Oak Cliff Coffee’s ‘Aid for Haiti’ Blend

About ‘Aid for Haiti’

In the aftermath of the earthquake, we’ve all seen photos of the destruction and chaos that is present day Haiti.  Often it seems that reactionary relief groups are not well organized and donating money blindly to them doesn’t seem the best option to truly be of help.  This has been confounded by the much-publicized corruption of Haitian officials. 

A friend of mine, Jon, recently shared with me about a friend of his, Caleb, who is a doctor involved with work in Haiti over the past few years.  In 2008, Caleb co-founded a ministry organization called Aid for Haiti that has been taking regular trips to Haiti to establish relationships and provide care to areas that do not have good access to medical aid. 

After the quake, this team of doctors, nurses, and other volunteers deployed for Haiti.  The group sought out an area that they felt had the greatest need.  While most of the aid has been centered on the capital city of Port Au Prince, other towns have been neglected.  They have set up a makeshift hospital in the town of Petit Goave (about 150,000 in population) which was decimated and had received virtually no aid. 

Where Oak Cliff Coffee comes into this… 

Personally, I have been impacted by hearing about this group and from learning about their efforts through their blog.  I have decided that along with giving to them personally, I’d like to use our coffee to help this organization continue to provide relief to the people of Haiti, and at the same time offer a unique blend for our customers. 

From now until February 24^th, Oak Cliff Coffee will be offering an ‘Aid for Haiti’ Blend, with 50% of the proceeds from sales going directly to ‘Aid for Haiti’.  We will roast the blend every Thursday (Feb 11^th, 18^th 25^th) and deliver next day for the next 3 weeks.  In addition to this,  we are offering free delivery anywhere within Dallas City Limits for all orders that include but not limited to the ‘Aid for Haiti’ Blend.  If you are close to Dallas but outside of the city limits, please email us for possible delivery arrangements.  February 24^th will be the last day to order. 

This blend of Central American coffees is a sugary sweet cup with bright citrus notes.  It’s recommended as a drip or French press. 

If you’re interested in purchasing the ‘Aid for Haiti’ Blend, please visit our website or click the link below.

Buy One Pound of ‘Aid for Haiti Blend’ – $16

I specifically chose to support ‘Aid for Haiti’ because of the organization’s commitment to Haiti prior to the earthquake, because of the goals of their mission, and because 100% of the donations they receive go directly to helping the Haitians in need (and not overhead costs).   Please take some time to read about their work at www.aidforhaiti.org.

Your roaster,

Shannon Neffendorf

NOW SERVING: URBAN ACRES MARKET

 

Urban Acres is opening their first Farm Store in Oak Cliff!  The store will be open every Saturday from 9am – 3pm.  Located at 1424 W. Davis St., in the old De La Fuente Produce Market.  To be able to shop at the market you need a membership, to get more information on joining email info@urbanacresmarket.com.  The store is a “full organic food market where members can pick up produce and pre-ordered food items and also shop for other goodies fresh from the farm.” 

We have joined with Urban Acres to sell our freshly roasted, whole bean coffee at the store.  This Saturday we will be serving samples of coffee starting at 9am.  We would love for you to come by, check out Urban Acres Farm Store and enjoy a hot cup of coffee.

For more information on the Farm Store check out the Urban Acres website.

Office Delivery Subscription Service

Is your office located in Oak Cliff or downtown Dallas and in need of good coffee? We are running a promotion for offices to enjoy a free bag of freshly roasted coffee.

The mailer is redeemable for a free bag of whole bean coffee with delivery. It will include detailed information about our office delivery subscription service. If you would like your office to receive the mailer then email info@oakcliffcoffee.com with your office’s mailing information.

Thanks for your continued support in getting good coffee throughout Dallas.

Brazil Condado Estate – Direct Trade

We are starting off the new year right here at OCCR.  We just received a new shipment of fresh Brazilian coffee.  Not only is this an outstanding bean and a  fresh crop, but it’s also our second Direct Trade relationship.  We are purchasing this bean directly from the family who farms the coffee at the Condado Estate in the Carmo de Minas region of Brazil. 

We obtained some samples from Condado after a friend in the industry introduced us.  Right away the depth of flavor in the cup impressed us.  As you may know, part of our Direct Trade initiative is paying well above the Fair Trade Standard price, because the farmers earned it and the coffee is worth it. 

The farm is at an altitude of 1275 meters and the coffee varietal is a Yellow Catuai.  The bean is a Late Harvest Natural which means the fruit actually begins to dry on the tree, then the workers pick each cherry by hand and it is finished drying on patios under the sun.  The cup had the usual sweetness and chocolate tones of a natural Brazil, but with some spice and more fruitiness than expected.   This would also be a good option for a single-origin espresso.

Here is a video taken at Condado, which shows a little of the farming and preparation process the coffee goes through. 

