Have You Seen This Man???

If you have any information as to the whereabouts of the individual pictured in the above photograph, please call the Little Red Bike Cafe at 503...

No, actually Joel has not been MIA. He is always easy to get a hold of, often picking up his phone on the first call, second or third ring. He may be hard to see though, 'cause he is busy. Whether he's riding through the streets making the rounds to one of his many accounts, or on his way back to the roastery to make some more great coffee, the guy spends a lot of time on his bike. And there's little time to pedal leisurely or take the scenic rout. Business is good, time is precious, and there's always somebody low on coffee.

When we first contacted Joel this past spring we had no idea how busy he was going to be come time we required his services. But we had a feeling things would get this way, that's why we contacted him before we even had a retail location picked out. By the time we signed the lease it was the beginning of summer, and the weather was good. The 50 minute ride from our place to the roastery wasn't enough to get Joel to change his mind about supplying a cafe so far from his home base. Now its mid-October and the weather has turned, and we find ourselves overcome with guilt when making the phone call to let Joel know we will soon be in need of more coffee. The rain outside seemingly intensifying with each number we dial. It's a long pedal out here.

Still, he keeps on peddling. His accounts keep growing, and the coffee, well the coffee keeps getting better. There are many great things that result from the fruit of his labor. Not even broken roasters seem to slow the guy down. Oh, and did I mention that this once one-man operation has now mushroomed to a two-person company. Yes, that's right, CCR has hired an employee (perhaps a separate interview and post is warranted here). Brazilian coffees should be coming around the beginning of next year, and some new Guatemala and Sumatra coffees have just arrived. Currently Joel is playing with the Half & Half's Rio espresso machine, tasting a blend which he admittedly wishes he has had more time of late to taste. And while there is no 5-year plan in place, owning his own coffeeshop seems likely.

Ah yes, it's a good week to be a coffee drinker in North Portland. A great deal of ominous and sometimes downright nasty looking clouds seem to dominate the skies, only rarely breaking apart long and large enough to let the sun shine through--tempting us with a glimpse of the Indian summer that could have been. But alas, we have the perfect weapons for a preemptive strike, ready to annihilate any potential S.A.D. developments in your life...

Joel hath delivered upon to us two coffees for your drinking pleasure:

The first, is a Guatemala San Juan (that we will most likely run out of some time tomorrow afternoon). This is a good coffee. I seem to like Guatemalan coffees a lot. The taste is rich and sweet to me, and this particular San Jose is among my favorite roasts of this particular coffee that I have had yet.

Debuting whenever we run out of the above (again, most likely some time tomorrow afternoon) is a coffee that Joel recently remarked was among the favorites of the coffees he is currently roasting, Kenya Kaganda ("when done right." he says. Meaning, when he is happy with the overall roast).

As for the weekend, we shall know sometime tomorrow afternoon what has been roasted and set aside for us. Joel certainly has a lot on his plate right now, and we are happy he is willing to bike all of the way out to North Portland to deliver coffee to us.