Valentine's Day Giveaway

Announcing our first ever Coffee Giveaway! 

Valentine's Day is right around the corner we want to share the coffee love by giving away some yummy beans.

One lucky winner will receive a 12oz bag of our much-loved Safari Blend. Drink it yourself, share it with someone you love, or use it try out some recipes and crafts like the ideas we've collected on our Valentine's Day Pinterest board. 

Here's how to enter:

1. "Like" our page on Facebook. (If you're already a fan, proceed to step 2.)

2. Leave a comment on this blog post. 
You have two choices: Either tell us why you LOVE coffee, or share your own coffee-related delectable dessert or creative craft idea for Valentine's Day.  Please leave your email address in the comment as well, so we can contact you if you win. 

Open to US residents only. 

One winner will be randomly selected and announced on Feburary 8th. 

Looking for a great Valentine's Day gift? Check out our guide to giving gifts to coffee lovers. 


-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters

Virtual Gift Cards

Did you know that you can send virtual Voyage Coffee gift cards? Square, which we use for credit card payments, now has a gift card feature. 

Square has easy-to-follow directions on their website. Just search for "Voyage Coffee Roasters" in the app to find us. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, they even explain how to use the gift cards if you don't have a smartphone. 

-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters

One More Cupping

We had (hopefully) our final cupping before we order more beans. We're excited about some of the coffees we got to try out this time. 

Here are the tasting notes:

Guatemala Huehuetenango Pierda Azul: This coffee has a molasses scent with hints of earthiness. Flavors of buttery caramel and orange come through. Its low acidity and hint of sweetness finish with a pleasant walnut aftertaste.  

Guatemala Finca La Bolsa La Huerta: Less fragrant and more acidic than the similar Guatemala above, it features a spicy aroma. Pecan, lemon, black tea, and earth are the primary flavors.  

Mexico FTO Ramal Santa Cruz: Smells like sweet almonds, followed by some sweetness, chocolate and tart wine-like flavors and a mellow aftertaste. Medium body.  

Indonesia FTO Sumatra Grade 1: The distinct, sharp fragrance of this coffee has notes of fruit, especially blueberry. Spice, dark chocolate, mocha, and vanilla flavors. Complex but still smooth and chocolaty, the low acidity and full body make this a delicious coffee. 

As we look at ordering, we should end up with quite a good selection, including coffee from South America, Africa and the Far East. We've sampled coffees with a lot of different labels and certifications: Peaberry, Strictly Hard Bean, Strictly High Grown, Euro Prep, Fair Trade, Organic, Rain Forest Alliance. For a lot of the coffees, there is even information available about the farms, their owners and processes. When we have our new coffees, we'll be posting about each one! 

-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters

Your Coffee Gift Guide

We get a lot of people who want to buy coffee for gifts. Whether it's for family members, friends, coworkers, teachers, or neighbors, everyone loves great coffee! A lot of people aren't sure what to get when they buy coffee for other people, so we've put together a list of ideas.

We added mini gift bows to some of the bags we gave as Christmas presents. 

We've got gift recommendations for any situation: 

Safari Blend: we’ve never met someone who didn't like Safari, and that’s why it’s our top gift choice!

Organic Peru Swiss Water Decaf: for those that prefer to go without the caffeine, our Swiss Water Process Decaf is perfect. (It’s Organic too!)

Gift Certificate: You really can't go wrong with a gift certificate for great coffee. Available in $10, $25 or $50 increments. Virtual gift cards are also available through the Square Wallet App. 

Subscriptions: give a gift that keeps on giving! Choose from several subscription frequency and length options. We handpick and feature a different delicious coffee variety each month.

Favor Bags: We offer 2oz sample-size bags (the perfect amount for a pot of drip) that are great for party/wedding favors, Valentines, or stocking stuffers. 

Tiny 2oz Bags

Grinders: For the serious coffee lovers in your life. We offer two of Baratza's burr-grinders. 

A few other things to keep in mind when buying gifts:

Freshness: coffee stays fresh for 1-2 weeks. 

Grind: Also for freshness, it’s best to grind coffee right before use, so order whole bean if possible. If you’re not sure the recipient has a grinder, drip grind is usually a safe bet.

Roast: Most people are used to drinking a Vienna (Dark) or French roast.

Questions about gifts? 
We’d love to help you out! Just comment or send an email to info@voyagecoffee.com.

-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters

We Keep on Cupping

We're continuing our search for delicious organic beans. Because coffee is a constantly changing commodity, our offerings will change every several months. We really love the coffees we have right now, so we're looking hard for coffees with the same flavors. 

Here are notes from our most recent samples:

Costa Rica Organic Lomas Al Rio: A rich coffee with flavors of cocoa, caramel, and nuts, a smooth aftertaste and med-full body. 

Honduras Fair Trade Organic COCAFELOL: This coffee starts with a sharp and spicy aroma. Overall a simple coffee with notes of earth, chocolate, and nutmeg. 

Uganda Natural Bukonzo Organic: Features an exotic, woody and floral aroma. Sweet, syrupy blueberry and strawberry jam flavors. 

Ethiopia Certified Organic Fair Trade Harrar Gr. 4: Similar to other Ethiopian coffees we've tasted. The fragrance is both tangy and sweet. Dark chocolate and dried fruit come to mind, especially blueberry at cooling, light acidity, minimal sweetness and a medium body. 

Ethiopia Organic Sidamo Grade 2 Suke Quto:
A muted fragrance followed by lemony, black tea notes, a hint of sweetness, and a light-medium body. A good flavor match for our Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. 

Papua New Guinea Organic A/X Yha Hauka Kopi:
Low complexity, spicy and slightly smoky aroma, earth and wood flavors, nice aftertaste. 

Ethiopia RFO Limmu G2 Kaffa Forest Estate:
Featuring an almond and vanilla fragrance, followed by flavors of caramel, honey, hibiscus and lemon. A bright coffee. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts on coffee flavor: 

What are your favorite flavors in coffee? Do you go for fruity? Floral? Chocolatey? Caramel? Do you tend to stick with coffee from one part of the world? What's the best type of coffee you've ever had? Leave a comment below!

-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters