R&R Coffee Café :: Black Forest, Colorado

Our coffee offerings

We LOVE coffee here at R&R. We hope you do (or soon will), too. So what sets us apart from all the other roasters? We're glad you asked...

Small batch roasting.: By roasting small batches of coffee, it allows us to focus on the quality of each pound, versus the quality of each 5- or 10-pound batch.
10 day guarantee.: We promise that we have no coffee in our shop that's over ten days old. Why that short of a time frame? Easy. Coffee is considered stale fouteen days after it is roasted. You wouldn't eat expired food, why drink stale coffee?
Unique coffees.: Sure, you can go to any roaster and pick up a pound of Sumatra. Can you go to those places and pick up a pound of India Monsooned Malabar? Didn't think so.
Custom roasting.: Don't see something you want from our selections or want to try your talents at blending? Let's do it! You'll need to set up a time to do this; contact us for more information.

Here's our current coffee listing. Please call to verify availability. We update the site when we can, but you can't be too careful. When ordering, please specify if you need your coffee whole bean, ground for a flat-bottom filter basket, cone filter basket, or espresso ground. Yes, the size of the grind does make a difference! Why? Glad you asked.

Single Origins

	1/2 pound	1 pound
Rwanda AbakundakawaCertified Fair Trade Light + Roast Abakundakawa, which is Rwandan for “Those who love coffee” is a co-op of farmers in the Gakenke district of northern Rwanda. 1954 members make up this cooperative, and over 40% of those members are female. The cooperative is Fair Trade Certified and is leading the way in organic certification processes for the Rwandan growers. This coffee is grown between 1755 and 2000 meters and is processed at one of two washing stations the cooperative owns. It is harvested between March and May. The initial fragrance reminds me of a lightly brewed orange tea. The cup itself: very nuanced and delicate flavors abound. From honey to sweet berries to grapefruit, this cup packs a wallop of flavors without being so overpowering you can’t handle it. Aftertaste-wise, I get a silky, buttery mouthfeel.	$6.95	$10.95
Papua New Guinea Kigabah Plantation Grade A Light + Roast Did someone say citrus? 'Cause this PNG has it in spades. Very bright, citrus zest, and a bit of sweet fruit flavors abound in the cup. A wonderful aftertaste that leaves you wanting more fades slowly.	$6.50	$10.50
El Salvador Finca Santa Sofía (2009 crop) Medium Roast This wonderful coffee is the product of a fourth-generation farm deep in the heart of El Salvador. In the past, this exact coffee has won 5 Cup of Excellence™ awards, including the 2008 crop. While this crop was not submitted to the CoE auctions, we believe it could have won--or at least placed very high. A thick, syrupy mouthfeel stands out tremendously along with deep plum and black cherry tones. The aftertaste--well, what aftertaste? The sip disappears almost completely when you swallow. Absolutely amazing; come try it out today. Read more about the 2008 winning crop on the Cup of Excellence Site.	$7.95	$11.95
Colombia Huila "Monserrate" Relationship Coffee Medium Roast: Sweet, smooth, mild citrusy notes, and a touch of nuttiness brighten up this cup. French Roast: Dark but not too dark, smooth but not too smooth, this dark roast will hit you with a nice rich flavor and sweetness then fade away, leaving you wanting more. Meet The Producers of this wonderful coffee. (Adobe reader required for the MTP)	$7.25	$11.25
Ethiopia HarrarCertified Fair Trade Organic Light + Roast: A naturally sweet coffee with tremendous blueberry tones. A wonderful cup with a lingering sweetness.	$7.25	$11.25
Sulawesi Kalossi Grade 1 Medium Roast Sure, everyone seems to offer a Sumatra coffee. But did you know that there's other islands in the Indonesia area that offer coffee? Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes) is one. This coffee, even though roasted to a medium level, has a tremendous deep, earthy flavor. Some would even call the flavor a bit on the "wild" side. We tend to agree. But, the sip leaves a lingering sweetness on the tongue. Want coffee to smack you around a bit? Look no further!	$5.95	$9.95
India Monsooned Malabar Dark Roast Monsooned coffees are kept in open sided warehouses for over 12 months. Through the monsoon season, these coffees absorb the moist air. This changes the flavors in tremendous ways. Malabar has a deep, bold flavor that shines through the cup then ends with a subtle cocoa taste. The flavor of this coffee is simply unforgettable.	$6.95	$10.95
DECAF Brazil Arabica Swiss Water Process Medium or French Roast A very sweet, nutty coffee that won't keep you up all night. All throuh the cup, you'll be asking, "Is this really Decaf?" At a French Roast level, the nuttiness fades a bit, but a wonderful woodsy tone emerges.	$8.25	$12.25
DECAF Ethiopia Sidamo Swiss Water Process & Certified Fair Trade Organic Light Roast Our importer uses their own stock of Sidamo for decaffeination, so we have more information with this coffee than just a generic "decaf" label--and it shows in the cup. Wonderful sweetness topped with cherry and raspberry tones plus a sweet aftertaste make this decaf a winner!	$9.95	$14.95

