I didn’t start drinking coffee until about 10 years ago. I’ve always been
sensitive to bitter tastes, so I guess my taste buds needed to mellow a bit
before I could truly enjoy what has now become my morning addiction. But Al and I recently discovered, quite by
accident, a new coffee that is a world away from that slightly burned and muddy
drink you find in every corporate break room. A local Tomball company is
combining premium coffee beans with a unique roasting method to produce a
smooth and fruity coffee that you can feel good about.
When we were meeting with Tejas Chocolate and touring their facilities, I
noticed that off to one side of the area where the cacao is winnowed and
roasted, there were some whiskey barrels and bags of coffee beans. Seeing our interest, our host was quick to
introduce us to Billy Schiel, the owner of District Roasters. Like many small businesses, District Roasters is sharing a space with Tejas
to reduce overhead. What could be a
better combination than chocolate and coffee!
District Roasters defines themselves as “Coffee. On Mission”. As we stood in the chilly warehouse talking to
Billy while he “toasted” his latest batch of coffee beans, Al and I had the
opportunity to learn more about the mission behind this business. Going far
beyond the standard of Fair Trade, District Roasters is proactively helping
improve the lives of those people producing the second largest commodity in the
world, while providing a superior quality product to their customers. To ensure this small company has the biggest
impact, District Roasters focuses their efforts on a narrowly defined set of coffee
bean growing districts, such as Burundi or Ethi Amaro, for developing
partnerships and reinvesting part of their profits to better the growing
community in those districts.
The unique roasting method for this coffee, which Billy described as
“toasted not roasted”, brings out the natural sweetness of the coffee
beans. We were excited to try the brew
and we were truly surprised by its natural sweetness. This is the only coffee I’ve ever tried that
tastes better to me without any form of sweetener – it’s that sweet! There is no trace of bitterness and the
aromas of the fruit come shining through.
There’s also a definite caffeine kick that fully meets the needs for my
morning jump start!
But what about those whiskey barrels you ask? District Roasters has
started aging green coffee beans in used Jack Daniels whiskey barrels. The aromas of the charred oak and remnants of
the whiskey batch are absorbed by the porous green coffee beans. The “toasting”
method further enhances the flavor for a comforting brew that is perfect to
cold winter morning or anytime for that matter.
Still haven’t had enough of that great coffee flavor? Well, there’s
more! In an extension of their partnership with Tejas Chocolate, District
Roasters has created a Burundi coffee flavored chocolate bar they call Buck
Shot. Definitely something coffee and chocolate lovers should try out.
In a quiet warehouse/office park in Tomball Texas, you can find two
unique businesses, partnering together to deliver great tasting products and
support local communities both here in Texas and around the world. Just goes to show that you never know what
surprises await when you venture out to see Texas Thru My Back Door!
We challenge our readers to join in our fight against breast cancer. Visit Suzanne's new blog "My Equations for Life" as she reflects on life B.C. (before cancer) and A.D. (after diagnosis) and help support new early cancer detection research at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with our Go Fund Me project below.
