Coffee Lovers Gift Guide

Our top six picks for the holiday season for every coffee lover on your list:

1) Hario V60 & Skerton Hand Grinder:

The V60 and the Skerton Hand Grinder are a perfect match to brew the best cup of coffee at home. The V60 needs the finely tuned grind that the Skerton provides - great for one cup of coffee on the go. Consider pairing it with the Hario Buono Kettle for a more exact pour. Purchase these items at Roots for $25-$55.

2) Acaia Pearl Scale

This is for the coffee aficionado in your life. This scale combines an iPhone app with the best features of the gram scale / timer combo. The scale links with your phone in real time to record your extraction progress. Purchase is here for $129. This one is definitely on our wish list.

3) Novel Coffee

Freshly roasted Novel Coffee is always a good bet for anyone that appreciates expertly roasted, craft coffee. Right now, we especially recommend the Costa Rica Sonora Estate. Stop by Roots on Friday afternoons to grab a freshly roasted bag or order via their website (free shipping!) $14-$15

4) Local Box

Roots is proud to feature Local Boxes this holiday season. Grab a branded wooden box and fill it with local items like Fancy Pants Honey, Dude Sweet Chocolate, OMG Toffee, Novel Coffee, and more! Even better, buy 3 or more items and get the wooden box free as well as 10% your entire local purchase! Items are $1-$12.

5) Limited Edition Copper Bodum French Press

Pressed coffee is classic - its even more classic in this beautiful copper French press by Bodum. This guy makes a great gift for coffee novice to coffee aficionado or buy it for yourself and brew beautiful cups for your family & friends this holiday. $49

6) Our Common Mug

Do you have a friend who is far away? Our Common Mugs are only sold in pairs and when you buy, they send one to you and one to your friend far away along with a personalized note. You can order here.

Barista Spotlight - Sam

Here at Roots, we are all about community. That's why we want you to get to know the Roots family even better. Starting this month, we will be starting a new line of blog posts focused specifically on one member of the Roots team - this week, Sam!

We chose this picture above because its just so….you know….Sam! Sam has been here at Roots since early this year after getting back from traveling all over the U.S. He loves travel and loves people.

1.       Where are you from?

I spent my childhood in Anchorage, AK but I’ve been here in the DFW area over 10 years now.

2.       Tell us about the first cup of coffee you ever had:

My family traditionally has coffee served with pie, cake or another baked good as the desert for almost every large family dinner we would have.  When I was about 5 or 6 I was given a very tiny “Sam-sized” mug and enjoyed a cup of 1/3 coffee, 2/3 milk and an over-abundance of sugar.  A coffee fanatic was born.

3.       Tell us one thing that is on your bucket list: 

 I would really like to publish a book I write before my time comes.

4.       If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do? 

I’d love to visit Scandinavia (Finland, Norway and Sweden) and spend as much time hiking, camping, fishing and doing other various outdoor activities as possible.

5.       What do you do on your days off? 

In my free time I write concert and cd reviews for underground artists and musicians.  I go to various shows (I’ve reviewed concerts as far away as Denver, CO) and share my experiences with my readers so they can feel as though they are witnessing the concerts for themselves.  I hope to utilize these experiences to help me become a full-fledged journalist in the future.

6.       How did you get interested in coffee? 

My family, specifically my father, sparked my interest in coffee.  We are a coffee craving family and so an interest was raised quite naturally.

7.       Tell us the nicest thing a customer has ever done for you.

 I have two stories:  I was on a road trip in July, not even working for two weeks.  When I returned and checked my cubby at work, there were two excellent craft beverages that one of our sweetest regulars left for me.  She told me later, “I knew you wouldn’t be here when these were released and that you’d absolutely love them.”  She was absolutely correct.  The next story literally happened this past week.  I am an ardent lover of fried chicken, and have told numerous people I’ll be their friend for life if they just surprise me with fried chicken.  Well I had a customer deliver me four large, juicy morsels of breaded avian glory the other day, and it was impeccably delicious.  An amazing illustration of just how wonderful and caring our customers behave towards the Roots staff.

