We roast our own coffee here. I may not be a master roaster, but it is fresh and we are so used to it here, we have been spoiled from just about anything bought elsewhere.
I learned so much about coffee from my mentor, the original Java Joe. He is probably the grandfather of micro-brewed coffee, even long before that world chain he simply called— Scar Chucks. Most roasters today, still burn or over roast their coffee. We don’t, at least not intentionally.
I never started out with any desire to roast my own coffee. I am not interested in selling it. I just like it and I enjoyed hanging out with Joe and learning about it. If he were alive, I wonder what he would think of me roasting my own coffee in a popcorn popper on the grill in our garage once a week— winter, spring, summer and fall?
Over the years, I have learned a great deal about coffee, so much I could write a book. But I share many things about all of it here and may pull posts from a blog here, set to private currently.
I want to share how I roast with others and even share the recent blend I made, sourced from its likely origin, to its transmission and to its settlement in the new world in Haiti, from which all coffee spread to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. By the way, Kona in Hawaii, came from plants that once grew in Brazil, which originally came from Haiti and spread to the Western World. The Thomas Jefferson that wrote the Declaration of Independence, was aware of and likely drank coffee from Haiti.
Remember the The Boston Tea Party of 1773. Since tea was taxed without proper representation in England, it became unpatriotic to drink tea in the Americas. Coffee, the lesser-consumed beverage at the time, became the drink of choice for revolutionaries.Thomas Jefferson deemed coffee— “the favorite beverage of the civilized world.”
To announce the pre-order of RESET-Revised & Expanded, I had planned a unique post including a rendering of Thomas Jefferson working on the Declaration at night with a piece of Jamaican Gingerbread Cake (my recipe from historic references) and a cup of coffee. I may still do this here on July 4, 2026, on another page here and even post it on this blog.
I took my little blend to Java Joe’s legacy, hand delivering to the owner’s manager. I sent three emails and never heard a single word. That is unprofessional at the least and without even auto-responders. Knowing Java Joe personally, I bet he would have at least commented and probably would have loved it. No matter, I will share with anyone the origins of the beans and the percentages to make this blend for you.
It is funny to me that once Haiti was the number one source of coffee in the western world. It’s industry fell apart. Brazil took over and is still a major supplier to the world. Kona in Hawaii came from plants in Brazil. And my Haitian coffee for this blend, came from plants that once grew in Jamaica. Joe and I used to argue which was the better -Blue Mountain from Jamaica or Kona in Hawaii that was from Brazil. Both started out in Haiti. What a turning!
gatheringplace.blog 