentation and remove the yeast and other microorganisms. Once dried, the coffee is cupped and the lots created. Banexport believes that when it comes to a breakdown in factors that contribute to quality:
Based on this understanding, Banexport decided to establish Manos Juntas Micromill, in which they purchase cherries from producers and manage the processing, drying, and storage themselves. This model allows producers to focus on healthy production of specialty coffee, while the meticulous work of sorting, processing, drying, and storing is managed by Banexport’s team. Key takeaways about this program:
If you live in the Iowa City area (IC, Coralville, or North Liberty), use coupon code ICFREE to waive the shipping fee and get free local delivery on orders over $20 (free deliveries are made on Fridays). Sold out Baker's Chocolate/ Nutmeg "Abnormal Offerings for Coffee Lovers." The Skeleton Key Series is a new set of small batch single origin offerings from Brass Ring Coffee. These are coffees that we find to be special or "abnormal" in some way or another. Some of these coffees may come from special farms, use experimental processing techniques, unique typicas, or just have an extremely special flavor or character. You can always count on a Skeleton Key coffee to transport you to somewhere special when you close your eyes to take the the first sip. $16.75 for 12 oz. $21 for 1 lb. Wholesale pricing available (Contact us for pricing) "New 2022 crop! Fantastic coffee from fantastic folks. Half the crew organizing this coffee in Haiti live right here in Madison, Wi, they are called Singing Rooster. Singing Rooster is a non-profit that brings Haitian products (art, coffee, cocoa and more) direct to consumers and stores with 100% of the proceeds funneling back to the farmers and communities in Haiti. Sure, its good to feel good about the beans you buy, but something just as important or even more important is the product itself; the coffee is beautiful, the quality of prep and consistency of the beans is up easily a couple of notches over most coffees. Clean cupping, clean screen with more money getting to the farmers and communities. A win-win in anyone’s book. Region: Savane Zombie, South East Haiti – Fatima washing station 4265’, Surrounding Vegetation: banana, plantain, grapefruit, almond & citrus trees Varietal = 100% Arabica (Typica, Bourbon, Caturra & Catimore)" If you live in the Iowa City area (IC, Coralville, or North Liberty), use coupon code ICFREE to waive the shipping fee and get free local delivery on orders over $20 (free deliveries are made on Fridays). |