 www.MyGLCC.com Newsletter # 4
- April
2010 |
Purveyors of fine chocolates and hand-roasters of specialty grade
coffees from around the world.
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In this Issue:
Coffee Cherry Before
Harvest
It's been a great month at Great
Lakes. After a very long process we were finally able to erect a sign
using the old sign post at our Ann Arbor location. Our landlord was key in
making it happen, our previous manager Michelle also put in alot of long
hours and effort to get the approvals we needed. Thanks goes to Mr.
Farahanchi, Michelle and all those customers who signed our petition to be
able to use the existing sign post, and of course, the City of Ann Arbor
for approving our petition.
We are in the process of
updating and adding to our website, should be done early summer, we'll
keep you posted.
Thanks to all our facebook fans,
we hit 1000 fans this past weekend, to celebrate we gave $1 off to all
those who came in and said they were a fan of Great Lakes. Help us reach
2500 fans and we will celebrate with a free coffee day for all our fans-
if you aren't a coffee drinker we'll give you a free piece of chocolate
instead!
Join us on facebook and
tell a friend: 
Don't forget to celebrate Easter
Sunday this weekend, visit your local house of worship, and if you need
chocolate visit Great Lakes.
Available in-store on Wednesday,
April 7, we are featuring Bob-O-Link coffee from Brazil, a direct
trade coffee available exclusively through our coffee bean importer. Here
is a condensed version of this coffees remarkable tale:
Marcos Croce & Silvia
Barretto purchased a house in Illinois on Bob-O-Link Rd. They soon learned
that the Bob-O-Link bird migrates from the upper Midwest of the USA to the
Southern part of Brazil and back every year. As it turned out, Silvia
inherited her families coffee farm - Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza
(FAF) - founded by her family in the 1850's and situated in the
Mountain Mogiana region of Brazil. After inheriting the farm Silvia and
Marcos converted FAF into a completely organic and sustainable farm but
soon decided that taking care of their own farm (a natural nesting place
for the Bob-O-Link bird) wasn't enough. They sought after their neighbors
to share in their vision: to produce the highest quality coffee in an
environment where animals and birds can inhabit. The Specialty Coffee
Association of America (SCAA) honored FAF with the Sustainability Award in
2008.
Bob-O-Link Brazilian
coffee beans are selected by FAF from a small group of small
family farmers sharing in their vision, all from the Mountain Mogiana
region known as one of the best coffee producing regions of Brazil. It is
grown at altitudes ranging from 1000-1300 meters above sea level with the
coffee plant varieties of Bourbon, Mundo Novo and Catuai. The coffee is
picked selectively and dried naturally. It's aroma is reminiscent of
sweetened chocolate, it's flavors are citric and chocolatey with a hint of
nuttiness with a full body and creamy, savory aftertaste.
In the same way that the
Bob-O-Link bird connects this vast region, this coffee aims to connect
people and spread the seeds of sustainability in farming.
Hope you enjoy this coffee and
it's story as much as we do, Enjoy!
$1 Off
Bob-O-Link Brazilian Coffee
Available Wednesday April 7, Offer valid until Sunday,
April 11 or while supplies last.
Must present this coupon for savings.
Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Catuai were all mentioned in the
story of Bob-O-Link coffee. They are a varietal of the Arabica coffee
species. Robusta is another commercial coffee species, it is very robust
and thrives where the Arabica has difficulty, although the Robusta has a
higher caffeine content the Arabica is the most preferred coffee species
as it has and excellent cup quality. To read more on these coffee
varieties visit:
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Frozen Malted Milk Ball
The Malted Milk Ball is a frozen,
blended cup of heaven.
A frozen mocha with
several generous scoops of malt makes this drink chocolaty, creamy,
smooth, and one of the best frozen coffee drinks available. For those who
prefer malt only, we have the Coffee Malt! This fun twist makes it
possible to keep it simple with the delightful combination of coffee and
malt, or make it your own by adding a flavor!
Coffee:
Coffee beans begin their journey in our
roasting room as a dense, grassy tasting, green bean. During the roasting
process when the beans reach approximately 400°F, the beans "crack",
much like popcorn. It is at this time when the flavor begins to come out
and the bean looks like coffee. Just after this first crack is where we
finish our 'House Roast' - full of flavor and character but not too
intense. As the beans continue to roast they "crack" a second time,
during or after this second crack is where we finish our 'Dark Roast' for
those who like a more intense, strong coffee. When the beans are
finished roasting they are dumped from the roaster and cooled
immediately in the cooling bin. Check out the roasting process with
the video on our website! Coffee Roasting.
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Chocolate:
The fruit of the
Cacao tree grow directly from the trunk. They look like small melons, and
the pulp inside contains 20 to 50 seeds or beans. It takes about 400 beans
to make a pound of chocolate.