Ageing gracefully is possible with fine cuts of beef, but not with coffee

We will not sell coffee that is more than 2.5 weeks old in the cafe, and we remove coffee from the shelves of major specialty markets when the coffee is over 3 weeks old. The plain truth is that coffee that is over 3 weeks old should never be sold- it's stale. Try this at home. When you buy coffee beans from Chazzano Coffee, (ground or whole beans-see my previous blog post), drink the coffee every day for 2 weeks. Force yourself to notice whether the coffee changes at all. Take notes on what you taste on the first day and every day until you finish the bag. Do you still taste the same notes on the seventh day with the same intensity as the first day? When does the fresh roasted, awesome coffee begin to smell like "normal" coffee? 

Next time you go to a supermarket, check out the roast date on the bag. What...there's no roast date? I knew that- there's often a GOOD BY DATE on the bag. How many months will the coffee still be "fresh?" If there is no "date roasted" printed on the bag, you're soon going to buy a very stale and flavorless bag of coffee with very cool and beautiful packaging.

Green Coffee Beans

Chazzano Coffee Roasters ships coffee throughout the USA and even to Guam. We'll deliver to your doorstep whether you live one block away from the cafe or...in Guam.

What happens to the unsold coffee that is over 3 weeks old? We donate the coffee to homeless shelters and low income housing groups because even if our coffee is old, it's still younger than most of the coffee that you  can pick up at the local supermarket.

Fresh Roasted Chazzano Coffee

Green unroasted coffee beans can last for years under the ideal conditions. Roasted coffee really lasts only 3 weeks until it becomes stale. The good news is that old coffee can't hurt you physically- only a piece of your soul dies. Life can be short. Why would you want to drink old coffee?

What's with the yarmulke, dude?

Chazzano Coffee Roasters is a boutique roasterie that observes the Jewish dietary laws (Kosher) and Jewish Holy Days. We close from Friday evening to Saturday evening in observance of the Jewish day of rest (Shabbat). In addition, the owner (me) wears a kippah, yarmulke, or some kind of hat throughout the day. What's up with that? Since we have begun to sell Chazzano Kipot, I  need to explain why I wear a kippah (or kipa). You should also know that there are no subjects that are private to me. Feel free at any time to ask not only about coffee but also about Judaism and my observance of the Jewish laws. 

There are two main words for the kind of hat that I choose to wear: Kipa (kee-pah), the Hebrew word, and yarmulke (ya-muh-kuh), the Yiddish word. Another English word, skullcap, is not really used at all. Simply, I wear a kipa because it shows respect for G-d. Some scholars have stated that it covers our head to remind us that our intellect is not even close to G-d's wisdom. It is also a sign that you are an observant Jew who keeps Kosher, the Jewish Sabbath, and that you live an ethical life as defined by G-d and the Torah (The Jewish Bible). There is also an element of humility- wearing the hat is a sign of humility towards G-d and love for living a Jewish life.

So, why don't all Jews wear a kipa? For one, it would negatively effect their career growth and therefore hurt their family. I own my own business. If you don't want to do business with me because I am an observant Jew, the feeling is mutual. Wearing a kipa is a source of pride because there was a time when even  non-observant Jews who didn't have any outward signs of their Judaism were not treated equally to non-Jews. Some Jews don't want to seem different from anyone else. There are many reasons why some Jews don't wear a kipa today and all of those reasons are valid. That is why I love being an American-harmony of different beliefs is respected and nourished, mostly.

Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews all have different traditions and beliefs about the wearing of kippot. 

Finally, I wear my new Chazzano kipa because I am proud to be a Jew, I want to show reverence towards G-d in my own way, and I want to show my pride in owning Chazzano Coffee Roasters.