Meet Me in Idaho Springs: Good Answer

Ericka Van Dreyton was never one to take the bait, as it were.  This guy, who looked a little like Ryan Reynolds, by the way, obviously thought that his card left on the table was her cue to call him.  She’d been carrying the card around in her coat pocket for a week, and had decided she definitely would not call him … today.  Halloween was soon on the menu and in Idaho Springs that meant shop windows strewn with cobwebs and cat-sized spiders hanging from ceilings.  There was a festive spirit of goblins lurking around corners and ghosts dancing in the street.  Idaho Springs was a town built into the mountainside, houses tucked into the nooks and crannies, with hidden mines at the end of every other street.  Ricky looked across the way at the waterwheel that was still turning despite the cooler temperatures, the sun streaking its timbers with promise of a warm day.  She made a stop at the Wild Grape in search of a Birthday gift for her sister, then wandered through Canyon Outfitters to see if they still had the tooled, silver studded handbag that she had decided she couldn’t live without.  Purchases made, she stopped in for a hello to Asta at Java Mountain Roasters and one of her famous Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  The roasting was done and the whole shop was scented with coffee magic as one of the girls ground beans for a customer.  Ricky sat down at a table to wait for a break in the counter action and that’s when she spotted him, the Ryan Reynolds knock off.  He was going to think she was following him.  She walked over to his table and waited for him to look up.  “I just wanted you to know,” Ricky explained, “that I just happened in here.  I’m not following you.”  He smiled – disarming – annoying. “I didn’t think you were following me,” Ryan said.  “But it would be fine if you were.”  “Good answer,” Ricky said, then went and sat down at another table.

The Ultimate Comfort

Believe it or not, the weather is about to turn cooler. Here in the mountains, we already feel the change in the coolness of our evenings. The days are quickly coming when we’ll wake up to a cold house, we’ll exchange sandals for thick socks and warm shoes, our tank tops will be put away and replaced with sweaters, and the furnace and fire place will again be used.

One of the most comforting things about Autumn is the pleasure of drinking something warm – especially if it’s coffee. You wrap your cold fingers around the cup, letting the warmth sink in. You inhale the heady aroma of a fresh brew. And for those of us who are long-time coffee drinkers, there is the association we have of coffee and well-being. It’s like a little bit of sunshine right in your hands.

Enjoy the sunny days while they linger. Then look forward to the cold, because with it comes a warm cup of joe.

A Good Cup of Joe

What makes a great cup of coffee? Is it pure water? Is it choosing coffe beans with excellent qualities? Is it freshly roasted beans, roasted to perfection and glitening with the natural oils of the bean? Is it grinding those beans immediately before brewing? Is it using the right ratio of water to coffee, or brewing with exactly the right method, or brewing for just the right amount of time? Maybe it is all these things.

At Java Mountain Roasters, we start by choosing the coffee beans with the character and qualities we desire. We then roast the beans ourselves, with the aim of producing a simply delectable cup. The result of our hands-on approach is a fragrant, smooth cup of Joe. So come on in, smell the heady fragrance of our beans roasting, sit a while, and enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures: a really good cup of coffee.