Specialty Blends

	1/2 pound	1 pound
R & R's "Red Stallion" Espresso Medium + Roast: The same espresso blend we use in the store. Rich chocolate and caramel tones dominate this espresso. As it ages, this espresso gains a lovely orange zest tingle. In milk, this espresso smooths right out, with a subtle caramel flavor creeping into the cup. Delicious!	$6.95 Decaf: $7.95	$10.95 Decaf: $11.95
Breakfast Blend Medium + roast Starting with a wonderful maple syrup aroma, this coffee fills your mouth with a robust flavor, turns smoky, then smooths right out. A perfect cup for waking you up in the morning!	$7.25	$11.25
Forest Mist Blend Our Signature Blend Dark Roast Deep, dark, and smoky. But wait, it's not bitter! And if I'm not mistaken, there's a hint of sweetness in the cup, too. A true coffee drinkers coffee, this is phenomenal when hot. Once it cools, deeper flavors that have been quiet before finally get the chance to sing. This multifaceted coffee will please the most discerning palate.	$7.25	$11.25
Snowy Day Roast Level varies by beans used It's one of those days where the snow (or rain) is coming down hard, and you're not in the mood to do anything but sit in front of the window and ponder life. You still need coffee, of course, but you don't want to be up all night. This is the perfect blend for you. It's a half caff blend sure to please your caffeinated and practical side.	varies	varies
DECAF Treetop Blend Medium or Dark Roast A perfect mix of our decaffeinated coffees that's sure to make you believe you're drinking regular coffee. Sweet, bold, fruity, and tangy all rolled into one. It's aftertaste is slightly sweet, but it doesn't stick around that long.	$7.95	$11.95

Coffee F.A.Q.s

Well, there's some things about our coffees you may want to know. If you've had our coffees in the past, these may be old news. If so, why are you still reading this? :)

First up, one ground rule: these guides are for your information only. At no time do we feel this is the definitive way to brew and taste your coffees: this is just the way we feel is the best. Your experience with the way you like your coffee trumps anything talked about here. Got it? Good.

The coffee: As discussed before, your coffee is considered stale a mere fourteen days after it comes out of the roaster. That means that most coffees you find are already stale. You wouldn't eat stale food, why drink stale coffee? This is why we always recommend getting your coffees from a local roaster. Here at R & R, we place the "Roasted On" date on every bag of coffee we sell. Most places will place the date you purchased on the bag. Don't be fooled by this "Scooped on" date. This tells you nothing about how old the coffee is! You'll taste the difference right away with our coffees.
Storage: Ahhh, the age-old fight about proper storage. It seems everyone has a different theory about how to store their beans. Well, time for our theory. If you are going to use up your coffees within a week of the roasted on date stamped on our bags, leave the coffee on your counter. If not, store your coffee in the freezer--not the refrigerator. Putting your coffee in the refrigerator will lead to coffee that smells like your leftovers and leftovers smelling like your coffee. Once in the freezer, your coffee should be taken out and put back as fast as possible so that ice crystals don't form on the bean. Oh, all of this? It goes for if you have our coffee unground. If your coffee is preground for you, just store it in the freezer.
The dosage: (This assumes you're dosing for a regular drip pot!) The strength of coffee is highly subjective, but here's what we've found works best. Use one level tablespoon of coffee grounds per cup line on your pot. Not your cup, mind you. We're talking about those little white tick marks that parade up the side of your coffee pot. Adjust as necessary to meet your tastes.
The grind: "What?" you might ask. "There's a difference in the grinds?!?" You bet your sweet bippy there is! The longer water is in contact with the beans, the less surface area of the coffee you want in contact with the water. If you let the coffee sit in the water too long, you end up with an overextracted mug of dreck. So, if you have a flat-bottom filter, you'll need a coarser grind to withstand the watter sitting in the basket. Cone filter? Not as coarse. Espresso? Massively fine. Got the picture?
The water: In its simplest form, coffee brewing is just hot water being poured over grounds. Ahhhh, if only the world was that easy. Did you know that your water quality may be affecting your flavors? Think about how much is done to our water supply to make sure it's safe to drink! Those chemicals can end up in the coffee, or, worse yet, build up inside your coffee brewer, leading to a really interesting taste over time. Best way to get past this? Bottled, filtered, or purified water. Taste the difference!
The temperature: Coffee's flavor can--and usually does--change depending on the temperature of your water. Unfortunately, most home brewers do not get the water hot enough to get the best extraction from the coffees. Here in the shop, we brew at a whopping 195 degrees for optimal extraction. To mimick this at home, we recommend using hot water from your tap or water just off the boil when you fill your brewer.
The brewer: Ideally, all glass carafe style coffee brewers would go away. Forever. They brew great, but here's the problem: the coffee continues to cook on that burner. Your coffee in 30 minutes will taste dramatically different than your coffee now. Ugh. We recommend some type of "air pot", thermos, or other glass-lined storage vessel for your coffee storage needs: not a glass pot on a burner.
Other questions?: We've covered the basics here, but if you need more assistance with our coffees, just give us a ring and we'll see what we can do to help you. Happy sipping!