The series continues in May with, “A COFFEE SHOP RATIO THAT BOOSTS PROFITS BY 50%.”

“Many cof­fee shop own­ers go into the busi­ness based on their pas­sion for cof­fee. They often believe the key to their suc­cess is bring­ing the finest cof­fee avail­able to their com­mu­nity,” Greg writes. “That’s a big part of the equa­tion, and you can’t succeed with­out great cof­fee. But you also need to attend to the busi­ness side of running a cof­fee shop.

“When you get down to basics, sell­ing cof­fee is a num­bers game,” the article continues. “If you play the game cor­rectly, you win. If you try to cut cor­ners or stray from your focus, you will lose.”

Want to learn more about ratios and how they contribute to a thriving coffee shop? Read the full article in Coffee Talk. Or, for more insights into coffee shop success, see Greg’s book, Seven Steps to Success in the Specialty Coffee Industry.

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has hand-roasted great-tasting specialty coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 250 independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program. 

Questions about opening a coffee shop? Or want to learn more about our wholesale coffee roasting programs for specialty grocers, colleges and universities and restaurants and food service operators? Give us a call at 888-800-9224 or fill out this form, and we’ll get right back to you!

Most recently, The Columbus Dispatch wrote a full-page article about our coffee roasting facility and coffee shop franchise alternative program.

The piece includes a Q&A with our own Greg Ubert plus an interview with Tracy Heitmeyer, owner of 5 Bean Coffee in Reynoldsburg. Thanks for the kind words, Tracy!

In the Q&A, Greg talks about Crimson Cup’s mission, our fun working environment and how we support independent coffee shops. Here’s a brief excerpt:

Q: What are some of the more-common mistakes people make when opening a coffee shop?

A: There are numerous ones: Not choosing a successful location. Not having a business plan. Not understanding the business. Getting into it without knowing how to be profitable. Buying the wrong product. Not training staff. There are many pitfalls, which is why we are set up the way we are. Knowledge is a key thing. That’s why we have come into what we do. Yes, we roast great coffee. The other piece is the teaching.

Follow this link to read the full article.

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has hand-roasted great-tasting specialty coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 250 independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program. 

Questions about opening a coffee shop? Or want to learn more about our wholesale coffee roasting programs for specialty grocers, colleges and universities and restaurants and food service operators? Give us a call at 888-800-9224 or fill out this form, and we’ll get right back to you!

Roasting helps transform green coffee beans into the beverage we all love. Under controlled heat and time, the beans expand and change in color, taste, aroma and density. Coffee also loses about 20 percent of its weight during the roasting process.

Awesome Flavor Begins with the Beans

Not all beans are created equal. At Crimson Cup, we travel the world to select the top class of specialty-grade coffee beans from the best coffee-producing countries. The flavor of each bean is affected by the variety of coffee, soil, altitude, and weather conditions in the location where it was grown. At any given time, we have beans from 25 to 30 countries of origin in our roasting facility.

Dave Rochus roasts a batch of coffee using our “Godzilla” roaster.

The Art & Science of Roasting

Part art, part science, roasting requires experience, control and quick reflexes. The roasting approach has a profound impact on the fragrance, taste, aroma, sweetness, acidity and body of the coffee. The roast must be matched to the coffee varietal, as different beans require more or less heat and shorter or longer roasting to develop their optimal flavors.

To produce Crimson Cup’s awesome coffee, Roast Master Dave Rochus supervises the roasting of each bean on one of four gas-fired drum coffee roasters. Drum coffee roasters work kind of like clothes dryers, rotating to keep the beans tumbling in hot air. Crimson Cup’s roasters include:

•  “Godzilla,” a Roure roaster that can roast up to 325 pounds of coffee beans in one batch.
• Another Roure Roaster, “Little Red,” which can roast 66 pounds at a time.
• Probat Roasters “Hansel and Gretel,” each of which roasts 25 pounds at a time.

Dave chooses a roaster based on demand for each type of coffee.  He uses Godzilla primarily for our most popular coffees such as Armando’s Blend, and Hansel and Gretel for single-origin micro-lots. On high-demand days, Dave is kept busy dancing between the four roasters as he precisely controls the temperatures and roasting times to produce our signature roasts.

The Roasting Process

The green coffee beans first undergo a screening process to remove any foreign items or imperfect beans. Dave weighs out the beans and puts them into the hopper, a funnel-shaped device at the top of the roaster. He checks the temperature of the roaster and ensures that it’s rotating properly before allowing the beans to flow from the hopper into the roaster.

Roasting times average around 15 minutes. Dave monitors the roasting process by observing the bean temperature, smell, color and sound.

