When you’re a small, family company like Bookish, little things can make a big difference. For instance, we are having our second baby soon. Woohoo! The difference this little person is going to make to Bookish, at least initially, is that we will be unable to continue delivering coffee. We’ll have to move to strictly pickup. No deliveries in the 76201 area, and no shipping outside of it.

We’ve always done free deliveries in 76201, and we hope to pick them back up at some point. But, at least for now, the only way to get Bookish coffee will be to pick it up here or at The Hydrant Café (just off the square on the corner of Oak and Cedar).

(If you’ve ordered a subscription that includes delivery, local or otherwise, we will honor the subscription.)

The holidays have really lightened our coffee supply at Bookish, so Guatemala and the Decaf Mexican are all we have in stock right now. Look for a very special Brazil, Sumatra, and more in the new year.

I just put up a new coffee, a Fair Trade/ Organic Ethiopian Sidamo. This is a dry processed coffee, which means it shouts a little louder than the other coffees on offer. The aroma is huge, almost like a flavored coffee (only better, of course).

Also, I’m getting pretty low on Brazil, so you won’t find it on the site right now. Send me an email if that’s what you’re after and I may be able to get it to you.

Just roasted the last of the El Salvador Pulped Natural. Man, that was some good stuff. Look for a replacement soon.

I’ve recently started weighing out all of the bags of coffee to ensure each was right at .5 lbs (a little over, actually).  Previously I was measuring the half pound bags by volume, so if you notice a difference in how full the bags are, that’s the reason.

We roasted the last of the Colombian and the Bolivian last week. Luckily we just got a new shipment of the Brazil in. This promises to be another great drip coffee/single origin espresso. The Brazil will be on the coffee page soon.

If you’d like to order it now, just pick one of the other coffees and let me know you want Brazil.

You’ve probably heard of El Salvador, but what about “pulped natural” processing? Less probable, I suspect.

It refers to how coffee farmers get the coffee seed (bean) free from the coffee fruit that houses it. This is usually done with either a wet processing method that removes the fruit or a dry processing method that lets the fruit dry and fall off on its own. Each version has a significant impact on the taste of the coffee. In general, wet processed coffees tend to be clean and bright, while dry processed coffees tend to be full-bodied, low on acidity, and sometimes earthy tasting.

Pulped natural processing is a newer hybrid of these two methods, and the result is sweeter and more full-bodied than a wet processed coffee and cleaner than a dry processed coffee.

We roasted up the last of the Brazil last week, and I’m working on replacing it right now. Coffee is a crop, so I’m looking over the fresh produce, trying to decide what’s best. Look for a new coffee in the coming weeks.

In the mean time, for those of you who were using the Brazil for espresso, try the Organic Bolivia. It has a heavy body that stand up well to espresso extraction as well as some sweet, fruity notes.

I roasted and drank a lot of coffee before starting Bookish Coffee. I had my favorite regions, roast profiles, and preparation methods. In short, I had opinions about coffee. What I didn’t have, however, was any need to communicate these opinions to other people, or at least not to more than one person at a time. All I needed to do was brew a cup.

By starting Bookish Coffee I left this simplicity behind and waded into the murky waters of describing the taste of coffee. I’m on the record describing, for instance, the new Bolivian coffee as having the aroma of blackberries. Now it’s true that – both in the roaster and the cup – I get the aroma of blackberries. Yet I am laden with concerns: What if someone doesn’t like blackberries, perhaps because of the seeds? What if someone expects this to taste like a cup of blackberry syrup? 

Of course, as a matter of definition, all the coffee tastes primarily like coffee. Hopefully the descriptions can give you some sense of the differences before you’ve tried them all. And if you really want to know what these different coffees taste like, all you need to do is brew a cup.

I like to offer more variety than you’ll find today on the coffee page. I’ve been holding out, though,  for the new crop of Central American coffees (they typically start coming in this month). That’s right – coffee is a crop, a product of agriculture dependent on the vicissitudes of of weather, climate, and season.

But the wait is about over. I expect to receive some Colombian and Bolivian coffees this week in time to roast on Thursday. It’s always fun to get a new coffee in the roaster, and I’m looking forward to learning about these new flavors and aromas. I’m also looking forward to adding an organic and an organic/Fair Trade to the list.

So I’m happy to say that next time you  order “regular” I’ll have to ask you to be more specific.

The new bookishcoffee.com gives me a little more control, so I can keep you up to date on what coffee we have available and even which ones are on the way.

For instance, I happen to know that there are some great coffees coming in from Colombia and Bolivia. Some Fair Trade. Some organic. Good stuff.

Take a look around and let me know what you think.