9.       What’s your go-to drink at Roots?

If I'm in a hurry and need a caffeine boost, you can’t go wrong with the Cuban.  If I have some time to relax and enjoy a drink in one of our for-here mugs, I go for a double-shot of espresso or a cortado.

Would you rather:

                Snow Ski or Water Ski?   Snow ski, all day

                Bicycle across the US or take a hot air balloon?  Bicycle

                Live without coffee or live without craft beer?  Live without craft beer

                Explore the Amazon or dive the Great Barrier Reef?  Dive the Great Barrier reef

                Read a book or watch a movie?  Read a book

                Drive a monster truck or a veggie bus?  As a former driver of a veggie bus, I’ll say veggie bus

                Climb a tree or swim in a creek?  Swim in a creek

                Eat spaghetti or lasagna?  Spaghetti

                Travel back in time or into the future?  I’m already travelling into the future, so back   in time

Closing Thoughts:

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found this place.  A close friend helped get me hired, and subsequently the staff has become an extremely valuable part to my network of friends and family.  I appreciate this job more than any I’ve ever had.  The culture of Roots Coffeehouse is incredibly accepting and eclectic, traits I love and adore.  Our customers treat us like equals and show their sincere gratitude for us daily.  Whether it’s buying a meal for a hungry barista or genuinely listening and caring when we’re having a rough time, you all sure do make a guy feel loved and needed.  That purpose has given my life direction, and I cannot thank you all enough.

Spotlight on Coffee: Veracruz Mexico

Selecting and sourcing the finest coffees is protocol over at Novel Coffee Roasters - and they've done it again with the new Veracruz Mexico. 

"Among Mexican coffee-growing regions, Veracruz is lesser-known than its neighbor Chiapas to the east. But this year farms in Veracruz produced some of the best coffee in Mexico, sweeping the top three in the Cup of Excellence.

Our coffee comes from 16 farms who have worked together since 2009 to increase quality, collectively known as Productores de Café Sustentable de Baxtla. Their crop was a standout on the cupping table this year at the first ever Best of Mexico competition held by Cafe Imports."

Stop by Roots and try this amazing coffee on slow bar - we're ready to brew it for you in V60 or Chemex.

Second Annual Buy Local Event

As you probably know, we here at Roots are committed to using local ingredients as often as possible. With that in mind, last year we started the tradition of an annual Buy Local Event. This event showcases some of the best local businesses and invites you to sample your way through them in one place.

Saturday, Oct 4, 2014 from 2p-4p

This year, we are really excited about our lineup of local businesses. Learn more about them as you read on:

Novel Coffee Roasters: obviously, we are huge fans of Novel. This local coffee roaster uses only the finest specialty grade beans and pays careful attention to every step of the importing, sorting, roasting, and packaging process. They are simply the best! Come meet them, try their coffee, and learn more about their coffees.

http://www.novelcoffeeroasters.com

Melt Ice Creams: first of all, if you haven't been to Melt yet, do yourself a favor and stop reading and head over there right now. They make homemade ice creams using only the best local ingredients and have fun flavors to boast like Tea Time (lavender + earl grey) & Apples n' Oats (oatmeal & apple). They will be sampling and selling scoops at our event this year.

https://www.facebook.com/MeltIceCreams

Holy Kombucha: we've been serving up HK on tap since February and everyone loves it! Kombucha is not only low in sugar, but its also super good for you because its loaded with probiotics! HK also gives a percentage of sales to local non-profits, which makes them extra great. 

http://www.holykombucha.com

Fox&Otter: these folks make some seriously amazing spicy-sweet pickles! Made locally here in town, these pickles are legit! Stop by and try them or pick up a jar to turn any hum-drum dish into something incredible.

http://foxandotter.com

Boopas Bagels: we've been serving up four flavors of Boopas amazing bagels here at the shop for years now! Made fresh every day in Fort Worth, these authentic water bagels are never frozen and dense with deliciousness. Try them out during the event, or pick up a bag.

http://boopasbagelfortworth.com

Roots Juices: no, no direct relation to Roots Coffeehouse, but these guys press some great juices!  Each bottle has 3lbs of fruits and veggies! They are local out of Dallas and they are 100% awesome. 

https://rootspressedjuices.com

Fall Flavors are almost here!