Circulating in the hot air, the beans change in color and emit gasses and moisture. Between 210 and 240 degrees, they turn from the dull green of dried grass to a yellowish color, giving off a grassy aroma and releasing steam. At around 285 degrees the coffee goes into what is called the golden stage, where the bean turns a beautiful amber color.

As the temperature reaches approaches 300 degrees, the external membrane of the bean, or chaff, dries up and begins to separate from the bean itself. The beans turn a light, mottled brown and give off a yeasty aroma, like baking bread.

First Crack

At approximately 385 degrees, the bean reaches “first crack,” an audible signal much like corn popping. The release of moisture and gasses separates chaff from the bean. Sugars start to caramelize. Natural oils begin to migrate towards the surface of the bean. The beans turn browner and emit a nutty, toasty aroma.

First crack marks the beginning of light roasts.  At lighter roasts, the beans will exhibit more of the origin flavors created by the coffee variety and the soil, altitude, and weather conditions in the location where it was grown. They will also cup a bit sweeter, since the natural sugars are sweeter than caramelized sugars.

Most of Crimson Cup’s single-origin and micro-lot coffees are lightly roasted to preserve and enhance their origin flavors. A few to try are our Brazil Bourbons, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Guatemalan Antigua and Kona coffees.

Continuing past first crack, heat increases, caramelization continues, oils continue migrating toward the surface, and the beans expand in size and darken until they reach a medium brown.

Second Crack

For the majority of Crimson Cup roasts, Dave will stop the process somewhere between first crack and an audible “second crack,” which occurs at approximately 400 to 410 degrees depending on the roaster. Second Crack is the dividing point between medium and dark roasts.

In medium roasts, the roasting process contributes as much to the taste of the beans as their origin flavors.  Some medium roasts to try include our signature Armando’s Blend, Organic A-Blend, Piranha Bite and Single-Origin: Honduras coffees.

At second crack, the beans are a deep brown color but still dry on the surface, as the oils haven’t yet exfoliated out.

Allowing the roast to continue past second crack produces the darker roasts, which are smokier and less acidic in flavor than the light and medium roasts. The sugars within the bean are almost fully caramelized. The beans continue to dehydrate and darken to an ebony color. They look oily.

Roast character eclipses origin character in the flavor of the beans in the darker roasts. Some of our favorite dark roasts include Jungle Love, Dark Reign, and 3^rd Shift.

If beans are allowed to continue roasting much past second crack, all of the sugars caramelize and the beans have a bitter, burnt flavor – like charcoal.  They can also catch on fire!

The Finish

Once the beans reach the desired level of roast, Dave must stop the roasting process quickly so that the beans don’t continue to roast past the desired roast level. To do this, he discharges the beans onto a rotating cooling tray. A fan draws cool air over the beans so that they cool evenly.

After the beans cool completely, they are allowed to sit for a time to allow gasses to disperse.  Then our fulfillment team packages and ships fresh-roasted beans to the 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 28 states that serve Crimson Cup beverages.

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has hand-roasted great-tasting specialty coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 250 independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program. 

Questions about opening a coffee shop? Or want to learn more about our wholesale coffee roasting programs for specialty grocers, colleges and universities and restaurants and food service operators? Give us a call at 888-800-9224 or fill out this form, and we’ll get right back to you!

The group included Tracy Heitmeyer of 5 Bean Coffee(Reynoldsburg), Sheri Thomas of Sheri’s Coffee House (Norwalk), Lynne Calvelage of Coffee Amici (Findlay) and Deborah Fulks of Court Street Coffee (Athens).

While visiting the two plantations, they cupped 11 different locally grown coffees. They also experienced firsthand most of the steps required to process coffee. After harvest, the coffee cherries are washed and de-pulped to prepare for the fermentation tanks. Once the mucilage separates from the bean, the beans are dried and initially sorted by machine. As an added step, workers hand-sort the beans into different quality grades before bagging the green coffee for shipment. Crimson Cup imports only the finest – Class 1, Specialty Grade – coffee beans.

Watch the video below to see what Tracy, Sheri, Lynne, Deborah and Brandon have to say about their trip to Costa Rica.

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has hand-roasted great-tasting specialty coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 250 independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program. 

Questions about opening a coffee shop? Or want to learn more about our wholesale coffee roasting programs for specialty grocers, colleges and universities and restaurants and food service operators? Give us a call at 888-800-9224 or fill out this form, and we’ll get right back to you!

The series continues in April with, “Grass Roots Marketing and the Cost of Shoe Leather.”

