Coffee roasted by a Greek Orthodox Priest? Heavenly!
Written: Jul 10, 2012
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There are certain places on the Internet where a person can find some great stuff. While Epinions is certainly one of those places, so is the Recovery from Mormonism (RfM) message board, where a lot of well traveled and highly intelligent folks with great taste tend to hang out. A few months ago, there was a thread started by an ex-Mormon asking for coffee recommendations. These kinds of threads are not uncommon on RfM, since a lot of ex-Mormons are newly trying the substances the religion forbids, like coffee, tea, and booze. And a lot of ex-Mormons don't know the first thing about coffee. On the other hand, a lot of them do know their stuff, either because they've experimented or because they were converts... or because they live in the Pacific Northwest, which is pretty famous for its coffee.
Anyway, one regular poster commented that one of his favorite coffee bean purveyors was Father Michael's Coffee Roastery. He said his favorite roast was the Eastern Queen. I was immediately intrigued, especially when the poster added that these beans came from a Greek Orthodox Priest roasting coffee at Saint John's Greek Orthodoc Monastery in Goldendale, Washington. Father Michael's has been in business for about ten years and seems to have attracted a loyal following. Since my husband Bill loves his coffee and we both know about the magic created when priests make beer, another favorite beverage in our house, I decided I had to order some coffee from the priest in Washington State!
What does Father Michael's sell?
Of course you can buy coffee from three different regions: Africa, Central/South America, or Indonesia. You can also buy Greek pastries or gift boxes. I have not tried Father Michael's pastries, but I have ordered several of his coffees, which come in whole bean or ground varieties and can be purchased in eight ounce, fourteen ounce, or five pound quantities. If you aren't particular about what region your coffee comes from but care more about the type of roast, you can search for coffees that way. Father Michael's offers organic, custom blends, and espresso, too. Prices are pretty reasonable, with most fourteen ounce packages selling for $10.59 to $12.99.
My experiences
I was curious about the Eastern Queen coffee, so when I made my first order several months ago, I bought a fourteen ounce whole bean bag of that, along with a fourteen ounce whole bean bag of darker roasted Sulawesi Toraja. The coffees shipped within a couple of days and arrived via the U.S. mail several days later. Coffee snob Bill immediately pronounced his approval of both coffees. I was surprised that I actually preferred the Sulawesi to the Eastern Queen.
A couple of months later, we were out of Father Michael's beans. I decided I wanted to try a couple of other varieties. I ordered a fourteen ounce package of Brazil Sao Pulped Natural Micro-Lot and a fourteen ounce package of Moka Java. Again, they arrived quickly and were surprisingly high quality.
Father Michael's allows customers to create an account which allows them to safely store their personal information as well as previous orders. I was charged $8 for shipping, but given the low cost of the coffees, that wasn't a strain at all on my pocketbook!
Overall
I highly recommend Father Michael's Roastery. I've now tried four coffees from this outfit and they've each been excellent. The coffees are reasonably priced and ship quickly. And there's something really cool about supporting small businesses, too. Bill and I still love our Peets, but will be including Father Michael's beans in our coffee rotations, too.
For more information: www.fathermichaels.com
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: Carolina
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