As you may know, we have been focusing our efforts on crafting more unique and handcrafted drinks at Roots as we grow. Our focus has been and will continue to be quality over quantity. We've done away with any and all sauces that contain highly processed sugars or high fructose corn syrup and have been relying on our homemade syrups, as well as all natural brands.

This fall, we really wanted to focus in on homemade sauces and syrups for our fall flavors (a lot of pre-made pumpkin flavors contain a host of harmful chemicals). After a few months of playing around with recipes, we've wound up with two fall flavors that you are sure to enjoy as we welcome the cooler weather: Toasted Pecan & Homemade Pumpkin.

Our toasted pecan sauce is a blend of real pecans, toasted to perfection with cinnamon & brown sugar, and then blended expertly with brown & cane sugar for a creamy, flavorful latte.

Our pumpkin sauce is made from real pumpkin, combined with cane & brown sugar, as well as some sweetened condensed milk and spices. When paired with our Rogue espresso, it practically forces the cooler weather of the autumn season through the door.

These drinks debut on Monday, September 15th, and we are sure you will love them. 

Inside the World of Coffee: From Seed to Cup

By Chase Record

Coffee is a commodity know throughout the world. It either kickstarts an individual’s day or is the pinnacle of taste for the coffee lover. Regardless of the circumstance, coffee is a process that is intricate, time consuming, and laboriously driven.

Planting

PT's Coffee Roasting Co.

The roasted coffee bean you see in a shop actually begins as a small seed inside a cherry. Planting of these seeds often takes place during the wet season and they are watered frequently to keep the roots moist and to allow the roots to become embedded deeply into the soil. It takes approximately three to four years for the plant to bear fruit that can be harvested and processed. When ripe, the coffee cherry will display a brilliant shade of red.

The Harvest

The harvest process is one full of labor-intensive days that involve mostly hand picking the beans. Exceptions are places like the flatlands of Brazil in which the land allows for mechanized harvesting to some degree. Most hand pickers are paid by the pound and average 100-200 pounds of cherries per day (roughly twenty to forty pounds of coffee beans). After harvesting, the coffee is transported to the processing plant where the coffee will usually be dried, sorted, and packaged.

The fresh coffee beans, known as “green coffee” because of its green appearance, are then shipped throughout the world to be roasted to perfection. Approximately fourteen billion pounds of green coffee is produced worldwide each year.

Roasting

Onyx Coffee Lab

Roasting turns the green coffee into the wonderful aromatic brown beans that are purchased in stores. Throughout the entire process of roasting, the roaster maintains a temperature of roughly 550°F until the beans reach an internal temperature of 400°F. At this point the coffee begins to turn brown and the oils inside the bean begin to loom. This process is called pyrolysis. After roasting, the coffee goes through the tasting process in which hours upon hours are spent cupping the coffees determining what flavors and characteristics each coffee carries, which can lead to different roasting profiles for coffees to achieve the best overall flavor.

The Cup

The roasted coffee is then bagged and distributed to stores and consumers. Many brewing methods including drip brewing, pour over, chemex, french press, and espresso to bring the hard work to fruition in the form of the beautiful black gold that is served in a cup. Coffee is something we can all share and it truly does bring people together. The delicious drink makes for one heck of a pass time and just proves that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.

Upcoming Events!

We have some amazing upcoming events at Roots, in continuation of our Late Nights @ Roots event series. 

We are most excited about our Second Annual Buy Local Event! Last year, we set up all the Roots local suppliers farmers market style in the shop as they gave out samples, demonstrated the processes, and more for customers. This year, we plan to have even more local food suppliers out to celebrate with us and share their fantastic local products.

The lineup this year includes: Holy Kombucha, Novel Coffee Roasters, Fox+Otter, Roots Juices, Stir Crazy Bakery, and more! Don't miss this event - it will be October 4th from 2pm-4pm.