You know how life likes to throw monkey wrenches at us to see if we’re paying attention? Well, I wasn’t, and caught one in the head. Recently I noticed that the Locals Guide needed someone to do a review of Noble Coffee Roasting. Some of you may remember my blog in which I admitted my ignorance of coffee, and since then I have been trying to learn about the different types and blends, what makes them good or bad, dark vs. medium and so forth. So I jumped on the chance show off my newly acquired knowledge and to maybe learn a little more. After getting the Go ahead from Shields I checked Google Maps to see where Noble was located, and found them to be on a little street in what looked like a residential area. “nice place for a coffee shop” I thought to myself. On the appointed day, I gathered up my business partner Marty, and we set out for a morning of croissants and coffee. as we approached the address we realized something was wrong, this isn’t a coffee shop neighborhood, we said to each other. And it wasn’t. it was, however, the production room of the Noble Coffee Roasters, an internet based mail order business. Just to make sure, we got out and checked the grounds for bagels and mochas, and finding none we proceeded to introduce our selfs to the gentleman roasting his beans.
The man was Jared Rennie, the main force behind Noble Roasting, and we learned a little about his business. He started it up after spending a few years doing his other love, teaching. I guess all those long hours staying up late grading papers helped his appreciation of coffee. I was interested to learn that the name, Noble, comes from his grandfather, whose name was Noble, an adventurous sort, who, as Jared puts it “...had all who knew him in awe”. I hoped his coffee would live up to the name. Jared is dedicated to using the best coffee he can, which their website explains as “Organic and fair trade certified, this coffee is shade grown by co-ops that support farming families and their communities by promoting environmental stewardship, direct trade, gender equality, health care, and education.” Noble sentiments indeed.
After spending a few minutes talking to Jared, I decided the next step should be to check out his website. I had been thinking of getting a French press for sometime, and this seemed like a good opportunity. The site is easy to navigate, with lots of useful information about the different types of coffees and how to appreciate them. I quickly found the listing for gift sets, which included a 4 cup French press and 1lb of coffee. I choose the coffee of the week, a nice Columbian 'ocamonte' since I am considering getting weekly deliveries and wanted to see what his selection was like. There was some problems with the order page, I was using gift certificates that had been issued before the page was set up and so they weren't recognized, but a quick email to Jared and it was all straightened out. He was very helpful and quick to reply, which always makes me feel good.
According to the website orders made before Wednesday are delivered to Ashland and Talent every Friday, a service I thought very generous, especially with gas prices being what they are. And, on, Friday, there was Jared with the press and coffee. I was so excited, I couldn't wait to make my first cup. But remember that monkey wrench? Well, fate must have had two of them. When looking at the coffee, I noticed it was not ground. You can get the coffee ground, there is an option for whatever type of machine you have, but I made the mistake of thinking that if I'm ordering a French press, the coffee would be ground accordingly, but if you don't specify, the default is whole bean. Now, I should have known this, because any coffee aficionado will tell you that you must grind the beans yourself to get the full flavor. However, with a little running around we got the beans ground and I was able to make my first cup in my own French press.
To say I was pleased is an understatement. It was truly different from what I usually got at the coffee shop, more flavor and the smell was incredible. And, more importantly, it was as strong as I like it.
All in all I think Noble Coffee Roasting is a grand business, with a superb product and great knowledge of their goods. Jared is very helpful, and seemed dedicated to bringing only the best to his customers. The website is easy to navigate and the product descriptions are full and easy to understand. The delivery service is a boon to any office worker who has had to wonder if it's their turn to get the coffee, and makes sure you have fresh, and therefore better tasting, coffee. While we talked Jared mentioned plans for an actual sit down coffee shop in the future, and I look forward to the time when I can go in and enjoy a great cup of coffee.