“As a coffee house owner, you are running a community-based business, where the majority of your customers live or work within a few miles of your shop,” Greg writes. “To prosper, you need to become involved in your community. That’s why grass roots marketing is so important – and why shoe leather is one of the best investments you can make in marketing your coffee house.”

Want to learn more about shoe leather costs? Read the full article in Coffee Talk. Or, for more advice on marketing and the big rocks, see Greg’s book, Seven Steps to Success in the Specialty Coffee Industry.

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has hand-roasted great-tasting specialty coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 250 independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program. 

Questions about opening a coffee shop? Or want to learn more about our wholesale coffee roasting programs for specialty grocers, colleges and universities and restaurants and food service operators? Give us a call at 888-800-9224 or fill out this form, and we’ll get right back to you!

Earlier this year, Leo’s Donuts and Coffee House in Radcliff, Kentucky became part of the Crimson Cup family. In just a few months, the company has come to see Crimson Cup as the key to its success.

Leo’s is located in a restored historic building that once housed Dog N Suds Drive-in, the originator of “car-hop” service. Owners Terry and Andra Shortt started the company as Leo’s Donuts, but soon saw the need to add specialty coffee to the menu of fresh-baked goodies.  Following a recommendation from a friend in Columbus, they called on Crimson Cup for help.

Owner Terry Shortt (right) with Crimson Cup’s Steve Bayless at the Grand Opening of Leo’s Donuts

“The training and marketing support we’ve received from Crimson Cup have been totally unbelievable,” Terry said. “Crimson Cup set us up for success.”

Today, Leo’s Donuts and Coffee House features:

• A dining room with free Wi-Fi and seating for up to 20.
• Fresh donuts and other goodies.
• An Espresso Coffee Bar featuring Leo’s Mocha, Latte, fruit smoothies and other drinks supplied by Crimson Cup.
• A drive-thru window.

Terry appreciates the superior quality of Crimson Cup coffee and coffee-house products. “There are a couple of other coffee shops nearby,” he said. “Customers tell us ours is the best by far.”

The bottom line? “Crimson Cup Coffee is the key to our success,” he said.  ”Don’t try it alone. Crimson Cup is the perfect solution if you’re new to the coffee shop business or if you want to grow your business.”

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has hand-roasted great-tasting specialty coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 250 independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program. 

Questions about opening a coffee shop? Or want to learn more about our wholesale coffee roasting programs for specialty grocers, colleges and universities and restaurants and food service operators? Give us a call at 888-800-9224 or fill out this form, and we’ll get right back to you!

Greg (front) and David Lopez at the wet mill, where the coffee cherries are de-pulped.

It’s been a busy spring here at Crimson Cup! Our cuppers are becoming world travelers as we focus on building direct-trade relationships with small farmers and on supporting development of sustainable coffee harvests.

Founder and President Greg Ubert recently returned from a visit with David Lopez, who runs a coffee farm and wet mill in El Socorro, Honduras. Crimson Cup has been working with local farmers in the region 2011 – the year that the Wall Street Journal reported that Honduras was surpassing Guatemala as Central America’s top coffee exporter.

Honduras is one of the world’s poorer countries, and small farmers have often received only a small fraction of the price their coffees bring on the world market. We believe education is the key to changing that.

David has an incredible story of the power of education. He grew up in El Socorro and attended school through the sixth grade, but had to leave to further his education.

After graduating high school, he got a job at a larger coffee mill, learning many processes that hadn’t been implemented in El Socorro. He then returned home, started his own coffee mill, and began teaching other farmers what he had learned.

Greg works with students at the new computer lab desks.

During this trip, Greg donated new desks for the computer lab and funds for a playground fence around the community’s Jose Cecilio del Valle elementary school, in which a single teacher instructs about 60 children between first and sixth grade.

Greg also met with a number of El Socorro farmers to discuss consistency in growing and processing methods. David allows multiple community farmers to use his wet mill, which helps ensure consistency and quality with the production of coffee beans from the region.

From left: Greg, Jorge Ovalle (the youngest q-grader) and David Lopez hold drying coffee beans.

By advising the farmers on growing and processing techniques, we’re helping to improve the quality of the coffee. We can then pay more for the crop than the farmers obtain on the open market.

We’re excited about the potential of Direct Trade to create win-win relationships for everyone who loves coffee. Coffee farmers and their workers achieve a better standard of living, coffee roasters secure a lasting supply of quality coffee, and coffee house customers enjoy truly delicious coffee produced in harmony with the environment and humanity.

This is only one of several trips to coffee’s countries of origin that Crimson Cup is taking this year. Team members have already visited Costa Rica and Guatemala, and Greg plans to return to Honduras in a few weeks.