Holiday Roasting

All orders placed between December 22 – Jan. 3 will be delivered or shipped January 5th.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Now Serving: Dude, Sweet Chocolate

 

Dude, Sweet Chocolate is now open in the Bishop Arts District; it is located at 408 W. 8^th St, Suite 102.  The hours for the store are Monday: Closed, Tuesday – Thursday: 8am – 9pm, Friday & Saturday: 8am – 10pm, and Sunday: Noon – 6pm.

Dude, Sweet Chocolates focuses on using single origin chocolates and then mixing them with exotic ingredients to get mouth-watering perfection.  Their “Sweet Chocolates” are a combination swaying from sweet to savory as it lays on your palette like a country roll in the hay.  Wanting something not as sweet, they have “The Dudes” that are savory flavors with the perfect balance of passion meets bold. They also offer Chocolate Bars (in both Dude and Sweet), Russian Marshmallows, Truffles, and much more.  These make great gifts for Christmas.

This unique chocolate shop will be serving our Sumatra Mandheling to go along with their scrumptious chocolates. The Sumatra has deep earth, spice, and plum notes that highlight this forceful coffee.  It is also roasted a little darker to coax out the dark chocolate finish.  Whether you want a Sweet or a Dude the combination with the freshly roasted Sumatra Mandheling coffee is unbeatable. 

For more information on the shop and offerings, you can check out Dude, Sweet Chocolate’s website and facebook page.

2 Christmas Offerings?

2 Christmas Offerings?  Sounds crazy, right?  Perhaps, but not for me.  But don’t fret, you can’t go wrong with either.

In seeking out an outstanding Christmas Offering for this season we cupped a lot of samples from different importers to find just the best one.  In the process, we first came across our Costa Rica Herbazu Estate, which stood out on the cupping table.  And because my search for great coffee is never completely satisfied, we continued to cup samples.  Just a few weeks ago we were sent a sample of Gourmet Prep from Finca Santa Sofia in El Salvador, and I was impressed with it’s super sweetness and gentle notes of chocolate and plum. I knew immediately I wanted it.  So… we have two Christmas Offerings this year.  

For our Roaster’s Choice subscriber’s this week, you will be experiencing the Christmas Offerng ‘El Salvador Finca Santa Sofia Gourmet Prep’.  I hope that you enjoy the cup as much I have.  We’ll still be offering up our Costa Rica Herbazu Estate as our Christmas Offering, too.  Both of these coffees are excellent choices and outstanding in their own rights, which is why we want to offer them both.

White Rock Local Market – December 12, 2009

We will be serving hot, fresh roasted coffee tomorrow, Saturday December 12, at the White Rock Local Market.  The market runs from 9 am – 3 pm and is located at 702 N. Buckner.  We will be selling 12 oz. bags (Red Sea Blend, Guatemala Huehuetenango, O.C. Decaf) for $10 each.  Also available for purchase will be different gift sets for Christmas that we will package for you.  There will be different brewing methods also available to buy.  The Aeropress, Chemex, Melitta One Cup, Syphon Pot, and French Press!  Hope to see you tomorrow!

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Packages Now Available

Looking for ideas for Christmas gifts?  We think coffee makes a great gift for family, friends, and neighbors.  All of our gift packages are now available on our website and if you have any questions email us at info@oakcliffcoffee.com.

We are offering an exclusive Christmas coffee for the 2009 Holiday Season.  The Christmas coffee is Costa Rica Herbazu.  It comes from an award-winning Herbazu estate in the West Valley region.  Fresh-baked cookies mark the aroma, and the cup has notes of honey and citrus.  The body is round and the finish has a touch of spice, making it a perfect offering to celebrate Christmas.

Is there a better gift, than a gift from the Cliff?  We don’t think so.

We have joined with Kessler Cookies to offer an exclusive Christmas Basket – the “Best Pairing in Dallas”. The basket will be uniquely packaged with a pound of Famous Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies (“Best Cookie” – Big D Magazine, 2004) and a pound of Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters (“Best Cup Coffee” – Dallas Observe, 2009) exclusive Christmas offering.  This package is available on the Kessler Cookie website and OCCR website.

The last day to order all Christmas packages is Tuesday, December 15.  All Christmas packages, including the “Best Pairing in Dallas”, will be delivered free of charge in Oak Cliff.

Merry Christmas!

Now Serving: Lighthouse Coffee Bar

On Friday, November 20, Lighthouse Coffee Bar had its Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting.  Lighthouse is located at 1404 N. 9^th St. in Midlothian.  We are proud to announce that they are exclusively serving and selling Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters coffee.

The coffee shop was constructed to create an environment that will promote community in Midlothian. It was very inspiring to see the product of the hard work that had been put forth to establish Lighthouse Coffee Bar.

 It has a unique, enticing atmosphere that makes this coffee shop worth the drive. There is a great vibe throughout their multiple sitting areas with color schemes that are inviting.

 The coffee bar also offers a full menu of homemade sandwiches, soups, and delectable desserts.  

 We are excited about Lighthouse Coffee Bar because we share similar business philosophies. We both desire to support the local community and provide our customers with the best and freshest products possible.