PureBread Deli recently visited Café Excellence to expand their knowledge of coffee. Armed with a great team of managers and eager to learn, we hit the ground running. We covered everything from different types of coffee plants to where coffee is grown and how a region’s climate and altitude effect coffee. We toured our plant, then gathered in our cupping room for more explanations and fine tuning of our palates.

We cupped our Breakfast Blend, Rainforest Alliance House Blend and Ethiopian Deep Blue Harrar. Once we started with the dry aromas I could see the look in PureBread Deli’s eyes questioning the familiar aromas. Then, breaking the crust for the wet aroma experience – quite a bit different!

First, we tasted the Breakfast Blend. This coffee is a light to medium body coffee that hit us with good acidity, a burst of apricot and a hint of chocolate and nuts. Next up, our Rainforest Alliance House Blend. A full-bodied, well-balanced brew with deep chocolate and a hint of garden green peas.

Now the one I had been waiting for – Ethiopian Deep Blue Harrar! Since this coffee arrived, anytime someone comes into the cupping room we cup it. It is so unique, I just can’t resist. So here we are tasting these delicious brews, I looked around the room at the puzzled faces and ask, “Does anyone know this flavor?” Irene, our Sales Manager says, “Think fruit.” Linda, from PureBread Deli, yells out, “Blueberries!” Everyone replies, “Oh yeah!”  (We always have so much fun with that one.)

Then Irene introduces them to her latest recipe – a Chocolate Covered Pecan Latte. While Irene was on the espresso machine Jeff, our Production Manager, jumps on the blender and make a Big Train Coconut Smoothie. Another hit with this group!

For Irene’s Chocolate Covered Pecan Latte Recipe click here.