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has hand-roasted great-tasting specialty coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 250 independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program. 

Questions about opening a coffee shop? Or want to learn more about our wholesale coffee roasting programs for specialty grocers, colleges and universities and restaurants and food service operators? Give us a call at 888-800-9224 or fill out this form, and we’ll get right back to you!

To increase chlorophyll content, Matcha tea leaves are grown slowly in shaded tea plantations. The fresh leaves are handpicked, dried and ground by low-friction granite stone mills into an ultra-fine, jade green powder

When Matcha powder is brewed in hot water, the result is a unique, creamy, velvety, full-bodied cup of premium green tea – extremely high in antioxidants, amino acids and other nutrients.

Served hot, iced or frozen, Crimson Cup’s Matcha Madness green tea is a delicious and nutritious treat. Try it today at the Crimson Cup Coffee House, 4541 N High Street in Clintonville, or at one of our affiliated independent coffee houses near you.

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has roasted and packaged great-tasting specialty coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 250 independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program. 

Questions about opening a coffee shop? Or want to learn more about our wholesale coffee roasting programs for specialty grocers, colleges and universities and restaurants and food service operators? Give us a call at 888-800-9224 or fill out this form, and we’ll get right back to you!

So what is a cupper, you ask? At Crimson Cup, it’s someone who is passionate about coffee. Many of our Cuppers have invested long hours – in some cases, years – in learning to objectively assess the quality of coffee. Each of our Cuppers brings a unique palate, set of skills and personality to our mission of consistently roasting the world’s best-tasting coffee.This is one of a series of interviews with our Cuppers.

At Crimson Cup, Brandon Bir engages his passion for coffee to teach independent coffee house owners how to run a successful coffee business.  He’s worked with dozens of coffee shops and trained hundreds of baristas since he joined the company as a customer experience specialist in 2010.

Outside of Crimson Cup, Brandon pursues multiple passions with the same joie de vivre that he brings to leading a group of coffee shop owners on a tour of coffee farms in the remote mountains of Costa Rica.   When he is not engaged with customers, Brandon enjoys handcrafting exotic wood hand brewing equipment, including; pour over stations, coffee chorreadors and tampers.

He has traveled to coffee trend setting regions including the Northwest, San Francisco and Miami to stay on top of coffee industry trends to share with Midwest coffee shops.

Brandon also has visited more than a dozen coffee plantations in Central America to bring back stories of great coffee, direct farmer relationships and community sustainability. So far this year, he has visited Costa Rica and Guatemala.

The former coffee shop manager has always had a passion for coffee and philanthropy. Youth Services Bureau (providing services and resources for all youth), The Parks and Recreation Department and the National Cancer Society are a few organizations that he contributes his time to.

And, he pulls a mean shot of espresso.

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has roasted and packaged quality, great-tasting coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 250 independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program. 

Questions about opening a coffee shop? Or want to learn more about our wholesale coffee roasting programs for specialty grocers, colleges and universities and restaurants and food service operators? Give us a call at 888-800-9224 or fill out this form, and we’ll get right back to you!

But even we were surprised by some of the creative ideas in this article from Mother Nature Network: 20 ways to reuse coffee grounds, tea leaves.

Some of our favorites included:

• Sadden the ants. Sprinkle coffee grounds around areas of ant infestation to deter them.
• Soothe your eyes. The tannins in tea have anti-inflammatory effects, which is why cool ones are often employed on puffy eyes. (The chill also helps with swelling.)
• Simplify fireplace cleaning. Before cleaning the fireplace, sprinkle with dampened used coffee grounds, which will weigh down the ash and thus eliminate clouds of smoke-flavored dust.
• Boost potted plants. When potting plants, place a few used tea bags on top of the drainage layer at the bottom of the planter before adding soil. The tea bags will help to retain water and will also leach some nutrients into the potting medium.
•  Keep cats at bay. Keep kitties out of the garden with a mixture of orange peels and used coffee grounds distributed around plants.

One of our team members contributed some additional ideas for cleaning with coffee and tea:

• Soak greasy dishes overnight with warm water and one or two brewed tea bags. The tannins will remove grease and food residues for a speedy cleanup in the morning.
• Take a scouring plan and rub used coffee grounds onto dirty cookware. The added friction will help to remove stuck-on messes.

With 22 new uses for used grounds and tea bags, you might find yourself drinking more delicious beverages to get the ingredients for your projects. Enjoy!

Since 1991, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has roasted and packaged quality, great-tasting coffee in Columbus, Ohio. We’ve also taught more than 250 independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee through our coffee franchise alternative program. 

Questions about opening a coffee shop? Give us a call at 888-800-9224.