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.

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!

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!

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.

We will be serving coffee at the 7th Annual Cedars Open Studio Tour. Our table will be located in the Old City Park on 1515 S. Harwood St. The studios will be open to tour all day Saturday, November 21, beginning at 10 am. The South Side on Lamar Galleries are located along 1409 S. Lamar and the surrounding area. This will be a fun event for all and there will be over 20 local artists showcasing their work. There will be sculptors, glass blowers, textiles, painters, potters, and much more. As well the Southwest Premier Living History Museum will have free entrance for everyone. See you tomorrow.

We are happy to announce our first Cup of Excellence Limited Offering!  The Cup of Excellence is the most prestigious award, given to the best coffees in a participating country.  And this offering is from the Guatemala “COE”, which has been the most successful auction of the Cup of Excellence Program, reaching up to $80 per green pound in 2008.    

The Cup of Excellence Program helps small farmers by garnering their farm much attention and substantial prices for the coffee, through this program.  This is in reward for meticulous care and success in their coffee production.

Guatemala San Julian, Inversiones Mimosa 2009

Our offering is from the San Julian farm in the town of Palenica.  The altitude of this farm is over 1700 meters and the varietal is known as Catuai.  There’s no need to embellish a coffee that has won an award as one of the most outstanding, from a country that consistently produces some of the top coffees in the world.  Below are some of the descriptions of this cup from the international jury… try not to drool on your keyboard while reading it! 

Top Jury Descriptions: Aroma/Flavor- papaya, mango, spices, vanilla, blackstrap molasses, ginger flower, sweet tobacco, dark rye,   Acidity- crisp, sharp, round  Notes-complex, huge creamy body, good structure

If you like Guatemala coffees, then this is your opportunity to taste one of the best the country has to offer.  Locally & carefully roasted and delivered fresh, and just in time to share with friends and family at Thanksgiving. 

Read more about this coffee here.

Read more about the Cup of Excellence Program here.

Once again, this is a limited offering, so order promptly as the last two offerings sold out in about a day.  You can purchase this coffee in half pound or one pound increments, and we’re limiting this offering to two pounds per customer.  

 What:  Guatemala, Cup of Excellence, San Julian, Inversiones Mimosa 2009

When: Roasting on Monday, November 23; Delivery on Tuesday, November 24

 One Pound with Shipping – $35

 One Pound – Oak Cliff Delivery – $30

 Half Pound with Shipping – $22

 Half Pound – Oak Cliff Delivery – $17

Saturday, November 14, we will be giving away free samples of coffee at White Rock Local Market.  The market is located at 702 N. Buckner Blvd.  next to the Green Spot Market and Fuel.  It will begin at 8 am and last until noon.  We will also be selling our 12 oz. bags of whole bean, freshly roasted coffee for $10.   There will be over 20 local vendors with products ranging from cookies, honey, candles, and much more.  See you tomorrow!

Monday, November 9, Celebration Restaurant  (4503 W. Lovers Lane) will be hosting their monthly Dinner with Dialogue event. This one is important to us because of the topic that will be covered, ”Saving out Local Farmers’ Markets and Sustainable Agriculture in Texas.”  

Ed Lowe (owner of Celebration Restaurant) and Angela Hunt (District 14 councilwoman) are hosting this event and it is open to anyone. Guest speakers will be Pamela Walker, author of Growing Things to Eat, and Michael and Debby Sams, owners of Full Quiver Farms and Dairy.

The optional dinner will begin at 6 pm and end at 7 pm.  The presentations will last from 7 pm until 7:30 pm.  The dialogue will begin at 7:30 and the floor will be open for your questions and concerns.

To make reservations you can either call (214) 351 – 5681 or email Ed Lowe at edlowe@celebrationrestaurant.com.

We will be serving coffee at the Kessler School Pumpkin Patch and Street Fair tomorrow, October 10, from 9 am – 3 pm.  This is a fun event for any age and all donations will go to The Kessler School.  It will be located at The Kessler School (Kessler Park United Methodist Church) at 1215 Turner Ave.  A few of the events that you can participate in are purchasing a pumpkin, pony carousel, a petting zoo, face painting, enjoying good food from local vendors, and much more.  We hope to see you tomorrow!

I’m posting a letter that has been sent out concerning Local Farmers’ Markets.  It was written by Clyde Greenhouse, of Kessler Cookies (and me).  This is an important local issue for small business owners. 

Recently, the Celebration Restaurant Farmer’s Market was shut down by the City of Dallas for lacking the proper permitting.  And according to the manager of the food protection division, they intend to ‘root out’ other similar local Farmers’ Markets, like this one. 

The problem is this City Staff is supposed to be our servants.  They’re paid, by us, to benefit the public.  Often, they do this well.  But these Farmers’ Markets have been very popular, and the City Staff now finds itself in direct opposition to what the public seemingly wants.  It’s not feasible nor practicable for these markets to meet the permitting requirements, that were drawn up with nothing like them in mind. 

The claim is that they are protecting our food from a ’strong possibility’ of cross-contamination and from wide-spread outbreaks of bacteria, etc.  Protection? Who defines ‘protection’, and when we need it?  Strong Possibility? Honestly?  How many small local farmers’ markets has this been a problem for?  And where do we draw the line on how much protection we need?  Can the city shut down my neighborhood backyard barbeque because I left my ketchup in an ice cooler as opposed to mechanical refrigeration.

Of course we want these markets to be safe!  Our business depends on that.  But at these markets, the owner and farmers are there…  they are present.  This isn’t McDonald’s or Tom Thumb, where the person serving you has no clue about the food they’re selling.  If you want to know how the farmer’s eggs have been stored, then ask him, or watch what he pulls them out of.  If you are not comfortable with his answer, then don’t buy it. 

Further information on the subject:

Celebration Market Info and Petition

Dallas Shutters Rogue Farmers’ Markets

Dallas News Article

Enough of my ranting… Here’s the letter, followed by short list of City Councilpeople,  please take some action with us:

Save a Local Farmers’ Market & Save a Local Small Business!

As small business owners in the City of Dallas, local farmers’ markets have provided us with an economical means of reaching potential customers in a very volatile business climate. As traditional methods of selling decline, local farmers’ markets have paved new avenues and bestowed a closer connection to customers. Going beyond the one-on-one with consumers, shopping at local farmers’ market benefits local businesses and strengthens our local communities. When you buy produce and products directly from a farmer or vendor, they benefit by cutting out cost like transportation and middle-men. These cost savings are reinvested in our local economy.

But now, local farmers’ markets are in danger of being shut down in the City of Dallas, as our antiquated permitting process has not caught up with the way we live today…locally. Please contact your City Council member and ask them to “quickly develop a permitting process to save our local farmers’ markets” and help save local small businesses.

Thank you for your support.

Clyde Greenhouse

Kessler Cookie Company

Shannon Neffendorf

Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters

District 1 – Councilwoman Delia Jasso  (214) 670-4052

District 3 – Councilman David A. Neumann (214) 670-0776

District 14 – Councilwoman Angela Hunt (214) 670-5415

District 2 – Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano (214) 670-4048

District 13 – Councilwoman Ann Margolin (214) 670-3816